As a photo editor for more than 17 years, I’ve seen hundreds of thousands of images — many of them capturing some of the world’s most historic events. But about 99 percent of pictures like these will only be seen by their photographers. I’ve seen it happen many times, notably during the 2008 presidential elections. I was hired to cover the elections by the esteemed MaryAnn Golon at Time; I edited thousands of photos around that time, including those from President Obama’s Inauguration Day. I had to choose only a select few.

It was shame that so many beautiful images would not be celebrated…

So, where do all the passed-over pictures go?

These days, some of them go to coeditcollection.com, which functions as a virtual memory box. Creators Amy Wolff, a PDN photo editor, and Tim Klein, a Chicago-based photographer, thought it was shame that so many beautiful images would not be celebrated, and came up with the idea for the site. About a year ago, some of Klein’s clients had bought some of his unprinted works — and the two of them realized they were sitting on a treasure. This led to the idea for the site, which they launched in December. Photos sell for $150 minimum, plus shipping.

The site isn’t about just seeing and selling images, though. Other creatives from all walks of life are asked to be guest curators, gathering various images from photographers they admire. Wolff’s photo-editor pal Kate Osba was the first person to be a guest curator; her picks are a roundup on the theme “The Hardest Shot I Ever Took.” 

These pictures are worth much more than just our words: Many of them offer a bit of insight, as well, a behind-the-scenes take on how and why the image was made. This is good not only for the photographers — as Klein says, “to create new opportunities for them to be successful in an industry that is constantly changing and evolving” — but also for the rest of us: the collectors, the curious.

It’s pretty good ”exposure” for everyone.