Shutterstock Photographer Forum :: View topic - What's the Story behind your Random Photo on Shutterstock?

mikeledray · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 10:46 pm

Here is an idea, hopefully it will be intresting.
If not it will die a slow agnazing death and be lost in the arcives of the ss forums for ever.

Post one Random Photo from Your Gallery.
Then include the story behind the image you posted.
where it was taken?
why it was taken?
is it someting special or newsworthy?
is it a tecnique you perfected or just came accross?
anything intresting or relivent to make your picture you picked out to share.

Ill start

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-632827-hey-what-are-you-lookin-at.html
This is a Turkey in a Kids Petting Zoo Section of a Pumpkin Patch for Halloween a few years ago.
I was out on what I like to call a "Photo Safari" just out scouting around with my camera looking for Anything that might be intresting to photograph, with nothing in perticular in mind.
In a mall parking lot was a "Pumpkin Patch" with kiddie rides, Pumpkins for sale, Foods for sale, Rugrats running rampid everywhere, the smell of popcorn being popped and for sale, roasted corn on the cob being cooked and sold, and a Kiddie Petting zoo, with goats, chickens, turkeys, sheep, rabbits etc.
They let me in to take pics of the animals and This Turkey turned up and I got this shot.
I always liked this shot the way the turkey is looking at YOU The Viewer as if to say "What Day Did You Say It Was?" like he knew Thanksgiving was comming up soon

lets see and read Your photo
:)

suesmith · Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 260

Six or seven years ago, I was driving through Ontario and caught a glimpse of this ship. I made a note of the next exit, and, on my way home, pulled off to get a better view. I took some photos (on film) and talked to a boy who was walking by. He said the ship was used for movies. Each time I drove that road, I looked for the ship.

A couple of years later, the ship was burned. I stopped in a gas station and was told the fire was set. I was incredibly sad that anyone could do that to such a beautiful ship. I snapped a few pictures and shed a few tears.

After that, I found a new route through Ontario and didn't see the ship for a few years. Last summer, I knew I would be making my last trip through Ontario for a long time. I had to see the ship one more time. It was still there! I spent extra time and took a lot of photos. Then I stopped at a Subway to get something to drink. While there, I started talking to a local man. He told me that no one knows who the ship belongs to. One day it simply appeared and it has been there ever since.

jps · Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 12094 Location: Denmark

hm, Welding:

I was at the mechanics shop, to arrange for my car to have som minor repairs. He was welding, I took a snapshot of the flames and glowing metal.
Then it struck me: Oh my god, will the sensor survive that, will it burn out?
It didnt, but I was quite scared until I came home and did a few testshots. Nothing happened,-- phew.

jppistu · Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 781 Location: Puget Sound region

This was taken in the parking lot of a local store (a national chain with a reputation for low prices). I saw the cluster of cameras and instantly thought how it might be useful to illustrate the increase in surveillance, both government and private, and how people seem quite willing to abandon liberty with the hope that some vague boost in security will be worth it (if, in fact, they think about it at all). Yes, a political/social commentary image. Unfortunately it's not particularly well executed, but maybe I'll return with better gear (maybe just adding a polarizer?) and try again.

Click here to download this surveillance camera image for your creative project...
(Sure, that'll happen...)

vinnikava · Joined: 11 Jun 2006 Posts: 517

This is my photo:

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-13839982-chinese-fan.html

The story: I am salsa dancer, so, we had outside weekly weekend social gathering and it was so hot and humid.
And I had this fan with me (always carry it with me to get some fresh air after dancing), and I remember I was sitting, resting, and just fan was laying on the table - i saw the angle and find it interesting - had my cam with me - and vuala! this is the result!

mahnken · Joined: 19 May 2005 Posts: 575 Location: Birmingham, AL

I was a manager for a large discount store (known for their low prices). I was sent to Bentonville, Ark. for two weeks of training at the home office. The group of managers before us told us to check out a certain cave (can't remember the name) because it was just awesome. So on our first day off we all gather into our 15 passanger van and head off to this cave. Took forever to find, and when we did, it was a dud. Most boring thing you have ever seen, when we realized they had played a joke on us. We decided to tell the next group to check out the cave, because it was just awesome. ANYWAYS, on our way back to the hotel, we happened to see a little sign for a drive through zoo. We stopped to try to rescue our day. At the entrance were two tiger cubs. The man running the place let me into the cage and I spent a little while playing with the cubs. As I was taking this shot, the other cub jumped on my back...

sppepper · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 6:22 am

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-1840703-spanish-flamenco-dancer-on-black-background-pointing.html
This was taken at a restaurant we go to on holiday where they have flamenco dancers (obviously!) and at the end of their routine, they pull members of the crowd up and make them do some flamenco dancing (of a fashion) - basically a way of making you feel silly!

Anyway.. where her finger is pointing up, i was actually on the other side of her and she was spinning round. This was juat a snap shot with a point and shoot taken by my girlfriend with my camera.

I cloned myself out and extended the dancer's finger a bit and hay-presto.. there she is... my 4th/5th best selling image!

My Blog

hhltdave5 · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 6:51 am

This is a shot that was 100% pure luck. Laurin and I were in Pismo Beach taking shots of Pelicans flying around a small island. Fog started to roll in and while we were waiting for it to clear I started shooting some other islands.

I had framed the shot and hit the shutter. When I checked it I saw something in it that I did not see when I took it. There in the shot was a pelican in fight but the angle of the bird made it look just like a prehistoric creature. I could probably shoot there for the rest of my life and not be able to reproduce it. I call it Jurasic Park.

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-2268692-sepia-image-of-a-group-of-islands-off-pismo-beach-california-with-pelican-in-flight-giving-it-a.html

digigandalf · Joined: 11 Jun 2005 Posts: 5450 Location: Twinsburg, OH

digigandalf · Joined: 11 Jun 2005 Posts: 5450 Location: Twinsburg, OH

I've posted this pic before, but it's the only one I can think of with an actual story behind it.

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-2332399-tabby-cat-reluctantly-wearing-a-santa-hat.html

A few minutes before this shot was taken, we had tried to get our 2 cats, Perkins & Kevin, to pose for Christmas card photos in Santa hats—with lights & white background, the whole set-up. They would have none of it. Not even bribing them with treats would get them to stay on the table. So after getting a few completely unusable shots, we gave up, put the table and lights away, and weren't feeling too warmly disposed toward the kitties (in their defense the bright lights must have been no fun to sit under). Then I noticed Perkins, still with his Santa hat strapped on, playing with a toy mouse on the carpet. The camera was off the tripod by then, but I snapped a number of pictures, using on-camera flash, just to have some for personal use. One came out looking just possibly suitable for stock even though it violated almost every rule in the book. With a "what the heck" I submitted it. The day after it was approved it got an EL.

debr7k · Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 997 Location: Vancouver, Canada

During the christmas approach I spend a weekend making the pieces for about ten gingerbread houses (the irony here - normally if presented with kids craft/ baking activities my eyes will glaze over & I'll get visions of glasses containing burgundy liquid...). Then I make the icing and on another weekend will -

- invite over my eccentric arty family. They bring mountains of candy. We sit at the dining room table - usually takes about 6 hours - dad provides the sandwiches (he & hubby drink wine in the family room - not into gingerbread I guess :-) - and me, my mom, my kids, & my two sisters build & decorate. Last year I managed to take a few snaps for stock - I like this one best - exposure should have been a bit longer but it's got that happy christmas village thing about it.

(cool thread, Mike - have enjoyed the stories)

digiology · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:20 am

My partner and I headed out for an impromptu 2-day camping trip. Shortly after we arrived we realised we forgot our camping pots and pans. We had to cook all our food in the coffee kettle. The brown liquid dripping down the side isn't coffee...it's yummy sticky terriaki sauce from the chinese food we were heating up for supper. And yes, in the morning we still used it for coffee. Worked out quite well after all.

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-3341019-coffee-camp-kettle-percolates-on-grill-over-hot-campfire-outdoors.html

mikeledray · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:05 am

These are All Great Stories and Images!
Im enjoying this thread
Hope to see more when I get back from work today
:)

graphicphoto · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:23 am

Actually, A LOT of my photos have funny stories behind them. Go figure. Anyway, this one is good. I was trying to get the exposure right to take some photos on my couch. I had my strobes set up and only had a shirt and undies on (I was changing clothes between shots). I sat down and hit the timer and my little dog jumped up in my lap. The timer started beeping and he looked right at the camera. I decided to be "serioius" and looked up and sideways. The funny thing is that out of the series of photos I took I still liked this one the best. Part of my feet were actually clipped out of the frame so I had to grab them from a later shot after I had adjusted the camera.

Paul_Lewis · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 10:41 am

This was just sold a few minutes ago, so I guess that's random...

I was driving home from a webcast in Traverse City (look at the palm of your right hand. I was at the tip of your little finger and had to return to the base of your thumb -- You can't do that if you live in New Jersey :)

Along the two lane road was a series of cornfields and this one had a sprinkler going, obviously. I'm not much of a country guy, so I figured I could just walk over and grab a shot between it cycling from one side to the other the way a lawn sprinkler does. Wrong.

I got about fifteen feet away, and I realized the sprinkler wasn't hitting any kind of trip switch to make it go the other way. I started backing up but it was too late. I covered the camera and got doused with a good five gallons of ice cold water.

It was quite refreshing, to say the least.