We asked image buyers their thoughts on specialist collections.....

"We needed to find aerial images for a BBC 1 show. BAPLA put us in touch with some agencies who specialise in aerial shots. I thought it was going to be difficult to find the images we needed in the time we had, but it's been a great experience; everyone's been really happy to help and have even suggested other suitable images for the show."
Debbie Milligan, Assistant Producer, Everyone's A Winner, BBC Televison


"Specialist libraries are an extremely important source of images for a magazine like Country Living. Very often I'm looking for specific pictures of plants, rare breed animals or wildlife and by going to a specialist library I can be confident that the image I receive is exactly right for the story.

Generally the people working in the libraries have an excellent knowledge of the subject they're dealing with and know the images in their library really well. On rare occasions when I've needed to double check that the caption on an image is absolutely correct the people I deal with are always helpful and even if they aren't 100% sure themselves they are able to double check with the photographer - something that's unlikely to happen with a large stock agency. They also know the work of the photographers they represent so even if they don't have the exact variety of plant or animal on file at the library they know who may have shot it."
Jackie Swanson, Picture Editor, Country Living Magazine.

"I've liaised with Tropix a couple of times and the supplier is very honest about the location and source of their images. Unlike a few of those picture suppliers out there who are very vague about the source & location of their images, these are the few black sheep that taint the image of the picture industry. Tropix is very professional about this so there's nothing to worry."
Joshua Ang, Assistant Picture Researcher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Pte Ltd

"Working for a specialist magazine like BBC Wildlife Magazine means that we often need to contact specialist libraries - such as Splashdown Direct for any marine material. Usually they have what we need but when we need pictures of very rare subject matter we often call them to make use of their specialist knowledge. Splashdown has been able to source particular pictures for us, to meet deadlines, using contacts within their field of interest."
Wanda Sowry, Picture Editor, BBC Wildlife Magazine

“The Picture Library is a fantastic source of specialist high quality stills. The archive is very accessible to search online and there is constant support at the end of the phone for anything that cannot be found. This library is extremely efficient and nothing is too much trouble. I will certainly continue to use this library for all future programmes.”

Carrie Pennifer, Production Manager, Brook Lapping Productions

“If I was searching for an image for general use, I wouldn't use a specialist as I have a couple of agencies I source my general images from. However when I need something very specific, where specialist knowledge is essential, I have a few regular specialist suppliers. I maintain good working relationships with my suppliers, if they don't have what I'm looking for they can often arrange this for me at a reasonable price.”
Tracey Pocock, Picture Editor, Family Circle