Were photographers the big ones forgotten during the Covid-19 pandemic? The reluctance of the public authorities towards them takes on a very particular reflection since the opening, Monday July 4, of the Arles Photography Meetings, which are held until September 25. It is with rare discretion that the new Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, endorsed a small part of the measures recommended (thirteen out of thirty-one) in the long-awaited report by State Councilor Laurence Franceschini on the funding for the production and distribution of photographic works, published on March 17.
Before the third Parliament of Photography, organized on June 7 and 8, at the Palais de Tokyo, in Paris, this announcement had only been put online on the Rue de Valois website. Without the slightest sleeve effect. However, the Minister undertakes, by the end of 2022, to improve respect for the copyright of photographers, to strengthen the visibility of photographic creation – particularly of women -, to develop support for the various actors of this sector, to better protect the photographic heritage and to develop support for image education.
To help this sector weakened by the health crisis, these objectives are a step in the right direction, but require a strong political will not to remain wishful thinking, according to the Union of Professional Photographers (UPP) and the Society of Authors of Visual Arts and of the still image (SAIF). In most of the promised reforms, the legal framework has existed for a long time, but is simply not applied. “We need to revitalize the tools to give them their full efficiency”concedes Ms. Franceschini.
“Phenomenon of precariousness”
The health crisis has acted as a catalyst for underlying trends. The increased need for visual content in the digital world is accompanied by an inclination to reduce costs and to develop a market at very low prices for image banks. According to a business report from the Ministry of Culture, photographers’ turnover fell by 23% during the year 2020. In the first quarter of 2021, revenues remained 21% lower compared to the same period of 2019. Freelance photographers have paid a heavy price, with half losing 50% or more of their revenue.
This ecosystem encompasses heterogeneous professions. Published in June by the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom), a socio-economic study of the professional photography market in France lists four segments. First of all, artistic or creative photography, which is precisely exhibited on the Arles picture rails, to which are added that of illustration (image banks, microstocks and snapshots used in corporate communication, advertising, publishing or online commerce), then that of information – published in newspapers – and finally social photography (school, identity, events, such as weddings, births, etc.).
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