Posted by Richard Wong on October 19, 2006 at 5:09 PM
Has anyone ever lost a potential sale because they didn't realize they had the requested images in their files? I just realized my mistake today out of the blue, after I referred the buyer off to other photographers several weeks ago.
To me that would be like forgetting I had a family member. Maybe I'm a freak but I remember and recognize every image in my files. I also don't sell stock so I don't have to keep up with tens of thousands of images.
Guy
Posted by Randy Beacham on October 20, 2006 at 2:01 AM
I could be mistaken but I think Richard is referring to an image that he didn't know the kind of tree until now, not that he'd forgotten he had it (however I'm also like Guy in that I have a strange memory for remembering the kinds of photos I have on file. I can forget something from five minutes ago but I can also have a photo from years ago that I distinctly remember everything about it, like the type of film I used, whether or not I was pushing the film, what filters I was using, etc.)
That's one of the tough things about photography is you need to know so much about everything you're photographing. The toughest ones for me are mushrooms--I subscribe to one daily photo wants list and I'm sure there's probably been listings for mushrooms that I have on file but have no clue what the ID is. I have a friend who is a botanist and every once in awhile I'll invite him over for dinner and afterwards run a slideshow or digital photos by him to get some ID's. There are many that he can't ID either without having one in his hand so now I keep ziploc bags in my camers bag so I can keep a sample if I photograph a real unusual mushroom or plant. Randy
Posted by Nelcha Cross on October 20, 2006 at 2:37 AM
I have helped myself solve this problem and only if it doesn't work
then I resort to asking friends or collegues
Every place I go I have collected a small set of handbooks put out by the Audobon Society
and they have one for minerals, trees, mammals, fish, birds, trees, raptors..you name it!!
Start looking for them and collecting them.
They are easy to transport and/or don't take up much room but are chuck full of info!!
If it's an organizing system you need...find on and them let me know
I bought one but can't make heads nor tails out of it!!
In gratitude,
Nelcha
Posted by Richard Wong on October 20, 2006 at 6:47 PM
Thanks Nelcha, it definetely wasn't a organizing system issue. I'll explain.
The buyer was looking for pictures of Southern California oak trees. At the time, I hadn't really paid attention to what type of trees are in Southern California for the most part so I responded, that I had no such images from Southern California nor knew of where to photograph them, but I had a few trees from the Bay Area.
Well, a week ago I revisited some local places in the San Gabriel Mountains and realized that I was in an oak forest. Of course I had images from my previous visit a year ago... I connected the dots at home while browsing my images from that location. So I guess you can say it was a lack of scientific awareness for what I had photographed.
There's a flip side to this, too. When making a submission on SC oaks for example, I always include related shots not requested by the market. In this specific example I'd seek out and shoot old oak fence posts, perhaps old implements hand crafted from oak, cows bedded down by a fallen oak, a bird nesting in an oak, etc. Anything along those lines would be fair game.
You would be surprised how often the market will pick up the extra shots, thus increasing your income.
The most spectacular example for me was a mag looking for a photo of a Sitka blacktail deer to accompany an article they had in hand, but with lousy photos. I sent them the photo they asked for, as well as scenics of typical habitat, a hunter (it was a hunting mag), and weather shots. Though the original querry was for a single photo to be used relatively small ($80 as I recall), they ended up using 12 of my shots including a cover. That $1120 check sure felt nice in that week's bank deposit.
Discussion
5 repliesDid I mention that ID'g trees is a nightmare?
To me that would be like forgetting I had a family member. Maybe I'm a freak but I remember and recognize every image in my files. I also don't sell stock so I don't have to keep up with tens of thousands of images.
Guy
That's one of the tough things about photography is you need to know so much about everything you're photographing. The toughest ones for me are mushrooms--I subscribe to one daily photo wants list and I'm sure there's probably been listings for mushrooms that I have on file but have no clue what the ID is. I have a friend who is a botanist and every once in awhile I'll invite him over for dinner and afterwards run a slideshow or digital photos by him to get some ID's. There are many that he can't ID either without having one in his hand so now I keep ziploc bags in my camers bag so I can keep a sample if I photograph a real unusual mushroom or plant. Randy
then I resort to asking friends or collegues
Every place I go I have collected a small set of handbooks put out by the Audobon Society
and they have one for minerals, trees, mammals, fish, birds, trees, raptors..you name it!!
Start looking for them and collecting them.
They are easy to transport and/or don't take up much room but are chuck full of info!!
If it's an organizing system you need...find on and them let me know
I bought one but can't make heads nor tails out of it!!
In gratitude,
Nelcha
The buyer was looking for pictures of Southern California oak trees. At the time, I hadn't really paid attention to what type of trees are in Southern California for the most part so I responded, that I had no such images from Southern California nor knew of where to photograph them, but I had a few trees from the Bay Area.
Well, a week ago I revisited some local places in the San Gabriel Mountains and realized that I was in an oak forest. Of course I had images from my previous visit a year ago... I connected the dots at home while browsing my images from that location. So I guess you can say it was a lack of scientific awareness for what I had photographed.
You would be surprised how often the market will pick up the extra shots, thus increasing your income.
The most spectacular example for me was a mag looking for a photo of a Sitka blacktail deer to accompany an article they had in hand, but with lousy photos. I sent them the photo they asked for, as well as scenics of typical habitat, a hunter (it was a hunting mag), and weather shots. Though the original querry was for a single photo to be used relatively small ($80 as I recall), they ended up using 12 of my shots including a cover. That $1120 check sure felt nice in that week's bank deposit.
What have you got to lose?