Pictures they say are worth a thousand words, but many writers know that they are worth much more than that!
Without decent photographs or other artwork to accompany an article many features published in todays magazines and newspapers would never see the light of day, so it makes sense to try and supply illustrations along with your submissions.
Last month's article gave some tips and advice on how to improve your camera wielding technique so click here if you missed it.
This month we're going to look at how photographs can spark off ideas for features and other writing opportunities which means taking the slightly unusual step of writing the article around the picture rather than finding photographs to illustrate the article.
So let's begin with the hanged man. Who on earth is that and what does he have to do with writing or photography? Not much really, but he makes a nice analogy. The hanged man from the Tarot card deck for those not familiar with this form of divination, is the only card in the major arcana which is the right way up when it shows the hanged man upside down!
Although he is bound and beset by problems and troubles he has taken the bold step of considering the world and his options from an alternative view point which is what exchanging our computers and pens for a camera can do for us.
A good method of doing this is to set yourself a couple of themes. What these themes are depend on you and your interests, but let's suppose you chose "chimneys" and "dogs".
Both of these are common enough to ensure plenty of subject matter and you should be able to find enough examples whether you are a town or country dweller. Don't forget to take plenty of film with you, (or spare batteries and flash cards for digital cameras), and most importantly! A pen and notebook!
A couple of hours wandering the streets gazing skywards at smoke blackened chimney stacks or staring fixedly at the local canine Romeo plighting his troth to Lady Muck's prize Saluki might earn you a few odd looks from the neighbours, but with a bit of luck and determination on your part could also add a few pennies to the coffers as well.
The trick is to take plenty of snaps, a doddle if you've got a digital camera as you'll only be printing off the shots you want to keep. If not, well you can often get cheap film from your local dealer's bargain box. The developing costs you'll have to take on the chin, unless there's a special offer running.
The next stage is to examine what you've got. This is a bit like a deep sea fisherman trawling for cod. Your net is not very discriminating and you'll find a lot of sprats and mackerels amongst your "catch". You may not actually have any photographs worthy of publication, but you will almost certainly have ideas and if this means that you will have to go out again armed with your camera to shoot appropriate illustrations, then so be it!
Let's assume you do have a fair amount of reasonable photographs. What sort of article could you write around these subjects? Well of course this will depend very much on what is actually in the photographs, but let's go back to our neighbourhood Romeo. A few ideas you could pursue are the problems of stray dogs and irresponsible dog owners, owners that resemble their dogs, (or other pets), where to responsibly exercise the town dog, dogs at work, get the idea?
The chimney photographs may suggest a feature on ornate chimney pots,Victorian potters, (many were often made locally), the local chimney sweep, the history of a particular house or row and the characters associated with them, Santa and problem chimney stacks, (or lack of them!).
The photographs themselves will spark ideas, but you don't have to stop at newspaper or magazine features. Good animal, nature and landscape shots may also find a market with greeting card manufacturers and if you can write the sentiments to accompany them so much the better.
In fact, once you build up a collection of quality photographs your options increase all the time, not only in providing illustrations for your own articles, but as stand alone sales to newspapers which for the new comer, is one of the easiest markets to break into.
Our canine Romeo for instance could just make an editor's day as an alternative and humorous slant on Valentine's day. Now there's an idea! How about a feature on love in the animal kingdom? Just the thing for next year's Valentine's day!
Finally, a word of caution. Do be careful when taking photographs. Many people consider it a breach of privacy having their photographs taken without asking and may not relish being splashed across the front page of the local rag.
You need to be even more cautious when photographing children. They of course make excellent subjects but sadly your motives can easily be misconstrued. If you want to cover a local sports day, school fair or play always obtain permission from the school first.
When you arrive at the event, make a point of letting the head teacher know that you are there. Sending copies of snaps to the school and the children concerned will help to establish trust and credibility.
So, going back to the hanged man, all you need to make sales is an alternative view point. Thankfully you don't have to suspend yourself upside down from a tree, just reach for the light box and light the lamp of creativity!
Poetry for Profit contains a lot of information on the greeting card market which is an ideal place to target words and pictures while READ ALL ABOUT IT! The WriteLink to Newspaper Writing has a detailed chapter on taking photographs for the local and regional press.
About The Author
Sue Kendrick is a freelance writer and graphic designer living in the English Midlands.
She has written many special interest articles for magazines and contributed extensively to her regional newspaper.
She edits and publishes www.writelink.co.uk a UK writers resource website and monthly newsletter and www.writelinkpro.co.uk a content providing service for Writelink and other publications.
Sue also writes fiction and has won several prizes for her short stories.
So, the decision is final. I am a writer.Actually, I... Read More
Beginning writers often tend to think of a book as... Read More
(Skip directly to ten for the fastest shortcut!)Like any field,... Read More
Every writer knows that the urge to write is not... Read More
There's a little known secret we writers like to keep... Read More
GAINING WRITING EXPERIENCE Some Catch-22, huh? In... Read More
Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More
Kallu was a tenant of Santosh Kumar Nayak. Santosh Kumar... Read More
Here's something from my mailbag. "Dear Michael, do you need... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
So you want to be a successful author? You want... Read More
Have you ever read someone else's writing and thought one... Read More
One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is... Read More
You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work... Read More
The first five pages of a novel are critical.Editors make... Read More
Complaint letters aren't always fun, but sometimes they need to... Read More
EditingExpect, allow, and accept that every first draft will represent... Read More
I just finished to read a book. A story for... Read More
At first, I noticed that I could have written many... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?We all tackle plotting differently. How you... Read More
Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer,... Read More
Way back in your early school years, you were probably... Read More
Fiction manuscripts receive feedback that addresses and scores:· The theme... Read More
It is certainly true that we don't get a second... Read More
Arrogance has a bad rap. We think of arrogant people... Read More
Open any book on 'how to write,' and somewhere you... Read More
SALE, SAIL Sale is either offering something for purchase... Read More
Creating written documents reveals so much about you and your... Read More
Everyone has a unique story to tell. From explaining business... Read More
How many of you take the time to really write... Read More
Sure you can write, but can you write crisp, compelling... Read More
A good white paper is a paper that makes you... Read More
----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the below article to forward,reprint, distribute,... Read More
Communication is effective when we follow certain rules. These rules... Read More
An island in the Mediterranean. A beach in Africa. The... Read More
When I was young, I used to talk to myself.... Read More
~~~Old age, to the unlearned, is winter; to the learned,... Read More
Some writers are just too kind.They hate to put their... Read More
DEFINITIONSRetail margin is basically the difference between your book's wholesale... Read More
A writer writes. Bet you've heard that one... Read More
You've finished your story, and you're pretty happy with it.... Read More
A UK based freelance proofreader should be able to provide... Read More
Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour. Time... Read More
Prolific authors write; they don't just dream about it. A... Read More
No user manual? Surely you jest!It may seem comical, but... Read More
1. Make your goals achievable.By achievable, we mean realistic and... Read More
Not all writers write good grammar. That's a fact. It's... Read More
Have you ever written a letter to a friend? Ever... Read More
Writers are often are greatly surprised or disappointed by how... Read More
There is a psychological nuisance so powerful that can deflate... Read More
If you're a writer, you're in business. It doesn't matter... Read More
Do you consider yourself a storyteller? Do you consider yourself... Read More
1) Can you summarize the story in about a sentence... Read More
Weather posting a page to your Website, writing a letter... Read More
First, let's tackle the question that is uppermost in many... Read More
There is an image most people carry of the artist... Read More
You have a new website, or a new business, or... Read More
We writers are a powerful lot. We control time. We... Read More
We all need a cheer squad.We all need people to... Read More
Remember the days when we wrote with pen and paper?... Read More
Once you've plotted out your book, developed the characters and... Read More
Regardless of what sort of writer you are and how... Read More
ACCEPT, EXCEPT Not commonly seen even from unpublished writers, who... Read More
When most people consider writing a book, they don't think... Read More
I've noticed a big shift away from traditional horror recently,... Read More
Everone knows that comedy is mostly about timing. If you... Read More
Writing |