onePicture Project Guest Curator: Fernando Guiterrez

Designer Fernando Gutierrez is known for powerfully constructed work in his branding, publication, packaging and other projects.  So when we asked him to be a nominator for our onePicture project, his choice is perhaps no surprise – he plucked out a strong black and white image that has much in common with the work of Constructivist artists, and Alexander Rodchenko’s photography and graphics in particular.

© Scott Rinckenberger/evolveimaes.com

Scott Rickenberger’s image of pylons ‘reminds me of the work of Rodchenko… that strong use of the diagonal, the reductive approach to emphasising structure,” says Gutierrez, who runs Studio Fernando Gutierrez out of a cool canal-side studio in west London, working across an international range of clients.

The photograph transforms a documentary subject – rows of electricity pylons marching across the desert in Dubai – and gives it a strong conceptual edge. ‘They are quite distinctive structures, the ones in the middle of the shot are almost like figures, with a powerful upper body, and you can read various ideas into the picture,’ said Gutierrez.

The literal depiction of power hints at a metaphoric one – an effect achieved by simplifying the shot, by using black and white,  and by adding the energetic push of the diagonal. That said, it doesn’t always pay to reduce an image to a kit of parts. It works because it speaks to you.

And if it does speak to you, use it for a project and, under the onePicture terms, we will give over our royalty to a cause nominated by you.

See all the onePicture nominees. Buy an image. Make a difference.

Signe Roderik: The Warm North

Signe Roderik Abel says that, if she has a style, it is ‘simple, Nordic’ – which wouldn’t be surprising given that she lives in Denmark and recalls her earliest shooting experiences as time spent using her Dad’s camera by a Swedish lake in the summer.

But a look at the extensive range of images in her collection demonstrates an appeal that goes far beyond its Scandinavian background, with a complex range of positive human emotions and situations. As a new addition to the Evolve collection, her work extends our reach into warm, spontaneous lifestyle images that capture many popular concepts for communication.

© Signe Roderik/evolveimages.com

We broke into her busy shooting schedule for a quick q&a:

What do you like to photograph most?

People and processes. I like capturing people in the process of doing something they are good at and being the silent observer, the fly on the wall. My style is trying to interfere as little as possible and, first and foremost, avoid the staged. Natural and honest are important parameters for me when trying to portray someone. I genuinely value the spontaneous and ‘real’ that cannot be faked afterwards or achieved in post-production.

© Signe Roderik/evolveimages.com

How did you get into photography? 

My first ‘hands on’ experience was using my dad’s camera one time by a Swedish lake in the summer. The feeling of spending that one single shot out of the 24 on a single roll, was magic. All the aspects of carefully choosing the frame, picking the right ISO, developing the film and the whole waiting process that used to be so painstaking back then, really got me hooked and I’ve loved it ever since.

The idea of being able to capture and recall a special atmosphere is still mesmerising to me and to see how two people can read very different stories into the same image is fascinating.

© Signe Roderik/evolveimages.com

How do you find your models? This is a strong element in your work.

All my relations and projects have a personal connection somehow. Chemistry is very important to me and I’ve always felt that this can be seen in the final image. Models, location, styling and their actions are all the ingredients that should interact to create the perfect result.

© Signe Roderik/evolveimages.com

Do you have a favourite photographer? 

I find great inspiration in the portrait works of Annie Leibovitz, and the ballet pictures of John R. Johnsen. New underground talent is always inspiring too as they tend to do things with their material that I often couldn’t or wouldn’t but it gives great inspiration and ideas for new things to try out.

Storytelling is extremely important to me. Although still photography is a different genre than cinema, I also find great inspiration here as many of the storytelling techniques can be the same. The director David Fincher has an outstanding ability to capture beauty in every frame he shoots and make even the most ordinary subjects somehow come to life and look interesting.

© Signe Roderik/evolveimages.com

Do you have a dream project that you are working towards?

I am in the process of realising such a dream project. It is a study of dancers from The Royal Danish Ballet and the modern dance scene, performing all over Copenhagen city, using urban locations as their stage. This project has also given me the opportunity to work with moving images and I have found this to be a really fulfilling challenge and something I would like to continue working with in the future.

See more of Signe Roderik’s work on Evolve Images or visit her website.

Image Buyer’s Guide Tip #2: Size Matters (less than you might think)

We often hear stock photo agencies touting the size of their image files: 45, 50, even 60 megabytes!

Sounds impressive until you realize a few things. Like most of those files are interpolated up from the original image size to make them bigger. And that those sizes are much bigger than needed for the vast majority of uses. And of course the RF sellers charge by the megabyte, so the bigger file they can sell you the better for them.

But what very few of them will admit is that far and away the best-selling file size is around 10 megabytes or less. Which is still big enough for a half-page print use at 300 dpi and overkill for any digital use.

But so what? If you’re not paying by the pixel bigger is always better, right? Gives you plenty to work with, room for cropping, etc. When you’re licensing an Rights Managed image, or in any case where you are provided with the largest file, you’ve got nothing to worry about, right? Especially if you’re using the image in print.

Well, sort of. Because when you are working with a large image file what you see on your screen may not be what you’ll see in print. The good news: what you see in print will almost always be better!

Back in the days of film, if you looked at a 35mm transparency with a standard 8X loupe, what you saw was roughly equivalent to what you’d see printed at 8”x10”.

Today, when you look at one of those 50MB files at 100% on your monitor you’re looking at an image that’s sized for about 11”x17” at 300 dpi. And since most current LCD monitors run roughly 100 ppi resolution, it’s really more like looking at more than a four foot image!

Screen grab from Photoshop showing the print size of a 55MB file. Photo Credit: © Stuart Westmorland/evolveimages.com

Why does that matter? Because while a lot of photos from today’s top digital cameras look good at that size, there are a lot of great images that may seem less perfect but are still perfect for your needs.

If you don’t believe it, just look at all the iPhone and other mobile captures being used online and in print today. Then look at all the amazing images throughout history that were captured on film and are now digital – at 100% what do you see? Grain! And finally all the digital image captures at higher ISOs that provide texture and authenticity and spontaneity (and a bit of “noise”) not found in highly-lit “production” shots.

So if you find an image you love, but you’re worried about what you see when you look up-close, make sure you’re not looking way TOO close for comfort. Consider the size you will actually be using the image, not the size it has been pumped up to. And if you’re still worried, remember that there are lots of ways to minimize the appearance of grain or noise. (Most of them are most effective when custom matched to the specific print output, so your production person or printing pro is your best friend there.)

Just like with people, an image that may not be perfect may still be perfect for you.

More information:

What Print Shops Really Want: http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/printshop.html

The Myth of DPI: http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/mythdpi.html

onePicture Project – Guest Curator: Cecilia Gomez

Our June onePicture Project image by Christopher Kimmel was selected by Cecilia Gomez, Producer and Principal at CAM+Partners, an international production company specializing in brand libraries for global companies such as Abbott Labs, American Express, KeyBank, T-Mobile, Procter & Gamble, and many others. Cecilia provides these thoughts on what guided her selection:

© Christopher Kimmel/evolveimages.com

“There is a calm and openness to this image by Christopher Kimmel that immediately drew my eye.  The visual tones/colors are very “in” right now. It tells a story – which every good image needs to do – and within the horizon is an invitation to explore. It is about possibility, natural beauty,  taking yourself to new limits and accessing the beauty in the world that is with your reach if you work for it.”

Each time a photo buyer selects the featured onePicture image to license for a project, Evolve will donate 100% of the royalty we receive* to the non-profit charity of the photo buyer’s choice.

If you are a creative director, art director, art producer, editor or designer (or know of one) and would like to nominate an image for onePicture Project, please email us and we’ll send you the details of how to participate in this important campaign.

Questions? Call us: +1.888.933.5976

*Please note: Each time buyers license an exclusive image from Evolve, we share 65% of the fee with the photographer, and the royalty Evolve receives equals 35% of the license fee. Images selected for the onePicture Project, Evolve will contribute 100% of the 35% royalty we receive to the respective buyer’s charity of choice.