Photographic Infographics

I really like infographics and often spend time just browsing collections. This one is rather simplistic but is still interesting and maybe introduces a new photographer to the effects of apperture, shutter speed and ISO.

click the image to view the webpage
PetaPixel

Of course after starting this post and having a focussed look online, I find that there are countless inlographics covering all sorts of issues. I will probably be posting some of these over time, in the meantime here is another try at communicating the information above.

click the image to visit the webpage
FILMMAKER IQ

 

Looking to do Something different - 100 Strangers.

Here is a real challenge which could set you apart like 365 photos project won't - we've all done that!

The 100 Stranger Facebook Pagec
clic the image to visit the page

To me this is a terrifying project and at the time was certainly something different that attracted attention. Interestingly the photographer, David posted just recently

I was lucky enough to get featured in the January edition of Digital SLR Photography magazine for my 100 Strangers project. It's crowned the #1 project to get your 2015 year started in photography, for those searching for new ideas. Now I just need to get back out there and find some more strangers for you all!

I'll carry on my search although there are really great portraits in there.

Looking to do Something Different I - Portraits & Issues

This is going to be a series of posts where I link to new ideas I have come across while using the internet to inspire me in my quest to develop a unique offering for my photography.
The objective being to encourage the thinking process and hopefuly to generate new ideas, that lead to the opportunity to differentiate what you are doing so you don't get lost in the flood of digital images.

The first in the series is an approach to brining more of an understanding to a portrait through the integration of the portrait of a council member with an image of an issue the councellor identifies as defining their activity in the council.

click the image to open this Petapixel post.

Apparently these images were produced in camera and not with editing. This must be some undertaking and I wonder whether its really worthwhile. To me it doesn't seem to work that well with landscape images having to be vertically orientated.

Posted with Blogsy

Trying The Stock Photography Route

When planning to sell your photography, stockphostography seems to offer a really good opportunity. After all you take good photographs and there must be people out there looking for your photograph. Warnings that its low paid and handwork are frequent but probably not well understood.

So I set up my first stock photo account at Shutterstock, but it was no walk in the park. I had to submit 10 different photos three times to meet their qualification criteria of 7 of 10 photos approved in one submission.

Screenshot of my first batch of images accepted by Shutterstock

Admittedly a bit of a "motley" bunch but I had to drop three classes of photos I had planned to use for technical reasons and there was no opportunity to experiment and discuss.

Having been accepted as a contributor submission is now more open and I hope to get some of the other photos in. There are a number of constraints on photos of people, buildings and trademarked things which limit the use of existing photographs. But we will see.

The user forum on Shutterstock discussed difficulties and complaints about the approval process and I must admit to feeling aggrieved at times. For example this image of hadeda ibises eating was rejected for "excessive noise, grain, artifacts and/or is poorly rasterized".

Two hadeda ibises searching for worms in a lawn in Brummeria in Pretoria
© 2013 Dave Harcourt.  All rights reserved

So follow what happens here if you are interested to hear how it goes and pick up on anything I learn. Of course I would appreciate hearing of your experience and getting you ideas.

Starting DaveH Photography

Now that I'm faced with the empty first page of my site I wonder what to say? I suppose the best is to start with what I am most interested in at present!

I like this photo taken at the Abbesses metro station in Montmartre in May 2014.

Sightseerers relaxing at the entrance to the Abbesse metro station
© 2013 Dave Harcourt. All rights reserved

 

As soon as you decide you want to share this image widely, hopefuly for payment, things become complicated!. A GOOGLE image search on Abbesse gives you 16 pages like this. On Flickr there are 36 pages although the images are more diverse

A screenshot of a page of the GOOGLE image search

So what could you do? maybe go to black and white to make its more of a Street Photography shot. But definitely not another short of the art deco entrance to what is the deepest station in Paris!

You could also pick bits out of the photo which are more individual and striking

Cropped image of interesting people in the crowd
© 2013 Dave Harcourt. All rights reserved

 

Someone rather disgruntled with his phone or the sms he has just read or the disinterested woman, picking here nose! it is interesting that in any crowd photo there are always people doing interesting things if you zoom in.

Group of friends discussing what to do next?
© 2013 Dave Harcourt. All rights reserved


Or what about a classic lets be "different" and just shoot the feet.

Footware near the  entrance to the Abbasses metro station
© 2013 Dave Harcourt. All rights reserved

Art Deco ironwork over entrance to the Abbasses metro station
© 2013 Dave Harcourt. All rights reserved

Most of these increase your chances but what are your chances of being seen? This will be one of the focuses of my posts as I follow this path.