Stock Photography - Lessons and Progress

Last month, I researched a series of stock photography sites, and whether or not any of my work would be suitable. I started submitting pictures last week. Interestingly enough, the answer is yes - some of my pictures are suitable, but not the ones I thought, for the most part. I want to keep a constant tally of my "hits" and "misses" (according to them, anyway), and see how my work evolves over time.

Bigstock accepted these pictures:



And did not accept these:





And, interestingly enough, this one:



Why do I say "interestingly" enough? Because this is the photo that Dreamstime accepted. Bigstock ruled that it contained recognizable people. Okay, fair enough.

A few lessons:

1) Bigstock does not want even a speck of a human being (like a dot) on any of its pictures. Dreamstime is far less concerned about that.

2) Bigstock allows you to match your pictures with a theme or a vision. For this reason, my Cabo picture (taken with only a point-and-shoot) was accepted - it lined up very well with its Travel-Luxury theme.

3) Bigstock is not the least bit interested in stained glass.

4) The butterfly picture accepted by Bigstock (which I think is the more particular site) was not accepted by Dreamstime.

5) For both, I need to accept the fact that my notion of distortion, clarity, etc. doesn't always match theirs.

I have to say, I was really surprised by these findings. I'm thrilled that my great butterfly picture was accepted - but I as very surprised that the Cabo one and the mosque one made the cut.

So, what's next for me? I submitted another batch to Dreamstime, and I applied to iStockphoto. iStockphoto is very selective, so I chose the three pictures that were accepted for submission. If I'm not accepted, I'll be able to reapply in a few months. That's fine with me - I am sure my work will have evolved since then.

In the meantime, I need to make sure I do the following:

1) Not take any rejections of my favorite work personally

2) Learn from the accepted pictures, and submit other work within those themes

3) Continue to try and experiment without getting banned :) (hopefully, that won't happen)

Next time - a very interesting article from The Huffington Post - and my thoughts.

A Celebration of Color, Day 4 - Blue

This was another interesting color. After looking at my portfolio, I realized that with a few exceptions, most of my pictures were of the sky and of the water. I'm already inspired to think about ways by which I can change that. I'm really looking forward to implementing my findings and adding to my work. In the meantime, though, here are some examples:











This first picture was my first foray into abstract photography. I decided I was in love that day. Believe it or not, I took this picture from a store window. I had to think and work fast, but I was happy it turned out well. The key is to turn off the flash and make sure the reflections that are generated are what you actually want. Other than that, this was straightforward - stand near the window and try different angles.

The second picture - Cabo! Composition is my focus in this picture. Another tip - wake up early. This was before anyone had a chance to lie out, so I had the entire pool to myself. Other tips here: Play with the reflections, work with only a moderate amount of sun, and get low - the last point is critical.

This third picture was taken with my macro lens. It reminds me of the fact that I need to work harder where taking pictures of gems is concerned. I don't do so well with literal pictures such as these. Rather, I am far better with the abstract work I do. This was a good exercise, but I think I need more practice here.

Ocean City! I took my sister to the beach for a few days a few years ago, and I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. This picture was also taken relatively early in the day. Here, I wanted to take advantage of the sun and the warmth it created, but as you can see, I didn't take this in direct sunlight. It's an important point, because this involves planning and determining what time of day is best, depending on the sun. I also liked the pattern created with the chairs and thought that was a nice touch. You should also "get low" here, too.

The last picture is from my early macro photography days. You'll notice it isn't as crisp as it could be, and there isn't enough sun. It's great to see how far I've come since I took this years ago.

Unfortunately, I'm cooped up in meetings from 8 am to 10 pm tomorrow so I won't be able to post tomorrow. :( Till Friday!

Point-and-Shoot Adventure

Most of you know that my camera is off in repair-land and that I bought a point-and-shoot, but haven't used it yet. Well, my time has come. My sister and I are going to NYC on Monday, and I have some big plans:

1) Take pictures of her - practice makes perfect

2) Experiment with the camera to see what it can and can't do

3) Remind myself that I CAN take good pictures with a point-and-shoot. Examples:





I'm on a 4 hour bus trip. I plan to spend the entire time getting to know my camera. After all, I should practice what I preach!

Have a great weekend! Till Wednesday!

What's a Histogram Worth, Anyway?

Yesterday, I covered Aperture's image editing features, and highlighted the ones I found practical for my life. Today, I'm going to discuss Lightroom, and my findings.

I think I already mentioned how much I love the histogram tool. It's seriously the most useful tool in the entire application. If Aperture had it, I'd have everything I needed.

Another useful feature is the watermark tool. Unlike the one in Aperture, this is very simple. You simply type the text, and off you go. Here's an example:




I didn't edit the photo at all in Lightroom, but notice the watermark - it's perfect. Very professional. In Aperture, you're required to create one in Elements or an existing tool.

I also loved Lightroom's powerful presets. They're far better than what Aperture has. Here's an example:




I manipulated this photo in two ways:

1) I played with the tone curve tool. See, I can sort of learn! I brightened some of the shadows.

2) I realized that this photo would look much better in black and white. I chose the General: Grayscale option, and I think it's terrific. Very clean and simple.

How do I know what I did? The History tab in Lightroom tells me. It's great - another keeper.

Unfortunately, everything else in Lightroom seems to be better suited for my MSE and PhD customers, rather than for me. Examples:

Uploading to Flicrk took so many steps that I didn't bother. This is far easier in Aperture.

The interface is really difficult to navigate. Aperture is more file/directory-based.

Ideally, I would purchase both tools. If I did, I would use Aperture as my primary tool, and save Lightroom for the really "messy" pictures that need the most work. However, I want to upgrade in the next month, and I will definitely start with Aperture.

My next step is to understand and benefit from the Curves and Levels features. Till tomorrow!

The Pursuit of (Image Editing) Happyness

On Friday, I confessed that after much internally self-imposed resistance, even I would need to learn about image editing. This prior weekend, I set out to do just that.

I use Aperture - Version 2. I've always liked it, because it's very user-friendly. I did some research, and realized that there was an Aperture 3, as well as the latest version of Lightroom. Decisions, decisions.

Fortunately, both offer trials. I'm not a fan of evaluating software just for the sake of it, but I really needed to see if the two tools would provide me with everything I needed.

I started with Lightroom. The histogram tool is REALLY cool. That's the first thing I noticed. I pulled in this picture:



and decided to play with it in the histogram tool. This is what I got:





I actually really like it! The sky is a bit blue, but it has this stylized look that I love. Anyway, consider me a satisfied customer. Plus, check out the cool watermark.

So, why would I even go back and look at Aperture? Well, although it doesn't have the histogram tool, it has a few other things going for it:

1) It's much easier to use (for me)

2) The cataloging of projects and pictures is much easier (again, for me)

3) Easy-to-access presets and adjustments (especially dodge/burn, and polarizing)

4) Easy way to upload to Facebook and Flickr (something I do often)

5) The price: $99 (upgrade) versus $299 for Lightroom

I'm going to continue with the trial, but for now, Aperture is in the lead. I may sound lazy, but I will always want to spend more time composing and taking pictures, and less time editing them.

Tomorrow, I'll go into some specific features that I will begin including in my skillset. I will never become an image editing professional, but I am working towards competence.

Till tomorrow!

Is it the Camera or the Photographer? Part One

As the magazine salesman said in Office Space, "That all depends". Sure, he was about to blackmail Peter and Samir because of something they'd said about money laundering, but the quote still applies here. :)

In other words, if you already own a camera of some sorts (and most of us do, what with camera phones, and point-and-shoots), then stick with it in the short term. My previous post outlined ways by which you can identify your strengths. Different types of photography require (or don't) specialized equipment:

I have many examples from my personal portfolio. I'll go through three at a time, until I've covered all of the topics.



This picture was taken before dark, and while I was standing still. What's also important is that my camera at the time could only handle 3 megapixels. You definitely don't need anything special for this shot.



Although this picture was taken in the middle of the day, I didn't need any special equipment because I was in the shade and used an angle that avoided harsh shadows and highlights. Nothing special for this shot is needed, either.



For this picture, I wish I'd had an SLR. Nighttime photography is very difficult with a camera phone or a simple camera, because nighttime is a less than ideal condition. This means that the camera is more sensitive to movement. You can also see a very harsh contrast between the lights and the darkness. If I'd used/owned a digital SLR, I would have been able to adjust my ISO - and I would used a tripod. Then, my picture would have been incredible. If you like nighttime photography, I'd strongly recommend an SLR.

More tomorrow!