getting started

aliwatts · Jun 17, 2008

hello to everyone. i am a beginner to PROFESSIONAL photography. i adore taking photographs and i have only used digital automatic cameras before. i live in Malaga, Andalucia, Spain and there are some amazing views and beaches to take photos of and the local people are interesting to take photos of as well. I am seriously thinking in taking photography seriously. i would be interested in knowing of any sites where i can upload all my photos for people to vet them or sites where companies BUY photos. please let me know anyone, i really want to get a professional digital camera now and spend time taking photos around this area. thanks. ALISTAIR WATTS [email protected]

tirediron · Jun 17, 2008

Welcome Alistair; you do indeed live in a beautiful part of the world. I'm not quite sure to what you are refering when you say, "Professional"; you mean using professional equipment, or to you mean making your living as a photographer?

With respect to your question of websites that buy photographs, I am not aware of any, however there are thousands of stock photo sites (Google "Stock photo") where you can upload your images and if someone wants to use it commercially, you will be paid. Be careful however; many of these sites require that you give up some or all of your rights to ownership and control of the image. Read the fine print very carefully.

As far as vetting, do you mean critique? If so, you can do that on this website and many others.

Hope that helps.

Mary-Beth · Jun 17, 2008

aliwatts said:
hello to everyone. i am a beginner to PROFESSIONAL photography. i adore taking photographs and i have only used digital automatic cameras before. i live in Malaga, Andalucia, Spain and there are some amazing views and beaches to take photos of and the local people are interesting to take photos of as well. I am seriously thinking in taking photography seriously. i would be interested in knowing of any sites where i can upload all my photos for people to vet them or sites where companies BUY photos. please let me know anyone, i really want to get a professional digital camera now and spend time taking photos around this area. thanks. ALISTAIR WATTS [email protected]

Excuse me?

Mav · Jun 17, 2008

I'd be looking at a Canon 5D or 1Ds Mark III or II body for digital landscape type photography. But to be honest, most serious and professional landscape photographers are still using film, either medium format (Mamiya 645 for example) or large format (4x5") mostly. You get far better quality from these systems than from even the priciest digital SLR system because of the larger format. There's no money at all in stock royalty free photography sales other than "ego" points. The nicer places like Getty images which will also handle licensing arrangements for you actually require that you have a pro level body believe it or not as well. So if this is what you wanted to do, you'd better be seriously serious about photography to be spending serious money like that on equipment. Seriously.

(poking a bit of fun, but also a Grey's Anatomy (TV show) reference. Do you get that over there in Spain? :lol:

)

ANDS! · Jun 17, 2008

Excuse me?

What a wonderfully informative post.

As for the OP, CORBIS maybe?

Mary-Beth · Jun 17, 2008

ANDS! said:
What a wonderfully informative post.

I don't appreciate being shouted at, and generally in-your-face behavior. You do?

Mav · Jun 17, 2008

ALL CAPS is shouting. I thought the larger bold font was odd, but didn't perceive it as rudeness or shouting. And since the OP is from Spain and English likely isn't their first langauge, I gave the benefit of the doubt.

Wandering_Pugilist · Jun 17, 2008

Mav said:
ALL CAPS is shouting. I thought the larger bold font was odd, but didn't perceive it as rudeness or shouting. And since the OP is from Spain and English likely isn't their first langauge, I gave the benefit of the doubt.

Exactly.

seamus14 · Jun 17, 2008

Mary-Beth said:
I don't appreciate being shouted at, and generally in-your-face behavior. You do?

What is it with people being so offended at larger fonts or CAPS? Seriously... you can usually tell when someone is intending to yell or just has caps on. I don't understand why this cannot be ignored when there is no ill intent. Harmless mistake, IMO.