|
|
Stock Photography - Stock Photos &
Images - John Lund Photography
Find the
perfect Stock Photo quickly and easily. Conceptual, funny,
animal, people, lifestyle, we have it all
Great stock photography requires high quality stock images
Creativity and Shooting Stock Photography
and stock photos
Creativity is the mother of, as well as the
offspring of, great stock photography. With stock there are not
the limits that one finds with assignment photography. The only
limits are ones self-imposed by the photographer. Some might
think that the lack of large advertising budgets, the necessity
of coming up with one’s own ideas, or even absence of art
directors could be a limiting factors…but I rather think that
such a lack only stimulates creativity more. In fact, the whole
business of stock photography is enhanced by creativity….from
getting a contract with one of the major agencies right on
through to creating brilliant images on a shoestring budget.
Persistence pays off for stock photographers
A good friend of mine was trying his best
to get a contract with one of the big two (Getty Images and
Corbis). He sent his book (portfolio) to four or five different
art directors in the agency’s three different creative offices.
All to no avail. Finally, through persistence, he managed to
get one of the art directors on the phone…an art director that
was 800 miles away. He told the man he was going to be in town
the day and asked if he could come by…the art director said yes,
as long as he was going to be in town anyway…come on in. My
friend hung up the phone, then called an airline and arranged a
flight. He saw the art director in person and managed to talk
his way into a contract. Persistence and creativity equals
success.
The same is true for big images on small
budgets. I recently managed to shoot an actual operation
including nurses, a surgeon, an anesthesiologist, an operating
room, the waiting room and more, all in a major hospital and all
at no cost. How? I needed surgery and arranged to have my own
operation photographed by a good friend and fellow stock
shooter…and offered to share the resulting images with the
hospital in lieu of a fee. It was a difficult sell, but it
worked…and the hospital loved the images. In fact, I often team
up with other photographers to pool our resources and the
results…once even participating in a “gang shoot” with 12 other
photographers!
When shooting stock photography it is
important to make images that the market wants…and yet to make
stock images that don’t compete with every other image already
in the market place. One sure fire way to find success in
making stock images is to shoot the same old concepts but with
your own twist. Success, teamwork, communication, connection,
the way forward…the need for images illustrating these and other
basic ideas never goes away…but there is a constant need to
present them in new, contemporary and interesting ways.
Succeeding in stock photography requires self-discipline
To succeed in stock photography requires
many skills as well as persistence, self-discipline and
strategic thinking. In my opinion, though, it is creativity
that makes stock photography such a satisfying career. With
stock there are no creative limits on me, no clients to to hold
me back, no artificial deadlines to interfere with the creative
process…only the proverbial wide-open road. Is it any wonder I
love shooting stock so much?
|
|
