Stock Photography

[ExposureSigns]

Hi, we are a new sign shop, and we are working on our store front signage. As of yet, we do not have any projects to display, having had no customers yet! But we want to show potential customers what we can do for them.

I have looked at the stock photography websites in the hopes that I could find photos of vehicle wraps that we can use for our initial advertising. Once we have a few projects under our belts we would, of course, use photos of our own work in our advertising.

Does anyone know of a source for photos of completed work on vehicles that we could use temporarily in our advertising? I don't just want to pull random images from google without permission!

Thanks!

 

[Gino]

Welcome from PA................................

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

www.istockphoto.com

 

[HaroldDesign]

I'm not sure I understand. You want to post photos of other people's work because you haven't done any yet and want to offer them? I must be missing something in understanding having a store front for this kind of work, but not having produced any prior. I'd suggest asking your vendors if they are able to supply any promotional art.

 

[phototec]

Hi, we are a new sign shop, and we are working on our store front signage. As of yet, we do not have any projects to display, having had no customers yet! But we want to show potential customers what we can do for them. Thanks!

I think posting photos of work by others is misleading, and not really ethical. You would be suggesting you can do the work that is shown in the photos, yet you say yourself, you have NOT done this work before!

That would be false advertising and not a good way to start you NEW sign shop.

Why don't you just wrap your own shop vehicle, then photograph it and use it for the store front, that way you show YOUR work and not someone else's work.

Also, now you have a rolling billboard to promote your new business, oh wait, do you even know how to design a wrap and wrap a vehicle?

http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html

 

[WCSign]

I think posting photos of work by others is misleading, and not really ethical. You would be suggesting you can do the work that is shown in the photos, yet you say yourself, you have NOT done this work before!

That would be false advertising and not a good way to start you NEW sign shop.

Why don't you just wrap your own shop vehicle, then photograph it and use it for the store front, that way you show YOUR work and not someone else's work.

Also, now you have a rolling billboard to promote your new business, oh wait, do you even know how to design a wrap and wrap a vehicle?

http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html

because the pictures of the burgers at mcdonalds always look like the ones that come in the wrappers.. who cares, its a local shop somewhere, that has ZERO effect on you.. they need some promo stuff to fill the walls, big deal

They asked in a nice humble way. maybe their shop vehicle is a beater. maybe they want a few different pics to display, rather than just multiple pics of the same vehicle.

copyright doesnt apply if they are asking and someone will give them pics, hell id send some pics if I had some, woop dee doo

when your wife goes to the salon to get her hair done and she looks through all those picture books and posters on the wall and pics a style she wants, is it implied that her stylist did the hair in all those pics?

I cant stand people bagging on forums newbies, YOU might think that the request was atrocious and unconscionable. other people might agree. the newbie might learn this after a while, but in the meantime, look at the context of the post.. While I wouldnt come on here asking for pics of work, it seemed reasonable why they would come on here, because they have searched and couldnt find anything and they didnt want to pilfer off of google images. But they desperately would like their showroom to look incredible... So they signed up and asked.

I mean im sure every single one of you had already wrapped a swath of vehicles on your first day of business?!

so cheers to the original poster, welcome to the forums and I hope your search and business goes well

 

[ExposureSigns]

As a designer, I have done vehicle wraps before. As a shop, we have not built up our OWN portfolio. I am currently seeking permission to use wraps I have designed for other companies, as a temporary measure. The wraps I have done for other shops remain the property of those shops. I have permission to use them in my Personal portfolio (for the purpose of seeking employment myself), but it would not be right to use them to promote another company. I hope that clears up the ethical question (as well as any question of our ability to create such designs).

Right now, we are setting up store front signage, so people know that we are open. Its great to have a vehicle driving around with your name all over it, but if your store doesn't have a sign, the vehicle points nowhere. Hopefully, the vehicle will follow shortly after the store sign.

I guess the question I am asking is a temporary back up measure, in the event that my previous work is unavailable for us to use. I have a good relationship with my previous employers, but I think it is another thing entirely for them to grant permission for a local competitor to use a couple of images of their work, even if my brain did come up with it, their shop owns it.

The reason I am asking if anyone knows where I might be able to find stock photography is because I don't want to rip off someone's hard work. I know what it takes to create this kind of work, and I wouldn't want someone just grabbing my stuff. If someone is selling their images on a stock site, it is free game to use it it in our promotional work. I ask, because I don't want to steal. THAT is unethical and not a good way to start up a business. What I am looking for is temporary until we create a few nice pieces that we can say are honestly ours.

 

[J Hill Designs]

Hi Amanda, welcome from Winnipeg!

Have you thought about designing some wraps for made up companies and using that as your examples? Having some realistic looking renderings until you have some real examples of your own to showcase might be a good way to start.

It's kind of a catch 22 really....you can't get customers in if you can't show what you do....but you can't show what you do if you haven't gotten customers in!

I was gonna suggest the same thing...just do some stellar rendering

 

[sar bossier]

Bonjour from Louisiana! May I suggest designing & wrapping your vehicle, ASAP, it is mobile advertising, and is something people can see/touch/feel, as well as Pat's suggestion on designing xyz vehicles.

 

[Justin]

I just checked istock, and didn't see any wrapped vehicles. :/

 

[ExposureSigns]

It is totally a catch 22! I have never worked for a brand new company before, so some of our hurdles are out of left field for me!
That might be the way to go. With so many things to do in getting started, the time to design a wrap for a fictional company is hard to come by, but it is an investment, right? You need to show your customer what you CAN do. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Fred Weiss]

One problem with using example pics not designed by you is that some viewers may figure out from phone numbers, websites, or business names that it isn't your work ... then point it out to others. Unlike a beauty salon or McDonald's, there is a larger expectation that what you show is yours. Artists have portfolios and restaurants do not.

My opinion is you should do a template design for your own vehicle(s) and then add photos when it is done. And you'll be able to point at it in your parking lot as well. Customers will be far more understanding of the fact that you're new than they will if they think you're being deceitful. Regardless of the ethics issue, customer perception of both your skills and your reliability should be a primary concern.

 

[Fred Weiss]

I just checked istock, and didn't see any wrapped vehicles. :/

Not likely to find any because all the stock photo sites will reject any product that is recognizable as a trademarked item. Just being a Chevy is enough to get the submission rejected.

 

[weaselboogie]

Design a Logo for a sample company then design a branding campaign for an that entire sample company, implimented on ANYTHING you're shop can do. Mockups for vehicle wrap, coroplast signs, signacade signs, shirts, etc.

 

[rjssigns]

Here is a dead simple solution. Design your wrap and place it on a photo of a vehicle that shows it off. A Photoshop slam dunk, with no headaches.
Portfolio builder as well.

Your welcome.

PM me for the address where you can send the check.

 

[Gino]

I didn't consider what photo did at all 'Bagging' on a newbie. In fact, he was giving good sound advice.

Who wants to use someone else's work and pretend it to be their own and might possibly say to the potential customer..... we can do this, we've never physically done one, but we think we can and we'll charge you less then these guys would..... causin' you're our guinea pig. Care to let us experiment on your dime.... and on your vehicle. If it doesn't turn out good, we'll just say, sorry, but thanks for giving us a try and thanks for paying us.

Then others go on to say.... ya gotta start somewhere......... What da fug ?? Does that make everything wrong.... suddenly right ?? Just because you don't have any customers, finished projects/products or samples.... you can take from others... knowingly or deviously ?? Starting somewhere does not boil down to.... you have nothing and want to look like somebody, so you steal someone else's identity. For crying out loud.... how little can you contribute to starting your own business ?? Have you no shame ??

This 'gotta start somewhere' crap is getting old and about as useless as t!ts on a bull. Yes, you must start somewhere.... start with knowledge and some supplies and grow your business.

Ya wanna start in business and you wanna start out right, so be 100% ethical and show your own work or be honest and tell people... I personally.... or any of my employees have any work we've produced out of this shop. We've helped other places, but not on our own. Have some faith in yourself and tell your first client.... I'll work with you..... I know we can do this and do it right. Let me have your business and I'll prove you are making a good decision. If not, I'll refund the whole cost to you.

That's a reputation builder, not being a copycat.

 

[peavey123]

Fred's on to something. Do a mock wrap with your shops branding on it and maybe get creative and do some other off the wall stuff. It'd be better to display your actual work and talents than to just post pictures of others work no?

 

[OlsonSigns601]

I'm pretty sure I remember my sales rep from Fellers saying that I could use any of the pictures in the Fellers Catalog as a promotional item.

Might want to check with them.

Good Luck!

 

[ExposureSigns]

My intention is not to rip anyone off, or to be a copy cat. As I said, I do have personal portfolio work, but using that to promote a new company that is a competitor of the company that owns the work my brain created is still stealing. Sickly unethical is the uncredited use of something yanked from an image search. I refuse to do that. It would be my employer's name on the line, not just mine.

I think I asked a valid question, and I appreciate both sides of the argument. Seeing all sides and the concerns that go along with them is important. I was looking for a temporary solution to the advertising problem, to be replaced asap with our own work. I didn't think it deceitful to use an image with permission of something equal in quality to my previous work, where the actual use of my work without permission would be to spit in the face of our competitor.

I agree with the solution that several have suggested, of creating designs for made up companies. At lease then, we can say with all honesty that we created it from scratch. We also didn't want ALL of our advertising to have one example, which featuring our own vehicle would do. We will include it, absolutely, but one sample is not a very convincing selling point!

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will consider this problem solved.

 

[phototec]

I cant stand people bagging on forums newbies, YOU might think that the request was atrocious and unconscionable. other people might agree. the newbie might learn this after a while, but in the meantime, look at the context of the post.. While I wouldnt come on here asking for pics of work, it seemed reasonable why they would come on here, because they have searched and couldnt find anything and they didnt want to pilfer off of google images. But they desperately would like their showroom to look incredible... So they signed up and asked.

You can't stand people!

Well I can't stand whiners like you, always winning, and giving excuses for not being able to step-up and do the right thing.

People like you always looking for the easy way out, taking short-cuts, copying and stealing other people's creative work, and representing the work as your own.

What does McDonald's window art have do to with anything, at least McDonald's creates their own product photography, they don't use clip art or steal Burger Kings images, as you would suggest is Ok to do.

The only reason you are defensive, is because YOUR are one of those who can't, so you just plagiarize other peoples work. There was a guy on here a while back who copied images from other sources and used them to build a gallery on his web page, and he was trying to mislead people, that he did those jobs, and in fact he copied some of the images from Sings101 members.

At least the OP has higher values than you:

"I ask, because I don't want to steal. THAT is unethical and not a good way to start up a business. What I am looking for is temporary until we create a few nice pieces that we can say are honestly ours."


Get a life, looser...

 

[phototec]

I didn't consider what photo did at all 'Bagging' on a newbie. In fact, he was giving good sound advice.

Who wants to use someone else's work and pretend it to be their own and might possibly say to the potential customer..... we can do this, we've never physically done one, but we think we can and we'll charge you less then these guys would..... causin' you're our guinea pig. Care to let us experiment on your dime.... and on your vehicle. If it doesn't turn out good, we'll just say, sorry, but thanks for giving us a try and thanks for paying us.

Then others go on to say.... ya gotta start somewhere......... What da fug ?? Does that make everything wrong.... suddenly right ?? Just because you don't have any customers, finished projects/products or samples.... you can take from others... knowingly or deviously ?? Starting somewhere does not boil down to.... you have nothing and want to look like somebody, so you steal someone else's identity. For crying out loud.... how little can you contribute to starting your own business ?? Have you no shame ??

This 'gotta start somewhere' crap is getting old and about as useless as t!ts on a bull. Yes, you must start somewhere.... start with knowledge and some supplies and grow your business.

Ya wanna start in business and you wanna start out right, so be 100% ethical and show your own work or be honest and tell people... I personally.... or any of my employees have any work we've produced out of this shop. We've helped other places, but not on our own. Have some faith in yourself and tell your first client.... I'll work with you..... I know we can do this and do it right. Let me have your business and I'll prove you are making a good decision. If not, I'll refund the whole cost to you.

That's a reputation builder, not being a copycat.

Gino, some folks just don't get it!

That's a reputation builder, not being a copycat!

 

[Rick]

Hi Amanda, welcome from Winnipeg!

Have you thought about designing some wraps for made up companies and using that as your examples? Having some realistic looking renderings until you have some real examples of your own to showcase might be a good way to start.

It's kind of a catch 22 really....you can't get customers in if you can't show what you do....but you can't show what you do if you haven't gotten customers in!

This is what I would do... I would also re-design your logo.... sowwy