View Full Version : I want to shoot the Pacers
mzdial
October 8th, 2003, 12:39 AM
It's a goal I hope to reach here soon.. I haven't figured out how I am going to accomplish this yet. :-)
I almost got the opportunity back in 2000 with a local photographer who shoots for NBAE/Pacers.. But that fell through.. Was going to be a chance for me to help him in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.. Which was the game that the Pacers thrashed the Lakers (I would have loved it!!).. Concern was that the Lakers were going to win the championship that night and they needed extra shooters.
Oh well.. Maybe someday..
-- Matt
Steve Mitchell
October 8th, 2003, 11:12 PM
It's a great gig. Pacer games are my favorite sporting event to shoot. Shot them the last two years. However with the Getty/AFP deal regarding sports in North America. I'm aced out of the regular Pacer gig right now. Getty is the "Official Photographer" for the NBA. So I was odd man out this fall...bummer. Hopefully I'll get some spot fill ins during the course of the season.
mzdial
October 9th, 2003, 12:12 AM
Wasn't familiar with the deal.. Enlighten me.. :-) I don't see Ron Hoskins enough to kiss enough butt anymore to maybe get him to swing me a game or two. The old Star gang has lunch together every now and then.. Ron's a good guy, unfortunately we don't cross paths much anymore. Saw him at the Rick Carlisle press conference. He was like "What are you doing here?" .. I told him that online covers their own stuff now that WTHR had a fallout with us online. Besides, just getting photo gigs on the company's time baby!
-- Matt
Steve Mitchell
October 23rd, 2003, 02:19 AM
Getty Images took over sports coverage in North America for AFP in exchange for Getty getting the rights to market AFP's worldwide news coverage. The net result was several staffers for AFP lost their jobs and all the sports stringers for the NFL, NBA, etc. lost their gigs. I guess I should feel fortunate that it wasn't 100% of my income like a lot of people. But it was still very significant.
mzdial
October 23rd, 2003, 06:15 PM
Yeah.. I just realized all that just yesterday -- the timing was odd that you responded when I caught word of this. I must have missed the news before.
Got an email from the photo staff yesterday on this:
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For those who use PRESERVER you may have noticed a change this week. We are now receiving photographs from GETTY as well as AP, KRT and GNS.
GETTY has been rapidly growing and garnering attention in the industry. Besides their own images, you will also be seeing images from what was previously Allsport and from Agence France-Presse.
On the picture desk, we have been daily sampling the GETTY offerings for several months, downloading from a net site the best. As a test, we have now negotiated to receive their LIVE feed through the end of the year. We will be tracking the number of their images we publish and deciding if we might add the service on a permanent basis.
****
Thought you might be interested if you happen to notice some running in our paper over the next couple months.
-- Matt
dbevis
October 23rd, 2003, 06:48 PM
Getty Images took over sports coverage in North America for AFP in exchange for Getty getting the rights to market AFP's worldwide news coverage. The net result was several staffers for AFP lost their jobs and all the sports stringers for the NFL, NBA, etc. lost their gigs. I guess I should feel fortunate that it wasn't 100% of my income like a lot of people. But it was still very significant.
I'd guess this means the number of photogs per event is only going to decline - as more and more deals like this are bound to happen there will be fewer but bigger conglomerates. Like Gannett and newspapers (sorry Matt, nothing personal), Clear Channel and broadcasters. I have a friend in Las Vegas who works for CC and they run 4-5 stations out of one studio most of the day because it's all automated, consolidated and integrated. Like when there's a contest and you call an 800 number, it's a national call-in.
The world is headed towards Microsofts and Wal-Marts, and the average poor slob is doomed. Heck, even the software consulting biz is going that way, the reality of which I am all too well aware.
Don
Steve Mitchell
October 23rd, 2003, 06:59 PM
One thing I wonder about the most for NBA coverage, is the integrity and forthrighness of the upcoming coverage. Getty Images provides the photography services for the NBA, so I wonder from a "news" perspective how controversial and objective of images will be published. Obviously no history or basis for this other than it could pose a "biting the hand that feeds you" situation.