However good your images are it’s very unlikely anyone is going to come to you and ask to license them. If you can make a photo editor/journalist/designer’s job easier by delivering images to them on a platter, however, your chances improve greatly.
What started as a day out at the World Aerobatic Championships at Silverstone has resulted in my getting published in another magazine. This time it’s a double page spread and 6 other images in “Loop“, the magazine for pilots.
I knew I’d got some good images so, inspired by the advice of Scott Bourne and others, I did a little research, came up with a few aviation photo libraries and magazines and fired off a few emails. Later that day the sale was agreed.
OK, it’s not National Geographic magazine and I’m not able to retire on the proceeds, but it’s another name on the client list and my images and name in print again and under the noses of more potential buyers.
Start small, preferably in a niche market and getting published isn’t as hard as it may first appear.
If you missed the post with the set of images from which these were taken, check here
August 10, 2010 @ 12:54 am
Hi,
Congrats on the publishing!
I have a few smaller magazines locally that cover the same sort of things as I shoot (as a hobby).
As well as a local paper that prints terrible images with their stories.
How do you go about the whole emailing process?
Do you just email the ‘contact us’ address? or the news-desk? or what?
I am guessing you send a watermarked proof image at full res until the deal is done?
How do you work out pricing for such an image?
Like yourself I feel that getting published would help me endlessly in starting out!
(people seem more impressed by how many magazines etc you have worked with rather than having individuals in client lists!)
Thanks!
Pete
August 10, 2010 @ 12:05 pm
Hi Pete
You can start of with the “contact us” address but you might have to chase things up. Or you can search online and see if you can find an email address or a name for the picture editor. If you have an image that is on target and is going to help a publication fill some space, they are very likely to be interested provided you can reach the right person.
Contact sheets are still generally the best way to go – a collection of fairly small, low res thumbnails, PDF’d and emailed.
As for pricing, it all depends on the magazines circulation and the exclusivity of the image you have.
Hope some of that helps, Simon
September 9, 2010 @ 5:33 pm
Did they make the offer or do you have to give them a price? If so.. what?!
September 9, 2010 @ 8:06 pm
Hi Matt
Generally they will have a price per image in mind and so will you. Always try and get them to offer before you do then it’s a case of negotiation.
Simon