Life in Lobitos

 View of Lobitos from El Bole

Yesterday after asking around a bit, I found out that today would be Tuesday. With no contact with the outside world, days melt together under a fiery sun, and time seems to take on it's own lazy rhythm; ebbing and flowing with the pounding of the surf. This morning I made the 30 minute moto trip into Talara to use internet and book a bus and flight up to Cuzco on Thursday. It's the first time I've left Lobitos since arriving last week. I'm anxious to get out of the busy, dirty port town of Talara and back to the relaxed comfort of the Waves house and Lobitos. Comfort, I suppose, is a relative term. We ran out of water for showering and washing two days ago, there is only one outlet in our room that powers a fan which does little to combat the heat, everything is covered in sand, the power goes out frequently, and half the house has gotten some form of food poising. Writing all that it sounds bad, when in reality it's quite relaxed and comfortable. The human being is an adaptable creature. We've got a rack of surfboards, an endless supply of waves, Inca Cola, spikeball, plenty of food, a french press, the beach, the camaraderie of a dozen volunteers and staff, and our new friends Sebastion, Matias, Jesus, Aaron, Alejandro and a gang of other local kids who float in and out of the house.

 The Waves house

 Sebastion working on an art project with Jen and Vanessa

During my orientation, Naomi stated quite simply that the mission of Waves for Development is to "surf and do good". While there is certainly a great deal over overlap between the goals, mornings and evenings are often dedicated to surfing, while the afternoons are usually spent working with the local kids, teaching english, guitar, surfing, swimming, environmental education, photography, ect. Other larger projects take place too, such as beach cleanups, and the first annual Waves regional surf competition that we hosted for the kids from Negritos, Mancroa and Lobitos on Saturday.

 Alex and Matias before the competition

Sunset - the pier

             
una buena ola - the pier

Thomas enjoying sunset after an evening session at el Punto

 Alex - El Punto

Sunset at Piscinas

The exchange between volunteers and the local kids is interesting to observe and be a part of. Coming here it was hard to imagine what 'good' we could really do by surfing and teaching kids about things like guitar and photography - things which require tools to which they haven't the means to access except through what we provide at Waves. Being here though it has become apparent [click 'continue reading']

Getting a start in the world of stock photography

 I've been meaning to write this post for some time now. In fact, after receiving a number of emails this fall and winter with questions regarding how to get started in stock photography, I did begin to write this article, and then lost it before I could post it. So here goes again.

Often times people ask me how it is that I afford to travel with such freedom. While there are many factors, including my inherently vagrant nature and an aversion to adult responsibilities, it is my work as a stock photographer that allows me the freedom to split my year between teaching photography at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography and traveling. In 2009 I spent more than half of the year traveling and living in nine different European countries. That freedom is a large part of what I love about my profession as a stock photographer. Given a laptop, an internet connection and my camera, I can shoot and sell my photographs from anywhere in the world. Moreover, as I travel I have found the relationship between photography and travel to be one of symbiosis; while my photography pays for my travels, my trips (among other things) take me to places that inspire me photographically and allow me to continue photographing and strengthening my portfolio of stock images. While it is certainly possible to teach yourself, for me it was my education at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography, and participation in the Summer Intensive program in 2005 that really propelled me into a more serious career in photography. 

My aim in writing this post is simply to share my experiences over the past three and a half years as a stock photographer. I'll do my best to answer a few of the questions that I have been asked regularly by students and friends who are interested in getting into stock photography, as well as a few of the questions that I wish someone had been able to answer for me when I was first starting out. If you don't already have a general understanding of what stock photography is, you can easily wiki/google it and find lots of good information (along with plenty of biased rants). Here's a quick overview of some basic terms relating to stock photography.


**Disclaimer. I am biased. I love iStockphoto and Getty Images. I reference these companies more than any others because they are what I know and what have worked for me. I encourage you to do your own research and find what works for you.**

Your Questions:

Do I need model releases?
Yes. Start getting them now, even if you haven't started submitting to an agency. Your homemade model releases won't cut it. Each stock agency has their own release. Some accept other agencies releases, some don't. If you're not sure what release to use, I would use the Getty release (which is accepted at iStock as well).

What are the Minimum Camera Requirements?
 Each agency is different. If you have better than a 6mpx camera you should be fine with most all of the microstock agencies. Getty and Aurora are stricter.


What photos should I submit?
For your initial application, submit images that are technically sound and illustrate some sort of concept or evoke emotion without being cliched. View them at 100% to check the focus, dust spots, noise, trademarks, ect. Once you are accepted, continue to submit technically correct images, but also try to submit images that are unique in subject matter. There are probably 100,000 stock photos of pretty flowers out there. It doesn't matter if you have the prettiest one of all - no one is ever going to find it. What do you have access to that other photographers don't? What are trending issues in the world? Stay current, take a unique perspective.

Do you hold some photos back or do you sell everything as stock? 
Yes I do hold some photos back. If I am wanting to sell photos to a magazine or use them in a personal project, I will not sell them as stock. Magazine editors want to know where your photos have been used previously. Also, if you are always thinking about shooting for stock it can become oppresive. Sometimes I shoot just for me, I process the images just for me - technical requirements and model releases be damned. It helps keep me fresh.

When you signed up did you go exclusive?
No. Most microstock agencies do not require exclusive rights to your images. Rights Managed agencies require that the images you send them are exclusive to their site. iStock also offers the option for you to sell your images exclusively through them, in return for a higher percentage in royalties.


I noticed you are with Getty and iStock. Is there a reason other than exposure that you are with 2 different agencies? Exposure is a big part of it. The folks who license images from Getty are not (for the most part) the same as those who license images from iStock. I also feel like it is a good idea (if possible) to have diversity in the way your portfolio is licensed. By licensing images through both* Getty and iStock it is possible to have images that are licensed in the traditional RM fashion, as well as tapping into the burgeoning RF market.
*The images on each site are exclusive to that site. It is not possible to submit the same image to Getty and iStock - I have to choose which site I think it fits best on.

How did you come to choosing those [Getty and iStock] over all the rest that are out there?
Initially I signed up with shutterstock, fotolia, istock, and dreamstime. After about 6 months I was tired of submitting to 4 different agencies. I then went exclusive with iStock. I did this in part because I felt the agency had the best long term model (images seemed to have a much longer lifespan on iStock), the community and forums were very supportive, and there was a potential through exclusivity to eventually move from earning 20% to 40% of royalties (currently I earn 35%). After selling my first 2,500 photos on iStock I was eligeble to submit to Getty's Royalty Free collections; however, I was rejected from Getty's RM collections twice, as well another agency called Aurora (which was my first choice). Getty ended up finding me through iStock and invited 50 of us to begin contributing to the Rights Managed Stone and Image bank collections. In October of '09 they again selected 30 of us to come to Istanbul to learn about shooting Editorial.

Are you able to make a living off of stock photography or do you have other income within photography as well? While I do work at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography 6 months out of the year, about 85% of my income in 2009 came from stock photography.

How did you learn the keywording lingo? 
I learned by reading articles, and watching what other people were doing. Search for images similair to yours. Don't copy them, but take note of the sorts of keywords that other people are using. Certain descriptors (beautiful, flower, person, ect.) will come naturally. Other keywords that are more specific to designers you will learn quickly enough.  Don't spam (use unnecesary keywords). Be concise and relevant in your choices.


Do you have any pointers for me about getting into stock? 
Talk to a lot of people, read up on it, but don't get intimidated. At some point you should just start. Don't leave your images collecting digital dust waiting for the eventuality of your hard drive to crash. Also, don't get too attached to your images. Your favorite photos will never sell, your least favorites might sell 1000 times. Take this silly picture of carrots for example. It's sold over 500 times, while the photo of Trecy has never sold. While I like the picture of Trecy better, the photo of the carrots is of a much more universal and generic nature, and though there's nothing particularly special about it, it fulfilled the need of a lot of designers. 

Things I wish I'd known when I was starting out: 

What agency should I choose? Rights Managed (RM) or (RF) Royalty Free?  
When you are starting off I suggest that you submit to a few different agencies. I am not interested in the debate between the old Rights Managed models vs the newer MicroStock (Royalty Free) agencies. There are plenty of forums and blog posts where people are bitterly hacking this out. I think there is a place for both, and I currently submit both to the Royalty Free collections at Getty and iStock as well as the RM collections (Stone and The Image Bank) at Getty. That said, it is very competitive to get into the prestigious RM agencies like Getty, Corbis, Aurora, Veer, ect. For someone beginning to get into the world of stock photography, I would suggest applying to some of the RM agencies, but to count on getting in with a RF agency or two where you can begin to learn the ropes of what stock photography entails; both aesthetically and technically.
*As an aside, Getty now owns iStock, and if you are an exclusive contributor to iStock (meaning you don't have images on any other stock site) with more than 2,500 image sales you are eligible to begin submitting to certain collections on Getty. Thus if you prove yourself on iStock, there are a number of doors opening at Getty.

Initial Fears.
When I first started out I was worried about letting go of my images...What happens to my photos when I sell them as stock? Who buys them? Where do they end up? Looking back these seem like silly questions. But I understand in making the initial leap into stock, they are real fears. In general terms, you don't know who buys your photos, how they are used, or where they end up. My images have been purchased roughly 22,000 times. I've seen them used in advertisements and articles in National Geographic and Men's Health as well as a number of other smaller publications, websites and designs. The images that ran in those ads were purchased on iStock - for anywhere from $1-100. Could I have made much more if I had licensed them myself, or negotiated a Rights Managed deal for their usage? Yes. Did those images sell thousands of times on iStock and end up making that much anyway? Yes. Once I got over the initial fear of putting my images out there, the returns far outweighed any inhibitions. Moreover, I found that instead of sitting on old photos that I thought were really great, and would someday make me famous, I handed them off to my agencies, and moved on to creating newer fresher work.

Do I still own the copyright to my images if I license them as stock? 
Yes, you still own the copyright to your images. You are just selling people the rights to use them in certain ways.

Time and Patience. 
Building up your portfolio with an agency to the point where it generates significant and reliable returns takes time and patience. Initially you may only be able to submit 10-15 images a week. Half of those will probably be rejected. What's important is that you get started. Look at it as investing your photos. Rather than having them sitting on your hard drive doing nothing, put them to work for you.

How long before it pays off?
With the huge volume of images out there, you need a decent sized portfolio (say 100-250 strong images) before you can begin to get an idea of what sort of returns you'll see. I would suggest sticking to it for at least a year before evaluating if it's worth the time and effort.

Stop twiddling your thumbs.
After months of reading up on stock, and feeling totally overwhelmed about choosing an agency, meeting their guidelines and passing their initial tests, I decided to just go for it. It wasn't until I actually "went for it" that I started to learn what stock was about. I was continually surprised when my favorite images didn't sell, while seemingly mundane ones did. I was surprised at the images that got rejected. I learned to keyword, remove logos and get model releases. It wasn't a quick process, but there was a steady evolution and constant growth in my portfolio of images, and it is a learning process that can't start until you end your procrastinating and get after it!

 


Useful Links:
- If you get approved to contribute to istock, it is a huge help to your work-flow to download deepmeta
- This is a useful article on Keywording
- A decent breakdown of a few of the bigger microstock sites

Please feel free to share additional thoughts, comments and questions in the discussion below...

The Voyage of the Dread Swash

December 20 something - Somewhere in the mountains of Western North Carolina. A storm brewing. Whether by divine providence or merely a dangerous coincidence, I cannot say, but it was with great joy that I found myself seated across a table from the infamous Captain Swash. Swash is one of the last direct descendents from a long and illustrious line of pirate captains who were famed for their unbridled abuse of the Spanish Armada, and it is even rumored that the discovery of the New World can be traced back to their early forays into the barrier islands of the Carolinas. Unfortunately they have become a dying breed ever since the invention of the jet ski, the sea donut, and Bacardi 151 rum. So many good pirates lost to the combination of those three evils. But I digress. The captain called our meeting for a reason. He had gotten tired of sailing in his pond (see above photo at right), and coincidentally had discovered a map with the coordinates of the legendary Isle of Cumber. Already having enlisted the help of First Mate LeSchmee, he came to me in need of a ship's Dr. Of course I accepted.

It later came to light that Captain Swash had drawn the map completely from from his imagination, and that it had no factual coordinates aside from a rough estimate of where Days Inn might be on the mainland.

First Mate LeSchmee

Captain Swash

Dr. Fanz

Fast forward, to January 2nd in the year of our lord, 2010. Somewhere in Southern Georgia, dangerously close to Florida. Captain Swash, first mate LeSchmee, and Dr Fanz ignore the setting sun, the small craft advisory sent out by the National Weather Service, and the sand bars of low tide and set sail for the Isle of Cumber. "Setting sail" consisted of pushing off the dock at Crooked River and out into a low tide ripping towards the Intercostal waterway and the imagined location of the Isle of Cumber. The first thing that happened was the sheer pin in the motor broke - leaving it useless. Next we realized we weren't sailing, because we didn't have any sails up. Next we wished we were still 100 yards upstream tied up at the dock that was quickly sliding away. At roughly the same time, we realized we were being swept towards a tangle of barnacled rocks and snags. Pause. Panic. Row. Manning the oars Captain Swash and I managed to beach our flat bottomed vessel shortly before said tangle. At this point I felt like a good laugh was in order. But no one else was laughing. So I ate a peanut butter sandwich courtesy of LeSchmee, and tried to help Captain Swash raise the missle toe in the 20+ knot wind. It seemed a strange time to do this. Later on in the trip I realized that he was actually referring to the mizzen sail. It turned out at that particular time my lack of nautical knowledge didn't matter because in fairly rapid succession the cleat on the sprit broke, the sun went down, and I found myself with a rope looped around my waist pulling a 20 ft sailboat through the shallows back to the dock.

January 3rd. Pliers + welding pins + nails + glue = motor and cleat fixed. Sliding down the boat ramp in the early light the morning has a completely different feel. The tide is high and calm, sand bars safely submerged, winds light and steady, and all the crew has a fresh mustache courtesy of LeSchmee (shout out to Ivar). This time we set sail for real, raising the main sail, mizzen and jib and skipping out along Crooked River towards a shimmering green strip of land some 8 miles distant. With my sailor's duties fulfilled I made a Dr.'s assessment of the stresses of the last 24 hrs, uncorked a jug of Napa red and set about tending to the medical needs of myself and the rest of the crew. Some short hours later found us testing the keel depth on a mystical sandbar that blocks against any bold attempts (such as ours) to sail directly up to the island. Furling the sails and finding deeper water we soon made landfall on a green isle covered in old live oaks, and spanish moss, the inner labyrinths of which provided us with the perfect makings of a pirates lair.

LeSchmee - On the trail to Seacamp

 

 Captain Swash - Fishing

 

Dr. Fanz - Self portrait at sunset

January 4th and 5th. Cumberland Island. We freeze by night, frolic by day. Sailing, photo shoots, marauding, foraging, tackle football, dinner parties, deserted mansions, fishing, fending off raccoons and amazonian women...[click 'read more' for the photos]

Musical Musings

Losing my camera has made me realize what an extension of me it had become. As we roamed through Italy and Northern Spain I have had to find new ways to interact, relax, explore and learn to play nicely with others.

I've found myself appreciating music quite a lot. Mostly listening; but also forming new band called "Damn Shame and the Fuckin Weezles". Unfortunately for our followers we only do unannounced improv shows, and we rip on our fans even if they do make it there, and sometimes wrestle them, and usually get too drunk to play our gigs, so you can't hear any of our music.

That said, here's a clip from Rosco playing in Greece. Shot one evening when we were hangin out before losing our cameras, it gives a little taste of the musical talent that I have had the pleasure of being accompanied by in the past couple of weeks.



Here's the soundtrack of our trip thus far:

1. Nantes by Beirut
2. You're a Wolf by Seawolf
3. Too Young by Phoenix
4. The Suitcase (unreleased) by Rosco
5. New Wave by Against Me
6. Venomous by Trevor Hall
7. Blood Bank by Bon Iver
8. Gracefully Facedown by DM3
9. Rise by Eddie Vedder
10. Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead
11. When I Awoke by Dark Dark Dark
12. Jolene by Ray Lamontagne
13. The Long and Winding Road by the Beatles
14. Business Time by FOC
15. Born to Run by the Boss
16. Nervous Tic Motion by Andrew Bird


Also reworked a version of the Bonnaroo video/slideshow from the music festival I shot earlier in the year.

Shipwrecked

Avast! treasure! below my feet here, shimmering under the surface, lies a 5D Markii...



Unfortunately this is no new loot. It is my 5D Markii. And I am standing chest deep in the Aegen Sea.

Soaking wet, I emerge from the sea and scramble back up the outcropping of rock from which I flung myself seconds before. And from which my camera plummeted seconds before that. 



If you've been living vicariously through me, and feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, perhaps you should stop reading now ;)

It began on a beautiful sunny day, as we rented mopeds on the Greek Island of Paros, and headed out on a pirate moped adventure. An adventure of the best kind. Catching a ferry to the island of Anti Paros, we arrived at dusk and after gathering provisions headed out of town on the single track around the island. Stopping for some spelunking in an old cave we emerged under moonlight and were greeted by the quiet sparkling seascape of the Aegean.

Driving on we left the lights of civilization. Pulling off of the main road we wandered down towards the coast and stashed our mopeds to continue on foot. A mile up the coast the shore turned to ragged cliffs, and we found a good cove to make port for the night. After starting our pirate bonfire I climbed up a cragg overlooking the campsite to enjoy the view of the surrounding islands while Captain Wuestewald cleaned the nights catch to cook on the fire. 



Startled by his shouts from below I scrambled from my perch, missed a step in the darkness and tumbled into the water below. Climbing out of the brine I found Rosco's in a frenzied dance along the shoreline as he clutched at his hand and yelled obscenities into the waters. Blood spattered the rocks from four razor cuts in his finger. As best as we can make out the story, Earl the eel (as we have named him) was drawn to the smell of the tasty fish, and perhaps confused Rosco's finger with the fish he was cleaning. At least that's what Earl said. In alternate versions it has been hypothesized that Earl actually knew full well that it was a finger, and was in fact trying to drag Captain Weustewald into the sea so he could eat him.

In any case, enter the cursed Cove of the Shrieking Eels. A few hours later my camera would meet it's untimely demise as we spent the rest of the night trying to dry out clothes and keep a fire going. Pirates-0, Cursed Cove-4. Escaping at daybreak, our bad luck decided to tag along freezing up the shutter on Rosco's camera. Camera death toll mounting: Canon 50D, Sanyo Exacti HD waterproof (or so it falsley claimed), Canon 5D markii (never claimed to be waterproof - tested it anyway) + a couple lenses.



So what comes of all this 'misfortune'? An unanticipated, but in retrospect much needed, break from photography for me, the beginning chapters of Rosco's novel, and plenty of inspiration for philosophical musings. 



Nietzsche spoke of amor fati (love of fate) and coming to terms with the idea that you are absolutely responsible for all of your actions. In that there is liberation. In recognizing that you control your fate, you also have the power to choose your outlook on the life that stems from your choices. From a sociological perspective I have some qualms with the philosophies lack of compasion for those whose 'life chances' are limited by the circumstances under which they enter the world. However I am drawn to the general premise that it is up to us to choose our outlook on life and the story we make of it. Bad decisions, ugly situations, or invoking the wrath of karma all happen in a lifetime. And it follows that in moments of reflection or introspection we retell ourselves the story of our lives; molding the chapters, creating new ones, and rewriting old ones to incorporate new discoveries or changes in perspective. The liberation comes from the recognition that it is up to us, not to rewrite the actual events, but to choose our emotional response and the greater context of the story in which these events are framed.



Recognizing the intention that is inherent in my emotional responses to the events of my life, reveals the ambiguity of many situations, and the degree to which I am free to choose to bring humor and good intention into the stories I tell. Not just talking about being a pirate here. That was just a carefree tryst of the imagination and kicking it back to childhood. In thinking about the events of the last week, the story is held together not by regret or cynicism, but by the more important elements, of laughter, good people, adventure, music, artists and pirates, connection and reflection, misfortune and growth.

Travel imparts the unique opportunity to share briefly in the lives of others. Unexpected connections and chance encounters carry the power to inspire, or provoke a smile, a twinkling, a fresh glint. In such, it makes little sense to carry yourself with anything other than good humor and openness, even when it seems you are being followed by the curse of the Cove of the Shrieking Eels....


 We're not laughing at you fate, we're laughing with you

('read more' for a few of the last snaps from the Cursed Cove)

Fishing on the coast of Greece

Rosco and I arrived in Greece on Friday after taking an overnight train from Istanbul.

I came across this fellow on the coast, about an hour from Thesalonik. After a nice swim in the Aegean I hung out with him for awhile as he set his nets for the night.

 

 He explained to me "no fish now. in the morning"

The voice of my most recent editor and mentor, Andreas Gebhard, had me searching for a way to get back to photograph him in the morning. I knew I had some good shots, but for this to be a story it needs more. I need the details, I need the fish, I need the hand off, the market, ect.

Parkour in Istanbul

If Cenk had lived during the reign of the Ottoman empire he would have been highly sought after as a warrior or assassin of the highest class. As it is he rounds out his skill set as a teacher, PHD candidate, quadrilingual, professional stuntman, free runner, inline skater and flamethrower.

His training in Parkour allows him to move through his surroundings effortlessly and gracefully, yet with lightening speed.

Watching him vault and fly over the ancient walls of the Blue Mosque it was easy to let my imagination drift. Evading attacker after attacker, to slip over the sea wall and into the sunset.

Thank you my friend Cenk. You rock.

More Parkour on my website - which has also been updated with a new portfolio from the last two weeks in Europe.

A Musical Adventure in Asia

 

On our 8th day in Istanbul Ross and I cast ourselves from the "comfort" of the Paradise hotel and onto the streets of Istanbul in search of our next adventure. Wandering into a coffee shop with wireless we set our gear down and went about researching our next move. Greece seemed to be calling. But leaving Istanbul without crossing over to Asia sounded foolish.

Something you should know about Ross, is that you want to know him. And so do a lot of other people. He made more friends in a week in Istanbul, than most people make in an entire year. That's how we ended up on the Asian side of Istanbul, with some of the most kind hearted and generous people we have met thus far.

Click 'read more' for more images...