This is the nature of the photo business (read the link on Corbis stock agency taking more from photographers) – big business folk making money off of their power and off of photographer’s emotions.
We need to stay strong, run our businesses LIKE a business, and say ‘no’ to bad deals- we preach this over & over for years & years, but it’s the only solution for independent contractors who can’t, by law, collectively bargain (it’s called price fixing)- but who’s really price fixing here?
Great to be a photographer? Much harder than most think.