An email leaked last week, seemingly sent to the Guardian's newsdesk by a nameless 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 email, but they've certainly helped the writer to spread the word, as it's been doing the rounds among amused journalists – or "journos" and "hacks", as we often call ourselves.
Many photographers refer to themselves as "snappers", not considering it a pejorative term. Wedding photographer Lottie Anderson describes herself as a "happy snapper", meaning someone who takes as many pictures as possible during a shoot.
UK photographers also refer to themselves as "shooters" (it's unclear whether our US counterparts do the same, but it may be ill-advised). We are not unused to sending ourselves up: there's 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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