Posts Tagged ‘stock photos’
August 15th, 2010
One of the most interesting types of stock photos are night photograph. This photo is very interesting and can make for visually aesthetic, mysterious, unusual pictures. Most beginning stock photographers will usually stick with the sun. They will refuse to try out shooting at night with long exposures. Having to use a tripod sends them running back to their sun that exposes their pictures every time.
A great benefit to shooting stock photos in the night is that not many other people do it! If you could specialize temporarily in night stock photos and build a massive collection you could very well be the stock photographer that everybody runs to when they need a night photograph.
Do, however, recognize that night photographs are not in as high demand as photographs during the day are. There is, however, a limited amount of night stock photographs available. Let’s take the subject of going out with friends. There are dozens of stock photos showing friends having fun in parks, public gatherings, and a plethora of other places. But when it comes to showing them having a good time during the night there is a lesser selection. Fill in this gap and create a collection of night photographs based on the concept of fiends having a good time at night.
Night stock photos will require you to have a tripod. There is no changing this. Unless you have a massive array of lights at your disposal, a tripod will definitely be needed. When taking night photographs you are going to be exposing your photo for a very long time. That means that you will need the tripod definitely. A blurry stock photo because of a lack of a tripod will be worth nothing.
The professional stock photographer will probably be using many other devices when taking stock photographs. One such device is the remote release. The remote release is attached to the camera and enables the photographer to take a picture without touching the camera body. They simply push the button on the remote release and the shutter opens to expose the image. This has great benefits when taking night photographs. The biggest benefit is that you won’t be touching the shutter button and don’t have to worry about the photograph getting out of focus because you moved it. If you are going to be shooting a lot of night photographs you definitely need one of these shutter release devices.
An alternative would be to use the self timer on your camera. Honestly, I hate using the self timer. It’s annoying and always goes faster or slower than I want it to. If you like the self timer on your camera go ahead and use it. The self timer is a better option than pushing the shutter button with your fingers.
Stock photos at night can be very profitable and valuable. It is, however, fully depended upon the work that you do. Do not try to cut corners in night stock photography or any other photography for stock. Treat it as a professional stock photographer would.
June 18th, 2010
Photography is getting easier. A lot easier! Being a stock photographer is getting easier too, perhaps even to a greater degree than getting “good” pictures. The result is a tremendous pressure on “pros” that make a living at stock to be able to continue making that living. So what’s a pro to do? The answer lies in using your whole brain, not just the left or the right hemispheres. You need to use the left part for creativity and right for practicality, or pragmatism or whatever you want to call common sense.
As digital cameras continue to evolve and drop in price, and as Micro sites and online communities offer every greater degrees of education for would be stock producers, creating technically competent images becomes easier and more feasible for the masses. Too, the masses are to an ever greater extent being made aware of the possibility of “making a few bucks” off of their hobby, and of the very real possibility (real but exceedingly elusive) of making that hobby into their profession. Indeed, after a few hours of viewing Microstock forums it seems as if every amateur photographer out there is bent on becoming a professional stock photographer! The competition is increasing.
This brings us back to that increasingly important question, just how is a professional stock photographer going to thrive, or even survive, in this new environment? I firmly believe that despite the “democratization” and “commoditization” of the stock photo industry, there will always be more reward for great images. By great I mean images that fill a need and do it superbly. A quick analysis of downloads at the current Mecca of Micro stock sites, iStockphoto, shows clearly that the best of the best images do return rather significant amounts to the photographer. There is still, and always will be plenty of money to be made.
Continued success is very simple really. Make great images that fill a specific need. To make those great images you need the left half of your brain; you need to be creative. To make images that fill a need you have to use the right half of your brain. You need to stay abreast of the images that are already out there, of what businesses need what kinds of images, and of what your competition is. You need to have knowledge. I usually do a search on the major stock sites before I commit to creating an image just to make sure I am not re-inventing the wheel. I am always amazed at what hasn’t been done, or hasn’t been done well. In many cases the images that exist for a given need haven’t been updated in years, sometimes in many, many years!
While no one can know what the future will bring, I can see with my own eyes that it is still possible, at the time of this writing, to make huge amounts of money in stock photography. Photographers are doing it in Rights Managed, photographers are doing it in Royalty Free, and yes, photographers are doing it in Micro stock. There is no magic bullet here. There is simply putting the time and intention into coming up with creative ideas, putting the time and effort into researching the market, and having the gumption to actually do it. So what are you waiting for!
May 5th, 2010
When it comes to using retro stock images in your website design there are many places where you can get these either for free or pay for them online today. But when it does come to using such pictures there are certain things that you will need to take into consideration and below we will take a look at just what some of these are.
Many people are now considering using retro styling in their website designs not only because they are much more decorative but they equate to a certain set of values that one expected of the period when they first appeared. Certainly using some retro rather than the high tech styles that many other website owners prefer will provide your site with something that is unique and is likely to catch the eye of any potential new customer.
The kinds of pictures that a person will be using for their site that fit into the retro group are those from the 1950’s and 1960’s and certainly these equate to a time when live was a little more easy going. Certainly some of the most well known retro stock images that you will regularly see being used are photos of such icons as Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Audrey Hepburn.
Yet when it comes to you using such images for your own site there are two different types that are now available and which can be easily obtained through the internet. Below we take a look at just what these are.
1. Non Exclusive Images
These are ones where you will be required to pay a licence fee every time you use a particular image but it also allows others to purchase the same images using the same licence as you.
2. Exclusive Images
With these particular retro stock images a person is again required to pay a licence fee in order that they may use the image they have selected every time that they actually use it. However unlike the non exclusive images once you have paid the licence fee in order to use that image then you and you alone have exclusive use of it.
However if you are considering using any kind of retro stock images in your website design it is important to make sure that they will fit in with the overall image of it. So you really need to consider the kind of audience that you are trying to reach and what you are trying to say through the use of such images. Once you are able to understand this then you will be able to select those images which will be able to meet with your requirements perfectly.