Remember that lubricant I spoke of in the Introduction?
Many photographers, especially stock photographers, like to take an idea and shoot it until every variation has been exhausted. Given the current state of the stock photography market, and that most agency contracts are nonexclusive, the best way to maximize your sales is to send work to as many agencies as possible. Stock has become more of a numbers game than anything else.
People having fun, whether in a business or non-corporate environment, remain one of the strongest stock categories and, as long as you merely infer something is something else, cheating is perfectly acceptable. Take ice cream, for example. It’s fun stuff. Kids love it, as do adults, and it’s appropriate as a prop in both family and business situations. Unfortunately, it’s also messy and won’t last long before melting and running over your models’ hands and dripping on their clothing.
The quick solution is (wait for it) . . . mashed potatoes. You won’t even need to use real potatoes, as the stuff in the boxes works just fine, maybe even better because there are no lumps. Add a little food coloring or other source of color, mix it well, use an ice cream scoop to place it in a cone, and you’re good to go. Unless it falls out of the cone, it will last as long as your model does. Here’s a professional hint: If your potato recipe calls for extra liquid after the dried spuds have been rehydrated, don’t do it. The potato mix will hold its “frozen” shape better if it is drier.
Bear in mind that this trick can’t be employed in any commercial situation that involves real ice cream. There are Truth in Advertising laws that cover such things. I suggest that you read up on these laws before accepting any assignment that might require an acceptable lie.
Add the extra liquid to the mashed potatoes only if you’d like the final product to look a bit melted, like this image.
A joyful subject with a convincing cone.