Removing objects from photos

[Raz_Mc]

Hi

 

I have some photos of stores, such as IKEA.  Am I allowed to remove objects like security cameras and vents on the side of the building to make the images more saleable and the logo a cleaner photo offering?

[Mr Standfast]

Raz,

 

There are 20,000 images brought up by a search for Ikea.

A search for Ikea security cameras brings up 2 images.

Your call.

 

G'night.

 

🦔

[Joseph Clemson]

I'm not sure why you would want to make such modifications to the image. The presence of the logo and the distinctive colour scheme of the building precludes selling the image for commercial use. In which case the image needs to be sold for editorial, or possibly, personal use. Editorial images don't usually benefit from extensive editing to remove items such as you describe. Indeed, editorial images ought not to be significantly modified lest the accuracy of depiction is impacted and starts to verge on being misleading.

 

In the case you describle above it's probably not a big issue but, even though I'm not a Pro photo-journalist, I've always understood that editorial images shouldn't be substantially modified.

[Raz_Mc]

Thanks Joseph.  Yes, I’ve kept the photo as is now.  Was thinking looked better without the cameras etc

[wiskerke]

5 hours ago, Raz_Mc said:

Thanks Joseph.  Yes, I’ve kept the photo as is now.  Was thinking looked better without the cameras etc

You could try both as an experiment. I would declare in the Additional info that the image has been cleaned up. And offer a link to the original one as well. And the other way around as well.

 

wim

[Ed Rooney]

 

Joseph, I wonder if you are confusing editorial stock with live news? I would not make any editing changes to news photos. Most of my Alamy stock images are exclusive and for editorial only. I consider those to be used as illustrations. I clean up most of them the way Raz suggests. I've never had any trouble with anyone for doing that. 

 

Edo

[gvallee]

14 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Joseph, I wonder if you are confusing editorial stock with live news? I would not make any editing changes to news photos. Most of my Alamy stock images are exclusive and for editorial only. I consider those to be used as illustrations. I clean up most of them the way Raz suggests. I've never had any trouble with anyone for doing that. 

 

Edo

 

+1

 

No problems removing objects for editorial use.

 

[Vincent Lowe]

3 hours ago, wiskerke said:

You could try both as an experiment. I would declare in the Additional info that the image has been cleaned up. And offer a link to the original one as well. And the other way around as well.

 

wim

 

That's exactly what I do.  I have one of a historic building in Manchester which has an annoying street lamp plonked right in front of it.  I removed the street lamp in Photoshop but also uploaded the untouched version with a link to it from the altered one.  The one without the street lamp has sold several times including three times for calendars - the untouched version has never sold.

Edited November 12, 2023 by Vincent Lowe
typos

[sb photos]

7 hours ago, Mr Standfast said:

Raz,

 

There are 20,000 images brought up by a search for Ikea.

A search for Ikea security cameras brings up 2 images.

Your call.

 

G'night.

 

🦔

 

As pointed out here, with 20,000 Ikea images already available from Alamy, if I was you I would I would consider if it was even economically viable to photograph, let alone spending additional time editing. Only photograph if your image was very very special and what made it special was adequately captioned and tagged.

[Steve F]

You can. I generally wouldn't bother unless it is really distracting.

[Ed Rooney]

 

Yes, Steve F, "distracting" is the key reason I have for cleaning up an image.  I always remove cigarettes and litter. Other details can be distracting and unhelpful too. Each image must be evaluated on its own.

 

Steve (sb photos), most of your images are live news, an entirely different game. You say, don't shoot subjects if Alamy has a bunch of that already. What? Stock photography is a competition. If we only capture exclusive subjects, most contributor's ports would be very tiny. Spaghetti and meatballs is a common subject. There are 7,000 pics on Alamy. But I have three on page one. Stock is a competition! 

 

There's a lot of bad advice being handed out in this post, very unusual for this savvy forum. 

 

Edo

[Nick Hatton]

12 hours ago, Vincent Lowe said:

 

That's exactly what I do.  I have one of a historic building in Manchester which has an annoying street lamp plonked right in front of it.  I removed the street lamp in Photoshop but also uploaded the untouched version with a link to it from the altered one.  The one without the street lamp has sold several times including three times for calendars - the untouched version has never sold.

Be careful, I supply a well known calendar publisher and for every shot of mine they use I have to confirm it is a current and true representation of the view.  

[Vincent Lowe]

2 minutes ago, Nick Hatton said:

Be careful, I supply a well known calendar publisher and for every shot of mine they use I have to confirm it is a current and true representation of the view.  

 

I have clearly stated in the 'Additional Information' field that it has been digitally manipulated and that a street lamp was removed, then given the Alamy ref of the unaltered version.

[Ed Rooney]

 

That sounds like an assignment deal, Nick. When I was doing assignments I did what the client wanted too. For stock buys, nobody is telling me nothin. 

[Ed Rooney]

 

Yours is a really good portfolio, Vincent.

[Vincent Lowe]

9 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Yours is a really good portfolio, Vincent.

 

Thanks Ed - much appreciated.  Belated birthday greetings BTW..🙂

[Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg]

is there anything in stock shooting contract

that limits improving salability of image in

the opinion of contributor...?

 

removing bald spots on grassy lawns

opening blinked eyes

removing ugly utility wires

intensifying bleached skies to blue

removing modern traffic signal from otherwise authentic restored historic district

eliminating a nose picker

turning dead branches green

etc etc etc

[Michael Ventura]

I removed distracting objects often.  No worries.  I don't shoot live news, that would be a big no-no.

[Mr Standfast]

14 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

 

Each image must be evaluated on its own.

 

Stock is a competition! 

 

 

 

 

Very quotable!

 

 

Edited November 12, 2023 by Mr Standfast
damn spelling

[Raz_Mc]

On 11/11/2023 at 22:26, Mr Standfast said:

Raz,

 

There are 20,000 images brought up by a search for Ikea.

A search for Ikea security cameras brings up 2 images.

Your call.

 

G'night.

 

🦔

A fair point.  But some people filter by date taken.  So last one in could be more appealing than a stunner from 5 years ago?

[Steve F]

37 minutes ago, Raz_Mc said:

A fair point.  But some people filter by date taken.  So last one in could be more appealing than a stunner from 5 years ago?

 

I think clients often search for latest imagery, judging from my zooms and sales.

[Mr Standfast]

25 minutes ago, Raz_Mc said:

A fair point.  But some people filter by date taken.  So last one in could be more appealing than a stunner from 5 years ago?

 

True.

 

If you look through the business pages of the papers, which is the natural market for this sort of image they are often used to illustrate recently released results or contemporary pressures; therefore the latest image may have more apeal,. But if however they are illustrating a subject like shoplifting, the picture with security cameras may be more appealing.

It's possible to overthink this!

 

As an observation because I can't really justify recommending it as a strategy I have licencsed some images of a national business which sometimes gets in the press because it's been innovative and sometimes because they are in trouble. The sunny day pictures sell when they are getting praised and dull day pictures when they are in trouble.  Did I say it was possible to overthink this?

 

The best advice I can offer is build a portfolio and see what works.

 

Good luck.🦔