Better pictures, faster, with the paperwork already done.
Mastline is how working photographers pitch, license, and deliver to picture desks. Sets arrive captioned and cleared, exclusives hold, and the files release the moment a desk says yes.
No account. No app. No new process.
Every pitch link works on its own. Open it, look, and accept, counter, or pass. Say yes and the license and full-resolution files are released on the spot. No login to buy, and no marketing email.
A free editor account, for desks that buy often.
One inbox for every pitch a desk receives, a place to post briefs that go straight to photographers who can deliver, saved preferences, and a searchable record of every license held. Optional, free, and never required to buy.
Pictures with their paperwork already done.
Every image that arrives through Mastline brings the things a desk usually has to chase.
Provenance that holds up
Each picture carries its capture data, original-file hash, and an unbroken history of where it has been. The frame is what came out of the camera, with standard tone and crop only; anything beyond that is flagged.
A license in writing, every time
Territory, media, duration, exclusivity, fee, and credit line, generated from the terms accepted, kept on both sides. No reconstructing a deal from an email thread six months later.
Captions that are ready to run
Who, where, when, and context, written by the photographer who was there. Names and places are checked against the photographer’s own records before the pitch goes out.
Exclusives that mean something
When an exclusive is offered, the countdown is real: the set is not released to anyone else until the window ends. Once taken, no one else gets it for the agreed period.
Files on acceptance
Full-resolution downloads unlock the moment the license is accepted, at one in the morning or any other time. The link stays valid for the life of the license.
Invoices an accounts team recognizes
The invoice arrives in the format the outlet requires, with PO and reference fields, per deal or batched monthly.
One inbox for every photographer. One place to ask for a picture.
Optional, free, and built for desks that buy often. Buying from a single link works the same without an account.
A pitch inbox
Every Mastline pitch sent to the desk, from every photographer, in one list sorted by exclusive deadline. Colleagues share it; nothing gets lost in a personal email account.
Post a brief
Post what the desk is looking for: a subject, a venue, a date range, an archive year. Briefs go only to photographers who have the subject on file or are positioned to shoot it, and the responses come back as normal pitches.
Saved preferences
Rights bought, formats taken, subjects covered, desk hours, invoice format and PO rules. Photographers see them before pitching, so fewer pitches miss.
A license library
Every license the outlet holds through Mastline, searchable by subject, photographer, date, and term, with the files and the invoice attached. Useful when legal asks.
Team access
Add colleagues to the desk account with their own logins. Acceptances are recorded by name, so the record always shows who bought what.
Still nothing to pay
Editor accounts are free. Mastline earns from the photographer’s side of a sale, never from the desk.
The same way of working. Just faster.
Relationships, rates and judgment stay with the desk. Mastline changes the mechanics, not the deal.
- Counter in one step. Different price, web-only, seven days instead of thirty: structured options, not a negotiation by email.
- Request a set. Reply to any pitch link to ask the photographer for something specific, from tonight’s shoot or their archive.
- Say what the desk wants. Tell a photographer it prefers couples, arrivals, or UK rights only, and future pitches reflect it.
- Pay the usual way. Card or bank through Stripe, or on the outlet’s standard terms.
Taken in public, by a named photographer, with the paperwork to prove it.
Outlets accept pitches through Mastline knowing what the platform does and doesn’t do.
Read more on the Trust page, the Acceptable use summary, or the Privacy Policy. A subject who contacts the desk about a Mastline image can be pointed to Appearing in a photo.
Quick answers.
Do I have to sign up to see the pictures?
No. The link is the whole thing: view, counter, accept, and download without creating an account. A free editor account adds an inbox, briefs, and a license library, but it’s never required to buy.
Who am I buying from, the photographer or Mastline?
The photographer. The license is between the outlet and them; Mastline generates the paperwork, delivers the files, and keeps the record. The invoice comes from the photographer, or from Mastline on their behalf where they have asked it to collect.
Can I negotiate?
Yes. Every pitch has a counter option for price, usage, territory, and term. Most photographers answer within minutes from their phone.
What if the exclusive window ends while I’m deciding?
The set is released to other buyers at the non-exclusive price. It can still be bought — just not exclusively.
Is the link safe to open?
Pitch links always point to a Mastline address, contain no attachments, and ask for no login or payment details to view. If a link looks wrong, forward it to security@mastline.co.
Can my whole desk see the same pitch?
Yes. Forward the link to colleagues; it opens for anyone on the team. Only one acceptance is recorded, and the photographer sees which address accepted.
How do I get my outlet’s invoice requirements into the system?
Tell the photographer once, or email hello@mastline.co with the format, PO rules, and payment terms, and every Mastline photographer billing that desk will use them.
Can I ask Mastline photographers for pictures directly?
Yes. Email hello@mastline.co with what the desk is looking for, and it is routed to photographers who have that subject on file or are in position to get it.
Questions about a pitch that arrived?
Reply to the photographer directly from the link, or contact Mastline any time.