Popular UK social documentary images - we need more of these!

Below are some of the images that we need more of...

Secondary education...

Primary education...

People re-cycling...

Youth crime...

Care of the elderly at home, day centre or Care Home...

Housing, improving social housing

Getting CRB checked

At Socialstock we are always asked about getting CRB checks from our photographers. At present we are looking into this so that the process can be made easier. 

Below is a piece from one of our photographers, Kitty who managed to do this through the social services department of a local borough council. It should be noted that Kitty has been employed by the local borough so the process was made a little easier.

Despite this I think there is some important pointers that may help anyone else who is looking to get CRB checked.

If anyone has had problems or found the process easy to  obtain a CRB please leave your comments below.

Nick Fallowfield-Cooper - Picture Editor

'I had to have a CRB check because I was working part-time with a vulnerable young adult.  The Social Services department of the borough in which I was working gave me the application form. After I had completed it I had to show them proof of my ID, which they photocopied and sent off with my application. (Passport, Birth Certificate, driving license, current utility bill.)  Because the CRB check was a prerequisite for my employment, they paid for it to be carried out.

The Criminal Records Bureau check is called a 'Disclosure', and is confidential.  My details were checked against Police Records and ISA Vulnerable Adults Barred List information. The process took around 2 months.  The Disclosure is therefore an indication of trustworthyness'.

For more information their web address is www.crb.gov.uk

Kitty

Being motivated

This piece has come in from one of our relatively new Socialstock photographers.
Grant has been working hard and getting sales. In his article he writes about a shot of two community police officers, well I know we have a client looking at these shots at the moment for an educational book publication, hopefully another sale!
As Grant  mentions, leg work is needed at the start to build a 'decent' number of images but this is an investment for the future.

Nick Fallowfield-Cooper -Picture Editor

Here's what Grant has to say...

Working for social stock as social documentary photographer is not a short term deal!

It takes time, skill and a lot of patience and effort. That old chestnut the more you put in the more you get out applies to this job.   Being  pro active and getting out on the streets is key.

On many occasion when I am feeling lazy or really just don’t want to turn the photographer charm on which means I have to talk to people, oh what fun that can be.....I just go and stand in the middle of the high street step back into a door way and watch the world go by rather than trying to come up with lots of fantastic ideas for pictures just let them come to you, stepping away and relaxing as the world goes mad.  I can guarantee you will get pictures every time   . On one occasion I remember seeing two community support officers walking down the high street on patrol, it was a rain day so I was standing well back in a shop door way so as not to get my new Nikon 200mm f2.8 wet, hood on lens and my head too, taking pictures of people trying to hold on to their umbrella’s, great pictures and fun to watch especially when they don’t know I am taking picture of them, people act natural then.

Anyway these two officers one male one female on patrol nice picture always needed just had to do it without showing  their faces and if possible without them  seeing me so just for fun I did the old surveillance   route having a bit of fun jumping in and out of shop doors behind a phone box trying not to be seen while taking pictures I know I know what a big kid but you know what , it was great fun and the officers never saw me and I got another cool picture in one of those doorways of a woman dragging on a fag in the rain with umbrella up, easy work if you can get it.

On the way back home I took the short cut through the park you never know what you will see, this is also something I do a lot but I always have my press photographers ID round my neck  .

It was a sunny day people chilling walking over a small footbridge sometimes hand in hand (see social stock for that picture) but one man was sitting on a bench with his head in his hands which is great straight away as I can’t see his face don’t need consent as he can’t be identified he looked very stressed some sort of personal life problem, so me being me making the best of a bad situation and all, shot of two frames nice picture.   Job done on to the next one that picture sold two weeks later.   It’s a tough game but someone has to do it, so it might as well be me.

In the four months I have worked for social stock over 1000 images uploaded that’s a lot of key wording. and pictures have sold every month too. I set myself targets for uploading my next target is to have 2000 on file by June 1^st  .   “That will be hard work but fun” 

All the best

Grant Falvey

Happy New Year from Socialstock

A Happy New Year from Socialstock and a big thank you to all of our photographer's who have worked hard over the last year.

We are in the process of a re-brand on our site, with new features which will make image buying even easier for our clients. I shall post a popular image selection this week so that you all know what our customers are looking at. Keep uploading and lets make 2011 a prosperous new year.

Environmental Photographer of the Year 2011

This has come in from one of our clients...

I am hoping that you can pass on to the photographers you represent that the Environmental Photographer of the Year 2011 competition is now open, and this year a new video category has been introduced to further raise awareness of environmental and social issues.

Organised by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), the Environmental Photographer of the Year is an international showcase for the very best in amateur and professional environmental photography, and is one of the fastest growing photographic competitions in the world – receiving 4,500 entries from photographers in 97 countries in 2010.

EPOTY celebrates photographers who use their ability to raise awareness of environmental and social issues. It is open to professional and amateur photographers of any age from anywhere in the world, and encourages entries that are creative, resonant, original and beautiful. Subjects include wildlife and marine life, environmental degradation, street photography and urban lifestyles, technology, landscapes and portraiture.

As always, the competition is completely free to enter and is open to international amateur and professional photographers of any age, encouraging entries that are contemporary, creative, resonant, original and beautiful. The winning photographs come together to form the most outstanding collection of environmental, social and natural photographs in the world.

The 2011 competition categories are:

·        Mott MacDonald’s Changing Climates

·        The Natural World

·        The Underwater World

·        Quality of Life

·        A View From the Western World

·        Building Our Future (New for 2011)

·        The Young Environmental Photographer of the Year (Under 16 & Under 21)

·        Video (New for 2011)


Individual pieces are judged on impact, creativity, composition, originality and technical abilities. Winners receive cash prizes and all winning entries are displayed in the Environmental Photographer of the Year exhibition, launched in London. Copyright is retained by the photographer.

See past winning entries, competition details and news coverage from 2010 at www.epoty.org <http://www.epoty.org> . You can also watch a brief video <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCj9Y_QiTe4> of the 2010 Awards Ceremony. You can also keep up to date with any new developments by joining our Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20793482240> group.

The competition will run until 31st July 2011, with judging taking place throughout August and September.

Many thanks and best wishes,



Emily Doyle
Marketing & Media Manager
Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM),

Key-wording tips!

The one thing that stock photographers generally struggle with is keywords! The problem is that every photographer will do it slightly differently but there are some basic rules to follow. Follow them and you will get more customers viewing and hopefully buying your images, this is very important!
Below is an example and a breakdown on how I would key word this image.

Firstly the Description...


Four adults, one with a young child are walking down a snow covered street in rural Britain. They struggle through the snow with bags of grocery shopping, as the roads are impassable.

Now the keywords...


Step one: Take out all the key words from the description...

four, adults, young, child, walking, snow, covered, street, rural, britain, struggle, bags, grocery, shopping, roads, impassable.

Step two: Add similar key words that are in step one, including singular and plural versions...

 4, men, women, female, male, toddler, baby, walks, snowy, snowing, snows,  covering, streets, countryside, country, england, english, britains, struggling, bag, carrier, plastic, food, groceries, road,

Step three: Add new adjectives...

ice, icy, cold, coldest,  freezing, frozen,

Step four: Put yourself in the position of someone searching that image and add any final words that represent the image and think big!

extreme, weather, conditions, winter, local, community, communities, help, helping, others, isolated, stocking, up, supplies, family, families,

You will then end up with the following keywords...


four, adults, young, child, walking, snow, covered, street, rural, britain, struggle, bags, grocery, shopping, roads, impassable, 4, men, women, female, male, toddler, baby, walks, snowy, snowing, snows,  covering, streets, countryside, country, england, english, britains, struggling, bag, carrier, plastic, food, groceries, road, ice, icy, cold, coldest,  freezing, frozen, extreme, weather, conditions, winter, local, community, communities, help, helping, others, isolated, stocking, up, supplies, family, families,

Remember this is how I would do it and I feel this image is now covered with most of the keywords that would be used to represent this image and used in a search. I'm sure some of you would find some other words? This is not a test!


Nick Fallowfield-Cooper

A nice little set of images

This has just come in from our photographer Simon, working hard! Click on the image to see the images plus a few more extra shots. Have a look at Simon's keywords and description, I think they are just about right.