Bittersweet Irony

This morning I recieved a phone call from the ex-photography convenor and now photo editor for the Sunday Mail. He was looking for a photographer to help shoot a story on Graffiti in Brisbane and how the Lord Mayor wants the city cleaned up of street art. I was to be assigned to photograph a few designated locations around the city, where there would be a few example of graffiti, in which the Courier Mail would portray it to be a public eyesore. He wanted me in right away to discuss the parameters and locations, but unfortunately, I do not own a vehicle and was forced to decline.

The ironic thing about this assignment for the newspaper is that I am currently working on a photo essay about Brisbane graffiti artists and have been out with a few of them, writing and hanging out. If I had been able to do this job for them, it would have been pretty funny if I had an image published in the Sunday Mail under an article about graffiti dirtying up our city of Brisbane. At the same time, I would come out with a photo essay documenting graffiti art and the people behind it. Maybe it's good that I wasn't able to take this assignment. I question whether or not it affects my credibility as a photojournalist, but when it comes to newspaper and editorial work, you get assigned to shoot what they tell you to, with not much/no control over how those images are used. I also would not retain the copyright to those images. But, I do admit, if I had a car, I would have taken that assignment in a heartbeat. Sweet, sweet irony.


Anyways, these are images from last week, taken from a drunken excursion. 1337, Cel 1, Sintax, and Joon reprazent.