A Kick in the Creative Pants
posted on 2nd of march, 2007
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The most important advice I have to offer after my decades in the stock photo business about what images to make is listen to yourself. You know more than anyone about why you want to create imagery. Build on those thoughts first. Then see how to make the images more salable. Once the flame is lit, it's easy to turn up the temperature!
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| Today I was with an old friend who is a top creative consultant to advertising and stock photographers. I asked her to sum up in one word her best advice to anyone needing a kick in the creative pants. She answered, "Oh, that's easy. My word is play." I remembered then that she had been giving away buttons that just said "play" at a trade conference a year or so ago.
We over think; we over analyze; we take our work too seriously. Then the work is in danger of becoming stilted and far too derivative. The images become formulaic. We try to guess what the market wants more than what we can do best. My spouse says it best, "The hardest thing to do, is to be yourself." So get out of the box!
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| All children can and do draw. Most stop once their work is graded or becomes something they have to do or be judged upon. The sense of play leaves and only a few rare, creative souls manage to hang on to the playfulness that frees the creativity inherent in us all.
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| How can we recapture that sense of childish creative freedom and still stay within the requirements of a salable image? Try this:
Forget for a moment about trying to create images that you think will sell well. Sit down in a quiet place with a pad and pen. Let your mind wander. Write down all the words that come to your mind for a period of exactly five minutes. If you get bored, just let your mind drift for a minute or so and then pick-up some words from that detour.
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| Review the list of words. Pick the word that seems the most interesting and let your imagination loose to conjure up images based on that word. Forget about whether the images are technically possible or salable.
Usually one image will keep coming back again and again. I just did this and found that I kept seeing a man in a red armchair with a reading light shining down on him. I haven't the foggiest idea where THAT came from. The word was warmth. I found a lot of interesting images on Dreamstime with the keywords red, chair, lamp, man, warmth but none that fit my vision. Below are the closest to what I had in mind.
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| So in just a few minutes I came up with an image that could be unique to Dreamstime.
And now that I think about it that could be a very salable image if the man was reading or sleeping or even just daydreaming. The cone of light from the reading lamp would make an interesting composition.
Now using what you know about salable images, see if you can turn your vision into a much downloaded Dreamstime photo or illustration. Think: Play...Be Yourself...Let it happen!
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Tags: abstract creative imagination kick
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Comments (17)
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You are so right - the best work comes when I let go and stop documenting and just grab the image that grabs me. - posted by
Amyemilia
on January 08, 2008 |
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Thanks for the advice. - posted by
Sextoacto
on November 30, 2007 |
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Hi Carla,
Sorry I missed seeing this until today. Very pleased that you found the blog to be a bit inspiring. thanks for letting me know. - posted by
Boughn
on March 23, 2007 |
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Hi, when I read this tip I tried to do what you write.
And today I have some images accepted by DT created following your suggestions.
It's so difficult finding every day new ideas: thanks for this blog!!
Carla
my illustrations - posted by
Korat_cn
on March 23, 2007 |
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Great advice. Needed to hear that. - posted by
Markstout
on March 03, 2007 |
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wonderful job of jogging the ol' perspective. thank You, Ms. Ellen. - posted by
Plaintiger
on March 02, 2007 |
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thank you ellen i bet there will be several shots of a man relaxing in a red chair will show up now!! just for the record i bought some of those magnetic letters to photograph before this blog appeared :) - posted by
Denisebeverly
on March 02, 2007 |
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.. - posted by
Gvictoria
on March 02, 2007 |
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I love these blogs, especially this one, great help when we feel stuck with creativity. Thank you for your wonderful insight. - posted by
Gvictoria
on March 02, 2007 |
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Yes ! Something we should remind ouselves often...keep it fun !! thanks Ellen ... - posted by
Cathysbelleimage
on March 02, 2007 |
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i am an overthinker... i have been afraid to venture too far into being creative afraid it will fall into the artsy categories. i understood artistic images were not really stock images the agencies would accept. hopefully this information will help me boost my portfolio[/quote
Not to worry. Like I said, once you light the flame you can always turn up the heat or turn it down if the images get too wild. Go ahead and experiment. You can adjust your future portfolio to what you learn is successful. The great thing about Dreamstime is that you aren't restricted to the just the images that traditional stock agencies would take. The internet has created a great democracy of talent and new ideas in stock photography. Don't be afraid! Jump in. - posted by
Boughn
on March 02, 2007 |
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i am an overthinker... i have been afraid to venture too far into being creative afraid it will fall into the artsy categories. i understood artistic images were not really stock images the agencies would accept. hopefully this information will help me boost my portfolio - posted by
Denisebeverly
on March 02, 2007 |
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I look forward to reading your blog and this one really hits home for me. I seem to find that my best images or atleast the ones that I am drawn to are for the most part unplanned and spontaneous. So I will continue to keep my camera close by my side. I am glad that I now have an excuse to keep playing!
Lisa - posted by
Winzworks
on March 02, 2007 |
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Wow.
You made my day.
Thanks! :) - posted by
Maigi
on March 02, 2007 |
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Thanks for the reminder! - posted by
Littlemacproductions
on March 02, 2007 |
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Hi Ellen,
I do play hard at my work! I'm always amazed that people download my images since they are often not clean commercial stock. But it seems with digital technology the uses for imagery have just blown wide open. My hairstylist who works in a little shop here in my little town uses microstock!! Microstock is for the people, ALL the people. I think there's like 6 billion of us becoming more connected all the time, and many of us have at least a dollar (or equivalent) to use for expressing our diverse interests.
I'm continually surprised by the creativity of my peers here on Dreamstime. The old traditional business of stock, with the organizational neccessity of analog materials, kept it's doors closed to all this crazy creativity of so many unique individuals. But that was the old days. This is just great and I'm having a blast as I think so many of us are.
Thank you for featuring my work in your article and for your encouraging insights.
Elena (More) - posted by
Elenaray
on March 02, 2007 |
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Excellent article, Ellen. Easily my favourite so far. I think many people will find this useful and perhaps more importantly, fun. - posted by
Stuartkey
on March 02, 2007 |
Comments (17) |
This article has been read 6110 times.
Photo credits: Elena Ray, Elena Ray, Bellemedia, Odelia Cohen, Tomd, Smileyjoanne, Theresa Martinez, Edyta Pawlowska, Tom Schmucker, Bobby Deal. |
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| Stock Photography that SELLS! |
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Ellen Boughn, a veteran of the stock photography industry with over 30 years
of experience gives expertise tips on successful stock.
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Ellen Boughn
(Boughn)
Bainbridge Island, US
I am Dreamstime's Director of Content and Business Development. A long time stock industry professional, I have held executive positions at Corbis and Getty (Stone) as well as at several other large US agencies. Although I was given my first camera when I was six years old by my father, I gave up taking pictures when I became a photo editor. A lifetime of looking at the best work from some of the world's best photographers, made me realize my skills were in editing images, not taking them. My areas of expertise are content and business development.
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