Back after a lengthy absence...

This post is dedicated to Yan Wang - one of the managing editors at BCA Research in Montreal.

It has been a busy time lately. My microstock earnings have been steadily (if not slowly picking up) and I am going to be heading in a complimentary direction in the new year. I will be teaming up with Serengeti Photo Studios here in Montreal to help develop their corporate portrait division. I am training with the owner - Robert Healey - learning advanced retouching techniques and how to improve my portrait photo making skills to match the high standards set at Serengeti.

It is a wonderful challenge and I am learning so much that it will be great when I am actually doing some real studio and location shooting. Rob uses a Canon 5D and the image quality is fantastic. I am presently happy with my Olympus E-30, but the advantages of the Canon full-frame sensor are immediately apparent.

Above is an image that I took earlier this week while walking in Montreal's Old Port district. People are very devoted to the bicycle here - even during the winter months!

Getting ready for the holidays now and will be spending some time in the Laurentians here in Quebec. If you ever get the chance to visit, it is quite beautiful during all of the seasons - yes even in Winter...

Drop me a comment or two so that I know you are out there. In the meantime keep shooting and have fun. Best wishes over the holiday season, for the new year and beyond.

Having Fun with Photography

For those of you who do not know - "microstock" is a offshoot of traditional stock photography, where you contribute your best images to an online agency. Prospective image buyers (web designers for example) search for images using keywords and then select from the results that are returned.

The commission for each sale is not a lot but that same image might sell many times over and that is where the appeal lies. I have been contributing to 4 (down from 8) such agencies (see my website - link at upper right of this blog page) and have over 200 images on each site. This is a vast improvement over this time last year, but just a drop in the bucket as compared to the top earners who might have thousands of images.

My goal is to earn enough to help pay for camera gear, studio rentals and travelling and with each submission, I get a little closer to that goal.

There is a photographer from Quebec city (Lise Gagne)who started contributing a few years ago to iStockphoto and now she earns a comfortable living from what started as a hobby. Check out her images if you have a moment or are considering entering the microstock world. Anyway, she is a real inspiration and her persistence and commitment are something to marvel at.

Here are some of the images that I have uploaded to be sold as microstock. They tend to be images that convey a marketable concept - such as the road construction industry or small business tools.

Cheers for now - Gordon

Local Wildlife in Quebec

I visited Parc Omega near Montebello, Quebec on Thanksgiving weekend (Canadian) and came back with some great images of some of the wildlife that are in this reserve. It was bright and sunny (and a little on the cold side), so there are a lot of shadows, but overall, I was happy with the results. The parc is large which permits the animals room to roam - there are bison in the park as well - these are huge animals when they are standing (blocking) the path of a car. I highly recommend a visit but get there early or try visiting during the week to avoid the crowds. The longest reach of my lens was 300mm (35mm equivalent) and it was sufficient although an extra 200mm would have been awesome. I used the IS (image stabilization) feature in my E-30, which I never thought I would, and it does make a difference - thanks Olympus. I will be submitting some of the images to my stock agencies, links to which, you can find on my website - there is a link at the top right of this blog. Enjoy the pics and if you would like to use them, you may, just send me an email letting me know where they will be posted. Cheers for now - Gordon

Today, it rained...

I did not use my camera today, but sometimes just after it rains can present some interesting photo opportunities. A few weeks ago I took these photos through the back door of my home in Verdun (a neighbourhood in south west Montreal). I held the glass in one hand and shot up through the glass door to an almost clear blue sky. The other glass photo was taken on the deck just outside. The rain had only stopped a few minutes earlier. I was happy with the results, mostly because it was a "spur of the moment" impulse... sometimes they work out. We have a long weekend coming up, here in Canada - Thanksgiving. Hopefully I will get the camera out and who knows what I will come home with? As always, your readership is appreciated and if you have any comments or ideas that you would like to share - kindly do so. Cheers for now - Gordon.

Models Wanted for Lifestyle Stock Photography

Have you ever thought of modelling? I shoot microstock photography and there is a growing need for images of the woman or man next door - in other words, average looking people, perhaps like you. Your compensation would be a series of edited images (6) in digital format on a CD. In exchange for this you would offer 1-2 hours of your time in front of the camera in lifestyle poses (drinking coffee, reading a book, listening to music, exercising - this kind of thing). You can see some examples in this blog entry. If you are interested or have any questions, and you live in or close to Montreal, Quebec, then contact me by sending a brief email (please put "Interested in modelling" in the subject line) as well as a recent photograph of yourself to info@gwphotographics.com. You will receive more information that will explain the process more fully. I look forward to hearing from you.

Atwater Market in Montreal

I love Autumn. Not just because my birthday is coming up either... so many photo "ops". Today's was the produce on display at one of Montreal's more popular markets - Marché Atwater. These squash and flower images just popped for me and I had to capture them. I waited for the sun to conceal itself behind some clouds to diffuse the light - thus avoiding the harsh shadows. It is like using one gigantic softbox... and with my 28-108mm (35mm equivalent) lens, I was in my glory. The Olympus E-30 has rewarded me with so many great images. In the film days, I had a Pentax K1000 and later a Nikon FM2 and when things were decidedly heading digital, I went to Nikon first but the Olympus 4/3 system (E-500 at the time) just fit my hand right and felt solid for me. I could easily have gone to Canon as well, but the OLY just "felt" right for me. More compact lenses also means less weight when I have all my stuff (3 lenses and camera body, batteries mem cards etc.) with me on the road. Anyway, I am rambling on. Give the pics a lookover and let me know what you think. Cheers for now - Gordon

Mushrooms or Toadstools?

...I am not sure which is which. Perhaps you can look at the photos and let me know... at any rate, it was ripe with these fungi when I visited a park near Joliette in Quebec this past weekend. The ground was very damp so I propped the camera on some sticks and used the articulating screen on my Olympus E-30 with live-view to set up the shot. I also had the use of a remote control to prevent camera shake which would have occurred when activating the shutter. All in all, I was pleased with some of the results (which are included here for your comments and opinions/suggestions). Enjoy, and let me know what you think. Cheers for now - Gordon

Sometimes we lose track of what is important...

The last few weeks have really tested me... and to be honest, I have failed. I let fear get in the way of my dreams and have lost my sense of direction. Today, after looking at some images of stock photographers who are still on course, I felt a renewed sense of purpose and will do what I need to, in order to get things back on track. If anyone else is disappointed with their results, take heart, get back up onto that horse and learn why you are not where you had hoped to be by now. It is a longer road than we ever imagined, but ultimately, the only one worth following. I know what I need to do and so will you if you choose to learn from your temporary failure. Good luck and keep shooting and learning and failing... it is how we all improve. Cheers.

My Shutterstock mini galleries...

My latest images for sale at
Shutterstock:

My most popular images for sale at
Shutterstock:

Off topic stuff - link to some interesting reading

A book about taking the Zen approach to productivity. I think that any perspective on becoming more productive is worth a peek. Let me know if you find this interesting. Have a great day!
Click here to view more details

Some interesting links

I used to spend too much time in front of the TV... now it seems as if surfing has taken over. Anyway, have been taking a lot of stock photos and uploading to various agency sites, namely Canstockphoto, Dreamstime, Fotolia, iStockphoto and Shutterstock. I was submitting to others but there is very little action (sales) so I have taken the advice of some veteran microstockers to limit the number of agencies. There is such a wealth of material on the web for anyone interested in stock or photography in general. Yuri Arcurs is perhaps the most well known of all the microstock contributors - check out his site. Another interesting site is Stock Photo Concept Generator - for those stuck on coming up with a concept - a little whacky, but interesting too.
Check these out and let me know what you think.