Why can’t I click on the thumbnails to enlarge them?

The Free public site is designed to be fully searchable by anyone and we include a small thumbnail image with all results to give an indication of how the photo looks. To see the full sized images, you need to sign up as a member.

Are the Members’ images watermarked?

Yes. But we have designed the watermark to be as subtle as possible so that the fine detail in the photos can still be seen.

Why are the images watermarked?

Many people allow their valuable collections to be displayed in the Archive on the strict and understandable condition that they cannot be copied and reproduced elsewhere. The only way to ensure this is to watermark each image that we display.

Can I download the images?

Yes, members can download the watermarked images to save offline for their projects. Each image has a download button for this purpose.

Can I purchase an unwatermarked image?

Yes. See our ‘Purchasing and Licensing Images’ page.

Are the unwatermarked images in higher resolution?

Yes, our original offline copies vary between 10,000pw to 1500pw, depending upon the quality of the original photo. All new material is scanned to a minimum of 3000 – 4000pw.

How big are the photos displayed for members?

The largest size available for members is 1500pw (pixels wide). Which is 52cms wide at 72dpi or 12cm at 300dpi. Effectively it should fill a normal laptop screen and hold more detail even when zoomed in. Please see our free samples in each folder.

Can I add information to captions?

Yes, we encourage it! As a member you will have the ability to comment on any photo. Simply write your caption information there and we will check it and incorporate it into the official caption.

Why do I have to pay for access?

Restricting access to paid members only helps to keep the number of users down and avoids putting too much pressure on the server’s bandwidth. This is a rare archive and is not for the casual visitor. All membership fees go towards the purchase of more photo collections and the upkeep of the site.