Parliament of photography

On June 5 and 6, the 5th Parliament of Photography was held at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Organized under the aegis of the French Ministry of Culture, the Parliament of Photography is intended to be "a forum for exchange and dialogue between players in the world of photography, from the heritage, creative and photojournalistic sectors".

For this 2-day session, the Ministry has chosen to address the themes of inclusion, AI, public commissions and donations of press photographic collections. Some others, essential in our view, were not addressed: proof of originality of the work, replacement income, dual status, the blank retirement year...

Nevertheless, the UPP was at the heart of the debates. Its Director of Public and Legal Affairs, Stéphanie de Roquefeuil, spoke on behalf of photographers during a round table discussion on the creation of a Maison de la photographie, a body with the vocation of ensuring, under the authority of the Minister of Culture, the unity of conception and implementation of State policy in the field of photography. Regulation, support and assistance, promotion of photography, but also protection and dissemination of photographic heritage, the Maison de la photographie is wanted by the ecossytem. This was revealed by the work of the Etats généraux de la photo, led by les filles de la photo, ADAGP, the associated agents, France Phtobook, the Diagonal network, SAIF and UPP.

A discussion on AI was held under the aegis of Alexandra Bensamoun, and a report was given on the work carried out by the Bureau de la photographie in consultation with the players in the system, including the UPP, on subjects linked to copyright in the digital environment.

This meeting was a further opportunity to exchange views on important issues, as well as to meet with other players in the photography industry to move forward together. The communication on the Parliament noted that the sector, long considered as atomized, is progressively federating to defend its rights, improve its conditions of practice, participate in major societal issues and work towards a fairer sharing of the value of the photographic image. The UPP is part of this desire to move forward together to make photographers' voices heard in current debates.

SdR