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ShiptalkImages.com photographers Q&A’s
are designed to help you make you maximize you’re
earning potential through the sale of your digital
images on ShiptalkImages.com.
Use the links below to be taken to any section which
may be of interest:
Introduction
With your help ShiptalkImages.com will become
the place to buy “stock photos” of the
marine industry.
From commercial vessels to leisure craft, deep
sea officers and crew to luxury yacht Captains and
crew we are developing the definitive collection
of seagoing imagery. Your images will be used to
promote our industry and provide a valuable resource
for advertisers, marketers and press officers running
ads, marketing materials and news stories to promote
products, services and news articles relevant to
the marine industry.
We are looking for amateur and professional photographers
who have a connection with the sea, you could be
a seafarer, ship’s surveyor, port worker, ship
spotter and anybody with an interest in the sea and
photography who would like to promote and sell their
images securely online at ShiptalkImages.com
Registration
In order to sell your images on Shiptalkimages.com
you will need to become a registered photographer
with us. Registration is a simple process all you
are required to provide us with is your name and
email address and confirmation of a password. Once
your registration has been approved you will receive
an email confirmation from us along with further
practical information that will assist you to upload
and sell your images online at ShiptalkImages.com.
WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOUR READ THESE FURTHER
INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE UPLOADING YOUR IMAGES ONTO OUR
SITE .
License Types
ShiptalkImages.com offers your images to buyers
on the basis of a Royalty Free Commercial License.
Royalty-free pricing simply means that the
price of the photo is based on its artistic and technical
qualities, not the specific use. The buyer does not
have to pay any additional fees on any subsequent
usage of the photo and can use the photo for any
projects. By selling a royalty-free photo, a photographer
permits a buyer unlimited use of the photo, including
any photo alterations such as, but not limited to
cropping, color alterations, etc. The original photographer
always remains the copyright owner of the image and
can sell the same image a countless number of times
to new publishers.
Commercial use license allows the buyers
of your images to use the images they buy on a commercial
basis. The types of photos usually sold under the
terms of the commercial use license are generally
called "stock photos". Stock photos can
be used in the design of a book cover, a postcard,
in an ad, as part of a web site design, in a magazine,
etc. When framing your image you should keep the
licensing requirements in mind. Often by looking
for the abstract in the subject you intend to photograph,
you will create an image that is highly saleable
and does not infringe any licensing requirements.
Please remember that there are some restrictions
on the subject of your photos that may prevent you
from selling your image on the basis of this license
type. For example, images containing recognizable
and uniquely identifiable models or property cannot
be sold for commercial use without release forms.
Additionally photos displaying brand names, logos,
product names, and other copyrighted or trademarked
imagery cannot be sold for commercial use without
release forms.
Resolution
We strongly encourage all registered photographers to upload their images in
the highest resolution possible as Image Buyers will often want to print the
images they have purchased. In this way buyers are able to download the highest
possible image resolution photos once they have purchased the image.
Model and Property
Releases
If your photo contains recognizable images of
people or property, you will need to provide us with
a model or property release form in order to sell
your photo for commercial use. Model and property
releases are the written agreements signed by models
and property owners that permit photographers to
commercially exploit photos of people and their property.
Properly completed release forms have to be signed,
and include the model/property owner name, date,
address, and preferably their e-mail address.
Model releases are required for any recognizable
and uniquely identifiable people on your photos that you
are selling for commercial use. These photos also include
self-portraits, photos of relatives, spouses, children,
friends, etc. If your photo contains images of minors,
release should be completed and signed by a parent or legal
guardian on behalf of the minor.
Property releases are required for any recognizable and uniquely
identifiable property (including your own) on the images that you are selling
for commercial use.
Release Samples there is no standard form or template that you must
use, however, as a starting point; you can type "model release sample" or "property
release sample" in your favorite search engine, or use the language
like this:
Sample 1 : "I hereby release, discharge
and agree to hold [the Photographer's Name here]
harmless from any liability by virtue of any blurring,
distortion, alteration, optical illusion, or use
in complete form, whether intentional or otherwise..."
Sample 2 : "I hereby give the photographer,
[the Photographer's Name here], and/or his clients, his
legal representatives, and anyone authorized by him,
the absolute right and permission to publish and/or copyright
photographs taken of me. These photographs may be used
in any lawful manner, and I hereby waive any right to
inspect or approve the finished product, including written
copy, that may be created in connection therewith, or
the use to which it may be applied."
Sample 3: "For valuable consideration received, I hereby
grant to [the Photographer's Name here] and his legal representatives
and/or assigns, the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish
photography of (me) (my property), or in which (I) (my property) may
be included, for editorial, trade, advertising, or any other purpose
and in any manner or medium; to alter the same without restriction; and
to copyright the same. I hereby release Photographer and his legal representatives
and assigns from all claims and liability relating to said photographs."
Submitting Releases if you have submitted
a photo that requires a model or property release,
scan the release form(s) and send them as e-mail
attachments to release@shiptalkimages.com .
If you are unsure if you require a release submit
your photo for uploading and we will advise you if
a release is required.
Please attach your release to your email in any
of the following file formats: JPEG, GIF, PNG , TIFF,
BMP, PDF (no other formats are accepted). Alternatively,
you can fax the form(s) to us on + 44 191 4697940.
Please include your username and the image title of the photo along with the
form(s).
If you submit new photos of the same model/property you have previously sent
us a release for, you do not need to resend the form again. Simply e-mail us
the image IDs of the new photos that can use the same release, and the image
title of any existing photo that can share its release form.
Before sending us a release form, please review this submission checklist:
- Does the form contain the names of the photographer,
model(s) or description of property?
- Is the form signed by the model(s)/parent(s)/legal
guardian(s) or property owner/authorized representative?
- Have you provided us with your ShiptalkImages
username and the image title(s) of all photos to
which the form applies?
We try to process most release forms as soon as
possible, however please allow us up to 48 hours
for processing.
Assigning
Titles
Every photo on ShiptalkImages.com has a title.
To make referencing of images simple we recommend
that you title your images as follows: your initials
001 for the first image you submit. Thereafter
you would add 1 to the reference number of each additional
image submit to our site e.g. tb001, tb002, tb003
etc. If another photographer has the same initials
as you, you will be advised of an alternate image
reference id.
Assigning
Categories
Categories help to organize images into logical
sections. Each photo can be assigned to as many categories
as you like. If you do not assign your photo to any
category, we will assign your photo to the most relevant
categories. The first category should relate to the
relevant industry sector i.e. Cruise Ships, the second
should be under your name and any additional categories
thereafter will depend upon the subject of your image.
Why are these categories important? Image buyers
will browse categories and may shop by category.
Getting your photos listed within the right categories
gets in front of the right audience.
Choosing
Keywords
Keywords are there to give your photos one more
way to be found in searches. Do not use any catchy
phrases in the keyword field, as people most likely
will not search for them.
Below are some of the rules about keywords you may need to know:
- keywords should be separated by commas, everything
between commas is treated as a keyword or a key
phrase;
- repeating the same keyword multiple times does
not add any more value to it, since our system
automatically removes duplicate keywords, keeping
only one occurrence of it;
- try to put most relevant keywords in front of
the list;
- there are no predefined keywords, you can use
any words that you believe describe the image and
most likely could be used by someone running the
search;
Setting Prices
The primary purpose of submitting your images is
to attract potential publishers and get sales, setting
the right price can be as important as creating the
flawless image. This section is by no means created
to give you a precise formula to set the right price,
but we will try to give you a few pointers:
- Browse around the site and see the prices others
have set for the similar images. Do not look for
the subjects identical to the one on your photo,
but rather the concept or idea a publisher may
be looking for. After you see a good number of
photos, you will get an understanding of price
ranges;
- Keep your expenses in mind, but be reasonable.
Remember, if your photo is very good, it can be
sold many times to different publishers;
- Photo resolution and quality are extremely important
for making a good print, and publishers of printed
media pay close attention to these factors. Generally
speaking, digital photos with larger dimensions
(high resolution) and larger file sizes (low compression)
will produce higher quality prints. If your photo
is of the higher technical quality than the average,
a higher price is well justified.
- If you leave pricing to us we will apply the
following pricing matrix
Quality |
Rating |
DPI |
Rating |
Max
Dimension |
Rating |
Poor |
1 |
72 |
1 |
< 17cm |
1 |
Medium |
2 |
180 |
2 |
> 17cm |
2 |
Good |
3 |
300 |
3 |
> 30cm |
3 |
For each image we will assign a rating for each
variable e.g. good image, 180 dpi, 18cm - rating
= 3+2+2 = 7 price = £45 (see below)
Price bands are as follows based on the overall
rating of the image:
1 - 3 £12.50
4 - 6 £20
7 - 9 £35
Your Payment
You can track your sales from the photographer’s
secure login area. Once your registration has been
confirmed you will receive an email confirmation
from us in which we will asking for your mailing
address to which your monthly sales cheque will be
mailed via first class post.
Our Commission
We have split the commission we take from the sale
of your images into two categories.
Initially you will receive 50% of the sale price
of your image net of all costs. Your commissions
will be paid on a monthly basis.
Our commission will reduce to 35% once your gross
sales figures reach £1000. Confirmation of
the change in our commission rate will be emailed
to you when you reach the target sales figure of £1000.
Sell Marine Images, Sell Shipping Images and Sell Maritime Images with Shiptalk Images |
