Captured

Moments can't be captured

only lived

Beach Walk

Beach Walk, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

What do you do when your camera batteries die?

Use the next best thing, which in this case was my cell phone.

Say cheese

Say cheese, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

My iPhone is getting me to explore new possibilities, and probably impacting photography as much as the DSLR did...

Smile for the camera!

Technology is changing how we view the world, and the world itself.... some for the better, some not.

We've now got tools that are always with us... we can tell stories only limited by our imaginations.

Having a good time

I took the plunge and went completely Creative Commons.... giving it away.  If someone wants to use any of my images, fine by me.  There are more important things in life than money...

Bell Up

There was a time when I would have submitted a photo like this to a microstock agency. The economy being what it is, things just haven't bounced back. So, I just give away images now.

Request to License

So, today on the flickr blog I see that the "Request to License" via Getty Images is here.

I'll admit that I was intrigued. I've been selling Stock and Microstock images for a few years now and though I can't quit my day job, it's rewarding when your work sells.

After reviewing the details of this announcement, I had to put the breaks on my enthusiasm. The main reason being that at this time it's an all or nothing opt in process. Not good for me really, as I use flickr to share images... meaning that instead of submitting something to a stock agency to go through the approval/rejection process I chose to put the image on flickr.

That doesn't mean that my images on flickr can't be used as stock. A lot of them can, but not all of them. Some where taken with a cellphone to capture a spontaneous moment while out and about, while others are of a lower resolution than what I would submit for stock.

Of course there are plenty that are perfectly suited for stock and I often wonder (after I've put them on flickr) why I didn't just submit them to a stock agency. These are the images that I'd like to use as part of the "Request to License" program being promoted.

And there's the rub with the all or nothing approach currently being used. In my book a cellphone image, or most low res images aren't up to snuff. I'm sure Getty feels the same why, so why would they take this all or nothing approach and have to review tens of thousand of images? They'll end up rejecting most submissions on a wholesale basis, and a lotof good work will be overlooked.

I guess this is where the other agencies come in. They are a tough bunch, and getting tougher all the time. You'll learn quickly what's up to par and what isn't and get real good at self editing. Working with these folks will make you a better photographer.

In the meantime, nice try Getty....

Capturing the Action

When the great recession hit, the bottom fell out of my micro-stock sales. It wasn't a gradual thing, no, it was as sudden as driving off a cliff.

My sales fell to nearly nothing. During the subsequent year there have been some sales, but nothing to write home about.

There are no indications that things will get back to the way they were.

The market has changed... It's a different world, and we've got to adapt.

I completely stopped putting any effort into micro-stock. I haven't submitted an image in over a year. That doesn't mean I've given up on photography... I love it, and have just used different venues, mainly flickr, to share images.

Lately I've been thinking about slowly getting back into micro-stock. One reason is because I'm finding myself with more time on my hands due to unpaid furloughs at work, and the other is that I like the forced discipline. Setting goals, and pushing towards them. I know it sounds strange, but that's how I roll.

So, now I've got to get some fresh images (or inventory as I call them) and get back into the game.

Spinning Flames

So, I go down to the beach to take some sunset shots. Nothing unusual there... until this girl asks me for a light. The light was for a torch.

Ok. This is going to be interesting I thought, and it was. She and her boyfriend were jugglers and spinning these torches for a photographer (who was using a flash).

Great. I bet they turned out really well.

I cranked up my ISO and took a couple of grab shots from a distance. Just to get an idea of what this would look like.

Looking for ideas on something different when it comes to beach sunset photography? This is one you wouldn't want to try at home...

Where there was a castle

The late afternoon light was near perfect, and finding a sand castle eroding on the beach made for a nice foreground. All in all, stopping by the beach was a blessing. A good day to make some images.

You don't say

To truly get some sense of scale just add a human element to your images. It also gives something to draw the viewer in, even just for a moment and gives them something to look at.

Shutterstock®

Looks to me like Shutterstock will hit five million images today. That's really a lot of images. I have to say it's been a real pleasure for me working with them. I look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with them.

Rise and Shine

From time to time I get requests for photos I took ages ago before I bought my first real digital SLR. This shot was taken with an Olypmus C-700 UZ. Nice camera and I still use it from time to time, but not for stock photography.

Camera technology is so much better now, also you get better image control in post processing if you shoot in camera raw.

I do my best to send along a photo from my dark ages. Of course they are "as is", even though I do my best to do a bit of cleaning up of the images. You can't do too much more processing on these old jpg's though, as you will degrade them.

Anyway, just some random thoughts on old images.

iStockphoto

I just realized that it's the two year anniversary since I joined iStockphoto as an image contributor. I can honestly say that it's been a rewarding experience.

I continue to learn and value my association with this outstanding microstock agency.

Keep Off

Speaking of seasonal images, don't forget that Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Autumn are upon us.

Time to review image keywords and start taking additional photographs of the season for next year.

The World Was Mine

Well, I hit a microstock lull the last couple of days with NO sales. The funny thing is, I more than made up for it with a sale on Alamy (breaking the two month lull there).

This is why, if your interested in Stock Photography, you need to have several sites selling your work.

It's time consuming and a lot of work, but like anything else, the more you put into it the more you get out of it.

Planning helps too! Most likely any seasonal shots you take now won't sell for close to a year from now, so try to work six months or more in advance. Yes you can take Christmas themed photos in June.

With more and more publishing being done on the internet the lead time won't be so crucial in the future, but the print media isn't going away anytime soon. So, shoot accordingly.

Fire Tower

As fun as it is to do some creative things in Photohop with my images, there's not much use for them.

I have some fun, and either delete them or burn them to disk when I'm finished. These types of images have no stock value that I know of, nor is there anywhere to submit them.

Their value is in the fun playing with them.

Behind the Wheel

Some of the craziness that goes along with being snuffled about is passing. Which is a good thing. Feels like I'm behind the wheel again. Meaning I'm steering the vehicle and not circumstances I've got to control over. Nothing like a bit of sanity.

That being said, here's a link to a great resource I found called the Microstock Photographer's Guide.

The Painted Veil

I've got a lot of images to go through (close to 2,000) that I took this week. Most of them will end up on the other side of the delete key, and not many (if any) will be usable as Stock Photography (Model Releases, Mate). So, I'm having some fun with them in Photoshop.

Creativity is good for the soul.

PocketWizard Blog

One of the things on my wish list is a set of pocket wizards. I'll get there, I just need to sell a few more stock images. In the meantime, I just ran across the PocketWizard Blog and thought I'd pass along the link.

Getty Images and Flickr to Wed?

What do Getty Images and Flickr have in common? Not much you say.

Well, it looks like all of this is about to change. According to the New York Times, the two seemingly non-related forces have struck a deal, wherein Getty Images will be farming for images on Flickr.

The partnership could prove interesting and rewarding for us photography enthusiasts.

Here's a link to the story.