Making Money With Photography – Sell Photos Online
by admin on Mar.31, 2010, under Photography Business
By Cate Blatt
Many people believe that a professional camera is necessary to start making money with photography. The truth is that you can earn an income from photography with almost any camera if it provides a good enough resolution. One of the easiest ways to do so is to sell photos online.
You may be surprised to know that many of these stock photo sites accept images from any camera which have a resolution of 6 megapixels or high. Sure, not just anyone can sign up and start making money taking pictures of the family dog. But with some research and practice, you could eventually start selling your pictures at some of these sites.
So what does it take to become a good photographer and earn money through photography? It requires dedication, a decent camera, and a good eye. You can even learn basic photography with your simple point and shoot camera.
Once you have developed your photographic skills, it is important to understand what some criteria to best sell photos online. Here are a few things to consider:
• Choose a Subject – There is wildlife, landscape, urban, industrial and fashion photography along with many more categories. Pick an area of interest at first as you gain expertise.
• Learn Composition – You can find hundreds of online tutorials on composing images to bring out the best results. If you learn one composition technique per day, you are going to be taking very good pictures within a couple of weeks.
• Choose a Stock Photo Site – Every stock photography site is different, so familiarize yourself with places you can sell your pictures and read up on each site’s terms. Since you are a beginner you will want a less rigid site as far as requirements.
As you start submitting photos to stock sites for sale pay attention to your fellow submitters, especially the veterans. Things like proper titling and tagging can be important when you sell photos online as you are competing against a large pool of people.
Click here to learn how to start making money from photography by selling photos online.
Photography Course Online – Tips For Close-up Photographs of Flowers
by admin on Feb.24, 2010, under Photography Lessons
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Gardens and flowers may be beautiful subjects but they are not without their difficulties, especially when you move in close. Photography at this end of the spectrum normally produces more failures than successes so here are some tips to improve your nature photography.
At some you should also consider pursuing a photography course online that would guide you step by step through the technical aspects of close-up photography. There many ways to approach this fascinating area of photography and many choices to make with camera equipment.
The useful thing about choosing a garden as subject material is that your photograph is always very close by. You can start in your own backyard. Particularly with close-up photography, as you can spend hours in a square yard and not exhaust the possibilities. When photographing flowers or groups of flowers keep the background simple, this helps to emphasize the subject. Isolate the subject against a single color or place a colored card behind the flower. This works well with close-ups as a deck of colored cards can be very small and not a burden to carry.
Hazy sunshine is well suited for photographing gardens in color; this provides a generous, soft shadowless light. However, break the rule and photograph under any condition, they will all yield different and exciting results.
Use a tripod and a fast shutter speed when taking close-ups, even the slightest breeze or movement can ruin the photograph. This is the single most difficult problem to manage with close-up photography. Again however, put the tripod aside and use movement /soft focus and blur to your advantage. This can provide a more emotional photograph as opposed to clinical. A respectable photography course online would provide the necessary camera function aspects of introducing freeze and blur into your images.
To exaggerate color, use a shallow depth-of-field to separate the subject from the background. This should be quite simple to achieve as depth is very limited in close-up by the very nature of this area in photography.
Spray your subject with water to give a fresh rain or dew drop appearance. Carry a spray bottle with a fine mist nozzle at all times. This can be very effective at setting a mood and water adds a sparkle to the photograph.
If the weather outside is too horrible to venture into, bring flowers into the studio for still life subjects and gain total control. A single bloom can make a wonderful color or black and white graphic photograph.
In addition to flowers, there is an infinite range of subject material in the garden. Grasses, weeds, wild flowers, leaves, seeds, insects, spider webs, and the list goes on and on. Next time you are looking for something to photograph, look more closely in your own back yard.
By choosing a dependable photography course online you can learn these techniques and gain valuable insight for best possible results with close-up photography and nature.
Roo du Jardin is a photographer who runs an informational website about photography courses online. Read some more photography tips, techniques and resources at Online Photography Courses blog.
Photography For Beginners – Understanding Lenses
by admin on Feb.01, 2010, under Lenses
Interested in expanding your camera kit with an extra lens or two? Not sure about lens design and terminology associated with SLR lenses? Here is some information that may help in making that important decision. Good lenses are expensive and you need to get the optimum value for your purchase.
Types of Lenses
There are many types of lenses on the market today, too many to cover in detail here, but here are the most common types you will come across in your pursuit.
Prime or Zoom?
The first consideration is to decide whether you want a zoom lens or a prime lens. A zoom lens has variable focal length so it can function as several lenses in one package. A prime lens is fixed in focal length, so it is restricted to photography that is related to its size.
Photographers will still argue that a prime lens is always going to achieve a better result than a zoom. This is an optically sound argument; however, there have been some serious advances in optical technology over the past decades and the difference is now minimal.
Normal Lens
This lens is a prime and has a fixed focal length of 50 or 55mm. It is called a normal or standard lens as it provides a result the same as our normal viewing perspective. It is considered to be an all purpose lens and usually the first choice if purchasing a prime.
Zoom Lens
A zoom lens covers a variable focal length, the most popular being the 35 to 70mm zoom. This lens will give the same coverage as several prime lenses over this range.
Telephoto Lens
A telephoto is any prime lens with a focal length longer than 50mm. Lenses greater than 300mm are called super telephotos; these are generally in the 300, 500 and 1,000mm range. The greater the telephoto focal range, the greater the price tag.
Mirror Lens
A mirror lens is a telephoto lens but uses a combination of lenses and mirrors to achieve its telephoto capability. The main difference between conventional telephotos is its size, generally a lot shorter. This is great for handling and a cheaper alternative. The downside is it has a fixed aperture and provides less resolution.
Shift Lens
This lens is also known as a perspective correction lens, and has a rising and falling front panel that corrects perspective distortion and converging lines. These are mostly used in architectural photography.
Soft Focus Lens
These lenses are designed for different formats, are not that common and so are very expensive. The lens provides varying degrees of softness and is mainly used in fashion and portrait photography.
Macro Lens
Macro lenses are generally prime lenses and come in various focal lengths (not to be confused with the macro setting that most lenses come with). Macro lenses are for the serious macro photography as they are very expensive. Macro lenses are for extreme close-ups at a ratio of 1:1, 2:1 or larger.
Teleconverters
These lenses provide a cheap and simple way to extend the range of focal lengths without having to buy more lenses. These are fitted between the lens mount and the lens and increase the magnifying power of the original lens. A typical ratio is 2x and 3x converting a 50mm lens to 100mm and 150mm lens respectively.
These are a few ways to increase the capabilities of your camera that enables you to explore a greater variety of photographic subjects. Some are expensive, but others such as described here are not. There are some cheap alternatives available to help you take a further step in your photography.
Roo du Jardin is a photographer who runs an informational website about Online Photography Courses. Read some more tips, techniques and resources at Online Photography Courses blog.
Learn Digital Photography – 10 Keys to Buying a Digital Camera
by admin on Jan.27, 2010, under Digital Cameras
The question we have to answer when asked by a newbie photographer, “What camera do I buy”, is almost as complex as the answer to the question of life. There are just so many factors that have to be considered, which is why it’s important to look at a few keys to buying the right camera for you.
1. Consider what you need
This question can only be asked by you as only you know what you really need. The advice of friends is great and input from a close relative helps, but, the bottom line is really what you need and how you feel about a potential purchase. Don’t ever be swayed but what someone else likes and thinks you should like. Be decisive about your first purchase. You will have to live with it for a while and not your friend.
2. Decide what specifications you want
The focus here is on what you want and not just what you need. Don’t always go for the bare minimum because that is what you need. If you can afford something a little better for just a little extra money then go for it, within reason of course. Now that you have an idea on specifications you can start looking around. Don’t forget to take any advice into consideration at this point as well.
3. Check out camera sites
See what is available within the specifications you have decided on. What the price range is and what features there are over and above what you’ve decided upon. These will be the cameras you’ll focus on and come to a final decision on. Don’t forget that they are each trying to punt their own particular brand so be careful. Don’t be swayed at this point.
4. Visit forums and discussion groups
Once you have an idea on what you like and you’ve narrowed down your choice to a few models, visit forums and review sites and find out what others are saying about the different cameras and models. This will give you an idea as to what should be excluded and which you have to make a decision on. Join a few forums and ask questions about the particular models you are interested in and find out from users. They have already bumped their heads and made mistakes you won’t have to make.
5. Download the manuals
Most cameras will have a manufacturers website that allows the download of a pdf manual for the camera that you’re interested in. Read it and take a good look at all the features and specifications. This will give you a precise understanding of what it can and can’t do. Once you have this information you are ready to make your decision and find the best store to purchase your camera.
6. Visit online auction sites
If you are brave enough to bid on a reputable auction site then go ahead and start looking. There are often reputable dealers who offer ‘buy now’ prices that are slightly higher but still good, before the auction ends. The key here is reputable. Sometimes you’ll pick up a fantastic deal if you are willing to take the risk.
7. Visit reputable stores
You’ll probably find that the best deal you’ll find will be online and the problem here is that you cannot tell by how the site looks if it is reputable. So do some research first and find out if they really are. Look at price comparison sites such as bizrate.com and pricescan.com. They will often have a star rating for their service and value for money.
8. Avoid grey market products
Grey market products are usually items that have been purchased outside the normal distribution channels of a county. This is usually from another country that has a cheaper price due to taxes and other factors. These products don’t carry the same range of serial numbers available in your country and will often not have warranties honoured locally.
9. Avoid extended warranties
This is where many manufacturers make a lot of money and you will often be pushed to take one. Unless of course you are fearful of a camera breakdown outside the warranty, don’t be pressured into taking one.
10. Optional extras
Watch out for a bunch of extras with a camera deal. Someone is paying for these and the most likely person is you. A bag, extra lens, cleaning kits and host of other little things all add up and somebody has to pay for it. Look at just the camera and add items you feel are necessary. You might even be able to buy a slightly better model without all the extras. Be careful of sales talk.
So there you have it. Follow these guidelines and you will stand a better chance of buying a digital camera without any regrets. Happy shooting!
Do you want to learn more about photography in a digital world? I’ve just completed a brand new e-course delivered by e-mail. Download it here for free: http://www.21steps2perfectphotos.com/. To learn how you can take your photography from ordinary to outstanding visit http://www.21steps2perfectphotos.com/21steps.htm.
Wayne Turner has been teaching photography for 25 years and has written three books on photography.
Canon Eos Digital Rebel Cameras – The Gifts That Keep on Giving
by admin on Dec.31, 2009, under Digital Cameras
By Wayne Rasku
Canon has some really great igital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. In fact there are two excellent Canon EOS Digital Rebel cameras to choose from. They are the Canon Rebel 450D XSi and the Canon Rebel 500D T1i.
Usually, they are referred to as Rebel XSi and Rebel T1i, OR Rebel 450D and Rebel 500D. The lower number – 450D – is the older of the two cameras, meaning it was released before the 500D. Canon came up with a numbering system for their Rebel line of cameras which began in 2003 with the Rebel 300D. Each successive camera has been named with the addition of 50 to the name.
OK, so what makes these DSLRs good gifts? Here are a few reasons to consider:
- Great image quality. This line of cameras has always been rated at the top of the entry level category for image quality. The quality is nearly as good as the much more expensive models.
- Inexpensive price. These are not Point-and-Shoot cameras, so you must expect to pay more than you would for compact digital cameras. However, prices have dropped way down below the $1000 price tag of the original Rebels.
- DSLR capabilities. What more can be said. Every budding photographer dreams of the day he or she will be able to switch camera lenses to get the perfect picture. Photographers are like golfers when it comes to gear – the newest gear will improve their “game”.
Which of the two Canon EOS Digital Rebel cameras you choose is really dependent on only a couple of things.First is price – there is approximately $150 difference between the two cameras. The T1i is the more expensive model because of two very important considerations. HD Video and Creative Auto.
Second is HD Video and Creative Auto. No, this is not a typo. The two features that make the Rebel T1i cost more than the XSi are the reasons for buying the T1i rather than the XSi. If that does not make sense, consider this. Almost all point and shoot digital cameras have video capability, and they have an LCD screen with a preview of the photo that is about to be taken. Not all DSLRs have these two features. In fact the Rebel XSi does not, but the T1i does have them. Actually, Creative Auto is a lot more technologically sophisticated than a live view on the LCD screen, but suffice it to say that the photographer you are thinking of will really appreciate it.
Hopefully, this brief overview of Canon EOS Digital Rebel cameras will be of help in your decision. There is much more detail at http://www.digital-photographic-resources.com.
