A discussion on file art

A reader recently reached out to me via our Facebook page asking about a photo accompanying a story on Reformer.com.

The story had to do with area school safety (in the wake of the shooting in Newtown, Conn.), and I used a file photo of the new (at the time the photo was taken) Brattleboro Union High School principal standing in front of his school.

The reader commented: He looks a little too happy given the topic being discussed. To which I responded that we only have so many file photos to pull from for online stories.

Readers may be interested to know I've been working with the photo editor to create a stockpile of file photos for just such a purpose: notable locations, are main streets, landmarks, businesses, etc. Of course, as with anything, a project like that takes time.

This was similar to an issue at the end of last year, about the Vernon "Newspaper" suspending publication. In that case, a member of the selectboard was instrumental in making sure the newsletter was printed on a regular basis, but no longer had time to devote to the pet project. For the story, I ran a photo of the town clerk holding up an issue, which we had on file after doing a feature a few years prior.

Some town residents viewed that as a slap in the face to the selctboard member, who had dedicated her time and effort to the project. Again, that was the best file photo we had available at the time.

In a perfect world, each and every story would have brand new art (read: photos/illustrations) to run with it. However, that can't always happen for a variety of reasons. Still, I believe working toward a usable, and large, base of file photos is a good step in the right direction.