NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Getty Images,
the global leader in visual communication, continues to move the
world with images with the launch of Getty Images Prestige. A
carefully curated selection of the world's most powerful imagery,
Prestige images are distinguished by their unique aesthetic
approach, exceptional craftsmanship and uncompromising quality –
all available for use exclusively.
Getty Images' industry-leading creative research team analyses
image trends using unique data from the millions of searches and
sales carried out each year on www.gettyimages.com. These insights
are then used to guide what is shot and edited for Getty Images
Prestige. Selected by in-house professional editors and
featuring unique collaborations between award-winning photographers
and Getty Images' international team of art directors, Getty Images
Prestige makes the world's most powerful imagery more accessible
than ever, without the costs and risks inherent in a custom photo
shoot.
Paul Foster, Senior Director of
Creative Content at Getty Images, talks about the demand for
exceptional content in an increasingly image-rich world, and what
makes Getty Images Prestige so unique:
What is Getty Images Prestige?
Getty Images Prestige is a carefully curated selection of our
most impactful and emotionally engaging imagery; imagery that can
communicate a message or story in an exceptional way. Featuring our
award-winning photographers and the very best imagery sourced from
the crowd, it also showcases the best new emerging photographic
talent such as Ken Hermann, Jodie Griggs and Mads Perch.
Getty Images Prestige is where you will find the best examples
of the major subject categories, such as wildlife, travel, business
and lifestyle. It is also where you will find our most artful,
challenging and visually intriguing imagery – the photography that
features in our exhibitions. This is exceptional creative
photography with a unique perspective and the power to inspire.
Exclusive to Getty Images, Prestige images include those images
that are impossible to replicate – from serendipitous split seconds
caught by the crowd to unique, irreproducible moments in wildlife
and nature captured by expert professionals.
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.
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.
Why are you excited about the launch of Prestige
images?
I'm personally excited about the launch because I, along with
all of my colleagues at Getty Images, have always been motivated by
our greatest strength: Quality. The quality of the imagery we
devise, shoot, source and curate - and the knowledge that no one
else can deliver the calibre and depth of content that we can.
The best photography has the power to enthral, excite and
inspire creativity but, more importantly, it has the power to
change perceptions and motivate positive change. As excited as we
are to provide the most inspirational images that enable customers
to confidently develop powerful and authentic visuals for their
brands, we are even more excited to see the power of our pictures
used to help drive positive social change.
What's your favourite Prestige image?
http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/two-girls-on-sofa-wearing-school-uniforms-high-res-stock-photography/200149232-001
The photographer, Julia Fullerton
Batten has an almost unrivalled ability to construct moments
that feel at once utterly authentic yet somehow strange and
beguiling. In part a result of her sensitivity to and the amazing
rapport she develops with her models, it's also due to the
attention we gave to carefully crafting the composition and
lighting. One of my favourite images from a shoot in which we were
exploring ways to represent friendship and connection, this always
evokes an almost melancholic nostalgia, yet it feels powerfully
contemporary.
About Getty Images
Getty Images is the world's leader in visual communication, with
over 170 million assets available through its premium content site
www.gettyimages.com and its leading stock content site
www.istock.com. With its advanced search and image recognition
technology, Getty Images serves business customers in more than 100
countries and is the first place creative and media professionals
turn to discover, purchase and manage images and other digital
content. Its award-winning photographers and content creators help
customers produce inspiring work which appears every day in the
world's most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising
campaigns, films, television programs, books and online media.
Visit Getty Images at www.gettyimages.com to learn more about how
the company is advancing the unique role of digital media in
communications and business, and enabling creative ideas to come to
life. For company news and announcements, visit
press.gettyimages.com, and for the stories, innovation and
inspiration behind our content, visit InFocus
http://infocus.gettyimages.com/. Find us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/gettyimages and Twitter at
https://twitter.com/GettyImages.
Contact
US
sarah.lochting@gettyimages.com
UK
kylie.taylor@gettyimages.com
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140904/142837
SOURCE Getty Images, Inc.