When I first started doing book covers, I wondered aloud to H.E. why anyone would use stock photos. “I,” said yours truly, scoffing, “would create everything from scratch.” I’d be flipping through stock photo catalogs while saying this, of course, because that’s what would trigger it. I’d look through those catalogs—sent to me at work because, hey, I’m a graphic designer—and I’d feel so ultimately superior to anyone who actually bought from those catalogs.

H.E. knowingly bit his tongue. He used to be a creative director so he knew I was just being young and stupid, and he was wise enough to sit back and let me find out for myself just how wonderful a library a stock photos can be. He had that look about him—eyes freshly rolled, mouth lightly smirked, and tongue drilling ever so deeply into his cheek—the same look he had when I claimed I would read every book before doing its cover. Scoff!

“Don’t waste your time,” he’d told me then. “You’re not getting paid much. If you read every book you work on, you’d be spending more time on it than it’s worth.” Ha! Boy, did I show him.

I read the manuscript for the first seven book covers I ever did, then I developed a cover art questionnaire that when completely filled out actually gave me more information than any book ever did. Which saved me a lot of time and heartache.

Okay, so he was right on that point. And he was right about the stock photos.

Granted, I hardly ever use a stock photo without butchering it first. I always have to make it mine somehow, give it a new look and create a monster out of it by marrying it with one or ten other stock photos out there. But Oh My God, what a lovely thing it is to have that starter image. Build everything from scratch? The horror! I’d be at the computer all day.

I’ve got other things to do, and I need to spend more time with the man who rolls his eyes at me when I scoff at stock photos. Spend half an hour, if you must, on searching for photos and putting them together, but then move on! Quickly. To other projects, or to watching that Shrek 2 widescreen DVD movie you won at Albertsons (I got lucky).

So that cover you see there? It is because stock photographers do such great work. Thanks, guys, for allowing me to be lazy. May your memory cards always have plenty of space. 🙂

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