Stock Photos

By Ken Parks, January 17, 2013

Stock photography is a large supply of photos licensed for specific uses. Many commercial businesses use stock photos to fulfill the need of creative assignments instead of hiring a photographer. This is primarily for a lower cost. Usually stock images can be found in a number of databases then purchased and delivered on-line. Stock photos sometimes consist of models shot in studios, posed pets, conceptual photography, and images for tourism and travel.

Some people have viewed my images of Italy and think that they are purchased stock images. For me, I take that as a compliment.

I recently went to a travel photography seminar whereby the host and hostess requested that attendees submit a few of their own images to be critiqued. I submitted three images. And the reaction was “Wow” and gasps of “OMG!”

This WOW image was taken near San Quirico d'Oricia, a small town in the south end of Tuscany.  I spent most of the day here in order to get all variations of light, weather changes, and various composition.  I introduced this image as one to be critiqued at a travel photography seminar.  There was nothing negative said other than the ooh's and ah's of the audience.

Yes. These seemingly stock photos were taken during my several trips to Italy. Upon arrival back home, I would go through the thousands of photos and select the ones I would enhance in Photoshop.

I have more than 5 years experience of working with Photoshop and about 3 years with the add-on app, NIK Complete software. Most everyone of my displayed images on my websites and Facebook have been post-produced. And, sometimes I surprise myself with the results. I aim for the WOW-factor.

"Weathered Truck" is another one of my Wow-factor" images.  I had seen the truck in a harvested corn field near Cleveland, GA.  I planned an early morning shoot and managed to stay for several hours, acquiring more than 200 imaes.  I selected the more distant and wide-angle shot with the concentration of the on-coming storm.  The area was still lit while the dark clouds approached.  After post-production enhancements, the planned image came out better than I hoped.

There was a time I considered adding my photos to a stock photography organization, but have decided against it. I have two award winning images, but that's not my concentration. I wanted to see if I can win among local photographers. It's been done and time to move on. I no longer get involved with photo contests as I concentrate my efforts in something a bit more rewarding, monetarily. 

This is one of my best Italy photographs.  Some people have suggested that this is too good and must be a postcard or a stock image.  I took this photo in the early AM, before the tourist came out from under their slumber.  The lighting was so low, I had to use a drive barrier post to hand-hold the camera and shoot at 1/15 second.  In Photoshop, I set up a grid and aligned the buildings to straiten out the wide-angle distortion.

Even though I have done other types of photography, my efforts are directed at wedding photography. Since I was 16 years old, I assisted and even shot as a second photographer with my Dad. This is where I learned that it's a people business. I'm sure there are stock photos of wedding photography. If anyone wants to purchase one of my wedding or Italian photos, then we can negotiate a price. However, I'm not cheap and stock photography is not for me.