Photographer Appreciation Month on October, 2024: Best website for selling art?

October, 2024 is Photographer Appreciation Month 2024. Keeping it Simple (KISBYTO): Photographer Appreciation Month Photographer Appreciation

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Hi,

I am a photographer and also design abstract textures in Photoshop. I don't do any vector stuff. I have been contributing to a few stock sites for a few months now. Here is my assessment so far:

1. iStockphoto - You have to submit test images. I'm not sure how many vector images they require. I applied to be a photographer and it was 3. It took me 2 tries to get in. They are fairly strict compared to a few of the other microstock sites. I've made a handful of sales there but only have about 40 images in my portfolio. I have read that they are great for vector artists. My 3rd best earner.

2. Shutterstock - 10 images as a test submission. Again it took me 2 tries to get in. They are for me slightly less strict than iStockphoto and I make quite a few downloads with them. They are my top earner.

3. Texturevault - only about a year old but they are my 2nd best earner. They operate like the other stock sites in that each image is approved or not approved by a reviewer but they don't require any test submissions to get in.

4. Dreamstime, Fotolia, BigStock, 123RF, Featurepics...all of these are pretty lame for me as far as sales go. I keep uploading however as I do get scattered sales.

Hope this helps!

Why is my film grainy?

Hi Mary Jo,

In order for you, and others to understand your own question, you should really begin to use proper terminology. Most people know what you're talking about with this particular question because people use these same incorrect terms so often that we are all used to it. However, when it comes to technology of any kind, how one communicates about it often leads to a better understanding of its actual workings. So...

1--There is no film in your DSLR. Only video. You can say "shooting" or "recording" if you want to describe the action of creating video. While everyone takes this kind of phrasing for granted, differentiating the two will lead to a greater appreciation for their differences. Shooting film and shooting video are two very different things yet similar in some ways too. Keeping this in mind (once you become aware of the differences and similarities) will help you shoot whichever format on which you are currently shooting.

2--There is no grain in your DSLR's images, only pixels. For simplicity's sake, grain is what film images are made up of. Digital images are made up of pixels. Higher ISO's reveal the limitations of these pixels in the form of noise. Just the same way that if you turn a cheaper stereo up really loud, the music sounds distorted. Simply said, increasing ISO introduces noise to a digital image. So this is a perfect example of if you used the correct terminology, you'd probably understand what the cause of your problem is; that your ISO is too high ie, there is not enough light.

3--"Washed out" has been a popular student photographer/videographer term for overexposed and/or flat contrast for decades. Rather than use proper photographic terms, people have just come up with a description of what the image looks like to a layman. However, again, if you use the correct terminology, suddenly you know quite a bit about what the problem is. Overexposed images are the result of too much exposure, too slow a shutter, too wide an aperture and/or too high an ISO. Seeing a pattern here? Images can also lose contrast, become flat, with an increase in ISO or shooting in dim light which is typically low contrast also.

4--The "sunlight whites out everything"? Again, exposure. You do not have a fast enough shutter, small enough aperture or low enough an ISO so the sun, sky and bright objects (particularly white ones) are overexposed. By saying "overexposed" instead of "whites out", you automatically know what the actual problem is! Amazing, huh? Furthermore, he's a GREAT example of how film and digital are different. Print film shows more detail in overexposed portions of an image than digital. When digital images are overexposed, they "clip" or show zero detail in highlights. When print film images are overexposed, they can show quite a lotof detail in the highlights. This is known as exposure latitude, a primary difference between digital video and film.

5--How can you fix it? You can start by reading a basic photography manual. Follow it up by reading a basic video manual. Study the users manual that came with your camera and apply what else you've read to your specific camera. Take some classes. Educate yourself on the basics.

6--Another thing to keep in mind here is that when viewing your images on the LCD preview screen of your camera, they are very small and one only sees flaws in an image as it gets bigger. The issues become more obvious. And you also have to calibrate you DSLR's LCD screen as well as your computer monitor. Calibration is the process of setting up a monitor so that it looks as the item being displayed on it was intended to look. Most people don't bother calibrating their monitors and then wonder why their photography/video look totally different from camera to computer or on different computers. Or worse, they may not even notice any difference!

So you're on the right track by asking these questions and seeking a higher quality image. Now your next step is simply to study! Good luck with your videography!

I'm getting a polaroid 104 camera, and i'm wondering if i can let the film sit in it?

Hey there! Good question, one that a lot of people starting out in film ask. While film is organic and expires, there is no need to be feel pressured to shoot it all at once. You can leave the film in the camera for months, even years under the right conditions, without ruining it. I recommend shooting away and enjoying your camera and the unique experience of peel apart instant film though! Personally, when I start shooting FP-3000b at parties, people want more and more photos, so I end up blowing through several packs in a couple hours! I hope you'll find this film as much fun to shoot with too!

Film is best kept in a cool, dark, dry place. So you can make your film last the longest by not letting your camera sit in direct sunlight, in heat, etc when you're not using it. Peel apart film can even be refrigerated but, as is also asked by many new film shooters, do not put your camera in the fridge just because there's film inside! This can mess up the camera and isn't necessary anyway.

Btw, if you want to buy lots of this film, BHPhoto.com has excellent prices on it if you didn't already know that. That's where I get mine. When you think about the fact that you're getting film, processing, printing AND a unique experience from each pack of instant film, the $10 per 10 shots is a great deal!

And please don't get swayed by MOGAPALs (Mean Old Geezers Against Polaroid And Lomo) and their discouraging comments. Oddly, old men who were born in the 50's seem to get off on telling kids not to enjoy other things created in the 50's. They seem to think that the age of a technology determines its value. They seem to forget how long people have been using and enjoying things like wheels for example. They're hundreds of thousands of years old but I sure wouldn't want to ride a bike without them! Personally, I think old photographers overwhelmingly prefer digital cameras because they have some sort of complex about appearing as though they are dinosaurs who are not keeping up with the times so they overcompensate for their lack of appreciation for younger photographers enjoyment of the history of photography. Maybe they take for granted the greatness of film since they grew up through a time that it was so common. Who knows? But go out there and enjoy your Polaroid! Leave the film in it, but not too long! Keep shooting!