Above the clouds

April 24, 2009 by pmelcher.

We need to step out of the “recession mood”. Here and there all you hear, read about is all about layoffs, prices stumbling, budget shrinking and other depressing news. Some cry the end of the world, others curse and moan, while the rest hope for a new prophet or business model to come and help them.

There is good news. The recent launch of Licensing agency Trunk Archive is one. Created by two long time friends of high end portrait photographers, CEO Matthew Moneypenny ( please, no jokes related to James Bond, I am sure he has heard them all), ex-Art + Commerce,  and Leslie Simitch ex rep for high altitude photographers such as Dominique Issermann, Dewey Nicks, Elaine Constantine and Philip Lorca di Corcia for over 20 years, Trunk Archive is an amazing incredible extraordinary wonderful breathtaking out of this world ( ok , I can’t find the right word, you decide) collection of images.

It would be easier, and certainly faster, to name the photographer that they do not license . Both Corbis Outline and Contour by Getty images are blown out into the stratosphere and look like pathetic suplliers when compared to Trunk Archive.

Now, you have to be really high caliber to have the right to license these guys. High end celebrity portrait photographers are notoriously unwilling to license their images, as it creates too many issues that they really do not feel like dealing with, especially since the income is far less then their assignment fees. Furthermore, one wrong publication, one slightly off accompanying article and they can get blacklisted forever by some cranky publicist and loose their ranking in their extremely closed club. You know that Matthew and Leslie must be extremely reliable for them to have assemble such a cast of top talents.

Forget microstock, forget the 75 plus photographers pushing each other on the streets of Los Angeles trying to get a mediocre shot of Paris Hilton going into her car, forget the 90 plus wire service guys taking the same image of Obama at a press conference, this is the top of the Himalaya of photography with its exclusive climbers. This is where the future of pro celebrity photography will be: in the Trunk Archive.

If you have not seen it yet, go now. If you have, go again. I know I go every time I need a refresher on why I am in this business.

Click on their home page to start your journey:

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