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Taking Stock: Make money in microstock creating photos that sell
- By Rob Sylvan
- Published Aug 13, 2010 by Peachpit Press.
- Copyright 2011
- Dimensions: 7-1/2" x 9-1/8"
- Pages: 240
- Edition: 1st
- Book
- ISBN-10: 0-321-71307-9
- ISBN-13: 978-0-321-71307-0
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Product Author Bios
Rob Sylvan started contributing photos to iStockphoto in 2002. In December 2002, he became the sixth photo inspector (the people who review all new submissions to the site) to be hired. Over the last seven years he has inspected thousands upon thousands of photos and is in the process of re-writing iStock's photo contributor manual. Beyond his experience with iStockphoto, Rob has been one of three people serving on the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) Help Desk answering Photoshop and Lightroom questions for all NAPP members. He is also the author of Lightroom 2 for Dummies.
The ultimate insider guide to creating stock shots that sell from a veteran iStockphoto inspector
An iStockphoto inspector since 2002, author Rob Sylvan has spent nearly a decade as part of the team that decides which photos get sold on one of the largest, most popular microstock sites in existence. He’s also made tens of thousands of dollars off of his own microstock photography. As a result, no one knows better than he does what it takes to get your photos accepted to stock sites—and what to do to make those photos sell. In Taking Stock, Rob shares his hard-earned insider knowledge on how to shoot, edit, and tag photos so you can earn while you learn, regardless of which microstock agency you’re using.
In this book, you’ll learn how to look at the world through the eyes of designers, photo editors, and stock photographers. You’ll also learn the importance of focusing your energy on creating stock content that resonates with your passion for photography. But we all know time is money, which is why Rob explains how to set up an effective digital workflow—the real key to making money in the high-volume, low-cost microstock market. By the end of this book, you’ll look at your work with new eyes, enabling you to make more money doing exactly what you love: shooting photos that sell.
You will learn:
- How to license photos as stock
- What photos are in demand
- The components of a successful digital workflow
- How to use titles, descriptions, and keywords to give yourself an edge
- Specific tips for shooting food, people, places, nature, objects, animals, and more
- Editing techniques that will make your shots sell
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
100 % Success!,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Taking Stock: Make money in microstock creating photos that sell (Paperback)
I recently purchased Rob Sylvan's book. His explanations of the cause of stock photo rejections was very clear and useful, and helped me make sense of the boilerplate rejection responses that so far, far outnumber my acceptances. Utilizing 3 separate pieces of information gleaned from the book, I was able to turn my latest 3 rejections into acceptances. More than just the euphoria of this sudden success is the hope that I can now plan more ambitous photos, without the despair of feeling doomed from the start. Well worth the money spent, and hopefully earning it back even as we speak. - Schnoodle on iStockphoto
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
"Taking Stock"... a great book!,
This review is from: Taking Stock: Make money in microstock creating photos that sell (Paperback)
I just finished the book "Taking Stock: Make money in microstock creating photos that sell" by Rob Sylva and it's coming to you with a two thumbs up recommendation (if I had more thumbs it would get them too).Rob comes at the subject of stock photography from both sides of the fence, he is a stock photographer AND an image inspector for iStock Photo. This book is well written, it has a ton of images that help demonstrate and reinforce what he has to say, and is very easy to follow and understand. One of the things I really like about the book as the inclusion of the images from other stock photographers, including their thoughts and ideas behind that image, and their advice to those considering entering the field of stock photography. Some of the chapters are: * Tools of the Trade * Shooting Tips From the Pros * Digital Darkroom * Digital Editing And these incredibly important... Read more
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Practical and immediately useful!,
This review is from: Taking Stock: Make money in microstock creating photos that sell (Paperback)
Taking StockRob Sylvan This book is a great introduction to creating stock images. Sylvan takes the reader step by step through all the necessary ideas and information needed to get started in stock photography. He talks about the pros and cons in a realistic way without at all discouraging the newcomer. Throughout each chapter there are activities to help the reader develop skills needed to gain perspective and insight to creating images suitable. He starts with using an organized way to look at existing stock images, evaluate them and then begin to look at the world with the notion of seeing potential stock images. References are made to Sylvan's preferred online stock image providers. There is discussion about their methods and requirements for selecting stock images to post from those submitted. Sylvan is realistic without being discouraging. The book is replete with samples of successful images along with comments by the creator... Read more |
Online Sample Chapter
Make Money in Microstock Creating Photos that Sell: Getting into a Stock Frame of Mind
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Ch 1
Is this Book for You?
How I Got Started
From Content Consumer to Content Creator
The $13,000 Christmas Tree
What’s in it for You?
Quality vs. Quantity
Ch2
What is Stock Photography?
Who Uses Stock?
When is a Photo a Stock Photo?
Understanding the Licensing Models
Rights-Managed
Royalty-Free
Editorial
The Ways that Money Changes Hands
Pay-As-You-Go
Subscription
The History of “Microstock”
The Top Microstock Sites to Start With
Ch3
Getting into a Stock Frame of Mind
Knowing Your Customers
Doing Your Research
Keeping Track
Thinking Like an Image Consumer
Greater Than the Sum of its Parts
Spectrum of Stock
Ingredients of a Stock Photo
Communication is Key
Simplicity of Message
Give Equal Weight to the Background
Assignment
Ch4
Of Rights and Wrongs
Reading the Fine Print
Permitted Uses
Editorial Options
The Role of the Model Release
Finding People Willing to Model
Can I Get a Witness?
A Healthy Respect for Property
Prevention Pays Off
Being Inspired by Others
Assignment
Ch5
Tools of the Trade
Gear Crazy
Camera Choices
Raw vs. JPG
Keeping Your Options Open
Key Camera Settings
Do Touch that Dial
Beyond the Camera
Ch6
Shooting Tips From the Pros
The Importance of Good Exposure
Reading the Histogram
Highlight Clipping Warning
Top Tips for Your Next Photo Shoot
Get Ready
Day of the Shoot
After the Shoot
Moving Forward
Ch7
Setting Up Your Digital Darkroom
Hardware Choices
Computer
Plan B (For Backup)
Your Monitor
Calibrating Your Monitor
Software Choices
Choosing a Color Space
Color by Numbers
Understanding Bit Depth
Answering the Question
Assignment
Ch8
Digital Editing Basics
Focus on Quality
Work Smarter
A Little About that Bear Photo
Setting Defaults and Creating Presets
Choosing a Default Rendering
Creating a Develop Preset
Adjusting White Balance
Using the Tools
Speeding Up the Process
Making Exposure Adjustments
Exploring the Exposure Adjustment Tools
Practical Exposure Adjustments
The Presence Controls
Sharpening for Stock
Making the Sharpening Adjustments
Dealing with Noise
Making the Adjustments
Assignment
Ch9
Avoiding Rejection
Digital House Cleaning
The Dreaded Purple Fringe
Cropping for Composition
Removing Distracting Elements
Downsizing to Fix Minor Problems
Avoid Over-Processing
Adding a Vignette
Creating a Reverse Vignette
Assignment
Ch10
Seeing Like an Inspector
Being Your Own Worst Critic
Capture Time
First Review
Post-production
Objectivity Practice
Developing an Inspection Workflow
Creating an Upload Pre-flight Checklist
Dealing with Rejection
Assignment
Ch11
Putting it All Together
First Things First
Backups on the Go
Software Solutions
Importing into Lightroom
Import Interface Orientation
A Typical Import
Creating a Metadata Preset
Wheat from the Chaff: Reviewing
Decision Time
Collecting the Keepers
The Wonderful World of Metadata
Search Engine Optimization
Adding Titles and Descriptions
Keywording 101
Creating a Keyword List
Applying Keywords
Ch12
Moving Out into the World
Save Your Final Versions
Lightroom Export
Lightroom Publish Services
Establishing a Name for Yourself
Going Through the Application Process
Find Your Photos in Use
Google Google Google
Reverse Image Search
Move to the Next Level
Parting Words
Afterword
Downloadable Sample Chapter
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