Anybody interested today in photography is aware that the quality level has decreased. The build up of microstocks without any commercial deontology leads to incredibly low prices for images, which in turn brings about an important lessening of the iconographic value of images.

This way of doing things, based on excessive consumerism favouring immediate results and at the lowest prices, can seriously harm the career of professional and semi-professional photographs, as well as their agencies, who struggle to make a living through their passion and to offer higher quality images. In a society where images are a fundamental means of communication, it is apparent that such a market imbalance, created by favouring lower quality and cheap products rather than aiming for higher quality and progress, will bring about a decline in visual communications.

It is ironic that historically so many cultural values have been widely diffused precisely through the building of reputation of photographers. Is it not the high standard of quality of images used in the National Geographic magazine that has permitted that magazine to continually capture the enthusiasm of millions of readers?

What can we say?.... The pernicious impact of globalisation extends itself well beyond this profession, without any doubt !

Faced with this situation, the state finds itself acquiring new responsibilities, which consists perhaps in legislative structuring of market excesses, and in guarantying in such a way a long term development of creative efforts and the cultural standards they engender.

To deal with this difficult situation, the Union of Creative Photographers has recently proposed a large scale petition in order to stimulate a response. For those who believe in the necessity of preserving and protecting the Photographer-Authors, and through this the quality of photography, you may sign this petition and transmit this link: http://www.upc.fr.

Thank you to all persons who take the time to support a worthy cause.