Discovering Those
Inside Secrets





         In every profession there are "inside secrets" that the pros discover and rarely share with beginners.
 
Now that it's a new year - does anyone out there want to share a 'secret' with a just-beginning-amateur in this world of stock photography?

PhotoSource Replies:
         Secrets? Maybe you were asking for some tips on how to make professional-looking stock photos for the book and magazine industry. Like any successful entity, say like a professional football team, the more efficient you are, the better the results. So here are some pointers:
         In my seminars, I've noticed that newcomers often seem to make the same mistakes in composing their editorial stock photos. The students usually arrive with prize-winning calendar-type scenics or slick 'posed' commercial shots, complete with highly-paid models.
         I tell them their postcard-type pictures are great shots, but the seminar for this type of photography is down the hall in Room 17. I let them know that if they want to become an editorial stock photographer selling to books and magazines, they'll need some "re-training." Their photos may have won blue ribbons, but photobuyers won't be interested. Buyers have those calendar-type pictures hanging on the wall of their office, but they are writing checks for editorial stock photos.
         The best guides on how to take editorial stock are the very magazines and books themselves. The pictures in the publications exhibit certain characteristics: They evoke a mood. Their composition is bold in
design (no cluttered background or extraneous distractions). Also, since an editorial illustrative photo is not a documentary photo, there's no need to tell the whole story. Don't insult the reader's (viewer's) intelligence. You want to allow the viewer to "read into" the picture -- allow the reader to be a collaborator in the picture's meaning.
         Finally, most beginners are shy and don't move in close enough. Notice how close the pros get with their cameras. You'll know you're close enough to people you're photographing when you can see the color of their eyes.
         These are tips to make your picture-taking more efficient. Follow them and you'll soon be able to match the fine picture quality of the pros. Any creative work involves the venerable "form and content." I've shown you the form, or "format" of an editorial stock photo. However, I can't give you the "content" -- that's up to you. That's the "spirit" of the photo. That's the secret only you can discover for yourself. Each photographer will bring a special spirit to his or her photographs. --RE ~


           


           

Tommy Thompson

Kerry Kolb

Jon Saban

Jake Nelson