Getty Images has launched Getty Images Prestige – ‘a new selection of our highest-quality imagery, distinguished by a unique aesthetic approach, exceptional craftsmanship and uncompromising quality.’ The edit for this new collection (just under five thousand images) has been hand-selected by their in-house creative experts and features unique collaborations between award-winning photographers and Getty Images’ Art Directors and Editors.
Paul Foster, Senior Director of Creative Content at Getty Images has made his selection from the collection and answered a few questions …
Why are you launching Prestige images now?
With the explosive growth in mobile technology and social networks, photos and videos – not words – have become the most popular way to share. Imagery has become the most important method of communication – in a sense you can say that it is the world’s most spoken language. We have launched Prestige images now because brands, NGOs, publishers and consumers need to easily find and harness the power of truly exceptional visual content to differentiate, capture attention and meaningfully engage with their audiences.
How are Prestige images curated?
Much of the imagery in Getty Images Prestige is the result of the unique relationship between art director and photographer that often have been established over many years; collaborating to devise and conceptualize unique and original ideas and new takes on classic themes.
Curated by the very best editors and art directors in the industry who understand what imagery resonates most powerfully with the audiences our customers are trying to reach, Prestige images allows our customers to create standout creative work.
What do you look for in a Prestige image?
In short, the best combination of creativity and commercial relevance for our customers. This means we look not only for the best of the raw, authentic moments of real life captured by the talent in the crowd, but also for the highest standards of photographic craft in terms of lighting, composition, re-touching and the highest production values – high quality models and locations, excellent styling, propping, hair and make-up and so on.
We are always looking for a diversity of photographic styles, for original ideas and executions, unique perspectives or hard to get and highly valued subject matter, including non-reproducible moments.
We also look for imagery that is strongly reflective of current photographic and visual trends, or is forward looking and will resonate with what our research suggests will be the future customer tastes and needs. In fact, a lot of Prestige imagery has been shot under our creative direction, informed by the unique creative research we undertake into emerging visual trends – imagery that meets and anticipates future visual communication needs.
Our creative research leads the industry in terms of its unique sources of data, including the 80 million image sales every year on www.gettyimages.com and feedback from our global teams, customers and staff, and the visual analysis we undertake into wider advertising trends.
Why choose Prestige images over a commissioned shoot?
Prestige images offer an accessible alternative to expensive, time-consuming custom photo shoots, without compromising on quality. Customers have access to images with high production value and similar rights granted without having to spend the time or money setting up a shoot, sourcing models and location, and thus avoid unpredictable costs and the risk of not being happy with the final results. Prestige images can be licensed exclusively, ensuring the image is unique to your project and will not appear elsewhere.
View Paul’s lightbox from the Prestige collection here