United Nations agencies, funds and programmes (from here on known as ‘the UN’) in Cambodia periodically need the services of photographers to cover special events and to depict field activities for various print and digital communications products. These requests may come at short notice according to unpredictable and evolving needs.

The UN Communications Group in Cambodia is looking for photographers under Long Term Agreement to fulfil a variety of short-term short-notice freelance assignments on an ad-hoc basis.

Assignments may be carried out remotely (for example, photographing UN project delivery in the provinces) or in Phnom Penh. The service requester may not always be able to accompany the photographers on assignment, so clear understanding and experience of the UN’s imaging needs and general development issues will be essential in advance.

Work will be submitted via CD/memory stick or a suitable fileshare service as arranged between the contractor and the service requester. Photographers should quote a flat daily fee, inclusive of all professional costs other than travel, subsistence and accommodation.

Selected images and photo essays will be used in a variety of UN communications products: brochures, leaflets, posters, exhibitions, websites etc. and to share with the national and international media.

Such products will be used to promote the mission, objectives and results of the UN’s work in Cambodia so as to create a positive public image and to appeal to donors and other stakeholders.

Photographers will be commissioned to cover various events and activities as and when needs arise, such as:

• UN workshops, conferences and other events
• High-level visits
• Development projects in the field / rural areas

Deliverables/Outputs:

Photographers will be expected to pre-arrange their exact deliverables with the service requester upon assignment to a certain shoot, to be completed within an agreed number of working days at a flat rate fee.

As a guideline, photographs commissioned by the UN should be submitted:

• No less than three working days after the end of the shoot (or earlier if arranged)
• With the understanding that the people depicted in the photographs have given their permission for the photographs to be used (release forms may be necessary for vulnerable individuals eg. people living with HIV, survivors of abuse etc.)
• In a digital format suitable for large-size colour printing (ie. 300dpi RAW, .tiff, and / or .jpeg formats)
• With appropriate cropping, colour adjustments, noise reduction and other post-processing as agreed by the service requester
• Accompanied with captions and/or embedded metadata, specifying activities depicted, location, date and time, names of subjects, photographer name and any other relevant details.
• Captions should be in English, not to exceed 100 words.

Photographers are also responsible for pre-selecting a shortlist of the best images from each shoot before submission: As a guideline, 30-50 usable images should be submitted for each day of the assignment.

Institutional Arrangement:

On assignment, the photographer will report directly to the service requester ie. the person requesting the assignment at the UN entity in question.

Photographers will be briefed in advance by the service requester and/or other representatives of the UN agency commissioning the photography assignment. This may take place in person or by telephone.

The UN Communications and Advocacy Officer (UN Resident Coordinator’s Office) may assist or deputize during the briefing if required.

Photographers may be accompanied and guided by a UN staff member during the assignment, or may be required to work independently. If working independently (for example in remote rural areas), the photographer is expected to remain in daily contact with the service requester, by whatever means available.

The photographer may also be expected to liaise with other parties eg. partner organizations, local NGOs, local authorities, communities etc.

In the event that the photographer is asked to travel overnight away from his/her base location [ie. place of residence, business offices in Cambodia], UN Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) will be paid on a per diem basis to cover accommodation, meals etc.

Photographers are expected to cover their own travel costs if the assignment takes place within 5km of their base location.

Transport to/from the photographer’s base location may be provided by the UN and/or relevant partner organizations. If not, the photographer must collect evidence of transportation costs (receipts, fuel bills etc.) and submit a claim via the service requester.

Photographers commissioned by the UN in Cambodia are also expected to observe UN security recommendations eg. to avoid designated areas at designated times. The UN cannot provide insurance for any damage to the photographer’s equipment or personal injury experienced during an assignment.

Photographers should observe the highest ethical standards while obtaining images, and immediately disclose any relevant information to the service requester. For example, people may be ‘posed’ to obtain a good shot but the pose should be relevant to their involvement in the subject matter. High discretion is advised when photographing people living with HIV, survivors of abuse, children etc.: refer to the UN Communications Officer for advice and guidelines.

Terms of use:

The UN requires the following terms of use for specially-commissioned photography:

• Right to use of all photographs supplied, in print and digitally for three years.
• Storage of the photographs for three years.
• Rights to transfer the photographs to third parties for their use.

Once contracted, the UN grants the photographer/videographer the right to:

• Retain copies of the photographs/video for personal use (for example, in their portfolio).
• Assert their moral right to be identified as the author of the photographs/video.
• The UN will provide a release after three years, allowing the photographer/videographer to use the photographs/video for normal commercial purposes.

Duration of the Work:

As a photographer, the photographer can expect anything between zero and five commissions per year depending on institutional requirements. Assignments will typically last from one to five days, not necessarily in sequence.

Selected, edited and captioned images should be handed in no less than one week after the end of the assignment.

Photographers may also expect to be asked for their availability at very short notice (one day), for example in the event of especially high-profile VIP visits.

Duty Station:

All work will be undertaken within the Kingdom of Cambodia. Locations may vary, but photographers should expect to visit remote and / or rural locations as the subject matter requires.

They should also be prepared to report back to the service requester during the remote assignment, if the service requester cannot accompany them.

Functional Competencies:

• Membership of relevant professional institutes and/or academic or vocational qualifications are preferred.
• The ideal candidates will possess extensive knowledge of Cambodia, professional photography experience in Cambodia, and will be based in Cambodia.
• Candidates should have broad understanding of the UN, development and other relevant issues in Cambodia.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Education:   

• Education to first degree level in relevant fields such as media, journalism, international development etc. preferred

Experience: 

• A minimum of three years of relevant work experience as a published professional photographer.

Language Requirements: 

• Excellent English written and oral communication skills.
• Khmer and/or indigenous language skills are an advantage.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The application shall comprise the following documents:

• Cover letter: Explaining why the candidate the most suitable for the work;
• Completed and signed UNDP Personal History Form and Personal CV;
• Previous work (eg. online or printed portfolios) should be submitted (or links provided) to support the application, along with a CV / Resume and references, and a list of recent publications featuring the photographer’s work.
• Portfolios should comprise at least 20 captioned images showing the photographer’s technical and journalistic competence.
• Portfolios containing images of development work in Cambodia, UN or NGOs, will have an advantage.

Please refer to INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT (IC) PROCUREMENT NOTICE on UNDP Cambodia Procurement Page at http://www.un.org.kh/undp/procurement-notices/undpjobid34835 for detailed term of references, instructions to applicant, and documents to be included when submitting application.

If interested candidate requests additional information, may notify the Procurement Unit in writing to e-mail address: procurement.kh@undp.org. The Procurement Unit would endeavor to provide information expeditiously, but any delay in providing such information will not be considered a reason for extending the submission date of your application.