Using Conceptual Images

When dealing with stock photography and design, there are several routes you can choose when selecting images to illustrate your idea. You can go for the run of the mill image, i.e. businessman on a cell phone. Or you can go another route and search for something much more conceptual to convey your point.

So let’s say the concept you are shooting for is business communication. If you go for the aforementioned businessman on a cell phone, you are playing it safe. Nothing will be misinterpreted and you will have an enormous selection of images to choose from.

On the other hand, this is such a common way to portray business communication that it might not have the impact that a more attention-grabbing image would have. It is a little more risky since your intended message may not be completely clear by the photo alone, but if it is intriguing enough it will lure your audience in and make them want to know your message.

Take a look at the images below. Watch them go from straight forward to uber-conceptual! It’s all in how you use them.

11 Ways to Celebrate Shark Week

1. Don’t get attacked by a shark.
2. Don’t attack a shark. The chances of them attacking you are slim, so let’s call it even.
3. Smile and appreciate your one row of pretty teeth, instead of the multiple rows that sharks have. And if you have some shark teeth happening in there, smile anyway. They look cool!

4. Refer to every person you meet as “chum”.
5. Make that Jaws “duh-nuh” sound every time you walk up behind somebody.
6. Anytime a challenge arises, quote Roy Scheider from Jaws saying, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
7. Don’t eat a Great White shark. They are known to have high mercury levels which could leave you mad as a hatter.
8. Pretend that if you have to be in constant motion to keep breathing, like most sharks. Then, when you are out of breath in about 10 minutes, take a nap.
9. Tell your kids that they are lucky that you feed them. Baby sharks have to find food on their own. After they call you “lame” or a “nerd”, make them dinner anyway.
10. Go around knocking on people’s doors and when they ask who it is, you say, “Land Shark”.
11. Hug a shark. Wait!!! On second thought. Look at a shark . . . through aquarium glass . . . from far away. Or even better still, maybe just some photos.

Keywording Tips for Stock Photographers, Part 5: Synonyms are Your Friend

Another week, another keywording tip for all you stock photographers out there. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out our previous installments (entries, parts, chapters).

Which leads me to this week’s topic (theme, subject, focus). When it comes to keywording stock images, synonyms are your friend (pal, buddy, mate). There are hundreds of things out there that can be referred to by more than one word. As a stock photographer, you have no way of knowing which word your customers will use in their searches.



This problem (quandary, dilemma, obstacle) is magnified when you think about the international stock photography market. Even nations that speak the same language don’t always use the same words (Are your potential buyers looking for a truck or a lorry?).

This doesn’t mean that you need to spend hours keywording a stock image (photo, photograph, picture) with every possible word variation. But it is a good idea to include some common synonyms in your keywords lists, especially for stock images of popular subjects (think cell phone, cellular phone, mobile phone).

Weirdest Animals to Photograph

We have covered the scary and the not so scary animals to photograph, but how about the just plain bizarre. These are the animals that leave you wondering if this was some kind of photoshop prank. We promise you that these are the real deal.

Although some of these animals look like B-movie creatures, they are real animals that exist in the wild. So, next time you are out photographing bunnies and lambs, be on the lookout for these weird animals. They are out there!



Tapirs – Like the combination of an elephant, anteater and maybe a pig. It also looks like someone forgot to color in the rest of him.



Ribbon Eels – I guess he just heard a funny joke. The ribbon eel looks like a Muppet. I could see him hanging out with Kermit.



Moles – Look at those feet and claws! Of course, they are just for burrowing, but they are cartoonishly big in comparison with its body. Also, not being able to see an animal’s eyes is a little weird.



Aye-ayes – Looks like the cross between a bat and monkey. It is actually a type of lemur. This one could have probably made the scary list.



Leafy Sea Dragons – There is a lot of weird things going on in the ocean. This is one of them. It almost looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Least Scary Animals to Photograph

After giving you all nightmares with “Scariest Animals to Photograph”, we thought we’d take it easy on you and give you something a little less horrifying to look at. Well, some might be horrifyingly cute, but that’s a risk we were willing to take.

The only danger involved with photographing these animals is an extreme case of the warm fuzzies. So, without further ado, here are the least scary animals we could find:



Lambs – Almost cute enough to give you a stomach ache. Of course, they grow up and lose some of their cuteness, so enjoy it while you can.



Marmots – This chubby, little guy isn’t too intimidating. And he’s just the right amount of ugly to make him cute. Watch him nibble on a graham cracker for further proof.



Penguins – It’s hard to feel too threatened by anything that clumsily waddles around like that and can’t fly.



Cotton-Top Tamarins – Nothing that begins with the word “cotton-top” will ever be scary.



Hedgehogs – Sure, they have spines running along their back, but they are not barbed or poisonous. Besides, their defense mechanism is to roll up into a ball. Not exactly anything to be scared of. Just don’t step on him.



Bunnies – I think the picture takes care of it pretty well.

Scariest Animals to Photograph

Whether they make your skin crawl or make you want to run for your life, there are some animals that are just plain scary. For photographers, it can be even worse. They have to sometimes fight their natural instinct and become comfortable enough to photograph these animals.

From the life-threatening to the creepy, here are the animals that give us nightmares.

Snakes - Especially cobras. Venomous and intimidating. It’s not that we don’t trust them or anything, but it’s also not exactly the best recipe for close-up photograpghy.



Spiders – Classic scary. Any kind of spiders. Too many eyes and too many legs to not not be frightening. The fatter and harrier, the scarier.



Sharks – Particularly the Great White Shark. With the added challenge of being underwater, sharks make for a frightening subject. Maybe it’s the movie, or maybe it’s the rows of sharp, razor-like teeth. Although they are unlikely to attack, we have no desire to swim up and give them a big hug either.



Lions - The perfect image of ferocity. They are big and strong, and very likely faster than you. Get a camera with a great zoom.



Millipedes – Take the creepiness of a snake and add a couple hundred legs. No, thanks! And the Giant African Millipede can be almost 16 inches long!

Capturing Emotions in Photos

One of the most difficult challenges for stock photographers is accurately capturing emotion in their images. The facial expression of the subject determines the mood of an image in many cases, so that is where the challenge lies.

There are several things to consider when striving to portray a particular emotion through the facial expression of the model. It needs to be a little more apparent and stronger than what a person may show in reality. At the same time, it needs to be realistic so as not to seem cheesy.

Much of this will depend on the features of the model. Some people show emotion better than others, whether it be an inviting smile or an intimidating scowl. But the key is finding how they display emotion. No two smiles are alike and every one can show something different.

Designers want natural looking images, so it is essential to make it look unforced. For photographers, coaxing out the best natural facial impressions and capturing them is a challenge, but look for it and it will be there.