Although, since retiring, I am no longer shooting with an eye to licensing images, I am still surprised at what people are interested in buying.
This image of mine from early this year has no been licensed 6 times in as many weeks. Contrary to what 'Many Mindless Microstockers' may claim, photographs are not, and never should be "Sold" ( and certainly not given away for pennies!)...an image is licensed for a particular use, in a specific media, for a limited time. And as a grab shot snapped while walking past a Police Station en route to an appointment elsewhere, why is this particular photograph a good candidate for a stock image. What for, when, and Why images are licensed is of course very much an obscure branch of "The Dark Arts", however some of the things which make a good stock photograph are some of the same things which make a good photograph per se... - It has an obvious subject, which is seen in a relevant context. - It is composed using colour and shape distribution, leading lines, brightness and contrast, negative and positive space, and "eye room" for either overlay of text, or just giving the eye somewhere to rest, explore, or "fill in the gaps"...it doesn't simply rely on that silly go to, be all and end all fallacy of "the rule of thirds"! - It is well exposed, with regard to not only adequate, but attractive and functional lighting, and has then been well processed with correct colour balance, and a full spectrum of tones from dark to light, without unintentionally obscuring or indeed obliterating details in either the highlights or the shadows. - It goes without saying it has not been interfered with by addition of "filters", effects, or intentional or otherwise "artifacts"...it simply is what it is. And also contrary to popular belief among those same Many Mindless Microstockers it is NOT a "sensitive subject". True it is a shot of Police vehicles parked outside a Police Station. I have however avoided including the name of the suburb it was taken in by careful composition, and I have also blanked out the number-plates on the vehicles, not to appease any nutters, or imagined requirements of "the law", but to simply make the image relevant to a wider audience, and widen its possible usage. As for photographing Police, either officers or their vehicles, whether during "operations" or simply hanging about the streets, this image was taken from a public place of vehicles parked in a public street in front of a building freely visible to the public. Just to make it clear, in Australia, and more specifically in NSW where I am located - These are the rules as outlined in the NSW Police Force Media Handbook : "Members of the public have the right to take photographs or film police officers which are observable from a public space or from a privately owned place with the consent of the owner or occupier. Generally speaking, if a person takes photographs or videos Police Officers, operations or incidents from a public space, Police do not have the power to: prevent the person from taking photographs or filming confiscate photographic or filming equipment delete images or recordings, or request or order a person to delete images or recordings. If Police Officers try to confiscate equipment or interfere with members of the public to delete images or recordings, the officers may be liable for prosecution for assault or trespass to the person concerned." Of course there are cases of "Citizen Journalists", vigilantes, "wayward souls" or just plain anarchistic nutcases who do there utter best to disrupt, and provoke Police Officers (and even Ambulance Officers and Paramedics for f...ks sake) in trying to do their job. Unfortunately that kind of behaviour will inevitably lead to restrictions , and soon after more draconian restrictions on not only Photographers doing their job, or merely going about their lawful business, but also further limits on what hobbyists, anyone merely carrying a camera, or even "microstockers" can or can't photograph. So obviously there is much more thought, skill, and expertise, to a "grab shot" than merely taking a snap of everything you see.
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Stephen Bennett Archives
January 2022
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