There is a controversy brewing amongst photographers and GMA Network.
Award-winning photographer Ezra Acayan took to Twitter his disappointment towards the Kapuso network.
In his tweet, producers from GMA Network asked him for free pictures.
According to Acayan, producers have constantly asked him for free photos, which is an offense towards not just him as a professional photographer, but also to others like him who are trying to earn a living.
@gmanetwork @gmanews @GMA_PA I'm done being nice. This is the nth time your producers approached me asking for free pictures, and I'm sure you practice the same on other photographers and content creators. pic.twitter.com/CFn27FTbCv
— Ezra Acayan (@eacayan) November 13, 2020
He questioned the media company since it is earning millions, not just on television, but also on YouTube as to why they ask for free photos when in fact they can pay the photographer who took the pictures.
In his thread he wrote, “Just to give you an idea of how much money this network is making, their two YouTube channels alone have a combined following of 33.4 million followers raking in tens of billions of views. A billion views is worth more or less $1,000,000 (yes dollars).”
Earning millions and not giving what is due to those who give them field photos is straight-up undermining the profession, and Ezra is not having it.
Being a professional photographer, it is understandable that they invested time, money, equipment, and effort to produce quality photos. Asking for free photos is indeed an insult to their profession.
Another photographer also shared the experience he had with the network. The photographer was only paid P180 for his field photo.
180 pesos for a photo. pic.twitter.com/Xr8yUadmjT
— Ezra Acayan (@eacayan) November 13, 2020
Not just GMA Network who practices this kind of treatment towards photographers. Other networks also do this kind of thing.
Twitter user @thejourneymate considers GMA and ABS-CBN, both giant networks, as freeloaders.
In his tweet, he wrote, “Both ABS-CBN and GMA are freeloaders. One time, I was on a provincial and was actually in a hurry but I guess, the ABS-CBN crew decided to have a ‘short’ photoshoot inside the bus and delaying the entire trip without giving anything to the passengers. Not even a bottle of water.”
Both ABS-CBN and GMA are freeloaders. One time, I was on a provincial and was actually in a hurry but I guess, the ABS-CBN crew decidee to have a 'short' photoshoot inside the bus and delaying the entire trip without giving anything to the passengers. Not even a bottle of water.
— Phillip Templo Jr. (@thejourneymate) November 13, 2020
This means that maybe some other local networks do this to photographers as well. They are professionals and they should be treated and compensated accordingly.
Ezra Acayan is a documentary photographer who focuses on social issues and human rights. One of his works is a documentary on the suffering and abuse experienced by locals under the government’s war on drugs.
He was also awarded special merit at the Human Rights Press Awards for multimedia reporting on the drug war. He also received the Ian Parry Scholarship Award for Achievement and the Lucie Foundation Photo Taken Emerging Scholarship, as well as being named Young Photographer of the Year at the Istanbul Photo Awards.
