By: David Mail
Got a digital camera? Now you can earn money selling your pictures on the Internet! If you have a good eye and if you are a creative person, you can generate very nice monthly income by selling your pictures on stock photography web sites. Personally, I am receiving checks and PayPal transfers for few hundreds bucks every month and you can do it too. At least, it pays you back for all that nice and expensive photographic gear you have purchased last year. I truly love online stock photography Internet phenomenon, since it is the first in the world and probably the only business model which allows amateur photographers like you and me to earn some money from they lovely hobby. In fact, if you are a talented photographer and you shoot hundreds of pictures every month you can earn a very significant part of your living by shooting high quality creative pictures for stock photography agencies. There are many stock photography sites that will be happy to sell your photos and share with you the received revenues. iStockPhoto, ShutterStock, Fotolia, BigStockPhoto and CanStockPhoto are just few stock sites to name. All stock sites allow you to register for free as their submitting photographer and start uploading your work to their banks. However, be aware that many sites will ask you to provide detailed personal information such as a scan of you picture ID or passport. Also, at many sites you will be requested to sign and fax back a signed copy of the site's 'submitter agreement'. These requirements are part of continuous effort of limiting the image fraud on the Internet and protecting both image buyers and image copyright owners from the fraudulent behavior. In addition to the submitters authentication, many stock photo sites will ask you to pass a professional online test, which should verify that you have all the required photographic skills and that you understand rules of the game on stock photography market. Do not be afraid of that test. If you know the difference between shutter speed and the aperture and if you can explain what is DOF you will pass this test for sure. And the basic stock photography rules are quite simple: 1) Do not submit images that include any copyrighted material Avoid photographing company logos, trademarks, third-party images and brands. 2) Provide a model release for any recognizable person in your image Each site has its own standard model release form that you have to fill in and send along with each image containing a recognizable person. It could be a good idea to keep handly printed copies of model releases for all the sites where you submit your photos. When you shoot a person, do not forget signing her on one or more model releases! Note, that most sites will also ask you for the copy of model's ID, the witness signature and a copy of witness picture ID. Keep all this in your mind when you prepare a stock shooting session 3) Editorial content Some stock photo agencies, e.g. ShutterStock has a separate section / category for editorial images. Different rules set apply for editorial content. Editorial content can be used only in news and therefore editorial images do not require model releases and can include copyrighted material. So, if you have shot a carnival in Brazil do not throw out all your pictures because you do not have model releases for all these people. You still can submit your images as editorial content at some stock photography sites. However, be aware that there are not too much buyers for this type of content and the submitters' competition could be tight. 4) Use appropriate lighting and composition This is common sense, but I will mention it anyway. Your images compete for the buyers attention with images created by highly qualified talented professional photographers which shoot for years, own nice equipment and definitely know how and when use it. You must think creatively in terms of lighting and composition, otherwise your images will never sell. For instance, if until now you relied on built-in camera flash as a proper source for indoor lighting it is a time to change your mind. Go to the stock sites and take a look how other photographers use light in their work. You will probably need to switch to some more professional sources of lighting for your indoor photography. Again – be creative and you will win the war for the buyers' attention and buyers dollars! 5) Images format must be JPG at most sites, typically starting from 2 megapixels and with max file size of 8-10 MB 6) Properly prepare your images before uploading them to stock photo sites First of all it means digital editing. There are many software applications that can help you to edit your image, starting from the industry standard de-facto Adobe Photoshop tool, followed up by the newest and much cheaper than Photoshop Adobe Lightroom and ending up with Google's Picassa, which is very limited in its editing capabilities, but is available free of charge. Do your best editing your pixels. In many cases some light extra-saturation will help. However, making your image look gorgeous is still not enough to create a bestselling picture. Think about buyers. Buyers still have to find your image among all the similar pictures in the web image database provided by a stock agency. It means you have to describe your image using appropriative keywords, title and description. It is important to do it before uploading images to a stock photo site, otherwise you will need to add keywords at every stock site, thus multiplying image preparation time. Fortunately, keywords data can be inserted directly into JPG file, so the image carries its own keywords. This image metadata modification protocol is called IPTC and is implemented by some graphical applications, e.g. Adobe Photoshop. Editing IPTC data and selection of proper descriptive keywords can take significant amount of time, especially if English is not your mother tongue or if you just much better in taking pictures than in describing them in words. Buyers will never find your image if it was loosely keyworded, but the proper keywording and upload to multiple sites can take a while! Additionally, if you wish to keep the control what image was uploaded to which site and when, you might be completely lost after uploading a few tens of images. Fortunately, there is dedicated stock photography management tool which takes care of all the issues above. ProStockMaster provides significant aid for a stock photographer by streamlining stock photography workflow. The application sports semi-automated images keywording, IPTC data editing, EXIF reading and provides simultaneous images upload to multiple leading stock photography agencies. ProStockMaster is available for free download from the product web site: http://www.prostockmaster.com. The free version is limited to 5 image uploads daily which certainly could be enough for many beginning stock photo submitters, saving them tens of hours of routine image preparation and management work in front of their computers. 7) Prices and payments – what income you can expect Most stock photography agencies pay photographers for each download (a purchase) made by the image buyer. This is a micro-payment model and the prices you get paid start as low as $0.20. However, if you were successful to create a real bestselling image you can easy hit few hundreds downloads a month, so your earning arithmetic can be $0.2 x 300 = $60 monthly for a single image. Shooting 10 bestsellers monthly could generate you $600 monthly income – definitely not a bad return on a few hours investment. The rule of the thumb says the more images you have online in each and every stock photography agency the more images you sell and the higher monthly income you get. Typically, stock agencies send you a check or a PayPal transfer at the end of every month if you have earned more than a certain amount of cash, typically $100, during that month. Your earnings will be collected by the site until they reach this minimal payment. Well, that's all folks! Just take your digital camera now and go for a shooting session. Oh, - wait!, wait a second. First, open your web browser and look what other people submit to stock photography agencies. Note the most popular images and agencies suggestions for stock content categories and keep these subjects in mind when you shoot. My personal advice? Avoid flowers close-ups, typical landscapes, city scenes and buildings. Try to materialize business terms and shoot pictures which represent them,e.g. 'success', 'failure', 'partnership'. Be always creative in your work and your pictures will become online bestsellers. Good luck and happy shooting!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Creative Nature Photography: A Few Tips
By: Lucien Oliveira
In every trip we make, we end up with an incredible amount of photos and most of them do not even show what we really witnessed at that particular moment. But what you need to realise is that creative nature photography is not just about seeing something nice, pointing your camera at it, and shooting. There are a few simple rules that once followed, would improve you nature photographs significantly.Of course being creative is key. But there are a few things that if you pay attention to, they would make a whole lot of difference in your images. For example, centered photos should be avoided. They are boring to look at. A best way to do it is divide mentally the image seen in the viewfinder into thirds, in both vertical and horizontal directions. Then, place your main element in one of those thirds. Do not forget that making your nature scene simple will highlight your subject.Another good tip is to always frame your photos. It will make your picture look interesting if you have foreground objects framing it. The foreground is generally the first thing noticed in a creative photograph, so take your time adjusting it. As you know, there is a lot to landscape photography, and foreground is a main issue. When setting it, always look for distractions, because even though your brain filters everything that is secondary in your image, your camera won't do it. So, be very careful about that.Although we are talking about creative nature photography, it is worth pointing out that when photographing portraits, it is a good trick to use the widest aperture to set the background in a soft focus, which will definitely draw the viewer's eyes to your subject.When in nature, we cannot expect wildlife to be up close and still. Wild animals are not going to pose for you. So, what you can do is use long lenses and be prepared at all time to get the best shots. Camera supports also help, they minimize camera movement, which will give you sharper photos and avoid blur (especially with slow shutter speeds - low-light situations). In these cases, the landscape can make a great frame to your picture, but do not overdue it.Last, we have to consider color and light. Nature photography relies heavily on colors and light. Try to keep in mind that bright colors are generally seen first, as foreground. In addition, warm colors tend to be seen as in front of cool colors. Also, we commonly perceive light areas first. So take your time to choose what time of the day you want to shoot your landscape photo. Sunsets and sunrises are great, and midday light can be quite sharp.By following these few tips, you will notice a perceptible improvement in your creative landscape photography skills. You will get better reactions to your images even from yourself, once you come back home and find out that your photos are not dull at all!
body{margin-bottom: 0px;margin-left: 0px;margin-right: 0px;margin-top: 0px;
In every trip we make, we end up with an incredible amount of photos and most of them do not even show what we really witnessed at that particular moment. But what you need to realise is that creative nature photography is not just about seeing something nice, pointing your camera at it, and shooting. There are a few simple rules that once followed, would improve you nature photographs significantly.Of course being creative is key. But there are a few things that if you pay attention to, they would make a whole lot of difference in your images. For example, centered photos should be avoided. They are boring to look at. A best way to do it is divide mentally the image seen in the viewfinder into thirds, in both vertical and horizontal directions. Then, place your main element in one of those thirds. Do not forget that making your nature scene simple will highlight your subject.Another good tip is to always frame your photos. It will make your picture look interesting if you have foreground objects framing it. The foreground is generally the first thing noticed in a creative photograph, so take your time adjusting it. As you know, there is a lot to landscape photography, and foreground is a main issue. When setting it, always look for distractions, because even though your brain filters everything that is secondary in your image, your camera won't do it. So, be very careful about that.Although we are talking about creative nature photography, it is worth pointing out that when photographing portraits, it is a good trick to use the widest aperture to set the background in a soft focus, which will definitely draw the viewer's eyes to your subject.When in nature, we cannot expect wildlife to be up close and still. Wild animals are not going to pose for you. So, what you can do is use long lenses and be prepared at all time to get the best shots. Camera supports also help, they minimize camera movement, which will give you sharper photos and avoid blur (especially with slow shutter speeds - low-light situations). In these cases, the landscape can make a great frame to your picture, but do not overdue it.Last, we have to consider color and light. Nature photography relies heavily on colors and light. Try to keep in mind that bright colors are generally seen first, as foreground. In addition, warm colors tend to be seen as in front of cool colors. Also, we commonly perceive light areas first. So take your time to choose what time of the day you want to shoot your landscape photo. Sunsets and sunrises are great, and midday light can be quite sharp.By following these few tips, you will notice a perceptible improvement in your creative landscape photography skills. You will get better reactions to your images even from yourself, once you come back home and find out that your photos are not dull at all!
body{margin-bottom: 0px;margin-left: 0px;margin-right: 0px;margin-top: 0px;
Female Body In Photography
By: Mike Daniels
Photography is a means of making pictures by the action of light. Light reflected from an object forms a picture on a light-sensitive device or material. This picture is then chemically or digitally processed into a photograph. The word photography comes from Greek words meaning to write or draw with light. A photograph is basically a picture drawn with rays of light.Most photographs are made with a camera, which works in the same way as the human eye. It absorbs the rays of light that are reflected from a particular object or objects are focuses them into a wholesome image. Then the image is recorded on film or any electronic storage device, such as a floppy disk or memory card. What is good about photography is that the results of it can be seen by many different people around the globe and at any time, which means that the things of the past can travel in time.A human body is one of the most describable things on earth. The depictions of male and female bodies are among the most ancient images. The rock paintings scribed by prehistoric people carry circles and sticks to symbolize the two sexes. A tremendous number of reality chroniclers and versatile geniuses, such as Leonardo da Vinci, tried to capture the essence of a human body and establish a line of well-balanced proportions. Everyone is searching for the perfect human scheme.Some found it in the shapes and shivers of a female body. Female bodies are as various as they can be. Soft lines and delicate features, courageous chins and long fingers, calm and happy smiles and bellies and round hips directly associated with fertility and continuation of life. Expressive eyes, curvaceous necks, full lips and breasts can be as inspiring as slender bodies with thin bones covered with shining skin. Never has a female body been multiplied in images as in the 20 th century when the photograph was invented and came into wide use.Thousands and thousands of photographers earned their bacon by imprinting a wonderful and challenging, audacious and capricious, dominating and submissive world of a woman. Magazine covers, billboards, advertising campaigns, family albums, posters, art exhibitions, frontispieces of numerous editions contain photographs of female bodies.Unknown models as well as famous women don't miss a chance to pose in front of the camera to gain finances and a little bit of more fame or make up for the lost one. Making nude photos is one of the directions in art photography. "... It is with gratitude and pride that I step into the sunlight and celebration of women of color, expanding open in the knowledge that God can make nothing ugly or unlovable. God can't make any mistakes!" said Vanessa Williams, an actress, who participated in the creation of "Beautiful," a book glorifying Black women in their birthday suits by Marc Baptiste.They say that beauty will save the world and beauty can be different. It does not differentiate race or color, age or the length of hair.
Photography is a means of making pictures by the action of light. Light reflected from an object forms a picture on a light-sensitive device or material. This picture is then chemically or digitally processed into a photograph. The word photography comes from Greek words meaning to write or draw with light. A photograph is basically a picture drawn with rays of light.Most photographs are made with a camera, which works in the same way as the human eye. It absorbs the rays of light that are reflected from a particular object or objects are focuses them into a wholesome image. Then the image is recorded on film or any electronic storage device, such as a floppy disk or memory card. What is good about photography is that the results of it can be seen by many different people around the globe and at any time, which means that the things of the past can travel in time.A human body is one of the most describable things on earth. The depictions of male and female bodies are among the most ancient images. The rock paintings scribed by prehistoric people carry circles and sticks to symbolize the two sexes. A tremendous number of reality chroniclers and versatile geniuses, such as Leonardo da Vinci, tried to capture the essence of a human body and establish a line of well-balanced proportions. Everyone is searching for the perfect human scheme.Some found it in the shapes and shivers of a female body. Female bodies are as various as they can be. Soft lines and delicate features, courageous chins and long fingers, calm and happy smiles and bellies and round hips directly associated with fertility and continuation of life. Expressive eyes, curvaceous necks, full lips and breasts can be as inspiring as slender bodies with thin bones covered with shining skin. Never has a female body been multiplied in images as in the 20 th century when the photograph was invented and came into wide use.Thousands and thousands of photographers earned their bacon by imprinting a wonderful and challenging, audacious and capricious, dominating and submissive world of a woman. Magazine covers, billboards, advertising campaigns, family albums, posters, art exhibitions, frontispieces of numerous editions contain photographs of female bodies.Unknown models as well as famous women don't miss a chance to pose in front of the camera to gain finances and a little bit of more fame or make up for the lost one. Making nude photos is one of the directions in art photography. "... It is with gratitude and pride that I step into the sunlight and celebration of women of color, expanding open in the knowledge that God can make nothing ugly or unlovable. God can't make any mistakes!" said Vanessa Williams, an actress, who participated in the creation of "Beautiful," a book glorifying Black women in their birthday suits by Marc Baptiste.They say that beauty will save the world and beauty can be different. It does not differentiate race or color, age or the length of hair.
Digital Camera Tips - Beginning Concepts of Picture Composition
By: Christine Peppler
There are many great digital cameras on the market that allow users to take control of elements such as focus, exposure, lighting, and so forth. However, for the majority of consumers, a simple point and shoot camera is the device of choice. Although understanding and using appropriate lighting is critical to produce quality shots even with these cameras, basic picture composition must be the first consideration. If the composition of the image captured is poor, then great lighting, perfect exposure, and so forth will not remedy the problem.There are a number of "rules of composition" that can be studied but understanding and employing just a few basics will allow even less committed amateurs to produce more enviable images. • Identify your subject. Every picture should have a single point of interest or subject. Trying to capture an entire scene of activity often produces less than desirable results. It is generally better to focus on individual elements so that a viewer's eye will immediately identify the subject of the image. Therefore, getting up close with the camera and capturing an image of a single tuba player often produces better results than standing back to take a picture of an entire marching band and the audience lining the street.• Simplify the Scene. This will accentuate the single point of interest by eliminating distracting elements from the scene. For instance, it is better to pose children sitting on the lawn with a backdrop being the carpet of shaded green grass versus a busy playground with traffic moving by in the distance. Reducing this clutter can be achieved a number of ways. o In some instances, a simple background can be selected with subjects posed as described in the example above.o In other instances, the photographer will need to reposition themselves and their camera to eliminate any distracting elements from the viewfinder of their camera. In a sense, they are cropping the picture as it is being taken. They can step in closer, or zoom in, to cut out the offending background and fill more of the frame with their subject. The photographer can also move their viewing angle by stepping further to the side, higher, lower, or simply turning the camera vertically to cut out some of the clutter.o Another technique used by more experienced photographers is to reduce the effect of background elements that take attention away from the subject by purposely taking the background out of focus. The blurry background greatly softens the effect of the extraneous elements and focuses attention back on the main subject. • Draw attention to the subject. There are a number of ways that the human eye can be drawn to a particular subject within a photograph.o Some extraneous elements are desirable in photographs; particularly when they give it perspective or draw attention to the main point of interest. For instance, objects in the foreground can frame the subject; a woman framed by a doorway or a child framed by a swing. Other elements can provide perspective: a small kitten surrounded by coffee cups to demonstrate its diminutive size or a fence row to demonstrate the distance and size of a far off towering oak.o It is often good practice to position the subject off center when it does not fill the entire frame of an image. Less distracting elements are then left to fill in any void remaining on the opposite side of the scene. For instance, a kitten on the right one third of a shot may be the subject but the small butterfly it is focused upon can add meaning to the scene and fills the space on the left half of the frame. One of the rules of composition asks that the photographer imagine a tick-tack-toe kind of grid over the scene in the viewfinder of their camera. The subject of the photograph should then be positioned at the intersection of a vertical and horizontal line rather than in the space created at the center of the grid.o Lines can guide a viewer's eye. A winding path in the foreground can draw attention to the elderly couple standing at the end, a row of trees can pull the eye toward a fountain flowing on the horizon, and so forth. These are other instances where there is a single subject but other elements are used to draw attention toward its direction.• Outside the rules of composition. There are a few concepts to take to heart that aren't really part of the tried and true rules of composition that are nonetheless important for amateurs.o Take time picking the shot. Patience is what often creates great photographers. Those who meticulously move about, reframe, and change their angle of view with the camera are the ones who get the shots that create applause.o Look closely at what is in the viewfinder of the camera. This is part and parcel of taking time to pick the right shot. Be sure to look critically at the background. Be sure there isn't something in the background that will distract viewers from the subject: Bright scenes on a television in the background, tree limbs sprouting from the head, or ten to fifteen children in baseball uniforms can be distracting to the point of being unable to identify an intended subject.o Take more than one shot. The ability to take multiple shots without the cost of printing is one of the great advantages of a digital camera. If a photographer wants to capture the field of runners at a track and field event, take the shot. Then zoom in with the camera and focus on an individual runner as he concentrates on a quick start or raises his arms in victory. The decision as to which shot better captures the aura of the day can be made later.Although the "rules of composition" are more extensive than this, the ability to use these basic concepts can be a huge first step for the novice amateur in using their digital camera to create shots that are worth saving and sharing with the world.
There are many great digital cameras on the market that allow users to take control of elements such as focus, exposure, lighting, and so forth. However, for the majority of consumers, a simple point and shoot camera is the device of choice. Although understanding and using appropriate lighting is critical to produce quality shots even with these cameras, basic picture composition must be the first consideration. If the composition of the image captured is poor, then great lighting, perfect exposure, and so forth will not remedy the problem.There are a number of "rules of composition" that can be studied but understanding and employing just a few basics will allow even less committed amateurs to produce more enviable images. • Identify your subject. Every picture should have a single point of interest or subject. Trying to capture an entire scene of activity often produces less than desirable results. It is generally better to focus on individual elements so that a viewer's eye will immediately identify the subject of the image. Therefore, getting up close with the camera and capturing an image of a single tuba player often produces better results than standing back to take a picture of an entire marching band and the audience lining the street.• Simplify the Scene. This will accentuate the single point of interest by eliminating distracting elements from the scene. For instance, it is better to pose children sitting on the lawn with a backdrop being the carpet of shaded green grass versus a busy playground with traffic moving by in the distance. Reducing this clutter can be achieved a number of ways. o In some instances, a simple background can be selected with subjects posed as described in the example above.o In other instances, the photographer will need to reposition themselves and their camera to eliminate any distracting elements from the viewfinder of their camera. In a sense, they are cropping the picture as it is being taken. They can step in closer, or zoom in, to cut out the offending background and fill more of the frame with their subject. The photographer can also move their viewing angle by stepping further to the side, higher, lower, or simply turning the camera vertically to cut out some of the clutter.o Another technique used by more experienced photographers is to reduce the effect of background elements that take attention away from the subject by purposely taking the background out of focus. The blurry background greatly softens the effect of the extraneous elements and focuses attention back on the main subject. • Draw attention to the subject. There are a number of ways that the human eye can be drawn to a particular subject within a photograph.o Some extraneous elements are desirable in photographs; particularly when they give it perspective or draw attention to the main point of interest. For instance, objects in the foreground can frame the subject; a woman framed by a doorway or a child framed by a swing. Other elements can provide perspective: a small kitten surrounded by coffee cups to demonstrate its diminutive size or a fence row to demonstrate the distance and size of a far off towering oak.o It is often good practice to position the subject off center when it does not fill the entire frame of an image. Less distracting elements are then left to fill in any void remaining on the opposite side of the scene. For instance, a kitten on the right one third of a shot may be the subject but the small butterfly it is focused upon can add meaning to the scene and fills the space on the left half of the frame. One of the rules of composition asks that the photographer imagine a tick-tack-toe kind of grid over the scene in the viewfinder of their camera. The subject of the photograph should then be positioned at the intersection of a vertical and horizontal line rather than in the space created at the center of the grid.o Lines can guide a viewer's eye. A winding path in the foreground can draw attention to the elderly couple standing at the end, a row of trees can pull the eye toward a fountain flowing on the horizon, and so forth. These are other instances where there is a single subject but other elements are used to draw attention toward its direction.• Outside the rules of composition. There are a few concepts to take to heart that aren't really part of the tried and true rules of composition that are nonetheless important for amateurs.o Take time picking the shot. Patience is what often creates great photographers. Those who meticulously move about, reframe, and change their angle of view with the camera are the ones who get the shots that create applause.o Look closely at what is in the viewfinder of the camera. This is part and parcel of taking time to pick the right shot. Be sure to look critically at the background. Be sure there isn't something in the background that will distract viewers from the subject: Bright scenes on a television in the background, tree limbs sprouting from the head, or ten to fifteen children in baseball uniforms can be distracting to the point of being unable to identify an intended subject.o Take more than one shot. The ability to take multiple shots without the cost of printing is one of the great advantages of a digital camera. If a photographer wants to capture the field of runners at a track and field event, take the shot. Then zoom in with the camera and focus on an individual runner as he concentrates on a quick start or raises his arms in victory. The decision as to which shot better captures the aura of the day can be made later.Although the "rules of composition" are more extensive than this, the ability to use these basic concepts can be a huge first step for the novice amateur in using their digital camera to create shots that are worth saving and sharing with the world.
10 Tips In Better Photography
By: Michael Colucci
Taking a good photo isn't as hard as you may think. You don't need the most expensive camera or years of experience, just 10 simple tips.Enjoy!Tip 1 - Use All Your Available SpaceDon't be afraid to use all the space in your photo. If you want to take a picture of something, it's ok for it to take up the whole shot with no or very little background showing. Keep distractions out of your shotTip 2 - Study FormsThis is a vital aspect to photography. Understanding forms in your photos. Don't see an object, she its shape and its form and find the best angle to photograph it from. Form is all around us and I highly suggest you read as many books on it as possible.Tip 3 - Motion In Your PhotosNever have motion in your photos if you are photographing a still object. If there is something moving while you are trying to photograph a stationery object, your photo won't turn out anywhere near as well. Also never put a horizon line in the center of your frame. Tip 4 - Learn To Use Contrasts Between Colors.Some of the best photos have shades of white, gray and black. You can take great shots with just one color on your subject, but the contrasts between colors in a shot is what makes you a great photographer. Tip 5 - Get Closer To Your SubjectThis is one of the biggest mistakes most photographers make, not getting close enough to their subject. Get up and personal and close the distance gap. You can always reshape and resize a good shot but you can't continue to blowup a distant object.Tip 6 - Shutter LagShooting action shots with digital camera's can be tricky due to shutter lags. What this means is, when you press the button to take the photo, it can take up to a second for the shutter to take a photo, by that time what you were photographing would have moved or changed somehow. This means you have to compensate for shutter lag by predicting what your subject is going to do and taking the photo just before it takes the action you want. More expensive digital cameras don't have this problem.Tip 7 - Pan If you are taking an action shot and your shutter speed is slow, pan with the object. Follow through with the subject, from start to finish and one of those shots will be a winner. You have more chance of getting a good shot if you take more then one photo.Tip 8 - Continuous ShotsTo pan like I suggested above you will need a camera that does continuous shots and doesn't need to stop and process after every shot. Tip 9 - How To Take Fantastic Night Time ShotsNight time shots can be spectacular, almost magical.... if done right! If not they can look horrible. Really horrible. Without adequate lighting, even good camera's can turn out crappy photos if the photographer doesn't know what he or she is doing. Tip 10 - Study Your ManualIf your digital camera has a special night time mode, read the manual and follow their instructions on how to use it properly.
Taking a good photo isn't as hard as you may think. You don't need the most expensive camera or years of experience, just 10 simple tips.Enjoy!Tip 1 - Use All Your Available SpaceDon't be afraid to use all the space in your photo. If you want to take a picture of something, it's ok for it to take up the whole shot with no or very little background showing. Keep distractions out of your shotTip 2 - Study FormsThis is a vital aspect to photography. Understanding forms in your photos. Don't see an object, she its shape and its form and find the best angle to photograph it from. Form is all around us and I highly suggest you read as many books on it as possible.Tip 3 - Motion In Your PhotosNever have motion in your photos if you are photographing a still object. If there is something moving while you are trying to photograph a stationery object, your photo won't turn out anywhere near as well. Also never put a horizon line in the center of your frame. Tip 4 - Learn To Use Contrasts Between Colors.Some of the best photos have shades of white, gray and black. You can take great shots with just one color on your subject, but the contrasts between colors in a shot is what makes you a great photographer. Tip 5 - Get Closer To Your SubjectThis is one of the biggest mistakes most photographers make, not getting close enough to their subject. Get up and personal and close the distance gap. You can always reshape and resize a good shot but you can't continue to blowup a distant object.Tip 6 - Shutter LagShooting action shots with digital camera's can be tricky due to shutter lags. What this means is, when you press the button to take the photo, it can take up to a second for the shutter to take a photo, by that time what you were photographing would have moved or changed somehow. This means you have to compensate for shutter lag by predicting what your subject is going to do and taking the photo just before it takes the action you want. More expensive digital cameras don't have this problem.Tip 7 - Pan If you are taking an action shot and your shutter speed is slow, pan with the object. Follow through with the subject, from start to finish and one of those shots will be a winner. You have more chance of getting a good shot if you take more then one photo.Tip 8 - Continuous ShotsTo pan like I suggested above you will need a camera that does continuous shots and doesn't need to stop and process after every shot. Tip 9 - How To Take Fantastic Night Time ShotsNight time shots can be spectacular, almost magical.... if done right! If not they can look horrible. Really horrible. Without adequate lighting, even good camera's can turn out crappy photos if the photographer doesn't know what he or she is doing. Tip 10 - Study Your ManualIf your digital camera has a special night time mode, read the manual and follow their instructions on how to use it properly.
Got some Tips of Phtography
How does we know our camera type? or how does we know about shutter speed? for more information m-forlife.com
Intro 101: Make Money Taking Great Photographs
By: Christine Bettridge
You love taking photographs and people keep telling you that you have a great eye. How difficult is it really to make money from your photographs?There's a lot to taking good photo's and there's no way that one article could cover all the aspects of a good photo. This is an overview on how to get started taking making money with your hobby.Before you start you will need:
a decent camera doesn't have to cost the earth but it can be all the difference when it comes to making beautiful photo's
to understand the different features on your camera learning to use the special features on your camera can make all the difference.
to keep your eyes peeled for good photo opportunities at all times.
When judging photos generally the three main elements are judged. The crispness / sharpness of the image, the composition and the subject. The sharpness of your images can be improved by focusing properly. Zoom all the way in to the intended subject and focus. Then zoom out to the desired distance. The focus should be sharper. The composition: whole books have been written about composition and there is a broad and fascinating science behind it. In general the law of thirds should serve you well when trying to make a well composed shot. Divide the frame into 3x3 lined sections. All the action should center along the lines. This means the subject should never be entirely in the center of the frame. When trying to compose your shot always try to balance the elements within the frame. You will get a feel for this with practice. The subject - when taking commercial photo's this is obviously very important. You will want to photograph a wide variety of subjects. Anyone can make a good living from selling stock photos. Look online or even set up your own. You must remember that selling anything takes work. You will need to spend a great deal of time marketing yourself and your work. If you are serious about making money from your photo's then you need to start putting together a portfolio containing your best work. Having a portfolio on hand can be very useful when wanting to impress prospective buyers. Consider putting together an online portfolio to reach an international market faster. You could even set up an online sales system selling your photos. If you really know a lot about photography consider sending some of your best work in to one of the photographic magazines with a step by step account of your procedure and equipment used. It's worth the effort because you gain valuable exposure as an expert in your field. You could use some more unconventional methods to generate cash with your camera. What about making screensavers from beautiful photos? If you don't have the technical know how you can ask someone to show you quite easily. Many people make good money this way. There are all kinds of other markets you can consider selling your photo's to. Online magazines, print magazines, newspapers, travel brochures and books all need photos. Keep your eye's open for any publications that appeal to your niche. All that's left to do it grab your camera and start shooting!
You love taking photographs and people keep telling you that you have a great eye. How difficult is it really to make money from your photographs?There's a lot to taking good photo's and there's no way that one article could cover all the aspects of a good photo. This is an overview on how to get started taking making money with your hobby.Before you start you will need:
a decent camera doesn't have to cost the earth but it can be all the difference when it comes to making beautiful photo's
to understand the different features on your camera learning to use the special features on your camera can make all the difference.
to keep your eyes peeled for good photo opportunities at all times.
When judging photos generally the three main elements are judged. The crispness / sharpness of the image, the composition and the subject. The sharpness of your images can be improved by focusing properly. Zoom all the way in to the intended subject and focus. Then zoom out to the desired distance. The focus should be sharper. The composition: whole books have been written about composition and there is a broad and fascinating science behind it. In general the law of thirds should serve you well when trying to make a well composed shot. Divide the frame into 3x3 lined sections. All the action should center along the lines. This means the subject should never be entirely in the center of the frame. When trying to compose your shot always try to balance the elements within the frame. You will get a feel for this with practice. The subject - when taking commercial photo's this is obviously very important. You will want to photograph a wide variety of subjects. Anyone can make a good living from selling stock photos. Look online or even set up your own. You must remember that selling anything takes work. You will need to spend a great deal of time marketing yourself and your work. If you are serious about making money from your photo's then you need to start putting together a portfolio containing your best work. Having a portfolio on hand can be very useful when wanting to impress prospective buyers. Consider putting together an online portfolio to reach an international market faster. You could even set up an online sales system selling your photos. If you really know a lot about photography consider sending some of your best work in to one of the photographic magazines with a step by step account of your procedure and equipment used. It's worth the effort because you gain valuable exposure as an expert in your field. You could use some more unconventional methods to generate cash with your camera. What about making screensavers from beautiful photos? If you don't have the technical know how you can ask someone to show you quite easily. Many people make good money this way. There are all kinds of other markets you can consider selling your photo's to. Online magazines, print magazines, newspapers, travel brochures and books all need photos. Keep your eye's open for any publications that appeal to your niche. All that's left to do it grab your camera and start shooting!
Camera Profits - Use Your Camera for Extra Money
By: Lobita Grimes
One of the easiest ways of making extra money is with a camera. More people own cameras than radios, and photography is the fastest growing hobby in the world. Yet using a camera as an extra income tool is largely overlooked! With a little imagination, a flair for showmanship, and just a hint ofsalesmanship, the average man or woman, or even teenager, can easily make an extra $300 a week with his camera. You don't have to have one of the popular, more expensive cameras either, or a loot of high priced attachments and equipment. In many instances, a Polaroid or other "off-the-wall" camera will suit the purposes perfectly. The only special piece of extra equipment you may want to invest in would be a tripod for mounting the camera in certain situations. One of the easiest ideas is to visit a children's clothing store in one of your busy shopping centers, or the children's department in one of your large department stores. Sell the manager or store owner on the idea of your setting up in a corner of the store or department, and taking pictures of the shoppers' children. He can promote the fact that you'll be in the store taking pictures for special prices during certain hours - perhaps on Friday evenings and all day Saturdays - in his advertising, thus drawing patrons into his store because of you. You'll need a sheet or a plain piece of material, or some sort of imaginative set for a background. But this you can easily make or build yourself. You should also have an eye-catching poster that calls attention to what you're doing and the prices you're charging. Unless you're a commercial artist, spend the money to have this sign made for you by a professional. The next and last thing you'll need will be a 2-part receipt or coupon. This can be a simple piece of paper about 2" wide by 5" long. On the left side draw lines for your customers to fill in their name, telephone number and address. You might also want to include space for additional information such as the child's name and age and the number of children in the family, for future efforts, but keep it brief and simple. On the right hand side of this coupon, have your business name, address and telephone number, plus a quick outline of the different kinds of photography work you handle, and perhaps a business slogan such as "Satisfaction Guaranteed or You Don't Pay." To add a little bit of class to this coupon, take the basic outline of this idea over to an instant print shop. Tell them what you want; show them your outline; and have them typeset everything. Then put a fancy border around the whole coup on and have it printed on colored paper. The best color of paper is a "dollar bill" shade of green. If you want to give it even more class, you could have it printed on green, lightweight card stock. You'll want to divide the "information" side o f this coupon from the "business card" side with a dotted line and perforations. If you layout this coupon properly. You should be able to get six of them on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper or card stock. This means the printer can print and cut 6,000 of them for about the same cost as printing 1,000 circulars or flyers. On your printing, shop around for the best deal, but in the end, it shouldn't cost you more than about $60 for all 6,000 coupons which will come from those 1,000 sheets of paper or card stock. Now, when you take a person's picture, regardless of whether it's an "in-store" set-up, out on the golf course, or along the street, you give your customer one of your coupon-receipts and tell them their prints will be ready in a couple of days. They fill in the information part of the coupon and give it back to you, retaining your "business card" portion of it. When the prints are ready, you can phone the customer and remind him - volunteer to deliver and collect; send them through mail with a bill; or make arrangements with a store to take care of them until the people call for them and pay at that time. Most stores, golf courses, bowling centers, and other retail merchants will be glad to handle this part of it for you, because it brings the customers back into the places of business, and provides another sales opportunity for them. By all means, be sure to include an advertising circular with each set of pictures you deliver. This circular should explain how the customer can get moreprints, how he can get enlargements of hisfavorites, and details relating to all the other photography services you offer. Back to the original "in-store" picture taking set-up during evening shopping hours and on weekends for extra income. You can call attention to your "in-store" set-up and bring in more business with a few merchandising promotional ideas. In the following paragraphs we give the highlights of a few ideas that have worked well, how evþer, you should keep your eyes open to observe additional promotional ideas that could be adapted to fit your new business. Dress a helper in a clown suit, and take pictures of the kids on his lap or with his arm around the kids. Put a sandwichadvertising board on a helper and let him stroll through the shopping centeradvertising the fact that you're in Kiddie Clothing store taking pictures. Promote a "Baby of the Year" contest where you take pictures of babies, display the pictures on a "show board" and offer $100 cash plus a merchandise prize in a big drawing at the end of the year. Set up a booth in the mall and promote "Instant Snapshots." Be a Roving Photographer and take candid shots of shoppers and promote a "Shopper of the Year" contest. Work with a clown andhave him "attach himself" to the kids, and ask if they'd like to have their pictures taken with him. Build an inexpensive and portable set, such as an air plane, a race car, bucking bronco, hand-shaking scene with a famous person or "balloon figures" and take pictures of people standing inor on these sets. Get out to the golf course and take pictures of the golfers teeing off. Get over to the bowling centers and take candid shots of the bowlers in action. Do the same thing wherever there's a sports event taking place. Be on the spot and ready whenever there's an opportunity to take team pictures. You might follow, or hire someone else to follow a Little League team through its season, take candid and action shots. You then arrange the best of these pictures in a photo album with the team's name and year on the front. You should be able to sell one of these albums to each member of theteam. There's also the idea of "just strolling through the park" on a Sunday afternoon. You take candid and interesting pictures of couples, children and people in general spending time with their relatives. Keep tabs on the announcements of new births. Send advertising literature to the new mothers, and follow up with phone calls efforts to set up photography sessions. Keep tabs on the engagement notices in the weekend papers. Send your sales literature to the brides-to-be, and follow up with phone call efforts to take the wedding pictures. Set up household and business photo inventory service. With this idea, you contact the insurance companies and determine if they will approve and endorse photographs you take of their policyholders' household, personal and business property in loss claims. Most will, and from there - working either with the help of an insurance agent, the agency itself, or on your own - contact owners of property and sell them on the idea of your taking pictures of thehousehold goods they have insured. You take pictures - a pictorial inventory of everything they're claiming or would like to claim on an insurance policy - and then identify the pictures, giving one set to the property owner and the other set to his insurance agent or company. Picture inventories of household and personal property is still a new thing, but everywhere it's been introduced, it's definitely proven to be a super money-maker for the people willing to get out andhustle. If this idea arouses your interest, you might want to check into a online photography service,that specializesin helping you sell some of your best photography photos online, this offers photographers a quick and easy way to start earning some quick cash. Once you decide that using your camera to generate extra income is what you're going to do, get out and use your camera, start taking pictures, and allow yourself the opportunity to build. Give yourself the chance, and you'll quickly begin to think of hundreds of ideas for taking pictures, merchandising ideas for promoting your services, and sales angles for increasing your profits. The important thing is to get started, regardless of how small your start, and begin chasing in on an idea that's still in its infancy. This is an idea that can produce new concepts for profit every day of the week. An idea that can be fun, as well as financially rewarding for you! You've got the idea and the plan - the rest is up to you. You've got the ball; now run with it!
One of the easiest ways of making extra money is with a camera. More people own cameras than radios, and photography is the fastest growing hobby in the world. Yet using a camera as an extra income tool is largely overlooked! With a little imagination, a flair for showmanship, and just a hint ofsalesmanship, the average man or woman, or even teenager, can easily make an extra $300 a week with his camera. You don't have to have one of the popular, more expensive cameras either, or a loot of high priced attachments and equipment. In many instances, a Polaroid or other "off-the-wall" camera will suit the purposes perfectly. The only special piece of extra equipment you may want to invest in would be a tripod for mounting the camera in certain situations. One of the easiest ideas is to visit a children's clothing store in one of your busy shopping centers, or the children's department in one of your large department stores. Sell the manager or store owner on the idea of your setting up in a corner of the store or department, and taking pictures of the shoppers' children. He can promote the fact that you'll be in the store taking pictures for special prices during certain hours - perhaps on Friday evenings and all day Saturdays - in his advertising, thus drawing patrons into his store because of you. You'll need a sheet or a plain piece of material, or some sort of imaginative set for a background. But this you can easily make or build yourself. You should also have an eye-catching poster that calls attention to what you're doing and the prices you're charging. Unless you're a commercial artist, spend the money to have this sign made for you by a professional. The next and last thing you'll need will be a 2-part receipt or coupon. This can be a simple piece of paper about 2" wide by 5" long. On the left side draw lines for your customers to fill in their name, telephone number and address. You might also want to include space for additional information such as the child's name and age and the number of children in the family, for future efforts, but keep it brief and simple. On the right hand side of this coupon, have your business name, address and telephone number, plus a quick outline of the different kinds of photography work you handle, and perhaps a business slogan such as "Satisfaction Guaranteed or You Don't Pay." To add a little bit of class to this coupon, take the basic outline of this idea over to an instant print shop. Tell them what you want; show them your outline; and have them typeset everything. Then put a fancy border around the whole coup on and have it printed on colored paper. The best color of paper is a "dollar bill" shade of green. If you want to give it even more class, you could have it printed on green, lightweight card stock. You'll want to divide the "information" side o f this coupon from the "business card" side with a dotted line and perforations. If you layout this coupon properly. You should be able to get six of them on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper or card stock. This means the printer can print and cut 6,000 of them for about the same cost as printing 1,000 circulars or flyers. On your printing, shop around for the best deal, but in the end, it shouldn't cost you more than about $60 for all 6,000 coupons which will come from those 1,000 sheets of paper or card stock. Now, when you take a person's picture, regardless of whether it's an "in-store" set-up, out on the golf course, or along the street, you give your customer one of your coupon-receipts and tell them their prints will be ready in a couple of days. They fill in the information part of the coupon and give it back to you, retaining your "business card" portion of it. When the prints are ready, you can phone the customer and remind him - volunteer to deliver and collect; send them through mail with a bill; or make arrangements with a store to take care of them until the people call for them and pay at that time. Most stores, golf courses, bowling centers, and other retail merchants will be glad to handle this part of it for you, because it brings the customers back into the places of business, and provides another sales opportunity for them. By all means, be sure to include an advertising circular with each set of pictures you deliver. This circular should explain how the customer can get moreprints, how he can get enlargements of hisfavorites, and details relating to all the other photography services you offer. Back to the original "in-store" picture taking set-up during evening shopping hours and on weekends for extra income. You can call attention to your "in-store" set-up and bring in more business with a few merchandising promotional ideas. In the following paragraphs we give the highlights of a few ideas that have worked well, how evþer, you should keep your eyes open to observe additional promotional ideas that could be adapted to fit your new business. Dress a helper in a clown suit, and take pictures of the kids on his lap or with his arm around the kids. Put a sandwichadvertising board on a helper and let him stroll through the shopping centeradvertising the fact that you're in Kiddie Clothing store taking pictures. Promote a "Baby of the Year" contest where you take pictures of babies, display the pictures on a "show board" and offer $100 cash plus a merchandise prize in a big drawing at the end of the year. Set up a booth in the mall and promote "Instant Snapshots." Be a Roving Photographer and take candid shots of shoppers and promote a "Shopper of the Year" contest. Work with a clown andhave him "attach himself" to the kids, and ask if they'd like to have their pictures taken with him. Build an inexpensive and portable set, such as an air plane, a race car, bucking bronco, hand-shaking scene with a famous person or "balloon figures" and take pictures of people standing inor on these sets. Get out to the golf course and take pictures of the golfers teeing off. Get over to the bowling centers and take candid shots of the bowlers in action. Do the same thing wherever there's a sports event taking place. Be on the spot and ready whenever there's an opportunity to take team pictures. You might follow, or hire someone else to follow a Little League team through its season, take candid and action shots. You then arrange the best of these pictures in a photo album with the team's name and year on the front. You should be able to sell one of these albums to each member of theteam. There's also the idea of "just strolling through the park" on a Sunday afternoon. You take candid and interesting pictures of couples, children and people in general spending time with their relatives. Keep tabs on the announcements of new births. Send advertising literature to the new mothers, and follow up with phone calls efforts to set up photography sessions. Keep tabs on the engagement notices in the weekend papers. Send your sales literature to the brides-to-be, and follow up with phone call efforts to take the wedding pictures. Set up household and business photo inventory service. With this idea, you contact the insurance companies and determine if they will approve and endorse photographs you take of their policyholders' household, personal and business property in loss claims. Most will, and from there - working either with the help of an insurance agent, the agency itself, or on your own - contact owners of property and sell them on the idea of your taking pictures of thehousehold goods they have insured. You take pictures - a pictorial inventory of everything they're claiming or would like to claim on an insurance policy - and then identify the pictures, giving one set to the property owner and the other set to his insurance agent or company. Picture inventories of household and personal property is still a new thing, but everywhere it's been introduced, it's definitely proven to be a super money-maker for the people willing to get out andhustle. If this idea arouses your interest, you might want to check into a online photography service,that specializesin helping you sell some of your best photography photos online, this offers photographers a quick and easy way to start earning some quick cash. Once you decide that using your camera to generate extra income is what you're going to do, get out and use your camera, start taking pictures, and allow yourself the opportunity to build. Give yourself the chance, and you'll quickly begin to think of hundreds of ideas for taking pictures, merchandising ideas for promoting your services, and sales angles for increasing your profits. The important thing is to get started, regardless of how small your start, and begin chasing in on an idea that's still in its infancy. This is an idea that can produce new concepts for profit every day of the week. An idea that can be fun, as well as financially rewarding for you! You've got the idea and the plan - the rest is up to you. You've got the ball; now run with it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
