This gallery contains 6 photos.
Finally today, I once again get to celebrate making the cut for the Dreamstime monthly photo contest. I’ve entered plenty of times but only had a photo accepted one other time. The benefits to making the cut are that your photo immediately moves to Dreamstime level 5, which means it immediately sells for more money […]
Want to learn how to make a burning ice cube? Here you go!
Late last night my friend pointed the virtual finger at me when she tagged me in a photo of a flaming ice cube and said…….nothing really, just my name, but I knew she was throwing down the gauntlet. I got up off the couch and in my jammies I said, I can do THAT…and it took me a half hour or so.
My first wick was too thin, then the second one soaked up all the water. I soaked the third one in Permafrost that should have burned because that stuff’s 100 Proof but NO.
The successful one I soaked in olive oil.
Now I’ll tell you how to make a burning ice cube.
Start with an ice cube. If you want one that is completely clear then you have to make special ice. Here’s how.
Here’s what you’ll need to make a burning ice cube.
With the lighter heat up the ice pick or whatever you’re using. Make a hole in the ice cube in the middle. This might take several times to get one deep enough.
Pour the water out of the hole. Stick the wicking in and measure.
Cut off the wick so that it is about ¼ above the top of the cube.
Put the ice cube back in the freezer (Without the wick) while you get the rest of the shot ready.
Soak the wick in a little bowl of olive oil.
Go set up your shot. Get your camera on the tripod etc.
Go back and get your ice cube. Put the wick in it. Set it up where you want it….Light it up.
How to shoot a burning ice cube
For this shot I used my 18-55 kit lens on a black plate in a dark room with a black backdrop.
F7.1
ISO 400
1/6 sec
No flash
WB-Tungesten
I had a tiny little white laser keychain light that I shined for a brief instant on the cube.
Now you know how to make a burning ice cube! I would say “Don’t try this at home.” But, that’s where I did it and you know you want to try it 🙂
Next I’m going to get some ethanol from Home Depot and coat the ice cube then refreeze it and try to light the whole thing.
I’d stay out of my ice trays if I were you.
I have a new page up on PhotographOregon.com on the basics of shooting microstock and how to get started.
Happy Trails,
Ginger
This is my first post on a blog sharing with you my love of stock image photography and the process of getting started in stock photography.
Tips & tricks and the daily job (and yes, it is a job) of stock photography.
To give you the brief run down. A few years ago my job ended abruptly when the boss hijacked the payroll and thought we were all going to continue to work for free.
At almost 50 (now past that), it was next to impossible to find a decent (or any) job. I had always been able to fall back on being a glassblower but with the economy in the toilet, no one was buying trinkets. At least not enough people to pay our bills. If I had to do something else, it should be something I love. I chose stock photography. I mean who doesn’t like photographing cookies? (and then eating them, of course.)
Getting started in stock photography was a no brainer. My Dad worked in the Sears camera department when I was born. As a kid he taught me all the aspects of film photography and we developed images in the bathroom.
A few years back my husband had bought me a digital Rebel, for which I had longed , but was totally ungrateful for when he surprised me at Christmas with it. My job had me working 100 hours a week and flying all over the world. Now, you would think that would go well with a nice camera, but I was too rolled up in the craziness (that’s a book, not a blog) to see that part. So, the poor Canon Xsi sat in a box for a couple of years unless I randomly pulled it out and used it as a large Point & Shoot. So really, I had the equipment I needed for getting started in stock photography. (Hahahhah…there’s never ENOUGH equipment.)
Armed with a decent camera and no real idea of how to use it, actually, I thought it was broken because the back screen only displayed an array of data. I did the only thing I could…I enrolled in a “Getting to know your DSLR class” at the local college. I’ve since used that camera up (yes, you can use up a digital camera) and upgraded to this one (and if you want to know why it has a vintage FD lens on it click on the image.) I shoot close to 1000 images a week with it.
Canon Rebel T3i with 50mm FD lens
When the instructor went around and asked what people’s goals were for the class they said stuff like “better vacation pictures” and “more fun with the grandkids”. When he got to me I said “I want to be a stock photographer.” His eyebrows shot up. When he was finished he pointed at everyone else and said. “I can help you.” He pointed at me and said “You’re on your own! Those people (he meant the image reviewers for stock agencies) are pixel peepers!”
We’re now good friends together in the local camera club and I directly credit (or blame depending on the day) him for my acceptance into several stock agencies.
Now I do have a decent portfolio with daily sales in several agencies, the two biggest (and by that I mean most profitable) being Shutterstock and Dreamstime. I also am the hostess for Photograph Oregon, an information site on where to go in Oregon for great photography experiences.
Stock photography is a lot of fun (until you get to the keywording) and it allows me travel and still pay for stuff like gas and more camera equipment.
As you follow me in my journey I hope you learn something and watch me grow into the living wage realm.
It is kind of fitting that I’m starting this blog today on the anniversary of one of the photos that got me accepted and helped me in getting started in stock photography.
Christmas donkey
Thanks for getting started with me.
Since I plan on making this a daily (as possible) blog about my life as a stock photographer let’s start with today.
Stock photographers kind of develop an “everything’s fair game” mentality. (Later I’ll do a post on how to not alienate your family.) Breakfast is always a good fodder for the lens. Especially a pretty green smoothie from the green smoothie revolution
While pretty omelets and bowls of oatmeal garnished with brown sugar and raisins are super nice to sell, one of the downsides of stock photography tends to be that we eat what we shoot and I’ve manage to gain back 13 of the 65 pounds I lost. At 5’2” I can’t afford to slip back up to that hefty 289 pounds I topped out at.
Now don’t get me wrong. All that weight was an accumulation from having five kids and raising seven kids, but the life of a stock photographer is a lot of photographing food, eating it, and then sitting on the couch editing, uploading, describing and keywording photographs.
Also, my dog, Bo, is getting chunky too. He’s a young guy so why make his life shorter? I’ve heard said, If your dog is fat you’re not getting enough exercise.
Time to change it up. My new stunningly beautiful, healthy daughter-in-law, suggested green smoothies. Well really, who doesn’t take advice from someone who looks like this? (Keeping in mind I am not a wedding photographer, their’s, Tim Hardy was great.)
Ken and Crystal Sanders
I did a little research and this green smoothie revolution seemed workable. I’m a low level diabetic so I have to check out things a little closer.
I started Thursday morning, yes, Thanksgiving. Why? Well, we were going to be cooking all day so why clutter up the kitchen with my normal 2 eggs, sausage and toast deal. Also, I really did plan on overeating for dinner so I felt a lot better about breakfast being a blended spinach mess. I’m Episcopal, which is like Catholic lite…so a little penance is mentally sound.
I posted a picture of it on Facebook and one of my cousin said “Yeah our toilet overflowed too.” Humph….I really suppose I needed to make it look a little more appetizing so today I moved it to the studio, which is the shot at the top of this post.
Now, you don’t need a fancy studio to shoot stock. I have a small one, this one from Cowboy Studios , but you can use your kitchen counter.
However, if you look at this one, in the base of the glass you will see my husband in a red shirt upside down. You want to avoid this. I’ll have him hold a piece of paper in a strategic place to fix that but right now I really am getting hungry so I’m going to drink that smoothie.
Green Smoothie stock image lesson
Cheers. Here’s to the green smoothie revolution and photographing it for stock.
…as for exercise, Bo and I are marching in the Sister’s Christmas Parade today where I took the picture at the bottom of my first post.
Stock Photography Daily 