| Most online stock agencies require that your | | | | creating color and noise patterns and textures. |
| images be submitted in TIFF or JPEG format at | | | | With high ISO settings the same principle applies |
| resolutions high enough to be printed at A3 or | | | | except it is magnified into a shorter time by the |
| bigger. In order to do this you will have to have | | | | high sensitivity of the sensor. On a slow ISO of |
| shoot the image on a camera with at least 6 | | | | 100 with a proper exposure the sensor only picks |
| megapixel this will give a file size of at least 17MB | | | | up the direct light from the subject. |
| at 8 bit. You are then required to Interpolate | | | | Underexposed images can be brought up to the |
| (upsize) your image to at least 48MB before | | | | proper exposure but with very severe noise |
| submission. | | | | effect. |
| Use Adobe Photoshop CS/CS2 camera raw to | | | | Each agency will have its own specific |
| open your RAW files. This allows maximum | | | | requirements, as you may chose to submit your |
| control over the editing process. Camera RAW is | | | | images to more than one agency you will want to |
| a photoshop plugin for CS/CS2. | | | | have the highest possible image quality as some |
| The difference between RAW, JPEG and TIFF. | | | | agencies demand higher quality than others. |
| RAW files are the camera's data from the three | | | | Always aim to achieve the highest image quality |
| sensors RGB (Red, Green, Blue) recorded as | | | | with your digital camera or scans, file sizes of |
| independently editable data. As the three color | | | | 50-70mb are standard for most agencies. |
| channels are not combined you have much easier | | | | What kind of camera will I need? |
| editing capabilities over exposure, contrast, | | | | Selling stock photography on-line requires that you |
| saturation and white balance, than if you had shot | | | | have a high resolution camera that has at least 6 |
| in JPEG. Shooting in RAW will also allow you to | | | | megapixels. Cameras with lower resolution create |
| interpolate your images in Camera RAW allowing | | | | images that when blown up to a large size turn to |
| you to escape the tedious process of having to | | | | Jaggies (INSERT JAGGIES IMAGE). DSLR (Digital |
| upsize using Genuine Fractals. (See appendix: | | | | Single Lens Reflex) cameras are very popular |
| Genuine Fractals). All professional photographers | | | | with photography enthusiasts as they allow you |
| shooting with digital cameras shoot in RAW. | | | | to control the many camera functions such as |
| JPEG is a file format used by most point and | | | | shutter speed and lens aperture as well as the |
| shoot cameras that combines the three color | | | | use of different lenses and accessories. They also |
| channels and compresses the image using a | | | | allow you to shoot in RAW a very important |
| mathematical algorithm. Most point and shoot | | | | feature for the serious amateur. |
| camera only allow JPEG files. There is a certain | | | | Two popular manufacturers of DSLR cameras |
| loss of image quality with JPEG compression and it | | | | are Canon and Nikon (chose one or the other, |
| becomes more noticeable the higher the | | | | stay away from anything else). One of the best |
| compression ratio. Loss of image quality is a bad | | | | places to buy a DSLR is at The Canon 400D is a |
| thing, which is why we always shoot in RAW. | | | | very popular camera having won the prestigious |
| TIFF files are the same as JPEG except that they | | | | TIPA award for 2005. Retailing at Amazon for |
| do not compress the image and therefore have | | | | $828 this camera is a steal compared to what |
| much larger file sizes. There is no loss of image | | | | was available just a few years ago. The 400D |
| quality with TIFF files. Images are usually sent into | | | | uses Canon's acclaimed CMOS technology, for |
| the agency in TIFF format. | | | | outstanding image quality and 10 Megapixels |
| Dust, Scratches and Noise | | | | resolution. This camera has all the image capture |
| Beware of getting dust in your camera. Today's | | | | power you will need for any stock agency online. |
| DSLR cameras have one problem that the | | | | It is light weight, easy to use and is full of all the |
| manufacturers are working to eliminate. Dust | | | | features you will need to take great photographs. |
| getting onto the sensor. When this happens you | | | | It can shoot in RAW or JPEG mode, we always |
| get blemishes or spots on your photos that show | | | | recommend shooting in RAW. More on RAW later. |
| up especially in the areas of same color like the | | | | Quality Lens the most important part of your kit. |
| sky or someones face. They are very unsightly | | | | The most important part of your camera is the |
| and must be removed in an image editing | | | | lens. It is the lens that gathers and focuses the |
| program like Photoshop, before you submit to the | | | | light from the subject on to the sensor (film). The |
| Stock agency. If you are still shooting film and | | | | quality of the material the lens is made out of |
| want to scan your negatives, make sure you | | | | determines the quality of the image captured. |
| scan them at double the resolution you want to | | | | Expensive lenses refract the light in a cleaner |
| save them as. If you want a 50MB file you will | | | | manner, rendering the detail in an image with the |
| have to scan the slide at 100MB to achieve a | | | | highest possible clarity. Cheep lenses tend to |
| desirable resolution. Drum scans from a | | | | make images look blurred or flat. If you are |
| professional output lab are best, but some fine | | | | starting out and want to get a great kit, buy a |
| desktop scanners are also available. The Nikon | | | | cheeper body such as the 400D and spend more |
| DS4000 is a good choice, the Minolta Dimage | | | | on a decent lens. Today you can find great lenses |
| 5400 is a better one. These scanners come | | | | from third party vendors such as Sigma and |
| quipped with DIGITAL ICE a software program | | | | Vivitar that cost a fraction of what the Canon |
| that uses the data from the sensors to see | | | | lenses cost. |
| where the dust and scratches are and to then | | | | As you may have gathered by now we favor |
| correct the image, or in other words, it does all | | | | Canon, not saying that Nikon is a poor choice, just |
| the photoshopping for you. | | | | that we have been using Canon forever and love |
| When scanning slides make sure you have | | | | them. It used to be said that Nikon was the |
| DIGITAL ICE or you will have to spend hours | | | | choice of the top professional, but when they |
| touching up. Digital noise is the effect of color | | | | failed to switch to a digital lens mount backing the |
| patterns and texture that show up in images that | | | | 80's they fell behind when the advent of digital hit |
| are underexposed or shot on a high ISO (film | | | | the market. Nikon make great cameras, Canon |
| speed). Basically these unsightly patterns and | | | | make slightly better ones. For entry level the |
| textures, that show up in the darker areas of | | | | 400D kicks the D40. |
| images not badly affected or in all areas of more | | | | And as this is not an expose on what camera to |
| severe images, are caused by the over sensitivity | | | | use. Our final words, no matter what camera as |
| of the sensor. On long exposures the light enters | | | | long as it meets the minimum pixels count |
| the camera, hits the sensor then small amounts | | | | requirements and it not noisy you images will |
| of it are bounced back onto the back end of the | | | | have a good chance of passing the agencies |
| lens to then be reflected back onto the sensor, | | | | editing processes. |