Tag: potd

Not Tuesday but Moo-Day

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Tuesdays seem to be daunting days for the podcast, so I may have to adjust the schedule some…I am thinking Fridays in the future, but would welcome suggestions.  For the time being, here’s a couple shout outs and photos for your Tuesday enjoyment:

First off, thanks go out to Rob Jones of Towner Jones Photography for another nod from his blog.

I’d also like to pay special thanks to Dave Cross of NAPP fame.  I saw a pretty big blip up on the blog from about a week or two ago and when recently looking at Google Analytics, saw he had given me a mention from his blog back on Dec. 1st.  Thanks so much Dave, and although it’s been said, it’s worth saying again – my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Lastly, shouts to fellow NAPP member Mitzs who also gave me some link love on her blog, Pursuing Photoshop!  Thanks for that! 🙂

And now, for the POTD entries, I was able to contribute to Jason Moore’s ongoing Geographic Composition series which is featured on his blog today, so here’s that photo:

Denver Civic Center

And last but not least, since I got the 10-22mm lens (finally, after a year or so of debating which wide angle to get) on Friday, I was playing with the zoom and looking at the angle of view when my dog came right up to the lens the other day.  Instinctively, I snapped the shutter.  The aperture was wide open and the shutter speed was way to slow so the image quality is horrible, but the image itself is just hysterical.  Her name is Maggie, but we call her Moo for short.  So, in honor of her, I am closing today’s post with her:

Moo

Happy shooting, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

Thursday Thoughts with… Jen Rinaldi

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I was able to catch up with Jen Rinaldi recently and twisted her arm into taking a few minutes to share her thoughts on the CB Thursday Thoughts.  Jen really has some cool work and a super positive energy that is just infectious!  Make sure you visit her blog and website and share your thoughts with her.  In the meantime, here’s what Jen had to say:

Q:  Everyone always wants to know some of the basics, so let’s get a few things out of the way at once here…  1.    How long have you been a photographer?

A:  I’ve been “into” photography since I was 6 years old when my parents gave me this old brown boxy camera to use and then eventually I graduated to my very own 110 which I still own!  I’ve been “serious” about photography as a hobby since January of 2007 and turned it into a side business Oct/Nov of 2007

Q:  Old boxy brown camera eh?  What about now?  What are you shooting with… Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Pentax or some other brand?

A:  Nikon!

Q:  Argh…a Nikonian in my midst again.  Maybe I can get lucky with computer affiliation?  Mac, PC, or Linux?

A:  I’m a PC girl all the way!

Q:  Yay!  (ALthough I do work cross-platform so that was a winher either way!  Off the beaten path now: Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry?

A:  Ohhh, I like when they have all 3 together!  But if I had to choose today I’d go for Strawberry!

Q:  Hmmm…that does sound like a good combination.  I should try mixing flavors more often!  Anyway, back on topic… photographers often enjoy hearing helpful and constructive critiques of their work, as we are aware of how much we can grow from it.  However, we’ve also all had the “nice shot” and “cool” comments when we’ve shared our work.  With that backdrop set, what would you say was the singular most useful critique or comment you’ve ever had on work you’ve shared publicly?

A:  That’s a tough one as well.  I’ll answer it by saying that I can’t recall ONE specific critique but I won’t leave you with just that.  I was a moderator for a photography forum for over a year and sharing my work there is the one thing that tremendously improved my photography skills.   I learned anything from photography basics to advanced techniques all through this forum.  They honest feedback and criticism received is what helped me to learn.  On top of that formed some permanent bonds with many of the members who constantly help me by sharing new techniques, giving me feedback on my work, and answering my off the wall photography questions!

Q;   Well, my next question is normally “Who said it?”, but that doesn’t really apply now…or is it a specific group of people that helped?

A:  Most of the regulars on the forum because my critiquing audience and gave honest feedback on how to improve my work with each and every post to the site.

Q:  Cool!  I’ve done forum work too.  It can be challenging balancing forum administration and photography stuff though – especially when it comes to critiquing.  If someone was asking you for an honest critique of their work, what 3 factors would you look at most (excluding friendships or family relatives, we’re talking professional or fellow photographer-types here)?

A:  Uniqueness, composition, and post Processing

Q:  Got any war stories from field shoots or outings that you can or would be willing to share?

A:  Nothing I can think of…

Q:.  Ahh…well, give it time, you’ll have some eventually!  Well, moving right along, I’ve set the stage with others by noting the advances in software to the point where you can almost create stunning images without ever leaving the computer.  So, if you had to choose between the gear or the software as the only way to create, which would it be and why?

A:  Wow, now that is one is a tough one for me.  I love to be creative with the gear and the lenses but I think that coming from an art background (drawing, painting, graphic design) I tend to make my vision come to light through software after the shoot is over.  I try to start with the gear and shoot it just right and then add my personal touch afterwards with the software to make my artistic vision come light.

Q:  So, it sounds like you really do use both to achieve your visions.  Very cool!  If you had to pick three pictures out of your entire portfolio to represent your approach to photography, or your artistic vision, which ones would you pick?

A:  Jason, you’re making this VERY hard on me!  🙂  It’s so hard to pick 3 out of tens of thousands of images that you’ve poured you heart into. If I had to pick one genre of photography to shoot over and over again it would be HDR.  I have always held this photo as my top ranking HDR photo.  I took this photo on the day I attempted HDR photography for the first time and it still holds the number one ranking for me no matter how many more I shoot:

This is THE first HDR I ever shot on the same day as the photo above:

And because I’m a portrait photographer this one is a top favorite of mine (but it’s very hard to pick because I have one favorite photo from every portrait shoot I do!).  I love this one because he is one of my oldest friend’s son, you can’t beat those gorgeous blue eyes, I love the DOF, and how could anyone not love the little fish lips he’s making?

Q:  Wow!  These are amazing shots – and those baby blues just make your heart melt!  Wonderful shots here Jen!  Any final thoughts you’d like to share about the state of photography or any catch phrases that you keep in mind when shooting?

A:  Mike Palmer mentioned this in his interview, as well, and I’m going to elaborate on what he said by mentioning that if you’re breaking into the photography world and want to learn more  – join a forum! If you’re not into the forums then create your own Photography blog and get out there and join the blogging community we have going!  The forums changed my life photography-wise and I can hardly go a day without posting a writing a new blog post visiting my “blogging friend’s” blogs!  It’s everyone’s encouragement that keeps me going!

Great ideas here Jen – forums, blogging, and collaboration are the learning tools I enjoy most too!  Hey, thanks for taking the time to sit down and share your thoughts with the reading audience.  We’ll be back next week with a new edition of Thursday Thoughts and another photographer!  In the meantime, Happy Shooting!  Hope all your shots are good ones and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

What’s on YOUR tree?

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Since I missed out on recording a podcast this week, I was also slack in getting out and about to shoot a “What’s This?” type image.  The fact that Tracy wanted to get all the decorations up (I did too…actually it was probably more me than her) so we’d have some time to enjoy them also detracted from the photography mission for the week.  So, as I ditched the bad chili from yesterday, I pulled out the ole 40D and snapped off a few macro type shots from our work on the house.  Nothing that will make Better Homes and Gardens, but kinda neat anyway.  Here’s the best of that I got so far – will likely try more as we get closer and closer.  So, enjoy thiese two, but also please feel free to share your own as you ponder the question of “What’s on YOUR tree?“

Ornaments

Ornaments

Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Feathered Friday…

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A happy feathered Friday to all!  Permit me to explain…recently the subject of egrets became a popular tangent in a photo forum that I actively participate in, and after some fun dialog, I shared a few shots from work I had done in the past in capturing these amazing animals.  They really are quite beautiful, and on a whim I went through two shoots that had a lot of egret shots and quick processed theb into an Adobe Photo Gallery.  Since I don’t believe I’ve shared these shots previously, here are some shots for your fine friday!  (If you click on the links embedded with the picture, that should take you to dedicated album pages where the web galleries are for each shoot…)

Also as a reminder, today is the last day to participate in the contest poll – we’re sitting right at 19 votes thus far, so do stop in to the blog and share your thoughts by participating – it’d be super cool to see that vote tally get up over the 30 mark!

We got our first wave of snow overnight last night, and the dusting was just enough to remind me of how beautiful the winter months can be.  Once we’re completely settled in and I am back out shooting more often, I have a feeling the blog will be a venue for much of this photography.  So, there’s a prediction of things to come.

I’ll leave this Friday on that note, along with your weekly episode of What the Duck:

Enjoy the weekend, Happy Shooting, and we’ll see you back here Monday morning!

What’s This? – Week 19

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It’s a little late this morning, but we’re now in week 19 of the What’s This? episode series.  Last week, there were no guesses, likely because it was a super tough one.  The full sized original can be found here, (it’s a tree with blue bottles hanging off knobs on the trunk).  It is definitely one of the more abstract shots to begin with.  Looks like the gallery of participants was stumped!  So, this week, things are going to be a little easier (this should be easily guessed – I just really like the textures of this shot.  Anyway, without further ado, here is Week 19’s image:

What's This? - Week 19

Don’t forget to stop in tomorrow for the latest Thursday Thoughts With….  This weekI have the honor of talking with Michael Palmer, photographer and a friend of the blog.  So tune in for that tomorrow.  In the meantime, feel free to share your “guesses” on the week 19 image in the comments!  By the by…can anyone tell me anything different about the blog today (this is specific to the layout/design for today)?  If so, share that in the comments as well? *devious grin*  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow…

Denver Area Photowalk

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Meetup Pano

As some of you may recall, Scott Kelby held a worldwide photo walk a few months ago to promote his new book that was coming out on Lightroom 2.  Well, since then several smaller photo walk clubs and groups have formed and begun their own outings.  Denver was no exception and our first official photo walk this last weekend had a really good turnout of roughly 15-20 people.  About half of us even got together afterward at a local eatery to share stories and get to know one another better.  Everyone is posting shots over on the Meetup site and at the Flickr site as well, so stop in there to see some of the talents showcased in those venues.  The shot above is a pano I stitched together from the occasion.  With more photo walks to come, this definitely has some positive energy about it.

Nitty Gritty Details

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The weekly podcast that usually goes up on Tuesdays was supplanted yesterday by the Election Day message. Returning to photography topics today, the weekly podcast has been posted and is ready for your listening enjoyment. I’ll have some notes related to the podcast to include at the end of today’s post.

In the interests of keeping the “What’s This?” on schedule, we are now in week 18. Last week’s was in fact, the stained glass that a reader correctly identified rather quickly. So, I am hopefully going to make things a little more intriguing for you this week. Let’s see the first to identify this image:

What's This? - Week 18

Podcast Notes:

  1. Gadget Infinity is the site to get the Cactus Triggers from – be careful to order for the correct lights
  2. There are some great patterns inside CS3 (not available in CS4 anymore), just go to the following folder to find them: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Patterns\PostScript Patterns
  3. Q&A – Recording Software, Crop Factors, and photo terminology

Wrap-up: Contests, Road Tip, & Polls

Happy shooting all, watch those apertures, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

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Making Money off your Photos

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In the tightening economy, many of us are considering additional ways of supplementing our income, and as hobbyist photographers, we all have wondered at times whether we could parlay our hobbies into sources of revenue.  For a short time I even considered this blog as a possible method for generating revenue.  By and large though, I found that the blog was not well-positioned to be a significant source of revenue, for a number of reasons.

So, I decided to turn the idea arond, and think about whether my photography could be considered as a source of revenue.  Thus far I have resisted the urge to do so, primarily because I don’t want to add the stress of running a side business to my enjoyment of photography.  Nevertheless, I have considered it seriously, and in so doing, read quite a bit about it.  And what have I learned?  Quite a bit actually.  But today, I’d like to share 5 tips about how to make money off your photos.

5 Tips for Making Money off your Photos

  1. Magazines – Magazines are always looking for fresh images for stories.  Get yourself a copy of The Photographers Market (most recent publication year is 2008)), and find out the magazines that match your interests most and send them the appropriate information as specified.  Don’t be dejected if at first you don’t garner much interest.  There are many others like you also submitting images regularly and it can take a while.
  2. Stock Photography – Stock photo sites like Getty, iStockPhoto, Crestock, and a host of others offer a great venue for tapping into the enthusiast photographer market.  You simply create an account, upload some sample images, and once you get enough “approved” you are off and running.  The problem here is that your images are being sold for mere pennies (in your pocket).  So, in order to generate sufficient revenue, you need to have hundreds upon hundreds of sales.  In turn this means you need a portfolio of at least that many images available to get any kind of penetration into the stock market genre.  This is becoming quite crowded, but if you are talented, and have the library – upload away!
  3. Consignment – An often untapped resource is local restaurants and businesses.  Go talk to small business owners whether it be a restaurant around the corner, a body shop, or other such enterprise, and offer to decorate their walls for free.  In exchange, you get free exposure and possible image sales.  Often the business owner will want at least a cut on the profits, so don’t be shocked if they ask for it.  It also helps to have several images all ready to hang, so go prepared with at least 5 images in 3 different sizes.  I would suggest a 5×7, 8,10, and 11×14 matted and framed out to 8×10, 11×14, and 16×20 respectively.  Be sure you are also prepared to be told “No.”  Persistence and self-confidence here is key.  It also helps if you scope the place out ahead of time.  You can do so by eating a meal there, having some auto work done, or going in for a cup of coffee (whatever, you get the idea).
  4. Medical Offices – Here is a real sleeper that can pay off in spades.  Doctors offices love to have fine art on the wall – it can sooth anxious or sick patients.  Even if they have a set of artwork already displayed, it never hurts to ask.  Simply offer a rotation for the next month, or 2 months, or 6 months, and be prepared to offer a portion of image sales to them (doctors like to make money too – or so I’ve heard!).  Also, don’t limit yourself to the traditional image of a doctor’s office – go see dentists offices, orthopedists, optometrists, orthopedics, etc.  As always, be prepared and quick – these guys (and gals) make money off their time, so the more time you spend trying to convince them it’s a good idea, the less time they spend seeing patients, and the less time they are making money.  Go in, be quick, be professional, wow them with great images, and get out.
  5. Banks are another great resource.  Try seeing if your local branch will let you set out cards on display, or perhaps hang an image or two.  Some banks even offer this service to local businesses.  WHen I was in SC, my local bank had one day every week where a local business was featured.  I put my cards out, and once or twice I even had my info up on display.  It generated some interest and even a few gigs.  Once I found out about our move to Colorado, I stopped though, for obvious reasons, and once we’re more settled down here I’l be doing the same.

So, there’s 5 tips for you on how to make money off your photos.  The common theme here is to have your images out there.  If you don’t put your images into the hands of potential buyers, no one will ever buy anything from you.  Oh yeah, and don’t forget to keep at least 5-10 business cards or calling cards with you at all times.  Keep ten in your car, ten in your wallet, and ten in your coat.  You never know when someone will say “Do you know a good photographer?” and you’l be kicking yourself for not having a card wth you!

There they are, 5 tips for making money off your photos.  Anyone else used these tips with any success?  What about other tips?  Feel free to share your own thoughts, suggestions, and ideas in the comments section (or via email.)  Hope everyone’s weekend was good, and we’l see you back here tomorrow for the weekly podcast!  Happy shooting!

Geographic Composition Series

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You all got to know Jason Moore from the most recent “Thursday Thoughts” session, and have also been referred to his Geographic Composition Series in the past from participation.  Well, the latest in the series, titled Autumn, has been released today, so CB is giving a rare double post today!  Here’s the shot I shared (which you’ve seen here before), but do stop over to see the other ones from notables like Michael Palmer, David Jones, Andy Smith, and Jeff Kuhns (of course Jason M. has a shot in there too).  Excellent series of photos and I am honored to be a part of it!

Autumn - Geographic Composition

The rest of the series can be found here