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| I went out and got some new shots, what lenses do I need?? |
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Krystof
65 posts
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Message posted at 10/26/2007, 22:56:30 PM by Krystof |
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Get a standard 50mm lens, it does wonders quality wise :) |
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Canon 40D - EF 70-200mm f/4L : EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 : EF 1...
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Uploaded files: 1103 | Total Sales: 600
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 11/04/2007, 01:41:29 AM by Hatman12 |
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I see you've been busy while I was away in Korea being introduced to the experience of eating live wriggling Octopus which for some reason amused my friends a great deal. At least it tasted better than the raw cows stomach I was served the following evening.....
On the other hand when I was in Morocco the local people took great delight in serving a boiled sheeps head complete with brain.....
The new version of 'girl posing' is much better. You need better keywords to make it sell.
Try 'thoughtful', 'contemplating', 'thinking', 'wistful', 'friendly', 'friendship' etc.
And another couple of sales. Well done. |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 11/11/2007, 20:54:49 PM by Hatman12 |
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Hmmm.... 10 sales. That's very good progress. |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Noonie
364 posts
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Message posted at 11/16/2007, 07:07:29 AM by Noonie |
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Welcome home Hatman12.
Thanks for responding Krystof!
I've been VERY busy this fall--having a ball outdoors in the beautiful leaves. Hope I'm getting better, I want my family to think I'm doing more than just playing! I get no respect.
I haven't started my real shopping for lenses yet, have looked on line a little. Think I will make a request for Christmas, though.
One thing I need to do is learn to take the time to use a tripod. Of course, I don't always have the chance to do that, and I'm WAY hyper! Maybe I haven't taken MYSELF seriously yet? |
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Nikon D200, Olympus C5060
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Uploaded files: 841 | Total Sales: 536
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 11/20/2007, 04:24:27 AM by Hatman12 |
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Your 'fish on stringer' is a fabulous picture and should sell very well. So good not to have a distracting background.
I also like your 'girl with hat'. Nice clean, sharp picture. Good colour too.
Less successful is your 'girl in leaves laughing' where you've got that flash burn on the face again.
But overall you're becoming a bit of a wiz and making good progress. Well done.
The fact that you are improving in your approach to stock photography is already reflecting in your sales numbers. Shouldn't be long before you're selling 100 pictures a month....... |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Noonie
364 posts
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Message posted at 11/20/2007, 06:26:27 AM by Noonie |
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How in the world do you guys figure out all of that lighting!!!!!!! I just have to try and get turned down or get you to tell me how to fix it. Of course, every monitor is different and I know mine shows things lighter than they are, so I do the best I can with what I have. My models don't always want to cooperate to the fullest either. I had to keep her from doing the FAKE smile that she's learned. But she sure caught the fish, didn't she?
I'm at 13 sales and will try to follow up on those and get more of those types when I can. |
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Nikon D200, Olympus C5060
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Uploaded files: 841 | Total Sales: 536
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 11/20/2007, 14:18:49 PM by Hatman12 |
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Back to lenses; I've been reading excellent reports of the new 24-70 F2.8 AFS. It is considered to be one of the best lenses Nikon have ever made. Unfortunately it's very expensive at about $2,000. However it seems that its quality is enough to replace several of the excellent prime lenses such as the 50mm and 35mm.
Expensive, but I suppose a lens like that will produce excellent crisp pictures and last a lifetime. It's also weather sealed.
As to lighting, there's nothing you can do about the burn from on-camera flash. It's okay for snapshots and the family album.
Lighting requirement for stock photography is different from anything else; stock requires even, fairly flat lighting without harsh shadows; this is in contrast to 'art' photography where you see all those interesting portraits, nudes etc with dramatic lighting (generally speaking). Harsh shadows and deep meaningful lighting don't sell well for stock.
I'm considering upgrading my D200 to the new D300. No rush. It seems that the D300 will produce the same quality as my D200 but at a slightly higher size of 12.4mp. |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Noonie
364 posts
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Message posted at 11/21/2007, 16:50:05 PM by Noonie |
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Hey, now I know what to get you for Christmas!!
Maybe I could find some of those new lenses at a scratch and dent sale like the auto dealers have. Wish I could get one!
I guess now that I have talked about giving things for Christmas everyone on this site will email me their list.
I was shocked that my "vintage photos" and "rustic frame" are so popular, I love that kind of stuff! Of course, "fat cat" is getting looked at, too. He gets strange looks in person, also.
I must say that I am totally enjoying my experience both with taking pictures and enjoying the DT community. You folks rock!! I love all the advice and comments, even tho the reviewers are ready to kill me.
Thanks for the info about the new stuff--maybe I'll work toward it.
I'm working on upgrading my keyword skills it helps to keep the brain active!
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Nikon D200, Olympus C5060
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Uploaded files: 841 | Total Sales: 536
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 11/22/2007, 17:43:17 PM by Hatman12 |
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Glad you're enjoying the experience.
I see you've got quite a few pictures in your portfolio now. I know there's a big temptation to 'get as many online as possible', but a word of caution - the Dreamstime search and sort engine takes into account many factors, not just keywords. Other factors include the photographers overall acceptance/decline rate, and also I believe the average number of sales per image available.
If you upload loads and loads of stuff it's possible that you will end up with a low sales/image ratio and that will influence where your pics appear in searches (it stands to reason than an agency would be keen to promote a photographer with a high ratio as this implies a high success rate per image).
In the same vein, always be careful to only upload stuff that you are confident will be accepted (well, as confident as possible) because if you get lots of rejections that will affect sales of your good stuff as well. |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Noonie
364 posts
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Message posted at 11/23/2007, 09:36:18 AM by Noonie |
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WOW! Thanks for that info. I really was trying to get a lot of different kinds of things on so I could see what was looked at most and work toward getting better with those.
I have some more ready and will have to take a break after that anyway. I have orders for chairs to do for Christmas and friends to play with.
I also need some spare time for learning more about photoshop! |
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Nikon D200, Olympus C5060
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Uploaded files: 841 | Total Sales: 536
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 11/26/2007, 04:50:21 AM by Hatman12 |
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Hmmm... looks like you are going for the world record in photo sales.....
I'm not surprised they like your old photos and antique frame - anything old, worn, dusty and stained seems to sell well at the moment; the design community call it 'grunge'. They often search using that word, so next time you upload something brown and stained or old and tattered see if it fits the grunge description.
I know you think I'm joking about this - but you can look up grunge at Wikipedia. You could also do a search here at Dreamstime; type in grunge and see what happens..... |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Noonie
364 posts
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Message posted at 11/26/2007, 06:37:46 AM by Noonie |
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Be careful--don't mess with me! World record, here I come!!
I never made it in triathlons, but by golly, maybe I can do it here!!
I did use grunge in some things, and added it to more when I read the article about retro by Boughn. Now, if I can get some lighting fixed up I could get a lot more of those shots. You would not believe what I have in my house. My parents were antique dealers who NEVER threw anything away and I display a lot of it.
How do I make lighting on a shoestring budget? Maybe sell some of the retro stuff?? |
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Nikon D200, Olympus C5060
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Uploaded files: 841 | Total Sales: 536
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 11/27/2007, 22:09:48 PM by Hatman12 |
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Sadly, most things done on a shoestring budget get shoestring results.....
Although grunge stuff is an exception!
If you look through many of the grunge pictures on Dreamstime you'll see that they benefit from 'poor' lighting. You wouldn't expect to see an old grunge photo frame against a prinstine white background like I do for my pics - the old, dusty stuff looks better in poor lighting. Imagine a pile of old books laying covered in dust on an attic floor........
So you're in luck. You will need a tripod though.
I imagine you've got some weight to lose after Thanksgiving......... (!) |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 12/06/2007, 13:48:27 PM by Hatman12 |
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A week or two has gone by and I see that you've now jumped to 21 downloads.
An excellent performance.
You'll find that once momentum is established your sales should continue to improve in a parabolic curve, and if you continue to upload good stuff on a regular basis you'll be surprised at how quickly you can get to a solid number of downloads every week/month.
For some reason I cannot see your portfolio (clicking on the link gives a zero result); perhaps this is just a bug in the system today. |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Noonie
364 posts
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Message posted at 12/06/2007, 16:51:55 PM by Noonie |
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Gosh--I'll bet you thought I was mad at you for the FAT remark. I just had a ton of chairs to get done and in my spare time I was either hiking, cycling, kayaking or something. Did manage to get some things accepted and read a little on the boards. As for the weight, I'm the envy of many people!!!! (Let's see what you do with that.)
I may still be alive when I hit $100!
I think you had a bug-hope it wasn't the flu.
I need some snow. I want some winter pictures. Maybe I can just take dusty pictures like you said, until I have something else. I'm making Christmas cards now. Can't find your address-------------
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Nikon D200, Olympus C5060
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Uploaded files: 841 | Total Sales: 536
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 12/06/2007, 19:35:59 PM by Hatman12 |
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"Gosh--I'll bet you thought I was mad at you for the FAT remark...."
Yep.
But it wasn't a fat remark - all the wimmin I know worry about weight after Thanksgiving or Christmas or whatever. Still, you lead an incredibly active lifestyle.
Before I left England a year ago I weighed 96kg (I'm 6ft 3 so that's about right). After three months here in Australia I weighed 86kg and still do. It was the sudden change from being cooped up in front of the telly with that miserable English weather, to arriving in paradise and suddenly being active.
Everywhere I go my trousers fall down......
Yes, your grunge project would be good. Grungy stuff is incredibly popular with designers; anything old and dusty and stained. Actually, that probably describes me..... |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 12/06/2007, 19:42:26 PM by Hatman12 |
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Ummm... I'm not one to nag.... but in your case I'll make an exception.....
Very nice picture of the two children playing the computer game. I was going to compliment you on your keywords for the woman in the forest pic, until I saw that for the children the pic is called 'children playing a computer game' yet you don't have 'computer' or 'game' in your keywords. It's an excellent picture and very topical given the concern Mums have about too much computer for the kids. I imagine you can sell many copies, so long as your keywords are right. Lots of words related to lifestyle and addiction come to mind....
Nice keywords for the forest picture though. |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Noonie
364 posts
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Message posted at 12/08/2007, 06:58:39 AM by Noonie |
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Sorry about your pants! I'll get a new belt in the mail, pronto!
I just don't know what to do about your other problems--the old, dusty and stained thing.
I was bored yesterday so I took off out my door and went straight up a mountain! As it started to get cold I realized I had forgotten my cell phone so I should find my way back home. My husband tells me that at my "advanced age" I should always carry my cell phone so that they can locate me when I croak. (He may notice I'm gone after a few days of no one feeding the cats.)(or not) It's great to be a nature lover--
I was going to go back and add words to the kids picture if they accepted it. I wasn't sure about it, didn't know if having the focus on the boy was right. But it was kinda how I saw it, so I tried. I didn't think about the addiction angle. Will have to work that.
I have to redo some with a tripod now, do I really have to start carrying one with me everywhere? The kids won't wait on me to set up so I have to get on the floor with them. It has worked a lot, though. I love the spontaneous shots, get cute expressions.
Well, have to go pump up my bike tires and get ready to meet my weekend friends. Think I'll go ride into SC today----------------------need to get some cycling pictures, too. I'll have to try to come up with something different in that category.
Thanks for advice again. Who do I make out the check to??? |
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Nikon D200, Olympus C5060
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Uploaded files: 841 | Total Sales: 536
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Hatman12
185 posts
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Message posted at 12/10/2007, 00:42:50 AM by Hatman12 |
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Thanks for your concern (!) However my Korean princess arrives tomorrow and I'm sure she'll make every effort to feed me up over the next few weeks.
You can see a picture of her here:
http://www.pbase.com/hatman/image/71260848/large
(I shall remove this after a day or two).
If you buy a tripod (good idea) make sure you invest in a good one. Manfrotto and Bogan are good (made in the same factory). Don't bother with anything lightweight - the whole point of a tripod is to provide a solid foundation; anything light will just rattle around in the breeze and be a waste of time.
I reckon 90% of my work is shot using a tripod, even with high powered studio flash lights. There is always a sharpness to the tripod shots that I cannot get handheld even with flash (studio flash units are 'slow').
You'll find that with your landscapey stuff you'll be able to use low iso's and decent apertures.
Yes, it's a hassle having a heavy tripod. But you'll get pictures that would be otherwise impossible.
Check payable to Milla Jovovitch as previously agreed please. Oh, and could you tell her I'd like her dressed in a plain black Chanel evening dress, not too short, not too long, with black glossy Guccis and black lingerie. A dab of 'Rue du Fubourg' by Hermes behind her ears would also be welcome. Much appreciated. Thanks.
큰 산 |
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Uploaded files: -4 | Total Sales: 1285
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Noonie
364 posts
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Message posted at 12/10/2007, 08:28:35 AM by Noonie |
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Very lovely girl--but now I'm quite concerned about her. I'm afraid that she doesn't know how much you are INTO wimmens clothing and things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But then what do I know about such things?
Ask me about gear ratios on racing bikes and components, where to hike the AT, and how to swim efficiently. I'm a lot of fun at a cocktail party!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe if I ever learn how to "talk" camera stuff I could spice things up a lot.
I just realized that someone else may be reading these--if they are, at least they know I'm not the ONLY Loonie out here. Do you get the quaint connection there of Loonie and my nickname?? My father actually gave it to me.
$$ is in the mail-------------------------------- |
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Nikon D200, Olympus C5060
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Uploaded files: 841 | Total Sales: 536
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