First Newborn Photo Shoot

I was chatting with the photographer at my sister's wedding, and he mentioned they were looking to partner up with a photographer that did maternity and baby photography, and since they knew I was a photographer, they asked me to put together a portfolio and send it to them so we could discuss a potential partnership. Needless to say, I was over the moon excited, so I called my friend who had a 2 week old baby (how lucky for me!) and she was gracious enough to allow me to come over and photograph their adorable little baby for some images to use in my portfolio. For my very first newborn shoot ever, it was great! I didn't get pooped or peed on, the baby was incredibly well-behaved, and baby loved the camera!

It was incredibly fun, and the images I walked away with were such treasures! I can't wait to have the opportunity to photograph some more babies! I have some maternity shoots coming up, so check back here in a couple weeks to see how those went!

Finally in Shutterstock!!

After 7 tries (yes, 7! Its embarrassing!) I was finally accepted into Shutterstock Images! After 7 attempts, I didn't really have high hopes for it. I always thought to myself, "if they reject me that many times, the quality of images must be spectacular, and my pictures will probably just look crappy. I don't expect much in the way of sales, but at least I'm in". Well....I have been in there for 5 days, and I have 5 sales already! I had 2 sales the first day, 1 sale my second day, no sales my third day, 2 sales my 4th day, and no sales my 5th day! I can't wait til tomorrow (I have images pending, so hopefully they get approved!) to see what happens! Not bad for only having a portfolio of 7 images, now 12 images! I am very very excited about being involved with Shutterstock, and I know this is going to be a lot of fun!!!

Ok, shameless plug inset, but if Stock photography has been something you have been thinking about trying, I would encourage you to try it! You have nothing to lose, and its something that you can easily do in hobby time! Believe me...I have 2 little kids that keep me hopping, and I still manage to get pictures up! I have several links here on my blog for several stock sites, so I would encourage you to check them out, and give it a try! Don't worry about signing up with all of them, but start with one and see how you like it. I have one friend who started with Stock almost 10 years ago, got a handful of pictures up, then left it, but those pictures still are making her money. Its a great "fix it n forget it" kind of thing if that is what you are looking for. Anyways, do be warned. If you decide to try it, it is addictive!!!! Trust me....I am so hooked, I am now known as "the girl with her camera permanently attached to her face", and that is just what my friends say! I don't think I want to know what strangers say....ha!

Deep Thoughts

I have been taking great strides with my photography lately, really trying to absorb knowledge and tricks and tips and doing what I can to increase my skills. There is so much out there that I didn't know! Well, I still dont' know most of it, but I'm getting there. I came to the realization that I don't think outside the box very well...I used to think I was a creative person, but I am realizing my gift isn't so much in creativity, but ingenuity. Not a bad thing....I'm like the McGuyver of the photography world! Well, maybe not...haha! Anyways, I have been trying to become more creative and think in a way that hasn't been done a million times already. How can I create interesting and unique images? I see all these stunning pictures, but I can't figure out how they did it? My husband said something interesting to me....he expressed his disappointment in photography and that these days, with photoshop etc, what you see in a photo isn't even real. He went on about how in the "olden days", you took a picture, and what you saw was real. Now, you don't know what is real, and he doesn't like it much! I had an epiphany. I was struggling with how to create these stunning images with a "snapshot" approach, but it couldn't be done, and I realized that I had to start thinking in layers (thank you, Photoshop!) OK, so how can I layer different images to create something spectacular? Well, I don't know, but I am going to find out! And I thank my hubby for his mini-rant, because it freed my mind up from its snapshottish trap! See ya later, off to play with photoshop!

First Sale!!!!!

Wheeeee!!!!!! I am so excited!!!! It was 87 days since my very first stock photo was approved, and everyday since, I have been uploading, keywording, uploading some more, hoping, praying, waiting, more uploading, LOTS of shooting, etc etc.... and FINALLY, I went to check my download stats, not actually expecting to see anything, but there it was.....1 subscription download, 0.36 cents earned. YIIPPEEEE!!!!! OK, its not like I could afford anything with that, but its a start, with many more sales to come! The part that surprised me most was the fact that it was an image that I didn't expect. It didn't really have a lot of image views, but I guess that doesn't really matter, because it was the right image for the buyer! I just wish I could find out where and how it was being used, but I guess it will always remain a mystery.
http://www.123rf.com/photo_13762831_delicious-barbequed-steak.html

Streamlining Work flow and Uploading for Multiple Stock Agencies

I am in heaven! I follow a fabulous microstock blog (http://www.microstockdiaries.com/) and while I was perusing, I found a link to ProStockMaster, which is a fantastic software for photographers that submit photos to multiple Stock Agencies. I haven't figured it all out yet, but you can title, describe, and keyword wach picture ONCE and then upload to multiple agencies all at the same time, saving you TONS of time! Personally, I don't like keywording. The only thing worse is keywording the same image 5 times a day in different agencies. This software is amazing in saving time and energy! I would highly recommend you check it out! ---> http://www.prostockmaster.com/ 

I Now Have Images in Other Stock Agencies!

Last week was a little crazy at my house. I decided to try my luck at getting in with another stock agency. I uploaded all my pictures for review, and then the waiting was torture, and I found myself uploading more pictures to a different agency, and then another, and another! By the end of the day, I had applied with 4 new agencies, and by the end of the week, was accepted with 3 of them! I was very excited at this success! To view my profiles and portfolios, I have attached links to each of them: http://www.123rf.com/profile_racheld32, http://www.bigstockphoto.com/search/photographer/RachelD32/, and last, but NOT least,  http://depositphotos.com/portfolio-1594065.html.

I am thrilled to be able to participate with this other wonderful agencies, and I look forward to increasing my portfolios and getting those sales!

Confession time....I'm broke. Stay-at-home Mom = single income, so that means I don't have the money to spend on fancy photographic equipment. Someday I will, but in the meantime, what do I do? What does a photographer who is just starting out supposed to do to? Its a vicious cycle....you use what you have and get OK shots that don't really sell, so you don't get the money needed to get new equipment, so you can't get the "money shots", so you continue to use what you have. Do you take out a loan? Maybe. But if you are like me and not want to go into debt, what can you do? Well, I stumbled onto a FABULOUS site for the photographer that doesn't have the cash to spend on expensive equipement, but still wants to up their game. www.diyphotography.net has some fantastic videos and suggestions for making your own studio equipment without spending the big bucks! Its something that will tide you over til the money starts rolling in and you can afford to buy the nice stuff! Personally, I can't wait to get into my basement and start building my studio!!