Category Archives: Photography

What Does The Future Hold?

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I guess it’s because my birthday is only a couple of weeks away. I seem to be more introspective as I get older each year. I seem do more musing around this time than I do at New Year’s!

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What is eating at me these days is my future at work. So far my job appears secure but I’m not the workaholic I once was. With all the changes at the company I wonder if I will still be there in 1 or 2 more years. Then I look at my financial obligations and remind myself that I need to work another 10 years.

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So I decided to revisit an old revenue source.

A few years ago, probably 5 by now, I looked into stock photography. The myth is that you can upload pictures you’ve already taken and build an income stream. I didn’t have much luck the last time I tried but to be honest, I didn’t try very hard.

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Anyway, I thought about all these pictures I had sitting on my hard drive and thought I’d try again. According to what I’d read the minimum portfolio to start earning money is 300 pictures. That’s the magic number but more is better.

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I signed up at a new stock company and started looking through my pictures. They have to look over your work to be accepted. That’s when I discovered that many of my photos were’d big enough. The minimum file size at this particular company is 4 MB. I was surprised to find that many of my favorite pictures were only 2-3 MB, just missing the minimum.

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Looks like I will have my work cut out for me. So I plan to print out some model releases and start taking my camera everywhere. I have a list of the most requested subjects and many are outside my comfort zone. Even so I owe it to myself to really give it a try this time.

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Are any of you stock photographers? Any advice?

Jackson Hole Wyoming

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I thought I’d give Hawaii a rest for a bit.

One of the places I have been trying to get to is Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It is the only location in Wyoming where I have a time share option but it is always booked. I’ve been wondering if it’s because of the time of year I try to get a reservation. I think Jackson Hole is a big ski area and I’ve been looking in the winter.

 I heard that the Elk herd winters in an Elk Sanctuary just outside of Jackson hole and they have horse drawn sleigh rides through the winter herd.

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 I’ve also heard that the animals in Yellowstone are easier to see in winter because they congregate around the hot springs to get relief from the cold. The exception is the bears because they are hibernating but wolves are more visible.

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Speaking of the cold, most of the roads in Yellowstone are closed once the snow flies. The only way around the park is by snowcoach, snow mobile, snow shoes, or skis. I wouldn’t be up for the show shoes or skis but maybe the snowmobile although with camera gear for pictures the snow coach might be the best bet. Sadly that takes personal exploration out of the equation.

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 I recently bought a photography book for the Tetons and Yellowstone and after wading through tons of technical photo speak I’m beginning to think a spring or fall visit might be better than winter. Spring would  mean baby animals like elk and bison and maybe a grizzly cub if I got lucky and fall would mean the elk  and moose rut. Bears might still be active as they try to fatten up for the hibernation.

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 They talked a lot about the foliage of golden aspens but being from New England that seems a bit dull. I’m used to the vibrant reds of the sugar maples and every color of orange you can think of. All the photographers spoke of sun rise and dawn or sunset for most of the locations. Jackson Hole is a good 45  minutes away from the south entrance to Yellowstone. That is making me wonder if a decent photography trip can be had for both Yellowstone and the Tetons  if I stay in Jackson Hole.

 So much to figure out. Any suggestions?

A Click Too Fast

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Sometimes I can be really stupid. What’s that expression, “Measure Twice , Cut once” ? There should be one about ask twice before delete once. It may not be a snappy but it would have saved me buckets of grief!

I mentioned this a few posts ago but I have more info now.

I have my photo website, http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com. Here you can order prints of my pictures if you find some you really like. I haven’t had much luck with the “Fine Art”  or Animal and Nature prints so far but I was really trying to drive interest by adding greeting cards.

One of the vendors had an awesome collection of templates , especially for Christmas and Hanukkah. You could select the template, add the photo you liked and even add 2 lines like “from our house to yours” or  ” Season’s greeting, the Jones Family”.

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Because I was beginning to get inquiries I went behind the scenes to be sure my price lists were up to date. I didn’t want someone putting in an order that I couldn’t fill. That would not make for a positive experience. Sure enough, the single card option was gone.

I spent hours searching through the data bases, nada. So with a heavy heart and feeling quite discouraged I might add, I deleted the price list and started over with the options that are now available.

On a whim I sent off an email to zenfolio customer support. They confirmed the single card option was gone but they told me I was grandfathered in. WHAT! Unfortunately there is no way for them to restore the price lists I deleted so even though I was grandfathered  that too fast click on delete took it all away.

I’ve been looking into what they call “Self Full filled” options so if I can locate templates, I may be back in business.

I hope so. I really wanted to see this pick up this year. I think I will practice on the Birthday Cards first.

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I’ll keep you posted!

Jackson NH

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You’ve seen the pictures now here’s the story. dsc_4055-copy

I had a vision of horses running through the snow and pulling a sleigh. Now I really didn’t care if it was a one horse, 2 horse or a whole team but to get this “vision” captured in a photo I had to go in search of snow and snow with horse drawn sleighs. christmassleighride1920x1200

I did a google search and came up with a few places but the one that caught my eye was the Jingle Bell Chocolate tour in Jackson, NH.

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This is a Holiday event in the elegant resort town of Jackson, NH.

For a small fee you are driven in a sleigh drawn by a team of Austrian draft horses around Jackson to different inns and locations. Some mentioned are the Wentworth, the Snowflake Inn, The Riverwood Inn and Flossie’s General Store.

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At each stop you get to sample a chocolate treat. You also receive a holiday bag for leftovers and a jingle bell.

The catch is that you have to be staying at one of the Inns. The sleigh rides start and end  at Nestlenook Farms.

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I figured I might as well drive up because the photo I wanted wouldn’t be from in a sleigh anyway.

It was a 4 hour drive but it was a beautiful day. When I left Taunton it was sunny and the sky was blue however as I approached Jackson the weather began to change. It started to get really cold and clouds began to roll in. It even started to spit a little snow. I was also getting a little discouraged as I passed through North Conway. There was absolutely no snow on the ground! How would I ever get the picture I wanted?

Jackson and North Conway are in the White Mountains and the White Mountain National Forest so you can imagine how scenic the ride was.

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Arriving in Jackson you drive over a one lane covered bridge, (Covered Bridge #51) also known as the Honeymoon Bridge. Originally built in 1876  it has had improvements and upgrades over the years. The name “Honeymoon Bridge” comes from a tradition of lovers kissing under it for good luck.

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In the end I did not get my “vision”.  It will have to wait for another day and different conditions but I enjoyed my explorations, Jackson Falls, The Honey Moon Bridge and the horse drawn sleighs on wheels.

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If any of my readers are from the New England area and know of winter sleigh rides, please leave me a comment. I’m still looking for someplace to get that photo and now we have SNOW!

Photo #4

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In a nod to all the pet birds out there, this blue parakeet or Budgie made the cut.  I had a bird that looked just like him when I was little. His name was Pitty Pat.

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