The Fair City still photographer who came under fire last week has defended her job and clarified she does not make €80,000.
At an Oireachtas Committee meeting last week, RTÉ Director General said he "couldn’t believe” claims that a still photographer on the set of Fair City makes €80,000 a year to take 16 photos every week.
Fine Gael Senator Micheál Carrigy said an assistant could take photos of the set on a mobile phone for free.
Photographer Beta Bajgart is the current photographer on the soap opera set and published an open letter to Mr Carrigy calling his remarks “highly insulting” to the creative industry.
Ms Bajgart told Moncrieff she never expected her salary would become public news.
“It’s not correct,” she said.
“I am on a very different salary – I am not on €80,000 a year.”
Ms Bajgart is an independent photographer on a contract with RTÉ to make press packages on Fair City episodes, which is due to end this October.
When she saw the posting for the position, Ms Bajgart was impressed with the €80,000 salary advertised.
“I was thinking, ‘Well that’s great, somebody actually took a calculator and did the math’,” she said.
“The work and the job I do is not just taking 16 pictures a week.
“The 16 photographs are minimum and that comes from the [RTÉ] press office - but very often when you’re on set and you see something interesting, you just give them more photographs.
“The day typically would have 10 hours – it's around 30 hours a week plus whatever admin you need to do and post-production.
Actors Tina Kellegher (Ger) and Phelim Drew (Father Liam) in a Fair City still image. Image: RTÉ“There are two to three cameras filming the scene, but I only have one camera and one frame, so I have to basically rearrange everyone and everything.
“Most of the pictures need to be done after the scene is filmed - I have to get in and rearrange everyone and do it in about 30 seconds - I have to be very quiet, very efficient and very invisible.”
RTÉ has since clarified the contract would pay a maximum of €60,000 over four years and later suspended the tender process altogether.
Ms Bajgart does not know what RTÉ to do with the position when her contract ends in October.
“I have been in RTÉ for over 11 years now,” he said.
“I don’t know what the situation is yet.”
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