May 26, 2013


Our family would like to thank all our military families for their service on this Memorial Day.  We will never forget your sacrifices.

May 26, 2013


I find it overwhelming the amount of social media sites that drain any enthusiasm you might have for image creation.  Before I know it, an hour, two hours have passed and all I have accomplished is reading all the inbox notifications that I really don't have to respond to in the first place.  Besides most of them I have to delete anyway because they are spam.  All of this saps my energy and keeps me away from my true goal.  Creating great images and getting them out onto platforms that can sell them to potential buyers.

Making the best use of your time.  Friday we went over to Eastern Washington to get our daughter at college and bring her home for the Memorial Day weekend.  This also gave us a chance to pack up some of her stuff and not have to wait for the end of the year mad dash.  I brought my camera along and was able to shoot a couple of subjects on the way back.  I try and shoot at least one or two times a week. You have to discipline yourself to work at your craft and create new imagery every chance you get.

I have begun uploading some of my images to a print selling website.  I am testing the waters.  What I didn't like was the fact that when I uploaded my first gallery of images I immediately got a like comment from a viewer.  My mind works this way.  Why, when the ink is still wet so to speak did I get a positive comment so quickly.  I feel it was a plant, a person connected to the site, getting the newbie excited.  I have been around the block a few dozen times and I don't need an ego massage.  Anyway we shall see. I am always looking for new outlets for my work and I rarely give up on a potential money making photo site.

May 4, 2013

Good editors cont...

A good editor will not force his photographers to shoot subjects that they have no interest in just to follow the money train. Without interest in your subjects you will be shooting from a conveyor belt only getting glimpses of your subject.

Good editors will allow the photographers decision to take a photo be at the forefront. His decision to create this image deserves an edit consideration.  

Styles change, technology advances, taste become fads, fads fade, run and gun images explode on the market scene, editors are under pressure to get with it, get hip and join the movement.  But a good editor knows that a powerful image is still the best way to express an emotion that can connect with the audience.  And clients know this too.  Sure, there is alot of new devices that make photography easy and fun but that doesn't equate to quality intent image making.  

A good editor can look at an image submission and immediately know if the photographer took the easy way out in his approach and interest in the scene.  Did he go with the herd mentality and take images from the pedestrian location and perspective and didn't see or dig deeper into the subject and find something of interest, something more personal that expressed his own unique style?  Will the editor, under these circumstances, automatically reject the submission?

The simple answer is NO! A veteran editor will look at a new submission from his photographer and even though it is a scene that has been shot a million times before, will still respect and have confidence that the photographer looked under the surface of the scene and photographed the homogenized subject in a new an illuminating way.

The photographer didn't allow the lure of pedestrian imagery to deter him from finding gems in the rock garden.

May 1, 2013

What can a Good Editor Do For You?

I find that a lot of photographers who have a good relationship with their stock photo editors blossom under their tutelage and make a better living doing the thing they love to do, create great photos.  I think the reason for this is that they feel more committed to do the real work of photography by first understanding that his/her editor has information that can guide them in producing images that are needed by clients.  And that is key to Stock Photography.  Images that are needed.

Some photographers always have a knack for creating contemporary imagery that will sell.  Especially photographers that are commercial shooters.

A good editor will:

Be honest with you on how the market works.  Give you the low down on the different pricing models RF, RM, RM Exclusive, Micro Stock,  etc...  He might suggest that certain types of images would do well in the Rights Managed arena or in Royalty Free licensing model depending on your volume output and subject matter.

They give their photographers the best advice on where the image market is heading and where you can get the best return on your time, travel and money.

They can help you recognize a style in your work and then push you to expand your horizons which will increase your image base.  As you try different lighting techniques, photograph different subjects, this experimenting builds confidence as you advance through your career.

An editor knows that some image buyers are looking for a certain style, maybe a more straight forward approach to capturing their subject needs. Sometimes an image that was rejected by one editor and picked by another editor sells because the latter saw a clients need being fulfilled.  I have submitted images that were rejected by one editor, but were picked by a different editor/agency and  ended up selling.  I trust my editors to know more than me what their clients needs are.

And finally, the great thing about editors is that they become friends.