Stock Photo of a Wrecking Ball produced with quality images and Adobe Photoshop tools.

Perception Is More Important Than Reality

Out with old, in with the new! That is the concept behind my concept stock photo "Wrecking Ball". But perhaps more importantly, the image is a good illustration of the fact that the "imagined" image can be more powerful than the literal one. In stock photography I certainly believe it is true that “perception” is more important than “reality”! I believe the viewer is more comfortable and more accepting of an image that fits their mental picture…and let’s face it…so many times reality just does not live up to what we picture in our heads. Also, when a viewer sees an image and it matches their perception of something they can quickly, in their thinking, move onto the message…rather than using their subconscious process to fit the reality into their pre-conceived notions. At any rate, in my experience, catering to preconceptions seems to work well in conceptual stock photography.

Difference between Perception and Reality

When I first decided to do this image I went to a demolition site in San Francisco and shot a few images. It was, however, immediately apparent that the reality didn't match my mental picture. What I had pictured in my mind as a wrecking ball was a steel ball on the end of a chain…smashing through brick and concrete as it swing laterally from the end of a crane. In reality, it is a tear-shaped concrete device on the end of a cable usually being "dropped" onto a building…at least that is what I was witnessing as I set about shooting that demolition scene. My “imagined image” was far more graphic and powerful than the real one. I decided to go with the perception rather than the reality.

Finding the Parts

As I was walking back to my studio pondering how to create my image it occurred to me that a manhole cover might do as a wrecking ball. Since I had my cameras with me I photographed one about a block from my studio. I also photographed the sidewalk including a portion that was cracked. Once back at the studio I set up an old rusty chain that had been gathering dust for some time in my prop room and shot that. I scrounged up a brick and shot several angles of that too. In my stock photo files I found some pictures of a simulated computer explosion I had photographed years before for a magazine cover. Shots I had taken of a freeway demolition (after the 1989 quake) provided the background. In short time I had all the parts I would need to create my new photographic reality.

Creating the Image

To create the image I started with the wrecking ball. I used the "spherize" filter in Photoshop on the manhole cover, a cover that had been worn smooth by years of traffic. The filter, at 100% turned the flat manhole cover into a steel globe. I added a specular highlight by creating a new adjustment layer (Brightness and Contrast) and maxing out the brightness…then using the accompanying layer mask to isolate the layer effect to just one small hotspot. I repeated the process, this time darkening the adjustment layer and painting it around the bottom edges to provide an even greater illusion of roundness. I used the pen-tool to create a clipping path around the outside of the ball…turned the path into a selection (with a one-pixel feather) and then inverting the selection before deleting… leaving only my new very “dimensional” “wrecking” ball.

I created another clipping path to separate the chain from its background. After copying and pasting the chain into the image with the ball, I used Free Transform to size and position it…then used the warp filter for adding some curve to the chain…and the motion blur filter to add just a touch of movement.
The pen tool and clipping path again did the job for selecting the sidewalk, which, after pasting in, I turned into a crumbling wall by the use of layer masks “painting” the sidewalk in and out as needed . The layer masks also worked well to “paint in” the exploding computer shots to look like dust and flying debris. Finally, the same technique was used to add the bricks. To integrate the whole image I used an adjustment Hue and Saturation control in an adjustment layer to give the image a sepia-toned look. That is how a manhole cover and a sidewalk become a much more powerful graphic than the real thing....

Success!

Though done many years ago, the image is a timeless one. By creating images that match our “perceptions” rather than “reality” we can create stock images that have both more impact (OK…pun intended), and provide a longer revenue stream. The best of both worlds!

The Poodle Is Truly a Wonderful Dog Breed with Outstanding Qualities.

Taking pictures of many types of dog breeds in my work as a stock photographer has provided me an opportunity to work with both large and small dog breeds and a number of poodle breeds. I've worked with teacup poodles, miniature poodles, standard poodles, etc.

Miniature poodles

One of the very first dog breeds that I photographed for my Animal Antics series was a miniature poodle. We shot him for the cheer leading poodles image. You could tell he was smart…and certainly was a bit of a trickster. He would race around the studio checking on what everyone was doing…until it came time to shoot him. Each time we started to shoot he would suddenly come up with a limp and could hardly walk. As soon as we would finish our session off he would race with no sign of difficulty!

The poodle is truly a wonderful dog breed with some outstanding qualities. The breed is generally recognized as coming in three sizes, standard, miniature and toy…though teacup poodles are also available. They have hair rather than fur…so they are, in effect, hypoallergenic and don’t shed.

Poodles are very intelligent.

Poodles are extremely intelligent and take well to training. They learn quickly…but because they also forget slowly an owner must be consistent or risk resentment. Poodles are a sturdy breed and live between 10 and 18 years and in some cases up to 21 years. They are, however, susceptible to a number of genetic health problems. Like most large dog breeds, Standard poodles need a good amount of exercise but are comfortable in pretty much any size of home. Of the three sizes, standard, miniature and toy, standards are considered the most adaptable.

The “Poodle Clip” was originated to help reduce resistance in the water.

The breed is an ancient one…there are likeness of Poodle-like dogs on Roman coins and Egyptian carvings. There are references to Poodles as far back as the fifteenth century in France, Holland and Italy. The first reference to Poodles being good swimmers was in 1642 (the Poodle was originally bread as a water retriever). The “Poodle Clip” was originated to help reduce resistance in the water. The patches of hair left covering the vital organs and joints were left to help protect those areas. In France the Poodle is the national breed and is used for truffle hunting as well as the more expected duck hunting.

The standard poodle.

The standard poodle is a truly a versatile breed and in addition to being excellent water retrievers they have served as guide dogs, in law enforcement…and even competed in the Alaskan Iditarod Sled dog race! Miniature poodles are sometimes thought of as “one person” dogs, but are obedient, can be a child’s best friend and make good trial dogs. They do tend to think they are bigger than they really are and one has to be careful of their protective tendency…particularly around other dogs. Toy poodles make great companions and are especially good when quarters are tight.

Pet Poodles.

Poodles are too intelligent to be “part time” pets…but need to be a regular and consistent part of their owner’s lives. Poodle’s coats need to be kept well groomed or their coats could become unpleasant to be around, and in extreme cases it can be a health hazard. Poodles have a great disposition…are cheerful and confident and can make a truly great companion.