RedSnapper Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 If you want an insight of how it looks on the other side of Live News , have a read of this article on how the Guardian picture editor workshttps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/may/26/our-human-response-is-vital-snapshot-of-life-as-a-picture-editor "Pictures are pinged in from all over the world, some just seconds after being taken. They are provided by the global news agencies we subscribe to, local agencies, individual freelances and our own commissioned photographers. The speed between the shutter being pressed on the camera and the image being published online can be startling: I used to take a deep breath when an editor asked for a picture they had just seen on a TV news bulletin, expecting to get it immediately, but in this digital world that’s almost a reality." km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSnapper Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 Basic point to take away to that 'LiveNews' images aren't searched for on the Alamy site, but are actively sent out ('pinged') directly to the picture desks..... km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Beastall Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 A very interesting and revealing article in the job of a picture editor at a major newspaper. When you consider the thousands of images they recieve and view each day and to be-able spot the workman with the large stain glass window in the background which could have been easily missed. This acticle just reinforces the requirements of Alamy Live News. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 An interesting read. It’s a wonder I have managed to sell any Live News photos, but I’m doing better with them than stock this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanDavidson Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Most of my output is live news. However, as noted, speed is key. I am competing with photographers who are set up such that their photographs go direct to the newsroom as soon as the shutter is pressed. I have seen examples of where photos appear on a newspaper website within three to four minutes of being taken. It is difficult to compete at that level. I am constantly tuning my workflow to try to speed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSnapper Posted June 2, 2018 Author Share Posted June 2, 2018 25 minutes ago, IanDavidson said: M It is difficult to compete at that level. Difficult but not impossible Camera > phone > AlamyLIveNews > pic desk > online can be as quick as, in my experience, 5 minutes km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Limb Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 .... the alternative is only shooting news that you know no one else will be sending - the result more time, able to edit the image and send without the rush. It works for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanDavidson Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 30 minutes ago, RedSnapper said: Difficult but not impossible Camera > phone > AlamyLIveNews > pic desk > online can be as quick as, in my experience, 5 minutes km Reg, thanks for your comment and the original post. I am not as good a technical photographer as you so I need to edit in RAW and then send the jpegs. My best time is about ten minutes. I must admit to taking too many photos which increases the cull time. I do need to work on my workflow..... i agree one solution is to take pics not covered by others, but unless I am lucky they just do not have the sales value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 50 minutes ago, Matt Limb said: .... the alternative is only shooting news that you know no one else will be sending - the result more time, able to edit the image and send without the rush. It works for me! Yes, that’s my strategy most of the time. But weather pics are easier, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Limb Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Plenty of non-weather news stories out there ... but it takes time to research, plan and refine and then be ruthlessly selective and know what the markets want Just like any other business strategy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 A few thoughts of my own on shooting news as a loosely experienced, but still relatively green news photographer: It's definitely not easy to find news events worth covering. Some fields (sport, music) are, because they're well advertised (fixture lists, concert listings) and completely public, and obviously some absolutely massive events (Royal wedding) are impossible to miss. Beyond that, though? It's tough to come across stuff. Facebook event listings can help sometimes, but more often than not it's just a stream of club nights. Not much ever pops up via newspaper What's On listings anymore, either, or at least nothing that'll sell beyond weather and Photo of the Day type articles. It's possible to completely miss a political event or interesting person speaking nearby, for example, because it won't be advertised in advance. Photo agencies tend to subscribe to specialist services collating upcoming events of interest, complete with the PR contacts to reach out to for access, but they're expensive to get onto and you'd often need agency support to get accreditation anyway. Press mailing lists can help, too, if you can get on to them. Some seem to rely on their contacts or know the right people, and others just hang around the right places in London and wait for politicians or celebrities to appear. After that, there's those that will just shoot the weather, which at least does better than a lot of news stuff would anyway at Alamy, such is the nature of the agency. The easiest type of news to shoot beyond the weather is to react to current events. So yesterday, for example, going out where you are and looking for chaos or signs relating to the Visa system meltdown, or any heavy congestion at train stations served by Northern Rail, things that might be stock at any other time but can be submitted as live news due to the current angle. (That said, some publications are going down the route of using solely Twitter for this stuff now, because it's free and often available faster... See this article, which led on BBC News yesterday and features zero images from an agency.) But as a whole, shooting hard news has never seemed especially easy to get into... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanDavidson Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 1 hour ago, Katie said: But as a whole, shooting hard news has never seemed especially easy to get into... Katie I agree. I go into Downing Street on Tuesdays for Cabinet meetings so can get cabinet minister pictures - always topical; but there is nearly always two or three other (faster) Alamy contributors. Wednesday in Downing Street for Theresa May (often followed by the Chancellor) going to PMQ's. One of the big advantages to living near London is that there is often events/demonstrations etc going on - you just have to keep your eyes open. I have got pictures of VIP's just by hanging around Westminster. I agree that reacting to current events is a good runner. I always look out in the business section of newspapers for events such as CVA's and I photograph the relevant shop/business. Some events, such as London Fashion Week come around at the same time - but there is saturation cover. I do subscribe to a news wire but it is of limited use for photo opportunities. New week I am covering Graduate Fashion Week... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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