The author and a friend do a joint photo shoot on Oahu, experimenting with different camera equipment and techniques. The author is new to shooting video, having been a still stock photographer for many years, and is planning on breaking into video stock footage.
Yesterday I decided to find and shoot a waterfall for an image I want to create. The image I have in mind is a concept stock photo of a man going over a waterfall in a barrel. I photographed the man in the barrel, in my studio, a couple of months ago. However, I don't have a suitable waterfall image.
Taking pictures of many types of dog breeds in my work as a stock photographer has provided me an opportunity to work with both large and small dog breeds and a number of poodle breeds. I've worked with teacup poodles, miniature poodles, standard poodles, etc.
iStockphoto has announced their intention to sell logos and it is causing quite a stir in the design community. I guess a lot of designers think that the low price of logos on iStock demeans their profession and threatens their livelihood. There are warnings of infringement issues, calls for a boycott of iStockphoto and dire predictions of the demise of the design profession. While many iStock contributors are excited about the prospect, others are citing the necessity of the design community to band together to stop offering their work so cheaply, and of educating the young designers on the necessity of stopping the race to the bottom.
Expert Author: John M. Lund | Category: Business Having the right employees can make your business more efficient and profitable, and having the wrong employees can really drag you down. One question you need to answer before you grow your business staff is whether it will suit the life you want to lead.
A good example of the approach I am currently taking to my stock photography can be seen in a recent shoot based around a Sumo wrestler. The idea originated from a shoot I did a few years ago. I had photographed flying trapeze artists to illustrate concepts such as teamwork, risk and skill.
I came up with what I thought was a great idea, a kind of positive spin on the old half-full, half empty glass theme. My idea was for a photograph of a hand holding up a glass with a rainbow in the background creating the illusion that the rainbow was pouring into the glass. A timeless concept stock photo illustrating success, optimism, positive thinking, and the way forward.
I am now offering free jpeg images of funny cat photos on my web site. I never thought I would be saying that! These are not images well suited to advertising, though I imagine I can make a least some advertising sales. They are really best for exactly what they were designed for, greeting cards.
I am not cut out for producing large quantities of images. My love is for producing highly Photoshop-manipulated concept stock photos. I am guessing that eliminates me from Micro stock…so if anyone reading this has experience that would suggest otherwise, I'd love to hear from you!
A professional stock photographer discusses the future of stock video and how he is dipping his toe into the world of motion stock photography. Opinon within the stock industry is sharply divided.
I had lunch yesterday with an old friend of mine who remarked that "Things change when you can see the end". He was referring to the fact that he wants to work less and enjoy his life more. He, like me, is 57 years old. It is true. Even at, say 49, life looked different to me. Increasingly, every minute is important. More and more I look at my stock photo career and ask myself how I can use it to not just make money, but to enjoy my life. A good example can be seen in a stock shoot I did in Buenos Aires.
Photographers today with the help of the internet can diversify their income in a number of ways. They can market images directly from a website, sell stock images through a number of agencies, or even open an online store where they can sell merchandise such as T shirts, and coffee mugs with their images imprinted on the items.
This article is an interview with world class stock photographer Inti St. Clair. The interview delves into how she came about being a stock photographer and many current stock photo topics like marketing, shooting stock, and the future of the industry.
The number of stock photos, free and otherwise, is burgeoning and is only going to increase. Flicker has, for example, at the time of this writing, over 2 billion images. Stock photographers need to think carefully about how best to market their images.
Just thought I would share the production details about how I created a new “concept” stock photo. As with so many of my images it has taken two years from the inception of my idea to the final execution. Why so long? I wish I knew! I think I have this belief that an idea is going to be really difficult to create and so I procrastinate. As it turns out, this image was easy to do.
It took me a long time to first delve into the creation of funny pictures. Almost fifteen years into my career, to be exact. A big part of that evolution was the advent of the digital world and Photoshop. As a matter of fact, Photoshop came along at a perfect time for me and opened up a whole new world.
I’ve heard it said that if you believe you will succeed, or if you believe you will fail, you are right. There is a lot of truth in that. I have also heard it said, that as photographers, it is our responsibility to lead society. As I write this we are in what is described as the worst recession since the great depression. It feels as if all the news is doom and gloom. I find myself being more careful in my spending, pulling back and even taking on a bit of a siege mentality.
Expert Author: John M. Lund | Category: Marketing “Strategic alliances are becoming increasingly important”. Can’t remember where I saw that quote, but it struck at the time, several years ago, as being an important one. With every passing month it seems to me the truth in those words increases.
Small business is anything but small in our economy. Small businesses represent over 99 percent of firms with employees. They generate almost half of the total private payroll in the United States and have generated sixty to eighty percent of all new jobs per year for the last ten years. It is also interesting to note that fifty-three percent of small businesses in the U. S. are home based.
I firmly believe that now is the most exciting time ever to be a photographer, and to be shooting stock. There are more tools and more opportunities than ever before. The playing field has been leveled. The demand for images, and consequently stock photography, is exploding.
