Preferred option for submitting images to National Press

hoganpoly

For submitting event images to picture desks ,what is the preferred option or do they differ from desk to desk....

Paulw

Most take email. Some (if you submit regularly) have an ftp service for submissions.

It really does depend.

PCPhoto

A lot of the time the images will be dumped if not correctly captioned or from a source they do not recognise, I got a memo from the mirror a few months ago on how they wanted images captioned up.

The Sun ask me to caption things differently when I work for them because their system recognises certain fields so automatic payments can be made.

I think the Indo and Irish Examiner are FTP only at this stage, the Times are looking at going FTP only - but currently accept emailed images, The Star and Mail still accept email , the Star has FTP but only staff have login details (as far as I know)

Herald accept email/FTP

A lot of the time people don't know how to caption the images or where to send them and a lot of the time images get lost/dumped in the system because people on the desk do not see them

- I have had to re-send images to some of the papers because "they couldnt find them" (images were just dumped periodically or lost amongst loads of other images) .... I have also had picture desks tell me that they cant find them and when I tell them the time the images were sent ... boom ! ... they can find them.

For events which are not heavily publicised in advance the issue is that the newspapers dont know about them so they might get a great set of images...but no report so less likely to use images without a story.

EDIT :For those that don't know ... FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol - it basically means you send the images directly to a folder on their computer instead of into an email account.....for those that remember FTP is a modern version of the ISDN line (years ago it was used to connect directly with the computers in the newspaper offices - it was more reliable than email at one point) ..... hands up who didn't know that little junket of knowledge !

PCPhoto

PCPhoto wrote: »

A lot of the time the images will be dumped if not correctly captioned or from a source they do not recognise, I got a memo from the mirror a few months ago on how they wanted images captioned up.

The Sun ask me to caption things differently when I work for them because their system recognises certain fields so automatic payments can be made.

I think the Indo and Irish Examiner are FTP only at this stage, the Times are looking at going FTP only - but currently accept emailed images, The Star and Mail still accept email , the Star has FTP but only staff have login details (as far as I know)

Herald accept email/FTP

A lot of the time people don't know how to caption the images or where to send them and a lot of the time images get lost/dumped in the system because people on the desk do not see them

- I have had to re-send images to some of the papers because "they couldnt find them" (images were just dumped periodically or lost amongst loads of other images) .... I have also had picture desks tell me that they cant find them and when I tell them the time the images were sent ... boom ! ... they can find them.

For events which are not heavily publicised in advance the issue is that the newspapers dont know about them so they might get a great set of images...but no report so less likely to use images without a story.

EDIT :For those that don't know ... FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol - it basically means you send the images directly to a folder on their computer instead of into an email account.....for those that remember FTP is a modern version of the ISDN line (years ago it was used to connect directly with the computers in the newspaper offices - it was more reliable than email at one point) ..... hands up who didn't know that little junket of knowledge !

So the obvious question is; how do you get 'in' with the papers if they all go FTP-only? Fine for those already established, of course, but for new photographers/submitters it must be tough.

Especially if you come across a newsworthy piece and are the only one to have (decent) photos (I've heard of it happen, though admittedly the photographers who wandered across these scenes were already involved with the papers, so wouldn't have the challenge).



Though I don't understand the idea of restricting who can email you anyway. I'd imagine most news stories are a case of right place/time, and with every second person owning a DSLR it seems silly to not allow every Joe Soap to send stuff on (especially when most won't charge and will be just happy with their name in the paper or knowing their photo was used) just seems a bit strange to me.

OldGoat

Having a senior moment here. By 'captioning' do you mean simply adding a discription to each image you send. If thats so then how can two different papers ask you caption differently?
What kind of 'rules' are they stipulating and do they actually use your caption in the published image?

Edit: Sorry for the ugly smiley thing headlining the post. Can't delete the bugger.

hoganpoly

PCPhoto wrote: »

A lot of the time the images will be dumped if not correctly captioned or from a source they do not recognise, I got a memo from the mirror a few months ago on how they wanted images captioned up.

The Sun ask me to caption things differently when I work for them because their system recognises certain fields so automatic payments can be made.

I think the Indo and Irish Examiner are FTP only at this stage, the Times are looking at going FTP only - but currently accept emailed images, The Star and Mail still accept email , the Star has FTP but only staff have login details (as far as I know)

Herald accept email/FTP

A lot of the time people don't know how to caption the images or where to send them and a lot of the time images get lost/dumped in the system because people on the desk do not see them

- I have had to re-send images to some of the papers because "they couldnt find them" (images were just dumped periodically or lost amongst loads of other images) .... I have also had picture desks tell me that they cant find them and when I tell them the time the images were sent ... boom ! ... they can find them.

For events which are not heavily publicised in advance the issue is that the newspapers dont know about them so they might get a great set of images...but no report so less likely to use images without a story.

EDIT :For those that don't know ... FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol - it basically means you send the images directly to a folder on their computer instead of into an email account.....for those that remember FTP is a modern version of the ISDN line (years ago it was used to connect directly with the computers in the newspaper offices - it was more reliable than email at one point) ..... hands up who didn't know that little junket of knowledge !

Thanks Paddy....Helpful as always

PCPhoto

Deleted User wrote: »

So the obvious question is; how do you get 'in' with the papers if they all go FTP-only? Fine for those already established, of course, but for new photographers/submitters it must be tough.

Especially if you come across a newsworthy piece and are the only one to have (decent) photos (I've heard of it happen, though admittedly the photographers who wandered across these scenes were already involved with the papers, so wouldn't have the challenge).



Though I don't understand the idea of restricting who can email you anyway. I'd imagine most news stories are a case of right place/time, and with every second person owning a DSLR it seems silly to not allow every Joe Soap to send stuff on (especially when most won't charge and will be just happy with their name in the paper or knowing their photo was used) just seems a bit strange to me.

As sad as it sounds there are very few ways to "break through" ....start working for an agency ... the pic desks and people that work on them will recognise the source as it will be from the agency but the name of the photographer will be noticed and remembered.

or

Keep sending in images via email and eventually you get the pic they want/need and they remember the name because you are the only one with the important image.

the more you mix with press photographers the more its likely that someone will ask you to do a job for them ..so the pic desks will see your name and will recognise the name.

in short ... keep going...shooting/sending ...it takes time, building networks of connections of newspaper staff, photographers etc ... I think it took me a couple of years before I was accepted regularly.

OldGoat wrote: »

Having a senior moment here. By 'captioning' do you mean simply adding a discription to each image you send. If thats so then how can two different papers ask you caption differently?
What kind of 'rules' are they stipulating and do they actually use your caption in the published image?.

proper captioning involves filling in a lot of detail into the image - everything from your contact details, copyright, the details of what's in the image, a filename for multiple images of the same event, some of the papers insist on different things put into the same box ...for example the mirror want "source" to be the person or agency who is sending the image whereas the sun (when working for them) want the same "source" to say "commissioned by the sun" .

When I say "Source" .... for those who use photoshop cs5 .... goto file info then click on the "origin" tab and you'll find it there.

Irish Examiner Pic Desk

Speaking for the the Irish Examiner:

We welcome good great pictures from readers!
We publish one or two of the best images submitted each week on our Saturday pages and all the submitted images are uploaded on our Photos site at the end of the week, see: http://photos.examiner.ie/?Action=_VC&id=8646210&ppwd=85623mgp
We have a really straight forward upload form where you can Upload your pic, enter your details and caption in one easy step, see: http://photos.examiner.ie/festive_season.html

"Live" (on the day they are taken) News & Sports pictures can be sent by e-mail to: picturedesk@examiner.ie -Each picture accompanied by a full Caption*. Ideally the Caption should be in the "Description" or "Caption" field of FILE INFO in Photoshop. If you do not have Photoshop, Type the caption in the body of the e-mail and cross reference with the file name of the relevant picture. Pros (Photographers / PR agencies MUST use FILE INFO).
*A Caption should tell you the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN (and possibly HOW) about each picture. An example:
07/12/2011: President Higgins is greeted by Mary Bloggs, Principal of Mayfield Community School on his arrival to perform the official opening of the school's new Computer lab which was funded by NAMA. Picture Joe Soap
Only .jpg / JPEG images should be sent (no folders, no ZIP files please). Images should be 5-30Mb when open, or about 0.5 - 2Mb when saved (Medium .jpg setting).
Papers get several thousand images every day, so an accurate caption is the only way to find a picture, as PC Photo said, uncaptioned pictures are likely to be just dumped.

mdebets

Question for Irish Examiner:
You don't expect the pictures to be keyworded?

PCPhoto

sorry for answering a question directed at someone else.

But.... none of the papers expect an image keyworded, keywording is for personal filing for your own library of images or if you are creating a database of images to help you find the images faster you search by using a keyword associated with the picture.

Personally it makes you a better, more organised person if you keyword your stuff but for press work its not necessary.

The newspapers need/want the freshest image...failing that they can and will search for a file image.

Irish Examiner Pic Desk

mdebets wrote: »

Question for Irish Examiner:
You don't expect the pictures to be keyworded?

No, We don't expect Keywords, but it does no harm, and may make your image more useful as a file picture.

kfish2oo2

This thread is a great resource for anyone looking to get published. Many thanks to PCPhoto and Irish Examiner Pic Desk.

I reckon this should be stickied.