Photo Archive News

"Connecting With.... " Alex Hewitt - Writer Pictures

Name: Alex Hewitt
Agency name: Writer Pictures www.writerpictures.com
Position: Co-owner

Explain Writer Pictures in a sentence?

High quality portraits of Writers, from poets to philosophers via authors and entertainers.

Where are you based?

Edinburgh and London.

How many people in the office?

Two in the office, one in the field and a huge wealth of top quality contributors internationally.

When did you start the agency?

September 2004 when Graham Jepson and I had a conversation that went like this:

Alex: " I've had an idea that I wanted to ask you about "

Graham " Hey, me too "

Alex " You go first "

Graham " No you go first " .....and it turned out we were talking about exactly the same thing.

What were you doing before that?

Being a Picture Editor and Photographer in Scotland, and I still am.

How may photographers contribute to the agency?

About 30 consistent contributors, 30 more sporadic contributors and 5 major agencies.

How many staff photographers?

Four if we include those of us based in the office. It's a cliche but we're a photographic agency for photographers by photographers.

How many images are available as stock through your website?

About 80,000 at present but still growing fast.

Do you just cover authors and writers based in the UK?

No, we specialise in the UK but cover the industy internationally.

Are you looking for older image sets, pre 2004 - time lines and deceased authors and writers?

Yes very much so. We're always looking for collections big and small and we find that portraits of minor figures sell just as well as the portraits of famous personalities.

Are authors and writers generally happy to be photographed?

Mostly yes, seldom no we try to be upfront and honest about what we do and place ourselves as a resource for all involved.

How long do you typically get on a shoot?

We usually ask for 20-30 mins. Less is difficult more is a blessing.

Mainly studio or improvisation?

Mainly improvised on location but we'd like to do more studio based work.

Have you shot exclusive subjects recently?

Lennoxlove Book Festival in Haddington and the Borders Book Festival in Melrose have an exclusive deal with us and we usually get some nice shots at these events as the writers are always very relaxed.

Most difficult shoot?

I'm not going to name any names but it was at the Borders Book Festival when a writer decided halfway through a shoot that they didn't actually want to be photographed.

Favourite set of images?

We love every picture in our collection, but especially fond of both Graham Jepson's shoot with James Ellroy and the Mathieu Bourgois shoot with the very same James Ellroy. He obviously makes a good subject!

Graham Jepson portrait of James Ellroy

Mathieu Bourgois portrait of James Ellroy

Who are you trying to photograph at the moment?

We've got a man in New York at the moment who we're trying to set up some big names for. Philip Roth and Brett Easton Ellis are on the cards.

Do you book most shoots through a PR /agent or directly with the author?

It always varies depending on the author. We get a lot of commissioned work which has been previously arranged via the Publicity teams.

Any advice for a start-up photo agency?

Yes, keep your costs and expectations low and your quality and ideals high.

Visit www.writerpictures.com

--ENDS----
Writer Pictures exhibited at FotoFringe London May this year.

"Connecting with.... " is a new series of industry specific interviews sponsored by

Getty Images LA Exposed... !

Don't worry we saved a few screen shots for you before it went 'off air' ;-)

PAN Interview: Writer Pictures

"Connecting With.... " Alex Hewitt - Writer Pictures

Name: Alex Hewitt
Agency name: Writer Pictures
Position: Co-owner

When did you start the agency?
September 2004 when Graham Jepson and I had a conversation that went like this:

Alex: " I've had an idea that I wanted to ask you about "

Graham: " Hey, me too "

Alex: " You go first "

Graham: " No you go first " .....and it turned out we were talking about exactly the same thing.

Read the full interview with Alex here: PAN Interviews

"Connecting with.... " is a new series of industry specific interviews sponsored by

CEPIC Congress 2012 London Venue Announced

CEPIC have just announced the Cepic Congress 2012 will take place at The Truman Brewery London.
The Opening Reception of Congress will take place on Tuesday 15th May with Congress running from the 16th to the 18th May inclusive with the Annual Industry Party taking place on Friday 18th 2012.

Book: "Mette-Marit - Princess of the People" by Aasta Børte

Book cover detail and Aasta with the first edition hot off the press!

Aasta Børte's new photo book celebrating the 10th wedding anniversary of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has just rolled off the presses. The project is wholly owned and supported by UK royal photo agency Nunn Syndication.
Aasta is a director of Nunn Syndication and in addition runs her own agency Bureau Aasta in Oslo for the past twenty five years which also specialises in Royalty holding one of the most extensive Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. The book is available to buy here: www.bokkilden.no

Last Chance: The Press Photographer's Year for 2011 Exhibition

Clive Mason/Getty Images Sports Folio of the Year FIRST PRIZE 2011

If you are in London this weekend go and see the The Press Photographer's Year for 2011 exhibition at the National Theatre on London's South Bank which ends next weekend - PAN is visiting today

Fifteen prizes have been awarded, and there are 139 pictures in the final edit that the jury selected from just short of 8,000 submitted for The Press Photographer's Year 2011. These photographs have been selected to represent the extraordinary variety and standard of the entries received, and will be showcased in the exhibition at the National Theatre, London from Monday 18th July to Sunday 4th September alongside the winners in the Multimedia and Digital Film categories.
Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 11pm and on selected Sundays throughout the summer. Admission is FREE.

Stock Photo Gallery: Phantom of the Opera

click the ©Clive Barda/ArenaPAL/TopFoto image for more

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s worldwide musical hit PHANTOM OF THE OPERA celebrates its 25th anniversary in London this October - click for a selection of stock images at the Topfoto archives

ATI: Latest News Headlines From The US

Latest stock photo industry news from the USA on our site AboutTheImage.com:
✮ Dreamstime Launches 'Infringement Reporter'
✮ Splash Staff & Freelancers Meet Mr Shenk

Read on here: AboutTheImage.com

PPHP Updates

The latest photo archive finds and searches on the Press Photo History project:
✮ Update: Looking For: Holloway and Sons Bristol

Read on here: PressPhotoHistory.com

BBC Magazines Sell-Off Update

from the PR:
BBC Worldwide and Exponent Private Equity ("Exponent") have announce that they have signed a sale [£121m] and licensing agreement for the publication of titles currently published by BBC Magazines, BBC Worldwide's consumer magazines business. Under the terms of the deal Exponent will acquire, in full, Radio Times and a number of magazines less closely aligned to the BBC, as well as the rights to publish BBC-branded titles under licensing and contract arrangements.

Under the terms of the deal, the titles and brands currently published by BBC Magazines will fall into one of three categories:
Sale - Radio Times and a number of magazines less closely aligned to the BBC, including olive and Gardens Illustrated, are being sold outright to Exponent.
Licence - BBC and BBC programme-branded titles will be licensed (including Gardeners' World, BBC Wildlife), with BBC Worldwide not retaining ownership but keeping a strong continuing editorial interest under licensing agreements.
Contract - Titles relating to key BBC Worldwide brands (Top Gear, Good Food and Lonely Planet) will be retained by BBC Worldwide and published by Exponent under contract publishing arrangements.

Corbis Have 'Invested' In Demotix

Turi Munthe, founder of citizen journalism photo agency Demotix reports: "Some big news...
Corbis, one of the world's leading visual media providers, has invested in Demotix. What this means for us as a company, for our contributors, and for what Demotix stands for is - we feel - tremendous. Since our launch in January 2009, Demotix has grown organically thanks to our community's enormous talent and support".... more on his blog.

Corbis and AP Work Together In The US

click for the Corbis-AP slide show

Corbis Images has announced a partnership with Associated Press that provides customers with over 10 million images covering an extensive range of breaking news, sports and entertainment, archival and creative images. The Associated Press, will make available thousands of breaking news, sports, and entertainment images each day and over 5 million archival photos. Corbis will make available over 5 million of its world-leading collection of creative, documentary, archival, fine art and current events imagery.
“Putting together AP’s award-winning collection of breaking news and other editorial photography with Corbis’ extraordinary collection of creative and historical imagery provides a perfect marriage of choice for our customers,” said Tom Curley, AP president and CEO. “It means unprecedented access to the most far-reaching, complete collections available anywhere.”
NB: These collections will be available on the two sites beginning in early October to customers in the United States.

Job: Photographer - UNESCO Paris

Full details of this job here

Fotolia - 'Major Redesign'

Online stock photography agency Fotolia has released a major update to their website. New features include: faceting of search results - a function to set price limits - improved navigation and usability... full details at: AboutTheImage.com

Masterfile Sold For $21.4m - 'cash'

Winnipeg Free Press.com reports: TORONTO - Arius3D Corp. (TSXV:LZR) said Friday it has agreed to buy stock photography still image provider Masterfile Corp. for $21.4 million in cash.
Arius3D, which produces interactive three-dimensional images, said the addition of Masterfile will help it develop a distribution framework for its products. Full article here: winnipegfreepress.com
More details as we get them...

Visa Pour l’Image Updates

Gary Shenk, CEO of Corbis, will host a 'registration-only' event on September 1st during Professional Week at Visa pour l'Image Perpignan, France. During his presentation, titled “The Future of Media & New Frontiers in Photojournalism,” Shenk will address industry trends and insight about the company’s transforming media business. Register here Here

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CEPIC is holding a Roundtable at Visa pour l'Image on the relationship between picture agencies and their photographers.

Within the framework of Visa pour l'Image, CEPIC is organising a roundtable with photographers, picture agencies and photographers cooperatives exploring the "Relationship between Agencies and Photographers: Art + Commerce or Photographers and Agencies - Making this Symbiotic Relationship Work". Details here

ImageCollect Expects 4m Micro Stock Celebs - 2012

'ImageCollect aims to disrupt the celebrity photo market by applying the micro-stock business model' - click search

Celebrity stock photo agency ImageCollect.com now has more than one and a half million photos available for download at Celebrity photos. The library ranges from archival material, such as shots of a young and exuberant JFK in the oval office, to photos of today’s biggest stars attending red carpet events. They say: 'ImageCollect aims to disrupt the celebrity photo market by applying the micro-stock business model of successful sites like iStockphoto, Shutterstock, and Fotolia to the editorial licensing space. The company aims to make celebrity imagery available to new media buyers and fans under simple pricing and licensing terms'. Early customers include US Weekly, Life & Style, Tribune Media Services, NY Times Magazine, and Star Magazine, among many others.
“We’re incredibly excited about this landmark, but it is only a small sign of things to come,” said Ryan Born, chief executive officer, ImageCollect. “We’re adding new celebrity pictures at a rate of approximately 25,000 images per day, with more than 2.5 million photos still to be added. We expect more than 4 million images to be available before 2012.”

Searching For: Michael Holford Collection

PAN reader, UK based picture researcher, is trying to track down the Michael Holford Collection , 'He was a photographer of fine art and object d'arts based in Essex' - contact will@photoarchivenews.com or call 07802 437827 if you know where this collection is - thanks.

Update: A number of PAN readers have replied with contact details and one wrote 'Hi Will, Saw you were asking about his collection. He looks after his own but is at present in hospital' If you need contact details drop me a mail - will@photoarchivenews.com

Mr Pap To Feature In Celeb BB

The Herald Sun reports: 'GEELONG ambassador and paparazzi king Darryn Lyons is set to enter UK's Celebrity Big Brother house along with Hollywood wild man Charlie Sheen and boxing legend Mike Tyson.' here: www.heraldsun.com.au

Copyright Search: UPI Image

reported © UPI/Bettman - Corbis and UPI do not hold this image - do you?

This in from a PhotoArchiveNews.com reader:
"I need to find the copyright holder of the - above - image (and here) and I need the hi res of the image, too. Both, UPI and Corbis do not have this image. I cannot find it on the Library of Congress or Nara websites. Collins Education would like to use it on the cover of one of their children's books".
If you have the copyright to this image please email will@photoarchivenews.com and I will forward your details.

update: this in from a picture researcher Liz Moore: Dear Will
Many thanks for posting the note re Michael Holford. Re UPI - I used to run Popperfoto so know the history.
Bettman had the whole of the UPI USA collection and the UK collection was split between Topfoto and Popper.
This one is not an image I remember from my Popper days - but this was back in 1991 so memory plays tricks! As you know, Popper is now at Getty Hulton and may be worth asking Caroline Theakston to kindly do a physical search in the hard copies, and at same time try Topfoto as they will search through their negatives if they don't have it on line.
Alternatively you could ask Corbis USA to do a physical search in their hard copy files. The whole collection went to Seattle from their Downtown loft in New York some years ago so they must have got it sorted by now.
Good luck!

Getty Images Signs 10 Year Deal

Commercial estate agent CoStar Group reports:
'Seattle native, Getty Images, has signed a 10-year lease for about 59,300 square feet in the 605 Union Station office building located at 605 5th Avenue S. in Seattle, WA. The company is relocating from 601 N. 34th St. and will occupy the fourth and fifth floors'... Full details here: Costar.com

WENN Photog Recounts London Riots Image

Photographer Amy Weston says, "I heard people crying out that there were others in the building"

WENN photographer Amy Weston feared for her safety last night (08Aug11) after taking a dramatic photo of a woman jumping from a burning building during the London riots.
WENN say: The snap is already being hailed as one of the most iconic pictures of the violent riots, which were sparked by the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by police in Tottenham, North London on Thursday (04Aug11).

Amy with a selection of front page usages this morning

Weston reveals she saw the unnamed woman sitting on her window ledge, before leaping out into the arms of police officers below. Weston says, "I was told there were fires in the Church Street area, near Surrey Street Market. "By the time I drove towards it, I could already see the fires from my windscreen. "There were six or seven people screaming and crying outside, and they looked like they lived at the flats that were burning. The flats were above small independent shops. A man in a white shirt was screaming that a girl was at the window and that she was ready to jump. He ran towards her but riot police had appeared and pulled him back, and they went to her instead. "As soon as she dropped, the crowds pushed back and there was no way to see what happened to her. I remember hearing people screaming that there were more people in the building. The crowds started getting angry with each other, with one group blaming another group for starting the fire. "There were warnings of gas cylinders being fired into the crowd from riot police so I got out of there. I couldn't get to my car so I had to walk, wrapping my camera in my clothes to avoid being mugged."
WENN boss Lloyd Beiny comments, "Our photographer Amy Weston risked personal injury to capture this image, which, judging by the global media interest, is likely to be one of the top news images of the year."
Weston has been a WENN photographer for five years.

LNP : 21 'Riot' Photos In Monday Papers

Photo agency London News Pictures - LNP - had twenty one images from their London riot coverage published in UK newspapers on Monday including a front page, see the usage here

London Riots 'Street Journalism'

'Street Journalism' photo agency Demotix have twenty nine photo reports from ten contributing photographers online now: Demotix/London Riots

Matrix: Photog Beaten & Gear Smashed

Matrix shot on the front page of the Mail on Sunday

London based celebrity photo agency Matrix were one of the first agencies on the scene on Saturday night.. a spokesman said: "We had a snapper beaten up and some equipment smashed up. We got the front page and a spread in the Mail on Sunday though!!!"

Rex Features Full Web Page Coverage - London Riots

London based photo agency Rex Features have dedicated a web page to their London Riots coverage.

PA Photog Makes Guardian Cover

Lewis Whyld's image of Tottenham burning was used widely in yesterdays papers.

Press Association Images photographer Lewis Whyld's image (above) of Tottenham burning was used widely in yesterdays 8 Aug) papers including the cover of the Guardian Newspaper. A full team of photographers from Press Association Images are on the ground across the UK covering the events as they unfold.

News Aggregator Adds Splash Content

CineStars has added photo agency Splash News to its daily content offering for affiliates across its network of local newspaper, television and radio web sites. Full details on our US photo industry site: AboutTheimage.com

Alamy Photogs Feature In PPY Awards

Two Alamy contributors are finalists in The Press Photographer's Year 2011 competition which recognizes and showcases outstanding UK press photography.
Alamy say: "Congratulations go to Jim Holden who was a finalist in the Features category for his image of Bonfire Night preparations in East Hoathly, Lewes, East Sussex. Congratulations also go to Simon Dack who was a finalist in the News category for his image of a squirrel attacking a pigeon trying to steal its food in a Brighton Park." - full details and the photos here: Alamy Blog

Kelly Thompson To Head Getty Images Production Development

Kelly: “Am I nervous? Undeniably. Excited? Absolutely. So let’s go create the future”

As iStockphoto approaches the 10 million images mark Chief Operating Officer, Kelly Thompson is moving to Getty Manhattan HQ to to take on a new role as Senior Vice President, Product Development for Getty Images. ....full story and Kelly statement on our US stock photo industry site: AboutTheImage.com

ASSISTANT AGENT - Trunk Archive

Job Description: ASSISTANT AGENT FOR PHOTOGRAPHY + ARTWORK SALES TO INTERIOR DESIGN/ HOSPITALITY MARKETS

Company: Trunk Archive
Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Experience: Minimum of 3 year’s relevant experience in Photography/Interior Design
Job Location: New York, NY
Package: Competitive salary commensurate with experience. Medical/ dental and 401K

Trunk Archive is a unique, curated online archive of high-end contemporary photography. We provide image-licensing services to established photographers and photographic estates. The resulting collection contains some of the most influential and engaging images of the 20th century.

This is a creatively driven sales position focused on the licensing of high-value images to the Hospitality, Retail and Interior Design markets. The ideal candidate is passionate about photography, has an appreciation for all forms of artistic expression and is an intelligent, creative thinker with a strong work ethic. The company seeks individuals who thrive in a collaborative environment in an open plan workspace, have the ability to multi-task and quickly adapt to a constantly evolving industry. Established relationships in the Interior Design and Hospitality industry are required. Success in this role will depend on visual sensitivity, commercial wisdom, contacts within the Interior Design and Hospitality fields, entrepreneurial drive and imagination. The successful candidate will be motivated by great photography and have the ability to inspire clients in its application. He/she must drive the application of the archive in a way that respects the integrity of the work, the photographers and the company.

Responsibilities

- Support the Director of Hospitality and Interior Design Sales Department in all initiatives.

- Develop and maintain connections within the worldwide Interior Design, Hospitality and Retail industries.

- Develop and execute marketing outreach to potential new clients.

- Research online archive and create image presentations to generate licensing opportunities for our roster
of photographers.

- Track developments in the hotel, restaurant, real estate, spa, and interior design industries.

- Travel as necessary to open new markets and to create new licensing opportunities

Requirements:

Exceptional oral and written skills

Must be proactive and have the ability to multi-task under strict deadlines

The Assistant Agent should be familiar with Art Purchasing Companies, Hospitality Design Firms, Interior Design Companies and Independent Interior Designers, as well as other Design Professionals who use photography to decorate their walls.

Candidate must be comfortable handling client relationships with authority and ingenuity

Exceptional organizational skills and ability to produce and deliver strong presentations

Familiarity with hospitality and design industries a must. Dedication, creativity
and a sense of humor also required

An ability to excel in a team environment but also requires a level of comfort and confidence to work independently.

Please email ls@trunkarchive.com. Resumes will not be accepted without a cover letter. Please include resume and cover letter in body of email if possible. Unfortunately, we are not open to candidates outside of the United States. No calls, please.

Watch: Barcroft Docu Airs On UK TV Today

click through for more details

The latest documentary from Barcroft Media documentary arm Barcroft Productions, AMY WINEHOUSE - The Untold Story, airs tonight 10pm, Channel Five in the UK.

Narratives - premium rights-managed interiors and lifestyle photography

Narratives is a premium rights-managed interiors and lifestyle photography collection providing a specialist resource for contemporary imagery broadly based around the theme of the home, including subjects such as; homes and gardens, interior decoration, still-life, places to stay, day-to-day living as well as seasonal themes and inspiring incidental details.

Collaborating with an outstanding team of creative photographers, stylists and writers to produce contemporary real home and lifestyle content. Our specialist knowledge and dedicated approach has enabled us to offer a premium service to our clients since 1999.

http://www.narratives.co.uk

pictures@narratives.co.uk

+44 (0)20 3137 3739

A Pint Of Best News

Following chocolate and champaign wildlife photo library FLPA are now giving away 12 bottles of St Peter's Organic beer on the 1st September, 2011. To enter the competition simply place an order for high res images on FLPA's website during August.

'To make this scrumptious beer, the water is taken from the St Peter's Brewery 300’ deep borehole and combined with Soil Association accredited light malted barley from Norfolk and organic hops. The beer is crisp, clean and lightly carbonated with a citrus hop aftertaste.'

Entries Triple For Picture Editors' Guild Awards

Online entries for the 2011 UK Picture Editors' Guild Awards closed at midnight on July 31st – but not before a deluge of images uploaded from press photographers just beating the deadline.
The last-minute surge added to the impressive range of pictures already submitted and closed with a total three times as many as 2010. A jury of 12 senior picture editors drawn from a cross-section of the British media will now have almost two months to select the winners.
Guild chairman Alan Sparrow said: “Our first Awards filled a void for the competitive world of press photography enabling professionals to have their best pictures judged alongside those of colleagues and rivals. It is a tremendous boost that after the success of 2010 we already have an even better contest in prospect this year.”
Full awards details : http://www.piced.net/

Hello Alamy: "What exactly is a “Premium Account”?

Our US stock photo industry site AboutTheImage.com reports: 'this in from a reader this morning':
“Hi Will,
I thought you might be interested in the following email exchange between a client of ours and the Alamy sales team last week, following a cold call from Alamy. I thought you might find their sales pitch interesting. This is a travel Agent they were selling to, so a commercial rather than editorial client....We were shocked, we removed almost all our pictures from Alamy two months ago, but I am sure that most photographers with Alamy have no idea what is happening to their Rights Managed images”. read on!

The Earliest Paparazzi?

Justin Parkinson at the BBC reports: 'As David Cameron prepares to unwind on a summer break in Italy, he and his fellow party leaders will be hoping to avoid prying camera lenses... Forget Brad and Angelina.... When it comes to selling magazines even Posh and Becks had nothing on the British power couple of 100 years ago: Win and Clem.'... read on here: When Winston Churchill delighted them on the beaches

Sir Harold Evans To Present UKPEG Awards

Sir Harold Evans, probably the most respected living newpaperman, is to present the prizes for this year's UK Picture Editors' Guild Awards.
Sir Harold wrote the defining work on photo-journalism during his tenure as the campaigning editor of the Sunday Times . His book Pictures On A Page remains the 'Bible' for picture editors on both sides of the Atlantic. With his equally successful wife Tina Brown he is now based in New York and since June this year has been Editor-at-large for Reuters news agency.
Guild chairman Alan Sparrow said: “It is a tremendous honour to have Sir Harold at the event. He will give a speech during the Awards ceremony in addition to presenting the prizes and you can be sure that every word he says will be worth listening to – he represents the pinnacle of photo-journalism.”
Full awards details : http://www.piced.net/