Stand-Alone Features

I published this photo several days ago at the bottom of an edition of The Westerville News as what in the newspaper business would be called a stand-alone photo. A photo that doesn’t accompany a story, isn’t part of a photo gallery, or needs nothing more than a brief caption.

The requirement for stand-alone photos was that they always have to be striking in some aspect. It didn’t really matter if it was the subject, lighting, time, color, contrast, or some peculiarity of life captured in the camera.

It just had to be good, and the best stand-alone photos always played on the front page, but for the days with breaking spot news. Breaking news in the old newspaper days usually meant some disaster, death, or politician being caught doing something they didn’t want a newspaper to discover. Today, breaking news typically means, “We just found out about something, and it’s news to us; therefore, it’s breaking news to you.”

I think this photo of a cyclist passing by the lower soybean field at the Yarnell Farm would have been a front-page photo. Hopefully, it would have been above the fold, presenting itself well in newspaper stands and racks and enticing people to buy the paper.

This photograph captures a serene near-rural landscape with the vibrant Yarnell red barn and silo set against a backdrop of soybean fields and a dramatic, cumulus cloud-filled sky. The helmeted cyclist in the foreground brings a dynamic element to the photo, with his movement contrasting the stillness of the farm fields.

The composition is balanced, with the warm tones of the barn and the cyclist's bike standing out against the cool greens and blues.

It fills the requirements for color, contrast, composition, action, and recognizable subjects.

It stands alone among my better photos of the week.

My Final Photo News is a reader-supported publication. By becoming a free or paid subscriber, you not only receive new posts but also play a crucial role in supporting my photography and commentary. Subscribe to The Westerville News and PhotoCamp Daily community today. My Final Photo News also recommends Civic Capacity and Into the Morning by Krista Steele.