Why get mad? The guy doesn't - yet - know how to do it. That's not your problem, it's his.  And if someone produces bad images and sites accept them, that's not the supplier's fault, it's the agency's.  Istock's dropped its bar so low because it wants all this stuff. If someone asks for help and you don't feel like helping, why not just ignore it?

bravo, well said BT.
i recall a long time ago, a lad named Yuri Arcurs and a lass named Lise Gagnon
the latter resume reveals how she walked into a used camera store to buy her first camera. haven't a clue what to do with it, but she wanted to be a stock photographer.
and today we all know who they are??? Lise is even more the nicest person to speak with
as a newbie, as she is always so encouraging to anyone who wants to be as great as she is.
fine lady.
no need to say any more...

@Digital66 an Engineering degree doesn't make you and Engineer exactly like a Photographic school makes you a Photographer.

Salgado was an economist.
Pellegrin didn't finish his architecture school.

Someone should really be brave to say that they are not photographers

I don't know why to blame someone asking some technical questions, while most professional don't even use this exposure perfection (mostly like : +2� layer ps highkey + mask)

I found part 1 and 2 of this tutorial very useful. Even if you aren't working on people-sized subjects in a large (ish) room, the principles are the same. Light the back ground and foreground separately. Distance between the two (or flagging) makes the job easier. Cleanup in post tends to be very easy if done correctly.

http://zackarias.com/for-photographers/photo-resources/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/

Quote from: Digital66 on March 27, 2015, 08:33

Quote from: leaf on March 26, 2015, 14:22

Quote from: Digital66 on March 26, 2015, 14:20

Lighting 101 !!!  Seriously!

Sorry, but I'm really tired of people who know nothing about photography and yet they get accepted by stock "agencies". 

Everyone has to start somewhere.
If you search long enough you'll find a forum post from Yuri asking how to embed metadata into a photo.

That was many years ago, when amateurs and people who knew nothing about photography had a chance to succeed in this business. 

I understand you need new members for MSG (many of the old ones have gone), but honestly, are you happy with all these wannabe photographers flooding good work with their crappy and copycat images?

You don't know my portfolio!

You mean this portfolio http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1451831p1.html ? Or this one http://www.dreamstime.com/pixelrobot_info ?   
Mostly copycat photos! 

Quote from: Digital66 on March 30, 2015, 16:40

Quote from: pixel8 on March 30, 2015, 11:41

Quote from: Digital66 on March 27, 2015, 08:33

Quote from: leaf on March 26, 2015, 14:22

Quote from: Digital66 on March 26, 2015, 14:20

Lighting 101 !!!  Seriously!

Sorry, but I'm really tired of people who know nothing about photography and yet they get accepted by stock "agencies". 

Everyone has to start somewhere.
If you search long enough you'll find a forum post from Yuri asking how to embed metadata into a photo.

That was many years ago, when amateurs and people who knew nothing about photography had a chance to succeed in this business. 

I understand you need new members for MSG (many of the old ones have gone), but honestly, are you happy with all these wannabe photographers flooding good work with their crappy and copycat images?

You don't know my portfolio!

You mean this portfolio http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1451831p1.html ? Or this one http://www.dreamstime.com/pixelrobot_info ?   
Mostly copycat photos!

Sounds to me that you are a disgruntle person who does not like any competition, someone else takes a photo of an ordinary everyday object and you feel you should be the only one to photograph it! Let me guess you were the first person to photograph a pencil from the top view or maybe it was the angle view and since there are only so many ways to photograph a simple object your feathers are all ruffled because many other photographers realize the same thing and take a picture of a pencil from similar angles.

Congratulations on your very original angles!  Wish you could also have original concepts.  These images (among others) from your portfolio are nothing but a copy of very successful images (not mine) from an iStock exclusive. http://www.shutterstock.com/portfolio/search.mhtml?searchterm=news+headline&x=0&y=0&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&lang=en&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&submitter=1451831&photographer_name=Mega+Pixel&search_group=&orient=&commercial_ok=&show_color_wheel=1&sort_method=popular

Quote from: Digital66 on March 30, 2015, 23:39

Quote from: pixel8 on March 30, 2015, 23:29

Quote from: Digital66 on March 30, 2015, 16:40

Quote from: pixel8 on March 30, 2015, 11:41

Quote from: Digital66 on March 27, 2015, 08:33

Quote from: leaf on March 26, 2015, 14:22

Quote from: Digital66 on March 26, 2015, 14:20

Lighting 101 !!!  Seriously!

Sorry, but I'm really tired of people who know nothing about photography and yet they get accepted by stock "agencies". 

Everyone has to start somewhere.
If you search long enough you'll find a forum post from Yuri asking how to embed metadata into a photo.

That was many years ago, when amateurs and people who knew nothing about photography had a chance to succeed in this business. 

I understand you need new members for MSG (many of the old ones have gone), but honestly, are you happy with all these wannabe photographers flooding good work with their crappy and copycat images?

You don't know my portfolio!

You mean this portfolio http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1451831p1.html ? Or this one http://www.dreamstime.com/pixelrobot_info ?   
Mostly copycat photos!

Sounds to me that you are a disgruntle person who does not like any competition, someone else takes a photo of an ordinary everyday object and you feel you should be the only one to photograph it! Let me guess you were the first person to photograph a pencil from the top view or maybe it was the angle view and since there are only so many ways to photograph a simple object your feathers are all ruffled because many other photographers realize the same thing and take a picture of a pencil from similar angles.

Congratulations on your very original angles!  Wish you could also have original concepts.  These images (among others) from your portfolio are nothing but a copy of very successful images from an iStock exclusive. http://www.shutterstock.com/portfolio/search.mhtml?searchterm=news+headline&x=0&y=0&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&lang=en&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&submitter=1451831&photographer_name=Mega+Pixel&search_group=&orient=&commercial_ok=&show_color_wheel=1&sort_method=popular
And no, they are not mine 

I don't need to look at someones else's photo to think up a headline.

Just to find "inspiration"?

I wonder if Ansel Adams knew much about doing isolations?

If you read his book The Negative, specifically Chapter 3 : Exposure, and Chapter 4 : The Zone System, I think you will find that he knew an awful lot about what is needed for isolations, though he didn't refer to them specifically because isolated on white wasn't his genre (Page 164 "lighting a cube" also refers).

Pixel8,

In response to the private message you sent me:

Do you want your situation to change?  Then start working on your own ideas!  Stop copying what others have done, even if it's just an isolated object on white. That's not ethical, and it's not good for your karma.  Today, you are only able to copy isolated objects on white and some simple concepts like the highlighted texts with yellow/green marker, and the shots of the newspaper headlines.  What are you going to do tomorrow?  Copying the best photos you find?

Do you want to be a photographer? Copying and selling what others have done is not the right way to learn.

Quote from: Copidosoma on March 30, 2015, 13:14

I found part 1 and 2 of this tutorial very useful. Even if you aren't working on people-sized subjects in a large (ish) room, the principles are the same. Light the back ground and foreground separately. Distance between the two (or flagging) makes the job easier. Cleanup in post tends to be very easy if done correctly.

http://zackarias.com/for-photographers/photo-resources/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/

Such a pity that all the images have disappeared from the linked Zack Arias tutorial. That really is the best tutorial on white seamless lighting.

LOL, I didn't even realize that. I thought the page was just slow to load.

Definitely too bad. Hopefully he updates it.

Dodge tool, set to highlights... and 10-12%

Yes!
That is the way.

Hi Pixel8,

 Just an idea but instead of trying to get your background to 255 on set why not get close and set an action that strips the background by adjusting the curves. If you shoot your background to almost white and it is the same on your histogram every shot then I would just make an action to reset the white to 255. Hope this makes sense.

Best of Luck,
J

Syl Arena also has a great tutorial on lighting white seamless.

http://pixsylated.com/blog/shooting-lighting-white-seamless-tutorial/

From my own experience of trying to shoot white backgrounds of full length people in a limited space: Don't do it! Shoot something else.  It can be done, but because of the flare and uneven background lighting, it requires a lot of post production and is probably not worth it. I'm pretty sure the world does not need many more isolations in any event, but I have often been proved wrong. Just my two cents ...