Contact Press Images
Contact Press Images is a New York-based international photojournalism agency founded in 1976, representing more than 30 award-winning documentary photographers and licensing their work to editorial clients, museums, book publishers, and cultural institutions globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1976
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Contact Press Images does
Contact Press Images is a New York-based international picture agency founded in 1976 by Robert Pledge and David Burnett. The agency represents an exclusive roster of more than 30 award-winning documentary photojournalists — including Annie Leibovitz, Don McCullin, Sebastião Salgado, Li Zhensheng, Kristen Ashburn, and Edward Keating — whose work covers major international events, conflict zones, human rights issues, and long-form social documentary projects. The agency's core business is licensing photographs by its represented photographers to editorial clients (major newspapers, magazines, book publishers) and to cultural institutions via its 'Contact On Tour' traveling exhibition program.
The agency monetizes through two primary streams: (1) per-use photo licensing negotiated with editorial buyers (publications pay depending on circulation, usage rights, and publication type), and (2) exhibition rental fees from museums, galleries, and festivals, supplemented by book and catalog sales. Pricing for both streams is bespoke and disclosed only on inquiry via Executive Director Jeffrey D. Smith. A secondary revenue stream runs through book publishing partnerships with houses including Random House and National Geographic.
Distribution is delivered through direct enterprise relationships in two owned offices (NYC headquarters and Paris, opened 1990 under Director Dominique Deschavanne) and through a network of six regional agent partners covering Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the UK. Marketing relies on the agency's nearly fifty-year reputation, its photographers' individual brands, and participation in international photography festivals such as Visa Pour l'Image, Pingyao, and Chobi Mela. A planned 'searchable on-line database' indicates a nascent shift toward a partially self-service digital licensing channel.
Contact Press Images firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Contact Press Images
- Legal name
- Contact Press Images
- Website
- https://contactpressimages.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1976
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Contact Press Images is a New York-based international photojournalism agency founded in 1976, representing more than 30 award-winning documentary photographers and licensing their work to editorial clients, museums, book publishers, and cultural institutions globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Contact Press Images industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Photo Agency / Editorial Imagery Licensing
- NAICS
- Commercial Photography (541922), Photographic Services (54192), Media Representatives (54184)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Photography & Photo Production (BPAFAIAF)
Keywords
Where Contact Press Images is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Contact Press Images business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Photography Licensing: The agency licenses photographs by its represented photographers to editorial clients including newspapers, magazines, book publishers, and exhibition venues.
- Exhibition Rental and Sales: The agency produces and tours exhibitions of photographers' work to museums, galleries, and cultural institutions worldwide, with rental fees for venues and sales of accompanying books and catalogs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Exhibition rental - Contact for fees |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Contact Press Images product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Contact Press Images is an international picture agency that represents more than 30 documentary photojournalists, licensing their photographs on a per-use basis to newspapers, magazines, and book publishers. The agency also curates and rents traveling exhibitions of its photographers' work to museums and cultural institutions worldwide under the "Contact On Tour" program, and publishes books and exhibition catalogs.
Product overview
Contact Press Images is an international photojournalism agency founded in 1976 by Robert Pledge and David Burnett, headquartered in New York with a Paris office. The agency specializes in documentary and photojournalistic photography, representing a roster of renowned photographers who cover major international events, human rights issues, conflict zones, and social stories. The agency's core offerings include licensing photography to media outlets, curating and producing traveling exhibitions (Contact On Tour), publishing books and exhibition catalogs, and maintaining an archive of photographs. Services are delivered through direct client relationships rather than a self-service digital platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Photography Licensing Services License photographs by represented photographers to editorial clients on a per-use basis negotiated by publication type, circulation, and usage rights. Served to newspapers, magazines, and book publishers.
- Contact On Tour Exhibition Program Agency-curated and produced touring exhibitions of its photographers' work, rented to museums, galleries, and cultural institutions worldwide (e.g., Contact/s, Red-Color News Soldier, Afterwar, Raskols, Bloodline). Rental fee is quoted on request and excludes transportation, insurance, publicity, posters, invitations, and opening events.
- Books and Exhibition Catalogs Publishing and licensing of photography monographs and exhibition catalogs tied to the agency's photographers, produced in partnership with major publishers including Random House and National Geographic.
Companies that use Contact Press Images
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Contact Press Images technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Contact Press Images partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered regional and core.
- Focus Photo- und Presseagentur (Germany)regionalGerman agent representing Contact Press Images photographers. Located at Springeltwiete 4, Hamburg, D-20095, Germany. TEL: +49-40-4502-23-0
- Hollandse Hoogte (Netherlands)regionalDutch agent representing Contact Press Images photographers. Located at Danzigerkade 9D, Amsterdam, 1013 AP, Holland. TEL: +31-20-530-6070
- LUZ Photo Agency (Italy)regionalItalian agent representing Contact Press Images photographers. Located at via Vivaio 6, Milan, 20122, Italy. TEL: +39-02-39-19-70-06
- Amana Images/IPJ (Japan)regionalJapanese agent representing Contact Press Images photographers. Located at 5F Yamawaki Bldg. 4-8-21, Tokyo, 102-0074 Japan. TEL: +81-3-3262-9208
- Agencia de fotografía Contacto (Spain)regionalSpanish agent representing Contact Press Images photographers. Located at Paseo de la Castellana, 210 2ª Planta, Madrid, 28046, Spain. TEL: +34-91-504-5963
- EYEVINE (UK)regionalUK agent representing Contact Press Images photographers. Located at 3 Mills Studios, Three Mill Lane, London, E3 3DU, UK. TEL: +44-208-709-8709
- Amazonas ImagescoreParis-based production agency founded by Sebastião Salgado and Lelia Wanick Salgado in 1994, dedicated solely to Salgado's work. Distributed by Contact Press Images in the US and France since 1995.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Contact Press Images competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Magnum Photos: The most direct peer. Magnum is a cooperative of documentary and photojournalism photographers founded in 1947, also licensing images to editorial clients and curating exhibitions. Same model, same customer base, same historical archive positioning.
- VII Photo Agency: Editorial photo agency founded in 2001 by seven photojournalists covering conflict, humanitarian and social issues. Same documentary-photo editorial licensing model; direct overlap on editorial clients and awards-driven photographer roster.
- Redux Pictures: New York-based editorial photo agency representing documentary and assignment photographers for magazines, newspapers, and brands. Closely aligned model and customer overlap with Contact Press Images' editorial licensing business.
- Polaris Images: Photo agency representing photojournalists covering news, documentary, and conflict. Direct overlap on editorial licensing customers and the documentary-photojournalism niche.
- Zuma Press: Editorial photo agency with a large roster of photojournalists serving newspapers, magazines, and editorial clients globally. Same licensing model and customer base as Contact Press Images.
- Panos Pictures: London-based documentary photo agency focused on social, humanitarian, and environmental stories. Same editorial-photojournalism licensing model and similar cultural institution exhibition programming.
Broad incumbents
- Getty Images: Largest global commercial photo agency and stock platform. Overlaps with Contact Press Images on editorial and documentary licensing but operates at vastly greater scale, with self-service platform, broad content categories, and corporate ownership.
- National Geographic Image Collection: Licensing arm of National Geographic's vast photography archive, serving the same editorial and book-publishing customers. Operates within a broader media organization rather than as an independent photographer agency.
Regional players
- Gamma Agency (historic) / Eyevine: EYEVINE is Contact Press Images' own UK agent and traces lineage to Gamma, the historic French editorial photo agency where Robert Pledge previously ran the New York office. Closely comparable documentary/editorial photo agency model.
Emerging players
- INSTITUTE: Artist-management platform representing visual storytellers across photography and video for editorial and commercial work. Overlaps on documentary photographer representation but with a digitally native, platform-based model that contrasts with Contact Press Images' traditional structure.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Contact Press Images social profiles
Digital presenceContact Press Images financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Contact Press Images leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Contact Press Images subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Contact Press Images funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Contact Press Images M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Contact Press Images
What does Contact Press Images do?
Contact Press Images is an international picture agency that represents more than 30 documentary photojournalists, licensing their photographs on a per-use basis to newspapers, magazines, and book publishers. The agency also curates and rents traveling exhibitions of its photographers' work to museums and cultural institutions worldwide under the "Contact On Tour" program, and publishes books and exhibition catalogs.
Is Contact Press Images a public or private company?
Contact Press Images is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Contact Press Images founded?
Contact Press Images was founded in 1976. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Contact Press Images based?
Contact Press Images is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Contact Press Images make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Photography Licensing is the primary driver. The others are exhibition Rental and Sales.
Who are Contact Press Images's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Magnum Photos, VII Photo Agency, Redux Pictures, Polaris Images, Zuma Press and Panos Pictures. Broad incumbents are Getty Images and National Geographic Image Collection. Gamma Agency (historic) / Eyevine is listed as a regional player. INSTITUTE is listed as an emerging player.
Does Contact Press Images have an API?
No public API is recorded for Contact Press Images.
What industry is Contact Press Images in?
Contact Press Images's product category is Photo Agency / Editorial Imagery Licensing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAIAF, Photography & Photo Production. Its NAICS code is 541922.