Hot and Cool in California

[KDStudios]

Hello from sunny California, where we're having a mighty heat wave!

But I'm keeping cool in the studio with the cat and the fan (and a jug of ice tea by my side ;-)

 

I've uploaded some photos and some art and would love feedback about my keywording as well as content.

I'm hopeful to connect with other people submitting illustration.

 

Maybe one other thing I could use help with.... I've been a member for a few days now, and my posts aren't being allowed to show up. I'm also not "verified" so perhaps someone can clue me in so I can start participating. 

 

Looking forward to having a meaningful community 

 

Tnx,

Kristin

[KDStudios]

ooo!!! Correction!!!

I am now Verified 

but my profile still shows 15 images while I have nearly 200

tnx

k

[KevinS]

Welcome! I've found this forum very helpful, especially lately, and I hope you do too. 

 

To update the number of images here you log out and log back in, unless things have changed. 

 

Kevin

[KDStudios]

Thanks KevinS!! That worked... I feel much better 

 

Hey, maybe you can tell me something. I've been wanting to check out other member's work, but am afraid that clicking all over the place will skew their Alamy Measures numbers, like a false positive... any thoughts?

[Inchiquin]

No, it won't. Only views and zooms from a selected set of regular Alamy customers count towards contributors' stats.

 

Alan

 

[Betty LaRue]

Welcome!

 

Alamy is mostly an editorial collection, with a smaller collection of released images aimed at advertising.  Your work, while imaginative, most likely won't do well here. I believe backgrounds can be bought on the micros for pennies.  I only looked at the keywording on one image, but I believe you've used way to many.  

If the image doesn't clearly enough show something that can be recognized as a plant, even if a plant was used in the creation, don't tag "botanical" or "dandelion".  I see a background of unrecognizable origins.  The tags I would use are few.

background,backgrounds,soft background,pink tan and green background,horizontal,artistic,artistic background,unfocused,unfocused background, (if it is a photograph) and if it is an illustration, then...illustration,illustrations. 

 

Only use tags that directly relate to what a stranger will see when he/she looks at your image.  You know what went into the making of it, but you don't tag what's in your brain. If you started with a dandelion, but the end result would never be recognized by new eyes as a dandelion, you shouldn't use that tag.

Why? Because a buyer actually looking for an image of a dandelion will see yours in the search results, but because it's not recognizable as a dandelion, it won't be purchased. But the "view" (every image on the page or pages is part of the view) it will eventually hurt your CTR and your images will sink to the back of the pack.

I hope this helps.

Do click on our images to see what is offered by the different contributors. A varied portfolio with many different subjects is good. Some do specialize, wildlife, botanicals, and such, but to do well with a specialized collection, one must be very good at what they do so that their images come up high in a search. Zooms and sales play a part in high placement. A very important part of that is good tagging. Poor tagging can cause good images to eventually sink. 

Remember...only tag (keyword) what you actually see in the image. With backgrounds like yours, you will have only a few tags that apply. You'll never get the green bar so don't spam inappropriate words to attain the green. Many contributors do very well with 10-20 keywords. Because they are the right keywords and nothing else.

I hope this helps, and good luck.

Betty

[KDStudios]

Thanks so much for the frank feedback Betty, I do appreciate it!

I'll take a look at refining my keywording and update those tags.

I've taken all your input to heart and may change direction because of it... am looking into micro stock and where I might do better.

Thanks so much for taking the time!

 

Kristin

 

[KDStudios]

Ok, I've taken a look at starting over with the keywords, and wanted to get your input on one that I've redone... 

http://www.alamy.com/search.html?CreativeOn=1&adv=1&ag=0&all=1&creative=&et=0x000000000000000000000&vp=0&loc=0&qt=Zen Fly Colony%2C Decorative Art&qn=&lic=6&lic=1&imgt=0&archive=1&dtfr=&dtto=&hc=&selectdate=&size=0xFF&aqt=&epqt=&oqt=&nqt=&gtype=0

[Betty LaRue]

First off, this is a beautiful piece! I can see it hanging on a wall. Have you thought about joining FineArtAmerica? I sell my artwork there...look for artist Betty LaRue. 

The tags I think should be eliminated are:

bi. ?? Not sure what that pertains to

coin. A searcher will be looking for a coin....erroneous result for you

composition...unnecessary, might not work in your favor

craftsman.  Search will be looking for a person, there is no craftsman in the image

enetomology. Never heard of this. A google search brought up two dresses in Etsy

environment. Doesn't pertain 

fine,  unnecessary 

fingerprint.  I see no fingerprint 

float. I think of a fishing or swimming float or something else floating, but not artwork

layer....that's a Processing term, not needed

organic....usually is searched for in relation to food 

 

Thats about all the help I can give, it's very time consuming. But I do wish you well. Check out fine art America.

Betty

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/betty-larue.html

 

[KDStudios]

Thanks so much, but I'm afraid my edits hadn't been propagated yet... I've eliminated all of those.

Your candor is much appreciated, as well as the specifics as to why. 

 

And above all I appreciate your time.

[Betty LaRue]

You are right, it takes an update for edits to show. 

I put all of the tags i suggested removing in individual searches and results were what I thought. Except for "fine" and "composition " which I believe you can use.

And you are welcome!

Betty