Competitions

http://www.photocontestinsider.com/photo-contest-filter/

This website is a competition finder in which I have found the three competitions that I am going to enter. I have been put off from entering established competitions because I do not feel my work is up to the standard that the other entries are at and I do not have a chance at winning, yet with some of the more less established contests there is more of a chance I will be placed higher in the running.

I have found some competitions that I can enter which are wildlife based, as I feel that these are my stronger images.


Monochrome

http://monoawards.com/page/terms-conditions/

One competition is the Monochrome awards which there is a range of categories that both professional and amateurs can enter, I am going to enter my work into the amateur category because in their FAQ's it states that professionals are those who make at least half their income through photography and this is not me. I am entering my work in two different categories; one in wildlife and the other in landscapes.

My first image I am thinking of entering is my photograph of a sun bear in Edinburgh zoo, this photograph shows the bear in a silhouette style and I have added in a small amount of vignetting to draw more attention to the bear.

My second photograph I am entering is the coastline of Bo'ness which shows the reflection of light on the water and the clouds, this photograph was taken as the sun was setting and the reflection really caught my eye, I'm glad this photograph turned out like it did as I did only slight retouching to bring out some of the details in the shadows.

When uploading these images I have stuck to their guidelines in file sizing and naming my file (I needed both my first name and second name in the name) as they state that any errors will be disqualified in entry and I wanted to take care that mine were not.

There are many opportunities to win this contest, there is an overall winner for both professional and amateur, with also second and third place. Each category also has a winner in both professional and amateur. Also available is 'Honourable Mention' which are people that have not won but the judges feel that this work is of a very high standing in the competition.

Julian Gardner Awards

http://www.gwct.org.uk/wildlife/the-julian-gardner-awards/

This competition is a yearly competition which wants to see British wildlife and nature subjects. There are two categories; adult and junior of which there is one winner in each. There are specific terms and conditions on the website that state that no entries of captive or domestic animals will be allowed and also farmed botanical subjects will be disqualified.

I have entered my photograph of a sunset that I viewed from outside my house. The colours are highlighted against the silhouette of the trees and street lights and I think that the contrast compliments each other.

I have also chosen to enter a photograph of a bridge that I took in Stockton-On-Tees while on a nature walk. I think that this photograph has a picturesque quality that one would expect to see when viewing landscape photographs.

North East Photography Competition

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/WildlifePhotography

In this competition I can enter up too six images across the six different categories. I have chosen to enter two in the category ' Nature Up Close' which is a new category just introduced, they are looking for images of nature or insects in the north east. Both of my entries for this contest have been taken in the Stockton-On-Tees area while I have been on a nature walk in Wynyard Woodland Park and one in Holy Trinity field.

My first image I have entered is a photograph of some Wheat Stalks using a shallow DoF so that the background is just the green of the grass.

My second entry for this competition is a black and white photograph of some branches against a landscape, I have also used shallow DoF in this photograph and I think that highlights the branches in the foreground and creates an aesthetic nature landscape.

Although I do not have high hopes that my photographs will win, I feel this experience has benefited me as I do now feel more confident about my work and the experience has made me feel like I do not need to be as critical about my own work.

Pay Scale

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Photo_Retoucher/Salary

I entered my information into Pay Scale which gave me the salary information for retouchers in Middlesbrough.

All Hands

https://fstoppers.com/commercial/becci-manson-helps-restore-reputation-retouchers-65766

https://fstoppers.com/video/hearts-retouchers-helping-japan-5468

http://hands.org/




These articles show the opposite side of the reputation that retouching has earned, in these links Rebecca Manson is doing a presentation about the work she has done for the All Hands organisation. She has travelled to Japan after the Tsunami to work with All Hands in building the community again but she discovered a purpose she was more able to help with.

Using photoshop she's helped restore family photographs that had been lost and/or damaged due to natural disasters, she shows how she has been able to take somebody's lost family memories and return them to a family.

crediting retouchers

http://jeremycowart.com/2012/08/should-retouchers-get-equal-credit/

Should Retouchers Get Equal Credit?

Personally I think they should get at least some credit if the photograph has been obviously or dramatically retouched, this is because the photographers vision would not have happened without the retouchers work being done.

Also I think that if the photographer is wanting to create fantastical imagery for most of their work then they should also take the time to learn Photoshop for themselves as it would benefit them because they know what their vision is and they wouldn't have to rely on another person or try to explain their vision and hope the retoucher gets it right.

Stock Photography

Alamy is a stock photography website in which photographers can sign up to upload their work and make a profit on each photograph that is sold from the website. Signing up while a student will give 100% of the profit that is gained for the first two years however I will need to use the code in order to be registered as a student. After the first two years I will then receive only 50% of the profit so I am going to work on building a collection of photographs that can be uploaded to Alamy and then sign up for it as I am graduating so that the profit is increased for longer while I am still establishing myself in the industry.

Alamy is free to sign up for
It helps with learning about the industry and what photographs are going to sell
Will also improve my organisational skills
I can receive email support and social media help if needed

My work will be placed higher in the search results if I get more views on my work. For new applicants I will be placed in the median range and then my work can either go down or up. To be able to get more views I will need to be original and create new photographs that are not already available.

Keywording
If my work is not key worded it will not be viewed. More key words are better as there is more chance of being seen.
Use 'Specific' 'Literal' 'Conceptual' 'Descriptive' keywords, this is using keywords that describe the psychical or viewable aspects of the photograph and also the connotations of the photograph.

The average selling price is £125

There is also a list of approved cameras on the website, these are cameras with high enough quality.

XO Vain

http://www.xovain.com/news/magazine-retoucher-on-altering-weight-face-makeup


This is an interview with a retoucher who works for a glossy magazine, he talk about the work he is asked to do and gives his opinion and reaction to it. Although retouchers are getting blamed for the work and it is their reputation being ruined he says that it is not their fault and that it is the fault of the art directors for not approving the retouchers work until she is thin enough. He says they constantly ask for more yet 'less'; more retouching yet less of the real person.

He also says that stylists are getting lazy because of the advancing capabilities of the retouchers. He says he now adding highlights and creating hairstyles on people because the stylists are depending on the retoucher to do their work.

Reading the comments in reply to this article offers other opinions to it. I agree with one some comments made that they prefer the retouched photograph in the GIF, and that we have been conditioned to like these photographs more because we see so many of them that real people look unnatural to us now.

Digital Archiving

Digital Archive can be a range of different formats, it can either be presented as a website or as a page either through a blog provider or on Facebook.

Blogs = create a separate page to keep everything together
Website = online templates are great to start with
Facebook = not as professional but reaches a wider audience
Flicker = whole collection/ online backup storage

The digital archive required for this project will be marked on professionalism, I am creating an online portfolio and I will need to understand editing my work that gets showed.


How to choose a website provider ?

What is my purpose for the website? (Archive, Portfolio, Sales, Blog)
Do I need to be able to sell online?
How often will I update? (Some providers have limits)
Online Template or Dreamweaver?
How do I want to Showcase? (full bleed, slideshow etc.)
Do the images load quickly? (people don't like waiting)
Does screen size affect the display?
Optimised for mobile?
SEO ?
How secure are images? (Can people 'copy' and 'paste' from my website?
where is everything stored?
Good customer service reputation?
Does it fit my budget?


11 secrets to creating a good website

Clean and Simple is better
Full Bleed images, consider these
Update Often
Easy navigated user interface
Small Relevant bio
EDIT work down
SEO
Contact info easily available (Possibly put on every page)
Be social (link to other places your work is available)
Fast loading images and pages are better
Sell from portfolio



Throughout this post I have referred to the term 'SEO' this is Search Engine Optimisation, when searching on google the servers find the most relevant websites from the words you search. Optimising your website with more keywords means that the higher up in the search results your website will be and that means more traffic is directed at your website so more people will see it.