Elbie Lebrecht, Owner of Lebrecht Music and Arts photo library, takes the PAN 60 second interview.
What age did you leave school?
Usual age.
Where do you live?
St Johns Wood, London.
How did you get into the picture library business?
I am a chartered librarian. My husband is a collector. He asked me to set up a photo library so that he could have more money to spend on his collection.
What were you doing before that?
A number of jobs including specialist librarian, publishing editor and sculptress.
How many staff at Lebrecht HQ?
Four plus consultants.
What are you scanning at the moment?
Whatever comes in overnight from our performance photographers, vintage children’s illustrations, late 19th century glam illustrations, contemporary writer collection from a new photographer.
Describe your morning?
A quick check of the website to see what agents and clients have been downloading since the previous workday. Whizz through e-mails. Talk individually to everyone in the office about their work. Hit the phone. Grab a biscuit. Pick up a stray call and find myself researching an obit portrait.
Which picture library web site has recently caught your eye?
Struggling to understand how a Japanese photo website works.
Which websites do you visit daily other than Lebrecht.co.uk and PhotoArchiveNews.com?
www.Google.comwww.BBC.co.ukWhich newspapers and magazines do you read regularly?
For pleasure Telegraph, Guardian, Evening Standard, Economist. For work specialist magazines in our field of music and the arts.
When did you last pick up a camera?
A week ago, on my birthday. But collecting vintage material is my chief love.
What are you doing when you are not selling photos?
Spending time with my family, going to the theatre, visiting exhibitions, coffee with friends.
RF or RM any views?
So many new business models these days.
Favorite food?
Food that someone else has prepared.
Cinema or pub?
Coffee house.
Ideal Friday night?
Around the supper table with all my family.
Ideal holiday destination?
Biarritz, discovered it through Cepic last year – amazing coffee houses and beaches.
Lastly what advice would you give to any new picture library.
Always be thorough, always innovate and continue to enjoy.
………….ends…………………..
About Lebrecht
Lebrecht Music and Arts is the world’s most comprehensive image bank for classical music and one of the foremost resources for cultural activity from ancient antiquity to last night’s performance. In addition to its own specialist archive, Lebrecht has access to over 10 million pictures from museums, academic institutions, our exclusive photographers and our partner libraries in Europe and North America.
www.Lebrecht.co.uk