We'd love to use your picture...for free.

Two different websites approached me this week and asked to use the picture above.  My first reaction was excitement.  I was happy that people wanted to use my pictures, I was flattered by the nice things they said, and I felt as if I might be moving past the amateur stage.

I emailed both individuals to discuss compensation and received the same response: they were not able to give any compensation, but would give photo credit.  Now, here's the tough part: do I let them use my picture with my name and hope that I draw some attention to myself or do I hold out for some sort of compensation?  I turned down the first website, and was happy I did after I saw the pictures they used in their article.  The pictures were not bad, but they obviously all came from Flickr and used them for free.  

As for as the second website, I haven't decided what to tell them yet.  The website looks more credible, but overall lacks pictures.  I am leaning towards telling them no and here's why:

-I took the picture with intent.  I knew I only had a few days to get the picture and sure enough, the Lehman Brother's sign was gone before the weekend was over.

-I now have one of very few pictures with the Lehman Brothers and Barclay Capital sign

Last, and I believe most important:

-I do not feel that I need to let people use my pictures for free.  I'm not asking for a large compensation, maybe only a few bucks, but I feel that I would be devaluing my pictures if I was to start letting people use them for free.

That's all I have for now.  I would love some feedback/options/discussion on this subject.  Please feel free to share your own stories. 

Stock Photography

I now have pictures posted on a stock photography website.  Danny's old roommate visited us last weekend and is also into photography.  I have to thank Dan and Emily for telling me about stock photography.

I only have two pictures up right now, but these pictures are officially for sale.  I will have more posted soon.

I would love any feedback/discussion about stock photography or about my pictures.

http://psc.photoshelter.com/user/kaityv

Leap with Both Feet

So, I JUST found out that one my pictures is posted on National Geographic's "Your Shot" page. I can't explain how excited I am that my picture was picked.  This also means that my photo has a chance to be featured in a National Geographic Magazine.  Thanks to everyone who voted!  You can still see my picture of you go to the link below and pick "March - Week 1" 

National Geographic

The image below is the picture that was picked for the website. 

On another note, I made the transition to a MacBook.  My laptop still worked alright, but it didn't stay open without tape.  I had pieces of white athletic tape holding my screen open.  After a few weeks, the tape would begin to slide and my monitor would, very slowly, begin to fall backwards.  I have to include a picture, because my computer looked so hilarious.

My laptop was very loyal to me for the last few years, especially after being dropped (twice), but it was time for an upgrade. I had never considered getting a Mac, until my brother got one for Christmas. It was then that I began to notice how many people had Macs!  I started asking around and everyone who had a Mac, swore by them.  I've only had my MacBook for a day, but I'm beginning to see why people love them so much.  So far, I really, really like my MacBook and am very impressed with all the features.  I can honestly say that I've happy with my switch from PC to Mac. 

Hours and hours

It's amazing how fast time goes when I'm editing and organizing pictures. Sometimes the process can get tedious, like when I've already edited and uploaded all my pictures, and then I realize I need to resize over 200 pictures. Yeah, then the picture process can get a little tedious. But for the most part, I am really enjoying making books.

I am currently working on a family photo album for my mom. The hardest part of making family photo albums is working with scanned images. Just about every image needs to be resized so that it fits correctly into the book. All I can say is thank goodness for digital pictures!