Tell a story

Take a look at this picture:

What does it tell you?  Is it a great sporting moment or is it just another picture that could have been taken anywhere?

The above pic could well have been taken anywhere.  It is simply an image of Stiaan van Zyl batting and tells us nothing.  It may be OK as a file image or stock for an article but it is definately not worth sending as a news image filed from an event.  Your image must tell a story.  It has to be different. Remember you are competing with every other freelancer and ALL the agencies and even the muppets who give away FREE images just to see their name in print.

Think about the following when filing images:

What was the event?

How is your image going to get that message across to the readers of a paper or magazine?

Why would a publication use this image?

Is the action in the pic the right action that tells the story so far?

Are you sending this image just because you have to file so many pics from the event?

Struggle to answer these questions?

Then don’t send the image.

Every time you send a weak image you lessen the chance of being published or being commissioned!