Charligal-stock
How did you originally get into stock?Well, I originally got into stock specifically to give myself drawing ref on a couple of illustration projects I was working on. I had a specific brief and the poses/expressions I needed proved to be so difficult to find I said ‘What the hell?! I’ma make my own ref!!’ And well… it kind of grew from there and turned into my wonderful pet monster that I now must feed and water everyday
What inspires you to keep doing stock?The AMAZING artwork that all my awesome watchers keep making!! They continually knock my socks off with their creativity and concepts
That and also… I adore dressing up… and taking photos of myself and my other collaborators… I always find myself on the pro shoots I do thinking ‘What can I do to make some of these offcuts useful as stock?’ Hahaha and so that is also a propelling factor
Tell us a bit about your set-up!Well, I have had a couple of cameras in my time doing stock. There was just a standard point n shoot at the beginning with grainy crappy quality. I also did a lot of work with other photographers at the beginning so they had an awesome range of cool equipment. Then I moved onto my Canon Eos 350D which lasted me until about halfway through last year… where it died a miserable and lonely death ☹ and so now I have just gotten my amazing, shiny, new fandangle Canon Eos 60D and it is sooooooooooo AMAZING!!!!!! I haven’t shot stock with it yet but boy oh boy do I have plans in store!!
Lighting wise, occasionally I hire out pro studios when I am doing pro shoots (with stock offcuts in mind) but mostly I use my own home studio kit. It consists of my 2 softboxes and backdrop that is waaaaaaay tooo large for my tiny little apartment… that last fact is why I also like to go and shoot location stock every now and then… I usually shoot stock in my tiny bedroom and well… lets just say I have managed to pull a couple of muscles doing it and inadvertently locked myself in my room behind a crap load of equipment accidentally from time to time.
Introduce us to the dudes in your gallery!Righto… so I have a couple of guys in my gallery.
We have my main masculine partner in crime, Shannon. He and I have known each other for over 10 years. Also gracing my gallery are Ed Ng, Ian McTeigue and Sam Hanson. I still have so many stocks of them sitting on my external waiting to be uploaded… I really need to get onto that cos there are some pretty excellent ones of all of them.
What do you have to bribe them with to get them to pose for you?It’s keeping Shannon away from the front of my camera that takes the bribing hahaha. He loves it. Whenever I get my camera out he always asks if I am about to shoot stock and if he can be in it
Ed and Sam were pro clients so they bribed me
and Ian.. well he was my significant other for a long time and it took me aaaaaages to get him in front of the camera… He eventually did cos he wanted to have a couple of nice photos of himself ☺ … I think I bribed him with offers of desert for dinner all week too….
Do you do much directing, or does Shannon think of all of those dynamic poses himself?Well, it is a bit half n half with Shannon. A lot of the time I will direct but every now and then he will strike a random pose and we will both either burst out laughing or scream in excitement cos it was fantastabubble and then continue down that avenue of posing
What, to you, makes a good stock photo?Coming from an artist perspective, good stock has to be inspiring! When I am sourcing stock for illustrations I always look for the unique or dynamic poses, the expressions that in their own right have a story to tell, high quality photos.. I get quite frustrated at stock that is 900px or smaller… and I am also a sucker for costumes and headpieces
oh and quirky/creative themes
…. Heck, themes in general
What would you like to do more of when it comes to stock?More action/dynamic poses and quirky and creative themes. I love aerial posing and now I have a much more capable camera so I am hoping catching myself doing some of these sort of shots is gonna be much easier! Fingers crossed anyway
I also wouldn’t mind some more couple shots.
Show us a few of your favorite stock uses!Hmm… well there are sooo many but keeping the boys stocks in mind, these would probably make the list:
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Tell us about your illustration!Oh yay! I have been drawing for as long as I could pick up a pencil and that has just continued to grow and evolve along with me. I actually work as a graphic designer/illustrator for a studio and pro photography as well and I studied Design and Illustration at college.
I am massively inspired by fantasy, comic art, legends and horror and a lot of my personal art revolves around these particular themes. I also have a thing going where I can’t seem to stop painting portraits of my awesome fellow stockers
and I just recently received my first ever DD on my art account!!
My biggest art inspiration would have to be the lovely
(her work is way beyond spectacular.. she is an art goddess)
Some of my own personal art faves that I have done are:
What's your favorite outfit you've done stock in?Hmm… my favourite stock outfit.. would have to be either
because of the utter quirky ridiculousness of wearing a tutu on your head
or
because I made it myself
What is something you've heard that people think about Australians that isn't true?Hmm…. Get this a lot: ‘Hey Nichelle, is it true most Aussies ride a kangaroos instead of drive cars?’ I like to answer yes and then ask them what a car is bahahahahahaha for shiggles
and to see the confusion when I say I will show them my Kangaroo 3000 in the garage
But the fable of Aussies loving to drink beer certainly does apply with me
If you had an iguana, what would you name it?Either Jub Jub or Marvin the II
And if there's anything else you want to share, go for it!Hmmm…. wellll… thanks for all the excellent stock artists out there who inspire me daily and also to the excellent artists who have the same effect. Oh yeah, beware England for this April,
Tasastock and I are going to be running amok and creating awesome stocky goodness together which is gonna be super dooper EPIC! I can hardly contain myself when I think of it!! A whole week of crazy fun haha yay
Apart from that I have some cool stocksies planned very soon and everyone, keep on creating awesome art!! Because you all rock
