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Messages - condra

Pages: [1]
1
General - Stock Video / Re: Need advice in Buying Camera....
« on: July 13, 2020, 11:29 »
BMPCC4K - Assuming it's for stock video, and you don't need something with crazy great AF for wedding stills or what not.

Working with BRAW in Davinci Resolve is a beautiful experience.


3
Photography Equipment / Re: D750 for microstocks
« on: March 02, 2016, 17:18 »
The D750 is small for a DSLR, but still professionally built and featured. Don't kid yourself. The d750 is far less portable than the Sony, Fuji and OMD stuff.

Get the D750 if focus speed and accuracy is something you wont compromise on.

If you're travelling a lot and want to always have a camera on you, I guarantee you will take more photos if you get one of the smaller options.

Pick your battles. There's not many pockets big enough to fit a d750.

4
As an Irish person, I just wish it was anything but a potato.  ;D

5
Cameras / Lenses / Re: Canon 6D vs Sony a7 mk II
« on: January 08, 2016, 14:19 »
Do you already have a Canon 60d and have you invested in Canon lenses and flashes?
If so, the 6D is probably the obvious choice.

I had a 6D and absolutely loved it, although the focussing system is far behind the 5d3.

Personally, I'm not interested in Sony mirrorless cameras. I like the fast focussing and ergonomics of DSLRs, as well as the great amount of accessories available. (Canon/Nikon)

If you are considering changing systems, surely you've considered a used Nikon d800 or new d750?
Both offer excellent bang for your buck.

6
Photo Critique / Re: What do you thing about my photos?
« on: January 08, 2016, 14:12 »
My first impression is that you should avoid shooting in bright, direct sunlight, if you can avoid it. I like the simple stuff on white. Is it selling?

7
General Photography Discussion / Re: ...
« on: November 12, 2015, 15:37 »
Do you even  ..,...,. ?

8
Photo Critique / Re: Looking for some critique
« on: November 11, 2015, 11:42 »
Subjects should be bigger in the frame.

9
Photo Critique / Re: what do you think of this photo?
« on: November 11, 2015, 11:39 »
micsmt you have shown in this thread some of the qualities that only the best photographers in the world have.
You're open to criticism. You're hard on yourself. You want to learn. You're willing to change. You work hard and never give up.

Huge respect for you.

10
Thank you both for the replies.

Modviz, while all the research in the world won't help bad photography, I imagine even good shots will struggle in a crowded space. I'm hoping to make good images that I enjoy working on, but I'll be more enthused if I know I have a realistic chance of making a reasonable amount of sales. To be honest, I also get a kick out of analytics anyway   :P

Stan, Yes I've been using the picworkflow research tool, but combining the data with other data in my own spreadsheet. Reason being, I'm getting some very high ratings for some phrases so niche, they may not be worth pursuing, and some low ratings for some phrases with huge markets.

For example, "paintball bruises" gets a very high score of 971, so yes, it's easy to compete, but that doesn't mean it's going to be searched for regularly. "Guitar class" gets a lower score of  372, so it won't be so easy to get noticed, but it's clearly a much more popular search term.

So I'm putting the picworkflow ratings alongside a "total value" of a key phrase, giving me a fairly rudimental risk/reward score for each phrase.


11
Hey all

Trying to do some research, to find shooting opportunities, mainly focussing on Shutterstock search results. It has raised more questions.

Firstly though, I'm wondering if many of you take this approach? - targeting keywords and phrases, looking at the market, the supply/demand, predicting trends, spotting opportunities?

The first thing I've been looking for are search terms with few results. But how many pages of results would you class as "low hanging fruit"? 1, certainly.. How about 20? or even 100? Can you compete for something with a lot of competition and if so, how? I'm guessing good photography would be a good start.

Another thing I've found is, many items are in huge supply, but only when isolated on a white background, and not in context. For example, "cheerleader baton" on SS brings up about 10 images of batons, all on white (as well as a couple of random cheerleader shots).. You don't however get any close-ups of a baton in the context of a table, bedroom, locker room or whatever. Similarly, "bowling ball" brings up 145 pages of results on SS, while "bowling man" brings up only 22. I understand that still lifes are easier to shoot than people (for the most part) but on certain items, the ratio of still lifes to contextual shots is astronomical.

What other techniques could be used to find opportunities for keywords or subjects?

Thanks for any thoughts on this..  :)

12
I moved to Nikon recently but when I shot Canon, the 100 L was one of my favourite lenses. That lens combined with the 35 F2 IS, and you can do a hell of a lot.

13
Thanks everyone - I really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the subject. Are there any Nikon-made lenses you would recommend that would deliver what I'm looking for? I recently purchased a Nikkor 18-200mm and a Nikkor 50mm/1.8, probably not going to accomplish what I'm after.

The Nikon 50mm 1.8G is a stellar lens.

14
Thanks for that Cobalt! I promise I will put this information to good use.

15
General Stock Discussion / Re: Inspiration vs Research etc
« on: October 16, 2015, 14:10 »
Sounds like a great approach. Thanks for the reply!

16
Amazing replies. Very helpful. I'm starting to get my head wrapped around this. Thanks so much.  :-*

17
1
What in your opinion are the main differentiating factors between stock photography and hobby/creative photography?

2
What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone starting out in stock photography?

Thanks so much for any replies!  :-*

18
General Stock Discussion / Inspiration vs Research etc
« on: October 15, 2015, 21:55 »
Just wondering what approach people take when coming up with ideas. I imagine over time, you end up with more ideas than you have time to shoot, but where do they come from, and how do you choose which ones to shoot?

Do you play to your strengths? i.e macro, food, landscape? .. or try all sorts of things?
Do you take advantage of experience in hobbies, or a regional advantage?
Do you research trends in culture, technology etc? ..
Do you weigh up the competition?

Thanks for any replies on this subject.

19
Photography Equipment / Re: HSS flash system for Nikon
« on: October 15, 2015, 21:42 »
Yes, works great. I love Yongnuo stuff.

However now there are better, modern alternatives, where the flash has built-in radio. Check out Nissin Air, and SHANNY SN910EX-RF. The Nissin Air system is getting some excellent reviews. I'm planning on getting that system soon.

20
Newbie Discussion / Re: A question about flowers..
« on: October 15, 2015, 19:51 »
Thanks folks. I did a search on Shutterstock for some of the flowers I've shot already. Some have dozens of pages of results, while other have only one. I guess I'll focus on those with less competition :)

21
Newbie Discussion / A question about flowers..
« on: October 15, 2015, 14:53 »
Hi!

Does a flower image have more chance of being accepted if it comes with the species name?

I've read that flower images are over-supplied and don't sell well, but I do have access to some rare and exotic species, which I suppose might have a chance. Unfortunately I don't have access to the names of all of them.

Perhaps I should stick with those where I have the name?

22
Newbie Discussion / Re: Shutterstock - Contributer Branding
« on: October 15, 2015, 14:50 »
Thanks so much

23
Newbie Discussion / Re: Shutterstock - Contributer Branding
« on: October 15, 2015, 06:23 »
Thanks for the replies. I really like the idea of being able to shoot different styles, and not need to worry about my own personal branding/marketing.  :) yay

24
Newbie Discussion / Shutterstock - Contributer Branding
« on: October 14, 2015, 19:45 »
Hey everyone.

Just wondering if you think it is important to have a consistent style or theme in your Shutterstock portfolio?

I shoot different styles including macro, bridal, conceptual. I was wondering if that would be a problem. Should my name and style as a contributor be "branded"?

Thanks for any thoughts on this

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