Damsel In Distress

This damsel in distress image features a woman tied to the railroad tracks in front of an oncoming locomotive full steam ahead! Railroad images make great symbols and metaphors for the adversity in our lives.

Damsel in Distress: Funny picture illustrating Danger and Risk by showing a woman laying tied-up on train tracks as a locomotive approaches.

This classic (and funny) "Damsel in Distress" stock photo illustrates concepts of risk and danger as she lies tied up on the railroad tracks in front of an approaching speeding locomotive. Obviously this image was inspired by my early cartoon life and "Dudley Do Right" of the Canadian Mounted Police...or of the early silent movies which was the first use of this symbolic and iconic situation. The use of a familiar image that is already ingrained in our collective consciousness, combined with humor, makes for a compelling image. Humor, used appropriately, especially in today's environment of overexposure to all kinds of media, helps insure that a message will be heard. Entertaining images have a strong edge in a world in which people are increasingly adept at tuning things out.

Funny Stock Photos With A Strong Conceptual Message

I am striving to create funny stock photos with clear, concise and strong messages. The message in this funny stock image is about risk, danger and adversity. This woman needs help...and any company with a product or service to help us can utilize this photograph to enhance and promote their message about that product or service. Because we are already familiar with a form of it, the silent movie version or that we saw in cartoons, we are already more likely to tune in to it and enjoy the image. That will in turn make us more likely to read the accompanying headline and copy. In short, iconic but new, images are one of the strongest methods to capture a viewer's attention.

Creating Compelling and Effective Stock Photos

To create this compelling stock photo a first photographed train tracks in Berkeley, California. Next, I photographed the model in my studio, all tied up with a large rope. I then composited the model photo with the train track photo and a landscape image from my archives. Finally, I photographed a toy locomotive and steam coming from some industrial stacks, also in Berkeley. All the parts were composited together in Photoshop.