soccer graphic

Here's a backstory.
I work at a 5500 daily with no photog and no design department. I am sick and flipping tired of the same feature photos we do every day. (Angle up with ball)

I've tried different things before, but they don't translate from my mind to the page — then again, they may not be good ideas.

The story is: Girl from Michigan with exceptional talent somehow finds her way to Podunk, Tx. She's been all over the world, blah blah.

So my idea was to take a picture of her holding a soccer ball and looking at it, changing the soccer ball to a globe. It was a bad idea. Now I've got 100 ideas in my head and not many pictures to work with it.
(My new one is to put her action shot cut out in front of an atlas, infograph that looks like a plane ticket/intinerary)

I've got an action shot and this girl-staring-intently-at-a-soccer shot, but absolutely no idea what to do with it or a designer to help me. I am decent at photoshop, but I want to do something that's a clear graphic, but not too cartoony.

Any ideas?

 

How about an action shot of the girl (cutout) with a faded mapquest map showing the drive from Michigan to Texas in the background?

 

Not bad. Not bad at all. But she's a jetsetter, too. The Netherlands, Belize. All in the name of soccer.

Thanks for the idea.

 

Maybe something with the silhouette of a jet passing below. Like this.

http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/gallery/images/commercial/767200-01.html

 

what about strippers?

 

What about the ball-turned-globe idea didn't work out?

 

I went with the ball-turned-globe and I put a filter on it to make it look a little fake.
The problem with my graphical efforts is they've been off the wall but I don't make it clear they are graphics.
They end up looking kind of real and kind of lame.

 

so the stripper thing didn't work out for ya?

 

I'd like to take a look at it, if you ever feel like posting it.

 

I like the globe idea, too bad it didn't work. I think anything with the cutout sounds too fake (and a bit odd). Maybe abondon combining the action shot and the graphic type element and run them as a package (put the headline on a airline ticket or something along those lines). Just a thought.

 

anyone? stippers?

 

I agree the globe idea is good ... otherwise, it's tough to get a good feeling without being able to see it ... good luck