General Information
Assignments
Most Magnum photographers are available to the editorial, commercial and cultural worlds for assignment. Please contact the appropriate Magnum office for more information. To view portfolios of individual and group work, go to the Photographers’ pages and view the portfolios as either a slideshow or as thumbnails.
Online Search
The online search selects from over 600,000 photographs that have been digitally scanned into the database. The four Magnum offices maintain a physical archive of over a million images dating from the 1930s until today, which can be accessed in person by researchers by official appointment. Please call the appropriate Magnum office for more information.
To search the digital archive, all users must register their personal and company details and be approved for a download account by Magnum or our Representative Agents. The search facility is mainly for use only by the photo licensing and buying clients. Magnum Photos will require extra information regarding the activities of you or your company before a download account can be confirmed. If your interest in Magnum Photos is of an educational or vocational nature, then you are still free to search and browse the information pages, books, features, photographer biographies and portfolios, but without download access.
The 'Search' searches through all the images within the digital database (around 600,000 images). There are two search types within this search and a number of extra filter options within the 'Search' screen. To see all the available options, click on 'Advanced Search' for more criteria, including selecting your 'Sort Order', 'Orientation', 'Date Range' and other criteria. For more information, download our Search Guide in English and French at pro.magnumphotos.com/User-Guides or please call your local Magnum Photos office or Representing Agent
If you cannot find the image, video or album you require, call your nearest Magnum office or Representing Agent (see 'Contact Us') and a Magnum representative will search for you. There may be a service fee charge for an assisted search, which will be notified to you before the search commences.
Picture Licensing
All usage agreements are subject to a 'license to reproduce' a given image, which will be subject to an appropriate fee. Before Magnum or an agent can authorize an image to be downloaded, the license fee must be agreed upon beforehand. When a picture is added to your Shopping Cart, the usage can be defined by selecting various usage criteria in the drop-down fields and click Request. A Magnum or Agent account manager will then contact you regarding the licence. Please see the terms and conditions for more information.
Magnum reserves the right to deny consent to reproduce any given image in a particular context. Contact the appropriate Magnum office or agent with your enquiry about reproducing a photograph. Please note that most images are not model-released unless stated at the image screen level.
Software Compatibility
On a PC, this web site is viewed best using Internet Explorer version 7 or above, Firefox version 4 or above, Chrome version 4 or above.
On a Macintosh, use Safari version 2 or above, Firefox version 4 or above or Chrome.
Cookies are used to remember your user ID and password details, but problems may be encountered if your computer does not accept these, or your system may be behind a server firewall which can make accessing secure servers difficult. Please contact the Magnum offices if you encounter any problems.
Downloads
All downloaded images from this web site are scanned as RGB or Grayscale digital files, compressed to 80% (Photoshop compression at 7 or above). The average file size for an A3 or Double Spread file is between 2 and 4MB. All digital files are minimally sharpened in order to retain the quality of the file. If you prefer to receive a digital file scanned or saved in a different format (for example an 80MB Tiff file saved onto a CD), please call the appropriate Magnum office or agent. There may be a charge for this extra service, which you will be notified of before the order is processed. You will need to note the image number (found on the enlarged image screen – e.g. PAR1234) before ordering.
Caption, copyright and licensing information can be found in the IPTC fields in every scan. If you would prefer to receive either a print, transparency instead of a digital file, please call the appropriate Magnum office or agent. There may be a charge for this extra service, which you will be notified of before the order is processed. You will need to note the image number (found on the enlarged image screen – e.g. PAR1234) before ordering.
Downloading images from Magnum Photos Pro are only available for professional licensing users. If you would like more information about prints, posters, books and other merchandise for personal use, please visit the Magnum Shop at shop.magnumphotos.com