Another photo issue

[Smallpotatoes]

Another issue with the photo editor. As I said, he does not abide incompetence.

Seems on the front of one of my sections, I ran a submitted baseball photo larger than one of the photos from a tennis match that a freelancer shot
The baseball team won its game. The tennis team lost 5-0. To me, playing up the tennis just because the photos were better would have made us look clueless and out of touch.
His issue was 1). The freelancers photos were better. (They were) 2). It was a waste of company resources (even the the freelancers photos were used and they were also used online.
I should note, my job responsibilities straddle online and print, but are primarily online. I make suggestions about where to put things on a page, but the actual page design is out of my hands.
I'm often not happy with how the pages look, but I figure that's not a part of my job as much anymore. Also, the papers are smaller and I have to fit the same amount of content into less space or run the risk of alienating readers.
If he's not my supervisor, what business does he have insisting on competence from me?
And does the whole world really revolve around the photo department?
As far as I'm concerned the only job I can do is my own and I think everyone would be better off if they had that attitude.

 

[Slacker]

Ask your managing editor to tell the photo editor to **** off.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

If he's not my supervisor, what business does he have insisting on competence from me?

This is my favorite thing that's ever been typed on SJ.com.

 

[Fredrick]

This is my favorite thing that's ever been typed on SJ.com.

You seem like a nice guy. Why does this photo guy despise you?

 

[Smallpotatoes]

You seem like a nice guy. Why does this photo guy despise you?

He actually doesn't. He just sees a lot of incompetence and doesn't care much for it.

 

[I Should Coco]

He actually doesn't. He just sees a lot of incompetence and doesn't care much for it.

Boy, he's in the wrong business then.

Of all the things to get upset about, running a freelancer's photo slightly smaller than a submitted one is about 2,541st on the list.

Tell the photo editor to shoot the baseball game himself, and grab a hot dog while he's there.

 

[wicked]

I’ve worked with guys like this. I generally just let it go in one ear and out the other (I know it’s easier said than done). If he wants to determine design, let him design the page.

 

[PaperDoll]

I'm pretty sure my (former) sports editor would've asked why we were paying a freelancer to shoot tennis at all.

Could you get away with blaming a designer's bad decision? I've said that to our remaining staff photographer, even when it isn't entirely true. "Sorry, I gave these instructions but they obviously weren't followed."

 

[reformedhack]

The correct answer is that you work at a newspaper, not an art gallery.

You make news judgments based on news value. What was the reason for playing baseball bigger than tennis? I'll bet the baseball game likely had more resonance with your readers than the tennis, and therefore you're reflecting that reality. (If there was more interest in the tennis, then, yes, you made a bad judgment in story play.)

By the way, if you allow this to be seen as an issue of "competence" — and the tone of your original post seems to imply that you might agree — then it will be. And then you've lost the argument already.

You seem to have let the photo editor to define the conflict here. Stand up for your news judgment. Don't allow him to apply his own lens to the situation and assign his own idea of value about what you do. If you're not careful, this will spread around your newsroom and up the ladder. And that's not good for your career.

 

[MisterCreosote]

Did you threaten to kick his ass, like you do to people here?

 

[YankeeFan]

This is a parody account, right?

Boom, is that you?

 

[Songbird]

The correct answer is that you work at a newspaper, not an art gallery.

Stop mocking me!

 

[Bronco77]

If he wants to determine design, let him design the page.

Not a bad approach. I've been dealing with a similar situation recently involving youthful assistant metro editors (I don't report to them) who see the A1 proof remotely and question the headlines via email, often minutes before deadline when I've got about a half-dozen other things on my plate. They occasionally point out issues that really need fixing, but generally their suggestions are worthless. I've told one of these ambitious folks as nicely as possible that it has to be a big-ticket problem to make late changes and that if she and her cohorts in the peanut gallery wonder why their suggestions aren't making the paper, they can come in at 11:30 p.m. and see how the sausage is made. That's stopped the emails, at least temporarily.

 

[ChrisLong]

There are a bunch of stories from my past in which photogs have overstepped their bounds. I was at a memorial gathering a few weeks ago and was talking with the former editor. We remembered one guy they hired to be photo editor who thought his job included completely redesigning the entire paper. "I just couldn't figure out what that guy was thinking," the editor said. They replaced him with a hard-charging guy who had every electronic device. UCLA opened the football season with a high-profile game against Miami and this dude sent FOUR photogs to shoot the game and demanded a photo page. At another place, the woman photo editor, another overly demanding sort, brought a photo over that a freelancer shot. "He was available so I sent him over to (big private high school) to shoot tennis." SE said, "Uh, we don't have room for it, especially since we didn't know it was coming. If we were going to shoot tennis, it wouldn't have been that match." She grabbed the page dummy from the designer and said, "Take out these three stories and put it right there." "Uh, no."
Photogs: Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

 

[baddecision]

Another issue with the photo editor. As I said, he does not abide incompetence. ...

It is imperative that you approach your work every single day with confidence that you are competent, intelligent, trained, focused and able to make decisions that best serve your readers. Too much self-doubt will lead to you being chewed up and shat out by this business (and most others).
Make the decision you think is best, he prepared to summarize your reasoning in a short sentence or two, and move forward and on to the next thing. Don't assume you are perfect; there's always more to learn. But you must insist that you are capable to make the decisions you're paid to make.
Also, **** that small-minded, short-sighted, self-interested assbag with a camera. If he is not working with you, he is working against you and should be cheerfully ignored. Do your best, think things through and have confidence in your decisions. Don't let this prick make you work in constant self doubt. It will ruin you.

 

[baddecision]

Photogs: Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

The Chicago Sun-Times would dare to disagree.

 

[ChrisLong]

This was back in the day before all the photogs were laid off.

 

[Slacker]

This was back in the gay before all the photogs were laid off.

Is that a nancy joke?

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Did you threaten to kick his ass, like you do to people here?

No, just had an argument that I lost.
\

 

[justgladtobehere]

Is that a nancy joke?

It's a day joke. Most people find it offensive. Not @ChrisLong.