It’s back-to-school day and class is in session! Consider this your first Off the Record lesson of September: Pictures 101.
My bread and butter is words but I’ve always appreciated the symbiotic relationship between my words and colleagues’ pictures. I work at a tabloid newspaper, so pictures are especially important to my title. And the saying really is true: pictures are worth a thousand words.
I want to share something I wrote a few months ago, when I had the joy of hosting the UK Picture Editors’ Guild Awards.
Speaking to a room with some of the country’s top snappers, I said: “As a reporter, I know that we often get the bylines and the attention, but the truth is that many of our stories would never have the same impact without the photographers behind them.
“Sometimes a single photograph tells a story better than any words ever could. It’s often the pictures that stay with people long after the words have been forgotten.”
So, please take your seats, get your notebooks out and welcome today’s guest teacher: Joe Sené, PA Media’s head of pictures.
PA is the agency that distributes news to major national and regional outlets, digital media brands, businesses and public sector organisations. The company has an army of photographers and reporters who supply words and pictures through a “wire”, which are then picked up by journalists across the industry.
Joe, a former colleague of mine, is brilliant at his job. He knows pictures inside out. He’s also incredibly generous with his time and advice. Joe’s always happy to talk through an idea, point you in the right direction and explain what will (and won’t) work.
Joe is one of the best in the business. So, pens at the ready. Over to Mr Sené…
What gets a picture desk interested in a story? It’s all about having a great image, something that makes you stop in your tracks and pay attention. Every once in a while, a picture comes in that’s out of the ordinary. If you can get a picture editor’s attention in this way, that’s somebody who looks at thousands of pictures every day, then you’re definitely onto something, especially if there’s an obvious hook. Encapsulating everything in one image is the ideal. Rarely will newspapers publish more than one “standalone” picture. Picture editors are visual people, it has to be the picture that stands out - not the press release.
What do you think PRs and comms people misunderstand about picture desks? I think most comms people don’t understand the need for a strong peg to hang something from because, when you have that, your messaging can really fly. Also, as the saying goes, it’s good to talk. Personally, I am always happy to chat to people about their ideas and to see where/how I can help them. I suspect many comms professionals see news and features desks as a way in, but they should never underestimate the importance of a picture editor when pitching a great visual package. Sending a huge attachment on an email and hoping for the best is, in most cases, not going to see you hit the jackpot.
If a comms team has a good story but no obvious picture, how should they find a visual hook? As above, pick up the phone and talk to experienced picture editors/photographers. I appreciate it can be difficult managing expectations from all sides, but if you start heading down the wrong path with a picture idea, you’re wasting time and money.
What’s the best way to send pictures to a news wire? What format, resolution and information do you need? Send jpegs by email. Ideally the compressed images are no more than 2mb each and clearly don’t attach more than three. Include a link to download the hi-res versions. Always attach the press release and include all copyright information. At PA, if we issue a PR picture on our wire, we will want to credit the photographer who took it along with the provider. Give us that information on your initial submission so we don’t have to come back to you. Time spent chasing those important details may result in us moving on and the picture not going out.
How important are detailed captions and metadata? What information is absolutely vital? The more detail the better. It’s a bugbear of mine seeing “MANDATORY CAPTION…” and the like being sent in to us. PA, like every other wire agency, has its own caption style. You can trust us to include all of the most vital information, but don’t try to force us to do it differently to the way that works for us. Any restrictions are vital, eg: if you have a 12-month licence with the photographer, make that clear. We don’t want to help you by issuing a picture in good faith and then two years later a claim for unauthorised usage lands on my desk!
How have social media and AI changed the picture landscape? How is AI affecting trust? There is no doubt AI is changing the picture landscape. With the ever-wider proliferation of AI generated images and AI edited images, I think, generally, people are less and less immune to it. If you use AI in a picture, you must make that clear. At PA, we are rightly proud that all our original content is generated by us, not AI. Trust in our content is fundamental to everything we do. All of our customers know that if we say something, they can go with that and trust it to be verified and true.
Quick fire time…
What is one thing PRs do with pictures that drives you mad? With regards to the actual content, it’s being too heavily branded. We simply won’t issue a picture that screams branding. I get the need and importance, but achieving this in a more subtle way will yield greater results.
Most underrated type of picture? It’s a curious truth that so often, what one person sees as an uninteresting picture someone else sees as brilliant. The love of a picture is completely subjective.
Can a great picture rescue a bad story? Of course - a picture is worth a thousand words after all!
One thing every PR should know about picture desks? We don’t bite!
Joe can be contacted on LinkedIn or via email at joe.sene@pa.media
Remember folks, keep this just between us! We’re off the record.
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