Goodbye nppa membership

[ashilts]

so the reminder notice came in the mail the other day telling me to renew my nppa membership or it will expire. please send $110. well the expiration date has come and gone. i guess i can't really justify spending $110 on something i don't really see a use for anymore. i don't read the magazine, i don't go to the workshops (i think the nppa gives you a discount on these if you're a member, maybe they don't, if they don't even more reason to not renew).

i've lost interest in entering the quarterly clip contest. rarely if ever did i get feedback on the scoring sheet that wasn't more than numbers in the box and a few comments about "i liked the nats, and good pacing" or something simple like that. i think it's great to have your work compete with others, it helps to keep your skills fresh and provides some motivation for getting better, because there is always someone better than you out there. but i fail to see why i should pay $110 for that. the best of photojournalism contest at the end of the year is free, and more people enter for that reason alone, not to mention you are competing with entire country, so i think the bar is raised by with more entries.

as far as the regional quarterly clip contest i think it has definetely lost some of its luster. i work in region 5, minneapolis, a market that used to be known for great storytelling. maybe its the state of the business or the economy or hell maybe it's too damn cold outside but sadly minneapolis is not what it used to be. in our region currently the guy leading the quarterly points right now doesn't even work in tv anymore, brett akagi (ex-chief at kare 11) just took a job at the startribune (local newspaper) johnathan malat, from my knowledge rarely enters the contest. gary knox (i think he has won rpoy like 7 times, isn't even a member anymore). i work at station with 30 photographers, last quarter 3 people myself included entered the quarterlies. 3 people. i think two people entered at kare, this is the staion that has won the station of the year award 3 years in a row. without these people involved i think the quality has suffered. i don't think it means as much to compete in a game where all of the best players don't even bother to show up. there is good support out of iowa and i've noticed a few names out of wisconsin taking up a few spots lately, and that's great. more power to the guys in the smaller to medium markets to beat up on the larger markets like here in minneapolis. but when the entry sheet came back from 2nd quarter and it showed who entered and in what category, and we only had like 7-8 entries in general news, that's it, i think in depth had 5 or 6, that is pretty sad. i can't tell you how many times spot news hasn't even been awarded because no one enters. i think this speaks volumes to state of our business, (but i'll save that for a later topic) or maybe nobody cares about the quarterlies anymore.

the new rules for 09 definetly don't help. i think it was clear to anyone who frequents this message board that not to many people were happy with the elite class rule. scott jensen i applaud you for trying to shake things up and create some buzz and get more people involved, but i don't think it's going to work.

spot news needs to change from 24hrs to possibly 8 or 12, it serioulsy needs to be a shift not a full day. the new 48 hour feature rules are just asking for someone to bend those rules. we should do away with 48hr feature and do something more like soft feature and hard feature, so more in depth investigations pieces can compete against stories of similar nature. lose the time constriaints because that just forces people to finish them in time to enter a stupid contest. the 48 hour category is nothing more than i'm going out to shoot a story today and cut it tomorrow so i can enter it in the 48hr feature, get rid of it and you will get a much more honest contest. i do like the deadline, real news shot up tight time constraints, that is the only good thing out of these news rules.

as far as region 5 elite class (such a stupid name) according to your rules it would be myself and gary knox, i'm not quite sure what we are even supposed to do or what we are competing for, but i won't speak for gary, (although he hasn't entered the contest for over a year now) but i'm out. and i've read news of other regions losing their elite members as well, i'm not quite sure this is what you planned for by starting this, but i feel more of the same may be to follow.

wow this went longer than i planned. good luck out there.

 

[Guy Critique]

Andy,
Sorry to hear you are dropping your membership. I understand your feelings and can appriciate them. In my own financial state it is hard to come up with the money.
I however will remain a member for as long as possible. I believe in being a member of an organization that represents a group of ethics and professionalism that are second to none.
From their own words: As a member, you will have the opportunity to be part of an organization renowned for its expertise, ethics, and ideals as well as an organization dedicated to advancing this profession into the rapidly changing 21st century.
Thank you Andy for being a part of it, you gave it a great deal and will loose as much without you in it.

 

[Sportsguy]

Mine expired about a week ago as well. I'm still not sure if I'll re-up.

 

[Freddie Mercury]

I outgrew it long before I quit renewing. The final straw was going over $100, which made me reconsider what I was getting out of it. Yes, I volunteered plenty, took a regional responsibility for several years and mentored many a photog. I still think it is very valuable to the young photographer, but it lost most of its relevance to me.

 

[newsshooter]

I quit back when it was $75.00. I don't feel a need for it. The magazine was fun to read, but I can see the stories on line now and don't need the DVD. I know what they preach. Try to tell my managers how important nat sound and sequences are. They will tell you about 1:10 PKG's and live shots. The business has changed. Show me a place that still breathes NPPA. Don't say KUSA... because they are going VJ. All the great NPPA shops are going VJ. It was great back in the day, now it's quick and dirty and needs to be called O.M.B. NPPA don't fool yourselves.

 

[swing-low]

Mine expired in June, and when the station told me that the training budget was gone for the rest of the year and that meant they weren't paying for NPPA memberships anymore that was when I didn't renew. Like you said Andy I never read the magazine, never went to the workshops, and I never entered the contests. I just didn't see the point in paying that much for something I didn't use.

 

[svp]

Andy, welcome to the club.

The biggest setback to the NPPA and its standards for storytelling is its strong focus on photographers and little on reporters. I'm sick of trying to train reporters on how to write and use nats. Maybe the NPPA should become the NPJA (National Press Jounalist Association). Storytelling is a team effort and unless you direct your attention at photographers AND reporters, it becomes a wasted cause. Some of the best reporters I've worked with are those that have attended NPPA seminars. The NPPA needs to focus more on selling itself to newsroom management instead of individual photographers and work to get the NPPA standard adopted among newsrooms and not just photographers. I remember attending a seminar for reporters/producers and then going to my first NPPA seminar in Dallas and you what I learned? That reporters/producers are being taught what the NPPA says NOT to do and being told NOT to do what the NPPA says TO do!!! Producers and reporters are above us on the newsroom ladder whether we like it or not so teaching us to do one thing doesn't really matter if those above us are not accepting of it.

 

[Buck]

i've lost interest in entering the quarterly clip contest. rarely if ever did i get feedback on the scoring sheet that wasn't more than numbers in the box and a few comments about "i liked the nats, and good pacing" or something simple like that.

I haven't been a member for over 10 years. I guess things never changed.

 

[Go Daddy]

Rule #1: Get me the check within 30 days and keep the shelf trinkets and magazines to yourself.

Rule #2: There is no rule #2

 

[AlexLucas]

Andy, welcome to the club.

The biggest setback to the NPPA and its standards for storytelling is its strong focus on photographers and little on reporters. I'm sick of trying to train reporters on how to write and use nats. Maybe the NPPA should become the NPJA (National Press Jounalist Association). Storytelling is a team effort and unless you direct your attention at photographers AND reporters, it becomes a wasted cause.

Extremely, horrifyingly true.
If only the writing journalism organizations were as active as the NPPA.

My problem, in every newsroom, has been the idea that a producer sees their job as filling holes, and worrying about package lengths, and they have a persistent blind spot problem. I'm not saying that I hate producers, I just think it's terribly easy, and terribly natural to get the blind spot problem. They should probably see themselves more as a ringmaster of information, than a news organizer, and show builder. They need to think, at all times, that there are actual people on the other side of the television, and engaging them is all that matters.
It's a tough job. And that blindspot is a natural road to go down.
If at any time a producer says, "I have you in for a buck thirty," simply put, they're missing the point. That's the blndspot... and probably starting down the dangerous producing path of "speed up the show" syndrome.

I think that every producer and reporter should attend an open mic night for storytelling, and then be forced to go up there, and work an audience. That would improve their jobs, and give them an idea of what their work should really be aimed at.
It's a simple act of connecting with the television audience, not performing in front of them.

 

[cameragod]

There is no reason reporters can’t go to the NPPA workshop in Oklahoma.
TVNZ used to send 2 cameramen, 2 Reporters and 1 senior producer.
The cameramen participated and the others were observers but everyone came back fizzing.
Five from a newsroom gave enough weight for us to make some real improvements in our show.

 

[Ace Of Nothing]

I was on the fence this year about renewing and at the last minute I signed up again since I had some pretty good stories I wanted to submit for the quarterly contest.

I had labelled the Quarter wrong on the DVDs and I wrote my local division judge an email to let him know and he never wrote me back. I sent a second email following up, it's been 2 months and nothing.

That sealed the deal for me, next year I'm out.

 

[The Thing on The Sticks]

I too have let mine lapse. I found that while I actually liked the magazine I found that the organisation did little for members. If I remember correctly non members can enter contests now. And the biggest thing for me is there member discounts on software equiptment and such are all aimed at still photographers. Now if they could provide a good group rate on insurance, or member discounts at B&H or some other broadcast supplier. The things that those of us who are self employed could make use of I would probially re up in a minute.

The same goes for the already mentioned issue with them not aggressively pressing constitutional issues when possible. I personally don't view an open letter to the pd as such. I would be fine however with a proton of my $100 dues going to sueing departments involved in the most flagrant of rights violations. Negotiate a cut between the attorney the photographer and the nppa more or less breaks even with a little going toward an emergency fund for photographers say %4 of what ever is won. I mean we can not count on the ACLU to defend our rights as photojournalists why not the nppa.

 

[LenzCzAll]

My station went from having every photog enter clips each quarter, and doing well, I myself was a quarterly clip chair. Now, nothing, the magazine comes, it gets put in my mail box, and that's about it. They style we are now shooting would be laughed at if entered for a contest. Someone else already said, I'm getting tired of trying to train reporters on how to write to video, and use nats. It all goes back to quantity over quality. Feed the beast, just get it done, are now the words we hear. Now, here's the funny part, as it stands right now, my station is still paying our membership dues, even though we haven't entered a contest in who knows how long, shooters will sometimes take the magazine to a court trial so they have something to read. Times change, and so do we, and then, we move on.

 

[AlexLucas]

After hearing Lenz-

I've always said the biggest obstacle to good work in any office is morale and momentum.

 

[ntxshooter]

expired....

I let mine run out in 1985. I do think it is a good place for newbies. If you have less than two years shooting.

 

[TexasDave]

I never was a member. All the stations I worked at never seemed to emphasize entering contests and the budget for membership was never approved. I called NPPA about membership when I was a chief, and they sent me a few magazines to look over and a DVD with stories on it.

Magazine was geared to still shooters and the stories on the DVD that were previous winners was nice and all, but when I wanted to show newbies a good story, I showed them some things here. So I never really fully understood the benefits of membership, besides the magazine

 

[s4k2i0]

I still remember that exhilaration the first time I saw my name on the quarterly results, i was now a contender. All the hard work, double shifts, standing in the rain, and watching hours upon hours of tape had finally payed off. My peers had spoken and they thought I was a good at my job. I remember the first workshop i went too, what a thrill, sitting in a small audience with some of the best photographers in the county, household names in the business, teaching me and watching my stories! As time went by though I realized the piece of printer paper award wasn't something to frame, and the critiques(if you ever got them back) had nothing to offer. "Nice White Balance" The 3 maybe 4 workshops a year were getting expensive and too far away, aside from that they had the same charters I had seen before, showing the same 5 year old stories. I too let mine go this year. I had been active with the NPPA for years, but when I looked at the value... I'm sorry $110 is a lot of money for a magazine subscription. The Quarterly contest cost the NPPA $0, its all volunteer judges and chairs. You have to pay handsomely for the workshops even as a member. If their paying somebody for maintaining that website they are crazy - Bottom line there must be somebody MAKING a profit from MY dues, and I'm over it, their is very little return for experienced video guys. Sorry old friend - maybe you'll find your way, and I'll take a second look in the future but for now I think I'll just spend the money on some gels.

 

[The Thing on The Sticks]

I never really fully understood the benefits of membership, besides the magazine

That is pretty much the point I was trying to make with my earlier post. While I loved the magazine they did not do much to benefit members in any specific way. For what its worth I believe WEVA the wedding photographers organization actually offers more direct benefits to its members than the NPPA does. At least they can use the WEVA logo on their websites as members.

Now don't get me wrong I actually like the organization. Or at least the idea of a national press photographers association. Just I don't see it living up to its potential. For what its worth, my wife is a social worker here in Texas and in many other states you have to pass a test to legally call yourself that. This test is conducted by the national association of social workers so that it is the same not just here in Texas. It has prerequisites for taking it and there are several tests at different levels of practice. Now there are non social workers that do what you may think of as non social work jobs CPS is an example of this. But you will never rise past the case worker level or make more than entry level pay if you are not licensed.

The point is that we have an example of a non medical job where somebody other than the union is certifying that people know their craft. Second this is an example of an organization doing something to help its members. Third it helps establish industry practices as standard, also strengthening the ethical stance they can take. And lastly because there are multiple levels of certification with the upper ones being much harder to get, requiring a number of hours of work etc. It forces people to learn higher level skills before going to clients and saying I can do that.

I only go down this road because I got to thinking this morning that we could adopt this same feature and instantly cut down on the who is a journalist question. If the NPPA started issuing credentials in each region. you would still have the occasional blogger who gets them but the less serious ones would not. And the real big thing for me is that it would not stop people already working from continuing to do so, but would offer them options to join and such.


Sorry for being long winded again.

 

[Chicago Dog]

Now don't get me wrong I actually like the organization. Or at least the idea of a national press photographers association. Just I don't see it living up to its potential.

I agree. While I was an NPPA member, I gained a lot of skills and abilities I don't think I would've found if I weren't a member. That coincided with the fact that my first shop was big into sending people to workshops and paying NPPA fees. They were #1 in their market; you could add the second and third place stations' numbers together and maybe come close.

I feel that it dispels the "viewers don't notice" stuff. The reporters were well-educated in using nats. They knew how to write to video and audio. The photogs had the ability and were encouraged to be creative. There was true teamwork at that station.

Unfortunately, that's not the case everywhere. I outgrew the NPPA when I moved on to another station. I couldn't see a use for it, because I was tired of seeing the same tricks and the same mantras repeated over and over and over.

The NPPA had many opportunities to evolve, but the only thing that changed were membership prices -- and that's sad.