http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/using-an-agent-for-editorial-work An entire Lightstalkers thread via RSS/XML. en-us <br>I need some schooling in relation to using Agents for Editorial work. In particular, do any LS use an agent for straight editorial work? Do such relationship exist for the editorial market?</br> <br>And if so, how do you go about finding an agent that wants to represent you and the type of work you produce?</br> <br>This isn't to be confused with being represented by a stock agency type gig - I'm specifically after people's experience/advice on just dealing with an agent in the editorial market. Thanks. T.</br> Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:54:34 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/using-an-agent-for-editorial-work Anyone? Wed, 17 May 2006 21:51:17 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/using-an-agent-for-editorial-work#27604 What do you mean by 'straight editorial work'?. Have you researched agencies that you might think are potentially good matches for you? Wed, 17 May 2006 22:22:58 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/using-an-agent-for-editorial-work#27606 Hi, Thomas, <P>Jon Anderson spoke about photo agencies / photographer expectations in an interview I posted on my blog: <A HREF="http://wayneyang.wordpress.com/2006/04/30/jon-anderson-interview-part-iv/">Part IV</A> Look about halfway down for..."You have said before that many emerging photographers have unrealistic expectations of photo agencies. How so? How should an emerging photographer actually go about leveraging his or her relationship with a photo agency?"</P> <P>There are <U><A HREF="http://www.warshooter.com/poll">polls on Warshooter.com</A></U> about how good/bad photogs find their relationships with various agencies.</P> <P>You can also search here for specific agencies, and perhaps query LSers on specific agencies in which you might be interested.</P> Wed, 17 May 2006 22:44:16 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/using-an-agent-for-editorial-work#27609 Plenty of photographers use their agencies for editorial work, in fact its pretty much the norm here in Japan. Im not sure what the deal is where you are but in Japan a lot of magazines will credit the agency after the photographers name, ie something like Nathan Shanahan -Commune. So if you were in Japan I would say, go down to the book store and have a look through all the magazines that you like or that would be likely to carry your style of work and look out for any particular agencies that seem to be well represented. Those agencies are likely to have good contacts with the editors/photo buyers and would be a good place to start your search for an agent. Check out their websites, visit the office and have a chat to one of the managers and see how well you get along with them. There are a lot of variables to consider when choosing an agent, perphaps we could do a "Finding the right agent" tutorial. Wed, 17 May 2006 23:03:02 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/using-an-agent-for-editorial-work#27610 Thanks everyone - appreciated. By 'straight editorial', I mean just editorial work. I have been researching and approaching agencies with varying degrees of success. I was curious to see how other people have done it/do it - hence my initial email. Thanks again. T Wed, 17 May 2006 23:13:48 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/using-an-agent-for-editorial-work#27611 Thats easy. I would read Jon's advice which comes from a lot of experince and add my own. I work with an agency, Contact Press Images and I'll lay it out for you. The best an agency can do is help introduce you to editors who might consider working with you. They will make a case for you to picture editors who are very saavy and who are under tremendous pressure from managing editors. Even the best agency can only do so much, and the better the agency the more you need to bring to the table. If you are an unknown quantity, your only chance to break through with an agency and magazines is to have something in demand, a story that you have already worked on which is of sufficient quality and of a subject matter in demand, and that goes for magazines from Time to GQ, etc. Then you need to prove you can deliver on demand, whether its a compelling portrait, news story, etc. As the editors become more comfortable with you, the more you will be called and the more seriously your own projects will be taken. As you are published, editors will find you. It snowballs. Some photographers work better outside an agency. I feel that having an agent is very helpful to me--and that I like collaborating with people who know photography, and with Contact there is Robert and Ron Pledge, Jeffrey Smith, I think these are people who know the editorial field better than anyone I can think of, and I say that not just because I work with them. ivv is different, so is redux, and of course Magnum. But the main thing is that all of these are assignment driven agencies and they are competing for the premium jobs where the clients are willing to invest in a story, etc. Obviously this is very competitive and is a 3-4 year process. This is not going to happen overnight, thats for sure. Then there are other large "agencies" that are closer to what wire services, ie Corbis, Getty, who can provide a different service entirely. So its a very complex business, and obviously very competitive. Wed, 17 May 2006 23:29:56 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/using-an-agent-for-editorial-work#27613 Thats easy. I would read Jon's advice which comes from a lot of experince and add my own. I work with an agency, Contact Press Images and I'll lay it out for you. The best an agency can do is help introduce you to editors who might consider working with you. They will make a case for you to picture editors who are very saavy and who are under tremendous pressure from managing editors. Even the best agency can only do so much, and the better the agency the more you need to bring to the table. If you are an unknown quantity, your only chance to break through with an agency and magazines is to have something in demand, a story that you have already worked on which is of sufficient quality and of a subject matter in demand, and that goes for magazines from Time to GQ, etc. Then you need to prove you can deliver on demand, whether its a compelling portrait, news story, etc. As the editors become more comfortable with you, the more you will be called and the more seriously your own projects will be taken. As you are published, editors will find you. It snowballs. Some photographers work better outside an agency. I feel that having an agent is very helpful to me--and that I like collaborating with people who know photography, and with Contact there is Robert and Ron Pledge, Jeffrey Smith, I think these are people who know the editorial field better than anyone I can think of, and I say that not just because I work with them. ivv is different, so is redux, and of course Magnum. But the main thing is that all of these are assignment driven agencies and they are competing for the premium jobs where the clients are willing to invest in a story, etc. Then there are other large "agencies" that are closer to what wire services, ie Corbis, Getty, who can provide a different service entirely. So its a very complex business, and obviously very competitive. Wed, 17 May 2006 23:30:12 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/using-an-agent-for-editorial-work#27614