the blog

We’ve all had to do it at one time or another.
Of course we aren’t proud of it and try to disavow any knowledge of our involvement.
But, there it is, staring you in the face – the stock photo that you used in some creative project.

Don’t get us wrong, some stock photography is great, shot with good lighting, a deft eye and wonderful composition. But, what is the negative value assigned to an image used in a billboard that could quite possibly be used in another billboard right down the street? How much of a black mark on your creative prowess is it to let someone else concept, direct and touch up an image? On the flipside, what is the value of creating a brand using an image that you know no one else will ever have? We say totally worth it.

We all know the reasons for using stock photography.
• Budget constraints
• Time constraints
• It just seems plain easier

All right, no more excuses. Darren Dunham, our creative director, never uses stock photography, unless threatened with certain death… and even then not normally. Darren has become the MacGyver of imagery. And low and behold, due to this, his photoshop skills are unmatched and his make shift studio shoots are the things of legend.

The result? An image that is totally custom, rave worthy and dripping with creativity. Don’t believe us? Check out the image Darren shot with a tiny hand held digital camera for our client Shoe Gypsy Tulsa.

Bottomline – stock photography limits your creativity. And yes, you may be limited in the equipment you have, but from limitation comes great creative invention. The next time you have an ad to design and you reach for your good old stock photography book take a step back and try to come up with a way to create the image yourself. We bet it will be a stronger, more branded creative piece.

P.S. – To those stock photography sites that we may have offended we meant no harm. You definitely serve a wonderful purpose helping those hindered by a lack of visual creativity.We’ve even been known to frequent your sites every now and then.

So who doesn’t seem to be on the caffeine band wagon? Did you guess correctly?
With no further ado we would like to introduce you to…

Here’s a little bit more on Jeanne.

Name: Jeanne Ryan
Occupation: Director of Accounts
Sign: Taurus
Favorite Color: Blue

Strategic Weapon of Choice
Data. The more information I can find the better the information I will give.

Where do you get inspiration from?
Running, my brain seems to work best, while my body is trying to give out. That and my friends, family and the world wide interweb.

Favorite project you’ve worked on while at 29:
I love all of my projects equally (she said like a good parent), but I loved working on Germ Ninja. I’ve never witnessed a creative pitch that included beat boxing, a ninja and a client laughing so loud. Pretty awesome. Check out the making of if you don’t believe me… and yes, that is me, doing the “running man.” I miss you Lil T!

If you weren’t director of accounts, what other occupation would you have?
Is this what I want to be? Or what I would most likely be? If it is what I want to be then HGTV’s next design star… if it is what I would most likely be… a college professor (don’t ask, it’s true)

Stay tuned for our next “Who We Be” Profile.

Welcome to our second installment of “Who We Be.” Our previous employee profile was one of our intrepid and talented designers – Jonathan Rollins. And while we know his photo makes him look a little scary, he is a true teddy bear (with a beard) at heart, just don’t take his Swedish Fish!

So, with no further ado…

Which 29er is this?

Check back tomorrow for the answer.