Photography

OK, perhaps it’s time I seek some therapy…  Oh and don’t look in the closet cause there might be another one in there too.  And does the iPhone camera count?  Oh bother.

My precious-es...

Create a stock photograph out of them!   
Confused?  OK, for those new to my blog I shoot stock photography in my
spare time.  I shoot a lot of technology related stock photos, partly
because they are good sellers and partly because I’m a computer geek and
surrounded by the stuff.  Over the weekend I was going to shoot some stock
photos using my laptop.  Since I have 4 cats I have a bit of a problem with
cat hair… everywhere!  It particularly likes to collect in the crevices
of my laptop keyboard.  Well, I had the bright idea of trying to vacuum it
out of those crevices with my handy-dandy shop-vac.  This turned out to be
a mistake.  Yep, I managed to suck the "G" key right off the
keyboard.

Hmm, this certainly appeared to put a stop to my plans… or so I
thought!  I broke out one of my favorite stock photography props… some miniature model railroad figures painted to look like construction workers.  I arranged them around the missing keyboard
key as
though they were diligently fixing the problem.  Viola!  Lemonade… so to speak.

These little figures can be really fun to photograph and are great for
concept imagery.  Click on the link below to see some more examples of my
stock photography shots where I’ve used miniature railroad figures.  Sorry for the
annoying watermarks folks, I’ve gotta protect my work from evil internet picture
stealers.

More >

In February of this year I jumped into the world of shooting stock photography and have been having a blast with it. You can read past posts about that by clicking
here,
here
and here. This little hobby of mine has really made a big impact on my life and
has been surprisingly profitable as well.  As a bonus I have had the
pleasure of seeing my photos in advertisements, brochures and websites all over
the place.  One of the most recent finds is here on the New
York Magazine blog.  Yep, those are my feet. 

Over this time I have really pushed my little consumer grade Canon 350D DSLR
camera to it’s limits.  I found myself wanting something more professional
and with more features.  In September, going against my “immediate
gratification” persona, I began saving my earnings from stock photography
and from my Motogear_4_Her
store with the hope of buying a more professional grade camera
and lens.  After 3 long months of saving I finally purchased a Canon 5D and
a 24-105mm f/4 L IS lens.  It should arrive on Monday and I’m so excited I
can’t stand it!  This new gear, along with all that I have learned over
these last 10 months, will allow me to take my photography to a whole new
level.  I have set some big goals for myself for the coming year and if all
goes as planned I will be one happy, happy girl.

As I mentioned in
a previous post my latest obsession has been shooting photographs to sell as
stock photography.  I’ve been doing it for a little over 2 months and I’m
hopelessly hooked on it.  In that time I have sold over 800 downloads of my
photos, which completely astounds me.  The only downside to the way my
images are sold is that I will rarely know how my images are used.  The
people who buy them are not required to tell me how they will use them, nor are
they required to give me credit. 
The only way I’ll know is if I or someone else happens to see one of my photos
out in the world and tells me about it, which again is very
rare.  Well, today I found one of my photos being used on a website and
they even gave me credit for it by adding my name!  The first image
below is the one that was used. (Sorry, it has the iStockPhoto watermark on it to
protect it from being copied – which is the faint ‘X’ that you see)  The small thumbnail
photo below it is a link to a partial screenshot from the website where I found
it. (I didn’t want to link to it directly as I’m sure the site will change
eventually)  Click on the thumbnail to see if full sized.

Click the image above to see it full sized

Sure, the picture is small and not very glamorous but I got paid for it
nonetheless.   
It’s
the first time I’ve seen my stock work in use, and as a bonus was given credit
for it by name, so I have to make a big deal about
it.
If any
of my family and friends would like to familiarize themselves with my photos so
you can help me find where they might be used then please click the link below to view
one of my stock portfolios.  If you stumble upon any of my shots being used in an
advertisement, billboard, website or whatnot I’d be forever grateful if you’d shoot me an email
letting me know.  I upload new images to this site fairly often so be sure to check
it occasionally
to see my newest work.

Shutterstock.com
Portfolio

Are you a budding photographer?  Do people often tell you that your
pictures are excellent?  Then you too can make money with your photos! 
It’s a lot easier than you might think.  If you would like to try your hand
at stock photography please use my referral links below and try it out for
yourself!

Shutterstock.com
iStockPhoto.com
Dreamstime.com
Fotolia.com

I’m still alive, really.  Quite honestly I’ve been behind my camera shooting like mad.  I have
taken on a new obsession that combines my love for taking pictures with my
desire to make money.  Put them together and you get stock photography. 
Stock photography consists of photos and images that advertisers, graphic
designers and publishers use in websites, newsletters, advertisements,
brochures, etc.  I’m working with 4 different online agencies right now and
doing pretty well with my small but growing portfolio.  It gives me an
excuse to take pictures, which I love to do, and as a bonus I get paid for
it.  Who could ask for more?  Admittedly, some of the things I take
pictures of would normally be considered boring or unimaginative but so what,
people buy them.  To get an idea of the types of pictures I take for stock
you can click the links below to see a couple of my portfolios. (each will open a
new window)

Shutterstock.com
Portfolio
iStockphoto.com
Portfolio

When I’m not behind my camera I’ve been riding my motorcycle. Spring has
sprung and the weather has been awesome for riding.   
Before I go I thought I would post some fun new kitty pictures below.  The
top one is Wasabi hiding in his favorite Diet Coke box.  The next is a shot of
all 4
of our kitties scarfing down some food.  Food, specifically tuna, is the only way you can get
them all in one shot.

In order from left to right: Mazy, Hobbes, Wasabi, and Emma

Bye for now!