'Fair City' photographer accuses Fine Gael senator of making 'ignorant comments'

Beta Bajgart has won the tender for the 'Fair City' photographer contract three times over the last 11 years.

The Fair City photographer has launched a blistering attack on the Fine Gael Senator who suggested that taking professional stills images was as easy as taking a photo with a smartphone.

Award-winning photographer and filmmaker, Beta Bajgart, accused Micheál Carrigy of making “highly insulting and derogatory” comments during last week’s Oireachtas media committee hearing on the ongoing RTÉ payments and funding crisis.

She emailed him on Monday afternoon and said she has yet to receive a response.

“It would be nice for him to respond, and maybe apologise. But sometimes no answer is an answer in itself," she said.

Ms Bajgart has won the tender for the Fair City photographer contract three times over the last 11 years.

The Irish Examiner first reported last week how cash-strapped RTÉ was embarking on a new tender process for a €240,000 three-year contract for the role. 

It is understood the amount involved in this contract was more than had been previously paid.

But RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst later announced the suspension of the tender process as he halted all discretionary at the national broadcaster.

During the Oireachtas hearing, Mr Carrigy referred to the Fair City photographer contract and said he could ask his assistant to take a photograph of him speaking, and that it would be available to view within two minutes at no cost.

In her open letter to Mr Carrigy, Ms Bajgart said she was very disturbed by his “ignorant comment” which she described as potentially insulting to all of her colleagues working on Fair City, and to all those working in the creative sector.

“I would like to clarify for you that any photographer's work is not just a matter of pressing a button on a smartphone, no more than the only aspect of your job is presenting at the Oireachtas,” she said.

“The job of the contracted stills photographer on Fair City

is to take photographs of the scenes and actors for publicity purposes, as is industry standard for all soaps including UK soaps.

“Promotion press packs form an important part of the show, are going out every week to all printed, online and TV platforms in Ireland and the UK.” 

She said the photographs of the TV show scenes need to capture the story in one frame, and so need to be taken separately, after the scene is filmed.

“The photographer has to be present during rehearsing and filming and needs to be able to direct actors and communicate with the whole crew in the most efficient and shortest space of time,” she said.

“The average time the photographer spends on the sets of Fair City is about 30 hours, three full days a week plus time editing, postproduction enhancement, prepping the packs, administration, email, meetings etc.” 

She told Mr Carrigy that the Fair City photographer is an independent contractor who does not receive any benefits that he and his colleagues “are more familiar with”.

“There is no pension, no paid holidays, and no sick leave,” she said.

“If the photographer needs to be off work for a day, they need to subcontract and pay another photographer to cover for them. The work cannot be done remotely.

“They have to buy and update their own equipment and because they are required to carry a professional camera and computer to work, they mostly need to drive their own car.

“The photographer is responsible for their own insurance and must have in place all measures required to service a public provider, including GDPR, health and safety measures, and quality assurance measures.

“They have to provide this service without any disruption, all year long, that is the nature of the contract.

“The utter disregard that the photography profession received in the press in the past week, compounded by your derogatory remarks feeds into the damaging stereotype that art and creative professions don't deserve the same respect and financial benefits as any other profession.” 

She asked him if he watches TV, enjoys a night at the cinema, a music gig, or a theatre production and asked him if they should exist, or if they are all superfluous, and if they could be captured on smartphones “free of charge”.

“I would argue that none of these are superfluous. The importance of art and creativity in every single aspect of our society and our lives is, in fact, the point,” she said.

“I would like to invite you to rethink your outlook and make a public apology for the ill-considered remarks you have loaded on all creative practitioners in our country.

“A representative in your position should refrain from such insulting comments and make appropriate redress for them.”