The Important Stock Photo Question: What Else?

In this image about creativity, ideas and imagination, a light bulb, released from a cage, rises up to a sky filled with the rays of the sun.

An Evolving Approach To Stock Photography

The way I have approached stock photography in the last few years has evolved. It was as I finished a recent image that it occurred to me that there is a very important question any stock shooter needs to ask themselves in regards to whatever image, images or shoots they are undertaking. That question is: What else? Asking what else can lead to higher productivity, more creativity, and more income.

Ideas, Creativity And Thinking Outside The Box

This image of a bird released from it’s cage is a great example. The concept is primarily one of freedom. Once I finished the image I sat back and asked myself what else I could have escaping, or released from, the cage. As I mentally ran through different possibilities it suddenly struck me that a light bulb lifting into the sky would make a great concept image for ideas, creativity, and the importance of not placing limits or restrictions on our imagination. This new image is about thinking outside the box…but without the box.

Tried And True Symbols In A New Environment

Sure, the light bulb is a tired and hackneyed symbol, but it is also iconic and instantly recognizable as demonstrating ideas. Putting a tried and true symbol in a new and different environment or situation is a powerful way of catching a viewer’s attention and offering a clear and strong message.

What Else?

In this example I asked what else at the end of an image…but it is a great question to ask when planning a shoot, or even editing one as well.  If you have a particular idea in mind for a shoot it can be easy to miss viable shots that happen to be outside the parameters of what you were actually aiming for. Take one last look at the shoot asking yourself  “What else”?

Hot Water, Kickstarter And A Beautiful Photo!

This beautiful water image has been created as an exclusive reward for $1.00 backers of our HydraQuik Kickstarter campaign.

Wow, it has been a busy couple of months gearing up for our HydraQuik Kickstarter campaign, which goes live in just a few minutes, at 1:00 PST. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this project, my brother invented a device that we call the HydraQuik that gets your hot water to you fast (up to 80% faster) without wasting water down the drain. When he asked me to become involved I saw it as a chance to make a positive difference in the world (the HydraQuik, if used extensively, could save BILLIONS of gallons of water a year).

My thinking is that a product that makes life easier and more convenient (not waiting for hot water) might actually catch on with the public...far more likely than a form of conservation that requires sacrifice! It the HydraQuik is widely adopted it can truly impact our planet in a positive way!

I am asking for your support in backing us. If you back us to the tune of $1.00 you will be helping the environment as well as helping us! That $1.00 of support will also get you a digital file I have made exclusively for our Kickstarter backers that is, at least in my opinion, a stunning photo suitable for fine art printing. All $1.00 backers will get this digital file as part of their rewards.

By clicking on our HydraQuik link you can share our project, watch a very brief video starring yours truly, and give your support. I really appreciate your support!

And don’t worry, when the campaign ends in a month I promise to get back into blogging about stock photography!

Watch the video!

Kickstarter Video-A Lesson Learned

Chris Faber of Faber Productions shooting motion of John Lund for his HydraQuik Kickstarter video.

Kickstarter Video And A Lesson Learned

This past week we put together a kickstarter video for a project my brothers and I are doing (a product that gets your hot water to the fixture really fast without wasting any water down the drain…we call it hydraQuik).  The only other video experience I have with motion is in creating slow motion clips with a Phantom HD.

My epiphany in this video effort was how freeing it was to be liberated from operating the camera! I hired a DP and Producer, Chris Faber, of Faber Productions who used his own equipment including camera, lights, dolly, slider and sound gear. It was awesome!  It was also necessary because I was the client, the director and the talent. I couldn’t very well be on both sides of the camera at once!

After this experience I am convinced that, at least for me, for any video shoot I do in the future I will hire at least a DP. Doing so will create a more stress free shoot for me and insure that I can place the emphasis on what is most important...my vision. I can leave the "driving" to someone who has it down cold. If the client doesn't have the budget...then I don't want that client!

We had a tight script and spent two days shooting, and I had a blast. Turns out I like being on camera as well! The only downer is when I saw myself…I look kind of old. Maybe because I am! Oh well…..

It is also exciting to be involved in this new kickstarter project. A nice break from 30+ years of photography…and a project that can help the world as well.  If you haven’t heard of kickstarter, check it out. It is a crowdfunding site with some really amazing projects going on. It also might be a way for you to fund your own project…and yes…there are lots of photography projects on there as well.

I can’t wait to see the video. As soon as I have it in hand I will post it here.  Stay tuned!

Photography, Entrepreneurship And Kickstarter

Luka Esenko ascends a ridge on the island of Socotra off the coast of Yemen, tripod and camera on his shoulder.

SNAPP Guides For Photography Destinations

A friend of mine, Luka Esenko, and Jules Renahan, have launched a Kickstarter project creating SNAPP Guides, an app that is an interactive destination guide for photographers looking for amazing places to shoot. Pretty cool idea, and I have signed on as a “backer” for them on Kickstarter. You can check their project out here: SNAPP.

Photography Knowledge And Income Streams

I know Luka from a photo trip to Yemen and Socotra that Luka and Jeremy Woodhouse were leading. Awesome trip…but what really interests me here is the idea of taking photography expertise and expanding that knowledge into the world of entrepreneurship. At a time when so many photographers are struggling with income streams it seems like a smart move to me, and Luka and Jules have come up with an elegant way to add an income stream while providing tangible benefits to photographers around the globe.

Finding Locations, Planning Shoots And Financial Rewards

The world of photography has grown to almost an unfathomable size, and those of us who have spent their lives immersed in that world have a lot to offer. The SNAPP guide is a perfect example. As their program grows you will be able to find a great place to shoot your next great image no matter where you are…and doubtless it will be a great tool to plan your next vacation/shoot as well!  And there are a GAZILLION photographers who could use such a guide. Luka and Jules are providing a great service and hopefully will be rewarded financially as well. I love seeing fellow photographers thrive!

Imagination, Support, And Saving The World!

Kickstarter, BTW, seems like a wonderful place to stretch your imagination, offer support to all kinds of great ideas, and perhaps find a way to finance your own new project be it photography in nature or something that will help save the world. And speaking of saving the world, I have an idea that might help in at least some small way in that direction…so stay tuned for my own upcoming Kickstarter project!

Something Personal-Connections, Visibility And Fun!

Personal work is essential to a successful commercial career, and the APA/SF's Something Personal Exhibition offers visibility and a wealth of connection opportunities...if you enter!

Something Personal
Way back when I started my professional photography career, some thirty years ago, it was common to hear professionals say that they did commercial work to support their personal work. These days what we all hear is how important personal work is for boosting our commercial success.  Any way you parse it, personal work is a tremendously important aspect of any photographer’s journey.

Connections, Marketing And Fun
The San Francisco Chapter of the APA (American Photographic Artists) has a yearly Gallery Exhibition “Something Personal” that not only gives you a chance to get your personal work out in front of the world, but in front of the “creatives” who actually give out work as well. This is the biggest photographic event of the year in San Francisco and is actually the 18^th year of the exhibition and a perfect opportunity to combine fun, connections and marketing.

Getting Your Work Seen
Because a hundred images are accepted for the opening exhibition (with 200 displayed online) your chances of actually getting your work seen is excellent…way better than competitions such as the Communication Arts Photography Annual. The actual opening is also a kick and certainly my favorite venue for connecting with fellow artists, art directors and designers from my past, but also for meeting and making new friends and clients within the industry. This year the opening will be hold at the Midway Gallery (http://www.themidwaysf.com/) with a full bar…nice!

A New Time And A New Venue
This year the event has been moved up by a month and the deadline is only two weeks away and shouldn’t be missed. There is a reason, BTW, that you see the names of the most successful commercial shooters over and over again in this competition…its because they know the benefits of being a part of the “Something Personal” show… and you would be surprised at the number of entries many of them make to insure that they are represented. This year I have entered about ten images myself…and might add to that number in the next couple of weeks.

The deadline for entry is Tuesday, September 29, 2015, and the opening party is Wednesday, November 4th, 2015 (5:00 to 11:00). BTW, after the party last year several of us traded our framed prints...very fun way to add to your collection of work from other photographers you admire!

For additional information and to enter: http://sf.apanational.org/events/entry/18th-annual-apa-sf-something-personal-exhibition-call-for-entries/

Water Issues In A New Stock Image

Water issues such as recycling, conservation and allocation are a growing area of need for stock photo producers.

Water Issues
Water issues, such as water recycling, water management, and water allocations are huge and getting bigger. Think about the money spent to ship bottled water. Think of the issues surrounding the droughts that are only worsening with global climate change. Think of the need for water in agriculture and industry. Think of the shortage of potable water throughout the world. The need for images that can add visual impact to the issues surrounding water and for the advertising and promotion of products and services that help us deal with our desires, wants and needs surrounding water, has got to be in a strong growth mode…or at least that is what I am thinking.

Drought
This has all been brought to mind by the historically significant drought we are experiencing in California, and has gotten me off my butt and creating some stock images that can not only serve this need but perhaps has the further positive effect of motivating people to conserve water and become part of the solution rather than the problem.

Stock Images And Water Issues
The result is an ongoing series of stock imagery dealing with water issues. I expect to be adding to this category for quite some time, but thought I would share my first such image in this blog post. That image is one aimed at promoting the recycling of water with an ancillary message of conservation.

Water Splashes And The Recycling Symbol
The idea originated when I first began to think about how I could illustrate water issues. I liked the idea of creating something out of water splashes. My first thought was to create the word “water” from water splashes…something I may yet do. I don’t remember exactly what brought the recycling symbol to mind, but when it came to me it seemed like a great way to start. I did some Internet searching to see if the idea had already been done (yes…it has) and to what extent. Luckily for me the ones that have been done left room for new versions. I felt that by adding a background of cracked, dry earth I could impart a greater sense of urgency and an emotional connection with the viewer.

Creating Water Splashes
To create my water splash recycling image I had my partner, Stephanie, use a plastic cup to toss water splashes up in my studio that I photographed with my Nikon D800. After about forty or so splash efforts I brought the captures into Photoshop, made selections using the pen tool to create clipping paths, and creating layers that I shaped and merged and colored using the warp tool, the liquify filter, layer masks and adjustment layers.

Dry Cracked Earth And Rice Paddies
The parched earth image was in reality a drained rice paddy I photographed in Myanmar. When I photographed it the mud was shin deep…but had the appearance of dry cracked earth…and as all photographers know…appearances can be more important than reality! I pasted the earth image beneath my recycle splash, used a duplicate layer of the recycle symbol, along with Hue and Saturation, to create a shadow. I positioned it, played with the opacity and with the shape of the logo until I was happy with it. The sky is from a photograph I took in Mongolia of all places. Truly this is, at least in one sense, a global water image! I am providing the image to Blend Images for distribution, but have not yet decided whether it should be a Rights Managed image or Royalty Free. Any thoughts?

An Artificial Intelligence Stock Photo

 An image about artificial intelligence, future technology, and brain research.

Future Technology And Artificial Intelligence

Future technology and artificial intelligence are not only fascinating, at least to me, but potentially a great stock image subject.  Technology is penetrating ever more deeply into every aspect of our lives…and “artificial intelligence” has a potential impact that is mind-boggling. How can we photographers not want to dive into that as a stock photo subject?

Human Brains And Computer Technology

The idea of linking a human brain to computer technology is painfully obvious, but also a potentially good choice when trying to make an image that will be a quick read to a wide audience of people. The question becomes more of how we can “tweak” it to take it beyond the ordinary so that we can both make it an interesting visual and a useful concept image.

Flesh And Metal

With this image I started by shooting a plastic replica of a human brain, created a duplicate layer in Photoshop, and ran a “Chrome” filter over it.  It, as usual with the Photoshop chrome filter didn’t look like chrome. I played with the different “modes” until I came up with one that gave the brain a look vaguely like flesh with a metallic sheen. It looked cool enough for me!

Circuit Boards And Magic Wands

Next I found a circuit board photo in my archives and used a combination of “Color Range” and the “Magic Wand” photo to select just the traces. I fined-tuned the selection with “Refine Edges”, copied the selection, and pasted it behind the “brain” layers. Below that I created a layer of a white/gray gradation. I used the Hue/Saturation control to darken the computer traces to black. Finally, I pasted the selected computer circuit traces on the top layer and positioned it to partially cover the brain.

High Tech, Bio Technology And Artificial Intelligence

The result is a high-tech and complex human brain bio-technology image that illustrates artificial intelligence, brain research, and future technology. It can be cropped to square vertical or horizontal…all in all, a very promising stock image. One can never know for sure whether a given image will sell well, or even sell at all. Time will tell on this one....

A Royalty Free Stock Photo
I have submitted the image to Blend Images as a royalty free stock photo. I am counting on the demand for artificial intelligence and future technology images to be large enough to compensate for the lower price points of royalty free imagery.