Updating an Old Image . . .
Stock Asylum Staff Report
June 14, 2007
Can an older image be updated to meet the needs of today's market?
The answer certainly depends on the image. But an illustration created in 1995 for National Geographic by Louie Psihoyos shows the potential some older work still has in the marketplace.
The image of a person relaxing in front of hundreds of of television screens has become one of Science Faction's top five selling images and it recently one a MAGGIE Award for the best single editorial enhanced photo in a trade publication.
 This image shows how an older image can be reinvigorated for today's marketplace. Originally created in1995, it was recently enhanced and is now a top seller. ( © Louie Psihoyos/Science Faction ). |
The original image was created to accompany an article about the information age. It took Psihoyos five days to create the multiple exposures that would eventually be the curved bank of screens in the final product.
Ten years later, Roger Ressmeyer, CEO of Science Faction, doubled the number of TVs and enhanced the glow around the person in the image. Ressmeyer said Psihoyos approved the final version and has been happy with the subsequent sales.
"These days, very few of our competitors take the time to do digital transformations, and the photographers are often unhappy with the results," said Ressmeyer. "We take the extra care to make the photographers happy."
He noted also that Science Faction, which, as its name implies, specializes in scientific imagery, is careful to disclose significant digital enhancements to image buyers.
The MAGGIE award for this photo was shared by Psihoyos, Ressmeyer, and Gary Helpern, publisher of PhotoMedia Magazine. MAGGIE Awards are presented annually by the Western Publishing Association for U.S. publications operating west of the Mississippi River.
Ressmeyer, a former president of the Picture Archive Council of America, has been an outspoken advocate for improving the quality of traditional stock photography and is in the process of launching a new general stock photo brand called Jewel Box. The new brand will license high quality work from experience professionals, Ressmeyer said.
The Science Faction web site is at: http://www.sciencefaction.net.
