Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Does Alamy provide media accreditation for news photographers?

I currently work for a competitor of Alamy, but am not happy with their service as they just ignore my emails and do not bother chasing up unpaid usage by the Daily Mail and Guardian. I want to move across to Alamy, but will need to be able to gain access to events. Often this requires a media accreditation letter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does Alamy provide media accreditation for news photographers?

I currently work for a competitor of Alamy, but am not happy with their service as they just ignore my emails and do not bother chasing up unpaid usage by the Daily Mail and Guardian. I want to move across to Alamy, but will need to be able to gain access to events. Often this requires a media accreditation letter.

 

I know exactly who you are referring to. Yes they are a shower. I find Alamy perfectly approachable and often get asked if I want to shoot an event. They always reply to emails too. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alamy Live News told me they were too busy last year to arrange accreditation for me but if I managed to get accreditation they would happily take the photos.

 

I arranged accreditation and sent them elsewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alamy Live News told me they were too busy last year to arrange accreditation for me but if I managed to get accreditation they would happily take the photos.

 

I arranged accreditation and sent them elsewhere.

 

Alex,

 

You might want to give it another try. I have been shooting news for about 18 months nows, often with accreditation, and there have been some changes in the last 12 months.

 

You do obviously need to be looking at newsworthy, saleable events but I'm shooting next week under an Alamy accreditation, and also next weekend under one I organised myself but which would have been supported if I had needed it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alamy Live News told me they were too busy last year to arrange accreditation for me but if I managed to get accreditation they would happily take the photos.

 

I arranged accreditation and sent them elsewhere.

 

They've never told me they were too busy. I've always found them extremely accommodating. However, you need to plan ahead and don't do things last minute. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Mike - I'm happy with the agency I'm using at the moment who will apply for me if it's required. I've done quite well with them since I started and they pay promptly which is the main thing. Alamy won't give me FTP access anyway and I have problems with the flash uploader when I'm out and about. Maybe it's because I'm using an Android phone as a wi-fi router?

 

@vpics - I'm used to organising my own accreditation for events so I know the timescales involved and it wasn't last minute. I thought at the time it would give me a better chance of getting access if Alamy applied for me as it was going to be a big event. As it turned out I managed to get access ok.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Alex, you said "Alamy won't give me FTP access anyway". 

 

Why? Aren't you on the news scheme?

 

Yes, I can send news images in but you have to ask to get the FTP details. I asked but was refused.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Hello! One related question for you guys,

 

If you ask Alamy to get your accreditation for an event (e.g. a music festival), do Alamy require exclusive usage in Alamy website of all the photos made in the shooting?

 

 

Thank you for your help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello! One related question for you guys,

 

If you ask Alamy to get your accreditation for an event (e.g. a music festival), do Alamy require exclusive usage in Alamy website of all the photos made in the shooting?

 

 

Thank you for your help!

 

Well - I have never seen Alamy demand exclusivity ever but you need to consider your personal ethics here... is it right to let one agency do the work for you to be there and then you send shots to another?

 

How will you choose what goes where? I know many that would give exclusive to the accrediting agency for say 5 to 10 days then put the remainder out as stock on stock agencies... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

If you ask Alamy to get your accreditation for an event (e.g. a music festival), do Alamy require exclusive usage in Alamy website of all the photos made in the shooting?

 

 

Well - I have never seen Alamy demand exclusivity ever but you need to consider your personal ethics here... is it right to let one agency do the work for you to be there and then you send shots to another?

 

How will you choose what goes where? I know many that would give exclusive to the accrediting agency for say 5 to 10 days then put the remainder out as stock on stock agencies... 

 

 

Thanks Julie

 

I see your point and I must say you are totally right.

 

(Originally I was thinking more about some kind of pictures that may be more suitable for one agency than other/s...)

 

The temporary exclusivity (even for more time than just 5-10 days) also sounds like a right option to consider, before send them as stock to other places.

 

Thanks again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am ready to be corrected on this one but I believe that if Alamy source the accreditation for you then they would expect as part of that to get the first 48 hours (i.e. period in Live News) as exclusive.

 

But I'm with Julie on this one. If the team have sourced an accreditation for me then they get exclusive content for Live News, and then I'll either just let that flow into stock, or do an addition with a secondary edit.

 

If I source the accreditation, or find the item (no formal accreditation required) then I send it to the most appropriate place(s), and that might mean doing a split edit and sending some to one agencies and others to another - but not the same images.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

However there is a case where agency's need to realise that we too are business's. I have had agents approach me in the past who are all too willing to let me do a day or two's work when they know that the chances of sales are slight but... hey! they can get me accreditation. Accreditation to events is not payment for services rendered. Sales are.

 

 

True but then we are not obliged to have to photograph events that Alamy offer us accreditation for which we feel are not going to make sales....

 

I turn down plenty of offers for accreditation from agencies where either the time commitment doesn't make financial sense, and/or the prospect of sales are low. But as Alamy give you the double hit of news and then stock I evaluate every possible job for short term and long term sales. Almost every job I have shot under Alamy accreditation has driven medium term (< 1 year) stock sales even if they haven't sold immediately as "news".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

@Alex, you said "Alamy won't give me FTP access anyway". 

 

Why? Aren't you on the news scheme?

 

Yes, I can send news images in but you have to ask to get the FTP details. I asked but was refused.

 

 

As it happens, Alamy Live News contacted me at the weekend to ask if I was attending an event they were interested in. I replied that I was so they sent me FTP details to send to. I had problems connecting so they reset the password and I got in.

 

I sent a few images in and when I checked the news feed i saw another photographer was sending in from the same event. I decided it wasn't worth competing with someone else at the same agency so I sent the others elsewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.