Advice and tips

Unsuitable camera list

QC Team — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:27:00 GMT

© Gari Wyn WilliamsThe Quality Control (QC) team see images from a vast range of digital cameras. In our recent Alamy Recommended Digital Camera List blog we listed our recommended cameras. We have now compiled a list of cameras which will never produce images of the required standard to pass QC.

Images from compact cameras, bridge cameras and DSLR's under 6 megapixels will show considerable deterioration when upsized to 48mb. This is due to their lower pixel count, poor optics, smaller sensor size and outdated processing.

Contributors who try to submit images from these cameras will fail QC. This will be for reasons such as interpolation artefacts, soft and lacking definition, noise etc.

Alamy Unsuitable Camera List

If your camera does not feature on this list please do not assume that it will be up to Alamy's QC standard. Please see our Alamy Recommended Digital Camera List and remember cameras need to be used at their optimum settings and the images carefully processed using professional image software.

Please also note that Alamy does not accept any images from mobile phone cameras.

Image use and typical lead times

James Allsworth — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:11:00 GMT

© david sanger photographyWe often tend to get emails and calls from contributors worried because they have seen an image being used without it yet showing up on their sales summary. In order to help alleviate those worries we'd like to inform you of the typical lead times associated with certain types of publications.

So what is a lead time? Well a lead time is a period time between usage and billing of that usage. Billing is often left until an image has gone to print as that way, the client can be 100% sure that the image has been used and not swapped with another at the last minute.

Although it's normal for each publication to be slightly different, here is an overview of some typical lead times:

Newspapers - newspapers can take up to 3 months after the issue date to confirm usage. This allows time for remittance/self-bill confirmation to arrive. The time can vary depending on how up to date the billing department is at the newspaper but the time should never exceed 3 months.
Magazines (print and online) - most magazine clients confirm at month-end or quarter end, so it's normal to expect at least one month for usage confirmation. There is usually a 4-6 week turn around period between going to print and usage confirmation being received. If the usage has gone beyond one month and the sale has still not appeared in your summary, then please let us know. It may well be that the magazine has an agreed deal with us to report on a quarterly basis - we will let you know if this is the case. With bi-monthly and quarterly magazines, 6-10 weeks between going to print and usage confirmation being received is the norm.
Book publishers - we usually receive usage confirmation within a month of publication, often before.
Advertising/promotional - rights should always be cleared before any promotional or advertising use.

If you see any of your images being used that have not yet appeared in your sales summary please try to bear the above in mind. If you have spotted a usage that has gone beyond the typical lead time outlined above that has not yet appeared in your summary please let us know and we will follow it up accordingly.

DACS: Help with claiming for payback 2009

James Allsworth — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:32:00 GMT

© UpperCut Images It's that time of year again where you can apply for royalties from the Design and Artists Copyright Society's (DACS) Payback scheme and after speaking to DACS themselves, we have advice for you on how to make a claim from your Alamy sales.

For a bit of background, and to quote DACS themselves, "if you are an artist or visual creator you could be eligible for a share of over £3 million of Payback royalties if your work has featured in a UK book or magazine or been broadcast on certain UK television channels.

Payback royalties come from revenue generated through collective licensing schemes. Collective licensing is used in situations where it would be difficult or near impossible for you to licence your rights on an individual basis, for example, when an individual wishes to photocopy a page of a book which features your work. You can claim for the use of your artistic works in books, magazines or journals published in the UK in any year up to and including the year 2008. Count all your works and the publications they have appeared in for all the years up to 31 Dec 2008."

In order to make a claim, you need to fill in a claim form with details of publications that have been published in the UK and have contained any of your copyrighted works, in this case, your images. We are still not in a position to give you exact publication details of where we have sold you images to, but DACS have told us a copy of your sales report information should be enough to make a successful claim. You just need to make sure your images have been published in the UK. To do this, you can look through a combination of your "summary of images sold" and "net revenue" pages via My Alamy.

Firstly via your summary of images sold, identify those images that have a distribution territory of either World English Language, UK or Worldwide. You will not be able to see this information for Royalty Free. Secondly, go to your net revenue page, set the date from as far back as when you began at Alamy to the 31st of December 2008 and retrieve the results for "Date Cleared". If you then click download and open the data in Excel, you can see the region value. If the region is UK and the usage from summary of images sold includes one of the previously mentioned territories, you should be able to submit this for DACS payback. This proved sufficient in the past.

For the specifics into how DACS works, or questions on making a claim, you should contact DACS themselves by contact the Payback team on 020 7553 9062 or emailing them directly. Alamy cannot claim DACS payback royalties on your behalf.

Visit the DACS website.

Useful PDF downloads:

Excessive similars

Ben Gray — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:11:00 GMT

We’d just like to take this opportunity to remind you all of the importance of editing your images prior to uploading to Alamy.

Firstly, there is the aesthetics of a customer being displayed pages of images with little or no difference between them. We try to ensure customers are given accurate results to searches but also a diversity of imagery. A varied array of content is one of the reasons clients use Alamy to source images.

Secondly, there is the affect on your Alamy Rank. Images returned in searches, viewed and then ignored will suffer a decrease in Alamy Rank over time. If a customer is displayed pages of similar or identical images they are likely to ignore many (if not all) trying to find one that stands out from the rest. A decrease in Alamy Rank will mean images being returned further and further down the search results and therefore having less visibility to customers.

When selecting images from a single shoot, try to edit down your submission and only include the best of the bunch. You can send up to five similar frames although it’s recommended to send in one or two at the most. Quality Control will only accept a series of images if they have very different angles, framing or model’s expressions, etc. However, if you upload similar images on separate occasions there is no way for QC to spot the problem.

We will periodically be checking the website and advising contributors to remove similar or identical images for the benefit of customers and also to protect your Alamy Rank.

You can assist us by identifying any similar images in your online collection and marking some for deletion. Using your new Manage Images tool you will be able to display multiple images enabling you to spot any similars and edit down using the batch delete option.

Description field no longer searchable

Alan Capel - Head of Content — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:57:00 GMT

As previously announced we can confirm that the description field is no longer searchable. This is the case both through the customer search interface and through 'Manage Images'. The description field should contain any relevant background information which you feel a customer may be interested in.

Alamy Recommended Digital Camera List

QC Team — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:55:00 GMT

© José Manuel Gelpi DíazThe Quality Control (QC) Team come across a huge variety of digital cameras used by contributors who submit to Alamy. This varies from compact cameras through DSLRs to medium format digital backs.

In our submission guidelines we state that contributors should use a DSLR camera with a resolution of at least 6 mega pixels. Images from 6MP DSLR cameras can be acceptable to Alamy but will require careful upsizing and processing to produce an image that will pass QC.

Compact cameras require a higher pixel count (compared to that of DSLRs) to pass QC. This is due to their smaller sensor size and generally poorer quality optics. Unless processed very carefully they can show digital noise, interpolation artifacts and chromatic aberration (coloured fringing). Realistically, only high-end digital compacts have a better than average chance of passing QC.

In order to help you we’ve compiled a list of cameras that we have found to produce images of an acceptable quality when used in varied conditions. Please note that any cameras included in this list need to be used at their optimum settings and the images carefully processed using a professional image software package such as Adobe Photoshop.

This list will give you an idea of whether the camera that you are using is capable of producing the results required (when used correctly) to pass QC. Of course, even the best cameras on the market will only produce technically acceptable images in the hands of a knowledgeable operator.

At present we recommend the following cameras for submissions to Alamy:

Canon

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II
Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Canon EOS-1D Mark II
Canon EOS-1Ds
Canon EOS 50D
Canon EOS 40D
Canon EOS 450D / Digital Rebel Xsi / EOS KISS X2
Canon EOS 30D
Canon EOS 1000D / Digital Rebel XS
Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi
Canon EOS 20D
Canon EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT

Contax

Contax N Digital

Epson

Epson R-D1

Fuji

Fuji S5 Pro

Leica

M8.2
M8

Nikon

Nikon D3X
Nikon D3
Nikon D700
Nikon D300
Nikon D2X/s
Nikon D90
Nikon D200
Nikon D60
Nikon D80
Nikon D40X

Olympus

Olympus E620
Olympus E-30
Olympus E-520
Olympus E-450
Olympus E-410
Olympus E-420
Olympus E-3
Olympus E-510
Olympus E-410
Olympus E-400

Panasonic

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

Pentax

Pentax K20D
Pentax K200D
Pentax K10D / Grand Prix

Samsung

Samsung GX-20
Samsung GX-10
Samsung GX-1s

Sony

Sony DSLR A900
Sony DSLR-A700
Sony DSLR-A350
Sony DSLR-A300
Sony DSLR-A200
Sony DSLR-A100

Please note there may be other digital cameras that can produce files which would also be acceptable to Alamy.

Alamy QC Team

The National Trust's photography policy

Ben Gray — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:35:00 GMT

We have previously blogged about ensuring all images submitted to us have the correct permissions and (where applicable) signed releases. (Please note clause 10b of the contributor agreement that the article refers to is now section 4 of the new contract and specifically clauses 4.2 and 4.5).

Within the article one of the examples of when permissions would be required to submit images to us is The National Trust. The National Trust welcomes its visitors taking photographs outdoors at their properties but you cannot then sell those images, either directly or through agencies/picture libraries. We have recently been working with The Trust to identify problematic images on the Alamy website. As a result of this we will shortly be contacting a group of contributors who have images taken on National Trust property without permission and advising them that these images will be removed.

The National Trust’s photography policy is as follows:

The National Trust does not permit photography or filming at its properties for commercial use or for reproduction in any form without prior written permission. These restrictions apply only to photography taken within the grounds of National Trust properties and does not apply to public highways and paths.Photographs taken for private and personal use may not be used in any other context, submitted to any photo libraries or on-line agencies or sold directly to any image buyers. All requests for commercial photography taken for profit at any pay-for-entry property must be channelled through the Broadcast and Media Liaison Office.

Please note that their policy applies to all images taken within the boundaries of their properties, is not just limited to the buildings and does also include any flora, fauna, animals and artwork photographed on their properties. This is regardless of whether the location is identifiable or not.

Please bear with us as we work through this as there are somewhere in the region of 10,000 images. You can help us by removing any of your online images that you feel contravenes their policy and in the future only submitting images where you have the necessary permissions.

Although this sweep is aimed at National Trust images you must be aware that there are many other property owners and organisations that have similar policies regarding photography. Please ensure when out on location (particularly when paying an entry fee) that you seek out the locations policy on photography to avoid any legal/contractual issues. If in doubt do not submit these images to Alamy until clarification has been obtained.

Funds transfer payments

Alan Capel - Head of Content — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:02:00 GMT

You can opt to be paid in USD, GBP or EUR without a charge for currency conversion. Being paid via funds transfer means you will get your money quicker than if you were to be paid via cheque, and of course there is no chance of it being lost in the post. If you ensure your details are correct and you have a cleared Alamy balance of over $250, then payment will arrive in your bank in 4 working days (on average) from the first working day of the month. To update your payment details, please click on "change payment and tax details" from within "My Alamy".

Updated - New QC procedures as a result of persistent failures

Patrick Ashby and Rob Singer - QC team — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:32:00 GMT

© Old Visuals As a follow up to the New QC procedures as a result of persistent failures blog (July 2008), we are now going to start freezing online upload privileges for a period of 30 days for those contributors who continually fail QC.

These contributors are repeatedly submitting the following:

Images that contain gross technical errors.
Re-submission of images that have previously failed QC and have not been corrected.
Submissions which have had the problem images removed but no changes made to other images in the submission which also experience failure reasons.

We expect our contributors to understand our QC requirements and submit only images that meet these standards. We would like to ask contributors to be pro-active towards this situation. This can be done by taking the following steps:

If you have failed QC go to ‘Track submissions’, within ‘My Alamy’ to see why your submission failed.
If you do not understand the failure reason then look at the description of our failure reasons.
Before re-submitting, check ALL your images at 100% for any problems.
If you are still confused as to why you have failed QC why not look on the Alamy forum.

We are keen to reiterate that contributors who do not take these steps are becoming very time consuming, which impacts the turnaround time for all of our contributors. We will be tracking these contributors, and in extreme circumstances contributors will have their online upload privileges removed for a period of 30 days.

If you are a contributor having problems passing QC you may find these links useful:

New Year

Alexandra Bortkiewicz + Picture Research team — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:39:00 GMT

© fStopThis month’s picture needs covers situations related to the New Year and coinciding with availability of props and timing of actual celebrations. As with Christmas requests we recommend contributors to look at current home and décor magazines like Country Homes, Ideal Homes and Fashion magazines (for UK and US markets), to see the contemporary styles that are popular and which will be somewhat dictated by trends in interior design. The trick is to get a good balance between a stylish, contemporary feel but generic enough to extend the shelf life of the images for as long as possible. Though there has been in past years in the UK, a move away from the traditional celebrations and more individuality in the way this event is celebrated.

Also another factor to consider is because of the current global economic climate, celebrations are likely to be more subdued so this could have an influence on New Year requests for 2010 and future New Years. There has been a trend in magazines to illustrate making DIY decorations and a return to crafts, also creative ways to save costs for entertaining but not skimp on style and bringing out resourcefulness and creativity in people when times are hard.

We have clients buying images from Alamy from around the globe so be sure to benefit from the cultural diversity of celebrations in a particular region or country that you are based in for the local market. Cut-outs continue to be very popular with customers and particular gaps include contemporary lifestyle images of model released families or friends (of all ages) celebrating the New Year.

There is more advice on shooting different subject matter in Photographer tips.

Celebrate

Parties: Friends, Groups, Gatherings, Family, Socialize.
Destinations: Times Square NYC, Sydney Harbour Australia, Trafalgar Square London.
Events: Crystal Ball-NYC, Fireworks-Brandenburg Gate, Copacabana-Brazil, London Eye.
Corporate: Tours, Trips, Venue Hire, Expeditions, Cruises.
Joint Celebration: Births, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Proposals, Engagements.

Example images depicting "New Year - Celebrate".

Culture

Community: Dance, Performance, Music, Auld Lang Syne.
Religion: Beliefs, Rituals, Ceremonies, Customs, Gifts.
Traditions: Fireworks, Displays, Parades, Countdown Midnight, Toast.
International: Chinese New Year, Tamil New Year, Islamic New Year.
Cuisine: Appetizers, Snack Foods, Traditional Dishes, Deserts, Cakes.

Example images depicting New Year - Culture.

Concept/Other

Festivities: Preparations, Street Parties, Nightclubs, Bars, Pubs.
Decorative: Rooms, Objects, Details, Arrangements, Discarded.
Announcements: Signalling, Communicate, Midnight, Televised Broadcasts.
New Years Eve: Variations, Hogmanay, Silvester, Réveillon, Omisoka.
New Years Day: Social, Sporting, Charity - Events, Games, Performers.

Example images New Year - Concept/Other.