Services             Stock photography

Stock photography coverage and subjects

My stock of images is constantly growing and I have a good coverage on many subjects, including for example: travel and landscape photography, nature and birds photography, in various countries: Scotland, Shetland (extensive coverage), England (Yorkshire Dales, Lake District), Ireland, Italy (Tuscany, central Italy), France (Lorraine, Meuse, Vosges, Champagne and other places), Spain, Greece (Lesvos), Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, South Africa), Sultanate of Oman.

 

I prefer to travel alone (or with my wife) in a self-sufficient manner and avoid systematically organized tours or any scheduled travel. I need to be free to concentrate on photographic opportunities and tend to photograph only at the best hours of the day, at dawn or late afternoon, the rest of the day being spent on exploration and quest for photogenic places.

 

 

Scotland stock photography brochure, Patrick Dieudonné

A small brochure presenting my stock photographs of Scotland

 

Technical quality

All images present in the gallery are selected by me and are of the highest quality. Taken with the best slide films available (Fuji Velvia for most, or Provia) - or professional digital cameras - and developed in pro labs, then scanned with high-end scanners (see below), they meet the strict criteria of the best international stock agencies (Robert Harding, Alamy, Getty Images).

 

Most of the time, the digital files you will receive are the very same files that are distributed in the above agencies. As a matter of fact, my scans have passed their severe entry tests and are fully color-controlled, sharp and clean. Believe me, scans from 6x7 and 6x17 cm velvia slides still easily beat the best DSLRs files, in both terms of color accuracy and sharpness. They always deliver true photographic images or art prints, with no "digital" look. If you want to see an interesting film formats comparison click on the link.

 

Analog and digital, the best of both worlds

In fact, I have long been rather wary about digital photography. For landscape photography, until very recently, digital SLRs were just lacking resolution or exhibiting false colors or renditions (the latter problem is still not fully resolved). Many pros have left film for cost and delays reasons above all. They work faster and at reduced costs with greater control in post-production, but there is a certain nostalgy between conscious pros and amateurs for the more natural and pleasant rendition of the best slide films.

 

Try photographing the same gorgeous landscape under really good light (at golden hour for example) with any digital camera and a very good film such as Velvia and tell me honestly what you prefer, even after a good amount of post-production on the digital file. I have made this test several times and Velvia always wins in these conditions. When light is not so good it is perhaps more debatable since digital files offer more flexibility (and are sometimes overly manipulated by the way). But we are talking of photography, the art of painting with (good) light, and not with Photoshop retouching tools.

 

Nevertheless, digital cameras are now part of the game and we cannot do or survive without them. Recently I have acquired a Nikon D3 full frame. I have tested last year both a Canon 5D Full frame and a Nikon D200. I was not satisfied with the colors of the 5D and had to spend much time in post-prod with RAW files to obtain satisfying results. The Nikon delivered on the other hand much more natural results, but the DX format doesn't fully exploit to my opinion the possibilities of excellent optics such as the 80-200 or macros. It is no problem for magazines or 30x45 prints but could be for exhibition prints over 50x75 cm.

 

Now I have the best of both worlds, a Nikon 35mm digital full frame. It is truly an amazing tool for its possibilities in low-light photography or reportage: from 200 to 800-1000 iso there is virtually no difference in quality, and many things impossible before now become easy. Add to this a superb ergonomy, a price which is high but not stellar (compared to the Canon 1DS Mark III) and you will not regret the superior resolution offered by the latter.

 

All images which are not digital are digitized with one of my two high-end, color-calibrated pro scanners, Nikon 9000 ED (4000 dpi max) or Imacon Flextight Precision III (6300 dpi max).
Digital images are always taken in RAW format, then "developed" with softwares such as Capture One 4.0 ou Nikon Capture NX, for the best quality.

 

pro scanners Imacon Precision and Nikon 9000 ED
Pro scanners Imacon Precision III, Nikon 9000 ED, Capture One and Nikon NX softwares for digital images.


Ordering reproduction rights

New licences at fixed prices in the Shop, secure payment

Until very recently, my images were distributed on a right-managed basis. A right-managed image is licensed for one type of usage and pricing is adapted to that use. For example, advertising uses are generally more expensive than editorial uses. Many factors are involved in the pricing process, distribution, size, circulation, area, and so on. That is why a right-managed image has no fixed price. So I needed to know your intended usage before being able to give you a quote.

 

But there is a general demand for more flexible and extended licenses. That's why we now offer PACK PLUS and WEB licences.

 

We wanted to simplify image reproduction-rights licensing, making it faster and more user-friendly.
You can now pay your Pack Plus and Web licences at fixed prices in our secured shop by credit card (cards are processed by Paypal on their secure website, sensible data is not transmitted to us)


- PACK PLUS licenses define broad uses for rights-managed images, at fixed and lower prices. You do not need to spend time negotiating complex rights. There are no limits on quantities or territories for the duration of your license. Simply select a use category, pay a single flat-rate price and use the image for any need within that category, for one designated project and end-user. These licenses are available in the Shop.


- Our WEB/electronic licences are specially formulated with internet and electronic uses in mind, at very interesting prices. There are 3 image sizes (thumbnail, image and banner) to choose from, and various durations of use depending of your project, from 6 months up to 10 years. Web licences are intended for one single use on one website or in one publication or email campaign. These licenses are available in the Shop.


- Rights-managed and Royalty-free classic licenses are still available for all projects that are not covered by the new licences. Please use the reproduction-rights form provided to define your use and get a quick quote from us.

 

Buy direct and make huge savings

Buying direct from me, you can make huge savings (typically 50 to 80 % for the same use) compared to stock agencies. Note that if you absolutely want one of my pictures and you cannot get it from me in time (I am sometimes out of office for a photo trip), chances are that your image is available at www.robertharding.com (type "770" in the search box to access my images) or Getty/Alamy.

 

 

How to order reproduction rights:

1. Register in the Gallery: If you are interested in buying reproduction rights, the best thing to do first is register in the Gallery. Registration is automatic and very fast. Once registered, you have access to your personal Album were you can store all your preferred pictures. Just click on the "Album" button under thumbnails or images and images are added to your Album.

 

2. Refine selection in your Album. To discard any image from the Album, click again on the small Album icon under images. As in the Gallery, you can show 12 to 45 images per page.

 

3. Open a new window for the Shop (so that you can switch easily between Gallery and Shop), choose your preferred license (Pack Plus / Web - Editorial/ Commercial ). There is a pdf you can download on this page to help you. Then order your license and at the last stage give in the dedicated text area all relevant details (title and image number, end-user, projects details, special instructions if necessary). You can copy and paste them from one window to another to avoid errors (Note also that when in secure mode (https) you may have difficulties going back to the gallery, that's why it is best to open two different windows in your browser from the start. Verify all info, and you are now redirected to Paypal's secure website where you can pay by credit card.

 

4. In the next hours the funds are transferred to our account and we prepare the picture(s) for you following the terms of license and your instructions. We can deliver the digital file either by mail (small images, jpeg high quality, not sharpened) or on our server (we give you an access code) for larger images and/or Tiff format. With your access code, you can then download the image(s) with FTP or with a simple browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. Alternatively I can send you pictures on CD or DVD, but it takes longer.

 

Do not hesitate to contact me for any question you may have.