There is a slight difference between fine art photography and advertising photography. I take images for both purposes. When advertisers buy your work they do so because they want to use text with your image. There has to be space in the image to write about whatever they are advertising. Your composition needs to be a bit looser; you have to include some place for them to write without impacting the power of the image. The main focus point of the image cannot be impacted by the text they are planning to use.

Here is an example of an image that will work well for advertising. The sky contains space for text. The focal point of the sun star will not loose its power when text is placed above it. The reason is simple; the sun is powerful because it is bright in a dark scene. It just stands out. It is still a strong composition even if it is shot for advertising. The sun is well placed. The dark left will balance with text to the right.

          Advertising imagery needs to be simple. The image needs to be strong but its detail should not compete with the text. Busy images typically does not work well for advertising. The place where the text goes should be as free from distraction as possible. Majestic clouds in this image may have made it a great fine art image but would have ruined it for advertising. Having the sky blank but colorful is what advertisers are looking for.

          Sometimes we are tempted to go tight. In this case going tight may have resulted in a nice fine art image. However, for advertising it may be best to pull back a bit. The wider shot is better suited for advertising.

          Once you have your fine art images, think about advertising (that is often where the money is). Ask yourself how to approach the scene for that market.