If i sent them just a watermarked thumbnail would that be wasting time, as i would have to wait for a reply, then send a full file or would they see my thumbnail and then agree to buy the full image?
For yourself and Dal Oakey, you have to contact the publications in advance and get the names of the people dealing with photo submissions. You then speak to them direct and find out where you submit your images, how, in what format, by when, with what if any editing, etc etc. You also discuss at this stage your terms should they use a pic. I say discuss......it's normally them telling you what, if anything, they pay.
That way you're not friggin about in the media centre after you've captured said suitable shots. You have everything you need before you get to that stage. I had all my accompanying submission emails saved as drafts in outlook beofre I left for a meeting. The details and FTP or email addresses for each publication were saved in my Outlook contacts ready.
The difficult bit is getting to speak to the person you need to because, if they don't know you they're less likely to take your call and give out their direct email addy (did I tell you this was a not what you know, but who you know game!!!!!!!!).
The next bit is then sending off your shots, hoping, praying they use them...
The next bit is then finding out some days, weeks, months later that the publication has used your shots but can't be ferkin bothered with the courtesy to tell you they've used them.
The next bit is then "hawking" around the paddock with your shots from the last round or your laptop with shots from this round hoping to get any here and there sales from competitors because you can't rely on the mags to pick your shot/s from all the hundreds they get after the meeting, but you don't really have time to do "hawking" because you're sorting and editing, keywording (as Desantnik and badgerbaiter says) your 2000+ shots on your laptop.
Are you getting the picture (pardon the pun) why I quit......
All that effort and cost for a measly £50 shot in a mag if you're very lucky isn't worth it.
I'll say it again, to get half decent shots is not just about the kit, it's about all the effort, homework, skill and knowledge you put in yourself.
To then get frigged around, ripped off, taken for a ride or to get home in negative equity having missed all the racing cos your were concentrating on 'working' makes it blatantly obvious why there's not many long termers out there, it's all new people who haven't yet lost that blinkered enthusiasm or been shafted 100's of times that the motivation is battered out of them.
Once again, I don't want to pee on anyone's parade etc, I just feel it's morally right that people know what they're in for before they decide to take the next very expensive, and time consuming step to taking it seriously.
Guy
