One side-effect of my background in graphic design is that I tend to compose images with an art director in mind. When I compose a shot, I’m often leaving room for typography. I suppose if you looked at my photos assuming that I were a fine art photographer, you might think that my compositions are sometimes strange — sometimes leaving large spaces empty — but that’s intentional. A vertical with some empty space at the top makes for a great magazine cover. The title needs to read clearly on the shelf and a busy background can create confusion. A horizontal shot with an open space to one side and an off-center subject can make a nice opening spread. The magazine’s gutter won’t cut directly through the subject and the open space can be used for a headline or the opening paragraphs of the story. Other shots fill the frame but may be graphically simple so that they will hold up at small sizes. Perfect for small “spot” uses to brighten copy-filled pages.

I’m not a fine art photographer. I do sell some prints, but I’m primarily composing with an editorial use in mind. Having been on the other side as an art director with travel and tourism clients, I think back to the images that I would have liked to find when it was me that was laying out that story, or me designing that cover. It’s always interesting to see how other art directors use my images as well. Sometimes I’m amazed that they saw a way of using one of my photos that I would never have thought of. Hopefully, I amaze them every now and then as well.