Photography White Box
Still Life Photography For The Microstock Photographer
Shooting ‘still-life’ or ‘table-top’ photographs in the comfort of your own home and selling them online through the Microstock Libraries can’t be a bad way of making money can it? By ‘still-life’ or ‘table-top’ photography I’m not talking of bowls of fruit or dying flowers. I mean images that illustrate a point or tell a story, taken at home when the weather outside is just too bad to go out.
You don’t have to create a photographic still life masterpiece to achieve sales in Microstock Photography. A very simple images of objects isolated on a white background are very popular and are downloaded on a regular basis. You can shoot the images outdoors on a piece of white card and by use a home made still life reflector to soften the shadows. The home made still life reflector is a sheet of A4 card. You can also use aluminium foil if you way a stronger reflection of light.
For only a few pounds you can buy a simple table studio or Soft-Box Cube that you can use outdoors in natural light if you don’t have any lighting. I started by using two simple electronic flashes and making notes of the camera settings. I then used the same setting each time and I almost always got the exposure spot on.
Possibly the hardest thing is to come up with the ideas. Just take a close look at the world news and the events that are happening now! Try and predict the eventual outcome and illustrate it in a still-life image. Do that and you could be on to a winner.
Only a couple of months ago we were seeing images of the petrol pump and the dollar sign. The nozzle dripping dry signifies the shortage of petrol or gas as our friends across the water call it. But that’s all changed as the prices have plummeted. So anyone who had the foresight to shoot images to illustrate this will be selling their photographs like crazy.
For the Microstock Photographic Market I think it is better to keep things simple. If you browse through the libraries you will see that some of the best sellers are the simplest images. For example isolated objects sell well. You need to use a clean white background. I always used to buy white paper but you will find that it soon gets dirty and marked so I now use a piece of laminate or Formica. The advantage of this is if you are shooting liquids any spillage can easy be wiped up
If you would like to make some extra cash with your camera or work from home in your spare time, get creative and shoot some still life images that you can sell through Microstock Photography markets! To view some of the images that I am currently selling through the Microstock Libraries view the ‘Microstock Confidential’
About the Author
From the age of sixteen I have worked in the construction industry developing an eye for design and an appreciation of fine architecture. But, my first passion is photography! I gained my Licentiate with The Royal Photographic Society way back in 1988 – A passion that has grown, over the years, into an obsession.
It was inevitable that at some point my two main interests would become one.
Because of my love of buildings, architecture and furniture and drawing on my experience gained in the construction industry feel that I am in a position to take images that fully justify the subject and show a knowledge and commitment of creative photography. However, I do shoot other subjects for my personal use.
I now publish a newsletter aimed at the Microstock Photographer who wants to sell their photos online. Please view my latest stock photography and subscribe to my newsletter at http://www.gbphotostock.com or read my latest blog at http://gbmicrostock.blogspot.com/
|
|
Brand New Photo Studio Photography Cube Light Box Soft Box White MK40 $112.99 |
|
|
Brand New Photo Studio Photography Cube Light Case Box Soft Box White MK40 PD002 $112.95 |
|
|
MK40 Brand New Photo Studio Photography Cube Light Softbox Tent Soft Box White $104.82 |
|
|
Brand New Photo Studio Photography Cube Light Softbox Tent Soft Box White MK40 $87.95 |
|
|
60″ 150cm Photography Brolly Box Studio White Umbrella $68.95 |
|
|
31″ 80cm Photography White Photo Light Dome Soft Box $65.95 |
|
|
24″ Studio Photography White Photo Light Tent Cube Box $62.95 |
|
|
24″ 60cm Photography White Photo Light Dome Soft Box $55.95 |
|
|
16″ Studio Photography White Photo Light Tent Cube Box $49.95 |
|
|
Photography White Softtent 80cm/32″ Photo Studio Soft Box Cube Light Tent $49.80 |
|
|
43″ Black White Photography Photo Studio Brolly Box $48.95 |
|
|
16″ Studio Photography White Photo Light Dome Soft Box $45.95 |
|
|
33″ 80cm Photography Brolly Box Studio White Umbrella $39.95 |
|
|
Photography White Softtent 60cm/24″ Photo Studio Soft Box Cube Light Tent $33.50 |
|
|
Photography White Softtent 50cm/20″ Photo Studio Soft Box Cube Light Tent $26.50 |
|
|
Astronomers sitting on a box Photo Mugs …. |
|
|
The Modelmaker working on a capstan head Photo Mugs The modelmaker sits on a box with his model perched on the capstan of the Parma. He is working on the delicate rigging. …. |
|
|
Abbey Road (Remastered) $9.40 BEATLES THE ABBEY ROAD (EDICION LIMITADA)… |
|
|
Under Great White Northern Lights (Limited Edition Box Set) $199.03 Limited Edition Box set contains:Overbox – Sturdy box wrapped in black with red lining and adorned with UGWNL penguin emblem. Double LP in Gatefold Jacket – Pressed on 180 gram vinyl, contains 16 live songs from various shows in Canada during the tour, as well as artwork unique to the box and an exclusive 6 panel insert. Hardcover Photography Book – 208 page hardcover book containing photographs s… |
|
|
Light: On The South Side (2 LP + Book) [Vinyl] $47.67 Light: On The South Side gathers for the first time over 100 of Michael Abramson’s photos taken on Chicago’s south side in the late 70s. The 132-page hard back book features photos, an ephemera section, and an essay by Nick Hornby. Housed in a gorgeous slipcase with the 12X12 book is Pepper’s Jukebox, a seventeen track compilation of the kind of funky Chicago blues heard from the stage and the Wur… |
|
|
Full Spectrum Light Bulb – ALZO 27W Compact Fluorescent – Case of 4 – Daylight Balanced 5500K – Pure White Light $25.06 Case of 4 full spectrum light bulbs that imitate daylight, are energy star compliant, and have a long life at circa 10,000 hours with 1300 Lumens output; low energy consumption, good for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder S.A.D., for photo studio lights, or for starting plant growth. These are Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. Fits all medium-base E27/E26 sockets, but this is a large bulb t… |
|
|
ALZO Digital Full Spectrum Light Bulb – ALZO 45W Photo CFL 5500K 91 CRI, Daylight balanced, pure white light, 2800 Lumens, Case of 4 $35.10 Case of 4 full spectrum light bulbs for daylight balanced lighting, energy star compliant, long-lasting at cir. 10,000 hours with 2800 Lumens output; low energy consumption, good for treating S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder), photo studio lights, or starting plant growth. These are Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. Fits all medium-base E27/E26 sockets, but this is a large bulb that might … |
|
|
ALZO 45-Watt Photo CFL Full Spectrum Light Bulb $9.75 45W Full spectrum light bulb for daylight balanced lighting, energy star compliant, long-lasting at cir. 10,000 hours with 2800 Lumens output; low energy consumption, good for treating S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder), photo studio lights, or starting plant growth. This is a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb. Fits all medium-base E27/E26 sockets, but this is a large bulb that might create a… |
|
|
Muhammad Ali – The Greatest Collection $19.98 Before Muhammad Ali, plenty of African American heavyweights boxed, but few did for the game (or for blacks) what Ali did. Ali was bold, outrageous, and controversial. His antics outside of the ring showed an often-hilarious flair for self-promotion, and his conversion to Islam and decision to avoid the Vietnam War only fueled the storm of controversy that surrounded him. The thing about Ali, tho… |
|
|
Walt Disney Legacy Collection – True Life Adventures, Vol. 4 $32.99 In the 1950s, Disney produced a host of short nature films that were groundbreaking both for their innovative perspective, combining fantasy with real-life nature photography, and their development and reliance on huge technological advances in cameras and filmmaking. Secrets of Life and Perri, digitally restored 16-mm films retrieved from the Disney archives, are two of the first live-action shor… |
|
|
Fashion Box (Hardcover) $20.03 The miniskirt. A crisp, white button-down shirt. The enigmatic trench coat. All key wardrobe pieces that are accessible and never lose their appeal. Fashion Box, in the appealing format of the successful … |
|
|
Wassup Rockers – White Box (DVD) $6.43 In 1995, photographer Larry Clark burst onto the indie scene with the controversial KIDS, a tough, realistic look at a group of teenagers hanging around the seamier side of New York City, getting involved in sex and drugs amid the AIDS crisis. A decade… |
|
|
In the Forest $3.46 Introduces, in simple text and photographs, the characteristics of some of the animals and plants that can be found in the forest. Includes a chipmunk, box turtle, fern, bull moose, moth, ermine, and white birch. |
|
|
Primitive Photography $55.31 Primitive Photography considers the hand-made photographic process in its entirety, showing the reader how to make box-cameras, lenses, paper negatives and salt prints, using inexpensive tools and materials found in most hardware and art-supply stores. Step-by-step procedures are presented alongside theoretical explanations and historical background. Streamlined calotype procedures are demonstrated, featuring different paper negative processes and overlooked, developing-out printing methods. Primitive Photography combines the simplicity of pinhole photography, the handmade quality of alternative processes, and the precision of large-format. For those seeking alternatives to commercially prepared material as well as digital photography, it provides the instructions for creating the entire photographic process from the ground up. Given its scope and treatment of the photographic process as a whole, this may be the first book of its kind to appear in over a century.Step-by-step directions for building cameras and lensesHighly illustrated with over 135 black and white color illustrations Includes suggested reading lists, sources for supplies, and safety tips |
|
|
Black & White Photography (Paperback) $17.73 A photography instructor guides individuals in through the techniques and mechanics of taking, developing, and printing black-and-white pictures, with updated information and instruction on digital photography, monochromatic and hand-colored images, automation, and more. Original. 50,000 first printing. |
