The Power of The Unexpected

 

There is power in the unexpected and a continuing need for images depicting creativity, ideas and thinking outside the box.

 

The Power of The Unexpected

There is power in the unexpected. Showing the unexpected, the unimagined and even the bizarre has the power to capture a viewer’s attention, which is, after all, the function of a stock photo. Harness that power in your stock photography.

Shattered Expectations

In this photo of a hammer, unexpectedly shattering against a light bulb, there are a wide variety of concepts that are being illustrated from creativity and inspiration to the impact of the unexpected. In a world drowning in images there is advantage to standing out from the crowd by creating visuals that can easily illustrate ideas and that have the advantage of not being seen before.

Creativity, Ideas And Inspiration

The light bulb obviously represents such concepts as ideas, creativity and inspiration. Having the hammer, an iconic symbol for strength and power, shatter against the light bulb makes a strong illustration of the power and influence of creativity and ideas…and does so in what I would argue is a creative image. This photo is further an illustration of the power of the unexpected and possibilities. It is an argument for opening your mind, thinking outside the box, and allowing for serendipity.

Rights Managed vs. Royalty Free

I don’t see this as a image that will sell a gazillion times, rather as one that will definitely have multiple sales, but sales totaling in the tens rather than the hundreds. As such I think it would be better served as an RM image, and I will suggest that to my editor at BlendImages (thought I will leave the final decision up to him).  BTW, these days one of the hardest aspects to stock photography is deciding whether an image should be RF or RM. Anyone who still thinks RM images will earn more money is probably in denial, and yet there is still a place for Rights Managed imagery. I do my best to make intelligent decisions but there just isn’t a foolproof set of criteria for such choices. Oh well.

Ian Summers Interview

Photo ©2010 Tom Kosa
Ian Summers: Raconteur, Career Coach, Motivational Speaker, Workshop Presenter & Artist

Ian Summers is a busy man. From art director, to creative director (The Black Book, Leber Katz Partners and Random House), to poet, journalist, think tank operator, teacher, and publisher, Ian has amassed a wide range of experience in the creative arts. He has written 14 books, lectured on creativity and had solo shows of his paintings. Since 1987 he has helped thousands of people navigate the uncertain path of success through following one’s passion.

Ian, how did you go from art director and creative director to Heartstorming, and for that matter, what is Heartstorming?

I started out as a high school art teacher right out of college. Loved it, but had serious doubts about whether I was a fraud. I had not made much art that I was proud of. So I went off to Europe to expand my experience as an artist.

After a few months in Paris doing sidewalk Mona Lisa’s for donations, I saw an ad for an art teacher at the American School in London. What a time to live in London. The Beatles. The Stones. My classroom studio was located just a block from Madame Tussaud’s wax museum and Regent’s Park. I loved teaching art in London. I showed paintings in the same gallery as David Hockney who had just come back from months in the States working on a series of etchings called Rake’s Progress. We stayed in London for almost two years.

My wife became pregnant and we decided to return to the States on the condition that we live in New York and I would paint. But NY was expensive and I needed a job. How I found one is another story, but I became an ad man.  It was the era just after Mad Men. They were my bosses. I became an art director without having the slightest idea what an art director did. I was a fast learner.

Within a year, I was invited to become a partner in a think tank called Farsight Group. It was there that I learned creative problem solving ‘systems’ from my mentor, George T. Land.

I was 33 when I became a Creative Director at one of Leber Katz Partners divisions. I worked there for three years on Seagram’s, Vantage cigarettes, some fashion, and my favorite client The Netherlands Tourist Office. I was making a decent living and I was working a minimum of 14-hour days. Yet there was an emptiness. Something was missing and I was depressed.

After a couple of years at LKP, I received a telephone call from one of the publishers at Random House. I thought he was asking our agency to pitch the account. Instead he made a pitch to me to come work at Random House as an executive art director. It was the best job I ever had and led to a third career in publishing. A couple of years later, I started my own publishing and book packaging company. There was still an empty feeling.

“Follow your passion” can be great advice, but it can also be a long road to nowhere.  You are passionate about following your passion, but can you share some thoughts about the pragmatic side of the journey to success?

I was a talented creative problem solver for most of my career.  And that led me towards an understanding of the emptiness. Looking in at my career from the outside people assumed my life was working. It occurred to me that problem solving worked from the outside in. Most of the problems I solved came from the outside. My job was to make the problem go away and to replace it with a solution that sold more widgets. I wasn’t taking good care of myself physically, emotionally or spiritually. I was tired and depleted. I was a human doing; not a human being. 


Suggested Read...Ian's very personal experience in looking at the question "Why Do You Exist?".


What does “creativity” mean to you?

Creating is the antithesis of problem solving. It is about manifesting rather than making something “go away”. It works from the inside out. The definition I have been using for about twenty years: Creating is causing what you love or what matters to come into being,

It takes dedication and hard work to make art.  When I love my dream or vision enough, energy flows. It is kind of like tapping into abundance.

Part of the emptiness was that two of my greatest passions were not present; my love for teaching and my love of making art. I have found that when I am creating from my heart, I have all the energy needed to manifest. The more I learn about the creative process the better I am at teaching.  And the older I get the more I have to give. The aging process hopefully brings some wisdom and there is nothing I like more than sharing what I have learned. I have two careers going at the same time:

I paint and teach most every day. I am gifted. (I’ve never quite said that before, John) I give what I have learned. I receive in order to give. If a few days go by without creating, I feel those old fears and wounds trying to come back.

There is a tendency for photographers to associate creativity with the creation of original imagery, and yet to thrive in today’s photography world I believe creativity has to be applied to the business end of things as well. Can you comment on that?

I believe that creativity for photographers must include the intention to create images that make the world laugh and cry; images that evoke the full range of human emotions. I believe that great artists vacuum clean the universe for stimuli. Artists believe that the creative process is about synthesizing. The more we have to synthesize the greater our chances are of bringing something new into being – an innovation.

Yes. It is possible for a photographer to apply their own brand of creating towards making more opportunities appear. In other words, to manifest whatever they are looking for in business. Live the creative life!

Another way to answer these questions is to make the answers seem infinite. In creating pictures some photographers attempt to look towards other photographers for inspiration. Go to museums. Read books. Look at painting. If that is the only place one looks, the variety of information to synthesize is limited. Photographers must look at everything and to apply what they have learned about the world and life to everything they do.

BTW, I sign most of my correspondence:

Manifest Love,

Ian

You have worked with a lot of photographers. Is there a common thread that most of us shooters tend to fall down on?

Most photographers fall for the popular advice to specialize. Yet many photographers come into this business because it encourages them to make pictures of many subjects. The popular advice tells us to choose one thing and to do it well and to do it for the rest of your career. Come on folks. Most of you came into this business wanting to make pictures of a wide variety of subjects. Yet photographers choose to do this OR that. I believe it is time to do this AND that AND that AND…  To manifest love by encompassing and manifesting your many passions.

As a stock photographer ideas are my lifeblood, and every so often I realize I have used up all of my ideas! Luckily I have, so far, been wrong about that realization. Do you have any tips you can offer for the next time I run into that block?

Make clusters or mind maps of all that you love. Add what you love about what you love and what you love about what you love about what you love. Look at places, people, things, activities, etc.

What if you wrote the most important passions on index cards? Then turn over two at a time. Ask yourself, what is a such and such photograph? Force fits your passions together. In other words, vacuum clean the universe. You will never run out of ideas.

“Specialize” is one piece of advice photographers hear over and over, and yet you seem to have a different perspective. Can you delve into that a bit with us?

The following happened in San Francisco. The Workbook sent me on a speaking tour of major markets. The audiences included photographers, illustrators, reps, art directors, designers, etc. The subject was creativity and I was pondering the Error of Specialization.

There was a man in his 40s seated in the front row. His arms folded across his chest as if to say I dare you to get through to me. He turned on me. I was afraid I would lose the entire audience of almost 150 people.

He said angrily, “This is a crock of shit. I want to work with people who know everything there is about what I am working on. There isn’t any way I would hire a generalist. If I need a food shot, I want to work with someone who lives and breaths food photography.

I tried to diffuse the inquisitor. I asked him whether he was an art director. He was. I asked him is he was a creative person. He was. And I asked him whether he only worked on one kind on account the past twenty or so years. He answered by rattling off a list of categories. And then I said something like, “So you are creative. You are probably better at working on food because you were able to introduce something you did on another kind of account. He finally agreed with me. And so did the audience. Maybe you were there. The Earth was still young. It was 1993.

The photography industry has gone through insane changes over the last couple of decades. For me the biggest change has been in the tools at our disposal and the fact that these tools eliminate the barriers between imagination and execution. The net result is that vision becomes paramount. How can we photographers take our vision to a higher level?

May I?

“Be who you is,

Not who you ain’t.

‘Cause if you ain’t who you is.

Then you is who you ain’t.”

Anonymous

If you choose to do this AND that AND that AND that find the thread that connects your work together and makes it uniquely your own. The thread is likely to represent your passions. Then market and sell the thread of vision rather than each category you work in. if you do this well, it will

I wrestle with my love of the still image and my impression that motion is taking over. Do you believe that still imagery continues to have a strong future?

You are obviously not alone on this one. Photographers all over the country are attempting to learn how to be filmmakers meaning learning the technology. It’s not the technology. It is all about learning how to tell differently structured stories. It is about continuity. Before learning the tech side, re-learn storytelling. Learn to make pictures that allow the viewer to participate. Read graphic novels.

I know of one top notch photographic novel being made by a woman in Brooklyn named Stevie Allweis. You can see her trailer at her Kickstarter site. The name of her project is Issness.

Search for some articles on storytelling and graphic novels at my blog heartstorming.com

It seems to me that the primary task necessary for success in photography in this day and age, is to get one’s work seen. Do you agree, and if so, do you have any suggestions for accomplishing that task?

The changes in the traditional still photography markets make it difficult to be seen and to develop relationships. Photographers need to find alternative markets. Not instead of what they presently do, but as an addition. Members of my Heartstorming Think Tank Team teleconferences have been exploring the healthcare fine art business. The group invested in creating a company called GlowArtworks.com, and we are doing amazing things. We are always looking for artists who believe that art may be healing, to visit GlowArtworks and contribute work.

What doesn’t matter?

Imitation. Repetition. Trying to second-guess the marketplace.

What is the most important thing?

Taking marketing and creative risks. Remember there will be mistakes. And that is good. I think it was Woody Allen who said, “If you get it right too much of the time, you must be doing something wrong.

All growth demands change. Change entails risk. And risk requires a temporary suspension of security.

I know you are passionate about painting, but do you engage in photography at all?

Most of my solo shows, although predominately painting, include some photography.

Abe Lincoln©IanSummers

What inspires you?

Change. Diversity. Gallery walks. The infinite number of ways to manifest love.

Photography as a career…optimistic or pessimistic?

Those who survive will be doing something new and different. I believe in people.

Ian Summers, Raconteur

Career Coach, Motivational Speaker, Workshop Presenter & Artist

145 South 11th Street -- Loft 4

Easton PA 18042

610-393-6816 cell

iansummers@heartstorming.com

http://heartstorming.com

http://heartstorming.com/redirection

http://iansummersartwork.com

http://glowartworks.com

Creativity Tips For Photographers

The creative process is vital for the success of photographers and is a skill that can be nurtured and strengthened.

Creativity Is Vital to our Success as Photographers

Creativity is vital to our success as photographers, whether we are shooting assignments, stock photos or weddings. It is creativity that allows us to make images that stand out, and our creativity that can take our marketing to the next level. But creativity can be elusive and fleeting as well. But there are some things we can do to recharge our creativity and get it flowing again.

Concrete Steps To Think Outside The Box

We often hear the phrases “think outside the box”, and “think different”. But the question is how do we think different or outside the box? What are some concrete steps we can take when we are in creative doldrums? There is no shortage of tips for being more creative, but here we will look at just a few techniques that work for me.

Think Like A Superhero

One simple but effective way to expand your ability to “think outside the box” is to think like someone else.  Are you in need of an idea for a portrait shoot…try thinking like a still life shooter, or ask yourself how Alfred Hitchcock would shoot it, or even a superhero like Batman. No kidding, trying to look at a problem from the perspective of another person really can trigger a new way of looking at things. You still want to put your own stamp on the image, you don’t want to copy someone else’s style, but you are letting the exercise stimulate a new way of looking at the given challenge.

Ask The Question Again

Another technique for stimulating creativity is to reformulate the problem, to ask the question again. In one study it was found that participants who were forced to re-conceptualize the problem numerous times came up with more creative solutions. If you are creating an image about teamwork play with the challenge. Can you create a teamwork image showing only one person? Can you portray teamwork with cats?

  

Believe In Your Own Creativity

Studies have also found that people who are told they are creative respond with more creativity. That also works when people tell themselves they are creative…so convince yourself, perhaps I should say remind yourself, that you are truly creative. Then get to work.

Creativity Is Work

Contrary to the belief of many, creativity is work. To make the above and other techniques more effective, keep these two simple tips in mind. First, intent is a powerful tool. I consider it to be the foundation of creativity. Set the intention to come up with ideas and then actively pursue them and you will be amazed at the results.  Secondly, write down every idea. Ideas are fleeting and no matter how much you think you will remember them, good or great ideas will disappear as quickly as they come. I almost always have a pen and notebook with me for those spontaneous, or not so spontaneous ideas. Secondly, Intent is a powerful tool. I consider it to be the foundation of creativity.

Intent, Effort And Results

Remember, we are all creative beings, and creativity tends to get crushed out of us when we are judged, judge ourselves and let fear take us over. But we can boost our creativity and use it to reach where we want to be in our lives and careers. It just takes intent and effort…effort that is well spent!

In Vigorous Pursuit of Creativity

To help stimulate your creativity explore opposites, imagine a twist; look at images in a different way. What is, for example, the dark side of social media?

An Ocean of Images, Monetary Gain, and Personal Satisfaction

Few things can be as rewarding for a photographer as the vigorous pursuit of creativity (love that phrase...read it in the latest issue of CA). Creativity is key to creating work that stands apart from the vast ocean of images and subsequently has value both in terms of monetary gain and in terms of personal satisfaction. Creativity is also extremely important in conducting business itself, in finding ways to get your work completed, in finding ways to get your work seen, and even in finding ways to get paid!

Maximizing Creativity

With the importance of creativity, the question arises: How can we increase and maximize our creative propensity? Is there a way to nurture and grow this all-important quality? If you Google that question, the answer is yes; and there are many theories about just how to do that. I have tried a number of approaches and will share the ones that seem to work for me.

Intention: The Most Important Step

The first and most important step to building your creative powers is to have the intent. While I have my doubts about a lot of new age practices, I do believe there is something very powerful about writing things down. For me, the first step towards creative empowerment is writing down my intention to build my creativity.  I go through phases where I will write down an affirmation that "I am a creative powerhouse with an infinite supply of new and potent ideas", or something like that. OK, I know it sounds a bit silly, but I do believe it works! Even better, write down how many ideas you will come up with. The more specific your ideas the better, even to the point of allocating ideas for images and ideas for building your business. I have to admit, I am a little sporadic with this process, but when I find I am running low on ideas, it is my first step to getting back on track.

Creativity, Judgment, and a Master List

Creativity is a muscle. It gets stronger with exercise. So the next step is to start coming up with ideas. Remember, judgment is the enemy of creativity. Don't judge your ideas yet, just come up with them, and write them down. I guarantee you that if you don't write your ideas down they will slip away, just like dreams do. I keep a notepad and pen with me at all times to record my ideas whether they are spontaneous or otherwise. I can't tell you how many times I have learned this lesson over and over again! Keep a master list of ideas that you never throw away. An idea that at first seems great can seem really stupid the next day, yet a week, a month, or even a year later it can rise to the top again, or generate another idea. I have learned to keep even my silliest ideas on paper (or in pixels).  Sometimes ideas that you just can't figure out how to do, or how to do economically, suddenly reveal themselves as simple executions when viewed after a lengthy time period.

Look at the Opposite, or Add a Twist

Another favorite exercise of mine is to view an interesting photo or image, mine or someone else's, it doesn't really matter, and see if I can either do the opposite, or add some twist to it. For the image above I pondered the hot topic of social media. The buzz is about the benefits of connectivity and visibility through social media networks. I made a conscious decision to explore the opposite of the benefits, to look at the dark side if you will. What came to mind was the possibility of having a lot of people pissed off at you. How could I illustrate that? Angry people’s faces, looking out at you from inside the computer, from the social media site; that would not only communicate the downside of social media, but also infuse it with humor as well.  It makes for a great counterpoint to the positive images of social media  that I have already created. It is surprising how often looking at the opposite side of an idea can take you in a new creative direction.

Rising above the Crowd

Creativity is your ticket to rising above the crowd (sourcing). It is something you can strengthen and cultivate. Set the intention to be more creative, practice coming up with ideas, write your ideas down, add a new twist or look for the opposites and give your ideas time to mature. If you make creativity a constant part of your life both your career, and your life as a whole, will improve.

CS5, Fear, Creativity and Success In Stock Photography

I believe that if I create photos that satisfy me creatively and fulfill a need in the market place, there will be buyers that value them enough to provide me with the money I need!

Now Everyone Can Do It....
A few nights ago I attended an Adobe presentation about Photoshop CS5. As I sat there watching them demonstrate new technologies that makes painstaking tasks into a snap I first felt a bit of despair that we are taking one more large stride towards making my hard-earned skills less unique. Each technological advance takes away the advantages that I have over newcomers and amateurs.  Each time the presenter showcased a new or improved tool the audience broke into applause, which I weakly joined, while inside I thought to my self  “Just great…now everyone can do it”. Luckily I managed to get out of that frame of mind before the evening was over.

New Technologies, A level Playing Field, and Fear

The technologies are indeed leveling the playing field of photography, particularly stock photography. They are making time-consuming and laborious tasks much faster and easier. And that really is a good thing.  I love that kind of progress when I am not caught up in fear…fear over increased competition and fear of change.  Getting into this place of fear is easy for most of us to do…and it is a deadly place. It leads us into inaction and a whole host of negative emotions. Negative emotions, among other things, are not particularly fun. I prefer to be an optimist because, if for no other reason, it is a lot more enjoyable! 

Shifted Thinking and Creativity

So rather than giving in to that fear the other night I made a conscious decision to shift my thinking.  I reminded myself that the ability to create images, that is, to do the technical work, has been decreasing in importance for years now as the technology takes over that burden. What is becoming ever more important is creativity. Creativity in everything from how we run our businesses to what ideas we come up with for our imaging projects.

The Importance of the Idea

A good sound grasp of the tools certainly is an advantage over a less disciplined approach, but isn’t the idea or concept that we are creating ultimately far more important? A great idea executed in a mediocre way is stronger than a mediocre idea executed with technical aplomb. At least I am proposing that that is the case in the world of stock photography.

Lost Momentum, Fun, and Productivity

If I get caught up in worrying about the competition I lose momentum, I have far less fun, and I am less productive. So I mentally shifted to thinking about all the cool things I can do with these new Photoshop improvements, how much easier my images will be to make. I reminded myself that the most important on-going project I have is to increase and hone my creativity.  I pictured some of the images I have on my to do list now…and how the new PS advancements will help me accomplish them.

Creatively Satisfying Images and Money

I left the presentation feeling excited and eager to dive into CS5, not because CS5 itself has been improved, but because it will help me create my images. I also left with a clear and strong mandate to work on becoming more creative and more imaginative. And I left with an understanding that more creativity and imagination will not only help my bottom line, but it will make the non-monetary rewards of my career that much more satisfying. I am not in stock photography just to make money, or to make more images like everyone else. Sure, those images will happen, and to some extent need to for cash flow reasons. However, one of the most important reasons I am a stock photographer is to be able to create images that are exciting and interesting for me . There is no doubt in my mind that if I can keep making images that are creatively satisfying for me, the money will take care of itself.

OK, off to install my new CS5 upgrade!

In Praise of Stock Agency Blend Images

Well, I guess it won't be exactly like this stock photo I shot in a Buenos Aires night club, but I am looking forward to seeing friends and getting a creative boost at the Blend Images Spring Creative Meeting.

A Day of Creative Presentations
In the interest of fairness I have to disclose that I am a part owner of Blend Images, a stock photo agency that I am about to praise. Tomorrow I am flying to Palm Springs to participate in a day of creative presentations (Saturday) by Blend Images for its photographers. Besides iStock, are there still any agencies that put on events for their contributors?  I really look forward to these events. Stock photography can be a isolating career, so it is great to meet face-to-face with my peers, trade shop talk (O.K. little gossip too), strategies and what is going on in our lives. Trust me, this is better than Facebook!

A Creative Event, Creative Direction, And Rising Sales
In addition to putting on a once-a-year creative event, Blend Images also gives each shooter a ton of creative direction, access to an art director, an online forum, daily info on their sales, and a whole lot more.  Blend is small enough to be nimble and responsive to both clients and photographers alike. Working with Blend feels like how it should be. And maybe the best part of all, my sales are going up (of course, I don’t know if that is true for everyone)!

Big Sales Still Do Happen
Blend Images truly is a stock photo agency run by photographers (even our CEO, Rick Becker-Leckrone, is a shooter) for photographers.  It was founded by twenty-four stock shooters and now has a roster of over a hundred contributing members. It prides itself on transparency and accessibility. Oh yeah, and don't forget those sales! As I mentioned, you can log on to the contributor site and check your daily sales. When I logged on this morning, to my pleasant surprise, one of my associate photographers had a Rights Managed sale for over $3,000.00 (Blend handles Rights Managed, Royalty Free, and a new collection, Boost, which is a mid-level offering between RF and Micro). That is $3,000.00 to the photographer! Yes, big sales do still happen!

Blend Images, Getty, Corbis and SuperStock
While I still contribute to Getty, Corbis, and now SuperStock (of which Blend Itself a part owner) as well, I consider Blend Images to be a cornerstone to my business. They are a vital part of my program to diversify (Blend has over 200 sub-agents world-wide including Getty, Corbis and so forth). Blend now represents half of my income and, considering they just started five years ago, and I have been shooting stock for twenty years. That's pretty impressive!

An Ethnically Diverse, Tight Edited Collection
Blend is, in a sense, a niche agency. It specializes in ethnically diverse business and lifestyle imagery. It has a tightly edited collection so as not to waste the time of those looking for that kind of content, and lets face it, everyone wants that kind of content! In fact, a blend is what our world is becoming (a shout out to Shalom Ormsby, one of our founders, for coming up with a great name). OK, maybe I am getting a bit carried away here, but suffice it to say that I am really looking forward to the next couple of days, of meeting some shooters I have only corresponded with over the Internet, of getting some great and relevant creative direction, and of inundating myself with my fellow stock photographers! What fun!

The Importance Of Play In Stock Photography

This unique image of a hand shake, symbolizing "sealing the deal", "Teamwork" and "Agreement", is a direct result of just "playing", shooting for the fun of it rather than with a goal in mind.

Letting Go Of Preconceptions
At least once a week, usually more often, I will take some time to experiment without any preconceived idea of where I am going to end up. This might entail grabbing my camera and heading out to the Marin Headlands, or walking alongside the bay in Sausalito.  It might mean setting the camera to "B" and spinning crazily around as I shoot city lights at night, or it might mean trying to shoot everything out of focus. It means letting go of preconceptions and just playing with my photography.

Playing With No Goal In Mind
My experimenting can also take the form of sitting down at my computer and perusing my files to see what might catch my eye. When an image does catch my eye I open it up and start playing with it. Playing with it by perhaps trying Photoshop filters, or finding other images to combine with it, or freaking out the curves. Just playing to see where it takes me, with no particular goal in mind.  As often as not it leads me to something interesting which, in turn, will trigger another idea, and the next thing you know, I have a new and fresh stock image or even series of images.

Playing Is Vital To Creativity
Sometimes, after several hours of "playing", but not getting anywhere, I will start feeling a sense of urgency, like I need to be succeeding.  When I catch myself feeling that I stop, take a deep breath, and remind myself that hey, I'm a stock shooter, I am earning money at that very moment, and I not only can afford to "play", “playing” is vital to my creativity; vital to my success as a stock photographer!

Routine, Spontaneity, Consistency And Novelty
In addition to "play time", I need routine and I need spontaneity, I need consistency and I need novelty. I need routine and consistency, self-discipline, to be productive, to turn my ideas in to photographic realities. Without routine, without self-discipline, it is far too easy to get caught up in all of those small tasks ranging from paying bills to surfing the net, that can consume our time so relentlessly. As part of my routine I reserve mornings for creating and submitting images, and afternoons for dealing with less “productive” tasks…and then reward myself for completion of those tasks by getting back to creating images. But I need to break my routines, to play and to explore with no pressure to achieve, in order to come up with fresh and interesting ideas.

Pushing Creative Boundaries
One of the things that makes stock photography so interesting for me, and in it’s highest form one of the most creative of endeavors, is that there is so much freedom to play and explore, unrestrained by the restrictions and limitations imposed by client and corporate needs. It is almost our duty as stock shooters to push the boundaries of creativity and to lead the commercial photography world to new and interesting places. It is certainly vital to our continued success as stock photographers to push those creative boundaries…and to do that we can’t forget play.