Photo Ethics

[mtbakerskier]

Is it wrong to sell action sports pics to a cigerette company thats going to use them in non direct advertising. IE use them in the context of a magazine, and not in direct cigerette ads? The said comapany produces magazine that is on fast cars, action sports and etc, and then has a few cigerette ads in it, but the photos would be part of editorial content. What waould you maggots do?

Take the hefty pay check? or stick to your morals that ciggerets are bad and not sell the pics?

[zion zig zag]

Take the money. Cha-ching.

[trainnvain]

*coin flipping image*

Ooooh. Damn. That's a tough one. If you're already having a conscience enough to even pose the question then I'd say no.

Hmmm. Fat check, huh?

Tough call. I'd say no and let karma sort it out.


Edit: This is coming from someone who sold out BB for gay pride week?

[hop]

sell the pics, then smoke the magazine.

edit: are cigarettes better/worse than alcohol? Why? Remember when the Iggy guys were all cool for being in the Dewar's ad? What if it had been Marlboro?

[slim]

Take the money. Morality doesn't pay your rent.

[UTdave]

Sell them the pics. They don't make people smoke. Who cares if they and you profit over other people's conscious disrefard for their own health. Last time I checked magazines didn't have ads that bought the cigarettes, pulled one out of the pack, lit it and forced somebody to smoke it.

[summit]

If they aren't using your pics to sell the cigs, take their blood money already!

[release]

Ethics are paramount, but there does not seem to be an issue here. Also, you may want to make some sacrifices early in a career to gain exposure and income. One sure sign of success is when you are so busy and in demand that you can be selective with your clients (being able to choose them instead of them choosing you), but that takes most people a very long time to achieve if ever.

[jibij]

Take the cash. You're pulling cash out of a cig company and they're not using your images to sell cigs. No moral dilemma.

[Snow Dog]

Or someone might look at your pictures and think "Cool -- I should ski more and smoke less."

Take the money.

[Sublime]

Fuck cig companines in there ass. I hope they rot in hell.

Don't support there shit.

They put out a addictive product that they know will cause people to die. Unlike boose which can actually help you with heart health and other such stuff, smokes do shit.

You can smoke your lungs all you want i'm not saying it should be illegal. But cig companies are still fucked up.


/end incohhernt post with spelling errors

[seldon]

Take the money as long as it isn't going to be used specifically in an ad that sells cigs.

[meatdrink9]

Take the money. And who gives a shit if the photo is used on the cover of "Baby Seal Clubber" magazine. OK, that's a bit extreme, but advertising is only advertising. I've done ads for gambling, liquor, beer, and even skis. I don't feel one bit of remorse for my actions. People have a choice to buy or not buy. If it were an ad going in the skiing newsletter for a smokers anonymous organization I might say you're praying on the weak, but even questioning the morals when it's purely editorial content in the same rag as cig ads seems crazy. I mean your personal image you've been sending to mags is 100 percent beer and stripper propaganda. Where's the moral dilemma there?

[Eldo]

Whether this is "sell," or "sell out," is only a decision you can make.

I get phone calls all the time from people wanting some of my photos, or for me to shoot photos for them. Occasionally the group in question makes me uneasy because I don't believe in their goals, or I question their ethics. Some people I tell: "Not interested." Other times I say: "Okay," but then I quote them double or triple my usual rates, in order to scare them off. If they don't flinch, and instead hire me do some dirty work for them, I bite my tongue, take the cheque, and make a nice donation to a suitable charity.

In this case, I would suggest that the cigarette company you are dealing with should pay a HEFTY premium for your pix, and then you send a tidy cheque to the American Cancer Society. One way or another, they will get their photos from someone, so is may as well be a person with a conscience.

(This is a very difficult business, isn't it? )

[mtbakerskier]

True meatdrink, very ture, but this so called magazine is owned and produced by Marlobro's marketing department.

[two_planks]

Shoot the hostage

[zion zig zag]

Wow, we have some holier than thou hippies on here (I knew that already). MD9 nailed it. Those of you who said don't do it or attached conditions in some way, send me a list of products you use, cars you drive, how you vote, etc. and I will tell you all the ways that you support evil groups and the harm they do to our society. I'm not saying that no one can make a difference, but this is a small issue in the great scheme of things.

[meatdrink9]

Originally posted by mtbakerskier
True meatdrink, very ture, but this so called magazine is owned and produced by Marlobro's marketing department.

A lot of rags have demographics of their readership and distribution. It'll give a full demographic breakdown of who's doing the reading. If it skews underage I might have a problem with it, but personally that would be the only flag I see. Beer brands always target young especially brands like High Life, Mickeys (both of which I worked on) and probably PBR. They know who's buying their stuff. It's not the older guys buying the spendy microbrews.

I say go for it, but it's entirely your choice. Maybe if you get the demographics for the mag it will help with the decision?

Anywho congrats on selling photos all over the damn place. Too bad you didn't make it out to CO last winter.

[Mr. Altagirl]

Do it! When you make it big, tell everyone smokeing cigaretts sucks ass.

[trainnvain]

Sorry Grant, I just stole yer account. I just sold them this image and they've signed him on as a spokesman. They said the check's on the way........
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http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic23280.jpg

[Potsy]

I used to be a world class smoker. Now I'm a self righteous ex-smoker who badgers all my friends who smoke and anybody else I think I can get away with. I never smoked because of a cool ad or picture. I say take their money and enjoy it. JMO.

[Greydon Clark]

What would a maggot do? Well this maggot would tell the company to go get fucked, but it is a lot easier to make value judgements while sitting on the sidelines.

[Foggy_Goggles]

cancer merchant! cancer merchant [/chewlies salesman]

[dipstik]

Originally posted by slim
Take the money. Morality doesn't pay your rent.

Seriously.


If you don't take it, I'm sure they've got 10 guys lined up who will.

[Will]

If you decide not to work with them will they stop selling cigarettes? Will the magazine go under? Will this have any affect at all on their biz, or will they simply find another photographer?

Taking an ethical stand is great if it is practical - that is, if you can change something. But if you're just one of many photographers they can call then it seems rather pointless to turn them down.

Wait till you're famous, or have a large union of anti-smoking photographers at your back, before you make a stand.