The Best Picture Never Sold

I've recently written a brief note about my start in the stock photography business and the image that jump-started my career.....

I've been in the stock biz since 1987 when I signed my first contract with Telephoto. In the first two years I made about $1700 and thought, "there must be more money than this," so I started looking around for better representation (there was more, I found out later on that Telephoto was stealing from the photographers).

While I was looking at other agencies I received a letter from Tony Stone in London saying he'd seen a particular image of mine (copy included) and wanted me to sign a contract based on that picture alone. After swiftly completing my due diligence I signed-on with TSW. It's been 19 years and I've made a fair amount of money as a result of signing that contract, except that the image that interested Tony has never... never... been licensed.

Great picture, everybody loves it, never made a dime.

Go figure!
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Above: Olympus XA, 35/2.8 F Zuiko lens, Kodachrome 25