nature, dawn, opportunity . . . and I’m sure there are many others. Clearly, the strongest concept portrayed by the image is hunting, and in many cases, that’s going to be enough.
This is a very literal image. If a photo buyer needs a visual representation of hunting, this image fits the bill. It says “hunting” with great clarity because it’s simple and uncluttered. You have a man, outdoors, with a shotgun, at sunrise, and since it depicts what could be interpreted as a hunting scene, it’s a perfect metaphor for hunting. Even though nothing is being killed, and there are no dead birds or animals, nor any blood, the image still says “hunting.” Even so, let’s dig deeper and ask why this shot works so well?
First, it works because it was shot at sunrise. Actually, it was shot before sunrise. Being a waterfowl hunter, I happen to know that being out before sunrise is often a big part of whether or not you have a successful hunt. In that respect, it’s a pretty accurate rendition of what you might see when setting out for a duck blind. I also know that hunters love being outdoors. Communing with nature is a big part of the experience, and the colors of the sky in this image really show the beauty of a sunrise in the crisp autumn air.
Second, it works because it doesn’t force a lot of information on the viewer. This shot is a very easy sell in its effort to say “hunting.” We don’t see any faces; we don’t see objects or elements that aren’t part of the message. This shot is incredibly simple – a black form against a colorful background.
Taken further, it could certainly communicate the idea of solitude, not only because it only shows one person, but it’s also early morning, and the sense of darkness contributes to the feeling of a person being alone.
Opportunity is also a good candidate. Dawn signifies a new day, and we sense that this hunter is going to be pursuing his game shortly and may well be rewarded with many opportunities along the way.
A good stock photograph like this one will be versatile, conveying a number of ideas, depending on the viewpoint of the person looking at it. This shot of a hunter succeeds on several levels. It could be (and has been) used to illustrate many things. That versatility is a big part of what makes it valuable in the stock photo marketplace. A simple, versatile image will have a long, fruitful life, generating income for the artist for years to come.
Oh, and by the way, this shot has been selling steadily for 27 years. Simplicity equals sales. We’ll touch on that equation again later.
Let’s look at another example of a strong visual metaphor.
Originally rejected by Getty Images, this golf ball shot sat in my files for years, feeling lonely and wondering how it could ever be useful to anyone. But I hung on to it nonetheless, and continued to believe that it might have a decent future if given the opportunity. (Good, compelling photographs become like your children; you get very attached to them!) Once I signed up with iStockphoto and uploaded this shot, it was approved, and then sold within hours of being accepted into their collection. Within two years, it had sold nearly 500 times.
Why did it do so well? Let's break it down.
This is another image that could be viewed literally, but it's also a strong metaphor on a number of levels. Obviously, it's about the game of golf, it might serve as a visual metaphor for other things. Here are some concepts I think might apply: accuracy, stability, sports, recreation, command, certainty, purpose, being careful, and preparation. Businesses frequently need to convey concepts such as these in their communication materials, so this shot would be a good option, but what makes this photograph a winner? Let’s put it under the microscope.
First, it has that magic quality – clarity of vision. It has clean lines, it’s graphically simple, and it says something to the viewer almost instantly. Second, and perhaps more importantly, it was shot from a unique perspective. We all know what golf looks like from five or six feet off the ground, but what does the game look like from one foot off the ground? It looks like this! I think it sold so well right out of the gate on iStockphoto because it offered a new perspective on the game. I don’t even play golf, but by moving around the player and looking for interesting angles, I quickly found some fresh new ways to represent the game.
Remember, this section of the book is about seeing. The key is “seeing” a possible stock photo as it unfolds before you, which can mean a couple of different things. It could refer to a scene that already is a strong stock image all by itself, from any angle, right in front of you. Or, it could mean that there’s a great scene in front of you and, with a little tweaking or perspective, you could easily find or create great stock imagery from it. In any case, the stage has already been set with the general scene, the quality of light, or subject elements, or some combination of the above.
This ability to see in advance is a hallmark of good photography in general. Whether the pursuit is commercial assignment photography, wedding photography, or shooting for stock, the best photographers in any field can see the shot ahead of time. (News photographers are the exception. Their job is to record actual events, not interpret what they see.)
Taking it Further
I have always been highly respectful of the photography and writing of Ansel Adams. His book, Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs, serves as a wonderful resource for understanding the process of creating a photographic image. In Examples, Adams goes into just enough detail about each image to enable the reader to understand why he created each photograph in the way he did. Since he was not shooting for stock, his images serve as an excellent juxtaposition for how one might compose a stock image using a more traditional approach to photography. His book is as valuable a resource today as it was when it was first published in 1983.
Additionally, the modern-day photographer whose work I admire most is Jim Brandenburg (www.JimBrandenburg.com). A visit to his site will expose you to some of the most compelling, stunningly beautiful nature photography images you will ever see. Jim’s compositions are executed so cleanly; it boggles the mind how one can distill a scene into something so simple and communicative. I believe you will find no better examples of how to construct a “found” image without distracting elements.
Finally, About.com features a very nice discussion by Dr. Richard Nordquist on visual metaphors as they relate to advertising imagery. Go to this address specifically: http://www.grammar.about.com/od/tz/g/vismeterm.htm.
Chapter 2
See It, or Look for It?
You can interpret the idea of “seeing” a possible image in advance in a couple of different ways. First, you could see it in your mind’s eye, and then create it; or you could literally see it as it unfolds before you. Let’s take a look at an example (see next page).
This shot of the beach at Anna Maria Island on Florida’s Gulf Coast is essentially the first shot I saw in my mind’s eye when I came upon this scene. My wife and I had just arrived at our beachside apartment the
