PA Photos is poised to speed-up delivery of digital images to media outlets in a move promising a ?new era in sports photography? when it launches this weekend.
Carried by UK sports photographers, the revamped ShootLive system will transmit images from ?pitch to page in minutes? by using new software to keep image file sizes smaller and allow them to be transmitted to newspaper picture desks faster than before, claims PA.
Should a newspaper wish to use one, it can click on the low resolution picture in the online gallery to receive the full resolution photograph.
The agency intends to use its new service at all 380 Premier League football games after successfully testing it for David Beckham?s debut for LA Galaxy in the United States last month.
?Rather than taking photos, transferring them to computer and then sending them to the relevant person, what ShootLive does is stream images in ?real time? from the camera to the editor,? said a spokeswoman.
?But the key is that the images are a very small file size, so that websites don?t have to scroll through many high-res? images which is time consuming to choose the ones they want.?
It means client websites can have access to images ?almost instantly? rather than having to wait until all the images have been downloaded and submitted, adds PA.
?ShootLive has been designed to cut the time it takes for images to get from camera to the end user?s application, such as a website, faster than before,? said the system’s marketing director Mark Habgood.
?By automating delivery, ShootLive takes the pain out of editing and selecting photos for use. The pictures are transmitted to the PA Photos’ operations centre, where an editor selects, edits and captions the best photos,? he added.
The digital images are sent to an FTP site or an XML feed delivered to an FTP address, adds PA.
The new service will also cut the agency?s costs, according to a PA. ?In simple terms when media outlets send photographers to an event they need to send a photographer, an editor and a technician which can be very expense,? added the spokeswoman.
?This new technology has been developed so that only a photographer needs to be on site and the technician and editor can be in an office.?
The technology will be put into action at this weekend’s Community Shield match between Manchester United and Chelsea at the new Wembley Stadium.
PA first launched a photo wiring service in 1945.
For details visit www.shootlive.com
David Beckham photos in PA trial
Picture credit: PA Photos
