With the seriousness of the COVID-19 virus showing no sign of completely letting up anytime soon press photographers need to work and they need to stay safe.
Photo agency ABACAPRESS boss Jean-Michel has ordered his agency’s branded protection telling PAN: “Testing the new ABACAPRESS mask – anti Covid on the ground.”
Stay safe JF.
PAN comment: With reports of press photographers in the UK finding it difficult to openly record this important time in history – many reporting abuse or feeling a little odd shooting in the streets when everyone is isolating – and with no formal Press uniform in this country it is proving hard to be recognised as a press ‘worker’.
A national newspaper photographer Jonathan Buckmaster did tell PAN today that the police have been very good allowing press card carrying photographers to do their job. In America the press are respected and go about their work freely unlike the UK where we need to repair the feelings towards press photographers.
Maybe a little press agency identification like the abaca mask is not a bad thing – Maybe dropping the Press Photographer title and using the term Photojournalist a little more will help the public understand the profession.