/ PICTURES FROM MY OTHER WINDOW. THE END OF THE NEWS PHOTO?

FOTO: JAVIER ELVIRA

This is another News Photo taken for my brother Javier Elvira from a window of my parent's home , where I lived before, and where my brother lives now with his family. Though working as an engineer, Javier is a good photographer with a good amateur camera, a Panasonic DMC-FZ5. A spectacular fire occurred just in front, at the end of the last year. Fire-fighters arrived just after 5 minutes. The pictures of Javier are unbeatable. It was impossible for any photographer working for a newspaper or from a picture agency, to learn about the fire and come in just 5 minutes, and also to beat the privileged point of view of my brother. Javier called me right away and I put him in touch with El Periodico de Catalunya. He sent their photos by e-mail and one of them was published the following day and, very important, got paid for it. There are many people taking photographs that, of course, do have other professions, that don't charge any fee, just happy to see their photos published, with the consequent damage to the professionals who do try to live on the photos they take. And there are others who send their pictures to Banks of Images of 1 dollar a picture, which is putting in serious distress many of the traditional photo agencies.

Today, for every incident that happens there is always a ,better or worse, photographer with a camera. And in the News Photo, to be there at the moment makes all the difference.

(LEER EL RESTO / READ THE REST OF THE ENTRY)