Orchid Stock Photography - Comparison

For me, it's important to know how I compare to professionals' work. This way, I can see where I need to improve, and frankly, give myself a pat on the back if I'm doing better in some ways.

This first set of pictures shows examples of my work.

This second set of pictures came from a stock photography site. These sites allow photographers to sell and showcase their work to a wider audience from a centralized website. Interested bidders/purchasers contact the artists directly to negotiate prices. In general, these sites are selective - your photos have to be of a certain quality. My frame of reference is Photographer's Direct. If I were to ever join a site, this might be the one.

Speaking of this site, here are thumbnails of some of the work that has been accepted:



A few notes about these:

1) Some people list the species of the orchids. I should really do this, but admit I've been lazy. I can't figure out how to do it while taking my pictures. I suppose I could take two versions - one of the orchid, and one of the sign that indicates what the species is. But that takes up a lot of room. Still, I'll try that the next time.

2) I love the resolution of the pictures. Some of these pictures are amazingly crisp. I could learn from that. Macro photography is a very precise work.

3) My work could definitely be showcased here. I'm convinced of it. At least my top pictures would make it, if not others.

So what's next for me? Well, I want to keep on shooting, obviously. :) Thursday - because I'm out of town tomorrow - my social networking efforts. I need to do a better job!