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How To Put Your Photographic Work Online So That You Profit From Your PhotoSales
Many photographers have thought about the possibility of setting up an online PhotoSales Website of their work. To many the thought of setting up a photosales portfolio online is a very intimidating issue due to the technical knowhow involved. In fact there is very little knowhow involved if you explore all the different ways that you can sell your work online. Many portal sites are set up so that you have very little work to do.
The first online record of my work was with a photo sales portal site that offers storage space for photos while at the same time affording the service of brokering your photos to potential buyers and handling the financial side of things so that you the photographer can concentrate at what you are best at doing and that is to take more photos. But remember, these sites are more effective when you promote your pictures on such sites yourself. By marketing yourself you will have a far bigger chance of getting direct sales. Be careful to pick a site that pays you commission should a potential buyer pick the work of another photographer who uses the same portal site. If you initiated the exposure to the artist in question, you most definitely deserve a commission.
Uploading your pictures on such sites is easy, although I do reccomend that you edit your pictures first on a program like photoshop or a simpler utility so that they really look their best prior to you uploading them.
There are many photo portal programs on offer on the internet What I suggest is that you look at those that actively market photos on froogle and send them to major agencies and photobanks. Such agencies will employ someone whose job it is just to look at pictures on a daily basis and to make a record of those that might have commercial or editorial interest for businesses.
But the main thing is that you get your work online with your own specific web address which allows you to advertise your photographic work in whichever way you deem fit.
Example Of Commercial Online Photo site
Don't be content just to store your pictures on your computer, let others see them.
By letting others see your photographic work you will also get feedback from other like-minded individuals who will help you to succeed.
- Visit One Of My Online Photo Sites
- On this site I tend to store photos of a mostly botanical nature. I like this site because it offers a whole range of features which includes a forum, private messaging, photo ranking and a photo request link from potential buyers among many other features.
From Film To File
You may have to work on your old collection to increase the file size for digital use
If you are working with a digital camera you will need one that has a resolution of at least 5 mega pixels and to make sure that you are working on the high resolution. So if you are on a trip make sure that you have access to a computer that will allow you to download your work onto your site or make sure that you take enough storage with you.For those of you that have huge negative or slide collections you may find that after scaning your work you will have to increase the file size of your pictures by digital means. You will be able to do this on software like photoshop or imaginer. Check that your photo is in the best possible condition first as imperfections will be magnified in this process.
A few ways to get you digital photos looking their best
By remembering a few simple techniques you can make your pictures really shine
1) Use a tripod whenever posible, failing that use a monopod as this will steady your hand equal to two F stops.2) Use a poloroid filter. Make the best out of the color available. This may make the difference between a run of the mill shot to and an excellent representation of the subject.
3)Use indirect sunlight whenever possible.
4) Get to know your digital camera before using it professionally. Digital cameras have many features and you may be shooting in a mode that is inferior to other opions that your camera may have.
5) Use an external flash. You can get great effects when shooting into poor light by highlighting the main subject or the foreground with a good flash.
The Beauty Of Digital Photography.
For me, the fact that I do not have to buy film or batteries for my camera is a huge plus. My digital camera memory can be used over and over again with no loss of image quality and the batteries can be recharged from any electrical point. Although the initial outlay of the camera was quite large it is repaying itself over and over again by saving money on film and batteries. Does Digital Imagery Fall Short Of Film Images
Many people say that the standard of digital photography falls well short of that of regular film. My opinion is that this may have been true in the past but technical advances over the past decade or so have advanced the field of digital photography by leaps and bounds. There is now absolutely no reason to believe that your photographic work will be inferior to that any other medium. Brass Arabic Water Jar Enhanced With Digital Effects.
In digital photography your imagination can run wild
No matter how you dicided to shoot a picture at the time you shot it, you can always change it so that it looks very different by using digital editing on your PC or Mac. Here I used color saturation to get this effect.If you intend to work in the field of digital photography it may be well worth your while signing up for one of the many online or offline courses that teach photoshop, artshop and a range of other software.
A Shot of Lemons On The Tree
Your subject doesn't need to be too exotic to be useful.
When looking for subjects of which to use for photographic purposes you don't necessarily need to travel to the ends of the earth to get really good shots that you can sell.Really what you need is to develop a knack for seeing a scene within a context that you might view usually as mundane and indeed, ordinarily walk past without a second glance. When I get into photographic mode my area of focus narrows down greatly and I begin to look for details. It is amazing just how satisfing this can be. Try it for yourself.
A good place to start could be a local garden center. There you have a lot of subject matter in high concentration. Scrap yards, timber yards or woodlands can also provide a good concentration of subject matter as can things like parking lots.
Photographing People
How to avoid the need for model release
When I take pictures of people I always make sure to take a number of pictures where the subject is not recognizable. This way there is no need to ask for permission before use. It is politer to ask for permission but technically speaking the agencies only require release if the person in the picture is recognizable.With a two or three good guality flashes mounted on tripods and a flash meter you can set up a portable studio with relative ease and the satisfaction from exploring this medium is very satisfactory.
Holiday Photography
Remember to look for interesting subjects on your travels
Many photographers seem to go completely off the boil when they go on holiday and this can be one of the times when you are exposed to a vast variety of subject matter that you normally would not see.In spite of the pressure of the kids asking to do this and that, find a moment to take those pictures that you know you'll wish you had once you get back home. They might just make a big difference to your portfolio
Photgraphing Animals In The Wild
Obey these rules to succeed in animal photography
When you plan to photograph animals in their natural habitats, especially predators and territorial and large animals remember that the rule is to plan very well and if anything to err on the side of caution.Remember the animals that live in the place you intend to shoot know those places a lot better than you do and therefore they have the advantage.
Make sure you are protected at all times. That means to have armed guards if necessary. Keep in mind that the animal that you are shooting might not be the only animal around!
Adhere to the advice of youe guide or the park rangers, they are not there to give you a hard time for the sake of it, the simply don't want to have to collect dead bodies of over eager photographers.
Never go into wildernesses alone and always make it a habit check in with ranger stations at regular intervals. This way you are reminding them that you are in the territory under their control.
Never go anywhere without any survival equipment, that means plenty of water and shade in hot areas and warm, dry clothing and good shelter and high calorie food in places where the weather can get suddenly very cold.
Get familiar with dangerous species and there habits in the areas where you intend to take photographs (that includes humans). Check as you go for hazards. Have something with you that can make a very loud sudden noise.
No picture is worth endangering your life for.
Use The Law Of Thirds
Create the drama in yout picture by positioning its elements one third in
A god picture is proportioned in a certain way. The best way to create drama and balance in your picture is to position its elements either one third in from left or right and one third from top or bottom.See how you can create dramatic or sensative photos by using this simple principle.
Learn How To Shoot In Manual Mode
Don't learn to rely only on automatic functions
By shooting in manual mode you are opening up a whole world of creative expression.Try to stretch your budget to a digital camera with the following functions. Manual mode, optional manual zoom and focus, an external flash hot shoe, screw inlet for tripod attachment on base, an Adjustable viewing screen, 10 mega bite resolution or more (minimum eight), a good quality lens, film speed of at least 50-1600, TTL (through the lens) view finding.
