This piece has come in from one of our relatively new Socialstock photographers.
Grant has been working hard and getting sales. In his article he writes about a shot of two community police officers, well I know we have a client looking at these shots at the moment for an educational book publication, hopefully another sale!
As Grant mentions, leg work is needed at the start to build a 'decent' number of images but this is an investment for the future.
Nick Fallowfield-Cooper -Picture Editor
Here's what Grant has to say...
Working for social stock as social documentary photographer is not a short term deal!
It takes time, skill and a lot of patience and effort. That old chestnut the more you put in the more you get out applies to this job. Being pro active and getting out on the streets is key.
On many occasion when I am feeling lazy or really just don’t want to turn the photographer charm on which means I have to talk to people, oh what fun that can be.....I just go and stand in the middle of the high street step back into a door way and watch the world go by rather than trying to come up with lots of fantastic ideas for pictures just let them come to you, stepping away and relaxing as the world goes mad. I can guarantee you will get pictures every time . On one occasion I remember seeing two community support officers walking down the high street on patrol, it was a rain day so I was standing well back in a shop door way so as not to get my new Nikon 200mm f2.8 wet, hood on lens and my head too, taking pictures of people trying to hold on to their umbrella’s, great pictures and fun to watch especially when they don’t know I am taking picture of them, people act natural then.
Anyway these two officers one male one female on patrol nice picture always needed just had to do it without showing their faces and if possible without them seeing me so just for fun I did the old surveillance route having a bit of fun jumping in and out of shop doors behind a phone box trying not to be seen while taking pictures I know I know what a big kid but you know what , it was great fun and the officers never saw me and I got another cool picture in one of those doorways of a woman dragging on a fag in the rain with umbrella up, easy work if you can get it.
On the way back home I took the short cut through the park you never know what you will see, this is also something I do a lot but I always have my press photographers ID round my neck .
It was a sunny day people chilling walking over a small footbridge sometimes hand in hand (see social stock for that picture) but one man was sitting on a bench with his head in his hands which is great straight away as I can’t see his face don’t need consent as he can’t be identified he looked very stressed some sort of personal life problem, so me being me making the best of a bad situation and all, shot of two frames nice picture. Job done on to the next one that picture sold two weeks later. It’s a tough game but someone has to do it, so it might as well be me.
In the four months I have worked for social stock over 1000 images uploaded that’s a lot of key wording. and pictures have sold every month too. I set myself targets for uploading my next target is to have 2000 on file by June 1st . “That will be hard work but fun”
All the best
Grant Falvey
