Well, that's true. Which goes back to what I said. You have to take the
pictures, and publish your own book with them in it, and sell it yourself,
too.....

"Pat" <Morris14779@gmail.com> wrote in message

Just out of curiosity, just how good are you?  Can you post a link to
your best pictures?  Let's see what NG turned down.

I wasn't asking for myself....I am 71, and am retired and not looking for
work.....But it (apparently) doesn't matter....They are not about to look at
my pictures or those of anyone else....That's my point....I doesn't matter a
damn how good the pictures are, because they refuse to look at them. they
are going to go with Ivan and his crew, because he could shovel the coal
harder and faster than anyone else could last month. They aren't interested
in artists, they are interested in anyone on their list who can "do the
beavers" because he could, "do the otters".
   My point is that they are denying that photography is an art, and there
might be people who are better artists than the ones on their list. -
Because (I am assuming) they are too lazy to look at someone's work and
compare it to the work of the people they have on their list. - It's too
easy to just go with the names on their list.
   I'm not complaining....For all I know, I might do the same thing, were I
they. I am just stating a fact. They are treating their "work" just like you
would treat people who shovel coal in Siberia.
   Let me put it another way. Suppose the greatest artist that ever touched
a camera were to appear.....He took photographs that surpassed anything NG
had ever published, by an order of magnitude....The greatest phtographer of
all time.
   NG would never know that this person existed....He doesn't happen to be
on their list....It isn't enough that he is the greatest photographer of all
time. It isn't enough that he posts his work, and tells NG where to go to
look at it.....They will never see it, because, HE ISN'T ON THEIR F******
LIST!!!

They should hire me.  I can do beavers!

I received another reply to my rather flippant answer to the NG
answer.....Here it is in its entirety:

Dear Sir:  I did understand your first response, completely.

Desire and talent, both of which your friend will have, are very important
ingredients for success in a photography career here at National Geographic.
Equally important is experience.  Our photographers have almost all come
from backgrounds in photojournalism, and a background in that field is
essential.  The editors have to know that when they send a journalist into
the field that he or she has the experience and the know-how to bring home
photographs that tell a story. For example, how would a photographer
illustrate an article on smell (September 1986) or modern slavery (September
2003) or the war on disease (February 2002)?  The harsh truth is that
because the investment in a National Geographic article is so great, the
editors are not going to trust a story to an untried photographer, no matter
how talented.  Just to give you an idea of the time and staff involved in
one story, the following was taken from our Photography FAQs:

<<When a story is approved, the photographer and photo editor meet to plan
coverage and budget.  The photographer sends images from the field to
Washington, and the photo editor contacts the photographer to discuss the
images.  Midway through the coverage the photographer and photo editor meet
to assemble the best shots so far.  Senior magazine staff offer comments and
the photographer returns to the field.  When fieldwork is complete the
photographer and photo editor prepare a final edit to present to the
magazine editor.  Once approved, a layout is designed.  The process spans a
long period and involves many hands, so it is expensive.  Travel costs and
fees to photographers and other staff involved often add up to hundreds of
thousands of dollars.  This makes us quite cautious in choosing
photographers, opting for those with established reputations.>>

As I mentioned, we have many more experienced photojournalists than we do
assignments. However, if your friend would care to send in an article
proposal, the editors would certainly give it consideration.
CL Stroud
Communications
National Geographic

As always, just putting some mp3 or avi online is too hard for most artists.
For security reasons I don't do flash. There's this great medium, and people
can't be bothered to fully exploit it.

An real artist should be lucky to make a living.

There can only be relatively few people who make big bucks. And then you
have to be more of an entertainer than an artist who is potentially way ahead
of his audience. Great artists often produce art that requires a significant
mental effort of the audience. Most people just want to relax / have a good
time.