Photographer Jonathan Ziegler Promo 1

$.29 and Counting!

So I've made progress. Since I've started on this fantastical journey, I've made some money! $0.29 from iStockphoto. I've also been approved with a stock agency called dreamstime.com. I've made a single trek to the wild jungles of Tucson to shoot some stock footage for istock, Shutterstock, and a place called pond5. Progress is not quick. It's slow. It's noticeable when it's got it's legs and then everyone whoops and hollers. Right now, it's got a sort of slow, halting, grudging pace that gets better each day.

The Story So Far
On Tuesday, I took my friend to the airport. She was leaving for New York on vacation. I miss vacations. I digress. Anyhow, immediately after, I took my first big step, ran home, grabbed my camera and equipment and headed for Reddington Pass. Just before I arrived at the exit point for the Lower Tanque Verde Falls, I ran into construction. At this point, I made the call to NOT go to Reddington - the sun was too far into the sky for a mid-summer day (already hitting 90°F at 7:00 AM). I became a little distraught.

Now, I'm not really the type that gives up that easily. It's not in me. I will beat something to death, but I failed to plan correctly. I think I figured it would be right off the road and I wouldn't have to do any hiking or walking. Silly, silly, me. I didn't bring water or plan for a hike. Okay, so plan B? I didn't have a plan B. Luckily, I knew what I wanted to see - water cascading over rocks. In the desert. As I headed back, I came across the Agua Caliente Park. Just north of Tanque Verde and Houghton which is about where the beginning on Redding Road is. I took a right and followed the signs.

It had been a long time since I had been there. Maybe something like 15 years. I drove up and I got my perfect scenario: I get to hop right out of the truck, start shooting right away and I don't have to do a major hike in the desert heat. Later on, I'll hit Reddington and Tanque Verde Falls. I think there might be naked people there. Like some form of nudist thing or clothing optional area. I hope not. I really don't want to see sweaty strangers with their junk hanging out.

The Progress
So it's going slowly and certainly $.29 is not a major milestone. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step..." or something along those lines. I'm not worried. I have a strong sense that this is definitely the right thing to do with my life. Many others will readily disagree. I take criticism with a grain of salt. Many are friends and family who are not merely offering advice, they are imposing their personal fears, failures, and anxieties upon me and I am mature enough now that I can sort through what is wheat and what is chaff. Perhaps I am wiser? I won't go that far, but I will say that I know I am doing the right thing.

So the actual progress is that I am now submitted for approval to iStock, Shutterstock, Clip Canvas (a European site, I think), and pond5.com. In addition, I am now live with Dreamstime, iStock, and I have been formally rejected from Shutterstock (they didn't like any of the pictures I sent).

Something interesting: stock video pays considerably better than stock photography. Stock video can pay hundreds versus the few dollars and cents I can garner from photos. What better? I find it easier to get stock video accepted. Oddly enough, I tend to photograph everything I shoot as a base function of the DSLR camera I use to shoot my video. Now, what makes a good photo doesn't necessarily make a good video and vice versa. I think I think in terms of motion more than stills. It sure stimulates me more.

Phase II Stuff
So, I'm planning on starting up with the promotional videos sometime very soon. These will be short videos designed to advertise me and my work. This is the self-promotional thing coming through. More later.

Thanks everyone for reading! Don't forget to click the links on this page - you don't have to buy anything, but I get paid when you click. Help a guy out! :)

My Maniacal Plan Phase I Notes II

So, I've submitted work to Shutterstock. I didn't expect to fail as badly as I have, but I have nonetheless. Of the 10 submitted for approval, 10 were rejected. Yikes, that's rough! Now, I understand videos are easy uploads and they are easier to pass through the gatekeepers. Perhaps I need to adjust my focus? Perhaps I need to start by uploading videos instead of photos. My long-term focus is to shift from shooting photos to shooting videos. Moving images move me. That's just how I work. The best part? I can use my Canon Rebel XT camera to shoot things like timelapse (just a set of still photos). Maybe my focus needs to shift sooner than later.

I receive my camera today. I'll be waiting anxiously for its arrival.

Dreamstime
I've submitted photos to Dreamstime. I like them: they read from the EXIF data included in my images. Will they bite? Good question. That remains to be seen.

All is not lost
No, not in the least. In the arts and/or entertainment field, one must be able to handle rejection. This just means I need to spend more time being creative and less time lamenting my lack of finances or equipment. I've always said an expert photographer or videographer can do more with minimal equipment than someone with all the money and equipment in the world. Am I that expert? I would like to think so and I'll do what I must to make it happen. Look out bitches! Here I come. ;)

Some books for today (click the links, I make $$$):
A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative
The E-myth Revisited

Progress of Phase I Again

So, I've got some notes. I've been submitting some existing photographs to my current stock photo place: iStockphoto. Along with that, I've submitted photos to 2 other microstock agencies: Shutterstock and Dreamstime. Each one has an associated approval process. That's what I'm getting through now.

iStockphoto
I like this place. It's the first one I've ever done. To get approved, you need to upload 3 samples of work. Then, you wait for them to be approved. These must be your best work. Often, they will give you a reason for their refusal, but not always. Often, you can correct whatever problems may exist and re-upload. There is one thing I dislike about iStock: you can only upload 15 images per week. When you already have a library to select from, this can be frustrating. Regardless, don't expect your approval rating to go sky-high right away. I'm doing okay there and I have an approval rating less than 50%. Would like them to read EXIF data from Photoshop, too.

Shutterstock
This seems to be be everyone's favorite and may well be the one to be on. You need to submit 10 images for approval and they have to approve at least 7. For safety's sake, I uploaded 8 images I have already had approved with iStock and 2 that are pending. Still waiting to hear. One nice thing is that they have an FTP area where you can use an FTP client to upload your images several at a time. Would like them to read EXIF data from Photoshop, too. Regardless, they have an easy-to-use interface for keywording and such.

Dreamstime
New one for me. Uploaded the same 10 images from Shutterstock. I'll have to wait about 48-72 hours to find out where I'm at. They read EXIF data from Photoshop! This makes things sooooo much easier.

Keywords
Each site allows you to add keywords. Keywords are now a natural part of my image generation process. After the image is made, I save as a high-quality JPEG, then Command-Option-Shift-I and voila, I can fill in all the information I need about my images. I can make tons of subsequent copy-and-paste additions to other sites this way, but it would be nice if the data were already read and implemented immediately.

Keywords are more art than science. That's the idea, anyway. You can put in basics like specific colors, general categories like "nature" or "landscape," or general topics like "business," but the hard part is the way an image feels. These are the more esoteric aspects like "depressing" or "happy." The rest is gravy, I guess.

More later!

Progress of Phase I

So, first I need some pictures and then I need to access some stock places to begin selling. I already have an iStock account here. You'll notice when you look at my portfolio that there are a number of nature photos and only a few "staged" photos. I had been using iStock as a clearinghouse for my experiments to see what people are interested in. Also, I needed to get my chops up a bit to make myself a sellable photographer. Let's explore that a little bit. The photos peppering this post represent some of the latest photos I've uploaded to iStock in this phase of my Maniacal Plan - much smaller of course.

My most popular work and my most profitable

Just because something is popular, doesn't mean its profitable and vice versa. Now, I am not making massive amounts of cash from my iStock account, but I am on with one of the more profitable sites, though I'm not making oodles. This image is my most popular photo right now. Pretty cool, huh? I created the envelope by hand from, of all things, handmade paper! I was on a paper-making kick and created the envelope and card. That photo is all that remains of it, but it has made me small amounts of money. Now, my most profitable image is here. This was a photo I took while on assignment for another client (AZ Fish & Game). I have done a bit of photoshop work to make it better: the sky was hazy and white and the water needed some work. I have only one less download with that photo versus my most popular, but it's making almost twice what the most popular image is making. The difference? Larger files; you get more per download with larger images.

For a more detailed comparison, let's have a look at a mid-level photo. This photo comes third in popularity, but second in royalties. It's pretty plain, I know. It's a photo of flat, rough turquoise. Now, I uploaded this photo for one reason only: to see what would catch and what wouldn't. The envelope picture is very green - I think it capitalizes nicely on the current trend in business to make everything "green." Since the envelope is made from recycled paper and it's on wood, the entire setup screams green. I really like the palm trees photo. It took a minimum of work. It looks like it's on a tropical island near the ocean. Yet, it's only a couple palm trees at a public park in West Tucson. The turquoise photo captures plain turquoise and as long as southwestern art remains popular, I can use that as a draw. Now we get to something I've an interest: what works for the end-user.

Shooting for the end-user

Who is the end user? The average joe? Not likely. Instead, it's likely small-to-medium-sized companies with a single designer or a small team who need access to useable, inexpensive stock photos. They aren't spending oodles of time on finding these pictures. Instead, they have a short set of keywords and they use them to find pictures in several different stock photo sources. What are people downloading? How can I stack up?

The cheaper stock sources have been cropping up like mad and places like Getty Images, Corbis, and Jupiter are branching out with their own user-stock photo sites and snapping up these companies. They are profitable and they represent a different model of licensing: micro stock. It puts high-quality, inexpensive photos in the hands of smaller licensees. Now, there is also a distinct community developing around these sites - photographers help one another with their images, assist with photoshop work, compete for titles and prizes, give advice, etc. One great thing: iStock gives you a list of what's most popular for the last 3 months. For example, right now, the most popular images have to do with sunsets, green-ness, businesspeople, families and children. Let's do a little distillation: Nature, Business, and Family.

Where do I stack up? 

Hmmm, I'm in the middle somewhat. Having no cash to pay models, I don't have a large cache of photos with people (or any for that matter). My nature photos are good, but not stellar. I've learned how to take good pictures and how to make them better in photoshop, but I'm still very much an amateur. So, here's my idea: let's get some models in a natural setting. The agreement will be they will get headshots and photos (of my choosing) to use for themselves. These will be high-quality images they can use for prints or what have you, BUT they also agree to let me have free reign with the rest. It's a decent trade-off and a win-win. I seem to remember reading someplace this was a standard for many new photographers. Once I have a better picture of what will and will not sell, then I can move ahead and maybe even pay models.

I have the nature thing pretty well down. I'm guessing this is fairly typical of new photographers. What is new, however, is my plan to do stock footage. Since the mid-nineties, several inexpensive digital SLRs and cameras have come out. They have placed quality photographic equipment in the hands of the average user for less money. With the latest crop of DSLRs that also shoot HD video, it puts super high quality video in the hands of the average user. Now, many people still are not using these cameras or, if they are, they don't know how to use them effectively. Now is a great time to capture this market. Once the camera comes in, it's time to start shooting. I'm very excited.

Sorta sum it all up

Okay, so I'm not making what is popular now, but I know what is popular so I can start shooting these things. I need to include models in my photos and I have a rough plan for doing that. My nature photos may need work to get them up to par with the big boys - just because you've been accepted, doesn't mean you will be successful.

Something else: plan for holidays 3-6 months in advance. The biggies are coming: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine's. Your picture or design may be the trend everyone follows this coming year so be prepared.

All the best equipment won't guarantee your success. A good professional photographer will make the most from any equipment. Also, I am signed up with only a single micro stock photo dealer. I will spend this week refining images and getting them up to other stock places while I await the delivery of my new camera (arrives on Tuesday!). When the camera arrives, I'll run it through some paces and then begin shooting as much and as often as I can. Volume is key since I am getting about 2-5 good, usable photos for every 50-100 shot. If I can shoot 300+ per day, I can have at least 5 or 6 solid, usable photos and as many as 15-20 every single time I shoot. This simple numbers game may well be bankable.

Stay ahead of the curve everyone (even if you're starting behind).