Creating a Stock Photo: Goggles

Creating a Stock Photo: Goggles


Tonight was one of those rare occasions where I felt the need to finally replace an aging fall blog banner. Even though it's not quite winter here in North Carolina, I still must keep with the times and keep the top of my homepage fresh.

Despite it being January already, North Carolina is not feeling very much like a northern state. We haven't seen too many dramatic cold weather drops nor has any precipitation closely resembling snow fallen in this area. So, that being said, I haven't gone in search of a wintery scene for my blog banner. Instead, I decided I'd try something in-house and something with a little more eye catching appeal. I also wanted to continue my practice of creating product or stock photos.


As you can see by the above collage of thumbnails, it took me a few tries to nail the shot exactly as I had envisioned. Most shots start out with something in my mind's eye on how I imagine the end product to be. It can be frustrating often times to spend a significant amount of time only to be disappointed with the results. I am grateful to know that many professionals in the industry will go through the same trials I do before getting to their mind's eye photo.

In recent months I have gained a much greater deal of knowledge in lighting techniques and the use of wireless flash units. (Thanks Strobist.com!) Although I may never net a single penny for this photo, I feel comfortable knowing that I can accept work down the road that might include this exact type of work. Just like anything else, practice makes perfect.

So there you have it - a picture of some goggles and me in a nice comfortable warm pull over sweater. If the weather around here keeps up, I may not need that sweater for much longer. I hope you like the new banner. If not, I guess you'll just have to get used to staring at me acting cold until spring.

Take care all. And as always, THANK YOU for stopping by and checking out the blog.

- Eugenio