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Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: Brasilnut on April 19, 2019, 10:18
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Further to the fire at Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral, I recently had an idea to create a series of apocalyptic scenarios using Photoshop to license as stock.
However, where should one draw the line between bad taste vs profitability? I discuss some of these dilemmas on the following blog post:
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/04/19/creating-apocalyptic-cityscapes-controversial-post/
Do you have any similar situations where you hesitate to upload some images due to negative connotations and potential backlashes?
Look forward to a positive discussion, despite the subject matter not being so positive!
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I like the idea. Why not? Why always hide behind good thinking (most of the time only hypocrisy…)
But I would like to see some reflection of the "wheel of fire" in the water… ;)
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I like the idea. Why not? Why always hide behind good thinking (most of the time only hypocrisy…)
But I would like to see some reflection of the "wheel of fire" in the water… ;)
Thanks, good tip about the ring of fire. I agree that it's probably overthinking.
Would you upload the burning Jerusalem series if you were me?
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If you ask a question like the one above then you descend into self censorship.
Art is a mirror of the world
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I think you overstepped the line by using an egg custard to represent the ring of fire, oh bugger I think that I just over stepped the forum etiquette line.
One man's line is another man's skipping rope.
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Notre Dame in flames, what's next? A research in London fire security systems.
Sold!
Here is an editor's opinion: we execute it the best possible way with any skills and fantasy we can put the given time. Use whatever you have or you can think of and you can create it. People might judge if composition is well framed, elements are in a natural order, color matching, even the physics, is it possible the wheel to fall this way? Is it even possible to set Jerusalem on fire? who? Why? Perhaps you must add some solders shooting the arsonists! :P I remember an image of yours in your blog, a drone in an airport, photoshopped i think. Well, the axis of the drone vs of the landscape image was not... You know... "So what?" You don't care as long as the final (possible) customer is willing to pay for it. As long as almost everything exist in photos and videos shot from any possible angle, a creative manipupation of existing images sounds a nice idea. In fact, that sounds as an excellent idea!
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Seems like the consensus here is that:
"If you build it, I'll destroy it" ;D
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Seems like the consensus here is that:
"If you build it, I'll destroy it" ;D
Can you have a consensus with only four comments? My comment was about perspective, we all have one and the lines look different to everybody.
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Catastrophic images of fire, flood, earthquakes, climate change...think of all the images with New York drowning in thew sea etc...of course, why not.
Anyone who wants to discuss risk factors will need images for the discussion.
I really see no problem with that.
It is not like you are endorsing disasters, you are offering materiaL to help prevent them.
And some people will use it for raves and parties as well...let'ts burn down the house with our groove kind of event. Why not??
We all watch fantasy stories, play cruel computer games and people still now it is fiction.
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Put up some of your "benign" or "less controversial" work and maybe people will contact you for commissioned images for their projects. Perhaps you would feel better suited for fiction use as opposed to political commentary. You would have more control with a commissioned work than just anybody that could by from a stock agency. If your work is controversial, then commissioned work is against the project and maybe not so much your personal boundaries.
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Given that some agencies do not accept images of specific flags on fire due to laws around them... they might reject landscapes in similar situations (if fictional).
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Hollywood makes lots of money on disasters/apocalyptic scenes in movies.
I don’t see anything inherently wrong with creating disaster scenarios.
But you will always have people who will Find some way to get offended to just about anything these days
Edit: I wish I had the skill set to post process stuff like this
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Can you have a consensus with only four comments?
Here is a short story, when I was learning AE, i was astonished of the capabilities. I had a simple idea of a pigeon flying out of the font in a Christening highlights clip. I show it to some relevant people, they said that it was from bad taste to total disrespect to the ceremony itself. Dropped the idea. Four or five years later, a random photographer who didn't knew about the pigeon clip, asked me if I could "pull" a pigeon out of a font in a tilting clip.
And that is the beauty of the non perfectionist fantasy! No consesus needed. Not even a self one. Yes it needs lots of study and knowledge, eg fire with minor explosion will detonate from windows and doors starting from inside and not overlay the building, colors, amount of light and reflections must match the scene, bright the proper areas, dark mask everything else as long as fire... blah...blah.. Blah...
But a customer needing an 100% realistic final product will not buy random work, rather custom order it I guess...
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It is not like you are endorsing disasters, you are offering materiaL to help prevent them.
[…]
Good point, Madame Cobalt!
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I like the idea. Why not? Why always hide behind good thinking (most of the time only hypocrisy…)
But I would like to see some reflection of the "wheel of fire" in the water… ;)
Thanks, good tip about the ring of fire. I agree that it's probably overthinking.
Would you upload the burning Jerusalem series if you were me?
Post them but only if you want to be a target of Mossad & Hezbollah :D
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I don't think it's worth the time uploading them to Microstock, there won't be enough buyers - the niche is too specific and people who want to illustrate articles will go for editorial as they want something real, but they might do well on POD websites like FAA for instance.
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I don't think it's worth the time uploading them to Microstock, there won't be enough buyers - the niche is too specific and people who want to illustrate articles will go for editorial as they want something real, but they might do well on POD websites like FAA for instance.
Because people want pictures of Jerusalem/other city burning on their walls?
Do you (meaning 'does one', not 'you' personally) really want to sell to/encourage that kind of person?
OTOH, it could count as evidence: the accused had a large image of X burning hanging in their living room.
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I don't think it's worth the time uploading them to Microstock, there won't be enough buyers - the niche is too specific and people who want to illustrate articles will go for editorial as they want something real, but they might do well on POD websites like FAA for instance.
Because people want pictures of Jerusalem/other city burning on their walls?
Do you (meaning 'does one', not 'you' personally) really want to sell to/encourage that kind of person?
OTOH, it could count as evidence: the accused had a large image of X burning hanging in their living room.
I was thinking more about grungy t-shirts - or also props that could be used in fantasy movies/series ;D but yeah you might have a point.
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With all the comments above (thanks), I've decided to place the more contentious works as RM on Arcangel for niche book covers, although no guarantee they will take them.
For microstock, doesn't make sense and could easily fall into the wrong hands and/or people would be easily offended.
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With all the comments above (thanks), I've decided to place the more contentious works as RM on Arcangel for niche book covers, although no guarantee they will take them.
For microstock, doesn't make sense and could easily fall into the wrong hands and/or people would be easily offended.
Or they could be copied and re-uploaded by Shutterstocks pet image thiefs :D
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Weighing the potential sales & potential trouble, I would not upload these images.
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You've done a nice job discussing the pros and cons in your blog post, and I think you've made the right decision to market those RM. I suspect the market may be limited but probably higher value, so perfect for RM. Personally I would stay away from Jerusalem or any other major holy sites - too much chance for someone to get offended, plus how would you feel if it was used on a terrorist recruiting site or pamphlet (or however they recruit people)?
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Thanks everybody for your comments. Yes Jerusalem is a tricky place at the best of times.
For the micros, can't go wrong with good old fashioned climate change!
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Ooops Arcangel not touching these Jerusalem disaster pics. Frustrating.
Too hot to handle in the Holy Land, literally!
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Ooops Arcangel not touching these Jerusalem disaster pics. Frustrating.
Too hot to handle in the Holy Land, literally!
Everybody is such a gang of feeble aholes these days so super sensitive about anything and everything ;D
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Am I playing with fire, literally?
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Am I playing with fire, literally?
Political sensitivity aside, I reckon its shelf life won't be that long. If there's not going to be a war, and no big aftermath (like MH17), the demand for a photo like this will be very low.
By the way, how did your other apocalyptic photo manipulations do in terms of revenue?
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Am I playing with fire, literally?
Political sensitivity aside, I reckon its shelf life won't be that long. If there's not going to be a war, and no big aftermath (like MH17), the demand for a photo like this will be very low.
By the way, how did your other apocalyptic photo manipulations do in terms of revenue?
Thinking of perhaps expanding the US x Iran (& proxies) concepts beyond this "accident". I don't want/need the exposure so also thinking of dumping them on Wirestock so I remain anonymous (sacrifice the 15% on sales to keep me out sight).
The flooding series is selling consistently, also had some sales with Amazon on fire concepts but like the news it has died down. Many have been accepted at Arcangel for book covers and those take a while.
Best sale so far has been this plane on fire concept sold on Alamy for $115 gross.
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Perhaps it not a matter of "bad taste" rather "smart" ways to pass a message and keep visuals available for many uses?
Random image found in DT
(https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/airplane-engine-flag-iran-iranian-air-transportation-conceptual-d-rendering-national-151489167.jpg)