On Oct. 1, the State Photo Center (SPC) closed its doors in Washington, D.C. Overseen by Associated Press national photo editor Victor Vaughan, the SPC will no longer traffic images from freelancers and member news agencies.
The SPC lasted 10 years and was first put together as a consolidation of regional photo desks in Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles. The SPC offices in the nation's capital have been merged with AP's Manhattan office.
The 16 workers at SPC in Washington were given the choice of moving to the new location or finding a new job within AP. Along with the closing of the SPC, the AP has discontinued "asap," a multimedia news service that catered to young audiences.