Virtual Photography Studio - Resources for photographers
Virutual Photography Studio, Guide To Resources, Products and Information
Genbook
Genbook is an online appointment scheduling service that makes it easier for you to book appointments with your clients. No more email or phone tag. Customers can now click the “Book Now” button on your website or blog, or other online site, and turn your traffic into appointments.
PhotographersQuote
Looking for more business? Sign up for PhotographersQuote. This service provides you the opportunity to give quotes to people looking for photography in your area.
June 22, 2009 become the end of a long journey for Kodak’s Kodachrome. For over 74 years, Kodak manufactured this color reversal film which has been used by photojournalists all over the world to capture amazing images. One of the most famous images was from National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry, a haunting portrait of an Afghan refugee appeared on the cover of the magazine in June 1985
Kodachrome was such an amazing film for the time because of the vibrant colors it portrayed. In the words of Paul Simon:
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don’t take my Kodachrome away.
~Paul Simon
[Read more...]
I’m always amazed when I head out to the forums to find photographers complaining about stock photography, and the fact there is no money to be made in that industry?
It’s just
not true.
As a matter of fact, it is an incredible way to make money, and I’m seeing huge potential over the coming years in this field.
Last fall I touched on this in my Trends In Stock Photography and today I read more about it in Microstock Photography Is Getting Big.
By far, iStockPhoto is advancing as the leader in the stock photography industry. In February 2006, Getty Images purchased iStockPhoto for $50 million. In 2006, iStockPhoto had revenues of about $23 million. Fast forward to 2008, revenues jumped to $150 million, with projections for this year being around $200 million. Huge growth! And huge potential for us photographers!
If you’re thinking, “How can I ever make money with just a few cents per image sold?”, think again. iStockPhoto obviously has the desire to make money through sales of images, but it also looks for ways for building deeper relationships with great photographers too. Which is why they’ve just announced their newest division, Vetta Collection, which is comprised of images that meet a higher quality. They cost more for the end user (starting at $20 per image compared to the $1 per image for the standard images) – and provide more income for the photographer as well.
So, can you really make money as a stock photographer? Let’s take a quick look.
Photographing for a poster is a wonderful assignment…but what if you wanted to have a way to create a moving poster. Watch this video and see how it is done!
Whether you’re looking to pick up one or two photography jobs a week, or looking to fill your days with several different clients, there are ways of connecting up with people online for little or no cost to you. Take a look at these sites, and start shooting!
Indeed.com
Indeed is a job search engine. It pulls all type of jobs, from full time employment to freelance opportunities.
GoFreelance
GoGreelance is a great place for people to list specific jobs they are looking for today – and for you to pick up work in your area of expertise.
Want a quick, easy way to alter a photograph? Consider Pixlr. 
I always have a variety of photo editing tools open every day. For sophisticated corrections, Photoshop may have everything you need – and more. But let’s say you just want to create a portrait for your blog, and you’d like to vignette it for added emphasis. Or maybe you want to convert it from color to black and white, and sharpen it a bit.
Pixlr makes the entire process easy – and for a free program, you can’t beat the price.
When you head to pixlr’s home page, you have two options: you can enter the Image Editor or the Photo Express with a click of a button.
What’s in a background? If you’re trying to create a beautiful portrait, your background either makes or breaks the mood, and can cause your portrait to go from okay to WOW.
Lets look at 7 common mistakes photographers make when choosing a background for their portraits.
1. Perspective. Where is your focus? Portraits are of people, not backgrounds. A stunning portrait will have the face of the subject in crystal clear focus, blurring out the background to make it separate from the subject. Depth of field is very important for perspective.
2. Strange angles. Does your subject look uncomfortable? Does she look out of place? Or is everything shot from the same angle? Play around with your subjects. Spice things up. But make sure they look natural at the same time.
3. Double heads and multiple limbs. Have you ever seen a portrait with a tree growing out of the subject’s head? Or how about a stream of water pouring from an ear? Before you snap the picture, take a closer look at your subject to make sure your photograph will be flattering to your subject.
Take a look through a bridal magazine, or visit a high 
school senior fair. There are dozens of photographers vying for the attention of just a few new clients.
Photographers seem to exist everywhere these days. Because digital cameras seem to make shooting easier, more people are trying to turn it into a career. Or at least a second or third source of income.
So the question comes down to: Can you really make a good living at photography, or is there just not enough business to go around?
Let’s look at a few other industries for a moment.
Have you ever looked for a web designer? In addition to full time companies, you also compete with freelancers, part time designers, and all of the moms/dads/sisters/brothers/sons/daughters that have ever taken a web design class and think they have the ability to create a dynamic website. [Read more...]
Whether you’re new to photography, or have been a professional for years, chances are you are out looking for new things to try and ways to make money. Luckily there are resources out there that can make your job of selling your photography a whole lot easier. Even if you’re new with just a few images to share, these resources can have you up and looking life a professional in no time.
Have more resources to recommend? Please list them in the comments. Thanks.
RedBubble gives you the opportunity to set up your own gallery, start sharing in their vast community, set your own prices for everything from wall art to t-shirts, and create a unique business based around your photography.
Zazzle is one of the largest online players for creating customized art.
We are big fans of twitter and really got a kick out of this Close To Home comic.
