Uncredited
Oh yes, I need say this before I leave. I was flipping through this local magazine yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see my pictures published in an article. I shot the story for the magazine under another organization and didn’t know when it would be out, so I was very happy to see them in print. However, I realized that I wasn’t credited for the images when I glanced over for the credits. One of the magazine’s stringer got the credit instead.
I was planning to email the writer and editor to bring the issue up. (I’m giving the editor the benefit of the doubt as it was a small feature and he probably has more stringers than he remembers.) Moreover, I’m hoping that I’d be given an opportunity to work with the magazine directly so I don’t really want to come off as being someone hard to handle. I have some time to ponder upon this since everyone would be out of the office till Monday. Have you experienced this before? How would you have approached such a situation and turn it into an advantage? I guess I’m feeling a little lost since this is my first time I’m encountering such a situation. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
This is always a tricky situation. The most important thing is not to piss the editor off. I have had this happen to me before and usually I just send a friendly email introducing myself and mentioning that I shot such and such story. Be humble and say: I’m sure you’re really busy and that this was not a deliberate mistake, perhaps a correction can be made in the next issue. My boyfriend is an art director so I hear the other side all the time. Photographers call him all pissed off and get mad at him for not putting a credit or for putting the wrong credit. Usually it is the band or person that gave him the photos that made the mistake. Photo editors and art directors want to give us credit, but sometimes the wrong information is given to them. When a photographer calls him to tell him off it is almost guaranteed that this photographer will never be hired by his magazine. I hope this helps!
Kate.
Hi Kate, the editor replied and they were nice about it. I guess it can’t be helped since they’re a weekly and things do get rather hectic there. I’m just praying that I’d be hired for some assignments in the future. Thanks for the advice!