Five Ways to Take Salable Shots of Familiar (and Not-So-Familiar) Places
August 29th, 2006
The Write Way to Travel
By Lori Appling
** Highly Recommended **
DESTINATION: GREECE…
JOIN US ON ONE OF THE MOST PHOTOGENIC ISLANDS IN THE WORLD
You don't have to be a professional photographer to get paid top dollar for your vacation snapshots. You don't need a fancy camera either.
One "amateur snapper" earned back her conference fee in less than three months after attending our workshop in Paris. It was easy. And another got $2,000 for pictures she took in Miami Beach, FL. Just like that.
Join us on one of the most beautiful islands in the world this October 15-19, 2006 and let professional photographers Rich Wagner and Alf Meier show you how to shoot and sell top-quality photos.
See this page for details: http://www.thephotographerslife.com/greece2006 or call toll free (866) 415-1425 or local at (831) 274-2779. Spaces are limited. Reserve your seat before September 12, 2006 and SAVE $200.
Dear Reader,
Just a quick note today as I'm about to board a plane bound for Hawaii. I'm sitting at my gate at the airport in San Francisco (typing… and drinking as much water as I can, since I can't bring any on board with me…).
We've just wrapped up another whirlwind photography workshop. And I think I speak for all our attendees when I say: I'm exhausted… but invigorated, enthusiastic, and really excited at the prospect of turning not just my travel shots -- but simple photos I snap at home -- into a regular income stream.
You see, at this workshop we did a little something different. Not only did we sling our cameras around our necks and walk, and walk, and walk…
But we added a whole segment on setting up a studio in your home -- on how to light and position objects (anything, from people to apples to towel rings) -- so you can shoot salable "stock photos" with ease.
(In fact, we actually had a studio set up at the hotel and even had on hand models so we could practice taking this kind of photo.)
Bottom line: It's a lot easier to do than you might think. And we learned all sorts of simple tricks that made a world of difference in the quality of our shots. (Now, that's all I'm going to say about this right now. In an upcoming issue, I'll give you a full run-down with lots of how-to advice so you can turn your own kitchen into a money-making studio in less than 15 minutes.)
But for today, I've asked Stan Sinberg -- an award-winning humor and travel writer -- to tell you one important thing he learned about photography over the past few days.
Stan is the editor of the ITWPA Insider (that's the new, twice-monthly publication for members of the International Travel Writers & Photographers Alliance (http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/itj/website ). He lives in San Francisco, so I invited him to tag along with us at our workshop and asked, in exchange, that he report back to you about what he learned.
Stan is not a photographer by training… but he is a San Francisco devotee. And what he discovered is that, with a camera to his eye, the city he knows well took on a whole new demeanor.
I'll let him tell you all about it, below, where he passes on five useful tips he learned for snapping excellent (and salable) photos of anyplace on the planet (even if it's one of the most well-known and frequently photographed cities).
As always -- let me know about your travel-writing or photography successes. If you have a story to share, send me a quick note at lori@thetravelwriterslife.com.
Warmly,
-- Lori
Lori Appling
Director, AWAI's Travel Division
P.S. Know a friend or two who'd enjoy the freedom and independence of a writer's or photographer's life? They, too, can sign up to receive this free e-letter twice weekly at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/eletter
P.P.S. Our next photography workshop -- like this one we just wrapped up -- is also going to be a bit different than our standard program. That's because it's more "expedition" than anything else.
We're meeting on the island of Rhodes, Greece from October 15-19. And while we'll have quite enough "classroom" time, we'll spend the balance of our program out-and-about.
Rich Wagner will, as always, spearhead our program. But we're also lucky to have professional photographer Alf Meier joining us. His photos have appeared in 65 magazines (including National Geographic). And because he lives in Greece (and "knows people"), he's helped us arrange some amazing excursions and VIP access to places you wouldn't normally see as a tourist. For all the details, click here: http://www.thephotographerslife.com/greece2006 .
(Note: Our last few workshops have filled up incredibly fast -- before the Early Bird discount has expired. So don't delay if you're interested in joining us in sunny Greece. You can save $200 when you reserve your seat before September 12, 2006: http://www.thephotographerslife.com/greece2006 )
* Highly Recommended*
A Sweetheart Deal for Travel Writers
How would you like to spend two months exploring the wilds of Australia… all at no charge?
You could enjoy a half-day fishing on the sun-drenched Great Barrier Reef… or a lazy weekend in the balmy breezes of Brampton Island, where tall palms list over the azure waters on twelve golden, sandy beaches…
Sound extravagant?
Well, that's exactly how Brian Norris spent a couple of months this past year -- and those are just the highlights. Brian clocked over 2000 miles all told -- and enjoyed amazing meals, fabulous hotels, tremendous pampering, and all the best activities on offer.
It was entirely free. And then he was paid thousands of dollars to tell others about it in a full-color special travel section in his local newspaper.
Perhaps you're thinking, "I could never land a sweetheart deal like that." But that's just not so. You most certainly can -- faster and with a lot less footwork than you probably imagine.
SHOOT SOMETHING DIFFERENT: FIVE WAYS TO TAKE "NEW" PHOTOS OF FAMILIAR PLACES
By Stan Sinberg in San Francisco, CA
When you think of San Francisco -- which is where the group of us taking the Ultimate Photography Workshop currently find ourselves -- you think of the Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39, Golden Gate Park, and perhaps North Beach and Chinatown.
So one big question for aspiring professional photographers is: How do you compete with all the gorgeous photos of these landmarks shot by far-more experienced photographers already out there?
One answer is: Don’t. Shoot something different!
For instance, yesterday morning we headed out to the little-known (by tourists) Mission District. This area has missions (duh), odd boutiques (if you call a Pirate store and a Voodoo shop odd), and dozens and dozens of beautiful murals painted on the sides of buildings.
Led by our tour guide, Joyce, we spent hours wandering up and down main streets and back alleys, snapping pictures of street life, gardens, colorful houses, and the ubiquitous murals. It was a San Francisco few of us knew, and even fewer of us imagined.
More importantly, relatively few outsiders know about it, making it appealing to editors who want to bring their readers something new and different.
TURNING THE "ORDINARY" INTO SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT
Does that mean that you don’t shoot the Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39, etc? No.
In fact, last night we made a field trip to shoot the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset (albeit from a little-known -- again, by tourists -- viewpoint), and today we’re taking walking and shooting tours of North Beach and Chinatown.
But I suspect that when the workshop attendees start selling their photos from here, more of the paydays will derive from the photos taken around areas like the Mission District (perhaps a photo essay on “The Street Murals of San Francisco”), than from their more famous counterparts.
Of course, when we DO take photos of San Francisco landmarks (or of the Mission District too, for that matter) our chances of composing bankable shots increase if we take photos that are different from the ones we’ve seen a zillion times before in magazines and on postcards in souvenir shops.
FIVE TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR PHOTOS DIFFERENT… AND EASIER TO SELL
Rich Wagner, our workshop leader, gave us some tips for doing just that --
** 1. Shoot your subject from various angles. Walk around it. Get down on your knees or up on a bench and shoot from a different perspective.
** 2. Play with focus. By playing around with depth of field to make neighboring objects appear closer or farther away than they might actually be, we create new relationships between these objects. Similarly, by using selective focus (whereby one part of the photo is in sharp focus while we purposely blur, say, the background), we can create dramatic effects.
** 3. Look for patterns. Nature, as well as man-made structures, is full of repeating lines, curves, circles, etc, if only we keep our eyes open to them. Finding these patterns can provide us with ways to take artistically pleasing shots.
** 4. Look for patterns interrupted. As Rich observed, a picket fence is more interesting if one of the points is broken: ducks in a row instantly become more compelling if one duck is facing the wrong way. Look for something that is a little out of whack.
** 5. Tell a story. Put people in your photos. The human element arouses our curiosity about who these people are and what they’re doing, as well as giving the bridge, skyscraper, etc, a scale that we can relate to.
[Ed. Note: Stan Sinberg is editor of the ITWPA Insider (the twice-monthly publication for members of the International Travel Writers & Photographers Alliance) and an award-winning humor columnist and travel writer whose work has appeared in publications ranging from the Chicago Tribune to South America Explorer to Indy Men's Magazine. To make sure you get his advice-packed missives for travel writers and photographers, join the ITWPA today and guarantee yourself excellent how-to tips for writing smarter, traveling better, and earning more… plus listings of press trips and other offers of reduced-rate and free travel hospitality for writers and photographers. http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/itj/website]
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