Shooting for Stock Photography

A great way to earn money and learn a lot in the internet is participating in stock photography. Stock photography has been around for a while. And there are a lot of great stock sites that sell photographs for a reasonable price.

Just how and what should you shoot to be able to participate in stock photography?

Photographers say you should start with the concept. But the very first thing you should do is to know your equipment. I literally spent ten times more time trying to know how my camera works than thinking of something to shoot.

Stock photography is a very demanding industry. It's as close as you'll get to professional photography. It requires you to be able to produce images of the highest quality. That is because this industry is very competitive.

Try shooting the same subject with different settings. You should know how your camera reacts with different kinds of light. You should also know how it responds to different levels of illumination. Note the differences you see and keep them in mind.

Next you need a concept. Your images should present an idea, a thought or an expression. Consider a photograph of a man typing on a computer. What is he doing? Why is he typing? Is he working? Is he Blogging? Or just playing?

Designers buy stock images because of the concept they present - not because they look good. Stock photos are used in web sites, brochures, magazines, publications, advertisements, and almost anything that has a print.

So you need to have an image that has a concept that satisfies the needs of the would-be buyers of your pictures.

Then, you need a lot of light. Stock photos require that images have the right level of illumination and contrast. They need to be clear. If you can't afford a big set-up, you can always use desk lamps or even the sun.

You'll also need a computer and two kinds of programs: noise reduction tool and a photo editing application. Most stock photographs go through a noise reduction process. They also get a little tweaking in color, contrast and brightness.

Stock photographs need to be as close to perfect as possible. It's like what they say in the computer graphics industry: "it does not matter how you do it as long as you get the job done." Don't think that editing a photo in your pc is cheating. That only goes for journalism.

The next is pretty simple. You need a stock agency to upload your images to. Or you can showcase your work in your own site. Uploading in stock agencies is better. That is because you can find out where and how to improve. Use their powerful community to find out your weakness and strengths as a photographer.

Then when you have all this, what you need to do next is to be consistent and improve and improve and improve. You need to keep up with the ever demanding industries. If you don't, you'll get left behind.

Art and Religion

Art is an important element of a society’s ability to translate its religious belief to its members and to the world. Religion uses verbal arts, music, and pictorial arts in order to preserve its traditions and messages.

Verbal arts, such as myths, are used to explain why a religion has certain beliefs. These beliefs often stem from religious theories of creation and existence. Other verbal arts used to maintain religious timelines and storylines are legends. Legends are stories told and passed down as true accounts of what happened. (Haviland, 2002, pp.394-399). They are intended to support the greatness of a group’s heroes or god. In Ancient Greek society legends about heroes such as Hercules, were told to reflect the strengths and weaknesses of mortals.

Music is also a very important element of religious systems. It is used to unite and identify its members. Music is a very important element in African American religious groups and has developed into a unique style, gospel. The incorporation of traditional African rhythms and harmonies, helped unite this group of people in the south during times of slavery, and gave them a unifying force and power. Gospel was used further to transmit information long distances in the fields, and thus again it was being used as a unifying and communication system. Lyrics in songs also could be used as a way for religions in non-literate cultures to preserve oral histories and mythologies. (Haviland, 2002, pp. 403-406).

Pictorial arts are used as physical representations of religious themes and accounts. Religious art takes on many forms and styles, and reflect the ideologies and mythologies of a society. (Haviland, 2002, pp.406-414). Christian art is based on stories told from the Bible, usually depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, his resurrection, or the Madonna. However pre-Christian symbolism has also been incorporated into these types of paintings that preserve European religious beliefs that pre-date Christianity. These pagan symbols, however, are applied to Christian mythologies. Islamic art, unlike Christian art, does not use figurative themes based on people or animals. This is because portraying humans and animals is seen as a form of idolatry. Therefore they developed a style of art that had an abstract and geometric motif. Words from the Qu’ran are deemed sacred and very important to calligraphy was developed as a beautiful art and used to transmit religious ideologies.

References

Haviland, William A. (2002). Cultural Anthropology. (10th ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers.

Lee, Valerie L., and Searles, Richard T. (2002). Study Guide for the Telecourse Faces of Culture. (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Art in America: The Hudson River School

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In the mid-1830s, when America was still a fledging nation, its first true style of landscape painting was born. This style was dubbed the Hudson River School. As with other art "schools," the Hudson River School was not in fact an actual school in the sense of an academic institution. It was, however, an artistic institution, in the way colleagues adhere to a similar style and enjoy each other's company.

The Hudson River School was so named because most of its adherents worked in that region, and the earliest landscapes in the style depicted the Hudson River, the Catskill Mountains, and the Adirondack Mountains (The Hudson originates in the Adirondacks and then goes down through the Catskills before continuing its way to New York City and the ocean.) The Hudson River School enjoyed considerable influence among artists of the day, and leaves a lasting legacy, as it flourished for 40 years, until the mid-1870s.

Members of the Hudson River School were friends, and often visited with each other, and also traveled together with their families. They would travel all over New York and New England, and even went to the Middle East and Europe. During the years of America's western expansion, the members of the school also followed the trend. 

They began painting landscapes from Nebraska, the Southwest, Yellowstone and Yosemite. Additionally, some of them headed to Latin America to paint the lush scenes afforded by the tropical climate.

The Hudson River School is thought to have been founded by Thomas Cole, a prominent artist of the time. Other influential and well-known artists belonging to the school include Albert Bierstadt, John Frederick Kensett, Frederic Church, Jasper Cropsey, Alfred Thompson Bricher, Asher B. Durand, and Sanford Robinson Gifford.

The elements and themes that characterize the Hudson River School are in keeping with the general feelings and optimisms of the time. There is a great attention to nature, and a loyalty to its accurate depiction. Favorite themes include those that make use of light at sunrise or sunset or skies that are clear blue. 

Thomas Kinkade's work today is reminiscent of the Hudson River School with regard to its use of light (though not often similarity of subject). Other themes include the evocation of a sense of serenity, presenting America as a new paradise, the incarnation of Eden. The main technical distinction of the Hudson River School is its artists' use of brush strokes that are practically invisible.

Making Sure Mom Gets What She Needs at Her Baby Shower

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When throwing a baby shower one of the main concerns of the host is whether or not the mom to be will get what she needs. There are several different ways that you can ensure that she will get everything that she needs. This article will discuss those options. First you could purchase all of the gifts yourself, but that is really being unrealistic, since most people just do not have that type of money. The bet ways is to make sure that the mom to be registers for all of the items she wants or needs. 

There are really dozens of different registries that you can choose from. One of the most popular ones is Babies R Us. What makes there registry so good is that anyone can purchase something for you no matter where they live. Also their staff is very helpful, but in store and online. Once she registers you will want to make sure, that all of the guest know that she is registered and where she is registered at. You can do this by putting it on the invitations. Then once everyone calls to rsvp, you can really stress the fact that she would love to get the items she really needs off of her baby registry. 

Another option is to have everyone go in on a group gift. What you do is have all of the guests make a min contribution of about twenty dollars. This way they can still get their own gift, and they will be included in the group gift as well. This has worked very well for me in the past. We were actually able to get just about everything on the mom to be's list. In addition she will also get a lot of other nice items. You will see how much it really is appreciated when she is able to get just abut everything that she requested. Also make sure that in addition to what she put on her registry, you get something just for her. Most people will get spa kits for mom, or even a spa gift certificate. This way either before or after the baby comes she can get a day of rest and relaxation. What mom does not want and deserve that? 

When it comes to making sure that the mom to be gets everything she needs it really is up to you the hostess to make sure that this happens. It really is not as difficult as it sounds, although it will take a little more work on your part, it definitely is something that can be done.

Where to Find Great Black and White Photography Online

Photo Credit: celtics baby clothes

Black and white photography looks great in any décor. You can find just about anything, in any size, to match just about any room. Plus, the neutral tones of black and white photography ensure that it will match just about any color scheme. Here are some of the best places on the web to purchase black and white photography.

AllPoster.com

AllPoster.com is a fantastic site for cheap artwork. Now, cheap doesn't mean poor quality - quite the contrary, in fact. You can find just about anything - traditional paintings, classical art, black and white photography, large posters of bands, musicians, movies and more. They also offer framing.

My Top Pick: "City Street Signs" by Nelson Figueredo - $24.99 (Price doesn't include shipping and handling, or optional framing.)

Why I Chose This Piece: I love New York, more importantly - I love Broadway. Of course, Broadway and West 34th Street is practically the center of the theatre district. It's a great way to bring a little bit of Broadway right into my own home.

The Wall Art Store

This online store has a lot of fantastic, very 'artsy' black and white photos. They offer free shipping and all of the photos come framed, they even offer a few different selections for matting and frames. However, prices can run you from $55 dollars and all the way up to $919. Ouch. However, the quality is very high - so you can be sure you're getting your money's worth.

My Top Pick: "Stonehenge Sunrise" by Matthew De Haven - $50.00 (Price does not include shipping, handling or frame.
Why I Chose This Piece: I love Stonehenge, it's a fascinating place. The fog adds to the mystery of the structure and it's a great piece to add to a global photography collection.

Artful Home

This website offers a lot of wonderful photographs, but the prices run fairly average. The bottom line photographs start at $110 dollars and run up to several thousand dollars - so this isn't the most budget friendly site. However, if you've got the extra cash lying around, it's a great option and chances are you'll spend similar amounts at local art studios, especially if you live in a metropolitan area.

My Top Pick: "Winter Trees I" through Phoenix Galleries - $299.00 (price includes free shipping as well as framing and matting.)

Why I Chose This Piece: This particular photograph would be great for my fiancé's office. He loves the look of trees in the winter, so this is a great piece for him.

AbsoluteArts.com

Absolute Arts caters to the United States, the UK, China and more - and their prices range anywhere from $10 to $1,000,000. With more than 2500 works of art, you'll be sure to find exactly what you're looking for with this website.

My Top Pick: "Merced River Ice" by Ron Gallmeier - $330, Small; $665, Medium; and $1000, Large.
Why I Chose This Piece: Again, this is another piece I know my fiancé would really appreciate. Plus, I love the look of the water, the snow and the trees - so it's something we would both really enjoy in any room of our home.

So whether you've got $10 or $10,000 - you'll be sure to find the ideal pieces of black and white photography to fit your home décor and personal tastes.

Photography Project #1: Recreate Family Photos

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A fun photography project you can do with your family or friends is to recreate special photographs. Here's how to do it:

Gather old photographs. Take a look through your photo albums to gather the old photo(s) you'll use. Try to go back as far as you can. If you're a teen recreating a moment from your childhood just a few years before, you'll have a large enough contrast. If you're an adult you'll want to go back further to a time when you looked somewhat different than you do now. Pick out a photo that is really memorable to you and others. The photo could have been embarrassing when it was taken, but you laugh about it now. Narrow down your top choices and consider which ones you can realistically recreate.

Grab your family and friends in the original photograph. After you've selected a photograph make sure your photo subjects are on board with recreating the special moment. If someone didn't like their hair in a certain photo now is the time for them to change it a bit. If the photo is a goofy or silly moment you'll want to maintain that same humorous nature.

Dress the part. You don't have to try to recreate the hair and clothing styles of the 90's, 80's, 70's, 60's, but you can wear the same type of clothing. If you're wearing suit in the original photograph, put on another suit. You may also want to similar colors if possible. If a fashion has come back in style similar what you're wearing in the original photograph, that could make for a stylish comparison.

Find the location. Try to go to the same location as the original photograph so both background and setting will be consistent. In some cases there may be a location you can't access. You may not be able to get into your old high school cafeteria. Or maybe you've moved to a different house. Try to find a similar location. If the photo was taken in your old kitchen, take a similar one in your new kitchen.

Study the poses. If you and a couple of friends have distinct poses in the old photo do exactly the same thing. If the photo is more of a close up then focus more on having the same facial expressions.

Place the photos side-by-side. Now that you've taken your recreated photograph take a look at the old and new images. What similarities do you see? What differences? Enjoy your new photo as you've just created new memories.

Christmas Photography Tips and Advice

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For Christmas photography tips, or any sort of photography, we want the best results to come from our time and effort. Christmas photography captures special moments, especially when children are involved. In fact, this leads to my first Christmas photography tip:

(1) Focus on the children first. This admittedly is a bias of mine, but Christmas foremost should be a children's holiday. This applies to gift-giving, and also to photography. If you disagree and/or if adults are at the center of your Christmas, fine, that's just my opinion. Just think of ol' Art Linkletter: "Kids Say the Funniest Things." Kids also make the best photo subjects, and regardless, Christmas (like Trix cereal) is for Kids.

Our Top Ten Christmas photography tips are going to relate to the strategy of taking the best photos, not to the type of camera. That's a whole 'nuther topic. In fact, yours truly is not even a shutterbug. My advice comes from working as a local daily newspaper reporter, among some of the best professional photographers, going back to the 1970s when they still used darkrooms, up to today in the digital age. These Christmas photography tips are geared toward how you interact with your subjects, once the camera is chosen and the lighting adjustments are made.

(2) Don't be one of these photographers who is constantly out front and interrupting things, asking people to pose. For your best Christmas photography, be the fly on the wall. Stay in the background and take candid photos of what's happening, photos in which the subjects don't realize you're taking their photos.

(3) A lower angle (shooting "upward" toward the subjects and the scene) often yields better results. Don't hesitate to sprawl on the floor.

(4) In your Christmas photography, look for sequences of events. A photo is just one moment in time and to capture a sequence, many folks nowadays prefer a video camera. Still, there's nothing like a series of photos. For example: (A) Child awaits anxiously for gift-giving to begin. (B) Child receives wrapped gift. ( C ) Child tears wrapping off of gift. (D) Child reacts to gift.

(5) In fact, your sequence of events could begin hours earlier. Child helps decorate tree. Child puts on Christmas outfit. Etc.

(6) Just because you're staying out of the spotlight with your camera, that doesn't mean you can't be persistent. Patience is a virtue in waiting for just the right moment, just the right shot.

(7) Be a minimalist. Don't try to illustrate the whole scene of the Christmas event at once. If it's a party, take turns focusing on individual participants, or no more than two or three in one frame. If your Christmas photography involves a group of carolers, go ahead and photograph the whole group, but also aim for closeups of one caroler, or a small group.

(8) If you still want some posed Christmas photography for the archives, that's fine. Try to do the posing at the conclusion of the shindig, not at the start or during the middle.

(9) For posed photos, try to keep the number of subjects small. Let's imagine the group of Christmas revelers is 20. Go ahead and shoot the group of 20, but keep in mind that with so many folks in there, their faces are going to be the sizes of dimes. Also shoot "subgroups" with three, four, five people.

(10) When people pose in groups, have them put their heads as close together as possible. This may seem like a minor point, but when you see the results, you'll understand. Faces can be 20 percent larger and up close if we eliminate the wasted space between their heads.

SOURCES

Personal experience

http://digital-photography-school.com/16-christmas-photography-tips

http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/Christmas-pictures.html

http://photography.about.com/od/christmas/Christmas_Photography.htm