To the latest headache for the DNC: Late last month the Graphic Artists Guild sent a letter to Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz calling a poster contest run by the convention leadership "shameful" for underpaying graphic artists in violation of the guild's ethical and professional guidelines.
First off, it should be known that many Graphic artists’ works never see the light of day. Just like most photographers work. Most of these Artists sit and wait for their big day, hoping someone will give them a chance. For many this Contest is the very chance they are waiting for. Also it’s a way for them to show their work to the world.
I know this was the case for me. I' consider myself an amateur photographer; who is still waiting for my million dollar image. I was lucky enough once to get paid for my work.
One day back in summer of 1998 I was lucky enough to photograph a terrible auto accident. The driver of a medical supply truck hit the back of a propane tanker. Busting off the main valve and sitting off the gas.
A house was completely burned to the ground, the driver of the propane truck die inside of the cab. It took three fire depts. over 6 hours to putt this fire out, while till the all the propane burnt out that is. All they could do was to stop the other two homes catching on fire.
I told over 6 rolls of film of the fire. While standing on the sidelines, a news reporter from VA Beach asks me if I plan to sell any stops to my local paper. I told her no, since their photographer was on the scene. She suggested that I try VA pilot in Va Beach, since they are a daily paper and my local was a weekly one. I took her advice and travel to VA Beach. The paper brought ten shots of the accident and fire. This was the first time I was paid and publish in a newspaper.
