A digital problem, hopefully soon to disappear, is that many photographers have been using digital cameras which produce output files that are just too small for magazine use. A colleague has just fallen foul of this having spent six months in Bolivia and Peru where he had taken lots of really nice pictures but at such a low file size as to be virtually unusable. Unfortunately he used a small megapixel compact, so has had pictures for his articles rejected by editors.
My colleague was certainly despondent but I cheered him up by suggesting that it won't be long before there is software which will mean that such images can be upsized without any severe degradation. We must surely get to this, as computers, cameras and peripherals are reaching the point where it is no longer financially worthwhile trying to get that extra small percentage of improvement. I have been told by a couple of photographers already, that the latest Kodak 14N delivers results equal to medium format, no doubt due to its full frame. One is a photographer who shoots architecture and corrects perspective in Photoshop afterwards. When other reluctant manufacturers, notably Nikon and Fuji, move to full rather than half frame, it might well mean the end of further sales, so they are spinning it out for as long as possible, I guess.
Film Not Dead Yet
This all impacts on me as a travel photographer. I now use digital for what it's good for, and film for the rest, horses for courses. So any low-light shooting is great with digital, but for scenics I'll stick with film a bit longer. One major reason is that the link between the camera and computer as regards backup is still a problem, for me at least. I recently read about a wildlife photographer who takes all the usual camera equipment plus two portable hard drives for backup plus a laptop for even more. I have no idea how anyone in this post 9/11 security-conscious era gets all that onto an aircraft as carry-on baggage with a 7kg maximum allowance, but would love to know!
I am about to shoot in Japan again, and have bought a Innoplus Phototainer 80GB portable hard drive, so hope this will last a bit longer than the seven days the Nixvue Vista did, on which I lost 250 images.
Happy Shooting!
Jeremy Hoare is a freelance travel photographer residing in London, England. Phone/Fax: +44 20 7722 2065. E-mail: jeremyhoare@hotmail.com. .
Welcome
to AvailableStockPhotos.com. Here's where you'll
find information about travel photography, travel photography how-to, and selling pictures.
Flowers & Wildlife + Railways
Working as a travel photographer, numerous opportunities keep presenting themselves which seem too good to pass by, even for "over-worked" subjects. Here is what shooting Flowers & Wildlife, and Railways, means to me in practical terms.
There are so many flower pictures it might not seem worth using any more film on them. Talk of over-saturated markets! However, I'm always on the lookout for a new angle. Or I go out when the light is interesting, such as after rain when it's far more atmospheric and you can get good and different images.
The standard 'mugshots,' which most go for, I also do myself, just so I have them covered. But I never spend much time doing this, just a few frames. A reflector can be a useful addition to the kit for this work; maybe a flash if you can make sure the resulting photo doesn't look like a flash picture. The key thing with flowers is usually defeating the high contrast, especially on a sunny day. Which is the reason most flower specialists shoot using Fuji Velvia on a bright but overcast day if they can. It makes for bold colours but flattens the contrast enough to make the image more acceptable.
Wildlife can be fun to shoot, but unless you have the right equipment and the patience of a saint, you are not likely to get outstanding sales possibilities. I possess neither of the two former attributions, but manage now and then to capitalize on some opportunities. For example, I got up early when I was in Kakadu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory, and made sure I got the front seat on the crocodile boat ride. I was able to take good pictures of a Jabiru bird with a handheld 400mm lens, and could cover far more than I expected. On another occasion, at an Orang-utang sanctuary outside Kuching in Sarawak, I got some good pictures at feeding time. But I admired the German guy who was there, using a Nikon with a 600mm lens plus a 1.6x extender plus flash all mounted on a heavy tripod. I'm sure he gets good images, but I'm not that dedicated to wildlife work to go through all that. I only do it now and then when a possibility looms up.
As for railways, a very enjoyable way of travelling for me is by train, and this always presents opportunities. I make sure I get to a station early enough to take pictures, not be in a mad scramble to catch the train. Again, in early morning or evening the light can provide that magical quality which will make the difference between whether a picture is sold or not. I usually travel Economy Class, but once on the train, I usually ask the Conductor if I can shoot in the First Class carriages. I traveled on The Ghan from Adelaide up to Alice Springs in Australia, and persuaded the conductor to open a window so I could hold the camera out at arm's length, take an educated guess what the 28mm lens was seeing, then shoot along the side of the train whilst in the outback. A risky thing to do, but wrapping the shoulder strap tightly round your hand will prevent you from dropping the camera!
Jeremy Hoare is a freelance travel photographer residing in London, England. Phone/Fax: +44 20 7722 2065. E-mail: jeremyhoare@hotmail.com. Web: www.travelwriters.com/jeremyhoare.
Travel photographers will find profitable information in the newsletter, TravelWriter Marketletter, produced by Robert Scott Milne. For info: reiko@travelwriterml.com . Ask for a sample to be sent to you.
Business
Notepad
MODEL RELEASE.
As an editorial photographer, will you need a model release pad in your photo bag or back pocket ? No, you won’t, and this video explains why.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DevxX-e57j8 ... Full
Story
The cost of travel overseas is always
prohibitive for the stock photographer just starting out.
One way to skirt around this problem is to become a home based
travel agent. Make money from home as an independent travel
agent and see the world at a discount! Get details from this
informative eBook.
TRAVEL WRITER?
Does your job allow you to travel - or would you like to travel because of your job?
Become a travel writer.
Visit some of the most breathtaking locations in the world absolutely free. And you'll get paid to go!
Could you describe your travel experiences to a friend with passion and clarity? If so, you might well have what it takes to be a successful travel writer.
Look into this Ebook. It lays out a blueprint on how to become a successful travel writer.
http://daisy501.wp3033773 .hop.clickbank.net
Q: Who sponsors free trips and other free
benefits for travel writers? How does one
retain independence and integrity as a writer
in these circumstances?
M.O'S., Dublin
A: Tourist boards and travel companies are the
main sponsors of press trips. It is vitally important
that travel writers maintain their objectivity at all
times, and particularly when they are writing about
locations they've been hosted at for free or
at greatly reduced cost.
There are a number of approaches you can adopt to
ensure you maintain independence in your writing.
For example, if you come across something you
don't like, rather than write it up as if you did like
it, you can: 1) write a critical review; 2) mention only
good aspects of your experience and ignore the less desirable points;
3) straightforwardly review both the good and "bad."
Which approach you take will depend on the type of
writing you wish to focus on (do you wish to be
known for writing critical reviews?) and the overall
experience - were there sufficient good points to
mention that the few shortcomings were minor to
the overall experience?
If you intend to write up a story about a travel
experience, you can't omit to mention any major
shortcomings that might influence a reader's
decision on whether or not to visit the destination.
Under no circumstances can you write up a bad
experience (in your estimation) as a good one.
Essentially, it boils down to being professional at all
times and in all your dealings. If a writer isn't
professional and objective, editors will soon realize
that their articles lack accuracy (readers will
complain!) and these writers won't find themselves
very busy in future.
Source: Freelance Travel Writer newsletter. Hermitage
Media, 19 Stephen Court 52, Victoria Drive, London
SW19 6BD, U.K. default@ freelancetravelwriter.com
$147/ £97 per year
Of
Interest
When Security Is a Security Risk
Yet another fake Windows Security Center is out there. Current Windows products include a Security Center that warns you of dangerous conditions, like whether you have a firewall installed, if you’ve turned off Window’s Automatic Updates and the status of your anti-virus program.
This trojan modifies certain Windows settings, and uses the Security Center to falsely warn you of missing anti-virus protection. Of course, the real issue is the fake Security Center warning. It tells you to download a specific product (the real Security Center does not specify products by name), which costs forty bucks.
Just like the protection rackets of decades ago (yes, I know they still exist in the world), you are to pay to clean up a mess (or prevent one) that is not of your making. This trojan instructs you to download WinDefender 2008.’ And to help ensure that you do, it blocks outgoing Internet connections so you can’t download a legitimate program, and continually harasses ... Full
Story
BETTER VIDEOS COMING Canon, Nikon video-shooting SLR cameras ready for action
Two new SLRs can now shoot high-definition video, taking advantage of
the superior lenses (much better than video cameras,
way better than point-and-shoots) available for SLRs.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-10-01-slr-video_N.htm?csp=34
HOW DO THEY DO IT? Yuri Arcurs - Microstock Entrepreneur - Not content with an
annual microstock income of US$1.3 million and being the top selling microstock photographer, Yuri Arcurs is creating a microstock empire. Here's a summary of his new entrepreneurial activities.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/meet-the-new-yuri-arcurs-microstock-entrepreneur.html
WHO SAID PHOTOGRAPHERS CAN’T WRITE? History in the Buffer - David Burnett, photojournalist, wrote this piece about his experience "in the buffer" covering the election night in Chicago. A remarkable diary of his election night experience.
http://werejustsayin.blogspot.com/2008/11/history-in-buffer.html
TAKEAWAY: When TIME Magazine made “the computer” the Man of the Year, they sent David Burnett to Pine Lake Farm to photograph me and my new Radio Shack TRS-80 Model II. You can see the picture TIME used at:
http://www.photosource.com/rohntime
