First off, I will try not to make this into a rant, though what I'm talking about is a very frustrating topic.Perhaps these points have been addressed before, I apologize if I am rehashing old issues.

I am a person who takes and posts stock photos AND an artist who uses stock photos for her art. I would like to address the new and old stock artists on DeviantArt about their trade from both points of view, offering artist grievances with stock and tips to improve/how to fix these issues. Stock is IMPORTANT. It is a half of what becomes a whole. Input from both sides is important for both to develop and grow.

Dear Stock Artists of DA :

You are providing us RAW materials. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
You dedicate your time, your money, your safety to producing images you give to us DA artists to create something new and artistic out of.

But for our art's sake, please keep your images raw. Think : Raw like Sushi. You are creating images (much like a sushi chef creates a roll) and putting them on the self for us to take, but let us put our artistic wasabi & soy sauce on it. Often I come across a great facial expression - but part of the face has been cut off. The closeup is too close. The lighting too bright, the colors too augmented, the clothing too dark, or a lack of active poses ('Still' ones are still needed though ^_^).

Please, we can use Photoshop ourselves (and that's the point! to let us take your raw materials and create something new!) - let us add or subtract shadows, overlay colors, etc. Let us re-envision what you give us.


Some tips & pleas :

Some shots in the portrait gallery are too close up, too zoomed in. It cuts off parts of the face or body we could be using. Please - let us decide how and what we want to crop! It limits what we can do with the stock, AND the creativity inspired by it. Zoom out, get the whole face and neck.

Please keep your backgrounds clean - unless they are a part of the set. Tack up a solid-color sheet or flatten a cardboard box. Something gray or white works best (especially if you have dark hair!) - tape it or tack it to the wall and stand in front of that. Move things, or take posters off the wall. I do this myself, it's extra effort but WELL WORTH IT.

Grab extra lamps, lights, etc. Unless you are doing a shadow study, try and get as much light as possible. Lighting is hard! I know! I'm no queen of it! But don't over light either - too much and you wash out details. So what if your skin isn't vampire white? Let us edit it to our needs please.

Don't be afraid to MOVE! Try new angles! Just be sure to capture it all and not over-crop! Imagine you're in a play - create a scene or scenario in your head and ACT it out. Let your photographer move around, ask them to get on a ladder or lay on the ground. Models : charge at the camera, run away from it, play pretend tug of war. We need more active stock!

That said, if you are taking just 'normal' shots that aren't specifically for angle or perspective - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take the image from the middle of the pose. If your model is standing, Photographers please move your cameras DOWN from YOUR eye level. Stand further back and aim at the model's bellybutton if they are standing or the middle of the pose they are in. This gives a "straight on" view, which eliminates the Eye-Level Warp.

Eye-Level Warp


Taken from the 'Middle'


The warp is perspective, and for an artist learning how to draw the figure from stock, this can really negatively effect the way a person learns to draw the body. Plus, when placing photos of people AT eye level in a manipulation, it can make them look awkward with the surrounding environment.

Try new outfits! But PLEASE unless you have great lighting - stay away from too much black! We can turn your clothes black in photoshop, but we can't see the folds or the position of your body if what you're wearing is too dark.

Finally, a personal note (Mostly to newer stock artists, not all of you do this!) :

Stop with the MySpace leftovers. Stock is not a beauty contest, it's NOT about vainly posing for the camera. Remember, its about the art created WITH the stock, not how cute you look or pretty you think you are. Think about what you are creating and posting. Please, post it with the mentality that it will be used by someone else for a purpose.


In conclusion :
These are things I have noticed, things I had said to myself when looking for stock to create art with. I KNOW the time, effort, imagination, money, bumps and bruises that it takes to create the stock in the first place. I have committed some of these offenses myself, I am not perfect - but I try to learn and improve. Artists who use stock are not (rather, should not be) ungrateful.

I am telling you fantastic, wonderful people who post images to the stock gallery on DA this to HELP you create better stock. More usable stock! We can always use more stock!


<3 D.C.S./V.C.
It is not my intent to come off ungrateful, rude, or demanding with what I have said. I am coming off begging and frustrated, as an artist who would love to use more stock, who is inspired by stock to create. Please, it is a fantastic resource, but sometimes critique is necessary for growth.