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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

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Copyright 22-Aug-2005 At 2:56:03 PM Nico

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Great thread, important issues!

As a gnarly trad climber I can say that numbers of (trad) climbers, actually climbing on rock, have gone down over the past decade - though it's snowing here this morning so it will be a month or two before I can take another sample out on the granite slabs ...

Copyright and all that: I'm not a photographer, but a freelance writer / cartoonist / broadcaster, and face the same problems. Enthusiastic amateurs are so happy to get their voice on radio, or their name in print, that they will do it for nothing. This makes it extra difficult for those of us who are trying to make a living.

I sometimes give courses in 'science communication' to postgrad students who want to make it into the field of science journalism. I tell them: don't under-sell yourself, ever! Anyone who tells you that media exposure is its own reward is having a bite of you. Politely request a fair price for your work, then we'll all get a fair price in the future.

If you don't know what to ask, find someone who is in the trade, and and ask them what the going rate is. Or look at the Media Alliance (previously AJA) National Freelance Rates. You probably won't get anything like the AJA rates, but its a starting point for negotiation. In 2002 - the last time I printed off the schedule - they suggested $679 for 1000 words, and 68c per word thereafter. A photographer should get $169 per hour. Or $606 for a magazine cover. $150 for a b/w cartoon. And so on.

These figures are out-of-date, mainstream, and inflated, but they are better than being in the dark.