Susan Van Etten ANM701SVE013 001

New Photographers

How Can I Join Your Agency as a Photographer?
If you're interested in shooting images for PhotoEdit, please visit our "Join Us" page or give us a call at 800-860-2098. The steps for admission to the agency are as follows: submit 50-100 recent images (keep in mind that they should be the types of images we're looking for. View our Images We Want List; our imaging department will review your images, and someone from our agency will contact you.


Feedback from Clients

Responses and Advice from Our Customers
In this section, you can find information that has been gathered from PhotoEdit's clients to assist you in shooting appropriate and timely images for the company's needs. This data consists of tips taken from customer surveys and interviews, and we hope you will find it informative and helpful.

  • The most pertinent images for PhotoEdit's clients can be found in our newly expanded Images We Want list. Over the course of several client surveys, we compiled this list to accurately reflect the types of photos that our customers consistently want to purchase. It is the best place to figure out which images sell and which do not.
  • Because our images are so real in terms of the subject matter they portray, some of them tend to go out-of-date quickly. Trends in clothing and hairstyles change frequently, and publishers like to see images that reflect the latest trends, or images that do not appear to portray a specific trend at all (i.e. that are "timeless"). It may be beneficial, especially when setting up shoots in schools, to dress kids in very generic fashions and style their hair in a similarly generic way. This way, the images will not date as fast and they will have a better chance of being resold throughout the years. This is the issue that our clients bring up most frequently.
  • We have received several requests for Canadian images, especially those of historical landmarks and First Nations peoples. These are photos that researchers have been unable to find at other agencies, so they would be great to attain.


    Photo Submission Guidelines

    Stock Submissions - The Basics

  • Submissions must be sent as color, RGB, jpegs with a DPI of 300 and compression values equaling 10 or higher for High Resolution. They should be at least 8X12 and NOT interpolated (uprezzed). Please do not submit grayscale images, tifs, raw, or psd files.

  • We prefer that you use a professional digital camera that yields, at very least, 8.0 mega pixels (8 million pixels).

  • Please do not manipulate the images in Photoshop. This does not include negotiating an f-stop, color correction, or applying settings to meet the above requirements save for interpolation. We are not looking for f/x images at this time. For information and tips on acceptable digital manipulation, please click here.

  • Please save images with proper orientation that do not need to be rotated. Horizontals should be horizontal and verticals should be vertical.

  • Assignment shots should always be sent via FTP. Please send a notification of all uploads to Jesse Cantu. Make sure that your images are separated by spec, if it is an assignment shot.

  • Please provide caption information within the file info of each image. If you are not working with Adobe Photoshop, please send an accompanying file with image info including ethnicity, ages, location, and the like.

    • Please Note
  • If you are submitting over 50 images, separate them by subject or sub groups. The larger the submission the longer it will take to review them and showcase them online.


    • CD/DVD Submissions

  • CD/DVD submissions should always be compatible with the PC platform but can also be hybrid (MAC and PC compatible). PhotoEdit will keep all CDs/DVDs in a catalogued file system. We recommend that you burn a duplicate copy for your records. Address them to Raquel Ramirez


    • FTP Submissions

  • PhotoEdit does not accept unsolicited submissions via ftp at this time. If PhotoEdit currently represents you please contact Raquel Ramirez for your username and password.

  • We would like to see high res images only when we collect your ftp submissions. Low res versions are not necessary.

  • When submitting your images electronically, we recommend using a FTP utility such as WS_FTP Pro or CUTE FTP for PC or FETCH for Mac. Or you may use our alternate address: photoupload.asp to send your images. Please contact Raquel Ramirez or Jesse Cantu for the user ID, password & host information.


    • Changing Image Size and Resolution In Adobe Photoshop
      1. In Photoshop, go to Image on the tool bar at the top left hand corner.

      2. Click on Image Size, make sure that Constraint Proportions and Resample Image is checked.

      3. Change the Resolution to 300 pixels/inch.

      4. Change the document size to at least 8 x 12. (In a horizontal image, change the width to 12" and the vertical measurement should default itself. In the same way, a vertical image should have a height of 12" and its width will assume its own default.)

      5. To Save the image go to File on the tool bar at the top left, click Save or Save As.

      6. The Format should be .JPEG (*.JPG, *.JPEG, *.JPE). Click save.

      7. In the JPEG Options box for the Image Options, set the quality to 10 or higher for the file compression and click OK.


    File Naming

  • Images should be saved with a file name that contains no strange characters (@#%&*) and NO spaces. Use an underscore instead of a space. All file name extensions must be consistent. For example, the ".jpg" at the end should always be either uppercase ".JPG" or lowercase ".jpg" for all images submitted.

  • Please add MR to all image names that are model released.

  • Please add MR in your jpg name for Model Released, or NR for Not Model Released.

  • Please do not use caption information as the naming convention for your images.
    • For example: LahainaAquaticCenter.jpg is fine as opposed to ThecommunityaquaticscenterinLahainaHawaiiatdusk.jpg


    If you are uploading an image shot on spec, use a series of folders to create a hierarchy for faster sorting, thereby, faster uploading to the website. If you only know the spec:
       Guitarist

    If you know the publisher, textbook and spec:
       Houghton Mifflin
          Modern Music Theory
             Guitarist


    These are the basic guidelines. Please let us know if you have any further questions for our imaging team by contacting Jesse Cantu.


    Keywording Guidelines

    Please bear in mind that providing accurate caption information makes our caption writing and keywording processes more efficient and also increases positive search results for your images once the image is entered into our database.

    The basic premise is to describe the "Who, What, Why, When, Where and How" of each image.

    Provide caption information within the default File Info dialog box in Photoshop.
    For Photoshop 7, enter caption information in the Caption field.
    For Photoshop CS/CS2/CS3, enter caption information in the Description field.
    If you are not working with Adobe Photoshop, please include an accompanying text document containing the caption information.

    Provide additional keywords for conceptual ideals not included in the caption information.
    For Photoshop 7, enter keywords in the "Keyword" panel of the File Info dialog box.
    For Photoshop CS/CS2/CS3, enter keywords in the "Keyword" field below the Description field.

      Caption information should include the following when relevant:

      Location: include Town/City, State/Province, County, Region, and Country.

      Ethnicity, nationality, tribal affiliations and religious orientation when known.
      (Please don't guess if you're not sure.)

      Relationship of individuals when appropriate. (Father, daughter, teacher, student, brother, sister, employer, colleague, teammate, etc.)

      Model release when available. For a simple example of a model release, click here.

      Specific age or age-range of individuals when known.

        Newborn: less than 1-month-old,
        Baby: up to 12-month-old,
        Toddler: age 1-2,
        Pre-K: age 3-4,
        Child: age 5-10,
        Junior high: age 11-14,
        Teen: age 15-19,
        Young adult: age 20-29,
        Adult: age 30-45,
        Middle-aged: age 46-60,
        Senior: age 60-100,
        Centenarian: age 100 and over.

      Description of the main action in the image (political speech, science experiment, observance of a cultural tradition, school activities, medical procedure, scientific process, etc.)

      Specific names of facilities, buildings, stores, businesses, monuments, schools, national parks, landmarks, historic sites, archeological sites, etc.

      Specific names of organizations, historical figures, politicians, celebrities, etc.

      Specific names of events such as festivals, parades, sporting events, etc.

      Specific names of commercial products, equipment, machinery, etc.

      For proper names of places and buildings of non-English countries, please identify them with either the anglicized version or their non-English equivalent. If you can provide both versions, all the better.
        Example: "Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore," or simply "Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of The Flower), the cathedral church (Duomo) of Florence, Italy, is commonly referred to as The Duomo of Florence, or Florence Cathedral in English." Either of these would be fine, but refrain from combinations such as Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

      Names of animals and plants: provide the scientific name in parenthesis only if you are absolutely sure. There are instances where a particular species has many subspecies with very minor variations. If you're not sure, just stick with the common names.

      Profession or title when appropriate (waiter, technician, small business owner, chairman, caption editor, photographer, etc.)

      Sexual orientation when appropriate (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transgendered, etc.)

      Specific dates for images that are historic, newsworthy, or documentary in nature.


    Tips and Information on Acceptable Digital Manipulation

    For tips and information on acceptable digital manipulation, please click here.


    Common Mistakes When Submitting Photos

  • Not notifying us via email to let us know your submissions have been sent:
    • If we don't know it's been submitted, then we can't download it as soon as it comes in. It's very important especially for time sensitive project submissions.

  • Not creating a folder hierarchy:
    • The hierarchy ensures accuracy and creates uniformity as we have many different publishers requesting very similar subject matter at any given time.

    How to create the folder hierarchy:
    Use a series of folders to create a hierarchy for faster sorting, thereby, faster uploading to the website.

    If you know the publisher, textbook and spec:
    (Publisher Folder) Houghton Mifflin
       (Book Folder) Modern Music Theory
          (Spec Folder) Guitarist

    (Inside your folder create the Publisher folder, inside the Publisher folder create the Book Folder, inside the Book Folder create the Spec folder, and inside the Spec folder is where your image jpegs should go.)

    When creating folders this is what you should see.


    This is what you should see after your transfer is complete.

    *Folder containing the actual image jpegs submitted should be named by its spec only ( i.e., Houghton Mifflin / Modern Music Theory / Guitarist, NOT Houghton Mifflin / Modern Music Theory / 407MEGuitar059560-9584)

  • Not using the form (*see below) in email notifications:
    The form was created to supply us with all the information needed to know where your images should be placed when downloading, and it should correspond with the folder hierarchy. Uniformity is the key.

    - "Why do I need to fill out this thing?"
    Again, uniformity. Oftentimes we receive email notifications as general as:
    "I just sent you some images for that one project. Thanks." Multiply that by 60 or so active photographer submissions and you can see how it can get a little out of hand. It's much easier and faster to fill out than sending us an email with all the file info for each image, which address nothing more than the image content. That information is best kept in the Photoshop File Info section.

    *Photographer: (Please use your PhotoEdit initials)
    Project: (Use the created hierarchy path . ex. McGraw Hill.\ Chemistry \ Science Fair. If they are BONUS submission simply state BONUS/folder name)
    Number of Images: (This is very important. It lets us know how many images to expect. Knowing how many were intended to be submitted lets us know if images were dropped due to technical issues during the FTP process)
    Model Released: (If applicable)
    Notes (Any notes pertaining to the above submission)


    Example of a filled out email form: (yep that's all you really need to send us)
    Photographer: ME
    Project: Houghton Mifflin \ Modern Music Theory \ Guitarist
    Number of Images: 5
    Model Released: Yes
    Notes

  • Misnaming projects and specs or giving a general name:
    • Please name your folders and if you can your images using the info in the request email (i.e., publisher, project name and spec - very important for project submissions). If you send a BONUS submission and named the folder "Puppies" please refer to it as "Puppies" when mentioning it in your email form. Oftentimes a "Puppies" folder is sent to the TempUpload folder but in the email it is referred to as "I just sent you a folder with images of my grandkids playing with their new dogs, Thanks." Then sure enough there is an issue with the submission and we get a call asking:

    "What happened to the images of my grandkids' new dogs?"

    We then go looking for the "grandkids' new dogs"

    "Well, our records show that we have a "Puppies" submission; is that what you mean?"

    "Yea, that's what I said, images of my grandkids playing with their dogs."

    See how that can be a bit confusing? Stick to uniformity if given specific info in the request email and refrain from general references.

  • Sending email notifications before the transfer has completed:
    • We know that your time is precious but those extra minutes spent making sure that the images made it over successfully can save a lot of time and future confusion. Often email notifications are sent stating that the images are "ready" to be downloaded but only 5 of 50 images have made it over. This leaves us with having to physically monitor that submission as others are coming in. It can slow down productivity which only slows down the turnaround time.


    The Kinds of Images We Want

    Reminder: PhotoEdit, Inc. specializes in ethnic photos and minority photos for a primary client base of textbook publishers. If you can incorporate this theme into your shots, all the better.

    What We Want

    People: We are always looking for images of general school activities (classroom photos, elementary school photos, high school photos, college photos, etc.). Special education photos are needed, as well. Images that involve some kind of learning are welcome. Additionally, we have a need for photos of people using current technology (flat screen monitors, late-model cell phones, and so forth), family photos, photos related to careers and the workplace, and anything dealing with peer interaction, such as photos of children or teens hanging out together in any setting, or playing sports together with proper safety gear. Last, but not least, child development photos—learning to count, talk, walk—are important at PhotoEdit, too.

    Politics: A constantly hot topic. We would like to see photos of United States political leaders, but any photos of foreign leaders are also useful. If you have any photos of the historic political campaigns from the 2008 presidential election (Obama/Biden, McCain/Palin, and/or Hillary Clinton), those would be images that we’d like to see. There is also interest in the textbook industry for photos of voting, protests, and the Supreme Court.

    Environment: Recycling, recycling, recycling. If you have recycling photos, we want them! “Green” is a growing trend, so if you have photos of renewable energy technologies (such as solar power) or other environmentally friendly products, please send them. Other popular areas relating to the environment include clean-up efforts and anything having to do with global warming. General photos detailing pollution and the negative effects of industry upon the planet are also great.

    Health: Our researchers indicate that photos of doctors’ visits and science labs top the list in the health category. A few specifically mentioned that they frequently use photos of medical technology such as MRIs, CAT scans, EEGs, and so forth. Other important areas in this category include photos of people exercising and photos of healthy eating. In addition, any images that relate to children and health would be welcome.

    Miscellaneous: There are a wide range of images that PhotoEdit finds useful almost daily. In particular, we get many requests for animal photos; if you have good shots of animals in nature that would work well in a natural history book, we want them. Also, we are always looking for photos of the following: volunteering, children or teens doing chores, public speaking, crime scenes or crime labs using modern technology, Canada (especially landmarks), museums, parades (especially cultural), national and state-specific landmarks in America, foreign countries, senior citizens, immigrants and immigration issues, handicapped or disabled persons, transportation and/or mass transit, law enforcement, and poverty. If you have a range of these shots, we invite you to submit them.

    What We Don't Want

    Generally, please do not submit photos of the following: sunsets, flowers, flags, shots of people from the back, boats, crops, crowds, or multiple shots of the same image. We do not need to see outtakes, so please narrow down your photos before you submit them. This will ensure a faster turnaround time when we go to review your images.


    Shooting on Spec

    When we receive a research request for an image we don't have but would like to add to our collection, we'll ask one of our photographers to shoot the image. Also, we periodically send out "want lists" of images that we need, so that way you'll be sure to know the kind of images that we are looking for.


    PhotoEdit Stock Shooters (Yahoo forum for current photographers)

    If you're a current PhotoEdit photographer, join our Yahoo Forum to get to know / keep in touch with other PhotoEdit contributors.
    http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/PhotoEdit/