Monday, September 29, 2008

Power of the Polarizer

A polarizer is a lens attachment that you can utilize to remove glare. The end result is more vibrant color. You can use it to make the sky a darker blue, bring clouds out from the haze, remove glare off the road and leaves, and also to help you see through the surface of water. It is simple to use and can produce excellent results.

Circular polarizer’s are best for auto focus cameras. Liner polarizer’s may interfere with camera focus. Simply attach it to the end of your lens. Look at your subject and rotate the polarizer until the glare is gone or the image appears darker. You will need to constantly adjust the angle of the polarizer as you change subjects. This is because the sunlight is coming in at different angles and the lens needs to be adjusted for optimal filtering.

A prime example of how a polarizer helps you is when I was visiting the USS Arizona. After over 65 years, the ship is still bleeding oil into Pearl Harbor and causing a nasty glare. Without the polarizer, I saw a lot of reflection on the surface. With it, I saw the ship. In nature, you can use it to remove glare from vegetation and bring out vibrate colors.

To see the difference before you invest in a circular polarizer, you can use polarized sunglasses. Hold your glasses away from your face so you can rotate them at least 90 degrees. Rotate them until the subject appears darker. That is a correct setting. Now, rotate the glasses 90 degrees. What you are looking at is what you would be shooting without a polarizer. The difference in color is amazing.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Seattle Trip Report

I decided to add some reports on the locations that I visit and upload images from. For those of you who read my previous post on how to sell so-so images, you know that I had a business trip to Seattle, WA this February. I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to sale a few of those images.
Let’s start off with the Cascade Mountains. Now, even though Seattle was somewhat pleasant thanks to its proximity to the ocean, drive inland and up into the mountains changes things quite a bit.


I flew in very early in the morning and headed straight for Snoqualmie pass. It was also conveniently a ski resort. They had a lot of snow, which I enjoyed skiing on thoroughly. Now here in Indianapolis, we do get snow. Not enough to make very interesting winter time photos. But in the Cascades, they get plenty. Check them out:






Even the drive up gave you plenty of photo opportunities. This was the only day during the week that I was there that I was able to drive into the mountains. Heavy snow storms closed all east-west passes in the state. Not to worry, I did go downtown and snapped some images from the Space Needle. For me though, the most rewarding time was on Whidbey Island. With roads to Mount Ranier and North Cascades National Parks closed, I decided to take a drive to Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve,. Even in February, it was beautiful. For those of you who enjoy the locals that you meet while practicing your hobby, I found out from the receptionist at the local museum in Coupeville that Whidbey Island is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains. In other words, they get 300 days of sun shine a year. That was exactly what I needed after being in Seattle all week.


Whidbey Island is very scenic. There are several ferry options to get you and your car there. There are some spectacular rural and shoreline scenes to take in. From soaring cliffs to lighthouses. From fields to beaches. It was just an absolutely relaxing time.







A few tips for shooting in this area. First off, avoid Seattle and the surrounding cities during rush hour. You will only find yourself frustrated in traffic. Take enough ziplock bags for your equipment. Seattle is a wet environment. We had rain almost every day and snow once. If you venture into the mountains during this time of the year, keep an eye on the weather. Washington State Law requires you to have tire chains when driving in the mountains. They also close the passes during snow storms because of avalanches. Keep your camera inside your jacket with the lens caps on while outside. This helps keep your camera warm and functioning correctly. Enjoy yourself!

Monday, September 15, 2008

How to use PicNiche.

PicNiche is a neat tool that allows you to determine the supply and demand for your images. Here is how it works. You give it a few key words that describe your image. PicNiche searches various MicroStock sites and determines:




1) How many images contain those keywords.
2) How many views have been recorded for those images.
3) How many downloads have been recorded for those files.




You can utilize this data to determine if you are creating imagery for a saturated or low demand market. You can also use it before you shoot to test your ideas out to see if there is a demand for them.




They also give you a rating to tell you the likelihood of your image getting downloaded. The higher the image rating is, the better your chances of making a sale. It also gives you a list of keywords to potentially use. I say potentially, because not all of these keywords will work for you. Make sure you evaluate each of them so you do not commit keyword spamming and get a high rejection rate. Below the keywords are some suggested queries and their resulting rating. Clicking on these suggestions will yield their set of key words.




Use this tool to increase your sales and to research potential business opportunities. A few minutes on this web site can save you hours of work creating low demand stock and keep you focused on the money makers.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Take a So-So Picture and Make It Sellable

I will be the first to admit that I am not the best photographer. My camera has a tendency to focus on the softer side. The Reject Nazi’s hit me on that fact way too often. I also do not have a studio to shoot pictures of fruit on a solid white background. So, what do you do when you have a so-so image? You can always do a little post processing work.


On a business trip to Seattle, I took a little trip up the Space Needle to try and get a good view of the city. It was February, cold, and raining hard. Not exactly the weather I was hoping for.



This is the original image.







It was accepted at a few sites. I then noticed that more popular images were in a bluish hue. So, I changed it to Black and White so I can make it shades of blue. I liked the black and white image so well, I uploaded it as well. Both images were accepted.





I uploaded them in different batches to avoid getting some love from the Series Nazi’s. Take a look at the results.










Try a little post processing and see what happens.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Results for August 2008

Can you say “Summer Slowdown???” It hit hard this month. The first three weeks of the month were particularly painful. I did notice a slight pickup once the kids went back to school. Even Graphic Artists need to take their summer vacation. With the onset of September comes brighter days for the Microstock industry.


August results:Change from last month
This month:$85.82- $75.88
Total Downloads:96- 40
Lifetime Total:$1209.06
Number of months contributing:17
Average: $/month$75.55+ $.64



Was it just me? Here is an easy way to check. For those of you with Fotolia accounts, you may have noticed that your overall rank and your seven day rank is updated every day. If your seven day rank is lower than your overall rank, then you are moving up. If not, you are moving down. During this slow period, even after several days of no sales my seven day rank continued to be lower. That told me that the industry as a hole was running slow this month and not to worry, I was holding my own. Hang in there Microstockers. Better months are ahead.