Summer “In Action” Photos

As I mentioned the other day, we stock image creators always like to find our work being used in the “real world”.  Occasionally, we find it by searching, or just going about life.  Sometimes, I have co-contributors, family members or other acquaintances contact me with an image found.  Below, are some recent examples of my stock photo work being used.  Thanks to those who let me know.  And, buyers, maybe you can pull some ideas from these designs.

Designers, watch your sizes!

When you license an image from iStockphoto, you are agreeing to use a piece of content subject to the license terms and conditions listed on the content license page.  If you’ve never read the license agreement before, go ahead and take a look.  It’s not that bad, really – nothing at all like 64 pages of iTunes declarations.  The main parts to look at are the “Permitted License Uses” and the “Standard License Prohibitions”.   Lately, violations of one of these uses has come to light, and I wanted to take a moment to point out how to avoid this hazard – the 1280 x 800 image size requirement.

Portfolio Update: At the Bar

Today, I wanted to show off my new royalty free stock image series, found at iStockphoto.  The set features a multi-ethnic group of 20 and 30-somethings at the local bar, having drinks and a good time.  I think we were really successful in capturing a “real person” feel here, instead of maybe the over-produced “fake model” look some series can get.

How’d You Get Here?

Let’s talk search engine optimization a bit, or at least “things I will keep in mind when writing new content here”.  When I post a new article here, I generally put a bit.ly short-link on Twitter, which then feeds automatically to my Facebook account.  So, if you follow me or are one of my friends, you might have gotten here, to this blog from my updates there.  However, I think I tend to get a lot more “business”, if you will, from people searching Google (or Bing, or wherever) and finding an article in my archive here.  WordPress keeps a log of the search terms that brought someone in, and I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of those terms.

Back To School

If you’ve noticed I haven’t been updating on my normal schedule here, it’s because here in the USA, it’s been “school’s out summertime”.  When I haven’t been shooting or doing actual processing or keywording work on my stock portfolio, I’ve been spending time with the kids/family, doing a vacation trip here or there, or time at our local St. Louis attractions (If you visit and have kids, you have to go to the City Museum.  It will drive you nuts, but the kids love it).

The kids just headed back to school, so in the upcoming weeks, I’ll ramp up my blogging again, with some new portfolio updates, iStockphoto buyer tips and maybe even a look at my basement remodeling project (I’ve got to put all the stuff I’ve learned about somewhere!).

Stick around.

10 Free iStockphoto Credits

In the past, if you wanted to sign up for iStockphoto and get 10 free credits, you’d have to email me for a code and follow a long list of instructions.  Now, if you’d like to get the credits during sign up, you’ve just got three easy steps…