Stunning Photos of Saigon by Night

Stunning Photos of Saigon by Night

Saigon based interior designer and photographer Le Anh Khoa from Vietnam shoots film, mostly with his Canon AE1 program. Khoa has a great film set about Saigon, the largest city in Vietnam. But here's a collection of stunning photos of Saigon by night by Le Anh Khoa.

For more film photography by Le Anh Khoa, you can visit his Flickr's photostream here.

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• Have you ever wondered how to sell stock photos using just your current SLR and lens?
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• Where to upload (agencies)
• Where NOT to upload
• How to upload
• Traditional vs. Microstock
• Effective keywording for more sales
• Camera settings
• Software
• Equipment
• Selection of sample images with real sales values from traditional and microstock...

(Recently sold for $352.19 at Alamy Images Competing with nearly 18 million other images! CouldYOU take a simple shot like that?)

• Samples of rejected images and why they were rejected
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I have been a photographer since 1980 (when I was just 13), I have been shooting stock photography for over 5 years and currently have some of the top selling images in the world in my online libraries taken with nothing more than a prosumer DSLR and lens.

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• Russian travel magazines

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Here is a snapshot of my actual sales at Alamy over a 12 week period last year:

Check out the images! Dumper trucks & building site, a flagpole and an umbrella on a beach that sold for $439!

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Index of Chapters:

1. Introduction
2. Equipment
3. Traditional vs. Microstock
4. Agencies
5. Exclusive or Non Exclusive?
6. Go it alone?
7. Licensed, Royalty Free or Rights Managed
8. Standards
9. The Images
   • Concepts/Subjects/What sells?
   • Still life/food/objects
   • Nature/animals/pets
   • Landscapes
   • Travel
   • People
   • Business
   • Family
   • Pollution/Environment, Urban Decay
   • Current Affairs
   • Property
   • Lifestyle
   • Trends and Technology
   • Sports
   • Composites, Vectors and Digital Artwork
10. Rejections
11. Lighting
12. Colours
13. Composition, macro, wide, cropped etc
14. Camera Settings
15. RAW/Jpeg Processing
16. Photoshop, Finishing touches and attention to detail
17. Noise/Grain
18. Keywording and adding info
19. Upload only your best
20. Consistency
21. Competition and inspiration
22. Setting up your own studio
23. Copyright, Trademarks and the Law
24. Getting seen/Marketing your work
25. Staying ahead of the game/Moving on/Future Proofing
26. Earnings
27. Close

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Good luck and here's to your success!

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"How to Sell Stock Photos" is a quick and simple download. Paypal is used as a secure, authorized billing agent for your security. Your credit card is validated through Paypal's ordering system and once payment is made, you will be sent an email with a link to a download page where you can retrieve the book and start learning straight away. The eBook is in PDF format (free PDF reader available online) with a file size of approximately 4.31MB. Download times vary according to your internet connection (less than 2 minutes with ADSL/Broadband).

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How to Sell Stock Photos

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FAA Intimidates Drone Photographers

FAA Intimidates Coldwell Banker And Other Realtors Into Shunning Drone Photography

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Gregory S. McNeal Contributor

I cover law and policy with a focus on security, technology and crime.

For months, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been investigating realtors who use drones to film their properties.  Now, Forbes has learned that the FAA’s investigations have succeeded in intimidating NRT —the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage company — into advising their members to not only cease flying drones as part of their work, but to also cease using drone footage.

This is a troubling development in an ongoing saga over the FAA’s rules which punish the safe commercial use of drones.  Currently, the FAA does not prohibit the use of drones for a hobby — flying over your home and taking pictures of it for fun is allowed, but because real estate drones take pictures for a commercial purpose, the FAA prohibits their use.

NRT is a big player in this space, the company owns and operates companies in more than 40 of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States.  The company had more than 42,000 agents in 2013 and closed more than 320,000 sales.  Their decision to prohibit the use of drone footage will have a chilling impact on thousands of realtors, and may set back efforts to convince the FAA to allow the safe use of drones for commercial filming.  If people can’t see the value the technology provides, it will be much easier for the FAA to prohibit the use of drones in commercial settings.

But, while the use of drones for commercial purposes is prohibited by the FAA, the use of images or video from drones is not prohibited by the agency which only has jurisdiction over air space, not over the use of footage.  Embedded below is an example of real estate video footage, the use of this video by anyone is simply not prohibited by FAA regulations — the agency only has authority to sanction the operator of the drone for their commercial operation.  The commercial ban is no doubt an absurd rule, but that doesn’t mean companies should make it more absurd by prohibiting the use of the footage.

Despite the clear legality of using images and videos from drones, Bob McCauley and Mark Daaleman, attorneys with Coldwell Banker Preferred, wrote a letter (obtained by Forbes) in which they specifically mention the FAA’s enforcement tactics and concerns with drones, calling the agency’s stance “aggressive”:

The FAA continues to take an aggressive stance regarding the use of drones specifically for real estate marketing purposes, even indicating that the agency considers the use of drone aircraft by or on behalf of real estate agents to be commercial in nature. The FAA has indicated that it is actively investigating suspected violations, a position that appears to be verified by media reports of the recent subpoena of drone-related records from a New York area real estate company and its photography vendor. The subpoena demanded documentation as part of the agency’s inquiry into the growing and still unpermitted practice of using unmanned aircraft to take photos of properties.

In light of those enforcement actions, NRT issued the following statement to its members (bold in original):

Currently the FAA has taken the position that the agency has not approved the commercial use of photography drones by Realtors or by vendors who may seek to provide drone photography services to Realtors. As a result, until the FAA issues clearly defined rules, our companies in the Northeast and Eastern Seaboard regions will not be procuring drone photography from any vendor, nor will we process and distribute any drone photography provided to the company by an affiliated sales associate.

The attorneys clearly recognize that the FAA has prohibited the use of drones, not the use of images, yet they nonetheless are directing their members to not use images derived from drones.  McCauley and Daaleman even directed sales associates affiliated with local operating companies “not to seek drone photography on their own at this time as, pursuant to the provisions of the Coldwell Banker Independent Contractor Agreement, they may be held responsible for all fines, penalties, costs and fees related to the use of that photography.”

The NRT letter is so sweeping that a homeowner who filmed their own house with a drone for fun, might be told by their realtor that they could not use their photos or videos in their own home listing.  It’s not clear why NRT would want to issue such a sweeping restriction on the use of images.

This example provides one more reason for commercial users and prospective users of drones to comment on FAA regulations.  

Jason Devaun Photography

Occasionally I come across another Photographer's work that I really like.  One such photographer is Jason Devaun.  You can find his blog by "googling" Jason D. Little photography.

Through the Eyes of a Documentarian

 by Jason Devaun 

Discussions of documentary photography often occur within the context of significant historical events; Dorthea Lange’s Depression-era work, Diane Arbus’ offbeat coverage of 1950s and 1960s NYC, Lewis Hine’s impact on American child labor laws. Since the invention of the camera, photographers from every part of the world have played a vital role in the preserving the facts of this planet’s social evolution.

A documentary photographer’s work is never done.

But just because an event doesn’t make a splash on a global scale doesn’t mean it’s not worth documenting. Any event that is important to any one of us can and should be preserved, if for no other reason than being able to revisit a memory whenever the mood strikes.

If you’re interested in getting started in documentary photography, you should know upfront that it is not an inconsequential undertaking; you have little to no control over timing, lighting, or the subject matter itself. You must be quick to recognize and respond to a wide range of situations, as you don’t want to miss any important moments. And, in concert with your camera, you have to translate everything going on around you into a visual story.

Still interested?

The following tips will help get you going.

Choose and Research Your Subject

This could quite possibly be the most challenging phase of the process; who is going to be the center of attention in your documentary project? It could be someone in your own family whose story you want to tell — your grandparents, perhaps. It could be a family other than your own, a neighbor, or a group of individuals employed in an occupation you find particularly intriguing. You can choose someone you know well or someone you’re not especially acquainted with.

Regardless of how well you know the subject, spend some time doing research and asking questions, as this will assist you in determining how you want to present your subject and you will have at least a slight idea of what to expect during shooting.

Get Inspired and Choose a Style

Now that you know what you’re going to shoot, you need to decide how you’re going to shoot it. Will you use natural light or flash to impact mood? What do you need to do to ensure your photos are coherent and thematic? Should you do mostly wide shots? Long shots? Will your finished images be color or black and white? If you need help deciding such things, take a look at great documentarians like those listed at the top of this article, or browse entries from photography contests under the appropriate category. There’s no shortage of inspiring work out there for you take some cues from.

Get Prepared

Decide what gear you will need to pull off what you have in mind; if you need to be mobile and move quickly, a minimalistic approach will serve you best. Also, obtain permission as you need it. If you are shooting at a place of business, for example, you can’t just show up with your camera and do whatever you want. It’s important to not be intrusive, so play nice with others and they will likely return the favor in kind.

Embrace Your Role as a Storyteller

You have the responsibility of objectively telling your subject’s story; regardless of whatever stylistic decisions you make, your number one goal is to represent the truth as it relates specifically to your subject. You are not editorializing, you are documenting.

Interact with Your Subjects

…Assuming your subject matter is people-focused. If so, and your aren’t going for the detached observer approach, then your work will benefit from establishing relationships with your subjects. Introduce yourself, explain a little bit about what you’re doing, ask them about themselves; if your subjects are at ease and comfortable with having you around, it will be strongly reflected in your images.

Play the Waiting Game

Don’t think that the moment you walk onto your location great moments are going to start happening; it doesn’t work that way. You have to wait for things to unfold and develop at their own pace. Remain vigilant, always on the look out for defining moments, but don’t try to rush it. Accept that it could be hours, perhaps days, before you get the shot you’re looking for.

Of course, if you’re working within a limited timeframe, you will need to maximize that time. In such cases, don’t become overly focused on one thing; refocus your attention elsewhere, then come back to your original target.

The Big Picture vs. Details

You can more effectively tell a story by using varied perspectives; don’t rely exclusively on one kind of shot. Use wide angle shots to establish the scene, and use more detailed shots to personalize the story.

Keep Post-Processing Simple

If you rushed through the shoot or didn’t put the deserved amount of care into each shot, going overboard with post-processing cannot save you; it will only call greater attention to your failure to get things right in-camera. So, in keeping with the idea of truth and reality, make sure that your images require little processing. Thoughtful framing and composition will have far more impact than unnecessary processing flourishes.

It’s All About Presentation

Now you get to show off all your hard work. Choose the most meaningful images and round them up into a cohesive unit; organize them in such a way that they form a story that is easy for the viewer to follow. Keep in mind that the images that have the most narrative impact may not always be the “best” shots — don’t include photos just because they look nice. Stick to images that act as vital pieces to a puzzle.

From there, decide how you want to present your final product to your viewers. You might build an online slideshow, compile a book, hang prints in a gallery — it’s up to you. Documentary photography can be a demanding but rewarding task. Give your work the treatment you know it deserves.

Read more:

8 Tips for Successful Documentary Photography

Shooting Medium Format Film

It’s nearly the size of a cinder block and it weighs about as much, and it eats film at the rate of 15 shots a roll. It’s a Mamiya 645 1000s medium format film camera, and it’s the perfect compromise between 35mm’s portability and large format quality. And if you’re not a film shooter, none of that makes much sense yet. Let’s talk.

Lookout over the Wrigley Building in Chicago. Mamiya 1000s, Ektar 100 medium format film

Quality.

[...what is quality?]

Here’s what quality really means:

1. Sharpness
2. Depth of Field (shallowness of focus)
3. Dynamic Range

So how do today’s cameras hold up?

Point and shoots and cell phones

Digital point and shoots and cell phones offer low quality because they are pixelated (as opposed to sharp). And because of their small sensor sizes and high apertures, everything is always in focus. This causes portraits to fail when shot with these kinds of cameras. Backgrounds should blur away into a smooth, buttery bokeh mess when the photographer desires. Point and shoots and cell phones do not allow that. You can still take amazing pictures with these cameras so long as you use them within their limitations.

DSLRs and mirrorless cameras

DSLRs and mirrorless cameras offer higher quality because their mechanics (larger sensors and wide apertures) allow for shallow focusing. Images are sharp enough to hang on the wall in all sizes. They are also convenient: thousands of pictures fit on one memory card, and you can download your shots instantly and directly to your computer. For the best combination of quality and ease of use – especially for travel – these cameras are king.

Film cameras

Medium format film cameras offer really, really high quality because medium format has 3x the area of 35mm film. That means it’s easier to scan onto your computer and it’s easier to print out to large sizes while maintaining high levels of sharpness. Because of the large size of medium format film and high quality, relatively low cost lenses available, medium format offers extreme depth of field effects. And film’s dynamic range is uncontested; highlights and shadows are revealed on film which would either clip or be far to noisy if captured digitally. The wonderfully grainy, high dynamic range look is why modern movies like The Dark Knight Rises and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty are still shot on film.

Dynamic range, depth of field, and yeah, it’s sharp too. Fuji 400H with Mamiya 645 1000s, 80mm f1.9

Getting into film and The Medium Format Difference

Film is not easy or convenient. It’s challenging to take good pictures because you don’t get to look at the camera’s back to immediately see your picture. You have to take care of your film before and after it’s exposed, you have to get it developed, and you have to pay to have someone scan it for you or you can spend time scanning it yourself. Simply put, film is a pain in the ass. Yet for all of film’s inconveniences, the look and feel of film is vastly different and in many ways far superior to the look of digital.

You’ll need a scanner if you’re serious about shooting film. I use the Epson V600 which is good enough for online use and for small to medium sized prints using 35mm film from my Canon AE-1 Program and Canon Rebel K2 cameras. While I’d rather keep prints small when I scan 35mm film, my V600 scanner is a rockstar when I use medium format film because medium format has 3x the area of 35mm.

Chicago. Kodak Ektar 100, Mamiya 645 1000s, 80mm f1.9 lens

Medium format sharpness is high enough that I can print to large sizes – at least as large as I can print pictures from my 18 megapixel Canon 60D. This provides 20×30″ prints that look great on my wall. With medium format, I can take advantage of everything I like about shooting film (depth of field effects and dynamic range) without sacrificing sharpness.

Slowing down

My Mamiya 645 1000s is impossible to hold. There’s nowhere to put your hands, nowhere to support it’s weight. There are two shutter buttons, well placed on an otherwise ridiculously unergonomic camera. Saving spent film and loading a new cartridge takes at least a minute, and shots are imperatively dispersed given the necessary manual winding between frames. Manual focusing is all you get, and it’s a bear as you stare through the 40 year old focusing screen trying to get something, anything sharp. This is the slowest camera I’ve ever used, and surprisingly, I like it like that.

Chicago on Velvia 100F. Mamiya 645 1000s with 10 stop ND filter. 80mm f1.9 lens.

Slowing down helps me think about my shots before I take them. When you get just 15 shots per roll, the only option is to slowly, methodically think through each and every shot. No longer are you taking snapshots, hoping for something to come out. Each shot is precious with mediums format film. Each shot is one closer to having to load a new roll, having to pay and wait for development, and having to spend time scanning.

There are a lot of pictures I don’t take with medium format film, and that’s a good thing. It frees me to enjoy the moments which wouldn’t look good on camera anyways.

Mannequins. Kodak Portra 400 film. Mamiya 645 1000s, 80mm f1.9 lens

So what’s better?

Photography is all about presenting things in an artistic, visually interesting way. To that end, I think film does a better job. For recording memories and for convenience during travel, digital is better. It’s up to you to decide which is more important. I will say that if you’ve grown up photographically shooting digital and never really given film a chance, it’s worth it. Try it out sometime, you might just be surprised.

Fireworks in Chicago. Ektar 100 medium format film.

Why Shoot Expired Film? 

 by Michael Raso

Back in the 1990s the concept of shooting on expired film seemed crazy. You would buy or drink an expired carton of milk? Nuts, right?

The digital photography explosion has pushed traditional film photography out of the spotlight and into the underground, where a rising cult of film shooters grows daily. Many shooters are attempting to steer away from the crisp look of digital and are open to the idea of using expired film to achieve that different, vintage look.

above: Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett on his 2013 Genesis Revisited II Tour (Times Square NYC 25 Sept).

I shot the Steve Hackett image on expired Kodak Tri-X using the point and shoot Olympus Stylus 80 camera. I processed the film in exhausted Kodak D-76. That combined with the slow shutter speed of the camera gave the film it's low contrast "spent" look.

above: FPP Guy Mark Dalzell / below: John Fedele (with his "Road Rage" face. Both shot with the Canon T70 / Tele-Lentar f2.8 135mm lens on "Batch Fried" Kodak Portra 800 (expired 04/2005)

Open to the grain!

With the advent of pockets of communities like this (The Film Photography Project),  Lomographyand other companies promoting fun, plastic cameras, the new breed of film shooter seems less rigid and has embraced shooting expired film for the various funky colors and effects it can produce.

So, you ask…why shoot expired film and where can I purchase it?

Both retailers and private shooters alike are literally dumping their refrigerated stock on e-bay as they convert to digital. This is an excellent way for you to save money as well as being able to pick up some film stocks that are no longer produced.

FILM TYPES
Before buying or bidding on expired film, lets talk about film type. Color Print Film (processed in C-41), Color Slide Film (processed in E-6) and BW film (traditional BW processing) are the most common auctions. You will see auctions for instant films and for unique stocks like infrared film. Use “The Google” to look up stocks you might not of heard of before to make sure that processing is still available.

THE BAY

Door # 1
What to look for when buying film on "the bay" ( http://www.ebay.com/ ) are professional photographers that have switched to digital and are cleaning out their fridges & freezers. These auctions are GOLD. Film could be 15+ years old and still great because these guys stored it properly. Most of these films were also “batch tested” by the seller. As I mentioned, these are the best auction for purchasing expired film.

Door #2
The 2nd type of auctions I look for are guys selling bulk CVS, WALGREENS or other off-brand films. Most big pharmacies are liquidating their 35mm film and are selling for well under the $5. per roll sticker price. Most of these films are stored at room temperature so, don't buyer beware if the expiration date is pre-2007.

Door #3
The 3rd type of e-bay seller is the “I don’t know nuthin” guy. These sellers state that they know absolutely nothing about the product and have no idea how it was store or where it came from. This film was most likely stored in basements, attics and sock drawers and probably tortured in high temperatures. Buyers beware!

Regardless of what type of auction, don’t be afraid to ask the seller questions and/or try to find how the film was stored. If your into weird or funky film and want to take a chance on the “Type 3” e-bay seller, you might find that tortured film yields a desired effect!

The Final Door
The final door also happens to be The Best Door!  Why? This is the door to the FPP Store where I've been compiling lots of expired film just for you! Not only do you get film batch-tested by yours truly, but you are also helping support the Film Photography Podcast by making this purchase! So, sashay over to the FPP Store to check out the current inventory! Expired 35mm (and fresh-dated) film HERE.

Above: The many moods of expired film! See my Flickr Expired Set HERE (or the slide show below!)

Have fun shooting film and feel free to drop me a line to tell me about your shooting experiences!