Lonely Planet Images, opinions?

[jimbojack]

Hello everyone,

 

I love to travel and photograph what I see, I try to do it for at least 2-4

months of every year. Over the years I've visited and photographed quite a few

places.

 

So I have well over 100,000 pictures from many different countries (and

growing), most of the photos are not that great but I think I've improved quite

a bit in the last couple of years and I'm quite happy with the ones I've taken

last year.

 

I've been thinking about doing something with them, so I stared to check out

some travel oriented sites and lonely planet images is one of the more famous

ones (I do use their guidebooks sometimes)

 

http://www.lonelyplanetimages.com/prospectivephotographers.html

 

They require a "application" CD/DVD with 500 images. I'm fairly confident I

could send them a collection of 500, maybe from 30 different countries or so,

and have a decent chance of being accepted.

 

Before I do that however, I'm trying to decide if I should go this route. One

of the things they require is that you have to let them be the only agency that

can sell the pictures submitted for the next 5 years. Another requirement is

that you travel a lot and consistently keep submitting images to them (not a

problem for me).

 

 

Anyone have any experience with them? What do you think I should do?

Any comments/suggestions/experiences would be great, thank you in advance

 

Here is my site and some of my pictures:

 

www.jimbojack.com

 

http://jimbojack.com/South_Asia.htm

 

http://jimbojack.com/Photography/Middle_East_Photos_01.htm

http://jimbojack.com/Photography/Middle_East_Photos_02.htm

 

http://jimbojack.com/Countries/Mali/Various.htm

[michaelging]

You have some excellent photos, which are of the quality needed for publications.What is going to be required now, is you or someone with marketing experience to find a home for them. I have never sold photos to Lonely planet,so I can't help you there. You might think of getting a rep or agent to market your photographs.

[mariosforsos]

Philip, with the risk of you completely hating me, I'll say the following:

 

I did check your images and, having seen the images which appear in the guidebooks but

also the images that appear on other image distribution sites, I'm not really sure that

you'd be able to cover the 2,000 images per year that they require. At least at the level

those stock houses are used to...

 

I am terribly sorry if this sounds cruel, disheartening or anything like that - please believe

I have no such intention. Honestly. I simply judge the technique, the framing and the

subjects of each photo as I see it. You do have some really good shots, but if I was hard-

pressed to find images which typically represent some of the countries on your site (at

least, ones I have also been too - and they are a quite a few), then I'm afraid they might be

too. Obviously the travelling is there, and your eagerness too, but your technique leaves

quite a bit to be desired...:-(

 

Having said that, do try. I truly hope you make it. Regarding their terms, from what I was

able to read, they are pretty standard for international stock photo houses - at least the

big ones. Some of the smaller ones might be able to offer you better terms, but I wouldn't

count on it.

 

I hope you don't mind some heart-felt criticism, I wish you all the best...

[jimbojack]

Hi,

 

I don't mind criticism at all, thank you for giving me another perspective

 

Travelling is a passion for me, I've been travelling for quite a few years. Photography is a much more recent hobby for me, I really started taking pictures around 2002 with a P&S digital camera (and it was one of the early models at that). Needless to say most of my photos from 2002 to 2004 are fairly crappy, they are more like snapshots.

 

At the end of 2004 I got my first DSLR, the Nikon d70 with the kit lens. For the next 2-3 years the photos got better, but I was still learning (still am). There are a few that I really like, but they are definately not pro quality.

 

I started really getting into photography about 1-2 years ago, I learned more about how to use the cameras properly, bought some better lenses and upgraded to a used d200

 

Looking back at my work I can see improvements as time has passed. My website has photos from everywhere and all time periods, if you look at the pictures from Thailand (posted in 2003) they are fairly crappy. But If you look at some more recent galleries (India, Banladesh) you will see they are better.

 

Up to this moment, I still did not take photography that seriously, let me explain:

 

When I go on a trip, I go to see the country, not to photograph it. That means that when I get to a site that I want to see and it's noon with shitty weather, I take the pictures anyway and go to another place that is interesting for me. I don't wait 2 days for the weather to get better or come back at 5:30 AM for the perfect sunrise shot simply because I can be somewhere else seeing a new thing. I also don't take a tripod with me (almost all the night photos were taken with the camera on a rock or something similar for suport).

 

What I am contemplating now is taking photography a lot more seriously. Taking much more time to photograph places where I travel (which also means spending more time in each place and seeing less), taking with me and using a proper tripod (I have a good CF one that I almost never use), generally making sure that I get the best images that I can get.

 

I've never taken a photo class or seminar, everything I know I learned by myself. I do plan on taking a photo class or two at my university (I'm still a student) later this year.

 

At the moment I'm trying to figure out if/how it is possible to get something more out of my photography, everything I've done so far was just as a souvenir for me of the places I've been.

 

I sometimes use Lonely Planet guidebooks, so that's how I know about their stock photo site. They seem to be pretty big as far as travel photography goes, that's why I thought I'd ask if anyone had any experience with them. Looking at some of the LP guidebooks I've used (I have over 40 of them), some of the photos used in their books are just simple snapshots. Their photo books however are excellent (The Travel Book, One Planet, etc)

 

Next month I'm going on a 2 month long trip to the Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia) and Central/Eastern Europe. I plan on focusing more on photography during that trip then I have on my previous ones.

 

Thank you again for the criticism, I know I have to take this more seriously if I am to make something more of my photography.

[nate_kinnee]

I don't know much about Lonely Planet Images, except that Mark Loundry is not fond of them...

 

"Apparently Lonely Planet Images has gone from being a low-end market to being utterly ridiculous. They are now soliciting photographers to shoot assignments on spec for a potential payment of $15 per image."

 

http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0804/common-cents-on-the-block.html

[nate_kinnee]

(Apologies to Mark Loundy for adding an "r" to his last name.)

[mariosforsos]

Philip, I'm really happy you took my little comments in your stride - they were indeed well

meant. To be honest, one of the reasons I was a bit harsh was because I thought that

someone with your gear - which is not only very impressive but also extremely expensive

- was much more into photography than what you claim you are.

 

Personally, I don't think that approaching travel with photography as one of the main axes

necessarily means you need to spend more time or anything. Learning how to take travel

photos does not mean spending 4 hours waiting for that one perfect shot: it means

learning to capture the shot when it;s there. When you become a professional

photographer, then you can afford to spend 2 weeks waiting for those special two monks

to cross that amazing waterfall just when the sun is rising (!!!) But that is still NG-far

away for most people...

 

What I think you should do at this stage is do a bit of reverse thinking - at least if you

want your photography to pay for you: whenever you lift your camera to your face and

frame something, try to think in terms of "would someone want to buy this photo for their

catalogue/website" - then you're on your way to making some of all that money you spent

on gear, back.

 

Perfect your technique, learn your camera well - and trust me, it takes a bit to master the

D200 - and shoot, shoot, shoot...I was surprised to see locations with so few photos. I

usually shoot approximately 1,000-1,500 shots per 10 days in any of my travels; from

there I usually end up with 300 I like, out of which around 50-70 make it commercially (at

best)...so...

[steve_rasmussen]

Phillip, after looking at many of your shots, it seems you are shooting eveything in sight. This is what I call the "Shotgun Approach", where you shoot many shots, hoping for a few winners. You do have some winners and I suggest sorting those out and calling them your stock. Develope your eye and reduce the number of shots you take.

[digitalexplorer]

Hi...Please share your images to a travel site, TRIVAGO. The site suited to your travel experience especially for tourist attractions which could encourage other people to travel as well. You can post your image in a low resolution and you still the copyright of the photos. The other bonus here is you are earning as well by posting it and you receive additional shares when your photos are rated by other members in the site.

 

This is the link:

 

http://www.trivago.co.uk/