Ok so having the word ‘Librarian’ in your job title doesn’t *sound* like it would be fun…except if you’re working on a fashion and beauty photography library!
I loved coming to work everyday! Best of all I could drink as much coffee as I wanted (up until my boss decided I had a caffeine addiction and was only allowed to drink green tea!yuck!) one day we could be coming up with Ideas for the next shoot in South Africa, orgainsing outfits and props, going through agencies and model castings/ Not forgetting assisting on shoots for top U.K magazines. Not always as glamorous as it sounds mind, however I absorbed everything I could!
The two main roles I had were Keywording and re-touching!
Keywording-
How we store our images so you can buy our images!
It is essential that the caption and keywords are embedded in the picture, otherwise when you access our online database you won’t be able to find the exact picture you need.
When entering keywords at the early stage of a picture library the librarian has to think like a picture editor/art director.
Picture editors are looking for images that clearly represent the subject matter of the images without your interpretation or guesswork. For example, and image of a model applying suntan lotion on the beach clearly conveys summer. A studio shot of a model applying suntan lotion does not necessarily imply the same concept or meaning. A buyer who specifically has suntan lotion in mind to represent summer will use search terms to find “suntan lotion, not summer.
Who- Are there people in the image or is this an object or scenic? If there are people, is the subject male or female, and do your caption or keywords convey this? is the person playing a role? (father/mother, doctor, leader, etc.?) Have you mentioned the ages of the subjects. Who is the subject of this images? is it a person?
What- What do you see in the image? What larger grouping does this subject belong to? What is the subject doing the image doing ? is the subject motionless or is it engaged in some action or activity (running, jumping?What is the subject like?Is it tall, short, vivid, sharp, etc.? What, if any, accessories are visible?- clothing items: suit, tie, sneaker, bathing suit-business items:paperwork, mobile phone. What is the ‘look’ of the image. Is there a dominant colour? Describe the setting (type of room if inside, weather, etc.) What is the mood or feeling or emotion being expressed (solitude, joy, mellow)?
Where- Where is the subject located? Is the activity occurring inside or outside?( Generally you want to provide location information for all images except for generic interior, lifestyle, studio shots, etc.
Selling to Picture Editors/Art Directors….
Usually we run an image search for a client as we know the library back to front.This is where the role of picture researcher comes in.Frequently talking to picture editors on national magazines our biggest clients being ‘Woman and Home’ and most recently ‘Vogue’. Once a client knows what image they want the price is calculated according to the intended use – editorial/advertising, size, distribution/reach etc. Contacting us by phone or by email with a chosen format (RGB, proofed CMYK file), how they would like to receive the image (CD/DVD, web).
Thanks for reading, if anyone has any queries or wants any tips about the industry please feel free to ask!
Natalie x
and work displayed was from my project in Bangladesh, which I’ll do a blog post about soon!
Here are a few of my favorites…
