10 REVIEWS FROM SUSANA HIDALGO

1. What has happened with financial crisis is that many people are offering their work for free, which completely undermines the profession because when you go to ask them to pay you well, they do not do it. I think that’s very important the relationship of journalist / photojournalist with the media.

2. The transition from analogue to digital photography has changed especially in the theme that photojournalists have lost some risk. Now they shoot and can see what have just shot on the spot. Before there was the emotion or the risk of fire and not knowing what they would reveal.

3. I also think another thing that may be contrary to the profession of photojournalist, which is that in the 80 Photojournalist went to Lebanon and made sure that when returning they would be able to sell the material. Now there are already 100,000 people in Lebanon sending photographs. I think it has improved the quality, because photographers does not have to resubmit at the time but right now it costs a lot selling photos if you do a trip out, because it is not an exclusive thing, and someone may be at the time in Lebanon, take a picture and have posted on social networking at the minute.

4. I do not like the term “photojournalism / citizen journalism”, because at the end, journalism and photojournalism are professionalized. It can not be the same. Imagine now that right now comes a man and kills two people, it will not be the same how I tell the story, as a journalist, wether another person who is not. I think we must distinguish between a witness and a reporter or photojournalist. The photojournalist will take the picture with better technical quality, will find the approach that is newsworthy …

5. I believe that the journalist has to be objective, within this is complicated and there will always be some subbjectivity. I think the key is in the rigor of training, experience and objectivity. I think training is important, because for a lawyer it is, but it seems that journalist can be anyone. There must be an impartial journalist, who can say what is the reality of what is happening.

6. I do not see smartphones as a threat to photojournalism, I see them as a tool, because it’s not the shame if you give a smartphone to Pedro Armestre than giving it to another person. He will make a publishable photograph, although made with a smartphone and another person, will not do it.

7. To make long-term stories it must invest and that’s what medias don´t do. Keep a reporter or photojournalist at least three or four days doing research work. It is no longer in charge, as was done earlier with Gervasio Sánchez, sent a month to Afghanistan as photojournalist. Right now a media no longer sends you anywhere. So photojournalists are traveling invited by NGOs and companies and we are ultimately communicating the interests of organizations.

8. I think many fellow journalists are going to talk for having failed to adapt, negotiate with the media and worked free. I think in the future profiles will be multimedia and will have to learn to do everything.

9. At the University I think a course to sell your work is necessary. There are very little hired photojournalists. When you are hired you do not have to be aware of steps, you go on a trip, you have to do marketing … When you’re freelance you are your own business, so you devote to journalism or photojournalism 20% of the time and the 80% remaining is used to negotiations advertising, looking for customers, Social Media … because you have to do everything.

10. I believe that the finantial crisis was an opportunity for the media, to cut with that excuse. The worst of the crisis is that we will never return to values ​​ten years ago and it’s a shame now, both freelance photojournalists payments, and payments to staff photojournalists. My generation has been a little lost, because we were in ascending level and suddenly it has fallen worldwide.

Susana Hidalgo