Taking Stock from A to Z

It's been a busy year. I have been taking stock photographs from Aberfoyle to Zurich with a few places in between. Now is the time to sit down and prepare them for submission.

I try to keep the amount of processing to a minimum otherwise noise and artefact rejections increase.

Keywording and captioning take up most of the post production time but storing it with the EXIF information in the photograph means that it only has to be done once.

My resolutions for this year are to significantly increase my upload rate and to shoot more sellable photos.

Turn of the Card

My latest venture is designing templates for Business cards. It is a good way of using and promoting my stock photographs.

The important part of the card is the customers details so the design should have an area to contain these. There is a bit of flexibility in their placing and the image should always enhance and not detract from them. The illustration above places the text to the left although it is also possible to move the leaf and make another template with the text on the right. The range of subjects used should reflect the customers requirements so a bit of research is worthwhile.

Once I have completed the design I upload it to Printbusinesscards.com where they will be used by their customers for personal and business cards. You can checkout their Blog here -www.theartofbusinesscards.blogspot.com.

The design above and my other designs can be seen at http://www.printbusinesscards.com/ordering/Iain-Frazer-Business-Cards.php

Please do not cross to Albania you are certain to be arrested

That was the message on the boat we hired for the day. The crossing would have been easy from Corfu as there is only a narrow strip of water separating the two countries.
We had no intention of doing that because it was much more pleasurable to cruise the bays along the Coast of Corfu. Every taverna seems to have a jetty and someone to help guide you in and tie up the boat.
It is nice out at sea and there is plenty to see and photograph. Moving out from the coast gives wide angle views without a wide angle and moving in allows a different perspective to the many villas and houses along the coast. It is not too difficult to find a quiet beach to pull up on and catch some sun or go looking for shots in the rockier parts of the shore

The Simplest Things

Always carry a camera because photographs of the simplest things sell. This picture is good example.
While shopping for food on holiday in Italy. I saw the display of cured meat in a butchers' chilled cabinet at a market. It has sold many times over ( the picture that is ). Pictures of doors, windows and other localised little details also seem to be quite popular. They are often to be seen in brochures and travel websites.

Happy Birthday

Picture the scene. Venice on the morning of my 50th Birthday. St Marks square, golden autumnal sunlight with a bit of moisture in the air. One of the most photographed views on the planet looking out to the Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore with a raft of berthed gondolas in the foreground. Much Photographed but to me this one was just that bit special.