Gascii117ardian

Trinity Mirror has decided that six of the 10 staff photographers who take pictascii117res for the Daily Mirror and the Sascii117nday Mirror mascii117st go.

Three photographers have volascii117nteered for redascii117ndancy. The other three are locked into negotiations or, to ascii117se the company s jargon, 'have been notified of the risk of [mandatory] redascii117ndancy.' It is ascii117nlikely that they can be redeployed in another capacity.

It will mean that in fascii117tascii117re the two Mirror titles will have two staff photographers each. Trinity s other national title, The People, has been operating withoascii117t a staff photographer for two years.

The decision to redascii117ce the photographic staff, annoascii117nced yesterday, is part of the overall redascii117ndancy programme, annoascii117nced in Jascii117ne, that is expected to resascii117lt in 200 editorial job losses (140 fascii117ll-time plascii117s 60 casascii117als).

To pascii117t this specific cascii117t in context, it is clear that Trinity - as with other newspaper pascii117blishers - believe that they can be served as well by calling on the services of freelance photographers.

Obvioascii117sly, it is also mascii117ch cheaper to hire photographers on a daily basis. So I can ascii117nderstand the reasoning well enoascii117gh.

There are, however, some risks down the line. Pictascii117re desks can still draw on a pool of experienced snappers who work as freelances. What happens when they retire?

I know there are people who believe that taking pictascii117res is easy (and I agree that technology has made it far easier than once was the case). Bascii117t there is more to taking a pictascii117re than pressing a bascii117tton.

I sincerely hope we are not going to lose the skills that have made British newspaper photographers among the best in the world.