Thanks for responding Ron, and I hope you don't mind that I compared your work style.  I (we!) hold your work with high regard and appreciate your honest commentary (I wonder how you find the time to be such a presence with your blog, articles and input on forums).  I think a lot of times we look at portfolios like Yuri's and yours and fantasize about the buckets of money that you are making.  We don't often look at your work and think of the crew required, the location permits, the travel expenses or the Kraft Tables...

Ichiro didn't you ask about Yellowstone when first deciding on vacation.  If anyone is still interested, this came up on a DT thread.

http://www.dreamstime.com/thread_7388

Well, your sunbeams look pretty awesome to me  and I've never tried myself... but I remember admiring a contest winner at Corel (Paint Shop I think, not Painter) in the past year.  I snooped around and couldn't find the web page - but I do remember that he drew each beam on a separate layer and added different brightness, drop shadows, blurs and effects to each layer individually.  Such an image must have several dozen layers! 

I don't think I have the patience, but once you do all the work on the first image you can likely reuse on other photos in some way? 

Oops, this is the one that is a nicer thumbnail.   1/8th the views though.

My own sales on DT were a bit above average today.

Yesterday was the first day in a long time without any downloads

Yesterday I had no sales.  Today around 4 o'clock I had 2 - but one was dated YESTERDAY.   

I bring stuff into Canada from time to time - mostly by UPS.

I broker my own goods whenever I can.  I tell the shipper to place on the weighbill "do not deliver, customer will self-broker".  This means that UPS calls when it is at their depot (they are usually out near your airport).  I pick up the paperwork.  I drive to customs (very close) fill out form and pay duties and taxes.  I go back to UPS with the papers from customs and pick up my packages.

You can ask UPS what their brokerage fees are to see if it is worth your trouble.  It's a real drag self-brokering, but I have saved a few hundred $ by doing it myself.

I've bought stuff on ebay and paid more on brokerage fees than the item.

Also, even though we have "free trade" with the United States, you pay duties based on the country of origin.  I imagine the lense is made in Hong Kong?   Then there's pst gst.

If you do wind up having it shipped, I find that the good old post office treats you much more fairly and don't soak you with additional fees.

Sharply, where have I seen this before?  Was it featured in PhotoLife a couple years back or profiles on another stock site?  Gorgeous - would be a brilliant super large print.

This is the message:

May 3, 2007 (10:26)
All photographers are kindly asked to review ASAP all their MR documents from the library and ensure all information is up to date. Starting tomorrow this is vital for having your images placed correctly within the search results. - posted by Achilles

Up to date:  phildate, this would be a nightmare if you had to contact your 100 models to make sure that their addresses, etc. are still correct... is that what Achilles means?  The statement is a little ambiguous and I couldn't find anything on DT's forum. 

My models are mostly related, so I use the release from my library.  Although, I had to recently replace two that I had signed... even though the kids are my own offspring.

I would only consider updating releases if the age has changed (i.e. a minor is now an adult).

I've been doing this for two years and got my first EL on Istock last week.

PenelopeB!  Look how hard you've been working even while you were in the hospital!  Congrats on the EL.  Hope you have a speedy recovery.

Canon - I know nothing.  But a durable camera is important (my Nikon D70 broke in half with a wind-gust).   You may find yourself in extreme conditions up on the side of a mountain with rain, dust, dropping pine needles etc. and need to protect your camera.  (Does one of them promote a weather seal?)  My new camera can do a many functions easily whereas with the D70 I had to to stop and scroll through the menu.  It was worth the extra $ right there.

Most camera equipment would be a capital expense in Canada and amortized over 3 years.  Also, keep mileage, auto maintenance expenses etc.  as a tax writeoff.  Set up a space in your home as an office/studio and write that portion off.  

Banff or Yellowstone.  Never been to Yellowstone.  Have you been to Banff?  Was there 2 years ago and shocked at the prices to eat out or do anything like go up the gondola at Sulpher Mountain.   Cheaper accomodation in Canmore or Kananaskis.  Take bear pepper spray.  Were several attacks that summer.   An  abundance of wildlife everywhere.  Elk population downtown Banff.   Bunny Rabbit population Kananaskis.  Gorgeous vistas.  The park is massive and you could likely stay for months shooting.

Might be a good time for you to go to Yellowstone when the CDN $ is so high.  Isn't it hard to get accommodation in Yellowstone?  I think I heard that campgrounds sell out first day of season?

It is a glutton for desk space.  I have mine on my desktop.  I keep my ordinary mouse beside my keyboard.  It's not the most ergonomic deal, but I don't have space beside my keyboard.  (Come to think of it, I don't recall wrist aches when I use the tablet, but I do with the ordinary mouse...  Hmmm).  Maybe you have the space and can use just the tablet.

It works just like a mouse but with no cord or batteries required.  Right click, left click, scroll wheel.  The tablet itself is connected to your computer.  The mouse only works on the tablet surface, but you get used to it pretty quick.

I had friends over last week so I sent out an e-mail in advance asking if they wouldn't mind bringing old magazines they'd otherwise recycle.  As I watched Housewives and The Sopranos I rapidly flipped through them, ripping out photos I liked.   

I rarely buy magazines these days so it was a very good exercise for me.  Also - very different magazines than I would purchase myself for the most part.  I don't intend to replicate anything, but it does help the creative juices.  Colour combinations, lighting setups, etc. cropping possibilities or angles & configurations of Christmas ornaments on a tree. 

Some things that I noticed are:

1.  Every photo in magazines is not great just to be there.  My eye is a little more critical than it once was and I was quite underwhelmed by a lot of the imagery.  I kept wonder if many would be accepted by (fill in agency here) and I truly don't think a lot of them would! 

2.  Food photos in magazines are dramatically different from most that I've seen on stock.   Majority of the food shots were all in a warm natural environment - not isolated on white.  Of course, the difference here is they have recipes to inspire the photos and have commissioned the shots themselves and reflecting the magazine's demographic and seasons, etc.

3.  The photos on one magazine really stood out... It was a premier issue of a Canadian Parenting Magazine.   I really enjoyed the images it used, then spotted a tiny photo credit...  flipped back and a lot of them had the same agency credit (likely about 20 or 30)... you guessed it - IStock.  The quality really stood out.  I think it says a lot about IStock.

Just thought I'd share.  Does anyone keep an idea file of sorts?