New body to represent photographers
THE UNION has led the way in creating a new industry-wide body to represent photographers.
The British Photographic Council has held its first meeting at NUJ head office, with representatives from the Association of Photographers, British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies, British Press Photographers Association and Editorial Photographers UK. Four more bodies have come on board.
The BPC will tackle such issues as copyright, policing, access, public spaces, standards and privacy. NUJ Freelance Organiser John Toner said: “We will be more effective if we speak with one voice.”
The BPC’s first public act was to intervene in a supposed “agreement” between a group of photographers and the Metropolitan Police’s firearms team.
Chief Superintendent Bill Tilbrook said the photographers had agreed to pixelate the faces of firearms officers to protect them from terrorists. This would contradict guidelines negotiated with the police by the NUJ and other bodies.
The BPC rejected any such agreement and police assured it that there were no such rules; it had simply been a conversation with a group of photographers.
The NUJ said: “We would have serious concerns if our agreements with the police were undermined by unilateral action by a branch of the force. “Photographers will be deeply concerned by this reports, particularly since it is not for the photographer to decide when identities should be protected. That’s a decision for editors.”