Stock Photography Lesson - Quality Requirements For Online Stock Photograph Sales

Most online stock agencies require that your images be submitted in TIFF or JPEG format at resolutions high enough to be printed at A3 or larger. To do this, you'll have to shoot a picture on a camera with at least 6 megapixels This will give the file size of at least 17MB at 8 bit. After that, they need to interpolate (upsize) your picture to at least 48MB before submitting.
Use Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw CS/CS2 open RAW files. This allows maximum control over the editing process. Camera Raw is a Photoshop plugin for CS/CS2.

The difference between RAW, JPEG, and TIFF.

RAW files the camera sensor data from the three RGB (Red, Green, Blue), is presented as self-edit data. As the three color channels are combined you have a much easier editing capabilities, more exposure, contrast, saturation, white balance, but if you shot in JPEG. Shooting in RAW format will also allow you to interpolate the image in Camera Raw allowing you to escape the tedious process of having upsize using Genuine Fractals. (See Appendix: Genuine Fractals). All professional photographers shooting with digital cameras shoot in RAW.

JPEG is a format that is used in most point and shoot camera that combines the three color channels and compresses images using a mathematical algorithm. Most point and shoot cameras allow only JPEG files. There is some loss of image quality with JPEG compression, and it becomes more noticeable the higher the compression ratio. The loss of image quality is a bad thing, which is why we always shoot in RAW.

TIFF files are the same as JPEG, but that does not compress the image and therefore have a much larger file sizes. No loss of picture quality with TIFF files. Images are usually sent to the agency in TIFF format.

dust, scratches and noise

keep dust from getting inside the camera. Today's DSLR cameras have a problem that manufacturers are working to eliminate. Dust getting into the sensor. When this happens you get blemishes or spots on the photographs that appear especially in the area of ​​the same color as the sky or someone's face. They are very ugly and need to be removed in an image editing program like Photoshop, before you submit to stock agencies. If you are still shooting film and want to scan negatives, make sure you scan them at twice the resolution that they want to save as. If you want to 50MB of file you need to scan a slide at 100 MB to achieve a desirable solution. Drum scanning from professional lab results are the best, but a fine desktop scanners are also dostupne.Nikon DS4000 is a good choice, Minolta Dimage 5400 is better. These scanners come quipped with DIGITAL ICE software program that uses data from the sensors to see where the dust and scratches are then corrected image, or in other words, it's all photoshopping for you.

When you scan slides, make sure you have DIGITAL ICE or you have to spend hours touching up. Digital noise effect color patterns and textures that appear in images that are underexposed and shot at high ISO (film speed). Mostly these unsightly patterns and textures that show up in the dark areas are badly affected, and in all areas of severe image caused by sensor sensitivity. At long exposure light enters the camera hits the sensor, then a small amount of that bounce back to the back end of the lens, which will be reflected back to the sensor, creating colors and noise patterns and textures. With high ISO sensitivity of the same principle applies, except that it increased in a short time with high sensitivity sensors. On a slow ISO 100 with proper exposure sensor only picks up the light source from the object. Underexposed image can lead to proper exposure, but with a very severe impact noise.

Each agency will have its own specific requirements, as you might have chosen to submit their pictures for more than one agency, you will want to have the highest possible image quality as well as some agencies demand a higher quality than others. Always aim to achieve maximum image quality from your digital camera or scanned, the file size of 50-70MB standard for most agencies.

What kind of camera will I need?

Selling stock photos online requires that you have a high resolution camera that has at least 6 megapixels. Cameras with lower resolution creates images that when the air-to-large size face the jaggies (INSERT image jaggies). DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras are very popular with photography enthusiasts as they allow you to control many functions of the camera such as shutter speed and aperture lens, and the use of various lenses and accessories. They also allow you to shoot in RAW a very important feature for the serious amateur.

Two popular manufacturers Canon and Nikon DSLR have (choose one or the other, stay away from anything else). One of the best places to buy a DSLR is Amazon.com.Canon 400D is a very popular camera after winning the prestigious TIPA award for 2005. Retailing on Amazon for $ 828 this camera is a steal compared to what was available just a few godina.400D employs Canon's acclaimed CMOS technology, for outstanding image quality and 10-megapixel resolution. This camera has all the powers of the recording you will need for any online stock agencies. It is lightweight, easy to use and full of all the features you'll need to take great photos. It can shoot in RAW or JPEG mode, we always recommend shooting in RAW format. More on RAW later.

Quality Lens The most important part of your kit.

the most important part of your camera lens. This is a lens that gathers and focuses light from objects on the sensor (film). The quality of the material the lens is made ​​of determines the quality of pictures taken. Expensive lenses refract light in a cleaner way, making the details of the image with the greatest possible clarity. Whistler lenses tend to images look blurry or flat. If you start and want to get a kit, buy a body like the 400D and cheeper to spend more on a decent lens. Today you can find great lenses of third party suppliers such as Sigma and VIVITAR that cost a fraction of the price of Canon lenses.

As you May have gathered so far we benefit from Canon, not to say that the Nikon is a bad choice, just that we are using the Canon forever and love them. It used to be said that the Nikon selection of the best professional, but when they failed to switch to digital lens mount support 80-they fell behind when the advent of digital hit the market. Nikon make great cameras, Canon make some better ones. For entry-level D40 400D kicks.

, which is not exposed to what the camera is used. Our last word, regardless of the camera, while the number of pixels meets the minimum requirements and not noisy images you will have a good chance of going through the editing process of the agency.