“Tips for Microstock Photography” plus 1 more: Digital Photography School

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Tips for Microstock Photography Posted: 30 Oct 2010 12:54 PM PDT A Guest post by Italian Photographer Giovanni Gagliardi. I've always been fascinated by the endless different places we can see around the world. Undoubtedly this is one of the main factors that ignited my passion for photography. Since I was a child my parents took me with them when traveling, and this thirst for visiting new countries grew inside me like a inherited gift. In the last few years I had the chance to make many journeys and as a consequence something in my mind told me not just to make pictures but to learn how to do it better. This way I discovered the wonderful world of photography! I began to attend photography workshops, read magazines and books, and eventually decided to buy my first DSLR (Nikon D80). When I returned from my fabulous trip to Australia last summer I was eager to rescan the images of all my last travels. At the same time I read a review about Microstock. These two events came at the right moment and intertwined perfectly. I didn’t even know that I could sell my pictures over the internet and this news open a new road in front of me. I immediately tried to figure out how to begin selling photos. The first thing I had to do was to select the best pictures from the thousands I shot during these years. It was simple to begin but hard to go on because after a while you review the images you lose the capacity to correctly judge and select them. The only way to do that is to leave some time every day to dedicate to this purpose. But this time must not exceed 10-20 minutes, otherwise it may become sort of boring. From last September when I started many thing have changed. At first my procedure was to select many pictures from a shoot and submit them to the microstock world. I even didn't pay particular attention to keywords. I just thought about 5-10 keywords and write them in a hurry. Last but not least I went too far with Photoshop filters, eventually ruining potentially good shots. After a few months of hard work I have constantly improved my skills and now I'd like to share with you what I learned and how my workflow is now organized:  For every place I visited or every shoot I made I've created a different folder. Depending on my inspiration I inspect one of this folder per day, selecting new pictures that could be sold. I created a directory called bucket  with many subfolders where I put these selected  files. So for example I could have a subfolder "Australia", another  one "Europe" and another "Harvest 2009". I have many of them and they always contain files. Every  time I have to submit pictures I select only one file from each of these  folders,  trying to make a group not exceeding 10-20. This way  my submissions will contain images that are visible (as most recent) in a wider range of categories. Remember  that some of  the main sites give priority to the last pictures submitted, so it's a good idea to continuously send them new images in small heterogeneous groups. This was the general idea which is behind my work, but keep in mind that there are 4 other main aspects that I will show you now. 1. Keywording: if you want your pictures to be found you need accurate keywords to be associated with. Instead of thinking about them there are many sites that can help you. Picniche is one of them. You put a Keyword Phrase in the search box and it will come out with several words. Pay attention to select only some of them, because they may  not be pertinent  to the context. Stocktagger is another great site and I think is more precise that picniche. The principle is the same and you have to experiment a little bit to extract good keywords. Yuri Arcurs, the best seller artist of the moment has a great visual keywording site that I use the most. Here you type a word in the search box and it will come out with pictures of your subject. You select the ones that are most similar to yours and click on "accept chosen images and proceed to the selection of keywords", sorted according to their supposed relevance. Now select the ones you think are right and it's magically done. 2. Pictures Cleaning and Improvements: first of all your photos must not contain any people or trademark object. So with Photoshop or another software like Gimp you have to remove these potential problems. After that it is better to improve your pictures as much as possible, so they can stand out from the mass of millions. Obviuously It's up to your creativity and imagination but there are a couple of Photoshop filters that may be useful. I'm not a true expert but I often improve or even save some of my files with Noise Ninja from PictureCode (smoothly removes noise) and Topaz Adjust from TopazLabs. The latter must be used with attention because it could generate too much altered pictures. The trick in this case is to apply the filter and then fade it afterwards with the Ctrl-Shift-F keyboard shortcut. Try it and you can really improve your shots. 3. Uploading: the last step is to submit your pictures. Basically you can do it either from your web browser or through ftp (istockphoto doesn’t allow ftp for all and is the only exception among the main sites). The second option is by far the best and allows you to transfer a great quantity of files without having to follow the transfer. You just put the files on a queue and make the computer do the hard work. At the end you'll find your files on the destination site, ready for the final refinements. There are a plethora of ftp client softwares, some of them even free. Filezilla is of of the best option for the free branch, it is well known and continuously updated. In the shareware branch I spotted a great software called SmartFtp. You can try it for 30 days and then you pay about 50 bucks to keep using it. 4. Finish Submitting: after you upload your file to the variuos microstock sites you have to make the final refinements directly on site. Typically you have to choose the right categories for each image, as well as assign permissions for sale and upload a model/property release. Each site has a separate approach to this last step and if you decided to submit your files to several agencies you could find trouble remembering the whole path. Months ago I decided not to go exclusive and to send pictures to almost all agencies, just to see by myself what could happen. Time after time I build a table where for each site there is a quick reference of the last steps to complete. I hope it can help you: ?  SITE PROCEDURE  SHU Images stats, Waiting to be submitted BIG Uploads, Pending your edit CAN My portfolio, Submit images CLI Media management DEP Files, Unfinished files DRE Contributors area, Management area, Select commercial pictures FOTO My works MOS My profile, Upload, Publish POL My profile, Edit image 123 Sell images, Upload, Continue, Ftp settings / Check upload results CRE Upload images, Attach model release-Review and submit CUT Uploads, Process ftp uploads, Submit FEA Manage portfolio, My new images, Look for not submitted pictures GRA My account, Manage portfolio MOO My collection, Edit every single image MYS Portfolio, Process ftp files PAN My Panther, My images, Image overview, My images, Image Upload Ftp/Psm PIXM Sell photos, Unfinished SCA Photographers, Upload images, Transfer files from my ftp account VEE YourName, Profile, Contributor, Workspace, Prepare and submit YAY YourName, Uploading See more of Giovanni Gagliardi’s work at her site www.gagliardipictures.com. Post from: Digital Photography School

This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (24-30 Nov ‘10) Posted: 30 Oct 2010 07:37 AM PDT Weekly Assignment We finished our Journey assignment this week, and we saw all kinds of different journeys. There were physical journeys, emotional journeys, skill journeys, all of them captured in pictures. But there were a few photos that really stood out to us. Our winner this week is Lepidopteran’s photo symbolising an iconic journey down Route 66. Maybe it’s an American thing, but Route 66 definitely holds it’s place as part of an iconic journey. In fact, it was actually a major path of the migrants who travelled west in the early 1900’s. In any case, this photo really draws you into the scene with the strong graphic element of the Route 66 painted on the road and the curve that leads you through the scene. But add in the light and those buildings and you can’t help but wonder what kind of journeys have taken place on this road. Our first runner up was WildRain’s “Emancipation”. While this photo symbolises the end of a journey, it really isn’t the end as that journey lives on in the stories we hear, see, and read. This shot has an almost eerie quality to it with the fog and trees, but it also really tells a story. And last, but not least was JaiCatalano’s NYC Journey. And this photo really tells the tale of the start of a journey and journeys yet to come. This shot had a nice composition with the boy as a clear subject, while the city in the background helped to provide the context. Well done everyone. Glamour is an interesting aspect of portrait and fashion photography, but even if you don’t have a model, you can show it in other ways too. And if you haven’t guessed by now, Glamour is this week’s assignment. Check out the first post in the thread for a few tips on fashion photography. But before you head over to post your glamourous shots, a quick reminder of the rules. First, your photo must have been taken between 20 October – 3 November 2010. Second, your post must include the words “Assignment: Glamour” and the date the photo was taken. Finally, your EXIF should be intact, and it’s useful if you can include some of the main points like the camera, lens, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. Next week’s we will be going back to some of the basics with a Rule of Thirds assignment. It’s one of the first rules of composition that most of us learn, and it can be very useful for creating an interesting photo. So we want you to show us how you can use the Rule of Thirds effectively to create an interesting photo. Best of luck everyone! Post from: Digital Photography School

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“Spooky: Weekly Photography Challenge” plus 1 more: Digital Photography School

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Spooky: Weekly Photography Challenge Posted: 29 Oct 2010 01:13 PM PDT As many of our readers are doing the Halloween thing this weekend we thought ‘Spooky’ might be a good theme for our weekly photography challenge. Image by Spunfunkster It’s a theme that you can do even if you’re not into Halloween – take and share an image that has a spooky atmosphere. Perhaps it’d be a ghostly portrait, a capture of some Halloween costumes or decorations, a foggy atmospheric landscape shot – really anything will work. Once you've taken your "Spooky" image, upload it to your favourite photo sharing site and either share a link to it below or embed it in the comments using the our new tool to do so. Please note it sometimes takes us a while to approve comments with images as there’s a moderation queue – particularly over the weekend. If you tag your photo on Flickr, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag it as #DPSSPOOKY to help others find it. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you're doing so that they can share in the fun. PS: don’t forget to check out some of the great photos shared last week in the ‘Road Trip’ challenge. Post from: Digital Photography School

An Interview With Underwater Portrait Photographer Sacha Blue Posted: 29 Oct 2010 07:27 AM PDT Until earlier this year I had never heard of underwater portraiture.  But in researching underwater housings for my DSLR, I came across Sacha Blue’s website.  I got even more excited to find out she lived right here in the Puget Sound region of Washington State.  While she also shoots weddings and traditional portraiture, her work under the surface is a refreshing look at portrait photography. 1. Tell me a bit about your photography background. When did you first get interested in cameras and photos? I grew up with a portrait studio and darkroom in the house and I can't think of any specific defining moment where I fell in love with photography. I do remember being 15 and taking pictures of my best friend and that when my mom saw them she decided that I had "the eye" and was born to be a photographer. 2. What prompted you to make photography your current career? It sounds silly but it just kind of happened. I have a hard time imagining myself doing something that wasn't photography related. 3. How did your interest in underwater portraiture begin? I received my scuba certification in 2008 and immediately wanted to photograph everything I saw while diving. Torn between getting a housing for a DSLR and a point and shoot I found a great deal on a used housing for a D200 and justified the extra cost by deciding I would use it for underwater portraits when I returned. Given that so many of the couples I had worked with before had gotten in water it wasn't much of a stretch to think I would enjoy shooting under the surface too. 4. How big or small was your learning curve once you decided to start shooting portraits underwater? What unique photographic challenges have you had to overcome? For starters shooting with my camera in a housing was an adjustment that made me notice just how automated I'd made things above the surface. Suddenly I had to stop and think about which dial to turn to adjust basic things like aperture and shutter speed and just turning the camera on and off was a challenge. I think it was pretty easy for me to adapt my experience as a photographer to taking pictures underwater. The obstacles mostly revolved around discovering differences in the way things worked underwater and finding ways to compensate for them to get the images I wanted. The biggest challenges for me have been working with fabric, achieving flattering facial expressions, open eyes in group portraits, and keeping hair manageable and looking good. It's not all bad though – people are a lot more flexible underwater and can position themselves in ways that would not work elsewhere. 5. What type of equipment do you have to employ for your shoots? Do you use SCUBA gear? In most cases I'm using a D200 in an Ikelite housing without scuba gear. 6. Are most of your shoots done with available light, or do you take strobes underwater with you? I have yet to take strobes underwater and everything I've done has been with available light. Sometimes available light is the light built into a swimming pool. 7. For those wishing to try this obviously fun, yet demanding style of shooting, what advice can you pass on? I usually suggest renting a housing or starting with the less expensive bag style and purchasing a full housing if they find it's something they enjoy and will do a lot more. Start in the calm waters of a swimming pool and use models that are really comfortable in the water. I've had really good luck using competitive swimmers for this. Shoot at or near the surface to get reflections and avoid color casts and use wide angle lenses to get close to your subject and avoid hazy images. Dresses are a lot of fun underwater but remember they can get very heavy when wet and are awkward to swim in so pay close attention to your subject and their comfort and energy levels and be prepared to take frequent brakes. Much like other types of portraiture direct sunlight can be quite harsh and the even light of shade is generally more appealing. —— More of Sacha’s work can be found on her website, Facebook or by following her on Twitter. Post from: Digital Photography School

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“Close-Up Lens Boosts Your Zoom” plus 1 more: Digital Photography School

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Close-Up Lens Boosts Your Zoom Posted: 28 Oct 2010 12:50 PM PDT I tend to be a one lens traveler.  My camera and lens are heavy enough so I usually leave the house with just one lens and one body, unless I have an assignment that calls for more.  And yet, I’ve been enjoying close-up photography more and more.  You know; bees on flowers, barnacles on rocks, bugs of all kinds.  My 28-300mm Canon lens can only get so close, so I started casting about for a reasonable solution. Enter the Canon 500D (no, not the camera 500D) Close-Up Lens. (Note: Nikon has a number of close-up lenses as well with different diopter sizes.  This post is meant to cover the general idea, so the concepts will work with both manufacturers.) This lens fits on the end of 77mm lenses and works best with high zooms, such as the 70-210mm or 100-400mm.  Canon also carries the 250D for 58mm diameter lenses.  They both work as easy as they sound; just screw the lens onto your prime lens as you would any other filter.  Let’s take a look at some examples.  Click on any picture to see the image at 100% for maximum pixelpicking. First, a shot of some barnacles with a Canon EOS 7D DSLR, 28-300mm at 300mm and approximately two feet from the subject.  ISO 100, f5/6, 1/800sec No Close-Up Lens - 300mm Now, applying the close-up lens and moving the end of the lens to within about six inches of the rock, we get the next image.  ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1000sec Close-Up Lens Applied - 300mm The shutter speed change was due to variance in the natural sunlight while taking the photos.  Otherwise, the lens typically stops things down close to one full stop when applied. Next are the same shots with an f-stop of 20.  ISO 100, f/20, 1/80sec, 300mm, no close-up lens No Close-Up Lens - 300mm And now: ISO 100, f/20, 1/80sec, 300mm,  with the close-up lens applied. Close-Up Lens Applied - 300mm Again, click on each photo for a full size image (WARNING: They are about 7MB each). The close-up lens does decent work at getting crisp macro shots, especially when used at smaller aperture sizes.  The images can be soft around the edges, though.  No, it is not a full replacement for a good, quality macro lens, but it does fill a certain niche.  That niche is perfect for those who don’t wish to carry another lens just for Macro work while traveling, as well as those looking to be a bit cheaper alternative, especially those looking to experiment with Macro before dropping money on a high quality lens Post from: Digital Photography School

Creating Multi-Layered Photographs Posted: 28 Oct 2010 06:07 AM PDT As photographers we're responsible for telling the story of a moment or series of events in a single image. It allows the viewer to take a mental trip through our photographs. No matter what your focus is in photography, being able to convey a story will help add impact to your images. One of the ways to do that is through creating multi-dimensional or multi-layered images. I'm not referring to any fancy Photoshop move so back away from adding yet another background layer in post. No, the layers I'm referring to are points of interest throughout a photograph. They can either be a different and fully complete second focal point to your image, or an action/object/idea just hinted at. Either way, they can lend a sense of place or of action yet to happen or already occurred. Think of your entire frame The first step in creating multi-layered images is to be aware of what's in your entire frame. Every part of your photograph can and does tell a story or impact how a viewer connects with an image. Do you focus on every layer of your photographs? A great landscape photograph could be completely destroyed by a big piece of trash in a corner of one of the frames. On the opposite note, that piece of trash could be a very big statement to the image. It's all in knowing what you're trying to say and being able to frame your image or place items in it that evoke your vision. Concepts trump "single" photos A key tenet in advertising and editorial photography is to create images that tell a story around a specific concept. An entire idea or series of photos need to be compressed into one single image. It's how an ad in a magazine for a resort or hotel makes you say, "Man, I'd really like to go there."  It's the emotions and feelings that one photo draws out. It's possible to do that by creating layers in a photo. For example, a resort photo might show a woman getting a stone massage under a tropical leaf hut and in the background windsurfers are cruising the waves on the clear blue ocean. That image creates a feeling of relaxation and adventure all in one, and a greater appeal to viewers who might value different activities in a vacation. It can be subtle things like in the photo to the left where the model is holding a new iPhone and in the background is an old rotary phone, conveying the classic feel of your old phone in this new wonder of technology. Motion is yet another way to create a multi-dimensional image. It can lend the sense of an impending action. Whether you freeze a single moment, say a group of friends jumping off a rock into the water, or create some blur as a cyclist streaks by on an adventure, both make you wonder what's next. Plan and scout If you're photographing for journalistic purposes, you won't be able to plan ahead or arrange any of the elements in your image. However, what makes a great news-telling image is the ability to convey a story through noticing even the tiniest details. If you're shooting commercially you'll have the advantage to fully plan out your photo shoot. Try to scout the location to determine the best time to shoot, write down shot ideas and plan different layers of your image. How can you help tell a complete story using all the layers of a photograph? Start thinking beyond the primary subject of your photograph. When you do, you'll be on your way to creating richer, story-telling images. Post from: Digital Photography School

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