Photographer's FAQs

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
• Registration
• License Types
• Resolution
• Model and Property Releases
• Assigning Titles
• Assigning Categories
• Choosing Keywords
• Assigning Descriptions
• Setting Prices
• Your Payment
• Our Commission

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

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.