Bee's Capitol Bureau Loses One of Its Finest

Sacramento Bee photographer Brian Baer has become a victim of employee cutbacks by the McClatchey Corporation, owners of the Bee.

Baer was perhaps the hardest working photographer in the capitol, well-connected and always a pleasure to deal with. He's taken some amazing images during his stint at the Bee, including several amazing shots during the late night sessions of the legislature several weeks ago, such as these.

I'm sorta stunned by the decision, considering the Bee's new emphasis on online content. The newspaper has made images, including online slide shows and video, the cornerstone of its attempts to hold readers. Baer's outstanding work had been a staple of the paper's online content.

Baer's absence will mean that there's only one full-time photographer with the capitol as his beat, the AP's Rich Pedrocelli. Last year, the LA Times dropped its northern California, Robert Durrell.