 | Jack Hill's World Book Day picture is the only one by a Times photographer to have made the front this month |
More upheaval on the Times picture desk, with half the paper's photographers being given their marching orders today.
All six were called in for meetings with new head of pictures Magnus Cohen and associate managing editor Liz Harris. Ben Gurr, Paul Rogers and Dave Bebber emerged without jobs.
Their contracts run out next month, which means the Thunderer will be going into the election campaign with three staffers - only one a general news specialist.
The survivors are Marc Aspland, winner of the sports photographer of the year award on Tuesday night, foreign specialist Jack Hill, who was kidnapped along with Anthony Loyd in Syria and whose quick thinking led to their escape, and Richard Pohle, the BJA photographer of the year in 2013 and a finalist last year.
Sacking any of that trio would have been seriously bad PR, but none is renowned for his skills at dance or autumn colour photography. So it looks as though agency offerings (preferably those with the lowest usage rates) and handouts will be the order of most days.
The timing of the cull, before the arrival of Leah McLaren as picture editor from the Oxford Mail, is intriguing. As one observer told GoG, it leaves McLaren little room for manoeuvre and could mark a sad transition from creative department to service desk.
Friday update: the photographers are full-time contract freelancers, not staff.
All six were called in for meetings with new head of pictures Magnus Cohen and associate managing editor Liz Harris. Ben Gurr, Paul Rogers and Dave Bebber emerged without jobs.
Their contracts run out next month, which means the Thunderer will be going into the election campaign with three staffers - only one a general news specialist.
The survivors are Marc Aspland, winner of the sports photographer of the year award on Tuesday night, foreign specialist Jack Hill, who was kidnapped along with Anthony Loyd in Syria and whose quick thinking led to their escape, and Richard Pohle, the BJA photographer of the year in 2013 and a finalist last year.
Sacking any of that trio would have been seriously bad PR, but none is renowned for his skills at dance or autumn colour photography. So it looks as though agency offerings (preferably those with the lowest usage rates) and handouts will be the order of most days.
The timing of the cull, before the arrival of Leah McLaren as picture editor from the Oxford Mail, is intriguing. As one observer told GoG, it leaves McLaren little room for manoeuvre and could mark a sad transition from creative department to service desk.
Friday update: the photographers are full-time contract freelancers, not staff.
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