I signed up for Stock Photo

I signed up for istockphoto today.  It was quite a process, and if you are thinking about applying to sell you pictures, I'd say give the sign-up process at least a couple hours. Not one of those ten minute sign-up things. They even quiz you about their policies. Above are the two pictures I submitted: Vintage marbles that little Norman played with decades and decades ago and an antique milk pitcher. From what I've heard, istockphoto.com is quite picky about what they get, and I am eager to see if these will make the cut. I'm having so much fun with photography these days, making some pennies would just sweeten the deal.  If anyone knows how long it takes for them to get back with results, I'd love to know.

Not to be too commercial here, but these two items are also up for sale! We have a about ten thousand odd things.

While shooting Project Gwaihir I got very frustrated about the fact that I wasn't able to control the lighting very well. I've been using a frosted shower curtain and white board to control the lighting at a corner window. Responding to my frustration, Norman built me a studio (kinda) on the patio. He attached frosted plastic to wood strips and basically made gigantic curtains for me to hang on two sides of the patio. It really give me good soft light to work with.

The mother of pearl carving is a piece that we've decided to sell. I took pictures in the studio to put it on Ebay. I really like how it caught the right amount of light to bring out its irredecent features.

SOUPS ON TROUPES

Yesterday, I visited Soups on Troupes, a volunteer senior theatre group here in Lubbock. My friend, Dorey Schmidt is the producer of the company and she kindly invited me when I asked if I could take some pictures. I was quite amazed at how well things were organized in the rehearsals. The company performs 3 or 4 short plays during one show, and pretty much all the actors are also crew members. I really value this type of grass roots arts, and I was very happy to take pictures.

Project Gwaihir

To get more familiar with the video features of my camera, I am making a video of Gwaihir, Norman's Harley-Davidson Electraglide Classic which is up for sale. This past Saturday, Norman and I went to Thundering Eagle Motorsports here in Lubbock, TX where Gwahir is patiently residing until he meets his next owner. Photos are Gwahir and a window with the Thundering Eagle Motorsports logo.

Flower Shot

I've been enjoying reading The Digital Photography Book written by Scott Kelby. It has a lot of good tips for beginning photographers. This book has a chapter about taking pictures of flowers. I'm not so crazy about flower pictures, but it seemed like an simple set up so I gave it a shot. This is what I got. I think it came out pretty good. The black background is my black coat.

60D f/4 55mm ISO 100

Downtown Guy

I took my 60D downtown to give it it's first on the street experience. This guy was walking down the street and waived at me. Then he sat down on a bench in front of First Methodist Church. So, I went up and asked if I could take a picture of hime. He said, "Fire away, little girl." So, I did. I did not tell him that I'm not a little girl.

Lens: EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM

ISO 100, f/11

Why I went with 60D

This might be a little longer than what I normally write.

Originally, I was plannnig to get a 7D because all the stellar reviews I've read in magazines and consumer reviews on B & H photo. However, a couple factors led me to purchase the 60D.

The biggest factor in my decision making was that neither 7D, nor 60D, nor the Rebel are full frame sensor cameras. Full frame sensors in Cannon start with the 5D MarkII which is $2499; out of my price range. I would have loved to have one of these full frame cameras if I could afford one because it is with these sensors that one can get that super rich cinematic look. So my reasoning was, if I have to get a cropped-frame one assuming that I would upgrade one day to a full frame camera, I might as well save some pennies getting the 60D which is about $700 less than the 7D but produces identical picture quality.

Next, I liked the fact that the 60D was not as heavy as the 7D. 7Ds have a much sturdier built because the body is made with magnesium alloy and it's supposed to be like a tank and completely weather proof. But that means it's also very heavy for a little lady like me. The 60D is made of polycarbonate plastic, but it doesn't feel plasticy at all. I suppose that people whith bigger hands than me would prefer the 7D. 7D does feel real solid in the hand.

Finally the flip screen of the 60D sealed the deal for me. I didn't put this into much consideration at first, but over and over again, I read how handy this feature is, especially for video people. I also read that this is the best LCD screen among all cannon SLRs.

I would have loved if the 60D used compact flash instead of an HD card. CF seems a little more sturdier and just cooler in general. I also would have loved if 60D had high def HDMI output like 7D instead of starndard def. output. Finally I would have loved if the 60D displayed 100% of the image in the viewfinder instead of 96%. That would have made this the perfect camera.

Still, I am so satisfied with my purchase, and with the lower cost of the camera, I was able to get a 24-100mm f/4 L series zoom lens. It seem to me the right choice since I can only afford one lense at this time.

Next is to figure out what buttons to push on this camera to get the picture I want.