By: William Zane

It was admittedly difficult when we first began the transition from straight film to digital photography some years ago. My wife, a brilliant amateur photographer with a special flair for expressive and candid black-and-white photos, had trouble finessing the “delay” that occurred between pressing the button and the digital camera actually snapping the picture. The candidness, shall we say, gave way to more staged poses and less exhilarating results.

However, as time went on, we learned more about taking better pictures and also using Photoshop to enhance the images with special effects and other production techniques.

Tip #1: Pump Up the Volume. The advantage of not having to worry about the expense of film was something we began to exploit at a large scale, and we found that we could snap, say, 100 “relatively” rapid pictures and get one or two treasures - something we wouldn’t be overly apt to do if we were spending money to purchase and develop film.

Tip #2: Focus on Lighting. We realized that we could enhance all of our images across the board by paying far more attention to lighting. So we would be more oriented toward taking pictures at different times of day - for example, dusk - when there’s that “magic hour” element that can give photos a richer hue and tone.

Tip #3: Anticipation. Unlike the Heinz ketchup commercial, we learned to be impatient with certain of our subjects (particularly our kids, whose mannerisms and personalities we knew well) - meaning, we learned to anticipate what they would do and snap the photo in advance of where we thought the live action would go - so that the camera would catch it on time. This is a skill that needs to be developed over time - and it’s not something that can be done perfectly with strangers.

Tip #4: Download and Dump. We learned to download our photos often, after several times of missing out on awesome pictures because the camera was full. We also had to learn to be ruthless with “our babies” and cut out photos on the fly to keep the camera available for even better opportunities. That said, we also developed an excellent archiving system using CDs and DVDs, so we have thousands of photos stored and easily retrievable.

Tip #5: Grayscaling, Sepia Toning, Lassoing, Saturation and Other Effects. Some of our favorite techniques in Photoshop are actually pretty simple, but they are useful time and time again. We love grayscaling images to convert them from RGB to black and white, we love altering the hue to do sepia toning for that old-time effect, and we especially like to use the lasso tool to create “feathering” and other cool effects like drop shadows, bevel and emboss - even craquelure. Photoshop can be used in a million different ways - but having digital images has really helped us take more advantage of Photoshop than we did before when we had to manually scan printed photos. This alone has helped us really fall in love with the digital.

Tip #6: Batch Processing. From time to time, we would have a ton of photos that we wanted to do the same effect with. We got the hang of something called “batch processing,” where we could essentially program Photoshop to automatically open (and resave) every picture in a folder and do the exact same action to it. This is really cool and helpful if you have the need to do it - makes everything go super-fast.

By: KenWilson

Panoramic photography has emerged as a new type of photography. To anyone who does not know how it works it is a wonder of modern technology; but photographers know it is not that tricky. During recent years they have made 360 photography so successful that we can’t even think of a realtor site without a panoramic tour of different houses and apartments.

Panoramic photography can be described as “very long pictures”. Although it may not sound very well, that pretty much describes this type of photos. Aspiring photographers are constantly looking for ways of improving their panoramic photography skills. It is very important that they start with simpler pictures, such as landscapes – very early, just as the sun rises, mist or water reflections. As well as that keeping a scrapbook with pictures from magazines they like may also be used for inspiration. Panoramic photography classes or books always come in handy.

The easiest and most common way to do panoramic photography (also known as pan photo) is with a panoramic tripod head. If you are a professional photographer, you could try the one from Manfrotto’s, but if you only do it as a hobby, the nodal ninja (www.nodalninja.com), or the Panossaurus are good options (they allow all the movements as the professional ones, but they are smaller and more fragile) They are sturdy enough to hold up to a Canon 5d or a Nikon d200, which is excellent!

But a good tripod head and a reliable camera are not enough in order to make a panoramic tour. So you need to take the photos! When you take each photo make sure that you over lap each one by at least 50%. This way when you use the software to stitch it all together it will be so much easier. You need to practice in order to get the best results, but it will sure be worth it!

Try going outside for the first few times. Take several photos with your camera (a rotating camera would be even better, as it swivels around a pivot; but standard tripods are just as good). Make sure the intervals are right (45% to even 50%. Have in mind that the tripod has to be mounted exactly on the central axis of the camera lens. If the tripod is even a bit off, the photos will not stitch properly. As well as that, the un – centered mount will cause parallax errors in objects that are closer to the camera. Once you have taken the pictures check the result; you can also change the location and take a few other sets of photos before taking the next steps.

Author: Martin Hurley

Online marketers often talk about just how important it is to find what the market wants, then sell them what they want. In other words, find out what people really want, and then provide the solution. Do you think this approach would work just as well with selling stock photography?

Let’s say you’ve created photos that, although they make great visual eye candy and tell a unique photo story, no stock agency wants. (A simple reason might be that they may have too many of these type of images already). You can choose to see this as a learning experience and ‘try a new approach,’ or continue creating similar stock photography that you hope will be accepted, one day.

However, I’m sure you’d agree that it’s better to work smarter than harder. This means that with stock photography you’ll need to be flexible and ‘bend your creativity’ a little, perhaps shaping it towards a more profitable approach. The good news is that this is very do-able. After all, you are in charge of what the camera sees and you decide on what pictures you want to take.

So, maybe it’s obvious, but if you want to sell more stock photos, find out what the stock agencies want (and need). Believe me, if you ask, they’ll tell you.

Most, if not all, of the stock agencies or micro stock agencies out there will have a ‘needs list or wants list’ at their website. Make that your first destination. Be diligent in your research and you will be on the road to success with selling stock photography.

Then you can create a theme of photographic work that’s tailored exactly to the stock photo agencies needs and wants and then submit these specific images to them. Obviously there’ll be themes that you won’t be able to shoot, but there will be some that will fit well with your own lifestyle, environment, location and photo style.

This should rapidly increase your chances of making photo sales.

A search on a few stock photo agencies web sites revealed that they are keen for their photographers to “…provide something more unusual, or sought after… and it might make the most downloaded page.”

In other words, don’t create photographs ‘the same’ as every other photographer. Make sure your unique, individual style lets your images stand out, and at the same time be conscious of what the stock agency really needs.

Another simple way to realize selling stock photography success is by going to photo agency or stock libraries web sites and looking at what types of images they have, promote, use and sell… on a regular basis.

Look for the type and styles of images that they prefer. Is there certain image themes that get downloaded (sold) often? What styles seem to sell regularly?

Check to see if there are images similar to what you create, or check the downloads section… the micro stock sites will usually show you how many times an image has been downloaded… of course, the more the better, that means it’s more popular (more money for the photographer). Just ask yourself this: “Could I create images similar to this..?”

Being honest with yourself and your abilities as a photographer is important… It’s a big time decision to submit images to stock photo web sites… you really do need to ask yourself how likely will it be that I can make sales through this? And, is it the best use of my images and time?

If you can stay open minded about what themes you shoot (especially with the great flexibility of shooting digital photography), and focus on tapping into ‘what the market wants’ then you might find that your unique little approach to selling stock photography keeps photo buyers happy and you in profit. Go for it.

Author: Martin Hurley

Does this describe you? You’re ’super passionate’ about photography, and there’s nothing you’d love more than to know an easy way to jump into the digital photography business, and pocket yourself some nice ’side income’ in the photography niche…

Well, if you keep reading, this article will show you exactly how you CAN do this - without having to sell a single photograph yourself!

And as you may well know, for some of us it’s an uphill battle to pull an income from selling photos. Especially if you’re just starting out, haven’t really built up a strong portfolio yet, or are still learning the ‘digital photography’ ropes.

But with this technique you can still jump headfirst into the photography niche, make new friends, learn all about digital photography… without having to be an amazing photographer, have any sort of photography gear, or trek far up the nearest mountain to get a bunch of great shots!

If you’re wondering what it is, then let me explain.

The technique is rather simple, but, like all things, it does take work and you’ll have to use some elbow grease to make it happen. Simply put, you find other photographers who have a strong interest in selling their images, and then you recommend a particular solution to them (that will hopefully help them out).

OK, so… where would you find photographers? Well, let’s see… photo forums and photo groups for starters. There’s an abundance of them around… Photography clubs, photo websites, eBay photography sellers, etc. (Where do you hang out online?) Do a quick search for ‘photo groups’ and you’ll see hundreds…

Now, about that ‘particular’ solution we were talking about… Yes, it’s an information product. (We’ll use an ebook here as an example). And without getting too deep into the benefits of ‘info products’ for space reasons, just understand that they’re an immediate solution to the ‘problem’ or challenge the photographer is facing…

And this is precisely what makes them such an attractive proposition. The photographer can quickly purchase, download the ebook and literally be reading it (and acting on it) within minutes…

Of course, this is all great for the photographer involved, but how does this help you out?

You, being the ‘referrer’ of the info product, pocket a commission for every sale. (In most cases, about 40-70% per sale). But, it gets even better. In some instances, the creator of the info product will even allow you to earn 100% of every sale you make! That’s pretty exciting when you think about it…

Author: Rohn Engh

Where do you keep your images? If your answer is a shoebox, plastic slide holders, or KODAK boxes, — you are not alone.

Many photographers are organized and can find a specific picture when a photobuyer calls for it. But most, unfortunately, are not. However, there’s hope. I’m going to outline what I call the “Lazy Man’s Way” of organizing and selling your photos.

First of all, I’m going to ask you to step into the 21st century and quit grumbling about how Kodak and Fuji no longer provide film for you at the local drug store. Whether we like it or not, the Digital Age is upon us. So, let’s get with the program.

You asked about being able to be lazy?

The Digital Age that you see others experiencing is the key to your newfound workable laziness. Why?

No more: chemicals, tin rolls, delivery of film, arguing about color balance, light table mix-ups, filing slides in pages and notebooks, humidity problems, sleepless nights worrying about delivery (or return) of your original slides to a client or a stock photo agency.

If you’ve lasted this long in stock photography, then you must be a dedicated person. It’s time to make your dedication move in a new direction: Digital. This is where the laziness comes in. It’s not so much the taking of pictures, or cataloging them, but in selling them.

A little history first.

After fifty years of dominating the stock photography field, stock photo agencies are gradually losing their exclusive grip on the industry. In the last century, the agencies were pretty much the only game in town. If you decided to go with one, you had to make sure it was a specialized stock photo agency. If you had five different specialties that meant you put one-fifth of your collection in each of the five specialized agencies. Today, whether you are a specialist or a “generalist,” it’s now more effective to market your pictures at an electronic “portal.” And this is where the laziness comes in.

Portals are digital stock photo agencies that feature your images in a massive collection. They utilize keywords to help visitors (buyers) locate special photo needs. Since all the photos are in digital format, you have no worry of picture loss as you would in a classic stock photo agency. Also, you are able to join several portals at the same time if you wish, and determine which one is doing the best job for you.

Photobuyers like portals. Photobuyers use the search power of the Internet when they start a search for the photo they need. Using keywords, a photobuyer might land on a series of portals. Each portal has its own keyword search section, so finding the ”just right” picture becomes much easier. In the next decade we are going to see photobuyers working almost exclusively with portals for this reason.

And if you want to be a lazy marketer of stock photos, portals provide you the opportunity to literally dump all of your top-notch marketable images into the portal. There’s no cataloging necessary. Remember, keyword searches find your picture (in seconds), not a visual search. Here are more reasons photographers and photobuyers are placing their images in portals: portals are quick, (a photoshopper can browse a portal’s collection swiftly); they offer charge card payment; they pay you, the photographer, monthly (unlike stock agencies who may pay only every six months); they offer real time reports on sales; they often offer direct download (24 hour service); they offer a variety of photographer styles and personalities; they provide fresh, new ideas and trends because their photographers are constantly adding new pictures; they calculate the fee for the photobuyer which eliminates the need for any negotiating; thus they allow you to photograph and they do the selling for you; they offer a higher percent of the sale than most standard stock agencies; they are, in effect, an outsource catalog of your work.

Here’s a group of portals you’ll want to look into. Some are for Royalty Free photos, others are for Managed Rights, and others are a combination of both. Some aim at low-end buyers. The pay is low, too. Others are middle ground, and others are high-end.

adobe.com; alamy.com; artzooks.com; bigstock.com; istock.com; myloupe.com; painet.com; stock.xchng.com; shutterstock.com; stockphotomedia.com; vizpix.com; photosourcegroup.com

So you see, once your stock photos are in a portal, or portals, you can go about doing what you do best, take pictures. This new work style may mean that you’ll have to convert your top slides to hi-resolution digital images (about $10 each) and buy a digital camera. But if your dedication is alive and well, you’ll soon pay for those expenses from your sales. Now you can lie back in your hammock and have another mint julep.

Author: Michael Russell

Too many photographers press the shutter release immediately after framing the subject in the viewfinder. They fail to wait for the moment of greatest interest or impact. Good timing takes patience and practice, but it is important to the success of any photograph.

Study the subject to find out what it does or might do. For instance, you spot an eagle sitting on the top of a nearby tree. A nice picture. Do you shoot it and go away? Or do you wait until the moment the eagle extends its wings and begins to lift off from its perch and shoot again. A dramatic picture. Anticipating a subject’s actions is a necessary photographic habit. And one, which can be achieved with time and practice.

Children eating ice-cream cones sometimes drop them or at least get the ice cream on their faces or clothes, always a favorite picture to capture! People in discussion gesturing with their hands, talking and laughing. Fishermen usually show excitement when they catch something. Waves splash higher on rocks with incoming tides. Consider what will be the right moment to shoot and wait for it. For what will be achieved for a life-time it is worth the wait.

A golfer blasting out of a sand trap is more exciting than one teeing off (especially if he is getting frustrated!) A person blowing out birthday candles is more interesting than one just holding the cake. A horse galloping is much more dramatic than one grazing. Study your subjects and figure out the best time to photograph them. Shooting a second too early, or too late, can result in an ineffective picture rather than one with impact. And moments can never be recaptured.

The time of day is another important consideration. The long shadows of early morning or late afternoon often make pictures much more effective than if they were taken at noon with the sun over head. Decide when you think the lighting will be best and wait for that moment. Also consider whether a night shot would be more effective than one taken during the day. Las Vegas, for example, makes a much more impressive picture at night with the glow of its colorful casino lights. And too remember the beauty of sunrises and sunsets. These are beautiful to capture.

What time of day will your subjects be at their best, or worst? If you want unhappy children, take photographs when they are tired or hungry. For pictures of active kids, wait until after their meals or naps. And be sure you’re ready when your subjects are. Your camera and equipment should be set up and ready to fire the moment your subject makes the move or expression you want. Good pictures often result only because of the photographer’s good timing.

These photographs are memories that come and go in a flash. But thanks to new techniques our precious memories can be caught and kept for all time. So it is well worth the time to take the time. Be patient and wait for that perfect shot.