Basic Course:
How To Submit Your Photos

by Rohn Engh
Publisher
PhotoSource International

When submitting your photos, make every attempt to deliver a crisp, professional-looking package. One photobuyer told me that he receives about twenty pounds of mail every morning. He separates it into two piles -- one that he attacks immediately, and a second pile -- a group that he will go through "when time permits." I asked him how he knew how to separate the piles and he answered, "by the way they're packaged."

The Package

A photographer competes with all the other twenty pounds of freelance material when his package arrives. Use a packaging system that will stand out. I have noticed that the white mailers made of stiff cardboard give an excellent appearance.
Pat Pulver
Mailers
575 Bennett Rd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
A good feature of this mailer is a slotted end-flap which makes it easy to open and close. Photobuyers can use the same mailer to return the photographs. The mailers can be recycled several times, since they are made of heavy material and hold up well. This type of mailer also saves you from having to pack your photographs awkwardly in two pieces of cardboard wrapped with rubber bands. Instead you can put your photos in trim-looking plastic sleeves for a nice presentation. The "white" is preferred over the "manila" because it gives a more professional look and pops out on a photobuyer's desk.

As long as we're considering the book-by-its cover judgment, you should invest in some deluxe personalized stationery and address labels. Remember: frequently your only contact with a potential buyer is via the package you submit. You might go even further and have a label printed with your return name and address, which you'll include inside with return postage for the photobuyers.

Give the same attention to a professional-looking appearance for the inside of your package. Plastic sleeves for both B&W and slides help. They come in the 8x10 size (.3000 mil) for B&W and are available at the plastic distribution houses listed in the yellow pages of metropolitan phone books. Plastic slide pages for color transparencies are available at camera stores. Besides presenting a fresh appearance, the sleeves protect your shipment from coffee spots, scratches, and general wear and tear.

Unless you subscribe to the UPS service, you will no doubt be delivering your package via the US Mail. I have found both services equally acceptable. Assuming you will utilize the U.S. Postal Service, you will find Priority Mail as the most effective. Shipping your photographs "registered mail" is acceptable, of course, but expensive. However, always invest in a return receipt. In twenty years, I've had only one shipment "lost" by the U. S. Mail or UPS - - and the return receipt came in handy to track it down.

 

Be sure to include return postage. Photobuyers not only expect it, many require it. Some refuse to return photographs if the return postage is not included. Best way to cover return postage costs: write a check for the amount of postage. Some photobuyers then pay the return postage and also return your check!

Identify your pictures with your name plus a picture number, with a rubber stamp or label. In case a photobuyer wants to refer to a specific picture in his correspondence with you - - he'll refer to the picture number. Include one on your slides or B&W prints. Stock photos, because they are "generic," generally do not need captions. However, some photobuyers may require them. Their "Photo Guidelines" will be your guide.

Writing the cover letter

Always include a cover letter. It can be short. In fact, the more brief, the better. It should be addressed to a specific person. Find his or her name through your initial research. An excellent source is current Photographer's Market.

A typical letter might read like this:
Dear _________:

Enclosed please find [number] [slides, 8x10 B&W prints] for your consideration. They are available at $_____ (color) and $____ (B&W)*, for one-time publishing rights, inside editorial use. Additional rights are available. Please include credit line and copyright notice as indicated.

You are welcome to photocopy the enclosed picture(s) for your files for future reference. My name, address, and print no. are included with each picture.

I'd appreciate your bringing the enclosed pictures to the attention of others at your [publishing house or company office] who may be interested in reviewing them.

You are welcome to hold this selection for two weeks (no holding fee). I have enclosed postage for their return.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,
[Your name]



The above letter may not be prize-winning literature but it's the kind photobuyers welcome. It gives them everything they want to know in case they are interested in you. In fact, make typeset copies of the above letter and use it as a form letter. Photobuyers then know you mean business.

How about transparencies (slides)?

Some photographers hesitate sending their original slides out. "It's too risky," they say. But consider the risk of not selling your slides as they gather dust in your files. Originals can safely be sent if you package them well. Plastic pages and sturdy mailers are your best bets. Don't send glass mounts. Send only to established publishing houses that have been in business at least three years, and you'll be sure of dealing with photobuyers with professional ethics who reliably return your material.

Before sending off your photographs, compare your shipment to this checklist:

Selection
Style
Quantity
Quality
Appearance
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