Part 3 - My Stock Photography Options

It's a new day, and a new stock photography site to evaluate. Today's choice? iStockphoto.com.

When I started reading the terms and conditions, I admit I was a little frightened. They are pages and pages (and pages and pages) long, or so it seemed. After calming down and taking a closer look, I realized that this site was simply more thorough than some of the other sites. This is not a bad thing.

On to the content:

1) Keyword "orchid": While most of the backgrounds are black or white, there are several multicolored backgrounds. There's potential here, but some of these arrangements are very "editorial", if that makes sense. Also, there isn't much experimentation regarding depth of field (where some flowers would appear sharp and in the foreground, while others are more blurred and in the background). I would likely prefer to go out and shoot new content before submitting any orchid shots to this website, except for:



2) Butterfly - Many of these shots are what I would classify as "cutesy". Some of my newer pictures could work here, including:



3) Abstract - not a fit at all.

4) Nature - I think my work is a little too "soft" for this category. So, I tried "flowers". Yeah, not so much, either.

5) Travel - Most definitely not.

Not willing to give up so easily, I flipped through some of the other categories. Architecture abstract? Maybe. Churches? Quite possible, something like this:



I didn't see any pictures like this at all. So, there's a chance there.

Overall, though, this was about a below average fit for me. I'd have to think about it.

Tomorrow - Shutterstock - did I save the best for last?

Getty Submissions

Back in October, I submitted my work to Getty's Call to Artists Flickr page. While my work was reviewed, it was not selected. The general advice is to try, try, and try.

So I'm back, and I'm going to try again! Here are May's submissions:



My evaluation process was much more thorough this cycle:

1) Can I see these pictures in a magazine?

2) How do they look on my iPad? Do they show well? Even when I zoom?

3) Does the collection provide enough variety? (I believe so)

4) Does the collection look nice as a group? (I think so)

5) Do I demonstrate technical skill and a good eye? (I think so)

I loved these so much, by the way, that I changed my iPad backgrounds to two of these - the leaves and the pink flowers. I look forward to when I can show more people my work, that's for sure.

Tomorrow - my difficult photo shoot on Saturday. I've tried to block it from my memory, but have decided that there were good lessons that I should share with you.

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival - Observations

Maybe it's me, but the festival seemed much smaller this year. My sister and I went on Sunday, and stopped by or scanned all of the booths. This year, there were far fewer photography booths than in previous years. Some observations:

1) No one had macro photography - at least not of flowers. This is interesting, because this is my strength. I wonder if it's because the audience (a typical consumer) isn't interested in that kind of work? Anyway, this raised a lot of questions for me, so I'm going to blog about this later in the week.

2) The best booth had pictures that looked a great deal like these:







My sister made the same observation. What was different was where these types of pictures were taken - central Europe. I've never been there. I'm guessing it would be an amazing experience for me. Also, though, I felt like I was potentially on the right track with my cathedral shots, and that's important, too.

3) The cityscapes done by this artist were huge crowd pleasers. He printed some on watercolor paper. I've thought about that for my macro work, but that might look pretty with something like this:



Or this:



I don't know where this leaves me exactly, but I do have some pending projects:

1) Brookside - butterfly reshoot (the more, the merrier)

2) The domed cathedral on Mass Ave (DC) - a must, if I can find the time

3) Visit more art shows - this is the easiest to accomplish, because there is one in June that I want to attend. It's the NCCF one. I want to see which photographers' artwork was accepted, and to see what I can learn. I'm looking forward to it!

Tomorrow - macro photography musings.

More Inspiring Photography Moments

I'm wrapping up yet another work week, and this one was definitely long and tiring. A nice way to start my day is to think about other moments over the years which inspired me. Here are a few more that come to mind:

1) The first time I photographed in twilight:



This was, as you can see, back in 2007. I had only taken a point-and-shoot on this trip. I was walking around with my family and thought the setting was really pretty. Many people don't like this hotel, but I did. Of course, now I know how to take better pictures of buildings!

2) How waking up early really does pay off:



I don't normally like waking up early, frankly, but this was worth it. I love the beach!

3) The first time I realized that stunning pictures were within my reach:



A picture like this really inspires me to keep trying. It also encourages me to keep scrutinizing my work and striving to improve. Earlier this year, I went to another place of worship with a dome, the National Shrine, and took this:



A big improvement, if you ask me. And that in itself is inspiring - the fact that I really am improving and loving what I do.

And, on that note, have a great weekend!

My Printing Options

Yesterday, I mentioned a contest that I wanted to enter. I wasn't sure which pictures to use (and I'm still not, so please look at yesterday's post and give me your thoughts), but the bigger issue was what size was required. I found out that the entry only needed to be big enough to display in a slide deck. That takes care of that.

What about printing? I have a few options:

1) My friend Lele had a great idea about making a canvas picture of my work. That is best suited for abstract photography, I think - something "watercolory" and pretty. The following types of pictures would fit the bill (though I wouldn't enter either of these):



2) Standard mat and frame: An option for my more "precise work", I think. A few examples (none of which I'd enter in the contest, I don't think) are:



3) Metallic prints: I'd never heard of this concept before, but apparently it provides great saturation and depth of color. A few pictures I'd consider would be:



Now I feel like I have a lot to play with! I haven't decided which format to use, but I know I need to soon - the deadline is April 1. Tomorrow, I'll narrow my choices down to 15 pictures, and take it from there.

National Shrine - Backbends and Other Poses

A few weeks ago, I mentioned some projects that I really wanted to complete when I had the time. Well, last weekend, I had time, and I headed down to the National Shrine.

This was an extremely difficult shoot for several reasons:

1) The lighting was very low and "orange"

2) I couldn't walk in certain areas, so to take pictures there, I had to stretch my body (hence the title)

3) My literal shots were not resonating

On the bright side, I did find several "money" shots. Here are some examples:







The first and third pictures are examples of how changing the angle can definitely change the picture. Although rotating one picture would result in two nearly identical angles and shapes, the lighting is clearly different. I prefer the first picture a little more - it reminds me of a French children's fairy tale. I think children would see an element of fantasy.

The second picture required considerable tweaking in Aperture, so I was glad I shot in RAW. Honestly, I'm not sure if I could have duplicated this with my point-and-shoot. While I could replicate the ISO and white balance settings (800 and Tungsten, respectively), I used a wide-angle lens. Also, I don't know if the post-processing work that I did in Aperture could have been replicated with a JPEG image (typical output of a point-and-shoot). What exactly did I do? I lowered the temperature, raised the tint, and removed some of the shadows. I also did some cropping (which can be done with JPEG images, too).

What's my advice? If you have a point-and-shoot, follow the light, but only indirect light. This is because you want some soft shadows, but you don't want exposure issues. I'll elaborate more on what I mean about this tomorrow with a better example. Also, you want a high ISO - 800 and Tungsten white balance, as I already indicated. You don't need to zoom. In fact, I didn't at all. Don't be surprised if your colors don't come out properly in some situations. Just cut your losses and move on. Finally, follow my lead and tweak your positions and angles. See what you like.

These aren't the only interior shots I took this weekend. Till tomorrow!