Demotix is a news-wire committed to serious journalism. For the benefit of all our photographers and journalists, we can only publish images which are newsworthy and interesting. But what counts as news? At Demotix, the answer is simple. Do your photos tell a story? If so, then we want to see them.
Look out for personalities / candid celebrity pictures / politicians / law makers etc.
Quirky one off pictures such as this picture of a human pyramid in Mumbai, where it appears as though you might be the only agency with pictures
Pictures of people making the news. Keep aware of when certain individuals, like the group Pussy Riot are ‘hot’ and situations where there may be a clamour for any pictures of these individuals
Current Events
When people think of news, they usually think of the stories and photographs which will appear on today's newspaper front-pages - a significant occurrence which is ongoing or recent. News is often new to people.
Protests such as this one from Bahrain are important, and the photograph was uploaded within hours of it taking place. Everyone would recognize an event such as this as news, and if you are then when it happens your photos will be highly newsworthy.
Local Perspective
Some of our best pictures are of subjects of interest to a specific or localized audience.
This fire at a city building in Dhaka, Bangladesh probably won't be of much interest to a newspaper editor in Rome. But to one of the thousands who regularly walk these streets, this would be interesting news.
Similarly, regional protests or this fire in South Africa are great examples of news.
Features
We also want to see photographs that explore unreported issues.
This photograph of a blind woman in Uganda was uploaded as part of a story about life with sight-problems in the country. It prompts viewers to consider an aspect of African life that they may have not previously considered.
Another example, this time from Milan, is photography from a tattoo convention. They are striking images, and provide a fascinated insight into an industry few people have contact with.
Also think of it the other way round - what would people in Uganda find unusual, interesting or important about life in other parts of the world? How would they respond to China's last falcon hunting tribe or Christmas illuminations in Tokyo?
If your photos tell a story, then we want to see them.