What do we offer?
CSP offers its photographers the best forum for the distribution of their images, those registered
as Rights Protected:
NO minimum requirements after initial submission. If accepted, photographers can send us the
amount of photographs that they choose.
NO one agency limits outside of the Central Virginia area. We ask that if you do work any other
agencies, it located outside the Central Virginia area.
NO handling fees. We do not charge photographers for the "privilege" of reviewing an initial
submission of images.
NO web participation fees. Your best images deserve to be seen worldwide, and we make that
possible for you.
NO editing fees. We review your images and prepare a collection that is free of repetition and
also free of the photographs that might appeal to the photographer, but are not commercially
viable.
What do you get?
EXPOSURE of your images through our website www.charlottesvillestockphotography.com
Only when your photographs are seen do they have the chance to be bought. QUARTERLY reports and payments. We will send you a detailed report itemizing all of your
sales every quarter.
Tips
Don't send us many versions of the same idea. Give us the one you believe in. A very good idea is
most often unique, so changing the colors, distorting the image, etc. will not hide the fact that it is
still the same idea, ruined (in most cases) by excessive manipulation and retouching.
Don't repeat yourself with images that have a proven sales record. It is better to create new
images that sell than try to repeat the old ones. Look ahead, never backwards. The creative
process is painful, because it is difficult to generate ideas. Ideas are born in response to an
external stimulus, and generally speaking we do not receive constant stimulation. This is
especially true if our surroundings stay the same.
Submitting Digital images to CSP
Digital submissions are open to everyone including Pros, Semi-Pro and Amateur Photographers.
There are inherent advantages to working with digital cameras. The most significant is that
although the investment of buying a professional digital camera is quite high, once the camera is
in your hands, film and processing expenses are considerably reduced or, in some cases, done
away with altogether. It is also true that photographers who use digital cameras feel the freedom
to experiment and they produce a lot more images than most photographers who shoot on film.
To be fair, though, we should point out that digital camera technology is constantly developing.
Anyone who invests in a digital camera and all the accessories should bear in mind that better
models than the ones available today will soon be on the market, with higher resolution, better
color reproduction, and more refined technical features. Keeping the equipment up-to-date is a
requisite for a modern photographer.
Therefore, keep the following in mind:
- We want images taken with professional cameras that use a CCD (or CMOS) of at least 8 mega
pixels or more. The greater the number of mega pixels your camera CCD (or CMOS) has,
the more megabytes of information you will obtain. With more information, your photos
will have more opportunities, both for the present and the future.
- Information given to CSP recently suggests you should not sharpen your images before submitting them.
- Although algorithms to eliminate electronic noise in the digital image (graininess in your final results) have greatly improved recently, make sure you do not use high sensitivities (ISO) in a digital camera unless there is a good reason. In other words, use sensitivities as low as possible (from 100 to 400). Use high sensitivities only in special circumstances. High
sensitivities produce the noise (electronic graininess) that we previously mentioned.
Sometimes they cause banding and thin black raster lines on the shadows. Of course,
nothing prevents us from using a good image even if it is electronically grainy, but we
want to avoid receiving problematic images just because the photographer found it easier
to shoot at 1600 ISO than to get out the tripod. Keep in mind that each manufacturer has
a different method for dealing with noise, so by experimenting with your camera you can
discover its noise limits.
- Make sure your digital images are exposed correctly and that your camera is perfectly calibrated in terms of contrast, saturation, tone, and focus. Today's professional cameras
permit extremely precise calibrations that allow you to emulate the colors obtained with
legendary high-contrast Fuji or Kodak films.
- Don't forget that we want the photos be in the Adobe RGB 1998 colorspace because it is ideal for photos that will be transformed to CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black), the
colorspace used in the graphic arts industry. We will apply the appropriate color profile
for viewing photos in Internet, the sRGB IEC61966-2.1, as it reflects the normal
characteristics of a PC monitor. Therefore, we need your photos with High Resolution
and in a colorspace such as Adobe RBG 1998 and we will take care of making them look
great on Internet.
If you work with Apple Macintosh, remember that Mac computers have a monitor gamma of 1.8.
If the photos you send us are prepared for this gamma, they will appear hopelessly dark to us,
since we work with PCs that use the standard gamma for the Internet, 2.2. We recommend that
you adjust the gamma of your screen to the Internet gamma, whether you use a Mac or a PC.
Technical Guidelines
- Image Size:
Images should be at minimum 3000 pixels at the longest side of the image. The larger the
original capture size the better. Please do not interpolate (up-size) your image before
submission. If the image size/quality is not there it will be evident and your image will be
rejected.
- Image Format:
CSP accepts JPEG format only: All other image formats submitted will be rejected. We
will contact the photographer directly if a RAW or TIFF format is requested.
- Toning:
Please do minimal toning to the image. Do not over saturate or sharpen the image.
Images found with these qualities will be rejected. Images should have natural skin tones
and appropriate colors rendered. Remember to use the Adobe RGB 1998 colorspace.
- Captioning:
Please write a complete and detailed caption for each image. Remember: caption should
contain who, what, when, where and why. DO NOT include the photographers name in
the caption area. The photographers name should only be in the SOURCE FIELD. This
will help speed up the post processing.
-Using Photoshop: Under file info: write the caption in the description box and the
photographers name in the source box.
-Using Photo Mechanic: write the caption in the caption box and the photographers
name in the source box.
- Dust Free:
Be sure that all of the images you submit are free of dust and dirt specks on the image. Using
Photoshop, open your image to 100% on your screen and remove dust spots using the cloning or
healing tool. The easiest way to have dust free images is to clean your camera regularly. Look to
your cameras website for instructions.
- Keywording Meta-Data: Using Photoshop(file info) or a similar program in the meta-data field, please type in description words for each image. Here�s an example: an image the Blue Ridge Mountains would have the following key words (mountains, landscape, blue ridge, clouds, blue sky, hiking, mountain range, scenic highway, eastern united states, outdoors, skyline, etc.) An image of people walking on Charlottesville�s downtown mall would have: (mall, shopping, downtown, Charlottesville, walking, etc). Use words that describe the contents of the image. If the photo was taken at sunset then use that word in the description. If there are clouds and fog then use those as key words. This will help the client to search through the website to find your image. The more relevant keywords the better.
- Place your images into individual folders sorted by category (listed below) before
burning to disc. Remember to properly categorized, remove all dust and keyword every
image. This will save on processing time helping CSP to get your images online faster.
Types of images
We are looking for images that capture the essence of Charlottesville and the surrounding
communities. This means all aspects of the community including: cultural, landscapes,
outdoors, festivals, aerials, University of Virginia, transportation, people interacting in
the community, scenic, farms, physical activities, lifestyles and any other event or aspect
that pertains to Charlottesville or Central Virginia. Cities and Counties of interest:
Albemarle, Orange, Madison, Nelson, Louisa, Greene, Fluvanna, Buckingham,
Waynesboro and Staunton.
Number of images
An initial selection of about 50-100 photos will help us to assess the kind of photographs
you produce. Stock photography is only for patient people since distribution is slow and
months can go by before the first sale is made. CSP believes in the importance of regular
supply of images for continuous, increasing sales. Be selective and edit the images you
present. Please try not to send several versions of the same image. Choose the best 1-2 of
that image.
CSP Image Categories
Charlottesville Scenes- People on the downtown mall, skyline, or just general images of the city.
Outdoor/Recreation/Adventure- Hiking, camping, biking, etc.
Lifestyle/Family/People- Families, kids, seniors enjoying the city and living a Charlottesville lifestyle.
Culture/Events- Music, plays, festivals, etc.
News- Local news, sports, politics, entertainment, documentary, celebrity.
Blue Ridge Parkway/Shenandoah NP/Nature- Scenic, animals, weather, etc.
Housing/Transportation- Cars, homes, buses, etc.
Aerial Views- Images taken from a plane.
UVa/Students and Grounds- The landscape and lifestyle of the university.
Business- Imagery of local business.
Education- Images of students, graduations, learning, etc.
Living Green- Green building, recycling, bio-diversity, etc.
Farms and Rural- Imagery of the local farming lifestyle.
History- Local historical images.
Submitting images to CSP
CDs/DVDs. can be mailed. CDs/DVDs should be sent in protective covers to avoid
scratches on the surfaces where the electronic information is read. Hard drives sent in the
mail should also be well protected.
Mail images to:
CSP
775 Ridge Street
Charlottesville, VA. 22902
Model releases and other authorizations
Privacy and publicity laws in many countries expressly prohibit the use of images for
trade, advertising or similar purposes without the prior authorization of any identifiable
persons who appear in them. A lack of authorization in these cases can give rise to civil
damage claims by the persons who appear in the images. To avoid this type of conflict,
we require that all photographers provide the necessary authorizations of any identifiable
persons appearing in their images. Model and property releases are available for download on
our site. It is assumed that any image submitted to CSP has the proper release.
Submission Checklist
- Carefully read the License Agreement and the Terms and Conditions posted on the
website before submitting your work.
- Images that are the correct size (at least 3000 pixels long side) and have the proper keywording
imbedded inside the meta-data and have all dust spots removed. Be sure to place your
images into individual category folders (listed above) before burning to CD or DVD disc.
- Included along with your disc should be your signed photographers contract and your signed W-9 form with correct social security number and address.
The return of submitted materials
Please note! CDs or DVDs with digital file submissions will not be returned
