Dangerous Moments In Stock Photography

Dangerous Moments in Photography

I have been lucky. I have seldom been hurt during a shoot. But there have been some close calls, and, yes, I have suffered a few injuries. This is the story of one of those injuries, and let it be a warning and a wake up call to all my fellow photographers.

It began innocently enough. I was given a chance to beta test a software/hardware interface for shooting with a Phantom HD, a high speed video camera, by GVS Systems. It was a chance I couldn't refuse, as those puppies run about $5,000.00 a day to rent (with comparable software and hardware set ups). I arranged to work with friend and fellow photographer David Fischer. We were shooting in David's studio, a spacious, South of Market concrete building in San Francisco.

It had been a long day. We had covered a lot of ground shooting everything from tossing salads to water splashes to even balloons filled with propane gas. I had a near miss that morning when my first attempt at igniting a balloon filled with propane flared up a tad more vigorously than I had planned, but there were no lingering ill effects save for the smell of burned hair that permeated the studio through the rest of the day.

No, my injury didn't come from playing with propane. It was, as I have mentioned, at the end of the day. We were doing the last shoot (isn't always the last shoot?). It was an extreme close up of a soda can...and I was opening the pop top. Can you picture in ultra slow motion (1000 frames per second) the top being pulled off, the blast of spray and fizz, followed by a surge of frothing liquid? Not! The first shot produce a mere wisp of vapor. For the second attempt I shook the can before opening. A hiccup of vapor and a few bubbles popped out. Hmmmm, this time I shook the can more vigorously and even pounded it a couple of times on the counter top. Now we were getting somewhere! A healthy spritz of foam followed by a small geyser of foam bubbling out.

Now part of the problem was that I hadn't really anticipated the soda shot. It was just something we thought of at the last moment. We only had a few cans, and now only one was left. This one had to be good. No, it had to be great! I shook the can, then I shook it some more. I pounded it on the counter. I squatted down to the floor and pounded it on the hard concrete.

Suddenly, the can sprang a leak! Our last can! But there was still time! I leapt to my feet in an attempt to get the can in position and rip off the top. Well, I tried to leap to my feet. Instead, my feet slipped on the floor, slick from the stream of fluid shooting from the ruptured can. Now it wasn't the camera shooting in slow motion, but rather my vision of myself as my momentum brought me to a waist high horizontal position, where it felt like I hung for just a moment, before slamming to the floor. I lay there, struggling to catch my breath, half wondering how many bones I had broken and half being aware of the wetness spreading across my body from the still spurting can.

Hey, it hurt like hell and it took me three days before I could walk comfortably again!

Generosity, Attitude And Possibility

A little over a week ago somebody parked their trailer in the parking spaces alongside my studio. They are public spaces, but I still felt a little put upon. I really didn’t want someone’s trailer being stored there. Apparently I wasn’t the only one as the property manager dropped in on me and asked if I knew anything about the trailer. I told her I didn’t, and was about to add my own complaints about the trailer, but decided that, as the trailer really wasn't hurting anything, I would just keep my complaint to myself. I just decided to let it go.

The next day as I walked out of the studio and glanced over at the trailer I thought to myself “what a good looking little trailer”. Then it hit me what a great stock photo I could create around it. The trailer is one of those small shiny aluminum Airstream numbers, in essence, a giant mirror. Where it was parked wouldn’t work for my photography. I decided to keep an eye out for the owners.

The next morning I saw someone was working on the trailer. I introduced myself, complimented them on their trailer, and asked what they were doing. They were very enthusiastic in telling me about how they were preparing it for their upcoming trip to Burning Man. I asked if I could shoot the trailer for a stock photo, and they assured me it would be no problem. When it came time for them to move the trailer I had them pull it out and line it up for me so that it matched the lighting for the background that I wanted to put it into.

The Airstream trailer has a cool factor that would make it key for my image. I could put the trailer into a vast empty plain to illustrate a concept like “solitude”, I could put it in front of a tropical beach to illustrate “getting away from it all”, or I could place the trailer in an urban environment to illustrate concepts such as “ideas” or “bizarre”.

Eventually I will end up using this trailer photograph in a myriad of ways. I couldn’t have asked for an easier set-up. I only had to step out of my office door a few feet to get the shot, spent no time scouting for the trailer, and didn’t have to spend any money. The important point in this story is really about generosity, attitude and possibilities. I started off with a sort of antagonistic attitude that really benefited no one. When I changed my attitude, when I became a bit more generous in that attitude, then the doors opened up for my ideas and creativity.

A Targeted Approach To Stock Photography

We stock shooters are facing some huge challenges, and things certainly aren’t as easy as they used to be. But opportunities still exist. To succeed we need to be targeted. We have to know our target audience, know how we can reach them, and know our unique strengths that make our work right for that market. There are a number of photographers and stock entities that we can turn to for inspiration.

I look at the work of Colin Anderson and can’t believe that he won’t continue to do well. He knows whom he wants to reach…the image buyers who recognize quality and have the money and willingness to pay appropriately for it. Colin is creating images that others without his creativity and DRIVE just can’t. He has learned how to use 3D and combine it with photography to create his unique vision.

Dan Heller takes an entirely different approach. He also knows whom he is trying to reach and how to do it, and is being rewarded for his work. Dan leverages his unique knowledge and insights into SEO, the Internet, and sound business practices to bring his images, and those who want them, together.

Blend Images is another inspiration. Blend has identified a niche, the celebration of ethnic diversity, and is not only serving that niche well, they are also providing their photographers with unmatched resources and a great community. Blend is thriving for its efforts.

On the Micro side you have the example of Yuri Arcurs who has the vision, work ethic, and organizational skills to become a stock photo powerhouse. Not everyone is suited to the kind of phenomenal output (while maintaining quality) that Yuri manages to accomplish, but Yuri has mastered it.

Tom Grill is a master at determining where the holes are in the stock agencies and then filling the holes with amazing efficiency. He understands and exploits the data from his sales reports in order to pinpoint exactly where he needs to put his energies in order to maximize his profit.

The point is that there are many different ways to succeed in stock photography. As individuals and companies we each have to know our own strengths, know who our market is, and figure out how to match our strengths to that market. We then must have the drive and perseverance to follow through on that effort. What are you best at? How can you distinguish your work from that of others? Who is the most suitable market for that work? How can you best distribute to that market? Answer those questions and the rest is just elbow grease and belief in your self.

Is it Still Viable To Make A Living In Stock Photography

As I was coming out of Whole Foods tonight with six small red potatoes and two salmon (farmed) filets, I ran into a young photographer whom I had first met about a week ago at a local photography event. He is familiar with my stock photo work and had a question for me. His question, “Is it still viable to get into stock photography?”

Simple question, and the simple answer is “yes”. But there is a huge caveat there! I used to encourage everyone I met to get into stock photography. I still think it is an awesome career choice, but now I have a very difficult time encouraging people to get into it. Earning a good living at stock photography is definitely harder now than it used to be. So what determines whether or not you will succeed at it?

I think you can boil it down to three factors; Desire, openness and perseverance. Let’s look at desire first. A few nights ago I was feeling pretty fed up with working. I calculated how many hours I put into work. Generally speaking, I average 73 hours a week. No wonder I was feeling fed up! That number even surprised me. I have been shooting stock since 1989 and shooting nothing but stock for at least seven years. And here I still am putting those kinds of hours in. Good thing I love doing the work. While I don’t necessarily believe that other people have to put the same number of hours in that I do, I do believe that it takes more hours than you would put in if you had a 9 to 5 job. You have to want to succeed in this business badly enough to put in the hours, and to do all the things that aren’t fun. Those un-fun things will be different things to different people. For me, bookkeeping, finding models and locations, entering metadata, and trouble shooting computers are part of what I would really prefer to not have to do. But do them I do.

Openness might be something that you haven’t thought of as a requirement for success in stock, but it is one of the most important qualities. You can get a lot further a lot faster in this business if you are open to hearing what others in the business have to say. It is a constant struggle for me to put aside my own beliefs and hear what art directors and creative directors have to say. What they have to say about what needs to be shot and how it needs to be shot. I have to be open to hearing what people have to say about my work and how to improve it. When Jack Hollingsworth and Shalom Ormsby both told me I should be blogging…I really didn’t want to do it. But I listened, and now I actually am enjoying it. It isn’t easy being open to all the changes going on in stock, but if you want to thrive and prosper, you have to.

Perhaps the most important quality of all is perseverance. This business takes time, and a lot of it. Not only does every aspect of it take time, but there will be discouragements too. As a matter of fact, I got one today…I got my Getty Sales report. Let’s not think about that right now. While time to market in many cases has increased exponentially, some agencies can still take months to get your images up, and additional months to collect and distribute royalties. With many of my RM images have seen sales take off after as much as two or in a couple of cases, three years before the first sale! Your going to have your work senselessly rejected, get ridiculously small sales, and experience insane income fluctuations, but you have to take it all in stride and stay focused on creating great work, relevant to the market, and working like crazy to get that work in front of those who need it.

There are many different ways to make it work. People succeed at Micro, at RM and at RR. They make money with stills and with video. Some produce volumes of work and others produce jewels. There is a way that will work for you if you have the desire, the openness, and the perseverance.

Landing On Your Feet In Tough Times

There are a couple of principles that I have built my photography business around, principles that just might help you land on your feet in tough times. Those principles are: Basing my business around income producing assets and multiple income streams. Long ago I made a conscious decision to focus on producing images that would bring in a continuing revenue stream. Later, when I got involved in the greeting card industry, I realized that it would also be a good idea to diversify my photography to generate a separate income stream.

For a time my income streams included assignments, stock and what is called paper products. Paper products covers products that have your photos imprinted on them and can range from coffee mugs and mouse pads to greeting cards and calendars. When creating my Animal Antics images, pets in anthropomorphic poses and situations, I have generally tried to keep the paper product rights myself. The idea is that I can get royalties from the distributors of products which can generate considerably more income than if the same images were licensed for a one time fee through a stock agency.

While I am still keeping the stock and paper products income streams going, I haven’t done an assignment in years. Now I am adding an additional income stream through advertising on my site. Right now that is in the form of Google click-through ads. Eventually it may include other advertising.

A lot of my fellow photographers question my wisdom on including advertising on my site, but I really think the potential of the advertising out weighs the relatively unobtrusive Google ads. I also believe, especially since I am not seeking assignment work, that if someone is looking to fill a particular image need, and they find a suitable image on my site, the advertising isn’t going to bother them. Time will tell.

Another venture I am currently undertaking is adding a video component to my stock (see video below). A side benefit from undertaking the video is learning new skills. While initially very reticent, I am now enjoying learning Final Cut Pro and am starting to think a little more in the way of motion. Another plus is my enjoyment of collaborating with others in undertaking video projects.

All of us photographers need to at least be aware of what alternate income streams might be available to us. Just taking a quick mental survey of photographers I personally know actually brings up quite a few possibilities. I know of one photographer who does quite well leading photo tours to exotic locations. Subsidized, income-producing stock sorties…not a bad gig if you can swing it! Another photographer I know supplements his income with weekend seminars in his field of expertise. Still others are offering online education.

Many additional income streams can be set up to be minimally intrusive on your time. Selling prints through a company like Imagekind, retail products through Cafepress or Zazzle, or even the aforementioned Google ads, are good examples. A word of caution though, doing a thorough job of setting up a program with a company like CafePress, or even Imagekind, does require a lot of upfront time.

A final word about finding supplemental income streams. My experience has been that any time I push myself beyond my normal zone of comfort it has been a positive experience. When you add up the benefits, additional income, insurance against market fluctuations, and acquiring new skills, well, the effort is bound to help you land on your feet!

Unexpected Revelations of Beauty and Grace

I have spent the last week learning Final Cut Pro and getting started editing some 500+ clips shot with the Phantom HD high-speed video camera. The camera can shoot 1000 frames a second at HD resolutions. The results can be truly mesmerizing. Thankfully, editing the clips for stock is relatively simple. Nonetheless, learning to use “four point garbage mattes”, 3-way color correction filters, and Time Lines has been a bit challenging. But all of it is worthwhile when I get to view a few seconds of unexpected beauty and grace. For one such moment check out the video at the bottom of this post.

The opportunity to shoot with the Phantom came about because over the years I have had a close working relationship with GVS systems, a Leading developer and manufacturer of ruggedized digital video recorders and media management for the aerospace, broadcast, defense, digital cinema, post production, and sports worlds. They needed a beta tester for an elegant solution they have come up with for the challenges of shooting with the Phantom. Their software/hardware solution (GVS9000 2XU 444 VTR) is capable of dealing with the huge quantities of data captured by the camera (32 gigabytes every 4 seconds) in a simple and efficient way.

This was demonstrated to me dramatically when I went on line and checked for alternate Phantom workflows. In one forum I read this:

Download the cine files to harddrive and use Gluetools (Mac) / Phantom Control Software (PC) to mov file in lower resolution workable format for offline. Once edit is locked use Iridas FrameCycler Pro / SpeedGrade HD to conform the edl with Cine files. Iridas products can access cine files directly. The other option is using Gluetools you can relink the offline files with Cine files and then directly export as DPX log frames (settings needs to be done in system preference based on various options and choice) and then take back to Color Grading and output your work to TV / Film.

Phew! I am reminded of what a novice I truly am…and how simple the world of stock clips is. With the GVS workflow we captured the scene, then were able to view the results within seconds at whatever frame rate we wanted. If we liked those results, we “clicked” on “capture” and the raw footage was converted to Pro Res QuickTime movies and saved to the hard drive on the fly, again in only a few seconds. Now I am editing those QuickTime movies in Final Cut pro.

The simple workflow allowed us to focus on coming up with and capturing what David Fischer, the photographer I was collaborating with, called the “unexpected revelation”. Over the coming weeks, I will combine learning Final Cut Pro with narrowing those 500 clips down to the fifty or sixty best. Those clips will then be submitted to stock agencies and go up on my site.

I am not sure yet how large a role video will play in my stock future. But this brief foray is proving alluring. I have enjoyed collaborating with other photographers in the shooting stage. Learning Final Cut, while a bit challenging, does feel good. I guess if I could shoot with that Phantom all the time it would be a no brainer. It feels more akin to the concept images I make in stills…and when we find one of those “revelations”, well, it just doesn’t get much better than that!

A Knock Your Socks Off Stock Photo

A Knock Your Socks Off Stock Photo

It is always exciting for me when I come up with an image idea that doesn’t seem to have been done before, and that is relevant to the market. I no longer remember when I first had the idea to create a “Knock your socks off” image, but the idea was rekindled when my girlfriend, Stephanie, was showing me how she could flex her toes. I checked on Getty and Corbis and didn’t see any similar imagery. This is potentially a really great stock image. It is a concept stock photo that can be applied to any product or service, or even to something as generic as a sale. The image has humor going for it. Funny pictures can be powerful attention grabbers. The photo is simple, a quick read, and has an “iconic” place in our culture. Another side benefit of an image like this one is the relative inexpensive nature of creating it.

The big decision for me was whether to have a “dust” cloud showing to emphasize that the socks are being “blown” off of the feet. There was also some question as to whether the toes should be articulated so much. Ultimately I decided that the dust clouds would help make the message more obvious, and that the articulated toes added to the humor.

The shoot was simple; I had Stephanie sit on the edge of a table and flex her toes. I lit her feet with a beauty dish above the camera and a soft box behind and on either side. I used Profoto 7B flash units. I filled a pair of socks with bubble wrap and positioned them on a light stand. I used the same lighting set-up as with Stephanie’s feet, and fired off a few frames. To create the dust cloud I used some face powder that had been left in my studio at some point. I created a pile of it on a piece of white foam core, then sprayed the pile with canned air with one hand while shooting with a Canon 1ds MKIII in the other. Not really a recommended technique, but it worked. Of course, my studio smelled like face powder for a week!

I used the pen tool to create clipping paths around both the feet and socks, then converted the paths into selections. I created a new “canvas”, then pasted the feet into place. Next I brought in the socks and sized and positioned them. I brought in two of the dust shots and created layer masks to fade them away into the background. I then duplicated the feet layers and dragged those new layers to the top. The next step was to create layer masks to hide the new feet layers, then I used white “paint’ with the airbrush to create the illusion that the feet were showing through the dust clouds.

All in all, it only took a few hours to put the photograph together. The final question is whether the image should be a Rights Managed image, or a Royalty Free one. I finally decided that I would stick with RM on this one. An image like this one will probably do equally well in either model, but my ego tends towards Rights Managed, and that’s how this “blow your socks” off image ended up.