Eileen Langsley has been a sports photographer for 12 Olympics Games, a legend.
Amanda Turner quoting Eileen:
…She writes that she is disillusioned by the state of the profession, and that she was horrified by the unprofessional and even dangerous behavior of amateur photographers given credentials at the 2010 Worlds in Rotterdam.
“I even saw some of these happy snappers poking gymnasts in the back and asking them to turn round and pose for a picture – incredible…” Langsley writes. “…I was pushed and thumped in Rotterdam and I know of another colleague who was hit on the head.” …
Eileen exaggerates regarding Rotterdam. It was hectic, but not dangerous. Almost everyone felt that to be the best World Championships ever for media.
Tokyo and London World Championships will need to be more closely policed, however. Those meets could be dangerous.
Her quote is from the latest magazine of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS):
… My comments come more from a sense of disillusionment and concern than anything else and are written more in sorrow than anger, though I realise that in some ways the profession is past the point of no return and it is not now possible to return to the standards and mores of what was a golden age – a time when it was a challenging and satisfying profession. Having worked at recent major and world class events in a variety of sports I find more and more that professionalism and the standards of skill, behaviour and respect that go along with it are rapidly diminishing. …
read more (PDF)
Search for Langsley on that document.
Eileen’s probably right. It’s time for her to retire.
There’s no going back to the era of only a few paid elite photographers getting access.
I’d love to link to one of Eileen’s photos and her website from this post. But I’m afraid she’d invoice me for using it.
related posts
• in praise of Eileen Langsley
• Eileen Langsley – Rotterdam Worlds
• Eileen Langsley Photography
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