A few months back, I remember seeing an article here on Dreamstime about when to shoot and upload images for upcoming holidays. They recommended doing so within those couple of months before the holiday.
I definately agree with this, but at the same time dispute it. People are hungry for seasonal images both during and right before that season arrives. But, what about deadlines? Back in the spring, there was an article in a women's magazine about decorating Easter eggs. The author devoted an entire section of this article to the pain-staking process of having to look for images three seasons in advance.
This got me thinking. When IS the best time to submit images of holidays and events? My feelings are that we should definately keep in mind the upcoming holidays and events, but don't stop shooting past ones just because they are a month in the past now.
For example, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza are coming up in the next few months here in the US. Should we be planning shoots for these now? Absolutely.
But, are those the only ones we should be concerned about right now? What about New Years, Cince de Mayo, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Spring Equinox, and other spring holidays and events?
Not only should we be concerned with the next arising season, but I feel we should also continually submit images for every season of the year, all year round. Magazines, book publishers, and many more must plan months ahead of time for a coming season, holiday, or event, and they will need to be supplied with the images they need. Many potential clients must complete their seasonal projects well before the season starts. Why should they have to wait until the season approaches in order to find those images they need, or be left with only last year's images?
What are your thoughts?
