The other way around: editors asking forum.

[Roman78]

I wonder is there a Forum or message board available for editors asking for pictures? For the case that a suitable image is not on stock but someone could make one.

 

As some of you know, I am a a collector of vintage Computers and planned to make and upload lots of pictures. Like this nice Timex 1000 http://c7.alamy.com/comp/J237TB/front-view-of-a-times-sinclair-1000-J237TB.jpg. But, lets say if some editor is busy whit an article about MOS and needs a close-up from a 6510 in a Commodore C64. I would be glad to make that picture next. If not explicitly asked for, I'll maybe make that picture next year or not at all.

 

[spacecadet]

There is an occasional "images wanted" post on the Alamy blog. But at Alamy prices I wouldn't take images to order without money in the bank.

[Roman78]

I only found this http://www.alamy.com/blog/stock-photo-requests-april-2017 

 

But that are more generally request, not explicit ones.

 

And my wife is gonna kill me if put Potty pics on-line    

[Richard Baker]

 

But at Alamy prices I wouldn't take images to order without money in the bank.

.. And it's not just the prices that would put me off but also the specific nature of what's wanted in the picture and which can change at whim. Researchers often sweep wide when they search on places like Alamy but they sometimes have very narrow parameters asked for by their creative/art directors who change their minds: Something we're not aware of when they're searching and zooming in Alamy. So shooting something to order is a risk if there are expenses involved, potentially a fool's errand.

 

I subscribe to a researchers' portal where daily requests are filtered to the photographer (by subject and genre etc.). Sometimes I have the subject but rarely the right treatment - and 6 years, I've had just one picture which has been shortlisted but I've never made a sale. As you'd expect, it's very competitive. The criticism has also been that it's unfair to ask photographers to shoot to order for a final fee (minus one's expenses), which in reality, is a fraction of a commission rate.   

 

Rgds,

Richard.

[Robert M Estall]

Many years supplying picture researchers direct from my archive: sure, I sometimes shot "on spec" but not if the needs were broadcast to a huge base which is how the web works now. The idea of a hundred photographers rushing around shooting the same thing in hopes of picking up a (small) fee is not attractive.