Re: with apologies to our photographers (Doug Green)

**h*@aol.com**

I have to second Saxon's remarks.  I've been livid  at the stock 
photography that my papers have used and in no uncertain terms I've  let them know.  
Invariably the captions are wrong...wrong flower and plant  id and wrong 
insect id.  My editor's response has been 'but that's what the  caption 
said!"...as if whoever did the caps knew what they were looking  at.  I've asked 
them to double proof any images they use with my material  either by getting my 
approval or by checking against an authenticated  image.

When a stock image is used and the caps are wrong it's a  direct reflection 
on me, not the newspaper.  Readers complain to me, not my  editor because 
they think (incorrectly) that I have something to do with the  layout and 
inclusions.

That's the down side.  The up side is that because of my  tirades against 
this practice the papers now carry my images when I can supply  them.  That's 
turned out to be a small gold mine as I get paid the same if  the pics end 
up in the print or online editions.  They seem to like to pour  on the pics 
for the online editions cause there's very little to no production  cost 
except what I charge them.  As a result...a new Nikon D5000, Panasonic  LX3 and 
a Sony HX1.

I think that good writers with a solid reader base need to be  a wee bit 
more pushy with their editors and publishers.

Andrew Messinger
The Hampton Gardener
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