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Messages - Hoodie Ninja
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151
« on: February 01, 2009, 17:02 »
I have an external hard drive that I back everything on my computer to. I keep the external HD in a fire resistant safe when not being used. The "good" pictures that I've processed and submitted are also on my SmugMug site. I still need to upload all my family-oriented picture there.
152
« on: February 01, 2009, 16:56 »
seriously Paula, further to what you're experiencing, is due to a fear in some of us that others more willing to share are giving away too much.
I added this in a related topic elsewhere, it applies here to:
---Flemish said it all. As someone else mentioned elsewhere, shooting for micro is no rocket science. Any chimp can do it, as we see here with all those in panic Grin except perharps the chimps due to their lack of the written language don't know how to express any better Wink
The point is, if we are so blooming scared, it's probably because some of us have run out of ideas to SHOOT DIRT BETTER than the newbies.
Oh well, as the horse trader would say to an old toothless horse "if you can't keep up, maybe it's time we put you out . not to worry it will painless !" Wink---
Very amusing observation....and probably very true. Hmmm.....do you think pictures of dirt would sell???  Most of my portfolio is nature stuff, so I'm really not much of a true micro photographer. I have been dabbling in it with stuff I have around the house, but so far my nature stuff has been selling better. And I'm not much for photographing people so I guess I better go do some more hiking! lol!
153
« on: February 01, 2009, 16:50 »
Lets have a look at this guys logic and I.M.H.O. It is simple really, many here could change a light bulb or a plug, but would call an electrician if we felt that our skills were not good enough, it could be that he thinks his skills are not up to it.
Also if this guy had taken some images a while ago then they would likely be dated in hair, clothing style and any vehicles, new buildings etc:
Then there is with any project the budget to consider, would his boss appreciate the time and cost it might take him to scan or retake and process the images against the cost of a few shots from a microsite.
As a part time photographer I do use another contributors Istock photographs on my software consultancy website, as they had a set of the people business type of images I needed, the cost and time in taking these myself would be far more than what I paid istock.
So it makes good business sense for this guy just to purchase a good range of images to use to impress his boss, keep the project in budget and it also creates sales for another photographer, a win win situation.
David
The main point I was making was that he felt his pictures were too good to sell for a dollar, but he has no problem buying our pictures for a dollar. But since he isn't selling any of his pictures because they would have to be scanned, my guess is they wouldn't even sell for a dollar. 
154
« on: February 01, 2009, 16:44 »
well said. after all is said and done. i think it's good to see you lightened up and smile.
that's all that matters here, really. mean we are , some even real SOB, but for the most part,
like AVAVA said, it's all a facade for some very insecure inner structure.
You keep smiling, and chill . we want you here, and not at some other pub where you drink your guinness with some intellectual (cough cough) and well-heeled professionals. hell no, we need you here. cheers !
It's amazing how people wear their insecurities on their sleeve for the world to see.  I might sit in the corner and drink my guinness until everyone is drunk enough to be jovial, though.
155
« on: February 01, 2009, 16:40 »
156
« on: January 30, 2009, 19:50 »
Hi Paula,
I think if most of the people on this site had to live together like those in your parents home or even work together in an office there would be a greater effort at social grace. These qualities are taught to us by our surroundings and family. If you were not subject to any form of proper social upbringing then it is hard to expect that result once an adult. Combine that with the anonymity of the net and you get an opportunity for just about any kind of response. It makes tough guys out of of people that most likely aren't that tough by nature. I think your explanation of how to sandwich a critique was very well put.
Best,
AVAVA
AVAVA, I think if most of the people on this site had to live together like those in my parents house, my mom would've pulled them by the hair or the ear and taught them some respect. lol! I see a lot of stupid remards by people on the internet, particularly in articles I read in the news. There are a lot of stupid people out there and as Ron White says, "You can't fix stupid!" I guess I need to consider myself lucky that I've been able to be part of an online community for over two years now that actually has quite a lot of well-mannered people. I can't claim rights to thinking up the critique sandwich, nor can I tell you where I heard it. Paula
157
« on: January 30, 2009, 17:34 »
Hi Paula,
Sorry about the name. I specialize in lifestyle and people photography and would always be happy to answer any question you might want another opinion on in that field. You can always PM me as well if you are concerned with some of the posters here. There really are several really good people here, just have to be careful of some of the rougher edges. I know it took me quite a while to adapt to the approach by some but I see reward all the time from the good ones.
Best,
AVAVA
No problem. Thanks for the offer. If I ever decide to do people shots, I might take you up on that.
158
« on: January 30, 2009, 17:32 »
People will often say here that they don't read the Shutterstock (or was it DT) forums because there is nothing but pimping threads and fawning critiques posts.
If everything was happy cheery all the time, the world wouldn't be very interesting. Everyone here has a different personality and posting style. I find it interesting to read all the various views. Sorry if that doesn't please you, but there's fun talk in amongst all the chitchat. And some useful information. For instance, I thought your initial post in this thread was very interesting.
Forgive me for being a bit of a Pollyanna, but I don't need conflict to find the world interesting. I find the sarcasm and rudeness (esp towards newbies) a turnoff. After many of my siblings moved away, my parents rented out rooms to foreign exchange students for extra income. I learned a lot from the different cultures we had in our home. But we all shared our cultures and beliefs in a respectful manner. No one needed to be rude to make life interesting in the house. As for my initial post in this thread, it was just a conversation-starter. I don't really care one way or the other whether that particular person thinks his pictures are better and worth more $$. But after learning how people like to respond around here, it'll probably be the last conversation I start. I've always been told that if you want to critique someone, you should sandwich in between compliments......as in, "I really like your composition of this shot. The white balance is a bit on the blue side and could use some correction. However, your focus is spot on!" (as an example). If someone is directly asking for what's wrong with their shot, then I guess the sandwich method isn't necessary, but like I said, I'm a bit of a Pollyanna (or Mary Poppins).
159
« on: January 30, 2009, 17:12 »
Paula, are you looking to do food photography?
I had mentioned that it was an area of interest for me, but I'm not pursuing it exclusively. My main passion is not stock. I like to shoot waterfalls and landscapes when I'm out hiking and bring them back and show people how much beauty there is in this world. It's also a way for me to document the places I've been so that when I'm old and grey I can sit around and show all the other people at the old folks home all the beautiful places I went when I was a young whipper-snapper. Landscape photography (in general) doesn't make much money unless you're Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, or Art Wolfe (or the like). So, for an amateur photographer, I have found that putting my pictures on microstock sites can make money to buy better equipment so I can take better waterfall and landscape pictures. As for stock, I'm trying out things that are readily available to me without much investment. I have my own studio with 3 large soft boxes and I have 4 backgrounds. But my studio is in my basement with a low ceiling so it's got it's limitations. Mostly I'm trying to figure out where I can do the best and still enjoy it (I'm not much for photographing people). I like to cook so that's why food photography is somewhere I am exploring.
160
« on: January 30, 2009, 16:58 »
Paul,
I have so little info on shooting food to share it has never been my specialty. I had a couple of bread companies and a beer company for clients 15 years ago and the only main rule of thumb I use is my main is back to wrap the food unless the sauce is to reflective add a fill light to the front to soften the shadows down quite a bit and then try a hard accent light from the front or back corner just wracking the top of your subject to give it some sparkle and maybe warm up the highlights with a soft amber gel. Lighting beer is a whole different process using reflective cards placed behind the beer glasses with grid spots kicked into them to add the right amount of light to your beer to get the correct color of the product.
Watch out for to short a depth of field and keep the background inviting but simple so it does not compete with the subject. There are some good books on how to make food look good with extra tips and tricks. A lot of times the food on the plate is not edible because it has been charred on the outside but still raw inside or they have added glycerin to something with a brush to make it shine a bit more. Good food shooting has a learning curve but it can become a successful career if approached seriously. School is an excellent option for such a career.
Good Luck,
AVAVA
I'm not sure if this one was directed to me since you said "Paul" and I am "Paula"....but I figured you might've mistaken the "a" as a middle initial. I have read a few articles on food photography and have been printing them out and putting them in a binder to read when the computer is being slow.  I created one shot of grilled salmon that was accepted by SS and has sold a few times, and also a shot of waffles and strawberries. But food photography is one of the harder areas of photography (according to the articles) and I'm not fond of eating my food cold so much of what I cook doesn't get photographed. Right now I'm trying to do a little of everything to see what I enjoy doing the most. The day I stop enjoying taking pictures is the day I sell my camera. Thanks for the tips, though. I definitely have found that having a shallow DOF is a recipe for rejection.
161
« on: January 30, 2009, 16:44 »
paula, thx 4 your response.
the thing is no matter where u r, there will always be someone or some people with their heads stuck in their rearends. and everything they say will come out like it was from there. that's how they live. that's what makes their day. they thrive on this nastiness. be kind to these ppl, they need you to complete their day. or else,
where would they go?
Actually, it DOES matter where I am or where I go.....as I stated previously in this thread, I belong to an online community with many photographers who have never been flippant and rude to me like I have gotten since I came here. Many times I just leave a site and never even speak up about why I left because generally people don't change. But once in awhile, I do say something....as I have on this thread. Many of the responses I have read to people's questions are not only not helpful whatsoever, but they're just mean. I like to spend a certain amount of time working on my pictures, another amount of time learning how to get better, and the rest of my time enjoying myself. Nowhere on my list of things to do with my time include participating in sites that are full of nasty people. As a side note (because I seem to have to clarify myself to the nasty people)...I am not saying that everyone on this site is nasty and mean. I am just saying that there is more than what I consider normal or tolerable.
162
« on: January 30, 2009, 16:36 »
Hmmmm....discuss but not learn. Well, apparently I'm at the wrong site.
Learning is a subset of discussion. Not saying you can't do both.
Maybe I did word that comment badly. The point was, and, this doesn't just apply to that poster, that if you walk in, being able to show some effort towards your goal with a sensible outlook, that people are more likely to help you. ie., if you come in with "How do I make it in microstock" without even reading the camera manual, that doesn't show a lot of respect towards the members with knowledge to share, that you couldn't even take the time to access the opportunities available.
*I* know that learning is a subset of discussion, but since you chose to say that you come here to DISCUSS after I said people come here to LEARN makes it sound like you don't think learning has anything to do with why people come here. I've seen people's responses to someone who has just asked "How do I do microstock?" and even though I think the person should ask more specific questions, I felt the answers on this site were flippant and rude. My tactic has always been that if I didn't have anything to offer or wasn't sure a person was worth my effort, then I would just not respond at all. No response sends a big message. However, this guy stated that he had been trying for a couple of months, had read suggestions by other posters, and had tried offering his services for free to restaurants...but was being turned down. He also gave a list of his lighting, etc. to help people give better educated responses as to what else he should buy. So, in my opinion he has put in some effort that deserves some respect. I feel that if the "seasoned" microstockers don't want to help out a newbie, then they shouldn't respond to their posts. I think perhaps the problem with this site is that people are so worried that some newbie is going to take a piece of their sales so they're not willing to help them out.....either that or maybe the are just miserable human beings who like to perpetuate miserableness. I have belonged to an art/photography online community for over two years and they are big into helping new people learn and giving them exposure. I have told them about my interest in microstock photography and offered to answer any questions they might have about getting into microstock....even to the extent of looking through their gallery and suggesting pictures to use as their first submission and why I chose them. I was going to include this site as a place where they could learn more, but have had second thoughts about that. Same with my thoughts about actually becoming a paying member. I'm not going to pay to be verbally abused by users here. I pay for quite a few other sites and subscriptions that are much more worthy of my money.
163
« on: January 30, 2009, 15:08 »
People come to this site to LEARN about microstock.
Actually, I come to this site to DISCUSS microstock. Sorry about misreading your other post. However, I wasn't rephrasing his question. I was setting it up as an example of how he should approach what he wants to do.
I'd also agree with the "best way to build up a portfolio" would be to take the initiative to assign yourself work to do, get it done, and fill your portfolio with that. That's what we all do daily. Make our own assignments, shoot 'em, process 'em and add to the portfolio. A business is not going to let you walk in the door as a newbie just because you have a camera.
Hmmmm....discuss but not learn. Well, apparently I'm at the wrong site. Discussing without learning anything isn't going to help me get better or make more money at this. As for rephrasing his question, you did say that a "More sensible version of this post"...would..."probably garner a more useful set of responses" which comes across as you telling him that he should've stated his question in the manner you proposed if he actually wanted to get better answers to his question. If I interpreted that incorrectly, then I apologize. Personally I thought his question was phrased just fine and if I had more to offer, I would've answered him but I'm pretty much in the same boat. The only thing that I could do (and may still) is direct him to some links that I've found helpful on the internet. As for his question of, "What would be the best way to build up a portfolio?"....the smart a$$ answer is to say "Take lots of pictures"......but I'm sure he wasn't looking for that kind of a response. He was probably hoping someone would give him some actual tips since he was feeling frustration that he couldn't get restaurants to let him come in and take pictures..even for free. The only thing I would've been able to tell him is to prepare some food at home and shoot it. But of course, if you're not a good cook or have money to make elaborate food (like many college students) then that's probably not helpful advice, which is why I didn't respond.
164
« on: January 30, 2009, 13:45 »
Please don't leave - I don't think those replies were intended to be unkind, it reads to me as though they were just joshing a bit.
And that was Sean being nice!
I'll buy you a Guinness if you're ever in Aberdeen...
People come to this site to LEARN about microstock. If the members here have nothing better to do (say, take pictures?) than to harrass new users, then this will eventually be known as a site to avoid and some other site will be where people go for good advice. Perhaps I'm spoiled with the online community I have been active on for the past 2 years, but this place has been a real turn off. Anyway, speaking of better things to do......
165
« on: January 30, 2009, 13:38 »
For another example of how rude people are on here, read this latest thread http://www.microstockgroup.com/index.php?topic=6947.msg80456;topicseen#new The last post I read on there, someone took the time to write up a whole new version of how he should've presented his question, rather than taking the time to answer it. Another person questioned the amount of time he had available. And yet another person took the time to just be a smart a$$. It seems to me that the people on here just want to attack newcomers. But I guess jerks need their own forum, too.
Here I take some time to point out to that poster a sensible way to approach what he wants to do (that would garner respect from other members) instead of blindly flailing ahead, and I'm a smart ass? If you'd actually read it, it was a way to answer the question. Perhaps some of those here would like to see people walk before they start running. Makes more sense.
... and here you are calling people names, and someone else is the rude one?
I wasn't calling YOU the smart ass. If you read what I wrote, I said you corrected his question without answering it and then I said "And yet another person took the time to just be a smart a$$", which was the person who said: "Take lot's of photos and put them in it." in answer to the question of, "What would be the best way to build up a portfolio?" DUH! I felt the person took the time to let people know where he was coming from and what equipment he had for lighting....as a newcomer, to have your actual question critiqued seems nit-picky. You guys might as well be totally honest if you're not going to be helpful and just say, "We don't want anyone else learning the business because you will be our competition so we're not going to tell you anything useful." or "We had to learn things the hard way so go figure all this stuff out yourself!" I opened up the thread about the food photography question because I am also interested in it and there were only two helpful posts.....one person said avoid shallow DOF and the other person said you have to layer your pictures for deeper DOF. However, I've learned much more from reading articles, which is where people could've steered him. Or just not answer at all.
166
« on: January 30, 2009, 11:31 »
Paula, they say that the first stage of that old age affliction,( I won't mention the sickness for fear of hurting the innocent old ones), begins with anger, distrust, fear of sharing, and blaming the world for your inability to cope and keep up with change.
This could have brought up the tempest, so to speak. Pls don't take it personally,
they're really not worth it. Share your thoughts here, don't be afraid of the boisterous and sometimes over the top exaggeration. It's like a game. Some ppl
after hitting bulleye will quietly walk away and sip their guinness, while another who miss the board will scream shout stomp their feet , and even pour the precious brew over their opponent. All in a good day's forum, I'd say.
Hope to see you again, huh?
Hali, If you sat down at your computer to discuss photography and you had the choice of choosing a site where people are supportive and helpful - even to new people, or you had the choice to come here where sarcastic remarks and verbal attacks were common place, which site would you go to? If this was my only choice, then perhaps I would try to ignore the jerks and just focus on the nicer people. But forums are everywhere and I have a choice. For another example of how rude people are on here, read this latest thread http://www.microstockgroup.com/index.php?topic=6947.msg80456;topicseen#new The last post I read on there, someone took the time to write up a whole new version of how he should've presented his question, rather than taking the time to answer it. Another person questioned the amount of time he had available. And yet another person took the time to just be a smart a$$. It seems to me that the people on here just want to attack newcomers. But I guess jerks need their own forum, too. Don't worry....I haven't taken any of this personally because no one on here knows me enough to make is personal. I'll be taking my guiness to another tavern, thank you.
167
« on: January 29, 2009, 16:21 »
Well, I have to say that the responses I got from this question made me feel less inclined to start any posts or comment much at all. I wasn't trying to talk about this person behind their back but more just to bring up the topic of people buying pictures for $1 but not willing to sell them......the same way a person complains about Wal-mart putting them out of business and then shopping there. But this isn't the first time that I have experienced negativity from people on this site. 
In the future, I'll just ask questions of things that directly pertain to the direct business of microstock, if I have any that can't be answered by sifting through the thousands of other messages. Or I'll figure it out myself. Or find the answer from a friendlier forum. 
Paula, I hope you don't really mean that. Everyones views and comments are appreciated here I hope. Your original posting certainly made me smile. Perhaps ironic rather than hypocritical was the case here. I have always found this a friendly forum (apart perhaps from being accused of being a stooge of picturenation.co.uk when all I did was pass on my own experience as a contributor there!). Please keep posting on anything you like! Regards, David [/quote] Well, I've been trying to participate in the forum, but my experience thus far hasn't been all that pleasant. I think my time would be better spent working on pictures...I'm not making any money making comments in here and if they're not wanted, then there's no reason for me to stick around. I've already been attacked twice now and I've seen some really sarcastic remarks made to other new users so this site hasn't made a very good impression on me. I belong to another online photography community who are very nice and helpful and I consider many of them to be good friends. And you're right....ironic would've been a better word.
168
« on: January 28, 2009, 16:47 »
Paula,Sorry for offending you. You are correct, if I don't have anything good to say best to just not say it. You say what you wish about this individual. AVAVA
Maybe I should've just made this person a hypothetical person. No matter, it wasn't a big deal. Next subject.
Paula, all is fair in the forum. Literally it means open speech, so don't feel bad . You asked an honest question. If we have to think twice each time we ask a question here, it would take away half the fun .
Let's consider this no different from getting together at the pub. OK? cheers, bottoms up !
Well, I have to say that the responses I got from this question made me feel less inclined to start any posts or comment much at all. I wasn't trying to talk about this person behind their back but more just to bring up the topic of people buying pictures for $1 but not willing to sell them......the same way a person complains about Wal-mart putting them out of business and then shopping there. But this isn't the first time that I have experienced negativity from people on this site. In the future, I'll just ask questions of things that directly pertain to the direct business of microstock, if I have any that can't be answered by sifting through the thousands of other messages. Or I'll figure it out myself. Or find the answer from a friendlier forum.
169
« on: January 27, 2009, 20:04 »
Paula,
Sorry for offending you. You are correct, if I don't have anything good to say best to just not say it. You say what you wish about this individual.
AVAVA
Maybe I should've just made this person a hypothetical person. No matter, it wasn't a big deal. Next subject.
170
« on: January 27, 2009, 18:54 »
I think a photographer can buy and sell where ever he wants without the scrutinizing of his piers. I personally don't care where he gets his images from or sells them I feel it is his business. I would prefer to see more information that we can all use as photographers rather than talk hypocrisy on some guy I don't know.
My two cents,
AVAVA
You didn't have to respond if you weren't interested in the topic. I just figured it was a topic that some people might be interested in since so many people seem to be into discussing the whole macro vs. micro which is what this is basically about. I guess hypocrite is too strong of a word, but it was the first one that came to mind when I typed this up.
171
« on: January 27, 2009, 18:47 »
I don't know why it should be considered as hypocrisy: everybody is free to choose to contribute to mirostock or not and purchasing from contributors who decide to sell their photo for $1 does not mean that you intend to sell yours for that price.
I don't see any problem here.
And you should have told him that you find his photos not very good... it's somehow hypocrite to write it here while not telling him your feelings
I only put that side note of my opinion because I thought it was relevant.....as in, if you are an incredible photographer, you could probably fetch more for your pictures. He didn't ask my opinion of his pictures and I believe that you shouldn't say such things unless asked for your critique. As for the hypocrisy question....I'm not super-serious about my question....I just thought it was kinda funny that he expects other people to sell their pictures for a dollar, but he thinks he's too good for that.
172
« on: January 27, 2009, 18:24 »
I just had a meeting today with a man who is designing the website for the company I work for. I noticed he had pictures on our website that weren't taken of our facility and asked him where he got them. He buys from Dreamstime and Stockxpert. Later in the conversation, he mentioned that he has a lot of pictures that he took years ago. I told him he should put them on the sites and sell them, but he said he wouldn't sell them on a microstock site for a dollar apiece. Does that make him a hypocrite that he would buy other people's pictures for a dollar, but not sell his own for the same price?
As a side note, he showed me some of his photography....it's not very good IMO.
173
« on: January 27, 2009, 17:50 »
What about someone like me who is experienced in shooting landscapes but has no model photography experience? I don't feel confident enough to ask someone to model for me because I don't have any real experience except with shooting my son who loves to have his picture taken. How does a person break into this area of photography in the first place?
174
« on: January 26, 2009, 16:01 »
You need to get on Shutterstock if you want to start making more money. I'm not exclusive with anyone, but I hear it's not the recommended way.
175
« on: January 21, 2009, 19:07 »
Paula, do you know that there is a file in your Cushystock folder named: CushyStock.dat? (Mostly you can find it in: C:\Program Files\CushyStock.) When you do a daily backup of that single file to an external harddisk or so, you will have all the settings in your CushyStock database backupped. After a reinstall of the program simply copy that file back and overwrite the newer one. I use the freeware program Syncback for doing that automatically, like I do with all my photo's.
The only point: Cushy has to know where the original jpg's are (like in Lightroom).
So if you replace images of maps of them, you must tell CushyStock where to find them (like in Lightroom).
When I started using the program I didn't know about the backup and I lost all my settings about acceptance and rejections. A lot of work to put it back by hand!
Temporarily I use Filezilla for some stocksites, because they do not work well at this time, or they do not allow FTP uoloading. After uploading I go to CushyStock, select all the uploaded files and set them pending. Even the same when they are accepted or rejected.
Also not for all the sites there is the possibility to set financial state. But they worked on it.
When there are thousands of thumbnails are in Cushy, I am afraid that the program will get slower and slower, so I plan to ask Alex if it is possible to choose for smaller thumbnails.
I did see a posting on the Cushy Stock forum about being able to back up Cushy Stock and also put it on a USB drive to be able to use it on multiple computers, but hadn't tried it yet. I'm in the process of marking my pictures so tonight I'll back up that file you mentioned. Thanks! Yeah, I know things will get slower as I get more images on there. One option would be getting a faster computer...lol! The one I'm using right now is actually a reject from someone else's upgrade so I have to be patient with it. But I process my pictures on a better computer that's not hooked up to the internet. I don't use Lightroom (or Adobe) so I guess I'm one of the "odd" ones.
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