Ed Rooney Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Choosing which subjects to shoot seems to be the most important thing we do in stock . . . well, it's at least as important as a good shooting technique, solid post processing, smart keywording, and ah . . . everything else. I wanted to shoot the Royals at home, but they wouldn't return my calls. Obama's family was a dead end, too. I used to travel a lot, but the clients paid all my expenses. With the fees I've been getting at Alamy I can't afford to travel. Anyway, I'm not supposed to travel on my own dime, am I? It comes down to what subjects I can find and shoot without spending money here in NYC. Fortunately there are a lot of subjects here. I just wonder what subjects I'm missing out on. What do you think I should shoot? Or what should you shoot that you're not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ventura Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Not sure if you have a car, but I would take day trips in most any direction from NYC, where there is a multitude of great subjects around the New York City area. If not, the trains take you to all kinds of great places. But you know that. I live in the Washington DC area but I tend to shoot more around DC rather than in DC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 As you are about the most opposite to me, with me being out in the country and you in the biggest city in the world. How could you ever run out of subjects? I envy your choices. I have decided that next Tuesday, my son and I are heading to Toronto to just shoot our little brains out. Harbourfront, Queens Quay, St. Lawrence Market, and all the interesting people that you can find in the city. Only so much you can photograph down here on the back 40. On Saturday I went for a walk around the farm looking for interesting subjects. Managed the barn and silo, our hydro transformer and the meter. Also took a few of our mailbox on the road. The cows were all hiding down the hill and I was too lazy to go down and shoot them. Besides, I have to sit and remove all the flies off of them in post processing. The horses are there but they just walk around eating, how interesting is that? This week is our local fair. Its quite a decent size, so I am going to go and have fun with the camera. Next sets of pics you will see from me on Alamy will probably be midway rides, cotton candy eaters and whatever else I stumble across. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njene Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 As you are about the most opposite to me, with me being out in the country and you in the biggest city in the world. How could you ever run out of subjects? I envy your choices. I have decided that next Tuesday, my son and I are heading to Toronto to just shoot our little brains out. Harbourfront, Queens Quay, St. Lawrence Market, and all the interesting people that you can find in the city. Only so much you can photograph down here on the back 40. On Saturday I went for a walk around the farm looking for interesting subjects. Managed the barn and silo, our hydro transformer and the meter. Also took a few of our mailbox on the road. The cows were all hiding down the hill and I was too lazy to go down and shoot them. Besides, I have to sit and remove all the flies off of them in post processing. The horses are there but they just walk around eating, how interesting is that? This week is our local fair. Its quite a decent size, so I am going to go and have fun with the camera. Next sets of pics you will see from me on Alamy will probably be midway rides, cotton candy eaters and whatever else I stumble across. If your going to the big smoke - heres some interesting places - nathan phillips square, old and new city hall ( you can go inside new city hall and take pics ) U of T , ROM, Philosophers Walk, First Canadian Place , just to mention a few interesting places esp if you like architecture. If you plan your day , you can probably do everything and enjoy the city. I can only imagine that NYC would have about 1000xs more things and places to shoot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 As you are about the most opposite to me, with me being out in the country and you in the biggest city in the world. How could you ever run out of subjects? I envy your choices. I have decided that next Tuesday, my son and I are heading to Toronto to just shoot our little brains out. Harbourfront, Queens Quay, St. Lawrence Market, and all the interesting people that you can find in the city. Only so much you can photograph down here on the back 40. On Saturday I went for a walk around the farm looking for interesting subjects. Managed the barn and silo, our hydro transformer and the meter. Also took a few of our mailbox on the road. The cows were all hiding down the hill and I was too lazy to go down and shoot them. Besides, I have to sit and remove all the flies off of them in post processing. The horses are there but they just walk around eating, how interesting is that? This week is our local fair. Its quite a decent size, so I am going to go and have fun with the camera. Next sets of pics you will see from me on Alamy will probably be midway rides, cotton candy eaters and whatever else I stumble across. If your going to the big smoke - heres some interesting places - nathan phillips square, old and new city hall ( you can go inside new city hall and take pics ) U of T , ROM, Philosophers Walk, First Canadian Place , just to mention a few interesting places esp if you like architecture. If you plan your day , you can probably do everything and enjoy the city. I can only imagine that NYC would have about 1000xs more things and places to shoot I know T.O. well. Lived downtown in my 20's when I worked at the Toronto Sun. Used to live at Front and Sherburne. At lunch would go to Cherry Beach and feed the gulls. I like the extremes. Either put me right downtown or way out in the country. Never been a burbs person. Will probably try and get some nice building shots as well. Looking forward to it as I haven't been downtown in awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Palmer Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 You live in a target-rich environment. Hang a map on the wall, put a blindfold on and throw a dart (or play pin the tail on the donkey if you don't want to throw a sharp pointy object). Go to wherever the dart lands and shoot what you find. It should put some added diversity in your portfolio. Or go back to an area you've already shot but go at twilight or after dark, it will look totally different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Burdett Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Ed - Think small! Put away the nex and drag out the D700 and 60mm micro ... (Seem to remember you like this combo?) You might get the wrong sort of attention doing handheld macro on the streets of New York but you probably haven't exhausted a fraction of the possibilities that lie between you and your front door! Cheers! Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulstw Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Ed, I live in Glasgow, Scotland, UK (Sorry couldn't help myself there) and I'd probably give my left big toe to take pictures in NY. Likewise, you'd probably do a lot better than me shooting in Glasgow. I refer to a great man I've been following in photography "John Free" Whose outlook on street photography and people has really opened my eyes to my own city in a way I had trouble with before. I think we all get a little jaded walking around the same spots, in the same light, and seeing the same things. Sometimes breaking the norm, changing it up or just walking another way helps me out a lot. Funnily, standing in the same spot yields some odd results. I'm no expert at it, but I get bored very easily Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I'm no expert at it, but I get bored very easily Paul Whereas I'm an expert at getting bored in my home area. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSnapper Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 "I think we all get a little jaded walking around the same spots, in the same light, and seeing the same things" nope km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulstw Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 "I think we all get a little jaded walking around the same spots, in the same light, and seeing the same things" nope km I think because I walk around the same walk everyday at the same time (12pm) each day means I sometimes come away without taking any pics at all. Maybe I'm not imaginative enough lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSnapper Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 there's a world of difference between 'looking' and 'seeing' and get in to the mindset of making rather than taking images km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 How cryptic, km. Does a gong sound come with that? Keith, the Sony Zeiss 24 f/1.8 (36 view) on my NEX cameras focuses to 6.5 inches, making it a very useful closeup lens, handheld, if not a true micro. With the Nikon and the 60 micro I like to be on a tripod . . . and that would change everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Choosing which subjects to shoot seems to be the most important thing we do in stock . . . It comes down to what subjects I can find and shoot without spending money here in NYC. Fortunately there are a lot of subjects here. I just wonder what subjects I'm missing out on. What do you think I should shoot? Or what should you shoot that you're not? Two minutes research Ed and we find that the most searched subjects for NYC during the last year were: - Skyline Taxis Subway bus I guess that you need to compare the searches with the number of views or available shots to optimise your quest. Coming from the gloom of the NE of the UK I have zero sympathy with shooters based in NYC Was there only a couple of days. On one it rained. Uploaded 25 shots and licensed 2 to date. Wish the rest of my collection would perform anything like as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angler Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Shoot the subject matter that interests you and for once I agree with KM make pictures rather than just take them. The Constant Angler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 Choosing which subjects to shoot seems to be the most important thing we do in stock . . . It comes down to what subjects I can find and shoot without spending money here in NYC. Fortunately there are a lot of subjects here. I just wonder what subjects I'm missing out on. What do you think I should shoot? Or what should you shoot that you're not? Two minutes research Ed and we find that the most searched subjects for NYC during the last year were: - Skyline Taxis Subway bus I guess that you need to compare the searches with the number of views or available shots to optimise your quest. Coming from the gloom of the NE of the UK I have zero sympathy with shooters based in NYC Was there only a couple of days. On one it rained. Uploaded 25 shots and licensed 2 to date. Wish the rest of my collection would perform anything like as well! My two best sales in the past year are taxi related. Let's see, I have some Subway, but have neglected our buses. I'll get on it. I'm doing some skyline later today. One thinks cliche subjects like the NY skyline are over done and so no longer worth doing. But since I'm here I want to be in the mix on those big subjects. I thought the new bike-share bikes would sell, but that has turned into a ho-hum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSnapper Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 How cryptic, km. not really.. looking is what you do with your eyes seeing is what you do with your brain and its your brain you need to use when making images... km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 Gooooooong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giphotostock Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 For editorial, subject matter is the king. Identify the subject matter that market demands. For some photographers, making images of said subject matter in the studio is more productive than taking images outside or on a location. GI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Robinson Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Studio is certainly more productive for me than 'travel' (ie - going out the front door). It's cheaper - apart from buying things to photograph - and sales per image / views per image / zooms per image are much higher. When photography was just a hobby I used to travel as a tax dodge - the standard of hotels I stayed in depending on how much I had to 'invest' to avoid a tax bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 18, 2013 Author Share Posted September 18, 2013 Phil, there used to be something called "space for space," where airlines would give us a free ticket if we could go to them with a letter from a magazine or newspaper saying we had an assignment to shoot for the editorial pages. I wonder if anyone still does that? I noticed two interesting things yesterday: 1. I seem to have slipped into making darker images than I prefer; I feel slightly lighter images are more upbeat and commercial. Actually, I noticed it last night when I was doing the PP. 2. Looking at some Alamy collections yesterday morning, I found that what members said recently about shooting both horizontals and vertical is just not the case; far and away, the majority of Alamy images are horizontal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Robinson Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Phil, there used to be something called "space for space," where airlines would give us a free ticket if we could go to them with a letter from a magazine or newspaper saying we had an assignment to shoot for the editorial pages. I wonder if anyone still does that? I noticed two interesting things yesterday: 1. I seem to have slipped into making darker images than I prefer; I feel slightly lighter images are more upbeat and commercial. Actually, I noticed it last night when I was doing the PP. 2. Looking at some Alamy collections yesterday morning, I found that what members said recently about shooting both horizontals and vertical is just not the case; far and away, the majority of Alamy images are horizontal. I doubt that still happens - I have always been a member of the train set rather than the jet set anyway. As for horizontal/vertical, I find most of my landscapes are vertical and most of my portraits are horizontal. I try to do both in the studio, though I must admit the majority are horizontal - the camera is more stable on the tripod that way. And I think you're right about light images being more commercial - apart from very expensive watches photographed on wet slate (for a change) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.