Contributor Tips, Inspiration

Contributor Tips: Soul-Warming Tracks and Powerful Nature

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Light up the fireplace, tune your guitar, and remember the places you traveled and all the amazing things you did this summer. Stay safe if Mother Nature is showing her less gentle side, and remember that Halloween is just around the corner. All this and more can be your inspiration for this month’s creations.
 

Video: Candlelight

The atmosphere generated by candlelight can be wonderful. Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon had many scenes filmed in candlelight using a remarkable f/0.7 lens, and the results are gorgeous. People often light candles during emotionally powerful moments and thus create a unique atmosphere. We also encourage filming of candles in specific cultural and emotional contexts.

Sky Lanterns in the Loi Krathong Festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand by punyafamily

Candles are a very regular contribution to our collection and are one of the most common objects shot against a dark background. The problem is not that they can’t be visually striking, but that we see such similar content being submitted — a closeup, ignition or the candle being blown out. Think about more creative and unique shots and angles to avoid recreating the same shot we’re already saturated with.

Candle on Black Closeup by nataq
 

Music: Soul Warming

In much of the world, it’s getting chilly, but not quite cold. Our music needs for this month are similar. We’re not quite ready for holiday music, but it’s too late for piña-colada-inspired tracks. The answer? Come inside and listen to some of our most soul-warming, familial tracks. That’s right, we want your acoustic and folk sing-a-longs, perfect for those fall nights around a campfire or in the kitchen drinking tea.

Swedish Acoustic Jazz and Folk by epidemicsound

We’re all set with spooky. Thanks for the Halloween submissions!

Spooky Quirky Halloween by studiocat
 

After Effects: More Horror Wanted

We have started to get more spooky-themed templates, but we still need more! There’s still some time before Halloween, so keep them coming!

Dying Light (Cinematic Opening Titles) by S_WorX

We would like to see less of the traditional Halloween look, however. Let’s be more creative and stay away from pumpkins, bats, mummies, skeletons, and vampires, unless you’re tackling these themes with a twist.

Skeleton Dance Party by motionarray
 

Photos: Powerful Nature

The demand for visuals of natural disasters is evergreen, and is strong for photos and videos alike. We would like to see more photos depicting hurricanes, extreme storms, floods, volcano eruptions, and other kinds of natural phenomena. If possible, avoid visible faces, copyrighted property, or logos in your pictures, so that they can be used for commercial purposes, as well. As always, make sure that your images are of good quality, even at 100% zoom.

A Large Cone Tornado Touches Down Over The Open Prairie
A Large Cone Tornado Touches Down Over the Open Prairie by ImageSource

Watching fireworks is cool, but looking at photos of fireworks is not that cool. Such photos tend to be blurred and noisy, plus we have to admit that all fireworks look kind of alike. If you insist on shooting them, be sure to take a tripod with you and take a wide shot, so you can also see a cityscape or spectators to differentiate your images.

Fireworks Show On New Year
Fireworks Show by seawhisper
 

Illustrations: Country-Specific

Summer being officially over doesn’t mean we don’t want to keep traveling: some of us for real, some of us through your artwork! Our collection could really use a flavorful infusion of world-cuisine illustrations: think Korean, Scandinavian, or South American!

Korean Bbq
Korean BBQ by glowonconcept

In general, we’d love to see more country- or region-specific files coming in rather than generic travel themes; it’s way too easy for your work to get lost in the sea of suitcase and flip0flop illustrations. Art featuring one specific city, country, or region is a better bet!

Hong Kong Famous Attractions
Hong Kong Famous Attractions by totallyPic

Looking for more ideas and inspiration? Check out Contributor Tips from previous months here, and see which media was the most successful last month in our monthly Top Sellers collection.

Top image: Man and Sons Playing Guitars by Living Room Fire by ImageSource