Photography: In The Path Of Change

Dealing with change is always difficult, especially when your crystal ball isn't clear!

A Monochromatic Experience
I am going to age myself here. Way back in the summer of 1969, when I was seventeen years old, I spent almost three months on a student tour of Europe. As part of that tour se spent several weeks behind the Iron Curtain, including two weeks in the Soviet Union. Towards the end all of us were depressed. When we crossed the border into Finland we suddenly knew why. In the Soviet Union all the cars were black. There was very little of anything in the way of consumer goods, at least compared to what we were used to. But as soon as we crossed that border there was color, there was choice, and there was vibrancy. The people we met in Russia were wonderful, but compared to the West our experience, at that time, was monochromatic.

Microstock And A Lack Of Variety

I am reminded of that Iron Curtain experience when searching on microstock sites. There are some amazing microstock photographers...and there are some truly awesome photos. But on the whole there is sameness, a lack of variety…and if you don’t believe me search “Business Concepts” on iStockphoto.com, then do the same on GettyImages.com.

Image Buyers, Microstock And Potential
I am unhappy that the image buyers who frequent microstock sites are not seeing my images. I have just a taste of the potential of that market in the returns I am seeing with images I have in The Agency Collection. The Agency Collection is a collection of images that appear on both the Getty sites and on iStockphoto.com, but at RF prices. My early returns are encouraging to say the least, and it whets my appetite to tap into that huge microstock market.

Microstock Prices, Huge Amounts of Money, And The Agency Collection
Even at microstock prices some of the better selling microstock images are making huge amounts of money, and the success of The Agency Collection indicates that a significant number of buyers are willing to spend more money on images that really meet their needs…something also borne out by the success of the higher-priced (than traditional stock) Vetta collection. Yes, I know that iStockphoto.com has lost a lot of traffic due to their higher prices, but again, the anecdotal evidence I have from the shooters I actually know is that their income has gone up.

All Of The Buyers And All Of The Imagery
I am really looking forward to when we can reach all the buyers with all of the imagery at all of the price points. I desperately want that microstock audience to have the option of seeing and licensing my RM imagery as well as all of my RF imagery. I also think that it would behoove microstock shooters to be participating in traditional stock photography models.

Photography In The Path Of Change

Change, as they say, is constant, and resisting change is a good way to go down in flames. The stock photography market has changed and is changing. Microstock, which was the change is now in the path of change. Both traditional and microstock shooters need to stay open to change.  How to stay open to change and to deal with that change is certainly a challenge for me, and I am doing my best to deal with it. I hope my best is good enough!

The Stock Photo Image Glut And Making A Living

A tidal wave of photos are flooding into the stock photo market and the Internet.

Huge Increases In Stock Photographs

Jim Pickerell reports that in a little over a year the number of images available on stock sites has increased by over 41% (see his full article here: http://www.selling-stock.com.  There are now more than 375,000 individuals, world-wide, who are creating and contributing stock photos. Of course, this doesn’t count the number of images being added on flickr, and other non-commercial photo sharing sites.

Making A Living At Stock Photography

One would think that with those mind-numbing numbers that it would be pretty much impossible to make a living at stock photography anymore. Certainly Jim believes that.  Yet, when I take a quick look around, the majority of the stock shooters that I know personally are surviving (though not all are exactly thriving). There are also cases of individuals who are thriving and who have broken in recently and are doing well. While I am too lazy to go back and find out who those individuals are so that I can share them with you, they do exist. I do know that in the case of a photographer who contributes through me, his income has consistently grown over the last several years…and that continues. I am holding my own, up some months, down others, but overall still doing well…and that is without creating tons of new images.

Three Years Of Uploading And Six Thousand Images

As long as we are talking large numbers of images, I have kind of reached a milestone as well. Today I uploaded my six-thousandth image onto my website. Phew! Three years of uploading! I only have about a thousand left to do…not counting images I create from here forward (and the images my associate photographers create).

A Thousand Unique Visitors A Day

I don’t believe that one has to create thousands of images to do well in stock. You have to create images that sell well and figure out how to get them seen. My own efforts to get additional eyeballs on my images (and the images of my associate shooters) is both encouraging and discouraging. After three years I am getting roughly a thousand unique visitors a day to my site. Far below the number I thought I would have by now. But on the positive side, I am making sales because of that traffic as well as earning a bit of adwords income, some Cafepress.com income and print sales through imagekind.com. 

Website Work, SEO And Creating New Images

On the down side, the amount of work I have put into the web site, and SEO, would have earned far more income for me, at this point, had I put that effort into creating new images.  I am not exaggerating here either!  I would say, conservatively, I and my webmaster (my twin brother), have put in an average of three-hours a day, six days a week, for three years now.   Arrgh! And yet I still believe that long-term, I will be glad I did this.

Make Images And Get Them Distributed

Stock photography, at least as a contributor, is really a very simple business. Make images, get them distributed. Of course, you can go the Yuri Arcurs route and conquer the world, but you have to have a lot more motivation than I do! My stock efforts are more of a plodding nature, just working at a steady pace creating images that I enjoy. My expenses are incredibly low. I have no employees, a moderate studio (that I actually don’t even need, but do enjoy) and only shoot about once a month. I do have the advantage of having been creating stock photos for over twenty years which provides me with an ongoing income stream that would be hard to duplicate if I started all over again now…and affords me the pleasure of working at a pace that doesn’t stress me.

The Secret Of Success

Getting back to those numbers, yeah, there are a lot of images out there and if you think too much about that you might give up before you get going. And yet, there are success stories. People are making it work, and doing so in a wide variety of ways. The secret of success, if there is one, is in finding a way that really works for you, a way that you enjoy enough to forget how much hard work you are doing!

Riding A Rhinoceros And WTF Stock Photos

WTF? Sometimes images, such as this businessman riding a rhino in a corporate office setting, doesn't have to make sense to be an effective stock photo.

WTF Stock Photos

I often espouse the importance of creating images that are needed in the market place, images that have a clear concept. But I also like to punctuate my work with the occasional WTF! image.  These are “Why” stock photos…as in why would I make that image and what the heck is the message or concept? Who is going to use it and for what?

Images I Enjoy Making

My WTF images are ones that I enjoy making and enjoy looking at. They are ideas that intrigue me enough that I violate my rule of making images with clear messages. The idea behind them is that if they are interesting enough then art directors, designers and art buyers will use their creativity to figure out how to use the images. Further, if they live up to my expectations they will stop a viewer and compel them to read the copy…, which after all is pretty much the job of a stock photo.

Versatile Compositions And Making Images Usable

I created a versatile composition that can be cropped as a square, horizontal, or vertical. Something pointed out to me by Rahul Pathak of Lookstat (which offers a great way to analyze your sales), is that in an increasingly Internet world horizontal images have an advantage, but I don’t want to eliminate potential magazine covers or other vertical uses either. There is also room for headlines, copy and inset photos. I always try and eliminate all the variables that I can that can make the image unusable for a given situation. 

A Difficult Image For Art Directors To Use

Because this image, in my opinion, is a difficult one for art directors and designers to use, and because it did take a fare amount of work to create, I believe it should be a Rights Managed image. I am certainly not afraid to put images that take a lot to create into Royalty Free, but the chance of this image being used a lot strikes me as slim, and at the same time my gut tells me that there are entities out there that are willing to pay a decent price to use the image. Time will tell on that one.

How Can This Image Be Used?

So just how can this image be used? I can see a headline that says something to the effect of “Does Your Sales Team Have The Right Tools?”. This type of outrageous visual can be used as an example of what not to do in order to bring attention to what should, or could, be going on.

Getty Images, Rights Managed And Blogs

To sum it up, I have now submitted this “WTF” image to my editor at Getty Images with the hope that it is accepted for one of their Rights Managed collections. If someone sees it as a result of this blog and wants to license…so much the better (hey, it actually does happen)!

Creating Concept Stock Photos On Voting

A sky of brewing storm clouds represents change; Add the voting machine and you have a stock photo of change through the ballot box and similar ideas.


Stormy Skies, Money, The Flag And Voting Images

In this photo blog post I will finish what I started with my previous post on creating “voting” images. At this point I have now finished a total of four images, which for me is a pretty typical effort and approach to a given topic or shoot for stock photography. The three new voting images I am covering here are all of the same voting machine, but in three different situations. The first is against a stormy sky, the second is with money (one dollar bills) pouring out of it, and the third is against a sunrise and American flag.

Stormy Skies And Promises Of Change

Because one of the primary, and seemingly endless, promises from our wily politicians is of how they will bring about “change”, and the ideas that change through the use of the ballot box is a good thing, I wanted to create a voting stock photo that could center around the idea of change.  Having the voting machine situated against a sky that has half storm and have clearing seems to work on several levels. Depending on the headline and body copy employed, the image can illustrated change for the better, change for the worse, and change by the ballot box.

Voting For Change

To create the picture of  “voting for change” I used three different sky photographs layering them together and using layer mask to blend them together. Next I simply used the pen tool to silhouette the voting machine and paste it into the sky composite (I photographed the voting machine in my studio). I tried to composite the image in such a way that it can work as a vertical, square, or horizontal crop with plenty of room for headlines and body copy.  When I photographed the voting machine I used relatively flat lighting, bouncing a single strobe head off of the ceiling directly over the machine. That had the added benefit of giving the impression that there is light eminating from with in the voting machine…which adds a subtle “power” to the machine and therefore to the importance and strength of the “vote”.

Introducing the element of money to a voting machine opens the door for concepts such as corruption, buying votes, and lobbyist excesses.


Money Flowing And Political Corruption

Next I wanted to address the negative aspects of our political process; the influence of money. For this image I just needed money flowing out of the voting machine. The introduction of dollars flowing form the machine can then illustrate everything from political bribery, to buying votes, the influence of lobbyists. The resulting image can be about buying votes, or making money off of the political process. Again, the photo has a clear message when combined with the right copy, and is ambiguous enough to fit many needs. Creating this image was simple enough. I found the money image in my archives from another shoot, the sky from my collection of sky images, and the same voting booth (or machine) pictures already pen-tooled and selected, to paste into the scene. I also pen-tooled the money and pasted it into place. Voila! Electoral Corruption!

Corny, yes...but it will sell! This American Flag/Voting machine image speaks of patriotism, getting out the vote, and the duty and privilege of participating in a democracy.
A “Corny” Image People Will License

The final image is testimony to a couple of things. First, that I am not above making “corny” images, and secondly, that I am open enough to admit it!  This image of an American flag, a sunrise (or sunset), and the voting machine is all about getting out the vote, the duty and privilege of voting, and so forth, not to mention a blatant appeal to those easily fired up over patriotism. Yes, it is corny as hell, but I bet people license it!

The American Flag And Getting Out The Vote

To create my “Patriotic” getting out the vote image I simple photographed the flag, pen-tooled it to create a selection, then copied and pasted it into my sunrise image (interestingly enough, the sunrise actually happened in Mongolia). I then used a layer mask to fade the flag into, or out of, the sunrise image. Once again I pasted in the voting machine picture and played with the composition until I was happy I had a versatile image.  It was interesting to me that while I was making this image I was both cringing at the image itself, but also enjoying seeing it come together.

Voting Images And Time For A Change

After three days of voting images I am ready for a change! Now it is back to my “idea list” to see what else I can come up with. There still may be another few voting images in me, but I will wait until I talk to my editor at Blend before committing to any more of those. That brings to mind another of my favorite things about stock photography. If I want to stop and turn to other things…no problem! Now who wouldn’t vote for that?

Stock Photo Project: Voting Images

An elephant and a donkey serve to represent democrats and republicans in this humorous political stock photo.

A Request For Voting Images

My editor at Blend Images recently asked me to come up with some images centered around elections. I agreed, not so much because I think there is a lot of money to be made, but as a part owner of Blend I do think it is important to be supportive of the company. I think that at least some of you readers out there might be interested in my process, and so beginning with this post I am going to share this project with you.

Donkeys, Elephants And Politics

These days one of the critical aspects of creating images for me is finding ones that I am actually interested in doing. I have gotten too old, complacent and persnickety to spend any significant time on images I am not into. Oh well….  My first task, then, is (was) to come up with some ideas.  A while back I had created an image of a donkey and an elephant in a face off as a political stock photo. That one I had submitted to Corbis. But the idea of using a donkey and elephant seemed like a good starting point for me.  The ideas that came readily to me included a Donkey and Elephant voting, with their rear-ends protruding through the curtains of voting booths, and an elephant and a donkey debating on stage.

Voting Machines And Cool Images

Next I asked myself what are issues surrounding elections? Politicians on the stump all seem to be advocating change? How could I show that? It struck me that one of those collapsible voting booths, show against a sky that is changing from light and upbeat to stormy and dark could well communicate the concept...and look cool as well. Another idea that popped into my head was to show such a voting machine with money pouring out of it. OK, none of these ideas are going to set the world on fire…but for whatever reason, perhaps because I thought I could at least make them look cool, I decided to get to work. More ideas would probably come as I progressed.

Donkeys And Elephants In Voting Booths

I started with the donkey and elephant in the voting booths. I found the elephant I needed in my archives from a shoot in Thailand. The donkey image is actually one that my partner, Stephanie, shot in a zoo.  I "Googled" voting booths to get a sense of what they look like. Most of the ones with curtains used red, white and blue striped cloth. Being the stingy dude I am, I pulled out an American Flag I have and photographed it in the necessary configurations to use as curtains. I used a Hue and Saturation layer to turn every other red layer into a blue one. I used the pen tool to create a clipping path (and then selections) around the parts of the flag shots I needed, then used the liquefy filter and transform>distort to create the curtains in the positions I needed. I also photographed one of those collapsible voting stations. I used the legs from the station in combination with the flag shots to create my voting booths.

Elephants, Donkeys, Photoshop And Reflections

Next I used the pen tool to create selections around the donkey and elephant, then used “Refine Edges” to deal with the fur.  I also photographed a local gymnasium figuring it would be a good background for voting booths.  I put the images together, then duplicated parts of the animals and the legs of the voting booths, flipped them vertically, added layer masks, and faded the flipped images away, creating “reflections” on the floor.

Lose the Gym, Add White And On To The Next Image

When I finished the image the gym just didn’t work for me. It seemed too busy. I added a white background layer above the gym layer to see what would happen. I really liked it! It looks like the voting booths and animals were shot on white plex. Having the image on white makes it easy and versatile for people to use.  One down…a bunch to go! I will cover the next image in a future blog.

Crafting A Concept Travel Stock Photo

Going through my "Idea" folder of images resulted in this composite image illustrating travel concepts.

My Next Project And An “Ideas” Folder

Sometimes I find myself in front of my computer, having just completed an image, or series of images, but before having had a chance to figure out my next project, and still wanting to create a new stock photo.  At those times I turn to my “Ideas” folder.

Interesting Images With No Immediate Use

My “Ideas” folder is one in which I put interesting images, that I don’t really know what to do with, as I edit shoots or run across them looking for composite parts.  In that folder you can find patterns, portraits, background images, interesting light experiments, landscapes…whatever images strike my fancy, but that I don’t have an immediate use for. 

Perusing Photos And Finding Solutions

A few days ago I found myself in just such a situation…between projects but wanting to jump into making an image. As I perused the photos an image of light reflecting off of water caught my eye. A use for this image  (probably from a swimming pool shoot…but one that I no longer remember) has long eluded me.   This time, however, I believe I came up with a solution…or two.

Stronger Concepts And Multiple Uses

I could have submitted the image as a background image pretty much as it was, but I really wanted to take it to another level. What I was looking for was another image I could use as a reflection in the water and that would make for a stronger concept… one that had a legitimate shot at multiple uses.

Pretty Pictures, Tropical Vacations And Room For Headlines

I found the image I was looking for in a shot of tropical clouds from a trip to Hawaii. I faded the clouds into the water. Adding the clouds transformed the image from pretty reflections in water to a tropical vacation scene. I felt it still needed one more element. A silhouette of a commercial jet completed the picture. Now the image speaks of travel, adventure, vacations and getting away from it all.  There is plenty of room for copy and headlines, room for inset destination photos, and can be cropped square, horizontal, vertical or as a banner ad.

Many Uses, Similar Versions And Royalty Free

My gut instinct tells me it is a royalty free image: It can have many uses and isn’t a difficult image to produce.  Further, I believe that a version without the jet will also be useful in the marketplace and as an RF image the two similar versions won’t be a problem. Now the only question is…should I have had a suntanned, bikini clad woman swimming through the water? Hmmm, maybe I’ll take another look in that “Ideas” folder….

 

"Interesting" Trumps "Real" In Advertising And Editorial Concept Photography

I photographed this body builder against a black background in my studio, then used Photoshop to strip it into the sky image. Even though the lighting isn't "realsitic", the image works for a concept photo about strength and power.

“Real” Photos And An Epiphany

When I first started taking pictures I was a strong believer in “real”. That is, I didn’t believe in filters or other “tricks” to enhance photos (this was in the early 1970s waaay before digital). I doggedly held onto that belief for many years. My epiphany came one day when I was thumbing through a magazine and a picture of a runner jogging along a trail caught my eye.

The Image Is The Most Important Thing

The runner was obviously lit by strobe light even though she was on a trail outdoors. My first reaction was my typical one, derision that the photographer had resorted to such an artificial technique. But as I continue to leaf through the magazine the image stuck in my head. I realized that the image was more interesting, more “alive”, than any of the other shots in the publication. That was my “aha” moment. Journalism aside (now there is a whole other can of worms), I realized that the image was the most important thing, not how it was made and not whether it conformed to reality. In commercial photography the image is there to grab your attention, and it is pointless to argue about how the image was made and whether or not it is “real enough” if it does its job and grabs your attention.

Reality Is Less Important Than Interesting

So here I am decades later, and every image I touch gets clobbered in Photoshop. When compositing images digitally, which is pretty much all I do now, I will also add that reality is less important than “interesting” with one caveat. That caveat is that the image must work. Sometimes that means adhering with all the little details, lighting, shadows, perspective and so forth, that make an image look real. Other times though, the image is far more effective if the lighting is more dramatic than reality, or the perspective is different than what one would encounter in an un-manipulated photo.

Enhanced Reality For Advertising And Editorial Concepts

A common technique I employ is to add rim lighting on subjects stripped into a new background in scenes that rim lighting would not exist in. Done well, the images work better than with “real” lighting. The key here is to make the changes subtle enough that the illusion of reality is not interrupted.  You end up with “enhanced reality” that for advertising and even editorial concepts works better than plain old “real”.