Making Money from Photos
The first thing to do if you want to make money from photos is learn how to take great ones. In the world of commercial photography clarity sells. The subject of how to take a good photo is too comprehensive for one article, however the following is important:
· Have a decent camera.
· Know how to use it.
· Have an eye for detail and colour.
· Be ready to grab an opportunity when it presents itself.
If you happen to be driving through the hills of Scotland and come across a lone piper (or even two), grab that camera. Watch for sunsets, moonrise, cloud formations and tree shapes. Keep a sharp eye on your pet for unusual poses, and visit your florist every so often. Flower pictures are surely many photographers’ bread and butter and they can be photographed in the light on your windowsill. Greeting card markets love photos of flowers, gardens and pets doing something unusual. Wildlife and nature are great for calendars and geographic magazines and educational markets.
Diversity is the keyword for topics in photography. The wider the range of topics you cover, the more likely you will be to get a sale. Anyone can make a good living from stock photos. Freelance photographer Lee Frost (UK) sells just as many photos taken from his own backyard as from exotic and far-flung locations. In fact he sold a pic of the dandelions in his garden to a natural health book. But if you love travelling, put your holidays to work for you. Travel guides, brochures and websites could be possible markets for your photos.
So what to do with that fantastic shot ? The edges are sharp enough to cut with, while the clarity would bring tears of joy to many publishers. The main thing to aim for with any photo is to sell it to multiple markets. This is taken care of if you submit to a photo library. You don’t have to be responsible for selling your own stuff then, but since the word is ‘diversify’ aim to do both. Offer it to non-competing markets over several years, since you are not selling the copyright.
It is important for any photographer to keep a portfolio of his work to show. You never know when you’ll meet a prospective buyer who wants to look at your work and they will not be impressed if you have to rummage through a dusty desk to scrape them together. When you do score a sale, don’t charge a pittance just because the picture only took a few minutes of your time. You’ve spent years learning your craft and your photos are worth a decent figure.
If you really know what you are talking about and can take a fantastic shot, think of submitting it to a photographic magazine, along with all the details of the precise equipment you used and a step-by step account of your procedure. A bit of a challenge maybe, but worth the effort. There are many other markets to consider too; all kind of magazines, newspapers, catalogues, travel brochures and books. So grab that camera and start shooting.
2006/02/24
Article : Is There a Dark Side to Digital Cameras ?
Is There a Dark Side to Digital Cameras ?
OK, so we live in a world that likes to fantasize about the dark side of things, both in our movies, books, and other entertainment options. One could even say that post 9/11 we even live in a world fearing the real dark side in our midst, but we tend to live in our consumer world of devices that aid us and amuse us on a daily basis. Digital cameras and camera phones are everywhere now. Just about everyone is using one or the other or even both at the same time (have you been to a concert lately and seen folks holding up their mobile phones the way we used to hold up lighters in he old days?). So, these devices have become ubiquitous through our usual consumer desires to have the latest in high tech, consumer advertising, and let's face it...the appeal of having a device that makes things easier for us.
Now is that bad ? Probably not, or most people wouldn't own several of them and have a desire for even bigger and better digital cameras. The news media seem to like it just fine as they now have folks everywhere taking images for them when events occur and they can get almost instant access to these images for use in the newspaper or even on TV. In the old film days there were no way you could get the images from a normal citizen and use them almost instantly for news coverage. Now if something happens and someone is there with their mobile phone camera or digital camera the images can be relayed in a heartbeat to the news operations and used in coverage very quickly.
During the London bombing of the subway system in 2005 the images from the underground terror were on the news within the hour and the world was transported into that terrible scene by those images when it would not have happened in the past. Of course then there is the dark side of digital images that took place at the Abu Grabe prison in Iraq. The military personnel who shot those images of the prisoners in degrading positions were simply taking them for their enjoyment and to show to their friends. Of course once they got out of the circle of friends the world was shocked and dismayed by these actions. The ease of sharing digital images made this a dark affair to say the least. However if we were to fool ourselves that these things would not have happened if digital cameras were not present it would be sad indeed. Those folks would have carried out their sick little game even without the ability to share the images amongst themselves.
Now some have said the other dark side of digital cameras is the whole storage issue and how this could be the Achilles's heal of digital photography. With folks out taking tons of images in increasingly higher resolutions there are more and more storage issues for the digital photographer. Granted, the devices come with larger storage capacity and our computers now have huge hard drives, but if you keep filling them up with more and more images and don't bother to organize them in some fashion you will just end up with folders of data that never gets seen or used.
Did you know that at recent imaging expo not one new 35mm film camera was introduced ? All of the major camera makers are now completely focused on digital cameras. So the big deal in the near term for digital imaging will be for these same camera companies to invest in figuring out not only how you can print your nice photos easily but also how you can store and organize them efficiently so that you can use them and find them as needed. They have made the cameras easy enough for all of us to use. Of course it is up to all of us digital photographers to go through and hit the delete key/button on a regular basis and get rid of the bad images in order to help the situation. This is the joy of digital...that you can play with your camera and try things out. When you do store your images make sure to file them in a folder that gives as much description of what is in the folder as possible.
Watch out for those mobile phone cameras as competitors to our digital cameras. Nokia has just released the N90 camera phone and it rivals many digital cameras for quality and usefulness. It can take still and video images at 2 mega-pixel resolution using a Carl Zeiss lens. You can do just about everything with this device including listening to MP3 music, watching video on the 352x416 pixel screen, connect to the internet and check your email, send photos over the network, and connect to a Bluetooth wireless headset as well.
Oh my ! Now we can be saddled with devices that won't even let us live our lives. We will be too busy multi tasking as we walk down the street. Now THAT may be the dark side of digital cameras!
OK, so we live in a world that likes to fantasize about the dark side of things, both in our movies, books, and other entertainment options. One could even say that post 9/11 we even live in a world fearing the real dark side in our midst, but we tend to live in our consumer world of devices that aid us and amuse us on a daily basis. Digital cameras and camera phones are everywhere now. Just about everyone is using one or the other or even both at the same time (have you been to a concert lately and seen folks holding up their mobile phones the way we used to hold up lighters in he old days?). So, these devices have become ubiquitous through our usual consumer desires to have the latest in high tech, consumer advertising, and let's face it...the appeal of having a device that makes things easier for us.
Now is that bad ? Probably not, or most people wouldn't own several of them and have a desire for even bigger and better digital cameras. The news media seem to like it just fine as they now have folks everywhere taking images for them when events occur and they can get almost instant access to these images for use in the newspaper or even on TV. In the old film days there were no way you could get the images from a normal citizen and use them almost instantly for news coverage. Now if something happens and someone is there with their mobile phone camera or digital camera the images can be relayed in a heartbeat to the news operations and used in coverage very quickly.
During the London bombing of the subway system in 2005 the images from the underground terror were on the news within the hour and the world was transported into that terrible scene by those images when it would not have happened in the past. Of course then there is the dark side of digital images that took place at the Abu Grabe prison in Iraq. The military personnel who shot those images of the prisoners in degrading positions were simply taking them for their enjoyment and to show to their friends. Of course once they got out of the circle of friends the world was shocked and dismayed by these actions. The ease of sharing digital images made this a dark affair to say the least. However if we were to fool ourselves that these things would not have happened if digital cameras were not present it would be sad indeed. Those folks would have carried out their sick little game even without the ability to share the images amongst themselves.
Now some have said the other dark side of digital cameras is the whole storage issue and how this could be the Achilles's heal of digital photography. With folks out taking tons of images in increasingly higher resolutions there are more and more storage issues for the digital photographer. Granted, the devices come with larger storage capacity and our computers now have huge hard drives, but if you keep filling them up with more and more images and don't bother to organize them in some fashion you will just end up with folders of data that never gets seen or used.
Did you know that at recent imaging expo not one new 35mm film camera was introduced ? All of the major camera makers are now completely focused on digital cameras. So the big deal in the near term for digital imaging will be for these same camera companies to invest in figuring out not only how you can print your nice photos easily but also how you can store and organize them efficiently so that you can use them and find them as needed. They have made the cameras easy enough for all of us to use. Of course it is up to all of us digital photographers to go through and hit the delete key/button on a regular basis and get rid of the bad images in order to help the situation. This is the joy of digital...that you can play with your camera and try things out. When you do store your images make sure to file them in a folder that gives as much description of what is in the folder as possible.
Watch out for those mobile phone cameras as competitors to our digital cameras. Nokia has just released the N90 camera phone and it rivals many digital cameras for quality and usefulness. It can take still and video images at 2 mega-pixel resolution using a Carl Zeiss lens. You can do just about everything with this device including listening to MP3 music, watching video on the 352x416 pixel screen, connect to the internet and check your email, send photos over the network, and connect to a Bluetooth wireless headset as well.
Oh my ! Now we can be saddled with devices that won't even let us live our lives. We will be too busy multi tasking as we walk down the street. Now THAT may be the dark side of digital cameras!
Article : Digital Photos and Photo Labs - 6 Things to Consider
Digital Photos and Photo Labs - 6 Things to Consider
The popularity of digital cameras has skyrocketed in recent years. Every event or celebration you go to now has at least several people snapping away. Once you pay for the camera and memory cards, your costs are zero, until you actually have a picture you want to print. You can take 40 pictures of your new child, niece, nephew, grandchild, etc, and if only two good shots came out of that, then you only pay for those two.
The question is - where should you print those two masterpieces?
Owning your own photo quality printer is definitely faster. There are even people who take a small printer with them and make prints for other guests right away. Almost as easy as a traditional Polaroid camera.
Is it cheaper?
The large chains have jumped into this fray in a BIG way. Wal-Mart, Blacks, Business Depot, and many others. With all this competition comes low, low pricing. A typical 4x6 print from a big chain is cheaper than the retail cost of the do-it-yourself paper that the same chain sells in their photography center. And at home you still have to pay for the ink!
Here are 6 things to consider when getting a photo lab to print your digital pictures.
(1) Price. All the major players have priced their 4x6 size very competitively. The larger sizes though, like 5x7 or 8x10, are usually higher in cost than what you can do it for at home.
(2) Drop Off. Can you upload your digital pictures to them via the internet (very convenient) or do you have to deliver them on a floppy or CD?
(3) Delivery. Does your photo lab let you pick them up in the store, or do you have to wait for the post office or a courier? Picking them up at the store should be a no-cost option. If you can pick them up, is the location easy to get in and out of?
(4) Timing. How fast do they work? One photo lab has a reputation of having most orders ready in one business day. Another is a bit cheaper, but takes a week.
(5) Quality. You may have to talk to relatives, friends, and co-workers about this one. Find others who have already tried various printers. One photo lab's web site states that they will not print a picture with too low a resolution (nothing under 150 DPI allowed). This can be inconvenient, but assures you of a quality print.
Speaking of resolution, a 4x6 printed at 200 DPI requires a digital print that is 800 by 1200 pixels. An older model 1.0 megapixel camera can do this easily. If you have a more modern 3.3 megapixel camera you can create a 200 DPI print that is 8x10. One of the advantages of a better camera, say a 5 mp, is that you can "crop" part of the picture away and still have the 3.3 megapixels required for an 8x10.
There is one more item you need to be concerned with.
(6) A standard "snapshot" for a photo album is 4x6 in size. That is a ratio of 1.5. Most new cameras have a photo ratio of 1.33! What happens if you send a 1.33 picture to a photo lab and ask for a 4x6? They cut off ("crop") part of the picture you took, making it shorter on its longest side. You may not like the part they cut off! The best internet upload systems for photo labs allow you to indicate what can be cut off. Alternatively, use a program on your computer to make the digital picture the correct size and ratio before uploading.
Memory for digital cameras is getting cheaper all the time, so load up on memory, take lots of pictures, and proudly display the ones that turn out well.
The popularity of digital cameras has skyrocketed in recent years. Every event or celebration you go to now has at least several people snapping away. Once you pay for the camera and memory cards, your costs are zero, until you actually have a picture you want to print. You can take 40 pictures of your new child, niece, nephew, grandchild, etc, and if only two good shots came out of that, then you only pay for those two.
The question is - where should you print those two masterpieces?
Owning your own photo quality printer is definitely faster. There are even people who take a small printer with them and make prints for other guests right away. Almost as easy as a traditional Polaroid camera.
Is it cheaper?
The large chains have jumped into this fray in a BIG way. Wal-Mart, Blacks, Business Depot, and many others. With all this competition comes low, low pricing. A typical 4x6 print from a big chain is cheaper than the retail cost of the do-it-yourself paper that the same chain sells in their photography center. And at home you still have to pay for the ink!
Here are 6 things to consider when getting a photo lab to print your digital pictures.
(1) Price. All the major players have priced their 4x6 size very competitively. The larger sizes though, like 5x7 or 8x10, are usually higher in cost than what you can do it for at home.
(2) Drop Off. Can you upload your digital pictures to them via the internet (very convenient) or do you have to deliver them on a floppy or CD?
(3) Delivery. Does your photo lab let you pick them up in the store, or do you have to wait for the post office or a courier? Picking them up at the store should be a no-cost option. If you can pick them up, is the location easy to get in and out of?
(4) Timing. How fast do they work? One photo lab has a reputation of having most orders ready in one business day. Another is a bit cheaper, but takes a week.
(5) Quality. You may have to talk to relatives, friends, and co-workers about this one. Find others who have already tried various printers. One photo lab's web site states that they will not print a picture with too low a resolution (nothing under 150 DPI allowed). This can be inconvenient, but assures you of a quality print.
Speaking of resolution, a 4x6 printed at 200 DPI requires a digital print that is 800 by 1200 pixels. An older model 1.0 megapixel camera can do this easily. If you have a more modern 3.3 megapixel camera you can create a 200 DPI print that is 8x10. One of the advantages of a better camera, say a 5 mp, is that you can "crop" part of the picture away and still have the 3.3 megapixels required for an 8x10.
There is one more item you need to be concerned with.
(6) A standard "snapshot" for a photo album is 4x6 in size. That is a ratio of 1.5. Most new cameras have a photo ratio of 1.33! What happens if you send a 1.33 picture to a photo lab and ask for a 4x6? They cut off ("crop") part of the picture you took, making it shorter on its longest side. You may not like the part they cut off! The best internet upload systems for photo labs allow you to indicate what can be cut off. Alternatively, use a program on your computer to make the digital picture the correct size and ratio before uploading.
Memory for digital cameras is getting cheaper all the time, so load up on memory, take lots of pictures, and proudly display the ones that turn out well.
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