agencySTA picture service celebrates 10th anniversary
Ljubljana, 24 March - STAfoto, the Slovenian Press Agency's picture service, is marking its 10th anniversary. Since its was founded in 2006, the service has taken about 700,000 photos, with 150 new ones taken every day.
Ljubljana, Tivolska 50.
Photo exhibition during STA's 20th anniversary.
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek/STA
File photo
When she took over at the STA in 2005, former director Lidija Pavlovčič said that her priority was to make the STA a full-fledged news agency, bringing high-quality news, as well as pictures.
One of her main goals for the agency was to establish a picture service, as the STA had been without one for 15 years since its establishment. "Words and pictures are, after all, the two cornerstones of each agency," she said.
Daniel Novakovič, STAfoto's first photographer, said that the STA was one of the last agencies in Europe to establish a picture service. Other Slovenian news outlets already had their own photo teams, which made establishing one at the STA a challenge.
"Since the STA works in such a small market, it is important that we expand our range of services and products, like commissioned commercial photography, aerial photography, a larger range of stock photos, and searching for new clients through social media," said Nejc Kastner, head of STAfoto.
The team consists of 5 professional photographers, but correspondents also provide the service with new photos every day. The STA's picture service covers the most important political, economic, cultural, and sports events in the country, collaborating with foreign agencies worldwide, such as Xinhua, Beta, Tanjug, and Hina.