Since 2008, Steve Mayes has been the managing director of VII, whose members include photographers such as James Nachtwey and Ed Kashi. In a career spanning over 25 years, Mayes has held a number of high profile positions including group creative director of Getty Images, CEO of Photonica, COO (Americas) for Image Source, creative director of Eyestorm.com, and director of the Image Archive at Art + Commerce. He is a frequent lecturer, writer, and has been Secretary to the Competition Jury of WordPress Photo since 2004.
Reuel Golden: Could you please tell us a little bit about VII’s mission and how it differs from other photo agencies?
Steve Mayes: VII derives its name from the number of founding photojournalists who, in September 2001, formed this collectively owned agency. Now owned by ten photographers and representing an additional fifteen Network affiliates plus nine developing talents in the Mentor Program, VII has expanded considerably but remains true to its core mission of using photography for positive change.
RG: Describe a typical working day. [click to continue…]
Photographers who have made a career out of licensing their work as stock photos know that there is a difference between a “good” image and a “marketable” image. There are many beautiful and great photographs out there, but that doesn’t necessarily make them sellable images. If you’re hoping to make money from your photography, you need to know what it is that makes an image attractive to photo buyers.
1. Themes/Concepts: In order for an image to be marketable, it often needs to illustrate a theme of some sort. It must present a specific concept or tell a story that people can relate to. For example, I typed in the keyword “struggle” and came up with this image. It’s quite powerful and it clearly illustrates that concept. That doesn’t mean that you have to present the theme in an easily digestible, Wonder Bread way, unless you’re trying to sell your images as bottom dollar microstock. [click to continue…]
I caught up with Photoshop Guy Dave Cross yesterday in between his PSW Photoshop Wars competition and onOne booth demo. A friendly, down to earth guy, Cross told me about his unique approach to photography these days, and offered some fantastic advice for Photoshop users.
When I asked him what his current focus was in his photography work, Cross told me he’s come realize his style is to go out and take photos “with Photoshop in mind,” previsualizing how he’ll manipulate and transform the images he’s making. This “Photoshopotography” as he calls it allows him to be inspired not only by what he’s shooting, but also by the capabilities of the program itself. He echoed Scott Kelby’s advice about standing out from the crowd, saying about his seminar audiences, “I got the biggest feedback when I presented something that was different.” [click to continue…]
Perhaps my favorite expo setup here at Photoshop World is Adobe’s booth itself. This year being the world-renowned software’s 20th anniversary, Adobe procured computers from the past two decades running each version of the software respectively, up to the present CS5 incarnation. What a blast from the past! More photos after the jump.
Photoshop v.1!
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