Vincent Laforet is a freelance photographer based in New York;
As some of you may know, I left my staff job at The New York Times a little over two years ago. At the time many people were shocked. One colleague actually called me “stupid.” I saw some of the writing on the wall back then – I saw all of these different forces converging down on the mainstream media and thought it was time for me to diversify. If found a way to continue to work with the newspaper and its staff that I love by going on contract with them, and that in turn allowed me to do some commercial work, to work with companies such as Apple and Canon in helping them develop new software and cool toys, and work on a number of other projects. What it allowed me to do was to DIVERSIFY – which I think is key to survival in this market.
At the time people thought I was reckless for leaving such a coveted staff job. The NYT job was a union job – with incredible benefits, a staff car, and company gear and it was often described as a “guaranteed job for life.” Unless you committed a felony, or broke an important ethical rule, “they can’t fire you,” I was repeatedly told.
A few weeks ago I was at The Times to judge the Sports Shooter Student Portfolio of the Year and when I came out there was a strange feel around the newsroom. That day was the day that The New York Times was having it’s first layoffs in the newspaper’s history, that’s right until then, there had never been a single layoff at The New York Times. People were being called in the editors’ offices and being told they were being let go – this after not enough people had opted to take a series of buyouts. This was fundamental change in what we were taught to believe in – what ever happened to that “job for life.” Well that dream, that comfortable “cloud” and the idea of a staff job, is becoming a distant memory these days – no one is immune – not even The NY Times.
(h/t to Sean McCormick)
Good. Now if only it would happen at the CBC, I could believe there is still hope for this world….
The iron rice bowl has rusted, to bad so sorry.
“Good. Now if only it would happen at the CBC, I could believe there is still hope for this world…”
Too bad it can’t, we pay for it and all. 🙁
With writing and insight like that, Vincent Laforet should probably be a journalist (one of the new breed, good ones), not a photographer. Good article.
Many of the photos at the site look like screencaps from videogames or 3D models.
http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/2014
You know I stopped updating that site you linked to last fall, right? 🙂
“Vincent Laforet should probably be a journalist (one of the new breed, good ones), not a photographer.”
There’s no need to insult the poor man. 🙁
Sorry Sean – yes I did know. Bad cut and paste job. Fixed now.
I`m to old to be able to live long enough to see it but I would sure like to be around when that finally happens to our great snivel service. I can see it in my mind. The people finally get PO`ed enough that they rip the lying lips off of a bunch of politicians and force them to to start doing the job they are supposed to be there to do. Wow what a concept.
“it’s first layoffs” should be “its first layoffs”, a much too common error
I look forward to the day the NYT goes out of print.
I will raise a full mug of beer and cheers the death of a paper who richly deserves it.
“….no one is immune – not even The NY Times….”
How about “Especially the NYT” ?
I wish Mr. Laforet all the best ….. too bad he didn’t get a buyout ( or did he?) ….. well in any case, you see that he has a talent for straight ahead and honest prose.
Maybe he could infiltrate an editorial room and infect some writers with that ….. better yet go teach some J school kids to think and write straight.