Beckham’s absence from South Africa 2010 leaves photographers in a quandary

Illustrators are getting ready for South Africa 2010

When David Beckham pulled up with a torn Achilles playing for AC Milan last weekend it not only signalled a blow to England’s World Cup bid this summer, but also threw the media into a spin. The 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa has lost world football’s most photographable and marketable asset, so what will the paparazzi do now?

Whenever there’s been a major tournament, paps have swarmed to Beckham like bees around honey, even more than during the regular season due to the heightened media interest. Who could forget the infamous half-naked balcony shot from Euro 2004 in Portugal? What about the controversy surrounding footballers’ WAGs (wives and girlfriends), including Victoria Beckham, from the 2006 World Cup in Germany?

Rather predictably, the UK daily free paper Metro posed the question this week: “After David Beckham’s injury who will be World Cup 2010′s hot totty?” citing Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Spain and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres as eye candy for the ladies this summer. They – and others – may not have the same positive global media appeal as David Beckham, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty of them nonetheless.

We suspect that David Beckham will be at the World Cup, either to help out the England team or, as is widely tipped, as a TV pundit – or both! So we think the tabloid paps will still get their fill of David Beckham at South Africa 2010, just not on the field of play. We’ve not given up hope of the odd Beckham pose this summer.

But don’t forget, you can’t just copy and paste a picture of David Beckham for publishing use. If you’re publishing online, print or marketing material around the South Africa 2010 Fifa World Cup, Polylooks contains more than 1,300 images relating to ‘football’ to choose from, all of which can be used safe in the knowledge that you have the copyright to use them.

Only three more months to go!

Get Ready for the FIFA World Cup

Just one of many World Cup-themed images on Polylooks

This year sees one of the biggest events in the global sporting calendar – the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The last World Cup, Germany 2006, saw an estimated cumulative television audience of 30 billion people world-wide and was attended by more than 18,000 media representatives. So this year publishers, bloggers and advertisers will be looking for football-related stock photo images to accompany their stories. Photographers – get your cameras out because image buyers will want soccer shots. Buyers – make sure you know about image rights!

Don’t Stray Offside

Images of real sportspeople can come with expensive copyright costs and restrictions, so generic football stock images and illustrations will be in demand, especially with the rise in bloggers and Web publishers since 2006. Around 900,000 blogs are posted in any given 24-hour period.

Though the event is a way off, creative agencies and sports-related professionals around the world will need photos for marketing materials imminently, so photographers are advised to start thinking about stock photography earlier rather than later.

But it is essential that bloggers, advertisers and publishers only use images which they have the right to use, according to online photo agency Polylooks. The company recently surveyed the UK’s creative industries – heavy users of images – and found that the vast majority were ignorant of stock photography image rights. Many are using images without consent and many don’t even feel guilty!

And when it comes to sports image rights and their value compared to standard stock images, users can end up in hot legal water.

Norbert Weber, Product Manager at Polylooks, advises: “There is still a great deal of confusion when it comes to using photos or illustrations that photographers and artists have made available for sale online. Many people who should be paying for the right to use images are not doing so due to a lack of understanding on industry rules and terminologies.”

Top Tips for Football Photos

Polylooks contains hundreds of football-related stock images, so users can be assured that they’re permitted to use those images without infringing any copyright and attracting the attention of photo agency lawyers. These stock images include players, fans, stadia, officials and other peripheral elements of the “Beautiful Game”. Polylooks’ intuitive filters also ensure that image users can select football stock photos by colour scheme and emotion, and it promises to be a colourful tournament!