Welcome to the thirty-fourth edition of the still awesomely named Stock and Awe a series of newsletters as suggested by you!

Hangings

*SenshiStock needs help with which way to hang this lovely painting
`shelldevil is still holding her "The great animal mania contest!"
~Athena-stock is requesting prize donations for her first contest.

New stock

From the Stock Gallery in the last 24 hours.


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Stock to Art

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Featured Stock

Out of the water by ~ElithaStock

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An interview with...=skydancer-stock

1:_{First off - what inspired you to start a stock account?}
Hmm. Well, actually my originally picking up a camera way back when was to do personal stock. I basically taught myself to draw and paint, and I was always looking for people to sit for me, or for references, and one day a friend handed me a camera and told me to go take my own. So, over time, I managed to get some experience with the camera, and shot quite a lot of material at my first studio, which I rarely ever actually used as photos, but rather did pen and ink, prismacolor and graphic pencil from, with some forays into acrylics, airbrush and body painting. When I joined DA, after a short while of getting acquainted with the community, it just seemed a natural thing to put up some the 50 000 or so shots I have on film for the rest of the community to use and maybe do something interesting with. A number of the models I have worked with more recently, that is to say that are around and active, have been quite interested in what people do with their work.

2:_{How did you choose your username?}
That's easy, its my real name. I really wanted to get my name for my art too, but unfortunately is a dead account, and DA does not release names.

3:_{What is it about the stock community that keeps you active?}
Honestly, its the other artists that keep using my images to do the most fascinating works, and its been quite astounding how many use me personally as their muse, a bit taken aback by that, but flattering also. Then too, I have folk like yourself, Radiopooh, LawrenceDeDark that have encouraged me, and other stockers that I rather enjoy their work and we collaborate a lot back and forth.

4:_{How would you like your stock to be used more?}
I do not like horror, to be honest I think there is enough gore and horror in the real world without making more. I really enjoy traditional work, and that includes digital that works in traditional technique and genre. Really well done photo manipulation can be just as engaging and skilled as digital painting and that can be just as fine an art as paint on canvas or pencil on paper. I truly do however always have a warm place for the sheer experience of a pen scratching across good strathmore.

5:_{Do you have any tips for people starting a stock account?}
Absolutely. Study the good ones, and think hard about why you want to do stock, and who your audience is. Then read some of the tutorials, and try to make the best use of your camera as you can. Really learn to use your camera, as good stock is first and foremost, good technical photography. Clear, sharp and clean. Or if your going to do themes, then try to make the theme as useful as you can, not have for instance a wrist watch on when your doing period costumes. And see what your particular strength might be, rather than just duplicating what others are doing. Perhaps you can dance, or know martial arts, or you can play a musical instrument, or have wonderful pets that can pose with you, or outside of model stock, look around at where you live, and see what might be unique that you can capture that no one else might have. And think very much from the point of view  of the artist when you take photos so that they can be used by as many as possible. A good square shot of a mountain lake is much more useful than a narrow angle of forest. And the highest resolution, largest possible image size is always better than smaller. Make the very best use of what your camera can do.

6:_{Why chose to stock at DA and not morguefile/sxc/photlia/etc...}
Well, I did have a few other accounts, but I am not interested in making money from my stock, I am an artist, and I am much more interested in an arts community than I am any commercial operation. I do not do commercial photography.

7:_{How far would you go to take a stock picture?}
About as far as I have and would for any photo. I have fallen down waterfalls, stood on the edge of cliffs, climbed mountain ledges, stood in the middle of rivers, trecked up a mountain in a snow storm and shot a nude on an ice wall, grins. Its really more a matter of resources. If I had the means, I would be wandering all over the world just shooting, drawing, experiencing, and much of it would probably end up in my stock account. I mean, why not put it out there for other artists to use?

8:_{Are there any things that you wish people would stop doing with your stock?}
I think like most of us, I really really really despise those that are here only to collect naked bodies. Thats certainly not about the stock, only their perverse natures. I have not really had many problems with people using my stock in ways that bother me, I make it pretty clear what is acceptable. Its the rather creepy ones that just collect it and have no intention of using it that bother me.


9:_{Show me three of your favourite stock uses!}
OOOhhh. That is going to be a little tough... so may wonderful works, far more than I would ever have expected. and I have to mention *HouseofChabrier who seems to be doing an entire book on me.


10:_{Is there anyone at dA whose stock you particularly admire, or have any other stock artists influenced your own work?}
Oh, definitely there is massive admiration for `lockstock I think she is truly amazing as a person and as a figure stock artist. My dear friend ~chamberstock is another fantastic figure artist and a marvelous muse. ~sempiterna-stock Is a wonderful reference stocker and another dear friend, as well as a very talented artist. She and I have collaborated on a number of works.
There are a number of very good folk on here, and I have in fact, a reference wiki on Elftown with links to here for people to study the stockers suggested and to learn how to do it right. And who knows, perhaps in time, they too will join the DA stock community as they get their courage up and their technical experience with practice.

11: _{You have varied model stocks - but how would you convince more males to join the stock family?}

Thats a bit of a tough one, as the main problem as I see it with having nude males as both art and stock is the comments from the slimepoolers and the rather creepy comments from the same sort that are a problem for the female nude stockers, a lot of sexual and very inappropriate comments. That can make it difficult for anyone, and most males truthfully do not really have the same experiences with nudity that females usually do. No sleep overs, showering together, doing each others hair, all that sort of thing, so the isolation is more of a hurtle to over come, and getting good ordinary people, not pro models or those that only do things for exhibitionism, but rather good honest, everyday male models, well that takes some doing. Perhaps if we had a focused community where we could put out there good support for any figure stocker, male or female, tutorials on how to get started, why you might want to, how to protect yourself and how to avoid the pitfalls that you might encounter, but more than anything, the same resources for any nude artist, model, muse, photographer or performer. A good source though, like for any model, might be, local arts schools, or art departments, any theatrical troupes, dance troupes, local sports clubs maybe, body builders, runner, cyclists, outdoor types that might be a bit less inhibited, things like that.

12: _{Have you ever been caught whilst doing the more nuder photos?}

Oh certainly. I have have a number of interactions with park  rangers, local authorities, people driving by, hikers on the trails, things like that. However, Not once, have I had any real problems. Possibly due to the fact I had a heck of a lot of pro gear, I carry a small but very professional portfolio with me, and I have my paperwork, model releases, and all that, in there with it. Once we had a group of college students come out on a cliff face to have lunch and I was shooting and after a couple of minutes of conversation with them, they simply made lunch and applauded the model as she worked on the edge of the cliff while I shot from a ledge across the way. In fact, I ended up later shooting two of the coeds from that group.

13: _{Who'd win at a burger eating contest - `znow-white or `IreneLangholm?}

Hmmmm. `IreneLangholm however, I believe `znow-white would be more elegant in her burger massacre.


Thank you =skydancer-stock!