In the book store this morning I spent a great deal of time looking at The Here and Now: The Photography of Sam Jones. Jones is a very well known photographer who is most famous for his celebrity and advertising (which often features celebrities) work. The book is an impressive collection of celebrity portraits. I didn't buy a copy but only because Borders has it for $40 in the store and I can order it from Amazon for $26. I'm going to buy it and I very much recommend that anyone interested in portrait photography buys it as well. Some of the images are eleborate set pieces including costumes, props and staged locations while others are direct, intimate headshots. All are very interesting and give the portrait photographer lots to examine and think about.

So while all the images in the book are good and interesting and while I encourage you to buy the book that's not what this post is about. This post is about one image in the book, a shot of Tom Cruise that was used for a Time Magazine cover story. The cover story is from 2002, well before any of Cruise's couch jumping or his railing against anti-depression medications. In other words, the image was taken well before any of us started thinking Tom Cruise is crazy. I imagine that when the magazine came out the image was perceived as one of a handsome, charismatic movie star. He looks pretty and has a satisfied grin in the image, like he's got the world on a string as the expression goes. The unfocused colors in the background call to mind stage lights as if to remind us that "this is a movie star" while the deep, deep stare would seem to indicate that viewers can and should trust this man.

Looking at the image this morning in the book store my immediate thought was "wow, he looks like a crazy, charismatic cult leader. He's very frightening." Obviously I'm looking at this image with the Cruise Scientology video still very fresh in my mind. The unfocused lights in the background make me think today of all the science fiction stuff the religion purportedly believes. That satisfied grin? It makes him appear to me like a smug manipulator. Like he knows exactly what to say and how to behave in any situation to get what he wants and that he finds himself quite superior to most everyone else.

All this is to note how much context, current events and individualism very much influence how an image is perceived. As a photographer you cannot always decide when or how your images are displayed but when you can control those things it's wise to put a great deal of time and thought into the details that will influence how your images are received. This includes putting them in context when appropriate, including text descriptions, making sure prints are appropriate sizes, etc.

A couple months ago I received a copy of Digital Stock Photography How to Shoot and Sell by Michal Heron from the publisher. I'm terribly behind in reading and reviewing it but it was a good, inspirational book to read near the first of the year so alls not lost.

Looking at the title and cover of the book I wrongly assumed it would focus on microstock. Perhaps because I'm such an internet person when I think "stock photography" I automatically think of microstock as well as the big agencies like Corbis and Getty. Microstock is actually barely touched on in this book and the term "microstock" isn't used at all. Instead sites like istockphoto are referred to as stock portals. Not using the common term and not discussing microstock in depth seems an odd choice but I really can't say the book suffers from that choice. If anything it's a really nice reminder that the world of stock photography existed long before the concepts of royalty-free and microstock were ever dreamed up and will probably (hopefully) be around for even longer still.

I received an early Christmas gift last night, James Baker Hall's Tobacco Harvest An Elegy. The book's black and white photographs of a Kentucky tobacco harvest is strikingly timeless and familiar to me as though they could be images that were taken directly from my own memory. If you weren't raised on a tobacco farm the images probably won't tug on your heartstrings like they do mine but they will give you an education and some insight into a way of life that is rapidly disappearing from America's rural landscape.

The book includes an essay by Wendell Berry (he's actually the subject of some of the photographs) that is as profound and brilliant as any of Berry's work.

I just got a press release about a new title from Allworth Press. Digital Stock Photography: How to Shoot and Sell is described thusly

A leading expert on stock photography provides you with everything you will need to know to create digital stock photos that sell in today's marketplace. Aspiring and professional photographers alike will find a treasure trove of insights on the style and concepts needed to create saleable stock, as well as information about how to prepare and organize a shoot and how to manage digital stock. From handy tips to invaluable business essentials

I'm really curious about whether this book is about stock photography or microstock photography. Of course is there really a difference these days? Microstock is such a hot topic and such a popular market for photographers, amateurs, semi pros and pros alike, I'm sure this book will sell like gangbusters.

If I come across a copy I'll be sure to write a review.