Thursday, December 13, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Automotive photography Studio
Here is a incredible view showing one ideal way of photographing an automobile. I would guess that you wouldn't need to do much photoshop editing after all this work. This image is taken from Michael Furman’s website at http://www.michaelfurman.com/
Automotive Photography
Automotive photography is an interesting niche I would love to get into. It requires a large studio and or access to some breathtaking locations. As most photographers know as well, the key to getting dramatic body lighting and reflections is to take the pictures at dusk or dawn.
As I don't have access to a large studio, I have experimented with 1/12 scale models in my studio. You can always tell they are models, but the results were still impressive. This photograph was taken by by Osamu Uchida, and Kiyofumi Kuratani from the website, http://www.himalayagallery.co.jp/osamu/photo/automobile_motercycle.htm
Here is a great article of note. They go into detail and talk about all the micro agencies in detail. A interesting read.
http://www.diyphotography.net/how-to-make-money-from-micro-stock-photography
http://www.diyphotography.net/how-to-make-money-from-micro-stock-photography
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
So much negativity.
Making ends meet as a full time photographer can be a nightmare. Sure, there are tons of people willing to do TFP (Time for Photo), but I have been doing so many over the last year, and the money is not adding up. Sure, I do get the signed model release so I can sell the pictures as stock photography, but the money is still not enough by a long shot. In a desperate attempt to make money as a event photographer, I took a job working in night clubs to take pictures for a promotion company.
My experience with that? Well, the first night was interesting. I would say 9 out of 10 people are more than happy to have their pictures taken. Maybe one out of ten politely decline. I makes me feel a little sheepish when they decline, but I understand. Heck, I myself am camera shy, so I would probably decline. But the issue that really get me is, on both nights I worked, there was somebody who expressed severe negativity towards my actions. The first night, I was taking pictures of these two happy, drunk girls, but in the background, some guy was accidentally captured in my picture. He ran up to me, grabbed my camera, and said erase all the f***ing pictures with me in it. I was very understanding, erased the pictures and tried to keep him as calm as possible. But wow, that experience just killed my mood for the night.
On another night, I was taking pictures on the dance floor at a promotional event, and some girl on the dance floor said, "go home", I looked at her confused and she kept on saying it in a progressively angry manner. I just walked away, but being the shy sensitive guy I am, I was deeply hurt. Thinking about it, I got a little mad. I actually wanted to walk by her again to see if she would keep on saying the same thing. I wanted to tell her to her face, "I am just doing my job and trying to make a buck". In my mind I was just thinking, "How dare her, the company asked me to come here and take pictures, so why should I have to deal with somebody like that" I am a nice guy trying to do a good job, and I wasn't even taking her pictures. I just walked past her.
Anyway, these negative events are enough to make me want to kiss my night club photography job goodbye. I won't stand to be around such negativity, even if 90% of the people are overwhelmingly positive.
Anyway, feed up with that scene, I have posted the $50, all included add on craigslist. Now, one photographer has e-mailed me and called me a photography "whore" because my prices are so low. Well, damn, that makes me angry on so many levels. I have experienced that soooo many people e-mail when you offer TFP, but the second you charge anything, there are no replies. Yea, I want to charge more than $50, but let me see how many customers I get, and if demand goes up, so do my prices. I will just wait and see. And just maybe I will e-mail that other photographer back, and have a dialogue with him.
My experience with that? Well, the first night was interesting. I would say 9 out of 10 people are more than happy to have their pictures taken. Maybe one out of ten politely decline. I makes me feel a little sheepish when they decline, but I understand. Heck, I myself am camera shy, so I would probably decline. But the issue that really get me is, on both nights I worked, there was somebody who expressed severe negativity towards my actions. The first night, I was taking pictures of these two happy, drunk girls, but in the background, some guy was accidentally captured in my picture. He ran up to me, grabbed my camera, and said erase all the f***ing pictures with me in it. I was very understanding, erased the pictures and tried to keep him as calm as possible. But wow, that experience just killed my mood for the night.
On another night, I was taking pictures on the dance floor at a promotional event, and some girl on the dance floor said, "go home", I looked at her confused and she kept on saying it in a progressively angry manner. I just walked away, but being the shy sensitive guy I am, I was deeply hurt. Thinking about it, I got a little mad. I actually wanted to walk by her again to see if she would keep on saying the same thing. I wanted to tell her to her face, "I am just doing my job and trying to make a buck". In my mind I was just thinking, "How dare her, the company asked me to come here and take pictures, so why should I have to deal with somebody like that" I am a nice guy trying to do a good job, and I wasn't even taking her pictures. I just walked past her.
Anyway, these negative events are enough to make me want to kiss my night club photography job goodbye. I won't stand to be around such negativity, even if 90% of the people are overwhelmingly positive.
Anyway, feed up with that scene, I have posted the $50, all included add on craigslist. Now, one photographer has e-mailed me and called me a photography "whore" because my prices are so low. Well, damn, that makes me angry on so many levels. I have experienced that soooo many people e-mail when you offer TFP, but the second you charge anything, there are no replies. Yea, I want to charge more than $50, but let me see how many customers I get, and if demand goes up, so do my prices. I will just wait and see. And just maybe I will e-mail that other photographer back, and have a dialogue with him.
Here is a new add I will place on craigslist, and hopefully it will get me more paid customers.
Photographer available. Easy to work with, relaxed atmosphere.
I am a professional photographer with my own studio looking to work with anybody. Here is my pricing plan. For $50, and a signed model release, I will take as many photos as you like, until you are happy with the results. You can even come back for another photo shoot on different day, and I won't charge more. My website is http://www.oscillator.ifp3.com/
Photographer available. Easy to work with, relaxed atmosphere.
I am a professional photographer with my own studio looking to work with anybody. Here is my pricing plan. For $50, and a signed model release, I will take as many photos as you like, until you are happy with the results. You can even come back for another photo shoot on different day, and I won't charge more. My website is http://www.oscillator.ifp3.com/
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The photography world is changing fast! Getty vs Istock
The photography world is changing fast! Gettyimages.com vs Istockphoto.com.
First off, I realize that Getty owns istock. When they bought istock for 50 million USD, some would say it is the smarted move they could have made. There was a time when I was desperately trying to get onto Getty to sell my photos, but now I feel indifferent about it. Using Alexa.com, I can see that their traffic ranking has fallen way down. They have shrunk back down to their 2005 levels. It seems people all over the world are starting to realize they don't have to pay tons of money to get top quality images.
It now seems that the main target for Getty will be for editorial and celebrity photos. However, this area too is in jeopardy. Shutterstock.com now has tons of great editorial and celebrity photography. In fact, I submitted all my celebrity photos from the Toronto International Film Festival, and they were accepted to shutterstock. I am glad because they were turned down by People magazine, some celebrity photo websites and all the local newspapers in my area. Oh well, their loss.
So, it will be interesting to see what happens in the end. With the growing number of all this digital information (including digital photos) floating around this world, will it be worth anything in the end? As we can see, high priced photo agencies like Getty will probably be forced to lower their prices to compete.
Monday, September 24, 2007
http://ifp3.com? Good or bad?
I have been using a this website to host my pictures. http://ifp3.com I like the professional look, and some of the features but overall, I think it is a little bit too expensive considering what you get. There are two serious issues I don't like about the website. I have to downsize my large photos taken with my 16 megapixel camera, and this is very time consuming. Also, they don't let you edit any of the background programing. You can't even edit the HTML. I am also pretty sure you can't add any google ads. So if you have the programing skills to create your own site, I would forget about http://ifp3.com.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
How to be an event photographer or photojournalist.
I don't have any solid work for myself in the area but I hope to someday. I recently finished taking pictures at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and it was one of my most exciting outings as a photographer. I had the chance to meet many other photographers or dare I say, Paparazzi hanging outside of hotels hoping to catch a star on film. One photographer I meet said that it was his most exciting week all year. Anyway, it was a very successful week for me and I was able to photograph a lot of the top stars.
Now that it is over, I am a little bit down. I have looked on the Internet for events going around Toronto, but it is quite dry. I look on http://toronto.craigslist.org/ quite a bit and there is some stuff, but it takes a lot of time to look in the various categories. I have also been looking at this website called http://www.torontoevents.com/ a lot and I have seen some potential there.
So in the end, I have discovered there is no one way to go about finding events to photograph, but look on the net, find an event and head out with your camera in hand and you never know what chance you might stumble upon.
Cheers and keep shooting.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Lifestyle Shoot.
This is a great selling shoot for me. A simple image of a man eating a hamburger, but think about how many different applications it can be used for. This photo was taken at a shoot with a bunch of other istockphoto.com users. It is a good idea to get together in groups to share equipment, props and models.
Starting A Photography Business from Home
by: Roy Barker
You can search for hours and still not get the information you're seeking when you want to do something as important as starting a photography business. Keep in mind that some of the photography businesses that you can specialize in, may have varying requirements and you would do well to remember this once you have read this article and want to learn a little more on each of the photographic areas. With this in mind, I have supplied a free report which you can access from my site later.
Almost anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills can set up a home business, marketing photography. You need only to convert a room of your house into an office, and then you can work immediately.
Because you have modern technology in the form of SLR digital cameras, you do not even need the room for a dark room. You need only to have a personal computer and a photo-editing program. The standard is Adobe Photoshop.
Don't clutter yourself with equipment you do not need. You can hire equipment on and when you need it basis. You have the freedom to work part time for a while until you can devote yourself full time to photography. All you need to be is a serious photographer. There are two types of photographers that makes their living from photography, the serious photographer and the very serious photographer. You can always bookmark this link and then you can quickly access just about all you'll ever need from here.
Whilst the technical skills needed to make a successful photographer have never been easier, other aspects have changed the business. The market for photographs of virtually every type has widened, the world seems to have an insatiable appetite for photographs. However the price has fallen as the marketing net has broadened. Photographers are needed in many more fields. For instance many people use car web sites, they simply did not exist ten years ago, and they sell their products as a result of photography. Cameras used by scuba diver’s are now an excellent quality, and whilst they are initially expensive, they have forged a new market. People celebrate special occasions more with photography, than they did years ago. The travel and advertising markets have a greater need for landscape, travel and nature shots.
It is now easier than ever to turn your dream into reality and create a worthwhile business out of an engrossing hobby. However in today’s modern world there is more to it than simply pointing a camera, and shooting a picture. You need to be aware of marketing techniques, and here marketing simply means transferring ownership of a product, in this case an image from a buyer to seller. You also need to be aware of any local gaps in the market in your local area. You should also try to be on top of your competitor’s prices, to undercut an existing photographer is one choice, but to neglect to value your skills and not charge enough to cover your overheads is another matter entirely. Remember this, its an important point.
Use your skills to the best advantage of the business and define what you want from it. Writing a business plan helps to keep you focused on the areas you specifically want to exploit. A business plan helps you to define your goals and strategies, it will be changed and updated, but it will help you, to keep things in perspective. You can then refer back to it when things become confusing or complicated. Everyone’s business plan will be different, as every objective will be different, but there are certain common factors that make up a good business plan which will help your business grow. It allows you to develop a professional attitude to your business, which not only helps you to increase your earnings, but also help you to finance your business.
For the photographer it should include, your business name, or your own, with full details of the proposed location of the business, a copy of your logo, as well as details of your copyright notices. What is the form of your proposed business (sole ownership, partnership, Limited Liability Company or Corporation). This should be followed by a table of contents, which focuses on a logical order. There are resources that will give you further details on such as http://profitable-photography.com
Included after this should be the type of business you intend to pursue, in a fair amount of detail, and it should contain the services you intend to offer. This section should include any future gaols or avenues you would like to explore, stating your clear objectives. This is so you can check at a later date whether your objectives are on course, or if you have got sidetracked.
If you envisage at any time you may need financial help, then you should include your personal business history.
You should also state a clear and concise marketing plan that should demonstrate how your business will differentiate from the businesses of your competitors. You should be able to establish whom your customers will be, as well as where your market will be, as in wholesale or retail or a combination of both. You should also be able to determine how long this type of market will be available to yourself.
The next section should clearly define your opposition, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. This should include the ways you may be able to exploit any gaps in the market in the specific area where you live. A section should follow this on how you intend to market and promote your individual services.
A financial segment should be included as to how you intend to manage the day-to-day bills of the business. How you intend to price your services, and what factors influence this pricing structure, which includes a section on your competitor’s financial structures. This means a fair amount of detective work as well as homework. Get your friends to ask from quotes from the local competition. Or try an even more direct approach, tell your competitor’s that you intend to start a new business, and that you do not want to undercut them, as this reduces the cake for everyone. They may well offer to help you construct a pricing structure that ensures everyone’s livelihood. It is in their interests to help. Not everyone will be cooperative, but it may mean you can get a truer picture of the market factors that govern your area.
Make a list of all the equipment you will need in your first year, as well as how and where you intend to purchase. Note any difficulties that may arise in obtaining your supplies. Note whether the prices of your supplies have a seasonal fluctuation, that may help you influence you when to buy. You should make a note of any local licenses that will be necessary, as well as any zoning restrictions, that may restrict the growth of your business. Your neighbours may not be thrilled at a procession of customer’s to your door, check whether they can restrict your services. Make a study of all your business insurance requirements.
The final segment should be devoted to how you intend to finance the growth of your business, as well as isolating what your financial needs will be. This should include a projection on your future earnings, as well as an accurate assessment of your outgoings’. This should be assessed on a monthly basis for the first year, and on an annual basis for the following three years. An important aspect of the financial statement is an assessment of the break-even point of your business, in other words the minimum you will have to take to pay your expenses.
The purpose of this documentation is to allow you to enunciate what the core elements of your business will be, in doing this it should help you to be able to quickly evaluate the success of your business objectives. If you are not clear on your objectives then you cannot possibly make a plan to bring about the success of those objectives.
You can search for hours and still not get the information you're seeking when you want to do something as important as starting a photography business. Keep in mind that some of the photography businesses that you can specialize in, may have varying requirements and you would do well to remember this once you have read this article and want to learn a little more on each of the photographic areas. With this in mind, I have supplied a free report which you can access from my site later.
Almost anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills can set up a home business, marketing photography. You need only to convert a room of your house into an office, and then you can work immediately.
Because you have modern technology in the form of SLR digital cameras, you do not even need the room for a dark room. You need only to have a personal computer and a photo-editing program. The standard is Adobe Photoshop.
Don't clutter yourself with equipment you do not need. You can hire equipment on and when you need it basis. You have the freedom to work part time for a while until you can devote yourself full time to photography. All you need to be is a serious photographer. There are two types of photographers that makes their living from photography, the serious photographer and the very serious photographer. You can always bookmark this link and then you can quickly access just about all you'll ever need from here.
Whilst the technical skills needed to make a successful photographer have never been easier, other aspects have changed the business. The market for photographs of virtually every type has widened, the world seems to have an insatiable appetite for photographs. However the price has fallen as the marketing net has broadened. Photographers are needed in many more fields. For instance many people use car web sites, they simply did not exist ten years ago, and they sell their products as a result of photography. Cameras used by scuba diver’s are now an excellent quality, and whilst they are initially expensive, they have forged a new market. People celebrate special occasions more with photography, than they did years ago. The travel and advertising markets have a greater need for landscape, travel and nature shots.
It is now easier than ever to turn your dream into reality and create a worthwhile business out of an engrossing hobby. However in today’s modern world there is more to it than simply pointing a camera, and shooting a picture. You need to be aware of marketing techniques, and here marketing simply means transferring ownership of a product, in this case an image from a buyer to seller. You also need to be aware of any local gaps in the market in your local area. You should also try to be on top of your competitor’s prices, to undercut an existing photographer is one choice, but to neglect to value your skills and not charge enough to cover your overheads is another matter entirely. Remember this, its an important point.
Use your skills to the best advantage of the business and define what you want from it. Writing a business plan helps to keep you focused on the areas you specifically want to exploit. A business plan helps you to define your goals and strategies, it will be changed and updated, but it will help you, to keep things in perspective. You can then refer back to it when things become confusing or complicated. Everyone’s business plan will be different, as every objective will be different, but there are certain common factors that make up a good business plan which will help your business grow. It allows you to develop a professional attitude to your business, which not only helps you to increase your earnings, but also help you to finance your business.
For the photographer it should include, your business name, or your own, with full details of the proposed location of the business, a copy of your logo, as well as details of your copyright notices. What is the form of your proposed business (sole ownership, partnership, Limited Liability Company or Corporation). This should be followed by a table of contents, which focuses on a logical order. There are resources that will give you further details on such as http://profitable-photography.com
Included after this should be the type of business you intend to pursue, in a fair amount of detail, and it should contain the services you intend to offer. This section should include any future gaols or avenues you would like to explore, stating your clear objectives. This is so you can check at a later date whether your objectives are on course, or if you have got sidetracked.
If you envisage at any time you may need financial help, then you should include your personal business history.
You should also state a clear and concise marketing plan that should demonstrate how your business will differentiate from the businesses of your competitors. You should be able to establish whom your customers will be, as well as where your market will be, as in wholesale or retail or a combination of both. You should also be able to determine how long this type of market will be available to yourself.
The next section should clearly define your opposition, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. This should include the ways you may be able to exploit any gaps in the market in the specific area where you live. A section should follow this on how you intend to market and promote your individual services.
A financial segment should be included as to how you intend to manage the day-to-day bills of the business. How you intend to price your services, and what factors influence this pricing structure, which includes a section on your competitor’s financial structures. This means a fair amount of detective work as well as homework. Get your friends to ask from quotes from the local competition. Or try an even more direct approach, tell your competitor’s that you intend to start a new business, and that you do not want to undercut them, as this reduces the cake for everyone. They may well offer to help you construct a pricing structure that ensures everyone’s livelihood. It is in their interests to help. Not everyone will be cooperative, but it may mean you can get a truer picture of the market factors that govern your area.
Make a list of all the equipment you will need in your first year, as well as how and where you intend to purchase. Note any difficulties that may arise in obtaining your supplies. Note whether the prices of your supplies have a seasonal fluctuation, that may help you influence you when to buy. You should make a note of any local licenses that will be necessary, as well as any zoning restrictions, that may restrict the growth of your business. Your neighbours may not be thrilled at a procession of customer’s to your door, check whether they can restrict your services. Make a study of all your business insurance requirements.
The final segment should be devoted to how you intend to finance the growth of your business, as well as isolating what your financial needs will be. This should include a projection on your future earnings, as well as an accurate assessment of your outgoings’. This should be assessed on a monthly basis for the first year, and on an annual basis for the following three years. An important aspect of the financial statement is an assessment of the break-even point of your business, in other words the minimum you will have to take to pay your expenses.
The purpose of this documentation is to allow you to enunciate what the core elements of your business will be, in doing this it should help you to be able to quickly evaluate the success of your business objectives. If you are not clear on your objectives then you cannot possibly make a plan to bring about the success of those objectives.
About The Author
Roy Barker often writes and works closely with Start A Photography Business. This site is dedicated to coaching you in starting your own photography business but places a strong emphasis on profitability issues & guidelines. You can access photography resources (some free) from Digital Photography If you seek further guides, tips, articles and news, you can go to http://www.photography-business-tips.com which has a Photographers Forum for an exchange of views with other photographers.Tuesday, September 11, 2007
What Is Stock Photography?
By Kathy Burns-Millyard 
Stock photography is simply photos taken "on spec". This means the photographer takes pictures of various objects, people, or situations, and sells them after the pictures have been taken. They are not on a specific photography assignment, instead they are taking photos of subjects they'd like to take pictures of.
Stock photography is primarily used in printed advertisements, brochures, magazines, and websites, though there are many other ways stock photography can be used.
Stock photography is licensed in several different ways. The two most popular are Rights Managed Stock Photography, and Royalty Free Stock Photography.
Rights Managed photography is the use of stock photos that are licensed for a specific, limited time and purpose. If an advertiser for instance, needed a stock photo for one specific ad campaign, they could license a photo for that specific use. And they'd be limited to using the photo only for that campaign. They'd also be charged based on the size of the ad campaign they intended to use the stock photo for.
If they wanted to use the same photo again, they'd have to pay another fee. And that fee might be different, if the campaign use and sizes are different. These recurring fees are called royalties, and with rights managed stock photography they can be quite hefty. Ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars for the limited use of one photograph.
Royalty free stock photography allows you to pay a license fee once, then use the photo multiple times. There are usually limitations on this form of stock photography, however the restrictions are not nearly as narrow as rights managed photography is. A designer or advertiser could license one photo for instance, and use it in hundreds of different ad campaigns, without incurring additional fees. In other words: No royalty fees need to be paid.
Generally royalty free stock photography can be licensed for as little as $50 up to several hundred dollars depending on the licensing source and rights given.
One of the most popular forms of stock photography for small and web based businesses, is royalty free micro stock photography. This is a variation on the royalty free model, but it's referred to as "micro stock" because designers and advertisers pay just a dollar or two per image license.
This type of stock photography has become quite popular with website owners particularly, because it's a very inexpensive way to get top quality photos for use on their websites. Quality stock photos can be licensed for as little as $1 in smaller, web friendly sizes. And prices go up to about $3 or $5 for larger, print quality photo sizes.
Since these photos are royalty free, designers can use them multiple times for that one time low cost. Be sure to check the licensing restrictions though. Royalty free does not automatically mean "public domain" or "copyright free", and each micro stock photography site has their own particular use restrictions on the photos you license.
© 2006, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Want to learn more about Royalty Free Stock Photography? Visit The Free Online Guide to Stock Photography at http://www.Stocktography.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_Burns-Millyard
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Pictures that sell
Here is a list my top selling pictures on the stock photography website, istockphoto.com. I hope this blog may give other photographers an idea about what subject matter and concepts to focus on. There is no point wasting time on subjects that are slow sellers. Time is money after all, and in stock photography these days, there are to many photos and too few buyers.
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