Alamy Live news - Catch 22?

[Steve Tucker]

I have had a long break from stock, not that I am a massive contributor but I do get the odd sale now and again. I am looking at giving it another go and see that I now have to apply to get access to Live News. Fair enough but one of the pre-requisites for the application is "Please upload a recent PDF of a news clipping showing your published work" so is this catch 22 or is there anyway I can get accepted to make it worth going looking for news images?

 

Cheers

Steve

 

[Joseph Clemson]

Basically, unless your are primarily a live new photographer, Alamy don't want to know any more, as far as live news access goes. They will allow occasional live news type pictures from non-live news contributors through the Reportage route (search forum for recent discussion on the subject if you want to know more). Reportage doesn't appear in the live news stream but it does appear in the library within 24 hours.

[Mr Standfast]

Hello Steve, I'm in agreement with Joseph and spacecadet, but might add to the thoughts on what might be worth disturbing the live news alamys. First of all forgive me for having an unsolicited peak at your portfolio, hey, we all do it. I see you can take an interest in cycling and drone photography. Now last year there was a bike race through Bristol and Somerset. The local P* and Ge**y togs had taken themselves to Cheddar Gorge and got some excellent pictures looking down on the Pelleton as it snaked through the gorge.  Several were picked up by the nationals. If you could get something as good as that it might open a door.

 

Good luck

[Steve Tucker]

Thanks all, I thought that might be the case, I have in the past submitted the Live news image. I like your idea Mr Standfast and may try it at some point when it is not too far from home.

[Eden]

I have tried emailing about news images that I have submitted through the reportage feed but have not had response from the news team on the three occasions that I have tried this. 

Hope you're more successful

 

 

 

[sb photos]

1 hour ago, Eden said:

I have tried emailing about news images that I have submitted through the reportage feed but have not had response from the news team on the three occasions that I have tried this. 

Hope you're more successful

 

 

 

Eden, if interested in gaining live news access you should email news@alamy.com with a sample image within an hour of shooting, not uploading as reportage then emailing. If interested they have previously indicated they will give temporary access. What does look bad when trying to gain access is exceeding the 600 maximum character and spaces limit as in your reportage upload from 17/08/19. Alamy has recently emailed most live news contributors stressing their captioning requirements. Since I lost my live news I would never consider emailing for access with run of the mill news that would likely never be front page material but could sell later as stock. I know a small amount of current live news contributors do, as well as exceeding 600 characters and no more than 20 of your best images, but that's the way it is.

[spacecadet]

4 minutes ago, sb photos said:

Eden, if interested in gaining live news access you should email news@alamy.com with a sample image within an hour of shooting, not uploading as reportage then emailing. If interested they have previously indicated they will give temporary access. What does look bad when trying to gain access is exceeding the 600 maximum character and spaces limit as in your reportage upload from 17/08/19. Alamy has recently emailed most live news contributors stressing their captioning requirements. Since I lost my live news I would never consider emailing for access with run of the mill news that would likely never be front page material but could sell later as stock. I know a small amount of current live news contributors do, as well as exceeding 600 characters and no more than 20 of your best images, but that's the way it is.

Do we know of anyone who has done that, got access and made live news sales?

[Matt Ashmore]

5 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Do we know of anyone who has done that, got access and made live news sales?

 

I emailed and got given access for a day.. I didn't make any sales though.

[sb photos]

9 hours ago, Matt Ashmore said:

 

I emailed and got given access for a day.. I didn't make any sales though.

 

Matt, was that the UK Weather submission? Had you made any other access requests since then? 

[BidC]

10 hours ago, Matt Ashmore said:

 

I emailed and got given access for a day.. I didn't make any sales though.

 

Was in Slough myself a couple of days later Matt to have my (lpg) car serviced. Haven't uploaded my images yet, but you certainly had a better day  The guy in the catering van wouldn't let me take a photo (!). You seem to have arrived before all the crowds. Nice pictures  

 

[meanderingemu]

16 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Do we know of anyone who has done that, got access and made live news sales?

2 accesses, No sales, one promoted on the Alamy News Twitter so it seems we at least get fair treatment 

 

One access for pictures already taken, granted in 10 minutes providing sample.  One access granted ahead of scheduled protest (requested day before)

[Eden]

Dear SB Photos

Thanks for the good advice. I was handling this incorrectly ie submitting through reportage before emailing. I have used this method 3 or 4 times and received no reply so now I understand why.

Regarding the captions etc. I think I am doing this correctly. Herewith my portfolio containing some old Live news from days when I still had access...you need to dig a bit under 'more' to find the live news tab and once again any advice & crit. will be most welcome.

https://www.alamy.com/portfolio/edenbreitz

My most recent attempt -

I walked out of my apartment building yesterday into the middle of an animal rights protest march. As I crossed the street a siren sounded and the protesters lay down  in the street in a silent protest. It was quite impressive! I took some photos rushed back to my apartment and had them online very quickly. I did see that there were images of the protest in Alamy Live News later in the day so appreciate that they were redundant.

Anyway your advice was most appreciated!

Eden

 

A few of yesterdays pics

 

[sb photos]

2 hours ago, Eden said:

<snip>

I did see that there were images of the protest in Alamy Live News later in the day so appreciate that they were redundant.

 

 

With any well publicised event it will be saturated with the big agency photographers plus others contributing to Alamy. The chance of making a live news sale would be low, unless you captured something both unique and newsworthy. Certainly not redundant, when images are often required later to illustrate an article, then it's a more even playing ground. Most of my images are sold that way.

 

My last visit to Berlin was back in 2007, must visit again. Was using a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 there then, my first digital camera. Although a bridge camera, it had an APS-C sensor and an excellent lens, it was a good camera if the iso was kept to 400 or lower and not used for action. I sold many images created by it, but it wasn't approved by Alamy, which niggled me at the time.

 

Edited August 26, 2019 by sb photos

[spacecadet]

5 minutes ago, sb photos said:

 

 

 

My last visit to Berlin was back in 2007, must visit again. Was using a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 there then, my first digital camera. Although a bridge camera, it had an APS-C sensor and an excellent lens, it was a good camera if the iso was kept to 400 or lower and not used for action. I sold many images created by it, but it wasn't approved by Alamy, which niggled me at the time.

 

2007 you could probably submit as archive and bypass QC😉

Seriously, as long as they are archive and not just old- we musn't take the mickey.

[sb photos]

1 minute ago, spacecadet said:

2007 you could probably submit as archive and bypass QC😉

Seriously, as long as they are archive and not just old- we musn't take the mickey.

 

Personally I would class archive as older, perhaps from my monochrome negatives. Some that come to mind might be from the troops out marches in London, especially if things kick off in NI if there's a hard border after Brexit, old pics of Peter Hain and Michael Meacher with their children in push chairs in Southall the week after Blair Peach was killed by the SPG, Spike Milligan and Bob Geldof in Trafalgar Square, ANL and NF conflict and activities and much more. When I get time, plus I used to hate scanning, I doubt that will have changed.

[spacecadet]

47 minutes ago, sb photos said:

 

Personally I would class archive as older, perhaps from my monochrome negatives. Some that come to mind might be from the troops out marches in London, especially if things kick off in NI if there's a hard border after Brexit, old pics of Peter Hain and Michael Meacher with their children in push chairs in Southall the week after Blair Peach was killed by the SPG, Spike Milligan and Bob Geldof in Trafalgar Square, ANL and NF conflict and activities and much more. When I get time, plus I used to hate scanning, I doubt that will have changed.

Same here, just a thought- after all my digital goes back to 2004 and I seem to recall a thread here suggesting that was old enough.

But you should definitely put that stuff up- I have some pretty ordinary material from 1979-92 that sells regularly, at a far higher rate than the rest. I scan with an Illumitran.

Edited August 26, 2019 by spacecadet

[sb photos]

1 minute ago, spacecadet said:

Same here, just a thought- after all my digital goes back to 2004 seem to recall a thread here suggesting that was old enough.

But you should definitely put that stuff up- I have some pretty ordinary material from 1979-92 that sells regularly, at a far higher rate than the rest. I scan with an Illumitran.

 

I intend to, as time permits. First I will sort together all the 35mm negative files of interest, then add coloured dots to prioritise those to scan first. Have started this.  Also have 6x6 and 4x5 negs, but would be less interesting if at all.  I will be using a Minolta optical scanner with USB2 and firewire 400, scans up to 4000 ppi, and with Vuscan. Need to check it's still functioning as when last used a few years back was to scan hippies at a Stonehenge free festival dancing by the stones with flowers in their hair. All for now, has wandered off topic. 

[BidC]

1 hour ago, sb photos said:

 

Personally I would class archive as older, perhaps from my monochrome negatives. Some that come to mind might be from the troops out marches in London, especially if things kick off in NI if there's a hard border after Brexit, old pics of Peter Hain and Michael Meacher with their children in push chairs in Southall the week after Blair Peach was killed by the SPG, Spike Milligan and Bob Geldof in Trafalgar Square, ANL and NF conflict and activities and much more. When I get time, plus I used to hate scanning, I doubt that will have changed.

 

I had some old film camera stuff I scanned and uploaded to Stockimo - no sales (yet - if ever), but it was fun finding out what I had. Mostly 'artistic' (stockimo-type pics) - nothing as hard core as you both describe. I'd say it really is worth uploading older images, if only to pass on a bit of history (please don't be offended by that - I really think that documenting and providing a record of what has passed is really valuable ). 

[Eden]

1 hour ago, sb photos said:

 

With any well publicised event it will be saturated with the big agency photographers plus others contributing to Alamy. The chance of making a live news sale would be low, unless you captured something both unique and newsworthy. Certainly not redundant, when images are often required later to illustrate an article, then it's a more even playing ground. Most of my images are sold that way.

 

My last visit to Berlin was back in 2007, must visit again. Was using a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 there then, my first digital camera. Although a bridge camera, it had an APS-C sensor and an excellent lens, it was a good camera if the iso was kept to 400 or lower and not used for action. I sold many images created by it, but it wasn't approved by Alamy, which niggled me at the time.

 

Thanks for this!

Yes, You should return to Berlin...great city. I've been here for 5 years and love it.

Best wishes,

Eden

[Harry Harrison]

1 hour ago, sb photos said:

I will be using a Minolta optical scanner with USB2

Still off topic, but a quick one. Worth checking inside to see if dust/haze has accumulated on the lens and/or prism over time. I have a Microtek that benefited enormously from a clean though it wasn't easy to get at everything.

Edited August 26, 2019 by Harry Harrison

[MizBrown]

On 25/08/2019 at 08:25, spacecadet said:

Do we know of anyone who has done that, got access and made live news sales?

 

I believe that someone has.  Mentioned in one of those long threads earlier.   The drill is email with a sample within the hour.  They give access or not.  This would be for high profile breaking news.  

 

[Matt Ashmore]

On 26/08/2019 at 06:37, sb photos said:

 

Matt, was that the UK Weather submission? Had you made any other access requests since then? 

 

It was a UK weather subscription of some pictures in Windsor when the first heat wave hit us. I haven't made any requests since.

 

On 26/08/2019 at 07:37, BidC said:

 

Was in Slough myself a couple of days later Matt to have my (lpg) car serviced. Haven't uploaded my images yet, but you certainly had a better day  The guy in the catering van wouldn't let me take a photo (!). You seem to have arrived before all the crowds. Nice pictures  

 

 

Thank you. I had quite a pleasant couple of hours wondering around Slough with my camera. It's one of the towns in easy hitting distance (particularly as I am down the road in Windsor very frequently) that I hadn't visited with a camera so I thought I'd put that right! 🙂 

[spacecadet]

Alamy has tightened up its access to news by simply removing news access from most contributors who don't make news sales regularly. It was done without notice.

So the simple answer is no.

Alamy say that if you have suitable images you can email and get access, but I certainly wouldn't bother.