Stock Photo Content Advisor: holiday

Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts

Thursday, March 17, 2011

An Un-PC St. Patrick's Day Greeting

Times have changed, even for St. Patrick's Day. I dare say, you will not see another card like the one below again. Politically incorrect? Perhaps. But still a worth a second look. If for nothing else, let us admire the design and artwork of this vintage St. Paddy's Day card.

Lesson to be learned here: Old greeting cards can become new stock photos, while at the same time, old stock photos can become new greeting cards. Deep stuff, right?

See more like the image above here.

Monday, January 31, 2011

It's All in the Caption: Valentine Mishaps

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it seems like the proper time to get everyone in the mood . . . in the mood of poking fun at Valentine's Day using a selection of stock images. In case you missed our previous installments, here's how it works. We take a few stock photos and rewrite their original captions for the sole purpose of making ourselves laugh.

Original caption: Singers wearing funny glasses.

Alternate Caption: A guy I'd like to punch.

Alternate Caption: Guy failing in attempt to disarm the ladies with comical glasses. Note the genuine fear in her expression.

Original Caption: Boy with an arrow through his head.

Alternate Caption: It turns out Cupid has horrible aim.

Alternate Caption: Luckily for him, prop comedy happens to be one of her "turn-ons". Weird.

Original Caption: Portrait of a young man holding a heart-shaped object.

Alternate Caption: I made this for you. I hope you like things made of my own hair.

Alternate Caption: Man doing the best he can. At least, he dressed up.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

5 Worst Christmas Gifts

Just like the creepy guy will undoubtedly find you at a party, bad Christmas gifts will find a way under your tree every year. To help you fight this phenomenon, we have decided to give you 5 horrible gifts to view now, in the form of stock photos. Good photos, bad presents. The way we see it, this should drastically reduce your chances of getting a slew of crummy gifts this year. If you got us any of the stuff on this list, it's not too late to take it back.

1. Ugly Christmas sweater - Only acceptable if both parties are aware that this is such a bad Christmas gift that it almost makes it good. If you decide to go this route, you are required to wear an equally atrocious sweater while in the act of giving the gift. It's a rule. We don't make this stuff up.

2. Magazine subscription - The only excuse here is if you are getting a Highlights subscription for a kid. Just because you heard someone say that they like to put jam on their toast once does not mean that they want a 12-month subscription to Jam Aficionado: "Preserving" Jam's Heritage, which isn't a real magazine (hopefully). Realistically, it's just gonna be something that stacks up next to their toilet.

3. "Remote" control car with wire - If you have to run along side it because it can't get any farther than 3 feet away, it is, by definition, not a remote control car. Nice try, Santa.

4. Off-brand toys - Action Man is a sorry substitute for G.I. Joe. A Super Action Metal Spring is no Slinky. RoseArt crayons are not Crayolas. Lettuce Garden Babies are not even a shadow of Cabbage Patch Kids.

5. Underwear - Though your loved ones might sorely need new undergarments, that hardly makes it a worthwhile Christmas gift. Underwear is something you give on a random Tuesday. If you are giving someone underwear as a Christmas gift, you might as well give them toothpaste and deodorant too.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Top 10 Sexy Christmas Photos

Unlike a large percentage of the world, sexiness doesn't take Christmas off. Sometimes it even seems to work a little harder. This is especially true in stock photography. The logic is pretty easy to follow. The holiday season is the time to sell; sex sells; photos can help you sell. The result: sexy stock photos.

In no particular order, here are 10 of the sexiest Christmas stock images we could find:


© Corbis RF. Image #42-17890859.


© Imagebroker RF. Image #IBXALX01213407.

Monday, November 22, 2010

A Stock Photo Thanksgiving

If there is one thing that most stock photography sites know well, it's food. From appetizers to dessert, you can find all the stock photos of food and fixings you could ever need. And we are about to prove it. We slaved for minutes and minutes over a slightly warmer than room temperature computer preparing this meal for you, so please cherish it.

Here it is (in no particular serving order) :


© Stockfood. Image #659332.

Friday, November 5, 2010

The 5th of November

November 5th is Guy Fawkes' Night. For those of you who don't know the story, we'll give you a brief history lesson, stock photography style.

Sometime in 1604, Guy Fawkes came into contact with James Catesby, who planned on assassinating the King of England with the hopes of putting a Catholic monarch on the throne. They possibly met at Coughton Court (on the right) and discussed what would become known as the Gunpowder Plot.

On November 5th, 1605, Guy Fawkes was discovered under Westminster Palace with 36 barrels of gunpowder. He was arrested and tortured and forced to reveal the details of the Gunpowder Plot meant to bring down The House of Lords.

What happened next was not pretty. Fawkes was sentenced to be hanged and drawn and quartered. Reportedly, he jumped from the gallows to ensure that his neck would be broken so that he would not have to endure the pain of drawing and quartering. Not the prettiest way to go . . .

Today, the British commemorate the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot with fireworks, bonfires and the burning of Guy Fawkes' effigies. As the saying goes, "Remember, remember the 5th of November . . ."

We hope you enjoyed this brief stock photo guided history lesson. For any John Lennon fans out there, this will also explain the last line of the song "Remember".

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Pet Costumes . . . Whether They Like It or Not

Do you dress your pet up for Halloween? Although they don't appear to be that into it, you can usually get your pet to wear a costume just long enough to take a picture. And it's almost always funny. Besides, we think they like the attention. Plus, you clean up their poop. They owe you a little fun.
Below is collection of some of our favorite stock photos of pets in costumes. Keep in mind that most animals are not professional stock photography models. So, please excuse their short attention spans and tendency to want to nap mid-photo.
Note: Cats appear to be too "cool" to wear costumes, so all the images are of dogs.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Just to Scare You

Stock photography is typically not the scariest thing in the world. A businessman on a cell phone, while possibly frightening in its popularity on stock photo sites, is nothing to get worked up about. But sandwiched between them are some very interesting images.With Halloween coming up, we went searching for something to scare us. And you. The results were plentiful, so we'll give you a taste of the best.

Feel free to "accidentally" close your browser if it gets too scary for you. We won't judge.

Scary on several levels. For one, it just looks frightening. A hideous face when you are expecting a beautiful bride. And secondly, commitment scares the hell out of us.

Mummies!!! Even though one appears to be the Crypt Keeper and the other seems to be laughing at the Crypt Keeper, they are still scary.

Dolls are scary enough as it is, but throw in that this one looks peeved and has devil horns, and it is nightmarish. Also, dolls aren't supposed to be pointing like that. Creepy.

Bugs should never have to be touched, unless it's with the bottom of your foot . . . through your shoe. Thick soled shoe.

This doesn't seem like it's going to end well. It looks like you just woke up and the first thing you saw was a cat trying to eat your soul.

Yikes!