'New Mexico Magazine' editor accused of playing favorites

...first off the art direction of New Mexico Magazine is SO poor, it needs an overhaul.
If Fabian is the reason behind it, let her go and start reviewing portfolios. The typography and image editing are so 80's, it's sad. This magazine could be a showpiece, something classic like Arizona Highways, but it never will be, as mixed up as the design is.
If she is hiring her husband, whom she incredulously calls 'her favorite photographer' she truly has no clue. There are MANY great shooters in this state. Pathetically, the rates that magazine pays are so low, they are theives when it comes to compensating talent.
This still does not make it OK to hire your photographer-husband. I have lived with a photographer while I hired 1 million dollars of location assignment shoots for a corporation. I never used him. I hired 4-5 shooters across the country and kept it going ethically. It paid far more too-each of them billed about 200K to us, overall.
This is typical small-time New Mexico state gov crap.
Do two good things for readers of the magazine, call in portfolios for a new art director-and get some more contemporary design going, and eliminate a conflicting, nepotistic problem.
Simmons had every right to be angry. His idea was stolen and assigned to the husband of his client contact.
Great reporting, Steve!

...and he doesn't even have a website. This is extremely rare for a professional commercial photographer in the year 2009.

It's hard to believe that anyone wouldn't understand that doing business with your spouse might raise ethical issues. Oh, I forgot; we're in New Mexico. It's pay to play. The publisher needs to get on time of this yesterday.

What about the fact that NM Magazine, owned by the state, competes with local retailers by selling the same products directly through their magazine's pages? In this economy, no local business needs competition from the darn state! It's hard enough to make a living. A tourist magazine run by the state shouldn't be in the mail order business at the expense of private jobs.

Yeah yeah, go on and on lady! This is part of the stuff that happens around here. That's why if you look around, you see families all working together. Some you might not even know about because they keep it hidden. I personally did some investigation up applying for a job at an agency in Santa Fe. Later, I found out, not only the mother and son worked there, but so did the niece. It's really an unfair practice....

Fabian West didn't think she was doing anything wrong in hiring her husband. This lady should be fired. It seems that she created an opening that only her husband would qualify for. Give me a break.

It's hilarious that nepotism is brought up and corrected between anglos but never with the hispanics who can have 18 relatives working for them. But, this is NM, so that's OK.

Another Reader wrote:

Fabian West didn't think she was doing anything wrong in hiring her husband. This lady should be fired. It seems that she created an opening that only her husband would qualify for. Give me a break.

Of course she didn't think she was doing anything wrong. Nepotism is standard practice in NM State agencies..

Hector_Sanchez wrote:

What about the fact that NM Magazine, owned by the state, competes with local retailers by selling the same products directly through their magazine's pages? In this economy, no local business needs competition from the darn state! It's hard enough to make a living. A tourist magazine run by the state shouldn't be in the mail order business at the expense of private jobs.

It's called exposure. NM Mag buys from the same wholesalers as the local retailers.

Imagine what they do to writers whose stories support the photos!

$7000 in 3 years!!! That is nothing!!! Who is this nut case who is complaining--smells like sour grapes.
Steve Simmons is a hack, maybe if his work was any good he might get more work, instead he has to whine and cry like a little biiitch . I would get a restraining order against the guy, he seems koo koo. I don't think any one will hire him after this incident, I wouldn't.

ps. Chuck's photos of the round up where fabulous, in the tradition of old Life Magazine essays.

another art director wrote:

...and he doesn't even have a website. This is extremely rare for a professional commercial photographer in the year 2009.

Ever heard of Google? Try it sometime. I found it, no problem. You sound like an out of work AD, who is jealous of others success.

I say she hired the best man for the job. I was there, judge the work not the relationship. If the work stands up to the test, it was worth every penny, and the pay is ridiculously low. Simmons-Stop the whining and prove your talent they way the rest of us do. Be a man for heavens sake, you are embarrassing professionals like myself.

I bet most of you haven't even seen the images.

smarty wrote:

<quoted text>
Ever heard of Google? Try it sometime. I found it, no problem. You sound like an out of work AD, who is jealous of others success.

..."who is jealous of other's success". I'm pretty sure that has be used to describe you several times, Dick. Isn't sour grapes your middle name? Glad you found Google. You might want to do a search on constantly negative and condescending personalities. There might be help for you out there after all. Good luck HWY285.

http://www.photographingthewest.us/

Boring, flat, untrained, point and shoot photography in my opinion.

smarty wrote:

$7000 in 3 years!!! That is nothing!!! Who is this nut case who is complaining--smells like sour grapes.
Steve Simmons is a hack, maybe if his work was any good he might get more work, instead he has to whine and cry like a little biiitch . I would get a restraining order against the guy, he seems koo koo. I don't think any one will hire him after this incident, I wouldn't.
ps. Chuck's photos of the round up where fabulous, in the tradition of old Life Magazine essays.

anything about the people involved, I had a similar reaction and impression when I read this.

7K over 3 years ain't much for any professional service and good talent you can trust combined with good value is a rare commodity.

NEWS FLASH: I pay my daughter $10 an hour to do some filing for me on the weekends. Mr. Simmons kids are pissed and whining about not getting the job.

C'mon Terrel - with million dollar contracts going from one good 'ol boy to the next, is this really nepotism news or are you a fan of tabloids??

If Mr. West is the best person for the job and is willing to do the all the things required for the money offered including sleeping on the ground and riding a horse and the other photographers are not than he is the best person for the job. Now as a subscriber I would like to request the NM Mag. do more historical articles from the SW part of the state. NM has so much rich history both North an South
I would like more stories about our past. I know NM Mag. has done a lot of stories of the past, but they can be re-told they are part of what makes this State so great!
Richard E. Mitchem
richanet@yahoo.com
Silver City, NM

REM wrote:

If Mr. West is the best person for the job and is willing to do the all the things required for the money offered including sleeping on the ground and riding a horse and the other photographers are not than he is the best person for the job. Now as a subscriber I would like to request the NM Mag. do more historical articles from the SW part of the state. NM has so much rich history both North an South
I would like more stories about our past. I know NM Mag. has done a lot of stories of the past, but they can be re-told they are part of what makes this State so great!
Richard E. Mitchem
richanet@yahoo.com
Silver City, NM

I know for a fact there was a great article on Silver City in one of the issues in the past year or so.

smarty wrote:

<quoted text>
Ever heard of Google? Try it sometime. I found it, no problem. You sound like an out of work AD, who is jealous of others success.

...it's you again. Describing yourself. You stick out like a turd in a punch bowl.