I've Done It!

Well, I finally submitted some of my pictures to an online stock photography site. I chose six, and here they are:






A few observations:

1) I needed to come up with more tags and keywords than I'd initially thought. This slowed down the process for me.

2) Dreamstime's workflow isn't

3) I couldn't use any of my 2007 photos in Syria :( because they didn't meet the 3MB minimum.

4) I rejected far more of my pictures than I'd expected - this process makes me even more critical of my work!

5) I found other options for pictures to post - such as cathedral ceilings (I like the way mine look), other travel pictures, and even some architectural shots. I'll therefore post a few more tomorrow.

Given that it will be at least one week before my pictures are reviewed, you won't see an update from me on this topic anytime soon.

Next time - an idea that I need to research involving Apple and its App Store.

Part 2 - My Stock Photography Options

I kicked off this series earlier in the week to help me understand the potential market for my work. Today, I'll focus on Dreamstime and my stock photography options there.

I found the look and feel of the website to be a little strange (to me), honestly. It's not as user-friendly as the others. This is important because if it's difficult to navigate your way around, then it's probably not easy to buy the images you like, either.

However, my work might be a better fit here. While I would need to go out and shoot more content for submission to Bigstock, some of my existing work has a place here.

Examples:

Keyword "orchids" - while there were quite a few examples with pure black or pure white backgrounds (something I have explored in the past), there were some that did not. Some of my pictures are not crisp enough here, but overall, these pictures are more in line with what I do today.

Keyword "butterfly" - my best butterfly pictures are a good fit here, as well as some of my tier 2 - I think. The common element here is that the pictures are nice and crisp. There's a lot of leeway regarding the backgrounds.

The "abstract" category - there's potential in the "textures" category - I could submit my minerals and NYC building shots, as well as "colors" (since all of my work is quite colorful). Blur is an interesting one, but not a fit for me.

The "nature" category - also lots of options. Oceans, sunrises, sunsets, all a fit.

Finally, the "travel" category - my Syria pictures would look good here.

Naturally, seeing so much of my work as a fit here made me very suspicious. Did they pay any less than the other sites? There seems to be a wider range of earning options with Dreamstime. There's definitely more upside. Bigstock seems to have a model that is less complicated.

Anyway, some examples of pictures I would send here, in addition to yesterday's ideas:

... and others.

Tomorrow - iStockphoto.com and my thoughts.

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.

Summer (Photography) Plans - Detour

Politics aside (because I don't like to cover politics in this forum), I'm a little bummed. Last year, I went to Syria and Saudi Arabia for two weeks. I took pictures such as these:

These pictures were so much better than the pictures I took in 2007, that I'd love a reshoot. Unfortunately, unless the situation improves over there, I won't be able to visit. I'll have to pass this year.

Time for Plan B! What will that be? I have a few ideas. Stay tuned. :)

Deals and Discounts - Should I Bite?

I've contemplated buying Photoshop CS5 on and off for a while. I always figured it would be good to have in my arsenal. But, I always change my mind. What would I do with it? Well, I'd probably tweak a few pictures. These are examples:



I'd take the people out of this picture.



Or brighten this picture (and make the sky blue)



Or remove the cars from this picture.

Anyway, I got a discount card in the mail. Anyone who owns a recent version of Elements for Windows or the Mac can upgrade to a full-fledged version of CS5 for $299. That's a really good deal.

But is it? Not if I'm not going to use it. As some of you know, I spend some time in Aperture, but that's about it. I use it to fix pictures such as this one:



This one was unusable before I worked on it in Aperture. Beyond that, though, I hate editing images.

Unless someone convinces me that CS5 meets MY needs, I don't care how inexpensive it is, or what the discounts are. I find this interesting, because I sell software services for a living. I use exercises like this to get in the heads of my customers. Understanding their needs and what motivates them to buy (which might not always be logical) ensures I'm not throwing deals and discounts at people. My customers are consumers, after all.

Anyway, I've decided to pass on this. Feel free to contact me if you're interested in more details about the promotion. Have a great weekend!

Magic Tricks and how to use Them

Yesterday, I mentioned what I need to make sure I can take clear pictures of fast-moving objects. Today, I'm discussing the opposite. Unfortunately, the tricks I'm about to outline require a DSLR - unless someone can prove me wrong.

The easier one to explain is how to handle nighttime exposures. It's quite simple - use a long exposure. Example:



Here's a 30 second exposure taken at night. There were people milling around, but you wouldn't know it by looking at this. As I've mentioned before, the key to such a long exposure is to stabilize the camera.

So, how does this work during the day? A 30 second exposure will result in a picture that is completely blown out and unusable. I've used this trick a few times, but I don't have a recent example for you: Use a neutral density filter (I own one, but I don't use it as much as I could) and take several shots with relatively long exposures. Start at 1/4 second and go slower. This works best with cars, in my opinion. It's not so terrific when you're testing this out with humans.

So, how would it work with humans? Not very well, I'm afraid. There are options with Photoshop, but as some of you know, I don't like using Photoshop for technical editing. My solution is to make it work with the people in it (and obtain the appropriate releases, if applicable):



Or, show up very early, like here:



As you can see, there isn't a soul out here. That's because I walked over at 7:00 am. No one was awake!

Tomorrow - an interesting idea and another printing option.

Dress Rehearsals

Today, I was thinking about spring and all of my plans - butterfly shots, the National Arboretum, and anything else that might be outside. Then I thought, gosh, I should stop off at the Natural History Museum again for some practice.

A practice shoot? Why would I want to do that?

Let's back up a few years. I went to Syria in 2007 and in 2010. Here are some great 2010 shots:







Compare them to these 2007 shots:



Clearly, the first set is much nicer. After I thought about it, it's because the 2007 trip was practice.

So, with that in mind, I need to practice my butterfly shots. The Natural History Museum has an indoor exhibit where I can do that. That way, when Brookside Gardens opens, I can take pictures that are even better than these pictures (from there) that I took last year:



What practice do I need?

1) Composition

2) Focus/clarity

3) Color

The Wings of Fancy exhibit doesn't open until the end of April. I'll need to practice at least once (or twice), but then I'll be ready. I can't wait! Till Monday!

You can do this, too - Historic Places

As some of you know, I started a new job this week. This new job requires some travel. Sunday, I go away until Thursday night. More on that tomorrow.

I've mixed business with pleasure before, and therefore knew I'd take my camera. However, because of everything else I have to pack, I'll be limited to my point-and-shoot. I initially thought, "Oh, no, this is going to be terrible", but reminded myself that 1) I have a new point-and-shoot and 2) I have traveled overseas with only a point-and-shoot and did fine. I then thought back to 2007.

I went to Damascus, Syria, and Aleppo, Syria in 2007. At the time, I'd just bought my DSLR, but I was afraid to take it with me - I didn't want anything to happen to it. Also, it's important to note that I had had VERY little training at the time. I was by no means an expert.

So, I took my 4MP Canon point-and-shoot. If that's all you have, and if you're going somewhere historic, here are some ideas:

Panoramas:



Interesting interiors:



Twilight shots:



Historic items:



Foreign calligraphy (a personal favorite):



Some tips:

1) Try your best to avoid harsh sunlight. Use the shade, or wait - if you can. It's very hard to correct overexposed pictures.

2) Conversely, if you're shooting in low light, bump up the ISO. You won't be able to control much more than that, but it's better than nothing.

3) For closeups, experiment with the macro capability (it looks like a small flower on a Canon). You'll be able to have fun with shapes and textures.

4) For buildings, try not to tilt the camera upward. If you do, your building will look like it's leaning in from the sides - not very pretty. Either move (far) back as I did, or look for an area of interest in the lower half of the building.

Till tomorrow!