A journalist receives your press release. They want to run a piece on you. They need a photo. They open your Instagram and find a series of low-resolution vertical stories, a group shot where they can’t tell which one is you, and a selfie with a filter. They close the tab and look for an artist with press materials.

Press photos are not for your audience. They are for the professionals who need material to write about you.

Who asks for them and why

Journalists and media

They need high-resolution photos for publication: minimum 300 dpi for print, minimum 1500px for digital. A mobile photo compressed by Instagram doesn’t work. And they need to know they can publish it without asking for permission each time.

Festival and venue programmers

They use them to prepare the programme, the event website, and promotional material. They need at least one horizontal and one vertical photo, and a licence to use them in promotional material without additional compensation.

Casting directors and production companies

For actors, the headshot is the first impression in any selection process. It must be recent, professional, and representative of what you look like now — not five years ago and not how you’d like to appear.

Which photos you need

You don’t need a magazine photo shoot. You do need, at minimum:

Professional portrait against a neutral background

A plain or blurred background, clothes that represent you, light that shows you clearly. It doesn’t have to be a studio: a white wall with good natural light works. It must clearly identify who you are and should be horizontal (or have a horizontal version) for use in web headers.

Action or professional context photo

You playing, performing, rehearsing. It should evoke what you do, not what you look like. A blurry backlit concert photo doesn’t work. A well-lit photo from a rehearsal or small venue does.

High-resolution downloadable version

Not a Google Drive link that expires. Not a WeTransfer that disappears. A section of your press kit or website where anyone can download the photos directly, in JPG format, minimum 2000px on the long side.

The requirement everyone forgets: the licence

All press photos must come with a clear usage statement. At minimum: “Free to use for editorial coverage. Credit: [photographer name].”

Without this, a journalist can’t legally publish your photo. Many will do it anyway, but more professional ones will check. And if the photo has no clear licence, they’ll find one that does.

When hiring a photographer, negotiate the editorial usage rights into the contract. It’s not a common ask, but it’s essential for professional use of the photos.

What is NOT a press photo

  • A screenshot from Instagram
  • A group photo where it’s not clear which one is you
  • A photo with the photographer’s watermark (it can’t be published)
  • A selfie, however well-composed
  • A photo from more than three years ago if your appearance has changed

Press photos are part of the digital press kit. If you don’t have yours structured yet, read What is an EPK and why you need one.

If you need the photo session itself, Pocallum is the studio specialising in photography for artists that Ressona works with: professional portraits, live photography, concerts, theatre, dance and circus. All sessions are arranged with editorial usage rights for professional use included — no separate negotiation needed.

If you want help defining what visual materials you need and integrating them into your full press kit, tell us about your project.