Similars by PA Media

[losdemas]

I have seen the photo in this BBC News story used to illustrate the NHS & Covid-19 issues many times over the last few months. I have always thought it worked so well on many levels and liked it very much as an editorial photo. I thought I'd take a look on Alamy to see if there was any more info on who took the photo beyond the credit line given on the BBC of 'PA Media'. I didn't really get that far, as I was taken aback at what I found:

 

https://www.alamy.com/search.html?imageurl=ceb5659f-88c1-4aab-9c1c-b4fc3b37906d.jpg&mode=0

 

Not just multiple similars, but the same series of photos being submitted multiple times across the years (file IDs seem to start at Gs and go right up to 2Cs - the original photo is apparently from October 2014) with the title changed to take advantage of current news stories. 102 images (five? slightly different images).

 

Now, I don't have a problem with people having success with an image owing to it being good and in demand - I applaud it. But this seems to be somewhat taking advantage, don't you think? Especially when the image is credited to PA Media?

 

Any other examples out there?

 

I'd also be interested in Alamy's views on this.

 

EDIT: Similar thing seems to apply to the other photo on the same BBC page: https://www.alamy.com/search.html?imageurl=7c4f7af4-ab36-4c37-a996-ad8a05500f98.jpg&mode=0

Edited November 5, 2020 by losdemas

[meanderingemu]

i guess they get uploaded each time through PA's equivalent of Live News, as "File Photo", which i presume is acceptable under PA practice, and after set time go into Stock.  I know I have one image like that that i used in LN "from file" in an update so ended up having same image twice (i have marked the News version for deletion since original was straight to stock, so with no disclaimer as to quality, but for next 6 months both are online) 

[M.Chapman]

I wonder how much server space would be saved if all duplicate images were removed.....

 

Mark

Edited November 5, 2020 by M.Chapman

[Gnans]

13 hours ago, M.Chapman said:

I wonder how much server space would be saved if all duplicate images were removed.....

 

Mark

... and a realistic count of total images on Alamy. Search speed for clients also would improve.

[ReeRay]

2 hours ago, Gnans said:

... and a realistic count of total images on Alamy. Search speed for clients also would improve.

 

15 hours ago, M.Chapman said:

I wonder how much server space would be saved if all duplicate images were removed.....

 

Mark

And a better (higher) placement of your own single images within that theme improving sales potential

[Allan Bell]

So this is what is slowing things down.

 

Allan

 

[Doc]

This would appear to be very unfair to the rest of us contributors. What is Alamy's comment on this?

 

I certainly would like some of my best sellers to appear many times in the search engine too!!

 

Kumar

[Marianne]

Wow - also noticed that they have a file photo date of 2014 on some and 2016 on others (of the identical photo) which would be a no-no re: editorial accuracy. This is really abusive to keep uploading the same image. I've gone in on some and changed my keywords to take advantage of new potential uses, but I don't re-upload them - that just seems wrong. (Like voting for your own photo). I'd be interested in Alamy's take too now that it's been brought to their attention. One thing to update your keywords so they work for the current situation, which is a good practice, another to keep uploading the same photographs. 

Edited November 6, 2020 by Marianne

[Ognyan Yosifov]

On 05/11/2020 at 02:20, losdemas said:

I have seen the photo in this BBC News story used to illustrate the NHS & Covid-19 issues many times over the last few months. I have always thought it worked so well on many levels and liked it very much as an editorial photo. I thought I'd take a look on Alamy to see if there was any more info on who took the photo beyond the credit line given on the BBC of 'PA Media'. I didn't really get that far, as I was taken aback at what I found:

 

https://www.alamy.com/search.html?imageurl=ceb5659f-88c1-4aab-9c1c-b4fc3b37906d.jpg&mode=0

 

Not just multiple similars, but the same series of photos being submitted multiple times across the years (file IDs seem to start at Gs and go right up to 2Cs - the original photo is apparently from October 2014) with the title changed to take advantage of current news stories. 102 images (five? slightly different images).

 

Now, I don't have a problem with people having success with an image owing to it being good and in demand - I applaud it. But this seems to be somewhat taking advantage, don't you think? Especially when the image is credited to PA Media?

 

Any other examples out there?

 

I'd also be interested in Alamy's views on this.

 

EDIT: Similar thing seems to apply to the other photo on the same BBC page: https://www.alamy.com/search.html?imageurl=7c4f7af4-ab36-4c37-a996-ad8a05500f98.jpg&mode=0

THIS.IS.RIDICULOUS!!!

Edited November 6, 2020 by Ognyan Yosifov

[Avpics]

They own it so I guess they can do as they please. I expect they'll be working on ideas to prioritise their images as much as possible going forward.

[Thyrsis]

Danny,

Neither of your Alamy links now bring up any images, maybe they’ve been removed!?

 

”Sorry, we can’t find anything for your search term

• It’s possible that we don’t have any imagery, but check your spelling or try changing your keywords 
• If you’ve searched using an image ID, it might be that the image is not available for sale in your country or it has been removed from the collection and is no longer for sale”

[spacecadet]

7 minutes ago, Thyrsis said:

Danny,

Neither of your Alamy links now bring up any images, maybe they’ve been removed!?

 

”Sorry, we can’t find anything for your search term

• It’s possible that we don’t have any imagery, but check your spelling or try changing your keywords 
• If you’ve searched using an image ID, it might be that the image is not available for sale in your country or it has been removed from the collection and is no longer for sale”

I can see them.

[NYCat]

I can't see them.

 

Paulette

[losdemas]

2 hours ago, Thyrsis said:

Danny,

Neither of your Alamy links now bring up any images, maybe they’ve been removed!?

 

”Sorry, we can’t find anything for your search term

• It’s possible that we don’t have any imagery, but check your spelling or try changing your keywords 
• If you’ve searched using an image ID, it might be that the image is not available for sale in your country or it has been removed from the collection and is no longer for sale”

 

Nope, they're no longer showing for me, either. If they have been removed by Alamy, then I would at least hope for a comment by them here and an assurance that similar measures have been introduced across the board, so that we all may play the game on a level(-ish) field of play.

 

2 hours ago, spacecadet said:

I can see them.

 

Mmm. Are the individual images still there, if you click on them (as opposed to just the search result)?

Maybe if you log in and out again the search will no longer be cached (I'm guessing that's what you're seeing)?

[spacecadet]

Aarggh. I thought Thyrsis was referring to Danny's own images.🤪

[Gnans]

3 hours ago, Thyrsis said:

Danny,

Neither of your Alamy links now bring up any images, maybe they’ve been removed!?

 

”Sorry, we can’t find anything for your search term

• It’s possible that we don’t have any imagery, but check your spelling or try changing your keywords 
• If you’ve searched using an image ID, it might be that the image is not available for sale in your country or it has been removed from the collection and is no longer for sale”

 

58 minutes ago, NYCat said:

I can't see them.

 

Paulette

Try this link

https://www.alamy.com/search.html?imageurl=https://c.files.bbci.co.uk/D082/production/_114787335_hi063679075.jpg&mode=0&pn=1&ps=100&pl=&random=1604850135404#BHM=foo%3Dbar%26st%3D98%26pn%3D1%26ps%3D100%26sortby%3D3%26qt%3D%26qt_raw%3D%26qn%3D%26lic%3D3%26edrf%3D0%26mr%3D0%26pr%3D0%26aoa%3D1%26creative%3D%26videos%3D%26nu%3D%26ccc%3D%26bespoke%3D%26apalib%3D%26ag%3D0%26hc%3D0%26et%3D0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3D0%26loc%3D0%26ot%3D0%26imgt%3D0%26dtfr%3D%26dtto%3D%26size%3D0xFF%26blackwhite%3D%26cutout%3D%26archive%3D1%26name%3D%26groupid%3D%26pseudoid%3D%26userid%3D%26id%3D%26a%3D%26xstx%3D0%26cbstore%3D1%26resultview%3DsortbyRelevant%26lightbox%3D%26gname%3D%26gtype%3D%26apalic%3D%26tbar%3D0%26pc%3D%26simid%3D%26cap%3D1%26customgeoip%3DGB%26vd%3D0%26cid%3D%26pe%3D%26so%3D%26lb%3D%26pl%3D%26plno%3D%26fi%3D0%26langcode%3Den%26upl%3D0%26cufr%3D%26cuto%3D%26howler%3D%26cvrem%3D0%26cvtype%3D0%26cvloc%3D0%26cl%3D0%26upfr%3D%26upto%3D%26primcat%3D%26seccat%3D%26cvcategory%3D*%26restriction%3D%26random%3D1604850135404%26ispremium%3D1%26flip%3D0%26contributorqt%3D%26plgalleryno%3D%26plpublic%3D0%26viewaspublic%3D0%26isplcurate%3D0%26imageurl%3Dhttps%3A//c.files.bbci.co.uk/D082/production/_114787335_hi063679075.jpg%26saveQry%3D%26editorial%3D%26t%3D0%26edoptin%3D%26filters%3D0

 

[Niels Quist]

Even the skeleton is clutching its head.

[vpics]

An upload by the photographer plus one by the agency would seem reasonable, but this is not the case. Looks like someone dumped the images without even checking. Alamy are probably not even aware of it.

 

[geogphotos]

I suspect that the PA archive is being automatically incorporated into the Alamy collection. Nobody is going through editing all these images and that is understandable. So this sort of thing is going to happen on the odd occasion. 

 

Nothing devious or even purposeful.

[spacecadet]

1 hour ago, geogphotos said:

I suspect that the PA archive is being automatically incorporated into the Alamy collection. Nobody is going through editing all these images and that is understandable. So this sort of thing is going to happen on the odd occasion. 

 

Nothing devious or even purposeful.

But when it appears to contradict policies we are expected to abide by, and affects our measures as a result, we're entitled to remonstrate about it.

[geogphotos]

17 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

But when it appears to contradict policies we are expected to abide by, and affects our measures as a result, we're entitled to remonstrate about it.

 

Of course you can remonstrate all you want. 

 

Enjoy 😊

[Vincent Lowe]

Here it is again in today's Manchester Evening News .....

 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/greater-manchester-records-highest-number-19256237

[Gnans]

 for @Alamy

[Alamy]

Hi everyone, 

 

First of all thanks for pointing this out. We understand this situation is not ideal and are looking into the root cause of the duplicates with PA media. 

 

Many thanks,

Elisabeth 

[Doc]

Thank you Elisabeth, I think that would be much appreciated!

 

BW

Kumar