Ecoscene has more than 120 photographers contributing to the library, of which about half are professional photographers. The rest are either amateur or semi-professional. The majority are based in the United Kingdom, but we also have photographers in Australia, India, Kenya, Nepal, South Africa, South America and the USA. We are particularly keen to hear from photographers based in North America who could supply us with environmental images. New photographers
Every week, Ecoscene receives emails from photographers wishing to submit material to the library. To help you prepare your first submission, Ecoscene has produced a following guidelines:
New material is assessed on its saleability, creativity and technical quality. There are some subjects within the library for which there is a continual demand, for example global warming, deforestation, sustainable development, renewable energy, and recycling. Therefore we are always looking for a fresh approach to these very saleable subjects. In contrast, there are some very specialised subjects for which there is little demand, but they are essential to complete the collection. It is our ability to supply the whole range of environmental subjects, from the common to the rare that attracts clients. Putting together a submission
There is a minimum submission of 100 images and photographers are expected to make regular contributions. Obviously, the more images placed with Ecoscene, the greater the chances of a sale. Photographers must be highly critical of their work when they are putting together their initial selection. Choose only the very best images and do not add any 'make-weights'. Images must be pin sharp (where appropriate) and have good colour saturation. Also avoid images with shadows that fall across much of the foreground and images with writing, logos etc. Images should be captioned and keyworded. A good set of keywords can make all the difference to the chance of a sale. This information can be included in the metadata within the images or as a cvs file. Scans
Scans of transparencies need to be at least 50 mb in size, 300 dpi, colour space AdobeRGB. Ideally, the scans should be prepared by a specialist bureau (Ecoscene can provide recommendations). A scan obtained using a cheap flat bed scanner will not be acceptable. Digital images
Ecoscene accepts images taken with quality digital cameras (at least 8 megapixel). Photographers should use the highest quality image format permitted on their camera, ideally RAW format. Final image to be 300 dpi, AdobeRGB, at least 5400 pixels along the longest side to produce files of minimum size 50 mb. Photographers should check the histograms, colour balance, and spot at 200%. Please do not apply any sharpening. Submitting images
Photographers should contact the office by email before sending in selections. Low res selections can then be prepared and sent by email. Files in excess of 4 mb should be sent via a service such as 'yousendit'. Full captioning is not required at this stage. We will make our selections and advise the photographer accordingly. Hires jpgs can then be uploaded onto our ftp site (full instructions are provided). Commission
Ecoscene charges 45% commission on sales made. Photographers are sent quarterly statements detailing which images have been reproduced and the fees obtained. Payment is made after Ecoscene has been paid. Book production, in particular, can be a very lengthy process. It can often take as long as 18 months from an image being selected to it being published and paid for. Photographers must consider the placing of images with any library as a long-term investment. Contract
All contributors are asked to sign a non-exclusive representation contract (prepared by the British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies). The period of the contract is for a minimum of four years with three months notice of withdrawal. We assume images sent to us are available for distribution around the world. However, we do take on images with UK-only rights if the subject matter is of interest. Exclusive images
Although we do not require exclusive representation, we prefer to work with images that are placed with us exclusively so that we can market them accordingly. It is very difficult to manage rights, when the exact same image is lodged with several other agencies. We have found that placing the same image in several agencies within the same territory does not generally increase sales, indeed it may have the opposite effect with the client seeing the exact same image on all their searches and so they go to the cheapest agent to buy rights. We work with a network of agents, so images may be placed with them, again exclusive use of the image helps us to submit it to as many agents as possible. Newsletter and Wants Lists
Contributors are sent a quarterly newsletter and wants list to keep them informed of current market trends. This also helps to get our contributors motivated and interested in taking the sort of images that suit our clients. Contributors who are keen and continue to send us new work are the photographers who make the most sales. | 
