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Freelance and Payment
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Told I wont be paid for work done because it was just a trial:
After sending a CV to a local newspaper I was asked to come in and take a few pictures of local events. The paper gave me a camera to use and allowed me to edit the photos in their office. There were 4 events over 2 days, all together amounting to about 7-8 hours work. The second day I worked was a Sunday, I was given a key to the empty newspaper office and told to work away. When I finished I called the manager, she said to lock the door behind me, leave the key in the pub next door and shed be in touch. I asked about pay and she said usually photographers were paid €80 per day by them and that they would be in touch.
The pictures were published. A week went by, I tried calling several times, my calls were ignored and fobbed off. Eventually I said I would call into the office for payment and I was told I had been on a trial and as such I would only be paid for my petrol costs. I’ve spoken to Citizens information and they said that since I never signed a contract, the copyright of the photos technically belonged to me but since I was on a trial its a “grey area”.
Does anyone have any advice on this? Do I have a right to demand payment for the work I did or should I just put it down to my own stupidity for doing the work without deciding on pay beforehand?
I’d also be of the opinion that you should have had a contract or at least an agreement of payment before carrying out any work for them, but the fact that they published your photos may imply that you are entitled to some sort of payment. I wouldn’t know the legalities involved, but it could be worthwhile to contact a solicitor to see if you are entitled to any sort of payment.
Also, when the manager stated that “photographers get paid 80 Euro a day”, could be seen as an agreement of payment.
Wasn’t a newspaper based in East Cork by any chance? heard stories like this about a newspaper down that way…
This kind of carry on, which is disgraceful, is getting to be more common nowadays as editors and managers of newspapers feel they can just jump all over freelancers. To me it stems from the feeling that, “shur let’s just get another unemployed photog from the dole q and do the same to him her”.
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