The photos in a
publication help form a reader's first impression of your work as they glance
through the pages. High quality,
professional images give readers or reviewers the sense that they are reading
a high quality publication. It
is hard to overestimate the importance of having great photos in your article,
book, or ad campaign.
The information
below is intended to help you understand the photo research process so that we
can work together to create the best possible photo program for your
publication.
The Photo Research Process
1. Photo Specs
The photo
research process begins with you. You know your publication and what you
would like to communicate. When you write your photo specs, describe the
pictures you would like to see in your publication. Feel free to also
include the conceptual ideas that you would like to illustrate.
Here are some example photo specs that include both descriptions and conceptual
ideas:
large containers being unloaded from a ship illustrating the idea of
international trade
doctor speaking to a young couple (in their 20's); text addresses birth
control
healthy baby (circa 1950's or 1960's); text discusses use of thalidomide
in the 50's and 60's
Photo concepts work best when you create a mental picture with your description
of the image you would like to see. Photo concepts do not work well when they include the conceptual idea
but do not include a description of the photo, such as "international
trade" or "personal finances." More helpful specs would read:
Tokyo stock exchange
woman in her 30's writing a check or balancing her checkbook
Think photographically: When
writing your photo spec, think about what can and cannot be shown in a single
photo. For example, it is difficult to show Olympians running on a track
and ethnic diversity of the crowd in the stands in the same photo.
If it is important to show the Olympians and the ethnic diversity of the crowd,
consider illustrating the concepts in two separate photos.
Submitting an example photo: It does not work well to submit an
example photo in place of a written spec. Example photos can be helpful
when they accompany a written spec, but by itself an example photo can be
misleading to the researchers.
If you would like us to acquire a specific photo, please include a copy of the
photo and as much information as you can about where you found the photo. In
many cases we can get the exact photo you have found, but in some cases, we many need to provide alternative selections.
A note about the Web: As you know, there are many
photos published on various websites. If you ask us to acquire a photo you saw
published on a website, we will do our best to get that photo for you.
Please be aware that photos published on the web are often, to put it nicely,
"borrowed." Experience has shown that often the publisher does not have
permission to publish the image, nor do they always know who holds the copyright
for the image. Also, photos published on the web are most often published at
a resolution of 72 to
96 pixels per inch. While this resolution is suitable for viewing the
image on a computer monitor, it is not suitable for printing. If a
photograph was taken specifically for use on a website, the copyright holder may not even
have a version that is suitable for use in print. The best option is for
you to provide a spec description and let us find the best images available for your
publication.
2. Research:
You know what concepts you would like to illustrate photographically and you
have described the photos that you are looking for. Now it is our job to
find the best photos for your publication.
Our searches are extensive. We work with the top photo agencies and
photographers from around the world to get the exact images you would like to
see in your publication. We also work with corporations, libraries, museums,
government agencies and individual collections to provide images for your
publication.
Rest assured that
we will find images that engage your readers and that help convey the
ideas you are seeking to communicate.
3. Selections:
For a typical
spec, we look through numerous images to prepare a
selection of 4 to8 photos. These photos will be posted on
our web viewing platform for you to review (see the "Gallery" tab above). As you will see,
the galleries are very easy to use. Simply view the images and let us
know which image you select for publication. We take care
of the rest (i.e. acquiring the high-resolution images and getting permission
to publish the photos).
A few notes about the selections process:
When making selections, remember that the images are low-resolution preview
images. Occasionally, the preview images appear grainy, but the
high-resolution versions that will be used in your publication will be clear
and in sharp focus. (Historical images are not always available in
pristine condition, but we will always make our best effort to acquire the
highest quality image available.)
Some preview images contain watermarks. There will not be watermarks on
any image used in your publication.
Identify the image by the number under each image. (Ex: P1-1 -- auto show
-- #3).
4. Acquisition of High-Resolution Images
and Permission to Publish:
Once you have made selections, you are finished with the process. We will
acquire the images for your publication, prepare it for submission to
the publisher, finalize usage details with the copyright holder, and
secure the necessary permission to publish the images you have selected.
You are now on your way to having the best and least
stressful photo program possible for your publication.
