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Messages - fleitao
26
« on: September 08, 2007, 21:34 »
well, yes... looks like it's just me...
This is not good news because now i don't know what to do... I can access everything, every single page but SS... Strange and has never happened since i started with them... Any suggestions ??
Thanks
Francisco Leito
27
« on: September 08, 2007, 20:56 »
Hi all,
I can't access SS since 14:00 PM today... Either sites are "taking too long to respond"... Are they down ?? Is anybody else having the same problems or it's just me ??
Regards
Francisco Leito
28
« on: September 07, 2007, 17:45 »
This is mostly to Francisco (but applies to everyone else who is thinking the same).
I was misunderstood and I am sorry (I should have been more clear).
What I meant by "serious work" is serious microstock.
I plan on using my current setup (20D) for pictures I planned to take (e.g. setup shoots, nice well composed landscapes,...)
And I plan to use the A570IS (compact) for times when I don't have the 20D on me and I happen to take an interesting picture (e.g. I am commuting and I take a picture of something that I wouldn't anticipate)
So I would imagine that 95% of my picture for microstock would be still taken with the 20D and the 5% will be these "chance pictures".
OK... understood.... I'm also sorry for misunderstanding and ranting on you like that, but i freaked out when i saw the "serious work" sentence... After all you also said that you would use it occasionally and i haven't read that... sorry for that. As for your question, Neat Image or noise ninja are great photoshop plugins to get rid of the noise. I use neat image and it's fine. The catch is that it softens the image as much as the quantity of noise the pic has... Is the amount of noise on your P&S too much for the pic to be "uploadable" after you run noise reduction on it ? I dont know... only someone with that experience may help... or you trying... Nevertheless there are many guys using P&S for stock and they get their pics approved so... why can't you ? Regards Francisco Leito
29
« on: September 07, 2007, 16:11 »
Do you think that the results would be decent? I have the 20D with very good glass for serious work so if you think that it will look cr@p don't hesitate and let me know (I can take the truth).
Well, if you can take the truth, here it is: If you have a 20D for serious work, do your serious work and leave microstock alone... In other words, if you don't consider microstock serious, why bother ?? And you have a 20D with good glass and want to use a P&S for microstock ?? Get real ... Why do you think microstock work is less than anything else ? Of course that any thing done with a P&S will be worse than a 20D with good glass. I think you got your concepts a bit mixed up... Regards Francisco Leito
30
« on: September 05, 2007, 17:04 »
pictures of people eating generally turn out HORRIBLE. mouths wide open ready to stuff in another piece of cake 
True... but i really menat was people at the table... naturally i'll wait for a break between plates... I would get a longish lens that is fast (like 2. if you can and shoot people during the break while they are visiting with others... shoot close up 'portraits' of as many people as you can get. Often people have nice natural smiles while visiting.
-and watch out especially when people greet eachother. they often give a nice big smile then.
Let's see if my 100-400 will do.. it's a bit slow for this... but has much quality, and the camera is also noise friendly, so i can crank up the iso a bit... The greetings is a very nice idea... but guess for those i won't be stealth... at that time i'll probably also need the short lens... What about funny images, pretty extreme like: Wide angle lens stuck into a face of eating person, focus on front teeth?
I guess this would be a bit radical... probably something less extreme will do... of course one can always try and see if they like it in the end... As for sense of humour, they certainly have it... i just don't think their idea is that radical... they just don't want to pose a lot (if you ask me, there will be at least some people that will force them to take a pic together, and when one goes, everybody follows, but for that i'm ready...) and want a reportage approach. My problem is that the venue is rather limited and we don't have all those bride's house/groom/arrival/church/drive/arrival/time out for a few pics alone/etc, etc... I'm trying to squeeze some stuff wherever i can juts to add some variation... Right now i just had a good idea... near the restaurant there is a very fashionable outdoor bar... i'll try to go there with them for a few minutes just to get some "catalog pics" (hopefully). how about a limited time "special area" where you've set up a backdrop and invite guests to get a photo with their mate/date/auntie?
As said, this may happen anyway... i'm not sure whether i can set up any area, because according to the restaurant set up there is not much space available... Nevertheless the restaurant has a cool feature, a big window (in fact one wall is entirely glass) with a fairly nice landscape... i may just try that. Details, details details. good luck.
This is also my idela... lots of details... hopefully there will be many... Thanks for everybody's input and best wishes... it's great to have such a community... Regards Francisco Leito
31
« on: September 05, 2007, 13:44 »
Hi all, I've been booked to cover a wedding, for a couple friend of mine. Until now, nothing strange, but this is where normality ends... as the wedding is a bit out of the ordinary. The wedding and reception will take place on the same venue, which is a restaurant. The surroundings suck, so no chance to go out and take some pics in a garden or beach or so. Those guys don't want nothing ordinary, i.e., no formals and no group shots. So my question is... without many of those occasions that we normally have on a normal wedding, i'm a bit afraid that there won't be much material to shoot... just a quick ceremony and a long dinner... probably no dances, no speeches, i don't know... they do have a wedding cake tough, which is good... we also have the details which will be rich, i'm sure. The other thing is the restaurant, when night falls, they have no light... only a few low watt modern lamps (wrapped in paper and stuff like that) scattered around and one candle in each table.... My question, rather than asking how do i take the pictures, which i'm fairly ok with (i've done some tests on location and it's feasible, although not very easy), is what . do i shoot  500 pics of people eating may not be the best thing to do... Any ideas ?? Regards Francisco Leito
32
« on: September 05, 2007, 08:07 »
yeah.. that means they are making $1,000/month on 200 images.
... or their math is not very good.... Just kidding, of course... but it's a very good ratio indeed I also agree that this method is not very consensual, but it's just one way of calculating... what makes things a bit harder to come up with a "sure thing" formula, is that normally people's portfolios are always expanding so, you have photos there for a few days and others for months or even years. Naturally that a pic that has been uploaded last month and has earned, say 5$ can yield something like 100 $ or more in 3 years, so it's a bit unfair to calculate this way... but i just don't see a way where some problem like this doesn't happen. Regards Francisco Leito
33
« on: September 04, 2007, 18:41 »
Hi all,
My rank is:
SS (62,80%)
.
.
.
.
.
AL (10,96%)
DT (9,81%)
FT (6,92%)
LO (4,30%)
IS (2,70%)
SX (2,48%)
The reasons:
SS is indeed my best by far... in the past 10 months i've earned more at SS than everywhere else put together. Then DT has a great performance from the slow ones. I've had a EL at LO so it has distorted the results. For IS and SX, i didn't upload very much at IS yet (it will probably jump to 2 or 3rd when i have the same number of pics, but the upload sucks) and i started an SX only in July.
Finally i had one sale at Alamy, that largely compensates for many, many sales on other sites... one of these per month and i'd be happier...
Regards
Francisco Leito
34
« on: September 04, 2007, 18:14 »
Hi, I've entered mine... a slim 0.504$. Hopefully next month will be better
35
« on: September 01, 2007, 09:45 »
Hi,
Just recently bought a lcd monitor and had exactly the same problem.... i had a 19'' old crt which was indeed very good but in the last few months had lost it's focus and it was worsening...
so after all research both for hardware and budget i ended up buying a Samsung 931BW for around 280 . It's 19'' square screen equivalent, but they say it has 21''... because it's wide. This one has dynamic contrast of up to 2000:1 but i have never used it... i use it on a normal setup and i guess this way it has 700 or 800:1 not sure.
Nevertheless it's a fine monitor... my approval ratio has improved a lot once i managed to get it calibrated. It's a painful process (i guess it is with all LCD's but i did it only once.... I use Adobe Gamma Loader at startup to maitain the settings and i have never needed to calibrate it again.
Btw, i can see all of the bars... only slightly for the lower black and the higher white, but i guess that's what's intended.
Regards
Francisco Leito
36
« on: August 31, 2007, 19:06 »
Hi all,
I have bought a couple of years ago my 20D through ebay... no problem whatsoever and the camera still takes beautiful shots (90% of my galleries in fact... )
That said, this doesn't seem a very good deal... the lens are not good... you wouldn't buy them for more than 300 bucks... both...
The camera is IMO not worth it because it never really seemed much of an upgrade for the 20D, it was more like a 20D Mk 1,5. The real upgrade is now the 40D... that you you will be able to buy in a couple of months for 1299 plus lens...
Now you're saying, and what about the lens ?? Well, i say that if you think of spending 1200 dollars on a camera and use it with crappy 100 dollar lens forget it... might as well buy a 600 dollar camera and a 600 dollar lens...
If you're into photography and want to take some vacation snaps, don't buy 40D or 30D, but the low end of the range.,.. the 400D which serves perfectly... if you're into making some money and selling stock and so, spend good money on lens... and prepare to spend more than with your camera... i'm not saying that you can't with those lens and camera... but you won't take advantage of your camera's full potential and you'll get poorer results... but hey... there are guys in stock with Point and shoots... so you can do that, but it's never as good as a semi pro camera like the 40D (but with good glass...)
Regards
Francisco Leito
37
« on: August 25, 2007, 18:53 »
38
« on: August 25, 2007, 09:13 »
Hi, I think you can use Adobe Bridge, which doesn't require you to open the images to add the data Some other option is Pro Stock Master. It's not free but for the adding keywords function you can do it with the trial version. This one also Generates keywords and ables you to copy from other files http://www.prostockmaster.com/Regards Francisco Leito
39
« on: August 25, 2007, 09:09 »
Hi,
We are newbie and before we introduce ourselfs - please excuse our bad english.
You speak just like Smeagol (lord of the rings, remember ?? "The ring is very precious to us") It's fun... Be very welcome and good luck with your business. Anything you may need, in any language (as you can see by all the answers), feel free to ask Um abrao de Portugal Francisco Leito
40
« on: August 21, 2007, 16:27 »
Hi, I have bought much stuff at www.digiwowo.com. They're nice... it works only on the net but they have a good volume and although their speed is not the best characteristic, they're trustable. They are specialized in photography, have loads of material, including all the pro stuff. To me it's the best resource. The prices are normally lower than many other stores and so far i bought one camera, 3 lenses, one flash and much other small material like batteries, filters, cards, and stuff. My only complaint was being 4 months waiting for an EOS300D on the days that they couldn't produce enough cameras to sell.... Thus it's advisable before making a purchase to contact them by mail and check the availability of the material. Regards Francisco Leito
41
« on: August 18, 2007, 22:03 »
Hi...
This kind of themes are always coming backa nd i'm glad they do, because we can always keep up with what's buzzin' in the market...
One answer has been constantly recurring for the last couple of years. Canon's 70-200 is probably one of the best built lenses ever and will deliver outstanding results whatever the focal distance and whatever the aperture... this is true for the f4 and f2.8, being th major difference between both besides the obvious aperture stop, that for the 2.8 is convenient to have IS because of it's weight. Not for f4 as it's extremely light.
If you can't spend 1000$, go for the f4 version... it won't disappoint you.
Remember one wise phrase.... Life's too short to buy cheap glass... if you want the results you have to invest and don't come with that story of sigma that will yield you the same results for a lesser cost, because they won't... Go the extra mile... buy canon L glass and you'll see the difference.
Regards
Francisco Leito
42
« on: August 17, 2007, 04:10 »
A faster telezoom such as the 70-200 f4 or the 70-200 f2.8 (even as I consider that one too bulky for my shooting habits) would be nice. However, I considered this (70-200 vs. the slower 70-300 with IS) in-depth and I decided in favour for the 70-300 because of its longer reach. I usually find myself using it extensively in the 200-300 range and I think I made the right choice for my photographing habits.
Hi Michael, I think you maybe making a wrong assumption here. That 70-300 lens loses much of it's quality after 200mm. So if you're keeping it for the range, you'll be losing a lot quality. Imo, the quality tht makes the difference between a pro looking picture and a normal one. I had one 75-300 and sold it quicly because i couldn't use it for what i wanted. I needed the 300mm but the lens was virtually useless at that range, so i bought th 70-200 and when i needed a bit more range i'd crop, and still i managed to get more quality out of that lens. But it's your call... Just remember that when buying the 70-300 IS you're really paying the IS, because it's still a 150$ lens, while with the 70-200 you're really paying for a 600$ lens and that makes a world of difference. Regards Francisco Leito
43
« on: August 15, 2007, 20:29 »
Hi,
The EF 100 f2.8 would truly add to your macro... with a minimum focusing distance of 29cm (i guess) and 100mm it gives you 1:1 and so you can get microscopic... being also a fast lens is a good addition to your "stash"...
one other thing can be a grip... it does wonders for your camera, in terms of balance and power. It was one of my best buys...
As for the 70-200 f4, don't even think it can be slightly compared to your 70-300 IS... it's real glass... and you don't need IS for anything with that lens... i had one and it was by far the best lens i ever shot with...
44
« on: August 11, 2007, 20:27 »
Hi,
Yep, same here. I had the same problem yesterday... thought it was something temporary and was going to try again today or tomorrow...
Now seeing your message, it seems that it may be some other problem.
Every thing's fine with my other sites and i use FireFTP for all
45
« on: July 08, 2007, 17:12 »
Hi,
I agree also... Grizzly's advices are priceless... follow them and you'll be ok.
I just want to share a couple of tips i think haven't been mentioned.
First of all, try not to be nervous, because this will show in your attitude. Like Grissly said, is important to have control and you can't if you're nervous. Think this way, you love to take photos and have done a large bunch. You know what to do with a camera and have a bunch of good work done, so why be nervous ? Be professional, as said, be vigilant about the quality of your work "on the fly" (ahh... the digital wonders) but try not to be nervous.
Try to take a good flash and put it to use ALWAYS... (don't use in camera flashes). Use it mainly as a fill outside, and use it as needed indoor, but be careful and always meter, meter, meter and meter for ambient light, so you won't get those "all flash, no background shots". If you have a cable and someone to hold it for you, do that, so that the light from it isn't in the same plan as the lens. You'll see the difference in results !!
I know this probably won't be possible, but try to take specific purpose lens and not "one size fits all" lenses like that 28-300. Zoom lenses are never really good through all of the range, so it's best not to use them. Try to get really good lenses like the Canon L series. All the other lenses are just substandard and while they can deliver good shots in some situations they won't save you when you really need them, i.e., when the conditions are not that proper. And you have a lot of these in a wedding (indoor lighting is usually poor to give that romantic atmosphere and most romantic places are romantic because they have a subtle and subdued light, with a special aura sometimes. In these situations you need to get the most out of your lens, without creating too much ISO noise or catching motion blur due to slow speeds).
One thing the a 300mm lens is good for, tough is to take spontaneous candids, when you can be far from the subject and he's unaware of your presence... Many times people like those shots because is not very usual for people to have a good portrait of themselves at home, so they tens to buy these if they're good and unexpected. (most times a 3/4 profile does it very nicely but it need to be well lit and you can't rely on the flash due to the distance.
Have fun !! Always !! That will also show in the pics...
46
« on: July 06, 2007, 16:46 »
I think everyone should boycott the site until they get FTP and IPTC reading on line.
By all means reserve you username but dont upload. This is the approach I am taking.
Yep, i'm also taking a similar approach. Have signed up and uploaded 5 pics to evaluate the aproval/rejection policy, time, keywording (cool feature this one, but if they keep this up in a short period of time they won't have capacity to meet the demands when everybody starts uploading). I'll also wait for IPTC and FTP uploading But it looks cool, and i like their approach. Does anyone know where can we see the "snapiness" of a photo ? Or we can only order them by snapiness but never see that value ? Regards
47
« on: July 05, 2007, 18:25 »
Hi,
Does anyone know this one ?? Is it old or new ?? They claim to have +325.000 pics and guess what, they are owned by Jupiter...
Don't know anything about uploading or selling our pics there, but will investigate
Regards
48
« on: July 01, 2007, 09:02 »
Hi there,
Is there any way we can see the photo views in StockXpert ??
Abd btw, what are those 3 numbers below our pics in the gallery view ?
Thanks
49
« on: June 29, 2007, 20:31 »
Mine are also pending since earlier this week...
50
« on: June 25, 2007, 19:25 »
Hi,
Nobody can forget where they come from and what's their support. They may seem feeling the market for now, don't know if it's to keep or to change in a few days/weeks/months time, and this is probably a beta phase.
But when they seem fit and want to, they will have the means to "go to market" in a nick of a time. I guess it's just a question of finding out if they're able, because i don't doubt that they can. And if they're able, they'll be big, regardless of how silly the name or site or anything may seem...
Regards
Francisco Leito
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