Agents

[xrayspecs]

Can anyone suggest a source for finding an agent that deals only with photographers. I've tried the Writers' & Artists' year book but drawn a blank. Similarly searches on the internet have proved fruitless.

[Buenchico]

(2 part post):

Firms like Horton-Stephens represent some of the more well-known photographers:
http://www.horton-stephens.com/home_fs_v4.php

There are plenty of other firms listed here:
http://www.mch.co.uk/centrallondon/photographersagents.s html

If you've already had some commercial success as a photographer, or if you've got a genuinely outstanding and original portfolio, then you might get a decent agency to represent you. Remember, however, that photographers' agents operate in a very different way to literary agents. A literary agent will be happy to accept a promising manuscript from an unknown writer and then try to place it with a publisher. Photographers' agents usually work the other way round: i.e. it's the company that requires the photography carried out that contacts the agent; the agent then recommends one or more of the photographers on his/her books. So there's clearly no point being registered with some little-known agency which very few art editors will ever call upon.

[Buenchico]

(2nd Part):

The alternative to registering with an agency is to send your work to a photographic stock library. Most traditional (i.e. non-internet based) libraries will require a minimum number of suitable images (which might be anything from 20 to 1000). Nearly all stock libraries (and agencies) have the following two requirements for non-digital images:
1. The format must be greater than 35mm.
2. Colour images should be on reversal film, not negative stock. (i.e. they must be slides, not prints).

The requirements for digital images can vary greatly but many agencies and stock libraries will insist upon minimum sizes and, possibly, the use of loss-less compression (or no compression). i.e. jpeg format might not be acceptable as this uses 'lossy' compression.

Most stock libraries specialise in certain fields. A web search for something like 'UK photography stock library animals" should find some libraries which specialise in your preferred field of work.

There are also many online stock libraries. The most well-known (and, therefore, the one which art editors are most likely to use) is Corbis:
http://pro.corbis.com/

Hoping that something here helps,

Chris

[xrayspecs]

Buenchico. Thank you for your help. I'll certainly give the web sites a try. I already send work to two picture libraries, both royalty free and managed rights. The problem with this arrangement is that you need an awful lot of stuff out there to generate any decent income. My problem is that I'm crap at self promotion/marketing so I'm looking at alternatives - either a sales agent, who physically takes my book around to art directors etc, or an actual agent for whom, as you say, art directors come to them for a photographer.

You are so right about agents taking established photographers though. For the one or two agents details I have already found I checked out their list and their are some very big names on it. It almost puts me off trying. I'm a commercial photographer, but my work (although good) is not award wining, if you know what I mean. I mean when did you last see an image of a range of DIY tools win an award!

Anyhow, again, thank you for your help, you must have spent some time looking around for me and it is greatly appreciated.