Stock Photography

Graffiti or...?

2011-08-18T11:25:00.000+02:00

"Pousada Fortaleza" or the Fortaleza Inn. Nice little hotel in Canoa Quebrada, Brazil - nice beach and nice beach party at the weekends.

Aperture: f/3.5
Shutterspeed: 1/4000 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (19mm shot)

Water Slide - Brazil

2011-08-16T17:45:00.001+02:00

The shot was taken in Canoa Quebrada, Brazil, July 2011. A relaxing day at the pool, where it was necessary to cool off once in a while.

Aperture: f/6.3
Shutterspeed: 1/1600 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (18mm shot)

Photo of the week

2010-04-17T18:56:00.000+02:00

Waterdrop in red water

Aperture: f/8
Shutterspeed: 1/500 sec.
ISO: 250
Lens: 18-55mm (46mm shot)

Photo of the week

2010-04-04T12:50:00.001+02:00

Orchids

Aperture: f/5
Shutterspeed: 1/60 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (38mm shot)

Photo of the week

2010-02-10T19:40:00.000+01:00

Winter in Copenhagen, Denmark

Aperture: f/16
Shutterspeed: 1/20 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (38mm shot)

Spend a day with Yuri Arcurs

2010-02-04T11:11:00.000+01:00

Fotolia recently set up this workshop in Berlin: Spending a day with Yuri Arcurs, one of the most famous microstock photographers in the world. Yuri gives you some tips and tricks in the following video - how to tackle the white balance issue in different situations, and also talking about how to get the right focus.

His tips and tricks are the reason why he has been so successful with microstock photography, so I am sure that you can benefit from his wisdom as well.

Let me know if you liked the video.

Stock Photography Tips (3 of 3): Which stock photography agencies should I join?

2009-08-10T00:00:00.001+02:00

Welcome to this third article giving you tips and tricks to making it with Stock Photography. To get you started on the right foot, this article will focus on choosing stock photography agencies.

One or many agencies?

Many new stock photographers often wonder if they should join just one online stock photography website, or many. Some sites actually offer an incentive to be exclusive with them. In other words, they'll offer you more money per download, more promotion of your pictures, and other benefits if you agree to sell your pictures to their site only. The problem with this, is that you lock yourself into working with just one company. And sometimes, you're not even allowed to sell your pictures on your own website if you have an exclusive agreement with a stock photography agency.

It can also be a problem when you're new, because you don't have enough high-quality pictures to make a steady livable income from just one site. My recommendation is to sell your photos through as many stock photography agencies as you can. This maximizes the exposure your pictures get, and increases the chances of the pictures selling more regularly. I've personally had one picture sell on multiple sites almost simultaneously. So you don't normally have to worry about each site having the same customers.

In fact, many stock photography sites have different customer bases. One for instance, seems to have primarily customers from the United States. Another sells mostly to European countries. While yet a third seems to sell mostly to web-based clients, and others may sell primarily to print-based clients. So you can maximize your earnings and profits from your stock photo portfolio simply by adding your pictures to as many stock photo sites as you can. Here is a list of my personal favorites:

The Agencies

Shutter stock - For some photographers, this site is the best earner for them. It's a subscription only offer, and photographers get paid a set amount each time one of their photos is downloaded. As you earn more money with SS, your payment per download increases. Shutter Stock pays photographer earnings once each month, if they're at or above the minimum payment amount. Payments are available via PayPal, Moneybookers, and Paper checks.

Dreamstime - This is an excellent photography site which is growing very fast. It offers customers the ability to pay per download, or buy a subscription. Photographers are paid varying amounts based on the type of download and how large the photo resolution is. Dreamstime allows you to request your earnings anytime they're at $100 or more. Payments are available via PayPal, and paper checks.

Fotolia - This site has primarily been a per download model only, and photographers were paid a percentage of the price customers paid for the download. Recently Fotolia has also added a subscription offer for high volume photo buyers. This site has a strong European buyer base. Fotolia allows photographers to request their earnings once they've reached $50 or more, and they too offer a variety of online and standard payment methods.

Big stock - Big stock seems to attract more web-based stock photo buyers, and they pay photographers a percentage of each sale made for their photos. Earnings vary based on the size of the photo that's downloaded, and payment can be requested anytime your earnings are at least $30 or higher.

IStock - IStock is one of the largest and most popular stock photo agencies online. They sell stock photos on a per download basis, and recently added a subscription option as well. They are the most difficult to submit photos to unfortunately, because they limit the number of submissions you can add each week, and they do not allow you to upload all of your submissions at once. So the submission process is a bit tedious, time consuming, and frustrating. IStock allows you to request payment once your balance is at least $100.

There are several other good stock photo agencies online, but these tend to be much slower earners for most photographers. 123RF, Lucky Oliver, and StockXPert are three of the most popular of those smaller agencies.

Each of these agencies have slight differences in the terms of service they offer customers, and the types of rights they'll make available for sale. Some allow you to opt into or out of certain types of rights and payment systems too. For example, some stock photographers do not like selling their photos through a subscription based model, because they earn less per download. And some of the agencies allow photographers to opt out of selling via that method. Other photographers feel that any sale is a good thing, and they've often learned that the subscription sales model works well because customers tend to download frequently, so they feel the volume of sales make up for the lower payouts.

What you choose to do with your own stock photography business is completely up to you of course. So be sure to read the terms and agreements at each agency, then make your own decision as to which ones you'd like to sell your own photos through. Enjoy the fun, and GOOD LUCK.

Palmtrees in the wind

2009-08-08T00:00:00.000+02:00

I liked how the power of the wind was so visible in the palmtrees, it gives the picture a sense of coolness even though there is a clear blue sky. It was very hot by the beach in Bali :)

Aperture: f/3.5
Shutterspeed: 1/640 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (18mm shot)

Las Vegas coming to Singapore

2009-08-06T11:30:00.000+02:00

Las Vegas Sands is building a new resort and casino at the Marina Bay downtown Singapore. A magnificent sight looking across at these 3 diverse buildings dominating the enormous $5.4 billion project!

Aperture: f/14
Shutterspeed: 1/200 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (45mm shot)

Color on the streets of Jakarta

2009-08-05T23:13:00.003+02:00

Heavy traffic on the streets of Jakarta revealed this colorful "taxi"-scooter. Safety is apparently not first here, and I was happy to sit in the back of a normal car.

Aperture: f/5.3
Shutterspeed: 1/400 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (48mm shot)

Maritime Sunset

2009-05-12T21:36:00.004+02:00

Taken off the end of a boat (astern), crossing the great belt of Denmark to the island of Samsoe. The moon rising in the background, the wind playing with the flag, only the roaring sound of the engine missing. Enjoy.

Aperture: f/7.1
Shutterspeed: 1/80 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (18mm shot)

Genuine Smile

2009-05-11T22:17:00.003+02:00

Nothing like a true genuine smile! There is a lot of energy in this portrait, both in the smile, the wind in the hair and the ocean behind. I chose the black and white format to balance the energy.

Aperture: f/9
Shutterspeed: 1/80 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (45mm shot)

Cute Couple

2009-05-11T22:02:00.004+02:00

This cute couple makes me smile every time I see them. Their radiating glow makes it very easy to shoot them, and you can actually tell that they enjoy the camera.

Aperture: f/9
Shutterspeed: 1/80 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (35mm shot)

Stock Photography Tips (2 of 3): Selling Pictures of People

2009-01-25T18:33:00.002+01:00

Welcome to the second of three articles about stock photography tips. Sorry about the delay, but hope that you are ready to take on this next challenge - selling pictures of people.

When you start submitting your photos to stock photography agencies, you'll quickly learn that some of the best sellers are those with people in them. And you're encouraged to create pictures with people as often as possible, if you want to improve the income your stock photography portfolio earns.

There are some important things to know about stock photography with people in the pictures though, so we'll cover those briefly here.

First and foremost: If you have one or more people in a photograph and you'd like to sell that photo through stock photography agencies, you must have a model release for each and every person recognizable in the picture.

This means if you have a picture with 5 people in it, you must have 5 different model releases for that one picture.

Model Releases

What is a model release? A model release is simply a brief piece of paper which says the model is allowing the photographer to sell pictures in which they're recognizable.

That's a mouthful, but it's extremely important. As we spoke of in earlier articles, stock photography is intended for use in advertising. And as such, there are legal issues that can arise from using photos which have people in them. These legal issues can arise from other things as well, such as logos, copyrighted designs, and other people's artwork. We won't cover those in this article though.

Generally, people have rights to their own images. So even though a photographer holds all copyrights to the photos they make, if those photos contain images of a person, that person must grant permission before the photographer can actually sell the photos.

It's something of a catch 22 situation actually too. Even though people hold the rights to their images, they're not able to legally own copyrights to photos taken of them by another photographer, because the photographer holds the rights to their photos. And photographers can't make money off of a person's image without that person's permission.

Because of these legal issues, all stock photography agencies require a model release before they'll accept any pictures with people in them. There are different requirements from one stock photography agency to another though. One might for example, require a model release if a distinctive tattoo or mole is showing in the picture, even though the person's face can't be seen. Other's only require model releases if the person's face can be seen - partially or in full.

Getting a model release is usually quite easy. It's simply one piece of paper, with legal wording on it that says the model is giving the photographer permission to sell the pictures taken of them. The model simply signs and dates the release. The photographer also signs and dates the release, and they have a third party sign as a witness. That model release must then be kept on file by the photographer, in case any questions arise in the future. Most stock photography agencies also require that the model release be uploaded, or submitted to them, when the specific photos of that person are submitted as well.

Start with the Family

Most new photographer's are hesitant to ask people to sign a model release. An easy way to start getting more profitable people photos though, is to take pictures of family members. If you're a parent for instance, you could take professional stock quality photos of your children. Then you as the legal guardian of the child would sign your permission on the release.

You can also start with husbands and wives, aunts, uncles, mom, dad, or friends. You can even start getting a good stock portfolio of people shots built up using yourself as the model.

Regardless of how you start, you need to start taking stock photos of people. People stock photography can be one of the most lucrative ways to earn money from your photographs, and model releases are just a standard business requirement.

You'll find generic model releases at any of the major stock photography agencies. Simply print it out and make copies, then keep several with you at all times. This way, you always have model releases ready for new subjects when you need them.

Stay tuned for my next article about Royalty Free vs. Rights Managed Stock Photography.

Stock Photography Tips (1 of 3): Creativity vs. Saleability

2009-01-03T21:26:00.004+01:00

This will be the first article of a series of 3, and the first series of articles that I will post on my blog. I hope that you will enjoy them, and come back soon for the next couple of articles that will focus on Model Releases and Stock Photography Agencies.

One thing that seems to be a bit difficult for photographers just entering the stock photography marketplace, is the difference in the way your photographs need to be taken. Most photographers are creative people at heart. And often they've learned many ways to make their photos much more creative and artistic. Indeed, these are often defining marks of a great photographer.

Unfortunately, there's not as much room for artistic or creative shots in the stock photography world. By definition, stock photos must be fairly generic in order to sell well. With micro stock photography particularly, the goal is to sell one picture as many times as possible, over a long period of time. And doing this requires a slightly different approach to your photography.

Generic, simple photos with room for text (a.k.a. "copy space") tend to make some of the best selling stock photography. When creating photos for stock usage, you need to keep the end users in mind. And since stock photography is most often used for advertising, you need to think about the saleability of the photos you'll be shooting.

A gorgeous picture of a field of daisies might be wonderful as an art print or poster, but does it have much commercial value? In other words, are there many ways for that picture to be used in advertisements, brochures, or other promotional creatives? Unfortunately the answer is not usually.

What Sells?

In fact, the types of photos that sell best in the stock photography industry, might be those considered mundane, boring, or generic by creative photographers. A calculator on a plain white background... people shaking hands... a piece of fruit.

Conceptual photos sell quite well in the stock photography world, as do people shots. People who look like business professionals do the best, and conceptual photos that fit into a wide variety of business settings sell quite well too.

Objects on plain white backgrounds can seem to be the most boring subjects around, but they sell quite well on royalty free micro stock photography sites because they have such a wide variety of uses. One apple for instance, isolated on a white background, can be used alone, mixed in with other pictures to create a collage, or "inserted" into another generic picture to make something completely new.

It can be used for a variety of types of creative too: Education, health, fitness, nutrition, or even gardening or pesticides.

If that same apple was photographed creatively - say as a still life with pretty jars, crockery or baking supplies - it's use would be much more limited, thus it would most likely sell much less often.

The same applies to people. As boring as it might sound, posing people against a plain white or neutral colored background will generate more stock photography sales for you, because those pictures could be incorporated into a variety of themes and topics.

Technically you're not giving up your creativity by creating these types of shots, it's just a different type of creativity and that type is difficult for some photographers to adjust to.

Depth of Field

Another example is depth of field. Many photographers take beautiful pictures of something, and purposely use low depth of field to make it much more creative. Often times unfortunately, these works of art may be rejected by stock photography agencies, because there is not enough clarity to make the photo useful for designers.

A close up photo like this could be rejected by most stock photography agencies, because the boy's head is cropped off.

Cropping

One other creative technique that doesn't always work well for stock photography is cropping. This is often done when taking pictures of people: The photographer gets in really close, and makes a gorgeous photo of a person or object. Often this is done at the expense of some part of the object or person you're photographing. With people for instance, close shots frequently don't include the entire head, or an ear may not show in the picture.

Stock photography agencies may reject these types of close shots often, because they're considered to be cropped too closely. You see designers prefer to choose the cropping themselves. So they look for stock photos that have the entire object or person in place, then they do their own creative work with cropping or not cropping.

The other reason cropping is not overly popular with stock photography sites is "copy space". The term copy space refers to blank space on a picture, where words can be inserted. Think of a magazine cover... it may have a wonderful picture on it, but there's also many words, sentences and phrases too. Magazines, art directors and designers often select pictures based on how much room they need for text. In other words: They need copy space on the photos, so they'll bypass any that are cropped too close because there is no where to put text on the picture.

So be prepared for rejections. Particularly when you're just starting out in stock photography and particularly if you have a very creative photography style.

Follow my next article in this series about selling pictures of people and model releases.

Backup Your Photos Online - Unlimited Backup

2008-12-29T23:34:00.010+01:00

Do you have your photos backed up, secured and stored somewhere safe? You probably have them on your external harddrive, or burned down on several dvd's or cd's. But are they really secure there? Well, they probably are secure - to some extent.

What is the worst case scenario? Well, a fire at your house may actually take everything with it, computer, external harddrives, discs, etc. - and there goes all of your hard work! I know it is a highly unlikely scenario but why not be prepared for this situation, like you buy insurance for almost anything else. And what if you can actually make backup easier and at the same time secure yourself for the worst case scenario?

Imagine losing all of your hard work with your camera!? Years of hard work that is almost impossible to replicate. I can not bear to think about this situation. That is why I looked into the possibility of backing up my files online, that way removing the risk of losing my photos and files. Today there are many solutions for online backup, and some of them have become both user friendly and highly secure.

Mozy Backup

When i was looking for the best online backup solution I wanted to find a solution that would give me unlimited space, or at least the equivalent of a large external harddrive.

I found only one solution that would offer unlimited backup at a reasonable price. Some of the solutions would have you pay per GB, and going above 100GB would cost you an obsene amount of money.

However, Mozy was the solution I chose, because they offer unlimited space for only $4.95 per month, and also several reviews has established that Mozy is also a very secure solution. I now have all my photos and files backed up in my online storage space with Mozy, and I am just glad that my files are now secure and backed up without having to go through the hazzle of burning dvd's or worrying about how large my external harddrive should be.

All you have to do is download their program to enable you to store your photos and files in your online space. There are a lot of configuration possibilities with Mozy, where you can decide when the backup should take place, and even allocate bandwidth to the online backup.

Mozy also offers a free solution, where you can backup up to 2GB's of files. This is a good way to get to know Mozy, as you can always upgrade to the unlimited solution.

Get your Mozy online backup solution here.

Other Solutions

Mozy is not the only solution on the market, and it is up to you to find the solution to fit your own needs. I can mention a few of the other solutions here:

- iDrive
- Keepit

How to Make Money from Your Digital Images - Review

2008-12-27T23:12:00.013+01:00

If you are looking to get started with Microstock Photography, it is a good idea to seek help and inspiration from already successful photographers/artists, either on the Internet or from books or other sources. This article gives you a review of the book: How to Make Money from Your Digital Images, by Douglas Freer.

One of the sources I turned to first was the book by Douglas Freer, an illustrative book answering some of the basic questions about getting started and becoming successful with Microstock Photography. Douglas Freer has written a comprehensive book that details the technical and commercial processes of the microstock industry. He gives tips and tricks to how to get started, which types of photos will sell, where to sell them, and all the what-not-to-dos.

Over 60 illustrations and photographs help you improve your skills, learn new techniques specific to shooting stock photography and better understand what the microstock market demands.

The book primarily helped me with inspiration, and helped me focus my shooting, instead of trying out in every direction wasting precious time on the approval process of all the agencies. The right focus can help you shorten the approval process and increase approval rating - this is the first step to becoming successful with Microstock Photography.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is seeking out success with Microstock Photography, or just want to get introduced to making money from your personal photos.

About the author: Douglas Freer is the former principal of a niche online rights managed stock photo library, a semi-professional photographer and the London based senior partner of the law firm he founded in 2004. He is highly regarded in the industry of microstock photography and has founded one of the largest microstock forums. He is a contributing photographer for IStock, Shutterstock, Dreamstime, 123Royaltyfree and Fotolia and a member of the Royal Photographic Society.

Get the book from Amazon.

Warm Summer Days - Aaaaaaaahhhh

2008-12-18T22:31:00.004+01:00

Thinking back to the warm summer days, sipping weis-beer with your sunglasses right at hand. This is taken in a small German town along the river Mosel. Beautiful place with an incredible atmosphere, and the beer only ads to it.

Aperture: f/5.6
Shutterspeed: 1/125 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (27mm shot)

World's Best DSLR - Canon EOS 5D Mark II

2008-12-08T00:32:00.013+01:00

In my local Digital Photo magazine they recently had a review of the new Canon DSLR, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which they called the world's best digital camera below $20.000. Not a bad verdict, and it even includes video in full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels). According to the magazine the only camera that beats the EOS 5D Mark II is the Hasselblad H3DII-39 with 39 mio. pixels, weighing 5 pounds at the price of $27.000.

Some of the highlights of the camera are: It is the first professionally oriented DSLR with an autofocus with face recognition. ISO goes as high as 25.600! It is the first Canon DSLR that can record video.

In the review they compare it to the Nikon D700 and there are just a few points where they find the Nikon to have an advantage. The Mark II has an amazing picture quality, impressive auto focus, and apparently all the flaws of the EOS 5D from 2005 have been corrected in the Mark II.

Some Specs.:
ISO: 50-25.600
Weight: 892 grams
Pixels: 21.1 MP
Frames per second: 3.9
Screen: 3 inches LCD

I think this is a bit out of my league at the moment, but in the future I will definitely be looking into this camera (or at least the series). For anyone that might be interested, go check it out.

If You have any experience with this camera, please leave a comment.

What's Your Favorite Microstock Photo?

2008-11-16T22:34:00.007+01:00

Show me yours and I'll show you mine! Well, actually it will be the other way around in this article. I'll show you my favorite microstock photo that I have found, and then I hope that you will show me yours (leave a comment).

I chose this picture because it displays a lot of different emotions in one shot. You get a lot of adventure and movement, but at the same time the water and landscape is perfectly level and calm. Beautifully captured, and this is one of a series of similar shots, that all compliment each other.

Go check it out, and then leave your favorite in the comments.

Microstock Strategies

2008-11-13T19:21:00.008+01:00

When starting your microstock ventures there are some things you should consider before uploading your first photos. When visiting the different microstock agencies available online - some of them you find here - there are questions that you should seek to answer:

- What is the commission structure like?
- Do they offer both single-sale and subscription-based sales?
- Standard, extended or enhanced licenses?

First of all the different agencies have different commission structures, without exceptions. Dreamstime claims that its royalties are the best in the industry, at least in terms of percentages - you can get somewhere between 50 and 60 % depending on the license. Shutterstock likes to keep things simple and offer commissions of $0.25 for each sale, and $0.30 if you have at least $500 in earnings.

Sales Models

Different agencies have different sales models, and this is highly relevant to both photographers and buyers. In general there are 3 different models to consider:

- Credit Package (single sales) sites: Buyers purchase images using credits purchased in advance.
- Subscription sale sites: Buyers purchase a monthly (usually) subscription and can then download a set number of images during the subscription period.
- Hybrid sites: Combination of both.

Recommendations

When you choose your strategy for submitting your photos, you can go one of two ways (consider what is best for you): Either you spread your work around a number of agencies to maximize your exposure, or you go exclusively with one agency and take advantage of the advantages of submitting with exclusivity.

I recommend that you:

- spread your work around at least 4-5 microstock agencies in order to spread your risk and increase your exposure to different types of buyers
- make sure that the microstock agencies you choose are hybrid sites, offering both single-sale and subscription-based sales
- get to know the commissions structure of each agency

Share your experiences and tell us about your own strategy for making money on microstock photography - leave a comment.

Fotolia celebrates 3rd Birthday

2008-11-05T00:44:00.003+01:00

No doubt that Microstock is here to stay, as exemplified by one of the important players on the market, celebrating 3 years in the microstock market. Fotolia has within three years build up a solid platform with now more than 4 million images available for download.

Fotolia is a great place to start if you are new to Stock Photography, or if you are looking for royalty free stock photos at a low cost. Until November 30th you can save up to 35%. Check out their web site for more information.

www.fotolia.com

For those who already has experience with Fotolia, please tell us about it by leaving a comment.

Notre Dame Lightshow

2008-11-03T19:37:00.002+01:00

A visit to the Notre Dame in Paris revealed this lighting experience during a sermon. The photo was taken handheld, so a high ISO and low aperture was necessary in order to maintain some of the sharpness. But the best about this photo, I think, is the lighting effect from the spots shooting down towards the center of attention. Judge for yourself :)

Aperture: f/5,6
Shutterspeed: 1/5 sec.
ISO: 800
Lens: 18-55mm (18mm shot)

How to shoot in HDR

2008-10-27T23:17:00.016+01:00

I recently became familiar with the concept of HDR. Well, that is, I finally learned what is was all about. First of all, you need a DSLR with Manual setting, a tripod (or concrete hands), and Photoshop (or the like) to combine your great shots.

What is HDR?

HDR = High Dynamic Range. It is a way to make up for the limits of the technology in a camera that creates over- or underexposed photos - a fallback of the camera compared to the human eye, that is superior to any technology available. The camera can not contain the wide spectre of tone and color that range from black to white, which is the reason that some of the shots you bring home are either over- or underexposed. However, HDR brings a solution to this problem, by manually combining several shots of the same composition at different exposure settings. Although shooting in the RAW-format, and then lifting the shadows of the photo, may seem like a possible alternative, it does not give the same effect as HDR does.

How to shoot

Step 1: Setup your camera on your tripod and take your first shot in the A-setting, setting aperture to high depth definition; around f/16 (and low ISO). Note the shutterspeed for the photo and switch to Manual setting (M).

Step 2: Make sure the manual settings are exactly as it was in your first shot, and shift to manual focus so that focus does not shift during your next shots. (Use a self timer or remote for the following shots).

Step 3: Adjust the shutterspeed so that it is twice as fast as your first shot. Shoot again. Repeat once or twice at faster shutterspeeds to get the underexposed shots.

Step 4: Repeat step 3 making the shutterspeed slower than the original shot. Repeat once or twice to get a couple of overexposed shots. Now you have 5-7 shots with different shutterspeeds and thereby photos with a wide range of tone and color.

Editing for perfection

For editing I use Photoshop CS3 (following steps are when using Photoshop), and my advice would be to use either Photoshop og Elements or your favorite editor with the same functionality.

Step 1: Choose File > Automate > Merge to HDR. Browse for the photos you shot above, tick the box Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images. Click OK.

Step 2: When the dialog appears choose 32 Bit/Channel. If necessary you can adjust the white balance with the Set White Point Preview.

Step 3: Now the photo needs to be converted. Choose Image > Mode > 16 Bits/Channel. Use the method of Local Adaption (or try some of the other methods to get experience). Now make sure you can se the histogram, and adjust the Toning Curve to adjust the light distribution.

Step 4: Now create a copy of the initial layer and pick Overlay. This will give you a very powerful color spectre, so adjust this by setting the opacity of the layer - try around 30 %.

Congratulations - You just made your first HDR photo!

HDR is suitable for a number of photo types:

Sunsets
Photos with backlight
Night Photography
Landscapes
Photos without too much movement in general

Some examples:

- www.ruprechtstudios.com

- Night in Copenhagen

Inside the Louvre Pyramid

2008-10-26T19:53:00.007+01:00

This is taken in the foyer of the famous Louvre in Paris on a sunny spring day. This is a spectacular structure, like it or not, blending the old castle with the famous glass pyramids. I like it very much, and I think this looks great in black and white.

Aperture: f/9
Shutterspeed: 1/320 sec.
ISO: 200
Lens: 18-55mm (18mm shot)