Making Money Selling Your Online Photos

[ad_1]

These days almost everybody has two things, a digital camera and a Facebook account. Have you noticed that you are being photo tagged on Facebook almost every day. Facebook claims to have over 10 billion photos from their users. If you think about how much money is not being made on Facebook, you have to rethink the next time you upload another photo on Facebook especially if you are a professional photographer.

Let us do the math, given that 90% of all photos posted on Facebook has no commercial value it still leaves 1 billion photos which may have some commercial value. If we are to follow the pricing methods of stock photo websites, it will still be worth half a billion dollars.

Aside from getting a "like" or a nice comment from your Facebook friends, as a professional photographer you should think of getting more value from your online photos. What you should consider is to monetize your online photos or get advertising mileage that will help your photography business grow rather than have your photos stored on Facebook and waiting for your Facebook friends to "like" them.

How you can make money on your online photos?

1. Create a website

Your own website is the best place to make money on your online photos. A simple blog running on WordPress will do. If you love free stuff, try making a blog on Blogger or Tumblr.

2. Create a Fotomoto Account

Selling your online photos with stock photo websites will not make you money but instead it undervalues your photo and yourself as a photographer. The best way to make money with your online photos is if you can name your own price and this is possible with Fotomoto. It is an e-commerce system for photographers, it is free and charge you only when you sell your online photos. It works with WordPress blogs, Blogger blogs and Tumblr blogs.

3. Create a Facebook Page

I didn't say to deactivate your Facebook account. What I would like you to do is create a Facebook Page. The main advantage of a Facebook Page or a Fan Page over your regular Facebook account is that it doesn't have the 5,000 friend limit. What it means is that it provides you better value in terms of advertising when you post anything about your photography business especially when you upload a photo online.

4. Create a Twitter Account

Mainly to use it to advertise your website where you upload your online photos for sale.

These are the only things you need to successfully make money selling photos online. The next time you are thinking of posting a photo on Facebook, think twice before you do. Think about the potential money it can earn you if upload and sell it on your own website and simply update your Facebook status that you have an online photo up for sale. The money you can make may buy you the digital camera you have been dreaming about.

[ad_2]

Source by Nap Beltran

Street Photography - A Candid Addiction

[ad_1]

Capturing the true human emotions in unguarded moments strewn on the streets, parks, wedding halls, concerts and bus or train stations is Street Photography.

If you are an amateur at photography so what? Street Photography is not about technicalities of photography, but about encapsulating life through the technical device. What a canvas does to a painter's vision, the camera holds for a Street Photographer's roving eye. Street Photographers do not have a daily schema to work on. They are driven by the enthusiasm of discovering everyday something new on the streets which are paraded up and down by thousands regularly. They are eternal travelers whose camera can form a scrap book of the myriad human sentiments. It is just the photographer and the camera at work connected together like conjoined twins creating magic with every other click. There is no need for any other external source between the two. Tripods, lenses, filters, lights prove useless in Street Photography. With "chin up, look in the camera" instructions only a pose can be captured, but not the life in it. It is that fleeting moment which if arrested dot-on-time matters and not the light or its source. The human expression changes with every passing second and with that human activity. All of it can be grabbed by the camera only if the photographer is invisible to its natural surroundings and good with its reflexes.

Street Photography thrives on slices from human lives. Therefore a street photographer has to make careful selection of the elements to include and those to exclude from his selection which are mere overwhelming obsessions. It is this factor which brings life to the otherwise still photographs. In the absence of props, lighting and time to change filters, a photographer has to react extempore before the precious moment gets lost forever. Not just the moment, but at times the photographer himself senses 'loss of self' with an emotionally involving act of others. A Street Photographer needs to be highly empathetic towards its subject matter, but at the same time maintaining a safe distance so as not to get carried away by the reactions. Many Street Photographers engross their photography with incidents that generate instant emotional responses like humor. A string of street photographs may portray a mad world with surreal occurrences. To unleash the world you need not run to war-torn, famished or terrorized places. The most fascinating photographs can be taken in the most real and happening places of everyday life, that is, on the streets.

Street Photography holds a mirror to the society by concentrating on single human moments arrested at a decisive, poignant instant. It stimulates the mind to think beyond the most evident. It is a personal rendition of a plethora of unnoticed flashes documented by the photographer for the ages to come. Are you assuming serendipity a synonym for Street Photography? It is not chance alone, but a keen eye with an emotional brain and deft hands holding the camera which create the street magic on paper. If you choose Street Photography, you are bound to get addicted by the candidness of it.

[ad_2]

Source by Michael Pheps

The New Tokina 16.5-135 Super Zoom Lens Review

[ad_1]

The Tokina 16.5-135 lens is a good value for money lens that gives you high quality pictures with the best possible sharpness. It provides a much wider angle than most lenses. The wide angle makes the lens an ideal fit for nature and outdoor photography. The lens however also has an incredible focal range that allows it to be used for indoor photography. In addition, this lens can take very good close up photos. In short, it is an everyday lens that can accommodate all your needs at a very affordable price. This makes the lens easily acceptable and readily usable among all type of photographers alike.

Tokina is known for being a pioneer in the latest advancements and for staying in track with the current trends. The Tokina 16.5-135 lens justifies this. The lens is made of three aspherical elements, one all glass precision-molded element and two compound elements. This makes the lens a robust and sturdy setup. The lens also comes with two Super-low Dispersion or otherwise known as SD glass elements that make chromatic aberrations and flare effects scarce. Another advantage of using SD glass elements is that the SD glass elements are lighter in weight and hence reduce the overall weight.

When it comes to the aperture, it is by far one of the widest lens in the market. The wide aperture of the Tokina 16.5-135 has many advantages for low light photography. It will allow you to take pictures on high shutter speeds and will cover a large shooting array. Another subtle benefit of using such a big and wide aperture is that the subject of the photo looks more prominent and has a special grace over the wide background. The contrast is brilliant and the chromatic as well as thermal aberrations are absent until you zoom in on a post processing software.

Focusing in the Tokina 16.5-135 lens has been dealt with very well and more attention has been given to detailing to make it more handy for the photographer. The focusing is constant and uniform throughout the entire zoom range of the lens and it never fails to deliver. Being an advanced piece of equipment, the Tokina 16.5-135 lens quite obviously comes with a great auto focus mechanism. With a total of 15 lenses in the complete setup, the auto focusing mechanism can make and take decisions quite capably.

Having said all this about its qualities and positives, it is safe to say that the Tokina 16.5-135 is a one of a kind model that meets the requirements of every kind of photographer and has something for everyone. It is also impressive to see how it finds a way to do all that at an incredibly cheap rate.

[ad_2]

Source by Luke Darma

Best Canon Lenses for Portraits - Best Gifts for Photographers

[ad_1]

The Holiday Season is right around the corner, and that means fantastic sales! It also means fighting for parking space and waiting in lines only to find out that the things you wanted to get for your friends and loved ones aren't in stock.

This is where on-line shopping comes into play.

Not only do you not have to deal with the undue stress that comes with shopping at the malls, but you can be guaranteed that what you want to buy I in stock. On-line companies have even gone one step further by offering steep discounts on high-demand items.

So what do you get for your favorite photographer? Well, there are a bunch of lenses that Canon has out on the market this year, and they make the perfect gift for the person who loves taking pictures, but may not have the special attachments to take those detailed, wide angle, long distance, or even underwater shots. Canon Lenses are by far the most adaptable and widely used by professional photographers and home users alike.

Let's take a look at a few of the great lenses Canon is offering during the Holiday Season.

The Canon Ef 85mm f / 1.2L II USM Lens

Most users and reviewers sum this lens up as being "outstanding." The Canon Ef 85mm has an extremely sharp focus, which makes it ideal for portrait shots. The Ef 85mm also gives you control in low lighting, as well as giving you fantastic depth-of-field ranges. It's a little on the heavy side, but the Canon Ef 85mm is easily portable, durable, and well worth the money.

Pros: Extremely durable; Fast & accurate auto-focus; incredible depth of field

Cons: Bulky; A little on the high-end

The Canon EF 180mm f3.5 Macro USM AutoFocus Telephoto Lens

This is by far one of the best telephoto lenses for beginners and professionals alike. The Canon EF 180mm AF Telephoto Lens is rugged and durable (perfect for photojournalists, nature photographers, and outdoor events), but comes packed with features. The EF 180mm has a long macro lens, which is fantastic for getting your subject matter in full detail at long ranges. The Canon EF 180mm will work at long ranges for both long zoom and close-up shots, and will also allow you to de-focus the background to let your subject matter stand out.

Pros: Ultra-sharp imagery; Superior design

Cons: Heavy; Comes with 72c adapter for macro flashes

The Canon EF 70-200mm f / 4 L IS USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

The EF 70-200mm USM Lens comes from Canon's Luxury Lens Series.Kownown for being extremely durable, the Canon EF 70-200mm USM is also very lightweight and portable, with metal mountings.

This Canon L-Series Lens is perfect for taking incredible shots of moving objects - birds, cars, players at a sporting event, kids running through the house. The Canon EF70-200mm's built-in Ultra Sonic motor allows you to take clear and sharp pictures of moving object, while allowing you to toggle between auto and manual focus, so you don't have to worry about missing any of the action while fiddling with settings.

Pros: Fast auto-focus; 4-Stop IS; Incredibly sharp images; Superior design and quality; Lightweight

Cons: A little on the pricey side - until you see the quality of your pictures

The Canon TS-E 90mm f / 2.8 Tilt Shift Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

With the Canon TS-E 90mm Lens, you have complete control over the tilt, shift, and rotate adjustments. This means that you can place your subject matter at the angle your want, form the position you are in to take a picture.

The Tilt option of the Canon TS-E 90mm allows you to adjust which objects are in and out of focus while taking a portrait shot. The Shift option gives you control over perspective distortion So if you want things to be enhanced or corrected, you can take care of that by using this lens, rather than dealing with photography software after you've already taken your picture. The Rotate function gives you complete control over the sharpness of the focus then taking specific portraits.

Pros: Ultra-sharp images; Superior design and lens quality; Consistent picture quality

Cons: According to reviews and users, there aren't any.

The Canon EF 135mm f / 2L USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

This is without a doubt the best Canon portrait lens on the market today, combining blindingly fast focus speed and pinpoint accuracy. The Canon EF 135mm has response functionality, such that you can get focused on your subject matter in microseconds.

Portraits come out ultra-sharp, and you can use the Canon EF 135mm to blur anything within a 3-foot radius of your subject matter. This means your portrait shots will come out crystal clear, and no one will be distracted by anything other than your subject matter.

The EF 135mm from Canon is light and portable, making it easy for taking wherever you go. The Canon EF 135mm is a fantastic multi-purpose lens, but in the field of portrait shots, the EF 135mm gets nothing but rave reviews from professional and consumer photographers alike.

Pros: Super-fast focus; Ultra-sharp images; Full field-of-view focus control

Cons: None!

This is just a handful of the Canon lenses on the market for the Holiday Season. There are ten in total, but this is a good overview of a few of the best. The great thing is, that even with the Black Friday rush, many dealers are offering these lenses (and the rest in the Canon line) at up to 40% Off the in-store and catalog prices.

[ad_2]

Source by Igor Anatolyevich Soyka

Introduction to the New Mirrorless Cameras

[ad_1]

Mirrorless Cameras are Digital Cameras which provide the picture quality and versatility of professional Digital Single-Lens Reflex cameras (DSLRs), together with a mobility closer to that of a more common "point and shoot" digital camera. They are also often called Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Digital Cameras simply because that, distinct from the common Digital Cameras for consumer market, they provide a mechanism to change lenses conveniently, as it's done with professional ones.

An innovative design which preserves the Image Sensor Systems of DSLRs makes this all attainable. Which means that quality is by no means affected. The mirror common to Reflex mirrors isn't incorporated therefore, the Mirrorless camera is compact and extremely mobile unlike traditional DSLR cameras. The downside is that although the mirrorless camera is a lot smaller in size the lens call for a great deal of room in order to maintain the excellent photo quality from a camera of this dimension.

Partial remedy for the previously mentioned dilemma comes from the new Micro Four Thirds system, derived from the initial Four Third System adopted by professional DSLR cameras; the micro 4: 3 has been designed by Olympus and Panasonic, and it's among the specifications produced especially for Mirrorless Cameras. This new standard allows to minimize the dimensions of the lenses utilized by the camera, without affecting too much on the picture quality. Furthermore, since it shares most of the specifications of the original 4: 3 Standard, the "old" SLR Four Third lenses works extremely well on these new mirrorless cameras by using an adapter. This feature on it's own is a huge advantage for any professional photographer who already has a good stock of lenses, as they could be reused conveniently. Other manufacturers, like Nikon, Minolta, Pentax, FujiFilm, etc., use similar strategies, however founded on a different design.

The viewfinder is yet another characteristic of this new type of camera that's worthy of talking about. While standard DSLRs make use of an optical viewfinder which requires a prism and a mirror this entire element has been taken out in the mirrorless camera. In its place is an Electronic Viewfinder (the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 and its successor, the DMC-G2, include it). It's a reproduction of the functionality of the original Viewfinder in that the photographer can see the image through the eyes of the sensor rather than the lenses just like in the LCD display situated on all point and shoot cameras. The benefit to the Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) in comparison with the LCD display is the fact that a number of additional features like a histogram and automatic exposure adjustment (invaluable when taking pictures at night) are contained. These extra bonuses will yield some lag in the updating of the image due to the extra processes and will also increase battery consumption. There have been some improvement of these downsides in more recent model mirrorless cameras and they will get better with future upgrades.

You should also know that a few manufacturers would rather have a more compact camera and as a consequence have done away with the Viewfinder and flash from the camera's body. To access these components you can hook up to the camera when needed. Examples of this design include the Samsung NX100 and the Sony Alpha NEX-3.

These cameras haven't completely seized the attention of the masses which might be in part due to the lack of a definite standard since mirrorless technology is still very new. In spite of this there's still room enough for improvement. If you're always prepared to try out new technology look for the numerous reviews for the numerous models in the marketplace and select any of the many Mirrorless Cameras which may be right for you.

[ad_2]

Source by Diego Zanella

Movie Settings for the Canon Eos 1300D or Rebel T6 DSLR Camera

[ad_1]

The Canon 1300D or Rebel T6 is an excellent camera for shooting both stills and movies and these are the best settings to shoot movies. In order to make any changes in the 1300D for video you need to be in the Video Mode. Turn the Dial Mode round to the very bottom option which shows a video camera, and you will hear that the mirror inside the camera pop up. That enables you to see through the viewing screen at the back which is the only way you can shoot video on this camera. It also gives you access to the menu tabs which are dedicated to video and the first thing that you really need to do here is choose your video system. This was developed when TV systems were very different and if you wanted to show your videos on a TV screen you had to align what was shot on the camera to the TVs that you are going to be showing the video on. There are two systems, one is PAL and the other is NTSC. NTSC tends to be the system which is operated in the United States and PAL tends to be the system which is operated in Europe and other parts of the world. There's not an enormous amount of difference. However it does change the way that the camera operates very slightly. So when you start to look at the frame rates you will see that under NTSC you get a frame rate option of 60 frames per second or 30 frames per second. When you're in PAL you get the option of 50 frames a second and 25 frames per second. They're the real differences that you will notice. Most people these days don't shoot on DSLR in order to show their videos on televisions. They tend to use it for social media or showing on a laptop. In which case it doesn't make really any difference. But in order to change that you need to go into the menus and you go to Tab 2 and down at the bottom you have the option to change Video System.

The second thing you need to think about is file size and frame rate. These things are quite important because they will decide the quality of the videos that you shoot. This camera is pretty good - it'll shoot 1080p which is full HD and it will also shoot 720p which is standard HD - both of which are perfectly acceptable for social media platforms. In order to make those changes we go again into Video Tab 2 and find Movie Recording Size. If we press on that option then we get four choices. Depending on whether you've chosen NTSC or PAL, you maximum rates will be either 60fps or 50fps.

The third thing you need to think about when shooting movies with this camera is exposure. When you're shooting stills with the Canon 1300D you have lots of choices. They're all on the Mode Dial and they go from entirely manual to semi-automatic and then to entirely automatic options In most of these Modes the camera is trying to get the best exposure for the stills that you're shooting within the given parameters that you have presented to it. With movies it's different. You have two options - you can either shoot Automatic or you can shoot Manual. With Automatic in the movie setting the camera will try to get the best possible exposure for you and in many cases it works very well, so I would suggest that initially at least you shoot in Automatic just to get a feel for how the camera works and you don't have to worry then about the exposure because the camera will do the best it can for you. However, if you want to go into Manual there are different ways of changing the various parameters for Manual that are different to the way that you would do that for stills. In the Menu, Movie Exposure is in Video Tab 1 and you get the two options, Auto or Manual. If you choose to go into Manual then you have much more control over the settings that you can have. You will see that you have options for setting the Shutter Speed for setting the Aperture and for setting the ISO. For the Shutter Speed, rotate Main Dial. By depressing the AV button here and rotating that Main Dial you can change the Aperture. The ISO is changed by pressing the flash button and rotating the Main Dial.

The fourth thing you need to think about is sound. The Canon 1300D does not have an external microphone socket. It just has an internal microphone, so sound can be a bit limited with this camera. But if you go into Menus and on Shooting Tab 2, the second one down is Sound Recording and you can set that to one of three options. You can have either Auto, Manual or Disabled. I would argue against disabling it entirely because sometimes it's useful to have sound, even if you don't intend to use it in the final cut. Auto is not bad but it will try to pick up as much sound as possible and you may not want that - you may not want the ambient sound. Manual is not too bad provided you're reasonably close to the source of sound. There is a decibel bar going across the bottom and, as with most cameras, the objective is to try to peak on about 12. In terms of its recording in itself it's actually pretty good, so I wouldn't be adverse to using the internal microphone, you just have to be a little bit careful.

The next couple of options that we are going to look at are in Video Tab 3 and it may seem that they're less important than other options, but they do affect the way that your video looks and so they are worth checking out. If we go to Video Tab 3 then at the bottom is the Picture Style option. These are the same options that you get with stills and you can choose to have Vivid or Sepia or many other options and some of them are set so that they bring out the best qualities for portrait and landscape. With video it tends to be better to try and shoot video as flat as possible and so the best option to start with is neutral and so you should always set that to neutral for video until you make the decision that you want to change the Picture Style and shoot something differently. The one just above that in Video Tab 3 is Custom White Balance. It's very important for shooting videos because if you start moving around and shooting things in different light then the one stable element - the one constant - will be the white balance.

[ad_2]

Source by Jeremy Bayston