How to Make Money From Microstock Photography

Photography is a wonderfully creative hobby. One simple picture can send a powerful message and help us to share our thoughts and emotions. With the press of a button, a moment in time is captured that needs no words of explanation.

You may display your photos, share them with family and friends or, if you're lucky, exhibit some of them. However, there is now a way of being recognised and paid for your creative flair in the form of Microstock photography.

Microstock photography is an industry whereby royalty free images are sold at low prices through stock agencies. The images are available for commercial use which makes them particularly appealing to small businesses as well as to individuals. If you give the microstock agencies what they are looking for you, they will display your work on online galleries for customers to view, buy and download. You are paid for each download made. They can be a wonderful outlet for your job, and it gives you the opportunity to enter a market which was once only for professional photographers.

Make a start by researching the market. Some of the big names like Shutterstock, Fotolia, Dreamstime have vast libraries of pictures. Look at what they have to offer. Take note of what themes and ideas have been downloaded the most? Pick a category you're interested in and see what pictures stand out to you? Finding a niche within a genre, you're interested in photographing will hold your enthusiasm and passion.

Five Tips for Success

Two of the most popular themes are business and lifestyle. However, these areas can get saturated, and a lot of what's presently available can be regarded as cliché, so you need to be able to approach it from an original angle.
Revisit all of your photographs and think if and how they could fit into any of the agency categories. What you already have compared with what you find online might spark inspiration.
Start practising using what you've learnt from the results of your research. Think generic - decide what you're going to shoot and see how many categories it could fit into.
Many photographs have a plain background. This makes them popular with some buyers because they want to drop their background or add the copy to your image.
Keep it simple so that it stands out from the rest. Test yourself by scrolling through a list of thumbnail images in the agency galleries. What makes you want to stop and view individual pictures? Is it the colours, the simplicity, the original content ...
If you want to take your hobby to a new level microstock photography can offer you a new challenge which can be rewarding and fulfilling. Why not give it a go?

Christine Ord

See how you can order my ebook, packed full of advice and tips on how to get started in microstock photography at www.howtodothat.co.uk
I've always been interested in how some people create their success by turning their hobbies, skills and talents into earning a healthy living or a better life for themselves. I figure that if you're making money doing what you enjoy it's half the battle and it gives you the drive and energy to learn more

Photography Tips

Have you ever seen great pictures that people in your family have taken and wondered how they got that sound of an image? Have you ever looked at your pictures and been completely unsatisfied? After reading this article, you will be better equipped to leap into the world of digital photography. Develop or have a desire to learn the art of Digital photography, Whether you just want to learn something new, take better pictures of your kids, get more interesting photographs, or get a new hobby, you must have a desire to learn. Anything that can take a digital picture can be used for digital photography: a cell phone camera, a $20 mini camera from Walmart, a simple point and shoot, or an advanced DSLR. It doesn't matter what you use to get the shot; you can get good pictures with anything. There is a plethora of information about photography on the internet. Search for articles on the basics of photography, such as exposure, the rule of thirds, and light. The more you learn, the better at photography you will become. Never stop searching for new information. The two primary programs are Adobe Photoshop and GIMP. These can be extremely complicated, technical, and hard to use, but once you master the basics, you will be triumphal that you took the time to learn. For beginning photographers, GIMP is perfect because it is completely free. It is similar to Photoshop, but a little bit less daunting and much less expensive. Start by reading a few articles on how to use GIMP, then spend time experimenting with your images. These will help you learn new techniques, see professional work, etc. Some good ones include Chase Jarvis Photography, D-Town TV, Photography 101, The Art of Adventure Photography, and The Art of Photography. Take lots of pictures. Unlike film photography, the cost of taking ten images and the cost of making 100 is the same. If you see something you like, take pictures of it. If you see something interesting but don't think you can get a good shot, take pictures of it. You may be surprised with what you get.

Get your friends into photography. They can point out new and exciting pictures to take, and it's always more fun when you are taking pictures in a group.

Don't get discouraged. If someone leaves you a negative comment on one of your images, realise that it is only an opinion. The only opinion that matters is yours. If you like your pictures, then you succeeded.

Pictures are all around you. If you run out of things to photograph, go out into your backyard. If you start looking for pictures to take in familiar environments, they will show up like magic. Look for contrasts, Look for something that stands out from the rest of the shot. In your composition, use the wide end of your zoom (or a wide-angle lens) and get closer and make it so. Look for contrasts of all the things above colour amid dullness, light among darkness, and so on. If you're photographing people, try putting (or finding) your subject in a context in which they stand out. Look for happiness in unexpected places. Look for an individual in a surrounding in which they appear out-of-place. Or ignore this and take them completely away from their context by opening your lens all the way to blur the background. Look for anything that will hold a viewer's interest which isn't a traditional "subject". As you find your niche, you'll probably find that you end up going back to taking photographs of subjects again. This is fine. Looking for things which aren't subjects will improve your photography no end you'll soon see a different world altogether. Don't look at images full size. Ken points out that the most important parts of a picture are those that can be seen when the image is viewed at thumbnail size. There are people out there who will pick at flaws they can only see in 100% crops of your photos. That's okay because they aren't worth listening to. Feel free to pass over anything that doesn't look great when it takes up a quarter of your screen (or less).

Why You Need a Professional Photographer for Your Wedding Photos

We have such easy access to high-quality cameras and photography equipment these days - and it's not uncommon for people to get the idea that they can do anything a professional can in this regard. However, it takes more than a fancy camera to be an excellent photographer, so if you want to capture a significant event in your life on camera correctly, you'll have to hire someone with adequate expertise to do the job for you. Otherwise, you'll just end up with lots of blurry shots and awkward compositions.

You might be thinking that this is just an unnecessary expense and it's going to cost you more than it's actually worth - and to some extent you might be right, the price of a professional photographer does tend to be very high if you want to make use of the full set of services that they offer. On the other hand, if you're smart about approaching the photographer and hiring them, you should be able to get a fair deal from them and get the job done easily and without any unnecessary hassle. You may even be able to get a nifty discount if you catch the photographer at the right time - it's not rare that these people are giving great discounts on their services in particular circumstances, you just have to get them when they're available.

Let's not forget the post-processing - editing photos are even more commonly seen as something any hobbyist with Photoshop can do, but you 'd be surprised how much skill and knowledge it can take to do that properly. Especially if you're working with high-resolution photos, in which case it becomes especially important to pay attention to detail and ensure that the pictures are edited adequately and with attention to detail.

Last but not least, a good photographer would be able to organise your photos in interesting and creative ways, instead of just dumping a pack of pictures on your desk and calling it a day. They can compile the best shots in an album that captures your wedding's most precious moments, and decorate everything with style and taste. This is not to say that it's impossible to do that on your own - but it's much more delightful to have a professional do it for you and just be presented with the final result.

So don't let your wedding's best moments slip away and ensure everything is captured for the future - hire someone with the skills and knowledge to get the job done right and avoid having to worry about all the small issues surrounding the hiring of a photographer for an event such as your wedding. You will not regret this in the slightest - and you'll be able to enjoy the benefits of that professional's work for a long time to come in the future when you and your children can see those beautiful moments from your wedding captured in all the detail that they deserve. You'll realise then that the price was mostly irrelevant all along, as this is something you can't put a price on!

Landscape Photography Photo Tips - 5 More Better Sunset Photography Tips!

For today's landscape photography photo tip, let's wrap up our discussion of sunset photography with a couple of tips that don't warrant their articles, but are still valuable additions to your shooting arsenal.

Better Sunset Photos Tip # 1 ... Sunset times vary. The time is dependent on where you live, the time of year and so on.

The good news is, your smartphone app store has an app for that! And it is free. Download a good sunset times app, so you can preplan and be prepared.

You should shoot EVERY sunset you can - at least until you have mastered all of the techniques we've been covering.

Better Sunset Photos Tip # 2 ... We included getting a flat horizon in a previous article, but nowhere is it more important than in sunset photography. Use the levelling bubble on your camera or tripod and be sure. If you don't have one, go to the local hardware store and get one. They are only a couple bucks and are well worth it.

Better Sunset Photos Tip # 3 ... On the topic of horizons, make sure you don't have the horizon line at the level of your subject's neck (or their head). Cutting off a person's head is never a good idea. Place it either lower or higher.

Ideally, you want it NOT intersecting your model if at all possible. If that is not feasible, have it crossing the stomach or legs.

It is slightly off the topic of sunset photography horizons, but on the subject of background elements cutting into your model, watch out for tree branches sticking out of their heads too.

Better Sunset Photos Tip # 4 ... The sunset icon on your camera is nothing more than an automatic setting. Your camera will try to guess at what the best shutter speed and aperture combination should be.

We've previously talked about automatic settings - remember, your camera is a machine! It is NOT AT ALL CREATIVE! It is not now and will not EVER be a replacement for your creativity!

Stay away from the sunset icon.

Learn to shoot your sunsets on manual. That's where the contest winners will come from!

Better Sunset Photos Tip # 5 ... If you want a large sun in your sunset photography, use a telephoto lens. If you want a smaller one, use a wide angle lens. That's obvious, but here is the tip, be extremely cautious when looking at the sun through your camera lenses! They can magnify the light intensity and cause damage to your eyes!

Trust me; there aren't ANY successful blind photographers!

Get yourself a free photo app, so you can plan your sunset photos and get out there! Reading photo tips is all well and good, but you don't learn them by reading. You have actually to get out there and shoot some sunset photography. Or, landscape photography or portraits or whatever. It is not difficult. Try using these photo tips, and you will quickly master.

Branding Your Business With Photography

How you brand your business sets the tone for everything you do afterwards: How you advertise, how you handle your customers ... even the appearance of your business and its products.

That's because your brand is the personality and identity of your organisation and everything reflects that status ... your logo, your advertising, your storefront. Think Apple computers: anytime you walk into an Apple store, the facility, its employees, the window displays ... everything says "we're cool, we're creative, we're on the cutting edge." Go to any Cracker Barrel restaurant and everything says" "We're homey, we're country, and we serve grits." This allows the customer to connect on a personal level.

The point of branding is to offer customers a clear choice. If you hate country home cooking, you stay away from Cracker Barrel. If you love fried catfish you know, you're in the right place. Good branding doesn't try to please everyone; it lets people know clearly what you are. Then buyers make the right choice.

One of the best ways to convey the feeling of your brand is through photography. Images can project mood and values where words would fall short or seem contrived. Just like packaging design invokes "high-tech" or "intimate" or "elegant" a good product photograph lets someone know this item was made specifically for him or her. Miss the mark, or show the product in a poor light (or cheapened) and suddenly the customer has lost all interest.

In many cases, companies also like to put a face on the business; for example Dave Thomas with Wendy's, or Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. Or Steve Jobs of Apple. And it's no accident that in all these cases the business leaders are portrayed in a consistent way that is congruent with their corporate culture. If this is the case with your company, a personal portrait should be shot with the same care you would give in creating a logo or advertising headline.

Whether you are planning a shoot for your advertising, collateral material, or web promotion, think about the right look for your company. And the right message for your customers. Good advertising images build relationships and confidence. They should be visually appealing, yes. But they should appeal in a way that works for you! Ask yourself: "What are the qualities my customers seek?' When photographing the people in your company consider: "What kind of look and expression will my clients relate to?" How should they dress? Leave nothing to chance and your photographs will tell a cohesive and compelling story.