If we use the Top Travel Photo Ops destinations in Part I as examples of typical travel destinations, you can learn some specifics about what travel photos will sell. The first step, starting weeks or more in advance, is to do research. What are the best seasons to visit for weather and events? Possible to connect with any one there to help find a good guide or translator/driver if the situation requires? If you want your images to stand out, you are going to have to forgo shooting the backs of heads. The most desired images have released people, both tourists and residents, engaged with the camera. Refer back to this earlier blog for some good references.
A local person can help you the most to smooth those initial conversations to convince someone to let you take your pictures and get the releases signed. Use your connections. Sometimes there are even fewer than six degrees of separation from us all even when trying to find a contact on another continent. Tell everyone in your blogs or other networking sites where you are planning to travel. Ask everyone from your grandmother to the barista that fixes your morning java shot who they know in that place. You’d be surprised at the connections you might make.
Not only are trends in travel spots indicators, so are other social developments. Travel is all about green this year; consider how environmental sensitivity might impact destination photography in other ways. TripAdvisor’s annual travel survey was reported in the Travel Industry Wire: ‘Twenty-six percent of respondents said they will be more environmentally conscious in their travel decisions in the coming year. The green trend may be evident in their choice of transportation -- 22 percent said they'll go biking while on vacation this year, compared to 13 percent, last year. Forty-seven percent of travelers plan to go hiking this year, up from 43 percent, last year’. Include bikes and hikes in your shooting plans, for certain. (No more hikers/bikers shot from behind unless they are headed toward a great scenic.)
Using a Nicaraguan popular destination as an example: you’ll want to drive through sweeping rainforests and visit its famous surfer beaches. If you shoot from the beach, use a long lens or max zoom. A tiny surfer in the image isn’t going to say, “surfer” nor will it compete with stronger close-in images. When boards are in the shot, ensure that the trademarks and copyrighted art on the board are not visible or remove in post. Step up closer and if the lens can’t zoom in enough to capture the action and the emotion focus on something else.
Take shots as you pass through agricultural areas. Nicaragua’s main agricultural crops are coffee, cotton, sugar, and bananas. These type of images are useful in textbooks and for non-tourist related uses.
In Guatemala a ‘must photograph’ region is the Lake Atitlan area. Author Aldous Huxley famously described this lake as ‘the most beautiful lake in the world’. In the blue image of the lake here, we have the best of scenic destination images: a famous location, great mood and terrific composition with the isolated fisherman off center. On the shores of the lake is the Nature Reserve of San Buenaventura. The Reserve is committed to encouraging and preserving the vast biodiversity found there. There are butterfly and bird refuges on the site. With luck and planning you will get images of tourists in an important ecological tourism location and also document them observing colorful animals.
Now that globalization has imposed identical styles of clothing and kinds of food, across the world, handicrafts and indigenous art are gaining in popularity. Not only are displays of handmade goods icons of a culture, they often present colorful graphic displays. Visit the best markets for native handicrafts and steer clear of the real tourist traps. You will usually be able to determine which is which by asking around. Engage the people around you in conversation. Ask the waiter, the bus driver, the guy who rents bikes where they go to shop for fresh food. It may be a supermarket but you may instead discover an open air market off the beaten track. I always look for hardware stores. In fact the people in hardware stores seem to know where to find almost anything in my experience.
End of Part II. Next: why you should know how to shoot snow in Dubai and those promised travel photography references.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Top Travel Photo Spots-2008
The travel publications are out with their predictions for the top travel destinations for 2008. We searched them for spots that Dreamstime photographers had not yet covered comprehensively. Seven hot destinations for 2008 to visit and create images to fill out the Dreamstime collection are: Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia, Tunisia, Albania and Dubai. (Destinations in North America, Asia and Africa later).
The major shift in travel images this coming year is away from the tried and true to responsible/eco and adventure travel. Whether it’s to emerging tourist destinations where it is possible to live green while living it up or a jewel of the Arab world, new destinations are on the photographic map. Americans will be seeking places where the battered dollar still buys a good bed while Europeans will continue to shop in the US in droves, subjects for a later blog.
No matter the location, you want to capture the essence of a place in your photos and, more importantly, why tourists would want to be there. Plan for images that tour groups and other tourist oriented sites and publications will seek. For the Central and South American countries below that are being promoted as ideal eco and responsible tourist destinations, you will want to get as many images as you can of the natural environment.
Even though visitors seek unspoiled rain forests and beaches, their very presence can diminish the place. Nevertheless, you must be prepared to get people into the images. Both tourists and native residents should populate your images. How to get model releases? If all else fails, hire a guide for a day that can translate a release and smooth the way with strangers in their native language. In the remote lodges, you can usually meet up with people that work there to use as models and use your great personality to talk some fellow tourists into posing. Take releases along that are in the local language, if at all possible.
If there are beaches, capture more than sunning beauties. Talk to the surfers at the great spots in Central America. Images of them in the water are difficult if you aren’t also a surfer but compelling and fun images can be made of them with their boards just hanging out. Is there fishing? Parasailing? What are the dominant animals and the most beautiful flowers and plants? Local crafts?
The ingredients of the national cuisine may be easier to photograph at a market. Displays of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish will solve the typical food shot requirement better than a poorly lit image of unappetizing prepared food. (The food you are served for dinner hasn’t been styled for photography and it will be really difficult to shoot a money shot under the typical restaurant conditions.)
People often take religious pilgrimages to historical churches and temples. Be respectful of worshipers but photograph interiors as well as the easily accessible exteriors. History bluffs want to see ruins and archaeological sites. Learn why these sites are important so that you will understand what and why you are photographing a site.
Remember, get up early to shoot while others are sleeping away the hours around dawn and skip the cocktail hour, staying outside in the great light. Always get as much color into your travel shots as possible. Pack a small foldable reflector to use for fill light if you must shoot people in the heat of the day. Next week specific details about shooting in these next new hot spots.
The major shift in travel images this coming year is away from the tried and true to responsible/eco and adventure travel. Whether it’s to emerging tourist destinations where it is possible to live green while living it up or a jewel of the Arab world, new destinations are on the photographic map. Americans will be seeking places where the battered dollar still buys a good bed while Europeans will continue to shop in the US in droves, subjects for a later blog.
No matter the location, you want to capture the essence of a place in your photos and, more importantly, why tourists would want to be there. Plan for images that tour groups and other tourist oriented sites and publications will seek. For the Central and South American countries below that are being promoted as ideal eco and responsible tourist destinations, you will want to get as many images as you can of the natural environment.
Even though visitors seek unspoiled rain forests and beaches, their very presence can diminish the place. Nevertheless, you must be prepared to get people into the images. Both tourists and native residents should populate your images. How to get model releases? If all else fails, hire a guide for a day that can translate a release and smooth the way with strangers in their native language. In the remote lodges, you can usually meet up with people that work there to use as models and use your great personality to talk some fellow tourists into posing. Take releases along that are in the local language, if at all possible.
If there are beaches, capture more than sunning beauties. Talk to the surfers at the great spots in Central America. Images of them in the water are difficult if you aren’t also a surfer but compelling and fun images can be made of them with their boards just hanging out. Is there fishing? Parasailing? What are the dominant animals and the most beautiful flowers and plants? Local crafts?
The ingredients of the national cuisine may be easier to photograph at a market. Displays of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish will solve the typical food shot requirement better than a poorly lit image of unappetizing prepared food. (The food you are served for dinner hasn’t been styled for photography and it will be really difficult to shoot a money shot under the typical restaurant conditions.)
People often take religious pilgrimages to historical churches and temples. Be respectful of worshipers but photograph interiors as well as the easily accessible exteriors. History bluffs want to see ruins and archaeological sites. Learn why these sites are important so that you will understand what and why you are photographing a site.
Remember, get up early to shoot while others are sleeping away the hours around dawn and skip the cocktail hour, staying outside in the great light. Always get as much color into your travel shots as possible. Pack a small foldable reflector to use for fill light if you must shoot people in the heat of the day. Next week specific details about shooting in these next new hot spots.
Photographing mosques in Cairo
I never realised how photogenic mosques are until I visited Cairo. In fact, I started my holiday thinking the pyramids would blow me away, while I was only fairly excited about visiting the mosques. My idea of photographing a mosque was snapping a minaret silhouetted against a deep orange sunset. As it turned out, the pyramids didn’t disappoint but the mosques far exceeded my wildest expectations.
I always lumped mosques in with churches from a photographic point-of-view – decent architectural subjects, which don’t particularly inspire from an aesthetic point of view unless there is an unusual cloud formation or a storm-darkened sky. From the moment I arrived at Ibn Tulun Mosque in Islamic Cairo, my opinion changed.
The most impressive aspect of this particular mosque (and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Cairo) is the spiral minaret. This is apparently a rare feature and was inspired by the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq. The mud-brick quality of many of the minarets in Cairo lends the architecture a timeless and authentic quality. The Ibn Tulun minaret reminded me of illustrations I’ve seen of the Tower of Babel, the way it winds upwards like a snail’s shell.
Climbing it was an adventure in itself, especially when I got to the highest viewpoint and found myself balancing on two short, wobbly planks. But I was so captivated by the sprawling views on every side that I didn’t care.
The courtyard of Ibn Tulun is also of photographic interest. It features arches, crenellations that represent soldiers and a massive dome or fountain in the centre. The interior features a lectern from where the calls to prayer are made and the sombre atmosphere of the mosque provides a refreshing contrast with the noise and chaos of the streets outside.
It’s no surprise this mosque is one of the largest and most important in Egypt.
Next I visited the famous Mohammed Ali Mosque in the Citadel complex of Cairo. Externally, this is a visual treat, and has, more than any other mosque, come to symbolise modern Cairo. It can be seen from many different viewpoints in the city (including Ibn Tulun’s minaret) and is usually one of the first sights many visitors see.
Locals call it the ‘alabaster mosque’ because of its beautiful silver domes, which gleam in the sun – when the city is not shrouded in smog. It is a fairly recent addition, though, having been built only in the 19th century.
Despite the number of schoolchildren milling around outside the mosque when I visited, it is a relatively peaceful place from which to watch the sun go down over the Sultan Hassan Mosque, which is situated outside the Citadel walls, and which I unfortunately did not get to visit.
Close up, Mohammed Ali Mosque is indeed impressive – I would not have been able to photograph it without a wide-angle lens (10-22mm). The interior is equally impressive but the ambience is altogether more tourist-orientated than Ibn Tulun, which marred the experience slightly.
Just before I left Cairo, my taxi driver suggested I visit the Mosque of Amr ibn al-Aas near Coptic (or Christian) Cairo. This is particularly special to Muslims because it was the first place of Islamic worship in Egypt and therefore the first mosque in Africa. Actually, the original mosque is no longer standing; the current one was rebuilt on the same site.
I visited early in the morning when the smog was thick in the air. I didn’t get my best photos here but the ‘religious atmosphere’ (if there is such a thing) was far stronger than in the previous two mosques. The Koran sits on many of the benches inside and there are other holy books in piles, emphasising the mosque’s importance as a place of learning.
I was pleased I got to visit all three mosques as they were each unique and provided a rounded overall view. And I did get that shot of a minaret silhouetted against the setting sun but it simply doesn’t tell the whole story of these mighty, magical edifices.
I always lumped mosques in with churches from a photographic point-of-view – decent architectural subjects, which don’t particularly inspire from an aesthetic point of view unless there is an unusual cloud formation or a storm-darkened sky. From the moment I arrived at Ibn Tulun Mosque in Islamic Cairo, my opinion changed.
The most impressive aspect of this particular mosque (and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Cairo) is the spiral minaret. This is apparently a rare feature and was inspired by the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq. The mud-brick quality of many of the minarets in Cairo lends the architecture a timeless and authentic quality. The Ibn Tulun minaret reminded me of illustrations I’ve seen of the Tower of Babel, the way it winds upwards like a snail’s shell.
Climbing it was an adventure in itself, especially when I got to the highest viewpoint and found myself balancing on two short, wobbly planks. But I was so captivated by the sprawling views on every side that I didn’t care.
The courtyard of Ibn Tulun is also of photographic interest. It features arches, crenellations that represent soldiers and a massive dome or fountain in the centre. The interior features a lectern from where the calls to prayer are made and the sombre atmosphere of the mosque provides a refreshing contrast with the noise and chaos of the streets outside.
It’s no surprise this mosque is one of the largest and most important in Egypt.
Next I visited the famous Mohammed Ali Mosque in the Citadel complex of Cairo. Externally, this is a visual treat, and has, more than any other mosque, come to symbolise modern Cairo. It can be seen from many different viewpoints in the city (including Ibn Tulun’s minaret) and is usually one of the first sights many visitors see.
Locals call it the ‘alabaster mosque’ because of its beautiful silver domes, which gleam in the sun – when the city is not shrouded in smog. It is a fairly recent addition, though, having been built only in the 19th century.
Despite the number of schoolchildren milling around outside the mosque when I visited, it is a relatively peaceful place from which to watch the sun go down over the Sultan Hassan Mosque, which is situated outside the Citadel walls, and which I unfortunately did not get to visit.
Close up, Mohammed Ali Mosque is indeed impressive – I would not have been able to photograph it without a wide-angle lens (10-22mm). The interior is equally impressive but the ambience is altogether more tourist-orientated than Ibn Tulun, which marred the experience slightly.
Just before I left Cairo, my taxi driver suggested I visit the Mosque of Amr ibn al-Aas near Coptic (or Christian) Cairo. This is particularly special to Muslims because it was the first place of Islamic worship in Egypt and therefore the first mosque in Africa. Actually, the original mosque is no longer standing; the current one was rebuilt on the same site.
I visited early in the morning when the smog was thick in the air. I didn’t get my best photos here but the ‘religious atmosphere’ (if there is such a thing) was far stronger than in the previous two mosques. The Koran sits on many of the benches inside and there are other holy books in piles, emphasising the mosque’s importance as a place of learning.
I was pleased I got to visit all three mosques as they were each unique and provided a rounded overall view. And I did get that shot of a minaret silhouetted against the setting sun but it simply doesn’t tell the whole story of these mighty, magical edifices.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Editors have feelings too, you know?
Tolstoi once said that everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. I try to remind myself this quote daily, especially when confronted with criticism. Everybody wants to go to heaven, no one wants to die.
The most common question received from (new) photographers regards refusals. If you're no longer new and noticed this (forbidden) question on the boards think what support sees on email. Just as the rules apply on the forums, they apply on the blogs too, so I will not discuss here about refusals. When one receives a refusal, he/she might want to really take it as a guidance and try to shoot better their next batch. Don't complain to support, if it got refused it will not sell. Maybe it will do it once, twice, but we want it to sell hundreds of times.
If you're approval ratio is low, let's say under 50%, try the following:
1. Think more about the subject that you will shoot, what makes it special? Don't go out and point the camera to the first thing that you reach. Plan your shooting and maybe travel to the most attractive place in your area.
2. Decided what you intend to shoot? See how other photographers have done it. On Dreamstime, with traditional famous collections or just google it. See the best shots and ask yourself what you will bring new to the buyers? Think well, there are millions of Eiffel tower pictures. If you are taking the same classical shot, let it be perfect as technical, equipment etc. If you don't have that, be original. Print the best examples you found.
3. Try to get the appropriate lens and/or at least the best hour to shoot it. If your camera is a compact one, read more about its specific settings related to the subject that you will shoot. Get back to the manual, browse the forums, ask for other opinions.
4. The shooting day is here: go for the best angle, refer to the prints you got at #2. See what you can bring new. If it's a touristic spot, I hope you are there at dawn, before the crowds show up. Be there before the sun shows up!
Take lots of shots, bracket, change angles... but select only one, the best one. Throw the rest away in a remote folder, then use Photoshop to try to get most of that very picture.
5. Keep the original for backup. Clean out distracting elements using clone. Remove dust, enhance skies, boost levels and saturate color. Be careful on distorted pixels, clean up any noise. Work on separate layers and/or separate channels. It will take way more than the shooting session itself, I know, but you're improving your entire work flow and all your future submissions by doing this.
6. Shrink the image at thumbnail size and think, why would you buy it? Is it really special, something that a designer cannot shoot on his own? If the answer is no, then delete it and start all over. Go back to #1.
If small details are lost and cannot be seen at thumbnail size, remove them. If they are important for the concept, you're on the wrong path. The buyer will see ONLY the thumbnail.
7. If you said yes, take a look once again and see what else can be improved. Put it aside for a couple of hours or a few days. Good photos are like good wine, they should look better after a while. So, check it once again and if it still attracts you, upload it. If it's not don't be afraid to process it once again or to go back to #1.
Leave it in the unfinished area for a few days. Wait until you have more photos listed there...Does it still look better in that crowd? If yes, then you're on the right path. Are you really sure?
Editors review thousands of images per day. They see extremely good images that brings them all together in the office, clapping their hands and nodding heads :) Then they see images that are ...well, not so good. Those are immediately refused.
Many images are average shots. Is your image better than the average? Will you get an WOW from the editor? He/she is your first client. Make him/her say it and you got yourself a stock photograph that sells!
The most common question received from (new) photographers regards refusals. If you're no longer new and noticed this (forbidden) question on the boards think what support sees on email. Just as the rules apply on the forums, they apply on the blogs too, so I will not discuss here about refusals. When one receives a refusal, he/she might want to really take it as a guidance and try to shoot better their next batch. Don't complain to support, if it got refused it will not sell. Maybe it will do it once, twice, but we want it to sell hundreds of times.
If you're approval ratio is low, let's say under 50%, try the following:
1. Think more about the subject that you will shoot, what makes it special? Don't go out and point the camera to the first thing that you reach. Plan your shooting and maybe travel to the most attractive place in your area.
2. Decided what you intend to shoot? See how other photographers have done it. On Dreamstime, with traditional famous collections or just google it. See the best shots and ask yourself what you will bring new to the buyers? Think well, there are millions of Eiffel tower pictures. If you are taking the same classical shot, let it be perfect as technical, equipment etc. If you don't have that, be original. Print the best examples you found.
3. Try to get the appropriate lens and/or at least the best hour to shoot it. If your camera is a compact one, read more about its specific settings related to the subject that you will shoot. Get back to the manual, browse the forums, ask for other opinions.
4. The shooting day is here: go for the best angle, refer to the prints you got at #2. See what you can bring new. If it's a touristic spot, I hope you are there at dawn, before the crowds show up. Be there before the sun shows up!
Take lots of shots, bracket, change angles... but select only one, the best one. Throw the rest away in a remote folder, then use Photoshop to try to get most of that very picture.
5. Keep the original for backup. Clean out distracting elements using clone. Remove dust, enhance skies, boost levels and saturate color. Be careful on distorted pixels, clean up any noise. Work on separate layers and/or separate channels. It will take way more than the shooting session itself, I know, but you're improving your entire work flow and all your future submissions by doing this.
6. Shrink the image at thumbnail size and think, why would you buy it? Is it really special, something that a designer cannot shoot on his own? If the answer is no, then delete it and start all over. Go back to #1.
If small details are lost and cannot be seen at thumbnail size, remove them. If they are important for the concept, you're on the wrong path. The buyer will see ONLY the thumbnail.
7. If you said yes, take a look once again and see what else can be improved. Put it aside for a couple of hours or a few days. Good photos are like good wine, they should look better after a while. So, check it once again and if it still attracts you, upload it. If it's not don't be afraid to process it once again or to go back to #1.
Leave it in the unfinished area for a few days. Wait until you have more photos listed there...Does it still look better in that crowd? If yes, then you're on the right path. Are you really sure?
Editors review thousands of images per day. They see extremely good images that brings them all together in the office, clapping their hands and nodding heads :) Then they see images that are ...well, not so good. Those are immediately refused.
Many images are average shots. Is your image better than the average? Will you get an WOW from the editor? He/she is your first client. Make him/her say it and you got yourself a stock photograph that sells!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Free Stock Photos
We tried to compile a comprehensive list of sites offering free stock photos. Some of the sites listed offer free stock photos only for personal use while some others allow the use of the images for commercial use as well. Details for each site have been added next to each listing. However, it is advised that you personally check the TOS of each website personally.
Also please keep in mind that even if a photographer has released his images for free, even in the Public Domain but the images contain trademarks or recognizable people these images cannot be used for commercial projects unless the persons in the photographs have signed model releases and you have permission from the trademark holders.
1 Title: Stock Exchange
Description: Stock Exchange is one of the biggest if not the biggest free stock photos archive with over 252 000 free stock images. The license of each image is determined by the creator and therefore it is advised that you check the usage permissions below each image.
2 Title: MorgueFile
Description: MorgueFile is probably the largest free stock photos archive of images that can be used for commercial projects.
3 Title: StockVault
Description: An archive of almost 5000 free stock photos that are available for personal use (No commercial use is allowed)
4. Title: Piotrix
Description: A gallery of about 2000 free images available for personal use. Most images are 2MP in size. Larger sizes are available after registration.
5. Title: FreeRangeStock
Description: A collection of about 2000 free stock photos with a minimum resolution of 3MP. Requires registration (free) but the images can be used for commercial projects.
6. Title: ImageAfter
Description: Large well categorized collection of photos available for both free and commercial use.
7. Title: OpenPhoto
Description: Almost 3500 free images are available at OpenPhoto. There isn't a universal license so it is reccomended to check the license of each image individually.
8. Title: BigFoto
Description: Collection of free photos categorized by location and theme. The photos can be used for personal projects freely and for commercial projects with proper attribution.
9. Title: Pixel Perfect Digital
Description: Online archive of more than 4000 free images available for personal and commercial use.
10. Title: FreeFoto
Description: A really large collection of almost 100 000 free stock photos for personal use.
11. Title: FreeImages.co.uk
Description: Offers about 2500 free stock photos that can be used for both personal and commercial projects. Attribution is required.
12. Title: Free Photo Station
Description: Categorized collection of free stock photos. There is no mention on the site if the photos can be used commercially.
13. Title: FreePixels
Description: Archive of about 2000 photos and raster illustrations that can be freely used for personal or commercial projects
14. Title: FreePhotosBank
Description: Collection of free photos that can be used for personal and commercial projects
15. Title: DesignPacks
Description: Archive of mostly textures photos, free for bot personal and commercial use
16. Title: Cromavista
Description: Photos by Ricardo MartÃn Herrero that can be used without limitations (Spanish Site)
17. Title: BurninWell.org
Description: Offers more than 2000 public domain photos
18. Title: GeekPhilosopher
Description: A library of free stock photos created by the owners of the site as well as public domain photos collected from the web
19. Title: Cepolina
Description: Offers more than 3500 free images for download.
20. Title: TextureKing
Description: Archive of free textures that can be used for any purpose (reselling is prohibited)
21. Title: PDPhoto
Description: Provides about 2000 public domain photos for download. From the site: "Unless something is clearly marked as being copyrighted, you can assume it is free to use."
22. Title: Flickr Creative Commons
Description: Literally millions of pictures license under different Creative Commons licenses
23. Title: GIMP Savvy
Description: A collection of almost 27000 public domain images collected from sources like the NASA and NOA
24. Title: Free Photographs Network
Description: Provides free photos for Non-Commercial use
25. Title: FreePhotos.com
Description: Offers close to 1500 free stock photos with no usage restrictions
26. Title: Aarin Free Photo
Description: Offers more than 950 images for personal and commercial use
27. Title: FreeStockPhotos.com
Description: Provides free photos for personal and commercial projects. However, some restrictions apply (listed on the front page)
28. Title: FreeImages.com
Description: Site owned by JupiterImages, provides about 2300 free images. It is advisable to read the terms before using the images
29. Title: Barry's Free Photos
Description: Another site owned by JupiterImages that provides free stock photos. Terms
30. Title: Pyed.net
Description: Small collection of free photos for personal use (requires attribution)
31. Title: Pictures from Old Books
Description: A collection of more than 1300 pictures scanned from old books. Most of them are in the Public Domain
32. Title: USDA Image Gallery
Description: More than 2000 free photos
33. Title: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Description: Offers almost 3000 free photos for personal and commercial use. Terms
34. Title: FreeMediaGOO
Description: Offers free photos that can be used for commercial and non commercial projects
35. Title: AmazingTextures
Description: Offers free textures for personal use
36. Title: Photocase
Description: Online communitty that offers free photos for personal and commercial use. Terms
37. Title: Woophy
Description: Interesting website that categorizes photos by location. Low resolution photos are free for personal use
38. Title: ImageBase
Description: From the site "What does Free To Use Actually means? It means you can use the images for whatever you want, personal, commercial of non-profit use for free. You cannot copyright the images nor can you resell them unaltered. Any others questions?"
39. Title: YotoPhoto
Description: A really nice site that doesn't offer free photos but is a free photos search engine.
40. Title: Studio25.ro
Description: Offers over 2500 free high quality stock images. TOS
41. Title: Digital Library System
Description: Provides access to quite a few image libraries that contain public domain photos such as the Alaska Image Library, Pacific Image Gallery and much more
42. Title: Images of American Political History
Description: A collection of over 500 public domain images of American Political History.
43. Title: US Geological Survey Photographic Library
Description: More than 400,000 photographs taken during geologic studies, all are in the Public Domain
44. Title: ImageBlowout
Description: Offers a small collection of uncategorized free stock phos
45. Title: FontPlay Free Photos
Description: A gallery of over 8000 free stock photos that can be used for bot personal and commercial projects. Updated regularly
46 . Title: Public Domain Stock Photos
Description: Categoized gallery of photos released in the Public Domain
47 . Title: Demmy.nl
Description: Small colletion of free stock photos
48 . Title: ImageTemple
Description: Gallery of free photos for personal and commercial projects.
49 . Title: Pixalia
Description: Site is in Spanish and requires registration (free) to access the free stock photos. Really nicely done site
50 . Title: Graphics Arena
Description: Small gallery of free wallpapers and stock photos. Doesn't clearly state the Terms of Use
51 . Title: One Odd Dude
Description: Collection of free stock photos and backgrounds for personal only use
52 . Title: Truly Free Stock
Description: Categorized collection of truly free stock photos
53 . Title: T8 Software Free Stock Photos
Description: Small collection of free stock photos. Requires attribution.
54 . Title: LightMatter
Description: Stock photo gallery that provides images licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.
55 . Title: Insecta
Description: Gallery of insects images licenced under a CC Licence
56 . Title: Diwiesign
Description: Offers free stock photos for non commercial use
57 . Title: DNS Fotografia Digital
Description: Brazilian website offering free stock photos. I am not sure about the exact license since auto translators don't work that great.
58 . Title: Photoshocked
Description: Stock photo gallery that provides images licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.
59 . Title: AboutPixel.de
Description: Large German site offering almost 40000 photos contributed by users. Requires Registration
60 . Title: BajStock
Description: Offers almost 650 free stock photos
61 . Title: Insect Images
Description: Offers insect images for personal and educational use. Requires attribution
62 . Title: Yellowstone Digital Slide File
Description: Offers almost 13000 pictures in the public domain from Yellowstone
63 . Title: Star 29
Description: Offers about 120 free stock photos
64 . Title: NASA Images
Description: Most pictures are in the Public Domain, however attribution is required
65 . Title: FWS Pictures and Graphics
Description: Attribution for the use of images is required
66 . Title: Public Health Images Library
Description:Library of images related to health and science from the Center of Diseace Control. Most of them are in the public domain
67. Title:NYPL Digital Gallery
Description: "NYPL Digital Gallery provides access to over 480,000 images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera, and more." Images are free for for personal and educational purposes only.
68. Title: Graphic Maps
Description: Collection of map and flags clipart that can be used for free
69. Title: Great Images in NASA
Description: Collection of historical images from NASA. Some of them are copyright free.
70. Title: NASA Images
Description: Provides links to all NASA websites offering images for download.
71. Title: NWYH Stock Library
Description:Provides a small collection of free (humorous) business stock photos.
72. Title: National Park Service Digital Images Index
Description: From the site: "provides links to public domain digital images of many of those sites, including national parks, monuments, historic sites and related areas."
73. Title: DeviantArtDescription: Stock photos at DeviantArt. You need to check usage permission for each image individually
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Sell Photographs Online & Marketing Photographs
Selling your photographs is no different from selling anything else... it takes time and a lot of work. If you expect to become rich by selling your photographs, don't leave your first job just yet! Like any other type of selling, you are selling yourself as well as selling your photographs. And with the Internet, the selling of yourself becomes a little more difficult as you are not face to face with a potential buyer of your photographs. So, what do you do to level the playing field using the Internet?
The first thing you must do is to be able to create a Internet page including a photograph of yourself along with some text so the visitor can a least have some kind of knowledge who you are when email might be communicated back and forth. Your text should give a little background about yourself, who you are, how you think, what type of photography that you do and any other information that will help you become established in the mind of the visitor. The more a person knows about you, the better chance you will have to sell your photographs. A potential buyer has to establish a relationship with a photographer and if a buyer doesn't know what the photographer looks like or what really motivates the photographer, something is lost. The photographer is selling himself/herself as well as the photograph.
Always look good and be professional in the design of Your Gallery and the types of photographs that you are offering. Always think quality over quantity.
Try to include as much information as possible describing your photographs. Google and other search engines use the description to index your photographs even further in the searches. If a person searches for a specific photograph, yours might appear in the search.
What is your market? Who do you want to sell to? Are people living in the USA interested in photographs of the UK? If a visitor has not visited the UK, yet (and if many of your photographs are photographs of specific areas in the UK), the visitor might not be interested in purchasing any of your photographs. A visitor might purchase photographs from other photographers if they have been to a specific place or the photograph reminds them of a specific place. In other words, if the photograph is of a forest or a beach, it might look like a place a visitor has visited. If you are trying to sell to a broad market, you have to think about what the other market wants. If you only want to specialize in the UK, concentrate on just UK photographs. Then promote yourself within that market.
If you are talented, write some articles to promote your photography. If you are from the UK, write a few articles about photographing in the UK, hiking in the UK, what to see in the UK, tips about the UK. If a person is interested in reading about the UK, they certainly would be interested in seeing photography from the UK. And when they visit the UK, they might be interested in purchasing one of your photographs. Your article will be searched by the search engines and read by thousands of people.
The first thing you must do is to be able to create a Internet page including a photograph of yourself along with some text so the visitor can a least have some kind of knowledge who you are when email might be communicated back and forth. Your text should give a little background about yourself, who you are, how you think, what type of photography that you do and any other information that will help you become established in the mind of the visitor. The more a person knows about you, the better chance you will have to sell your photographs. A potential buyer has to establish a relationship with a photographer and if a buyer doesn't know what the photographer looks like or what really motivates the photographer, something is lost. The photographer is selling himself/herself as well as the photograph.Always look good and be professional in the design of Your Gallery and the types of photographs that you are offering. Always think quality over quantity.
Try to include as much information as possible describing your photographs. Google and other search engines use the description to index your photographs even further in the searches. If a person searches for a specific photograph, yours might appear in the search.
What is your market? Who do you want to sell to? Are people living in the USA interested in photographs of the UK? If a visitor has not visited the UK, yet (and if many of your photographs are photographs of specific areas in the UK), the visitor might not be interested in purchasing any of your photographs. A visitor might purchase photographs from other photographers if they have been to a specific place or the photograph reminds them of a specific place. In other words, if the photograph is of a forest or a beach, it might look like a place a visitor has visited. If you are trying to sell to a broad market, you have to think about what the other market wants. If you only want to specialize in the UK, concentrate on just UK photographs. Then promote yourself within that market.
If you are talented, write some articles to promote your photography. If you are from the UK, write a few articles about photographing in the UK, hiking in the UK, what to see in the UK, tips about the UK. If a person is interested in reading about the UK, they certainly would be interested in seeing photography from the UK. And when they visit the UK, they might be interested in purchasing one of your photographs. Your article will be searched by the search engines and read by thousands of people. Sell Your Photographs - Think Out Of The Box
Your town library is a good place to start showing your photographs. The library will give you great exposure, does not take a percentage of any of the photographs sold, is a non pressure environment and a good starting point for you.
The library will also promote the exhibit in the newspaper. I also approached our town nature center. They mailed an announcement of the exhibition to all their members. In return, I donated 25% of the sales of the photographs to the nature center. This gave potential buyers another reason to purchase a photograph. The nature center also promoted the exhibit on our local public TV.
Everyone at times, (including myself) has excuses why not to try different ideas and the underlying theme is usually failure. Once you decide that "Failure is not an option" and any failure that comes along is one step closer to success, you are on your way. If you are happy with photography as a hobby, then keep it that way... enjoy it for what it is and don't try to sell your photographs. No one needs any additional pressure on something that you enjoy. But there is one feeling that you will never experience and that is "Knowing that someone bought one of your photographs, took the time to frame it and hung it on their wall." And somewhere out there your photographs are being seen each day.
"If you don't try, you will never know... and when you do know, you will understand that feeling." You can't sit back and expect to be known without being creative and getting the word out about yourself.
After I had the photographs framed (cost about $220.00 including photographs and hangers), the investment was made. Any benefit that could be achieved after the investment was spent was a bonus and at the same time created a cost/benefit advantage over time.
Here is a plan for you:
1. Drive by the libraries and outdoor retail stores in your area to see if there is an area in the library/store that could display an exhibition of yours. Even if the place has never done something like this, they will appreciate a suggestion from you. My second exhibition was fortunately being displayed in the optics department in a outdoor retail store.
2. Frame your photographs with the same gallery frames. Do not mix frames. My photographs are 8"x10" and the frames are 16"x20".
3. Create a title for your exhibit (seen in the center of the photograph) along a bio with pricing. If you can, laminate the title and bio. The bio also includes the Outdoor Eyes website URL. I also created a little pocket made from cellophane that I placed my business cards in.
4. If you have other photographs to offer, create a little book of other photographs that customers can look through to purchase. I have a binder machine that creates a book, but you can go to Staples, Office Depot or any print shop and they will create a book for you with your pages for about $2.00. I printed all my additional photographs available on photo paper with 9 photos on a single page.
5. Do not sell the framed photographs off the wall. These are only to take orders from. The retailer will process the orders and also take a negotiated percentage of the sale. Usually the exhibit will run for a month. A library will only display your photographs. They will not sell your photographs.
6. If the retailer sells your photographs, then you can talk to the retailer about an additional length of time for your photographs to be displayed.
7. Search the Internet for all the newspapers and magazines in your area. Go to the calendar section and send a press release to the magazines and newspapers. This must be done at least 2-3 weeks prior to your exhibition.
8. Once you have one month booked for your exhibition, then you should look for your next month's exhibition.
9. The framed photographs are already paid for, so your out-of-pocket expense in only your time spent and a little gasoline. My last exhibition took a total of 2 hours to hang and drive to. You can continuously use the same photography book and the same framed photographs over and over again.
10. Take photographs of the exhibition so that you can show potential places what your exhibition will look like.
Good luck with your exhibitions.
The library will also promote the exhibit in the newspaper. I also approached our town nature center. They mailed an announcement of the exhibition to all their members. In return, I donated 25% of the sales of the photographs to the nature center. This gave potential buyers another reason to purchase a photograph. The nature center also promoted the exhibit on our local public TV.
Everyone at times, (including myself) has excuses why not to try different ideas and the underlying theme is usually failure. Once you decide that "Failure is not an option" and any failure that comes along is one step closer to success, you are on your way. If you are happy with photography as a hobby, then keep it that way... enjoy it for what it is and don't try to sell your photographs. No one needs any additional pressure on something that you enjoy. But there is one feeling that you will never experience and that is "Knowing that someone bought one of your photographs, took the time to frame it and hung it on their wall." And somewhere out there your photographs are being seen each day.
"If you don't try, you will never know... and when you do know, you will understand that feeling." You can't sit back and expect to be known without being creative and getting the word out about yourself.
After I had the photographs framed (cost about $220.00 including photographs and hangers), the investment was made. Any benefit that could be achieved after the investment was spent was a bonus and at the same time created a cost/benefit advantage over time.
Here is a plan for you:
1. Drive by the libraries and outdoor retail stores in your area to see if there is an area in the library/store that could display an exhibition of yours. Even if the place has never done something like this, they will appreciate a suggestion from you. My second exhibition was fortunately being displayed in the optics department in a outdoor retail store.
2. Frame your photographs with the same gallery frames. Do not mix frames. My photographs are 8"x10" and the frames are 16"x20".
3. Create a title for your exhibit (seen in the center of the photograph) along a bio with pricing. If you can, laminate the title and bio. The bio also includes the Outdoor Eyes website URL. I also created a little pocket made from cellophane that I placed my business cards in.
4. If you have other photographs to offer, create a little book of other photographs that customers can look through to purchase. I have a binder machine that creates a book, but you can go to Staples, Office Depot or any print shop and they will create a book for you with your pages for about $2.00. I printed all my additional photographs available on photo paper with 9 photos on a single page.
5. Do not sell the framed photographs off the wall. These are only to take orders from. The retailer will process the orders and also take a negotiated percentage of the sale. Usually the exhibit will run for a month. A library will only display your photographs. They will not sell your photographs.
6. If the retailer sells your photographs, then you can talk to the retailer about an additional length of time for your photographs to be displayed.
7. Search the Internet for all the newspapers and magazines in your area. Go to the calendar section and send a press release to the magazines and newspapers. This must be done at least 2-3 weeks prior to your exhibition.
8. Once you have one month booked for your exhibition, then you should look for your next month's exhibition.
9. The framed photographs are already paid for, so your out-of-pocket expense in only your time spent and a little gasoline. My last exhibition took a total of 2 hours to hang and drive to. You can continuously use the same photography book and the same framed photographs over and over again.
10. Take photographs of the exhibition so that you can show potential places what your exhibition will look like.
Good luck with your exhibitions.
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