How to Sell to Getty Images

Getty Images is a huge market that purchases images, videos and music and resells them under a variety of contracts to many different clients. You can sell your work to them following different procedures for creative images, news, editorial, sports and entertainment images, archival images, videos and music.

Getty defines its creative collection as "innovative, stylized and conceptual stock photography." Submit images that meet its needs. Images should be highly conceptual, commercially viable, well-lit and filled with strong concepts. They need to be clear, concise and credible. There is a particular need for images from Latin America, Japan, India, Southeast Asia, Germany, France, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Submit images in Getty's six major categories: business, lifestyle, nature and wildlife, sports, ideas and travel. Secure model and property releases. Getty recommends using professional-quality digital SLR using RAW or uncompressed TIFF format and advises that images from most point-and-shoot and consumer-level cameras are not high enough quality to submit. Submit images to the contests and competitions on Getty's website. After each submission round is over, your work is reviewed. If the images meet standards, the company will offer you a contract.

Getty purchases video clips that are conceptual in nature and make an emotional connection. It looks for videos that are creative and innovative using contemporary material or powerful and unique archival footage. Submit a finished HD QuickTime movie in the Apple Pro Res HQ 422 or Photo-JPEG codecs and upload them to the online portal. Include model and property releases. Submit at least 15 to 20 clips for review. As an alternative to the online digital portal, you can send your work via an FTP site by emailing [email protected] or mail a DVD sample to New Contributor-Video; Getty Images; 75 Varick Street; 5th Floor; New York, NY 10013. Include your location, the format and camera you used to capture the video, for what you originally shot the material, whether it is available for stock video representation, and how many clips you have available for representation.

Establish a relationship with Getty Images' editorial division to sell images of current events, sports and entertainment news. Email your images to [email protected]. To increase your chances, send tear sheets, professional references and links to view your work online. Do not send JPEG samples. If you are accepted, the managing editor of one of the divisions will contact you to shoot a particular event or situation. Getty does not respond to each submission.

Review the Getty Images archives to see what type of images it is looking to purchase. The company wants unique imagery that adds to the collection it already has. Email images to [email protected].

Create an account and submit two sample music tracks. Staff members will review them for creative and technical standards; if they are interested, the company will offer you a contract and update your account so you can make a full submission. Doing so gives Getty the right to license your songs on a nonexclusive basis to any of its clients around the world and binds you to a minimum one-year commitment.