Shutterstock Photographer Forum :: View topic

wildfire79 · Joined: 24 Jan 2008 Posts: 16

Parks? Buildings? anything taken from a public domain? Cars without logos?

I feel so limited. I feel like all I can shoot is something I found in my basement from 20 years ago.

Help!!! PLEASE!!

hhltdave5 · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 1:02 pm

Limitations?? There are thousands upon thousands of things you can take pictures of. Look through any magazine at the ads, those are stock shots, look at what are on billboards, those are stock shots, what is contained in brochures, families enjoying each other, food, beverages, towels, soap, pots, pans, trees, hills, mountains, physical fitness, nutrition, images of senior citizens, children, business men and women, office supplies, educational images, images that help sell holiday items, religious holidays, clouds, landscapes, seascapes my God the list is endless.

wildfire79 · Joined: 24 Jan 2008 Posts: 16

do I need a release for trees, hills, mountains, landscapes, seascapes?

I know I sound like an idiot with no imagination (which I think is not the case) but all the property release stuff slows me down.

Example say I have a shot of a street with shops and you can see the shops signs that are copy righted.

Are parks free game?

how about things owned by the city :street signs stoplights?

or federally owned: parks, highways, post office, money?

Maybe I am thinking about it too much

hhltdave5 · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 1:50 pm

wildfire79 · Joined: 24 Jan 2008 Posts: 16

Thanks so much! THis helps a lot!

kenny123 · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 3:36 pm

You do have a choice:

-A few ideas….
……..Things that people do every day

Waking up
Brushing teeth
Making Breakfast
Putting on makeup, combing hair
Shaving, man combing hair
Getting dressed, choosing clothes
Travelling to work, or school
Working or being at school
Having a business or school lunch
Making a phone call, cell phone, home or desk phone
Reading
Exercising, sports, after school activities
Doing homework
Preparing dinner
Having dinner
Leisure activities, hobbies
Friendship, family love
Activities with pets
Cleaning
Home improvement
Shopping
Getting in bed, tucking in the kids

Other people ideas

Teamwork
Musicians/singers
Feeling of freedom
Camping
Disabled people doing everyday activities
People writing
Homeless (sometimes difficult to get model releases)
Mum making school lunches
Crowds at events
Close-ups of hands doing something

- Products

Garden tools
Woodworking Tools
Kitchen utensils
Cell-phones
Books
Magazines

- Communications

Telephones
Cell-phones
Cables
Power poles
Telephone lines

- Technology

Computers
Circuits
I-pods
Stereo’s
DVD’s

- Transportation

Automobiles
Aircraft
Boats
Horse-drawn vehicles
Trucks
Hot air balloons

- People with Disabilities

Deaf
Mute
Blind
Wheelchair bound
Caregivers

- Casino, poker, dice, card games
- Fire extinguishers, firemen/police at work, fire engines
- People in a cultural/diversity setting
- Concepts (like: trust, happiness, sadness, loneliness
wealth, health, balance, success, fear, pride, joy,
sexuality, surprise, addiction, stress, commerce, etc.,)
- Seasonal pictures
- Christmas, Easter, Valentines, hallowe’en etc.,
- Healthcare and nursing
- Medical
- Fitness and sports

COUPLES
Cooking together
Hanging around non-sexually - doing everyday things
In bed having fun, being intimate/massage/kissing
Looking bored/having relationship problems/concerned/fighting
Getting ready in the morning- getting dressed, brushing teeth together
Driving together
Eating breakfast/dinner at home
Eating out
Watching TV
Looking at a computer together
Leisure- at the beach, in a hotel, on a balcony, skiing (non-cheesy travel)
Overall hugging, holding hands, mostly happy/laughing but some serious variations of each shot are be useful too
Couples with pets

FAMILIES
Parents getting kids ready for school- dressing, making lunches, brushing teeth
Eating breakfast/dinner together at home- should be vibrant and full of energy but bright and clean
On vacation- packing up the minivan, going camping, on the beach, at the pool
Mom and kid, dad and kid- having fun
Natural interaction all together in the living room, kitchen, watching TV
Activities- board games, video games, outdoor sports- catch, hula hoops, riding bicycles
Tension in family during teen years
Positive scenarios during teen years
Families cooking together and making healthy food choices - preparing fruits + vegetables
Series of images - family going through the day
Halloween
"Lush, magical holiday photography"
Family with dog or cat on carpet/rug
Family finances
Busy families heading out the door
Divorce situations
Families having fun outdoors
Family shopping
Mom + daughter arguing over shopping/fashion
Families using technology
cool kids and capturing their day-to-days, but here are some thoughts based on what buyers said they need.

Watching tv
Hanging out with friends
Couples - hanging out, kissing, breaking up
Playing video games
Watching movies

Watching tv
Hanging out with friends
Couples - hanging out, kissing, breaking up
Playing video games
Watching movies
Eating pizza
Doing homework
Spending time with parents/family - either negatively or positively
Skating boarding
Biking, Surfing, Soccer, Football - any athletic activity, especially informal with friends
Playing in park
Shopping in mall or in urban environment
Driving with friends
Teen driving that is safety related
Learning to drive
In dorm room
On college campus
Reading a book
Talking on cell phone
Getting ready for school
Eating with friends - at home or in a restaurant
Walking a dog
Going to a party
Going to a club
Dancing
Listening to ipod
On computer
In classroom
Study group
Painting and drawing
Taking a photograph
Drinking
Going to prom
Graduation
Packing to go to college
Volunteer work
Public speaking
On beach with friends
Kissing
Holding hands
Getting yelled at by parents
Teens in any kinds of family situations
Sleeping
At concert/indie concert settings
Playing an instrument
Putting on makeup
On a date/dating
Young couple in love
Watching a movie in a theater
Depression
Suicide
Drug abuse
School dances
Trendy, cool, hip kids across or within all ethnicities hanging out
Sub-cultures: music, surf/beach, skate
Teens in backyard settings
Teens in swimming pools
College kids on spring break
Teen boys hiking or camping

Diverse kids in the classroom doing various things - have a shot from behind of kids raising their hands - make sure they are having fun/enthusiastic
Rules in the classroom/Enforcing rules in school
Looking up and thinking
Doing art projects
Science projects (worms, plants, beakers)
Learning outside the classroom - in nature, exploring, looking at maps, looking at the sky, looking through microscope at bug outside
At the chalkboard, writing or doing math
Child or kids talking tteacher or in classroom with teacher (try using a non-white teacher!)
Doing homework - alone, with each other, with parents
Kids in the library, reading, or on the computer
Walking or riding bike w/ backpack on (alone and in groups)
Waiting for bus w/ backpack
On the bus (looking happy and sad/alone)
Modern technology in classrooms - flat screen monitors, white board
In computer labs
Surfing the web at home

Kids Playing
Pictures of kids hanging out on their own or in an after-school program
Doing sports: track, baseball, soccer, cheering for other kids (girls doing sports)
Doing sports and wearing proper safety equipment (helmets, wrist guards etc.)
Boys and girls playing sports together
On swingsets
Playing indoors with toys, legos, trains
Playing videgames
Being bullies
Organizations: in Girl or Boy Scouts, Boys' Choir etc.
Older kids walking down the street together
At the beach
Tween girls dancing and playing
Halloween
Birthday parties
Children with disabilities playing with other kids
In backyard settings
Babies
Modern beautiful shots of non-white and non-black babies - other ethnicities
Teething
Reaching for lightswitch, various other exploration poses
Being diapered
Preparing for bed
Child care - babies and nannies, other people whare not immediate family
With grandparents or older siblings
Tasteful nursing shots
Breast pumping - very current topic
Baby health issues - grabbing at ear, immunizations where you really see the doctor giving the shot while mom holds baby on lap
Series of a baby developing over time: from first month through the first year
Ethnically diverse twins
Close ups of body parts: eyes, ears, toes, teeth
Moms with friends: pushing strollers together on a walk
Moms and dads together, walking with babies in slings
Babies and moms having intimate moments - showing their connection, not tickling, naction - an 'un-moment' - she just woke him up and put him in her bed - beautiful moments
Toddlers
Health photos of any sort - smiling doctor looking at mom, kids whare sick (cold/flu), in doctors office or hospital, drippy noses, pink eye, staph infections, diaper rash, birth marks, doctor scoping kid's ear, aches and pains, kids holding shoulders, kids in casts, first aid - descriptive, specific pictures
Potty training - no butts, no nudity
Safety - reaching for lightswitch, cup on counter, toddler looking out window at water, playgrounds, bruised knees, mom backing up in driveway with bike behind the car
Green living - babies modern cloth diapers (i.e., no safety pins)
Progressive families - Dads helping and at play groups, moms working from home
Modern pictures - baby in car seat in SUV, modern shopping pictures
Every day chores: mom doing laundry with baby nearby, mundane stuff is badly needed
Mom dropping kid off at daycare
Kids with special needs - Autism, Down's Syndrome
1st birthday parties, other parties (trend now is smaller parties - not tons of people in a room)
Parents traveling with baby and/or toddlers - road trip or by plane
Without moms - learning to be independent
Learning teat and drink by themselves
Toddlers in wintertime

To name just a few....Now tell me you have nothing to photograph regards,Ken

jeffbanke · Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:04 am

I think you made a point there Ken! LOL!

supertramp · Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 5:47 am

And that's Ken's short list. :)

wildfire79 · Joined: 24 Jan 2008 Posts: 16

no doubt! Ken you left me no good ideas. LOL

Thanks you for you help Ken!

nirdesha · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 742

OMG lol, I'll never get time off work to write such a long thing

grumby · Joined: 11 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

So one can take a photo of any car (any car?) as long as there is no logo, or license plate - and sell it (the photo that is, not the car), without the owner's permission, or the manufacturer's? Does this mean Porsche haven't got copyright on the shape of the 911?

But presumably, I can't take closeups of the logos (to sell, that is) - I have long wanted to build a photographic collection of car manufacturer badges - old and new, and think they could make a good commercial set of images - especially the older ones, or a particular type through the ages...

What about particular aspects of a car - like closeups of light clusters and such - the lights on some cars are very distinctive - are these not copyrighted?

Ken - you mentioned iPods in your (comprehensive & inspiring) list - surely these are subject to some kind of copyright - or are they fair game as long as you remove or hide the actual iPod label?

kane513 · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 9:58 am

I think you are OK for most cars, but ford has a limit. no closeups of the light clusters, door panels, front grille...

kapai · Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Posts: 139 Location: New Zealand

I wonder how many years back the grill & lights copyright will be for I have some very early Ford cars so am wondering if it will apply back to the 1900 - 1930 era of Fords

evaners · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 6:44 am

mreco · Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Posts: 1146 Location: Hampshire, UK

im sorry Ken, but you missed one....Pictures of people writing lists, there always doing it.