An e-mail leaked final week, seemingly despatched to the Guardian’s newsdesk by a anonymous aggrieved photographer, reads:
“Please can we stop referring to photographers as “snappers”. I’m sure it’s nobody’s intention but it is demeaning, devalues our visual journalism and is demoralising for the photography team. If you can kindly help me to spread the word? Many thanks.”
It’s unclear who leaked the e-mail, however they’ve definitely helped the author to unfold the phrase, as it has been doing the rounds amongst amused journalists – or “journos” and “hacks”, as we regularly name ourselves.
Many photographers seek advice from themselves as “snappers”, not contemplating it a pejorative time period. Wedding photographer Lottie Anderson describes herself as a “happy snapper”, which means somebody who takes as many footage as potential throughout a shoot.
UK photographers additionally seek advice from themselves as “shooters” (it is unclear whether or not our US counterparts do the identical, however it could be ill-advised). We are usually not unused to sending ourselves up: there is a Facebook group for female photographers called Shoots Like a Girl whose members refer to themselves humorously by its acronym as “SLAGs”.
Some terms for photographers such as “pap” could definitely seem more demeaning – so some photographers might agree that “snapper” is derogatory too. But for many, it simply acts as a more colloquial alternative. You might even say that it’s… wait for it… snappier
The Guardian is the leading liberal-left broadsheet newspaper in the UK, and is also considered one of the leading liberal-left news sources in America.
The Guardian did not respond to a request for comment.
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