Dear Photographer!
Welcome to the PhotoSource International Starter Kit! In this kit, we have gathered information about what you need to get started in editorial stock photography. You will find various samples of submission forms, promotional material, query letters and so on. You will also find a glossary, a miniature dictionary of editorial stock terms.
We guarantee that you will find the information in this kit useful (or your money back!).
Our Mission is to be a source of substantial help to you, the photographer, entering into the editorial stock field. The best way we can do that is to hear from you. Please feel free to send us any comments or suggestions, or to raise any questions that are important to you. E-mail us at mike@photosource.com.
Here are a few of the items included in the kit. To order your kit, click here for an order form.
| Letterhead | |
| This is your chance to make a great first impression. Choose type of stationery paper and your design wisely. If you're not experienced in graphic design, it would be wise to talk to some people who are, and perhaps commission the design of your stationery to a graphic design artist (you can make a trade with portraits of their family!). Always go with the best stationery quality you can buy. Cheap paper makes for a cheap look and you want to avoid that. A typical letterhead should include your name, address, phone, e-mail, fax and your website address (URL) if you have them. | The easier you make it for people to get in touch with you, the more likely it is that they will. You can consider including one of your images on your letterhead. Make certain that the image you select reflects your specialty. If you have several specialties, consider producing stationery reflecting each. As with everything else, there are trends when it comes to stationery paper. Develop a good relationship with the best professional printer you can find in your area and stay informed on quality and prices with the help of his/her expertise. If your stationery is costing around 9¢ each you are probably in the quality price range. |
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| Business Cards | |
| The same rules apply as for your letterhead. You want your business card to reflect your areas of stock photography, and you want them to be as good as they can possibly be. Work only with the highest quality paper stock. | Normally, the difference in price between low quality paper and high quality paper is only $20 to $40 for 500 business cards. Don't fall for the low price. As with everything else, you'll get what you pay for. |
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| Envelopes | |
| Avoid manila envelopes and use white, or colored, envelopes instead. Always use the highest quality you can find. A printed return address on your envelopes is, generally speaking, preferable to applying labels. | However, since you will need envelopes in a variety of sizes, high quality labels can be an alternative to printed envelopes, especially when you are first starting out in editorial stock photography. |
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| Labels | |
| Labels are highly useful in many aspects of editorial stock. You can use small labels for captions on slide mounts. | Larger labels can be used as shipping labels, return-address labels for your SASEs (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope), and so on. |
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| Postcards | |
| Postcards are the most economical
way to show examples of your work to a large number of potential buyers.
They're cheap to send and these days even cheap to print, even in small
runs. Important things to bear in mind when it comes to postcards are: - The quality of the postcard is determined by three things: the quality of the paper; the quality of the printing; and last but definitely not least, the quality of the image. |
- A postcard is never better than the image used for the postcard. Use only your best images for printing postcards. - Be brief. One of the things people find so appealing about postcards is that they are a fast way of communication. And, there’s no envelope to open. Don't clutter the back with too much text. There are several sample postcards enclosed with this kit. |
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| Packaging | |
| The success of your stock photography business very much depends on your packaging. Many photographers seem to think that the packaging makes no difference at all since it is the images inside the packaging that the photobuyer is interested in seeing. Nothing could be further from the truth. |
If your package does not look professional, chances are it will be set aside. Photobuyers are extremely busy people and if your package does not look professional, why should they even bother looking inside? In the vast majority of cases, a photobuyer will reason that "if this photographer doesn't even care about how his/her package looks, why should I assume he/she takes care with his/her images?" |
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| Request for Photographic Guidelines | |
| Photo guidelines are basically the rules of this game called editorial stock. Photobuyers publish photo guidelines to share information with photographers and illustrators about how they want to receive images. ALWAYS request photo guidelines from ALL photobuyers you are interested in working with. | Write the photobuyer on your own quality stationery and ask them to send you a copy of their photo guidelines. ALWAYS include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) when you write a photobuyer with a request for information of any kind. Keep your SASEs looking professional by using high quality envelopes and printed labels for your address. |
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| Model and Property Releases | |
| These are rarely needed in editorial stock, but since some photobuyers request these forms, we have included samples of both kinds of releases in this kit. | If you need more information about either release and when they are required, look no further than the PhotoSource International website (http://www.photosource.com) or the books "Sell and Re-Sell Your Photos" and "sellphotos.com" by Rohn Engh. |
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| Cover Letters | |
| We have included samples of typical cover letters in the kit. | Since your cover letters will vary slightly from situation to situation, use the enclosed samples as general guidelines. |
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| Image Submission Sheet/Delivery Memo | |
| This is a handy and practical piece of documentation/ information that you might want to enclose when sending a submission to a photobuyer. | A sample Image Submission Sheet is enclosed in this kit, which you can modify as required to suit your particular needs. |
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