On May 30th of this year, the Chicago Tribune laid off all 28 of its staff photographers (click here to read the article). The move was to make changes not only financially, but also in the direction the news is being presented. They were beginning to realize how important it was to also have video for reporting purposes, especially since the internet has grown more accustomed to presenting the news with video content. Freelance still photographers, who also shoot video, is the way the news agency wants to go.

While the change may be a good step in one direction, it’s actually bad in another. The quality of still photos that will be presented in the Tribune’s news will most likely be less memorable and possibly be of less quality than what it was in the past.

Of the 28 staff let go, one was a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer. What are the chances of one of the freelance photographers getting a Pulitzer? I’d say not very likely. Most of them will probably be more concerned about video content than a great still image, especially since video seems to be ruling the news channels lately. You could say that video is where the money is.

Is still photography in the news becoming a lost art? Will it fade away as quickly as the printed newspaper? Or is this just a slight shift in the media that can be recovered? My thoughts are with the 28 photographers who are going into the unknown. I wish them the best in the future and hope they keep doing what they do best: making strong, iconic images.