Picture credit: Harel Rintzler
The Press Association (PA) has signed a deal that allows amateur photographers to sell news-related images through the agency.
PA has agreed distribution rights with citizen journalism service Demotix, which receives news images from contributors worldwide.
Amateur Photographers would be paid by Demotix (rather than PA) which currently takes a 50% slice of the photographer’s fee, according to the Demotix website.
Demotix adds: ‘Basic, non-exclusive rights to your photos will sell for anything between $50 and $3,000 USD. We sell exclusive rights for whatever we can get.
‘And some photos and videos can go for $100,000s.’
PA hailed the agreement with Demotix a ‘landmark deal’, but declined to disclose financial details.
A statement released by the agency today reads: ‘Press Association Images, which is working to increase its portfolio of world photography, anticipates high demand for the fresh perspective offered by “street” photographers.’
Martin Stephens, managing director of Press Association Images, said: ‘We are excited to be working with user-generated photographs for the first time, and believe these images will not only add a unique and personal perspective to our 100-year-old archive, but provide our customers with a new angle on world news.’
Demotix CEO Turi Munthe added: ‘Demotix – two years old this January – has a lot to learn from PA.
‘Together, we believe we can craft a new set of rules for news sourcing and distribution, both in the UK and further afield.’