Elementor #589

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Is AI watching you?

I reckon the answer’s a definite yes, mate. Especially when I take a squiz at me sales reports from at least one major agency. We’re noticing a fair dinkum increase in the number of images getting licensed, then refunded and licensed again at a higher rate.

I reckon what’s going on is the classic move of licensing a stock image at a smaller size or for a lower rate usage, like licensing for editorial use and then chucking it in an ad or for commercial use.

No one’s owning up to using AI to suss out photo usage after they’re sold—especially not the agencies. They never really gave a toss about misuse, as long as they got their cut.

Then this tech rocks up, which I reckon can fully automate the process. No need for any human touch.

More dollars coming in, bugger all cost, and no extra work needed.

Sunset stock photo by excitations.au fishermen on a lake, mountains in background. Used as the feature image of photography for beginners blog post.

Photography and AI

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AI generated beach scene for outback photography.au article Photography and AI what now

The above image was created with a beta version of an AI generation app that isn’t designed to create photo-realistic images, so we needed to trick it into doing this. The total time from start to finish is under 30 seconds, including the time it took to type the command.

Photography and AI where to now?

This article is for people wondering where photography and AI will fit into our world. The answer is everywhere. Well, that’s my opinion.

A few weeks ago, a well-known photographer commented on social media that we were heading into a new era that would slowly envelop us. I commented below his post that this wouldn’t be slow; it would be like a freight train bearing down on photographers at full speed. How wrong I was! This thing is coming for us at the velocity of an intercontinental ballistic missile—a missile armed with a cluster of nuclear warheads.

At around the same time as the above, there was a lot of talk about a photographer winning a photo competition with an AI-generated photo. Fast-forward a few weeks, and many photo competitions with sections for AI-generated content now exist.

Recently, an article claimed that 25% of people identifying as professional photographers couldn’t pick the difference between AI and camera-created images. A photographer and publisher friend told me it was easy to tell. All you need to do is look at the hands. AI can’t do hands and never will.

Sometimes never, is a very short time. I was recently given an expiring link to a couple of AI images from a research program. For your eyes only, could you have a look and tell me what you think?

Without giving too much away, many people were in the images. Not a dodgy hand amongst them. Detail, lighting, and tonality are all spot on. The expressions were exquisite and believable. The only fault I could spot as a photographer was that there were no faults. They were too perfect.

OK, I get that AI is rapidly developing! But how will it change photography as we know it today?

Let’s look at some of the likely bad outcomes first. Retouching images will become significantly more accessible, allowing unskilled operators to do low to middle-level retouching at home or work. That is a good thing, provided retouching isn’t your job. If it is, you probably have less than 12 months to reskill.

Suppose you are a product or stock photographer creating generic object or location shots for a few dollars on the side. It’s time to find another side hustle. Likewise, designers and graphic artists already feel the pinch from cheap subscription templates and sweat-shop design studios. They will be impacted significantly by affordable and high-speed AI design and graphics solutions.

Another group in the direct firing line are social media influences. Already there are websites offering selfie generation for influencers. You send us a selection of selfies, sign up for a subscription, and we will supply your AI-generated content for your social networks—any location or event you want. We provide your content, photographs and text without you needing to leave home. How long will it take before the internet giants realise cutting out the middleman is more profitable?

Within twelve months, some accounts you love and follow will be AI-generated. End to end, no people involved at all. False names, fantasy personalities and lifestyles. In some cases, that won’t even be a giant step. Already, we have social-media characters faking visits to events and places—pod-casters who allegedly don’t conduct interviews but have themselves edited into the program in post-production.

However, the biggest worry is seeing will no longer be believing. Much of the population currently has trouble picking fake news. What will it be like when believable news images and video flood our lives with lies?

The great advantage of a marriage of photography and AI will undoubtedly be an incredible new toolkit to aid in producing as yet unrealised creative output. I hear cameras able to learn the target, then focus track the subject anywhere in the frame are nearing reality.

Cameras that can wait and watch subjects until they move or behave in a manner of interest are just a little behind—for example, capturing that elusive shot of a bird feeding its young. We currently have two choices: wait, watch and press the button, or set up a movement trigger that captures every movement our bird model makes. With “thinking cameras”, the ability to train the camera only to record when feeding time starts is transformational.

 

 

 

A fairer way to license stock photos

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A fairer way to license stock photos

Silhouette of Eastern Great Egret standing on a pipe with a background of golden water from late afternoon light. For a blog post on outback photography.au about a fairer way to license stock photos 

The Winter break is our time to reflect and make decisions about our business as we head into the New Year. However, his year was slightly different as we had much stuff going on. So planning for our stock photo and video business was placed on the back burner.

It is now time to look at our stock imagery business. I am not optimistic that we will continue as we have in the past. The catalyst was NYE when we sold 14 royalty-free images through one of our agencies. It wasn’t so much a sale as a bloody insult. 

Seriously, a deal that returns 84 cents to the photographer on the sale of fourteen images is a joke. Oh, that wasn’t 84 cents each, but instead, that was the total sale for worldwide royalty-free use in perpetuity.

The 14 licenses above, I suspect, will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. As a result, we will add more content to our stock photo archive. Spend more time promoting our library than supplying large libraries that pay a 1-2% royalty to the photographer.

If we market our stock images of Australia that way, the buyer gets licensing at lower prices. And we get a much larger cut of the fee. So life should be better for all. Our royalty-free and editorial images are found at Excitations Stock Photos of Australia.

Licensing stock photos fairly is crucial for the growth and sustainability of the stock photography industry. The industry can attract and retain talented creators by ensuring photographers are fairly compensated for their work. Doing this will produce more high-quality images for businesses and individuals to license.

Next time you need to license stock photos, please consider licensing directly from the creators. Help everyone get fair remuneration for their hard work.

Excitations Stock Archive with cookies

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Excitations Stock Archive with cookies

Amusing photo of Pelicans for a blog post about excitations stock archive with cookies

Due to regulatory changes in Europe, the Excitations Stock Archive with cookies  now requires you to Opt-in or Opt-out of accepting cookies.

I know, just another thing to do. We don’t use cookies to track browsing history; however, our hosting server requires cookies.

We have also dropped Google Analytics. Because Google records IP addresses and stores the information, keeping users’ private information is now outlawed in the European Union.

We are currently using Microanaylitics, which conforms to European requirements.

We don’t use analytics for the record, but our server requires analytics.

Data Security

While I’m waffling on about tracking and personal data, we don’t store anything directly on our websites. Instead, our Stock site collects email addresses when you order a license. Which we only use in case of a problem with delivery. We do not directly market to you using any collected data.

As for payment details, all your information is managed by PayPal and Square, which means we never see your financial information.

Would you like to gain more insight into selling your photos?

Selling your photos

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Hay, NSW fire station photo for an article on selling your photos

Selling your photos online via a stock agency

Aerial view of vineyard surrounded by water for an article on selling your stock photos online
In this editorial image, we had permission to fly a drone over the property to take photos for a newspaper. However, we didn’t have a signed property release.

There is a ton of information all across the web telling you how to make your fortune selling pictures online.
Much of it is nothing more than rehashed bunkum cut and pasted from decades-old magazine articles. Then there is all that stuff written by people who have never sold a picture online or anywhere else.

This post is not a how-to article. Instead, it is a warning to would-be content creators.

Please read and understand the terms in any potential agency’s terms of use. They will all have a contract of some sort. They are occasionally hidden so that you are signing up blind. By submitting work, you are agreeing to their terms.

Determine what your cut of each sale or licensing agreement is. That is how much you get. You may be surprised that the contributor’s share of each transaction is peanuts. Percentages of sales retained by the agency vary widely. Usually, between 40% to 90%, and that is the honest ones.

Other dodgy operators will pass your sale through multiple wholly owned offices or branches. Each office will deduct the same percentage from the ever-diminishing price. Leaving you with virtually nothing from the sale.

Some agencies pay more for exclusivity, which is a good thing. But be aware that you may be liable for legal fees and expenses if a buyer purchases an exclusive licence, then discovers the image is used elsewhere and sues. That is fair, but you would be surprised how many photographers provide exclusive content to multiple outlets. Exclusive is Exclusive, and that is why you get paid more.

As a contributor selling your photos through a stock photography agency, you are also responsible for ensuring you are the sole owner of the copyright. The image cannot be licensed for commercial use if there are recognisable people in the shot. It is your responsibility to ensure there is a model or talent release on everyone in a photograph. Get this wrong and you will be the one in court, not the agency.

One of the workarounds for the above is to mark your photos for editorial use only. That isn’t a get-out-of-jail-free card. Many jurisdictions have different rules regarding what an editorial image is.

Some buildings, almost all company logos, and even plant varieties have intellectual rights that can be infringed and land you in court. In fact, the list is nearly infinite. In most cases, your contributor agreement will state that you are responsible for court costs and damages.

Aerial stok photo of grape harvester workinfg.
An example of an image that I can’t sell as commercial stock, even though I had permission to fly low in a helicopter and take photos for editorial use. I didn’t obtain signed model releases from the operators.

 

I’m not trying to put you off selling your stock photos; just trying to tell you some of the stuff nobody seems to want to say to you.

And finally, you will need to keyword, tag and caption your stock photos. Make sure this meta-data, as it is referred to, is accurate. Providing inaccurate information can also end up with you fronting a judge somewhere when some large corporate decides you have misled them.

You see, most agencies are large corporations, and they what to protect their corporate arses by making you the one responsible. Just saying….

Please don’t submit anything until you understand their contributor agreements.

Vegan Living

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Closeup of young cabbage seedlings in soil-blocks for an article on Vegan Living

Vegan living is a lifestyle that involves avoiding the use of animal products and by-products in all aspects of life, including diet, clothing, cosmetics, and household products. The primary motivation behind vegan living is the belief that using animal products and exploiting animals for human purposes is morally wrong and unnecessary.
A vegan diet includes plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Vegans avoid all animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, and any food containing animal-derived ingredients like gelatin or whey.
In addition to dietary choices, vegans also make conscious decisions about other areas of their lives to avoid exploiting animals. For example, they may avoid clothing made from animal materials like leather or wool, cosmetics tested on animals, and household products containing animal-derived ingredients.
Veganism is becoming increasingly popular due to concerns about animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and personal health. As a result, people choose to adopt a vegan lifestyle for one or more reasons.
Overall, vegan living involves a commitment to a lifestyle that prioritizes animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and personal health by avoiding the use of animal products in all areas of life.

The definition of veganism varies depending on the individual or organization, but vegans avoid exploiting all animals, including insects and microorganisms. Insects and microorganisms are classified as animals because they belong to the animal kingdom.

Therefore, most vegans avoid consuming insects and foods containing insect-derived ingredients, such as red colouring made from cochineal beetles. However, some vegans may make exceptions for microorganisms, such as yeast, used in food production, as they are not sentient beings and cannot feel pain or suffer. Ultimately, it is up to each vegan to determine their definition of veganism and make choices accordingly.

Thunderstorm safety for photographers

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Spectacular lightning strike over salt lake outback Australia, in camera photograph, not digital manipulation, to illustrate blog post for outback photography about thunderstorm safety.
This is a single shot; the only enhancements were contrast and a tweak to the colour balance. There were no additional lightning strikes or cloud effects added to the photograph. And yes, the photographer was in the “death zone”, an idiotic thing to do.

 

Thunderstorm safety

Thunderstorms are a common natural occurrence. These storms are characterised by lightning, thunder, heavy rainfall, and strong winds. Photographers must know the dangers to avoid dying for that shot.

Thunderstorms can be dangerous and cause property damage or personal injury, and it’s essential to practice thunderstorm safety measures. One of the most important measures is maintaining a safe distance from electrical storms. In this blog post, we will explain how to estimate the reach of a thunderstorm and maintain a safe distance.

The first step to estimating the distance of a thunderstorm is to count the time between the lightning flash and the thunderclap. Sound travels approximately 340 meters per second, while light travels about 299,792 kilometres per second. The time delay between seeing the lightning flash and hearing the thunder can be used to estimate the storm’s distance.

Estimating the distance.

To estimate the distance of a thunderstorm, count the number of seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder and divide by five. For example, if you count 10 seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, the storm is approximately 3 kilometres away. If you count 30 seconds, the storm is about ten kilometres away.
Maintain a safe distance from electrical storms, generally considered at least 10 kilometres away. Thunderstorms can produce lightning strikes that can travel several kilometres from the storm. Avoid being the highest point in an area during a thunderstorm, as lightning takes the shortest path from cloud to ground.

In conclusion, practising thunderstorm safety is crucial to avoiding potential danger during electrical storms. Estimating the distance of a thunderstorm using the time between lightning and thunder is a simple way to maintain a safe distance from the storm. Remember to stay at least 10 kilometres from any thunderstorm and avoid being at the highest point in the area.

Commercial and editorial stock photography

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example to illustrate an article on commercial and editorial photography on outback photography.au

Know the difference between commercial and editorial stock photography.

Understanding the difference between the two is crucial. Ensuring you’re using the right image for your needs.

Commercial stock photos are images used in advertising, marketing, and other commercial contexts. These images often feature models or staged scenes designed to sell a product or service. They may include recognisable brands or logos and often require a model and property releases.

Editorial stock photos are images used to illustrate news stories, feature articles, and other non-commercial content. These images are often candid or documentary in nature and may feature people, events, or locations that are newsworthy. Editorial images, often don’t have the required commercial releases to be used in advertising.

One of the main differences between commercial and editorial stock photos is their intended use. Commercial images are explicitly created to promote products or services. Editorial pictures are used to illustrate news and feature stories. As a result, the licensing agreements for these images can be quite different.

Commercial stock photos are typically licensed for commercial use, meaning they can be used to sell products or services or to promote a brand or company. For example, somebody may use them in advertising campaigns, websites, brochures or flyers, and other marketing materials. Licenses for commercial stock photos often have restrictions on how the images can be used.

Editorial stock photos, on the other hand, are licensed for editorial use only. They can only be used to illustrate news stories or other non-commercial content. Mostly used in newspapers, magazines, online publications, or other editorial contexts.

Understanding the difference between commercial and editorial stock photography is important to ensure that you’re using the right type of image for your needs.  When licensing  images, it’s important to pay attention to the licensing agreement and any restrictions that may apply to your use of the image.

Latest Stock Video Clips

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Stock Video Clips of Australia.

Our latest stock video clips, available for license from Pond5. Please note, all of our stock footage supplied to Pond5 is 100% exclusive to that library

Time-lapse stock video of sunset clouds transitioning to twilight, very dramatic.
Transition from sunset to twilight as storm clouds cross the sky. License

 

Dark stormy sky time-lapse stock video plenty of drama and action.
Dark stormy sky with dramatic clouds and motion. License
Dramatic cumulus cloud building, stock video clip time-lapse Australia.
A wall of Cumulus cloud building in a dark threatening sky. License

 

Swainsona formosa, stunning outback icon

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Swainsona formosa or Sturt’s Desert Pea, outback icon.

If you travel through the outback of Australia during Spring and early Summer, chances are you will, during your journey see large areas of bright red flowers. The native flower responsible for these spectacular displays is Swainsona formosa. Mostly referred to as Sturt’s Desert Pea. However, I’m reliably informed that thousands of years before William Dampier collected plant specimens, the indigenous word for the plant was Ngooringa.

Swainsona formosa or Sturt's Desert Pea growing in a desert location, outback NSW, Australia.
Sturt’s Desert Pea flowers, a native of all mainland Australian states with the exception of Victoria. Floral Emblem of South Australia and the Northern Territory.

 

You need to be aware, that photographing the plant is OK. No surprises there, but collecting any part of the plant, from plants located on Crown land, is definitely not OK. To avoid a fine you will need a permit. Jumping through a fence, and nicking some from private property without written permission will also land you a fine.  It goes without saying, picking the flowers, making garlands from them, then creating awesome social media posts from your photos. Is not a great idea either. Both morally or legally.

 

Photograph of a small area of Australian native wildflowers carpeting the ground. Swainsona formosa
Swainsona formosa or more commonly known as Sturts Desert Pea, grows in arid and semi arid regions of all Australian main land states with the exception of Victoria. The flower is the Floral emblem of South Australia.

 

Sturt’s Desert Pea, like many other varieties of Australian native wildflowers, can best be described as being tough. I think the gardening community refer to this as being hardy. In good seasons, with plenty of rainfall, they thrive, covering large areas with their spectacular flora displays. If rainfall fails, or is significantly reduce, their presence and Vigour decline proportionally.

Tricks to survival

A number of tricks help these plants  survive harsh semi-arid environments. The most important adaptation, seeds that remain viable for years. Then, when the rains arrive again, germinating and bursting into life.

There is a lesson here for humans, venturing into the outback. We need to be resident, self sufficient and prepared. Living and travelling the outback, while being a wonderful experience can also be life-threatening for the under-prepared.

If you are looking for royalty-free stock images, any of the pictures of Ngooringa here, plus many others, can be licensed and dowloaded 24/7 from our stock photography archive

Or, just wanting to know a little about us and our outback photography blog, there is an intro here

 

Photography How and Why

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Photography how and why

Some people talk about the right brain or the left brain. I prefer the phrase, photography how and why. Each of us, as individuals, create our little visual masterpieces for different reasons.

Let me take a few moments of your precise time and define how I see the How of Photography. First, how is the technical side. The juggling act of squeezing little rays of light through a lens onto a sensor. The laws of physics govern this process. Deviate from the rules at your peril.

We still have multiple tools that allow us to manipulate how our viewing audience perceives reality. And remain within the boundaries of the physical laws that bind us.

Anytime I do a live class, you will hear me babbling about my approach to photographing a subject. If I have my working hat on, I will most likely know what my client wants. We will have discussed the expected result earlier. So we can ignore the Why for the time being.

That leaves me with how to contend with. When I arrive on set, I have an almost infinite number of options. So my approach, is to eliminate those things I can’t do.

Let me explain my process.

For example, I am booked to photograph outdoors at 12 midday. Immediately I know I won’t have beautiful early or late light at my disposal. Secondly, I have only five minutes to capture a portrait of a VIP. That dictates that my gear choice needs to be made before the subject arrives. The kit I choose must be compact and preferably preset to my preferred iso, aperture and focal length.

By forgetting about all the things I won’t be able to do, I can concentrate on those I can achieve. Naturally, in a real-life, the situation is likely to be more complicated than this, but you get the drift. Focus on problem-solving, using everything at your disposal. Forget the “if I only had syndrome” and just DO IT.

Here is an example of both how and why.

A beauty portrait of a beautiful young woman photographed in a cramped location for a blog post on Photography how and why
The quick and easy portrait solution talked about above

 

We arranged to photograph a beautiful young friend in Melbournes CBD at night. Naturally, it rained. Instead of ruining her hair and makeup outdoors, we decided to create a safe shot indoors. That’s the why. We wanted to do a shoot, and it was raining. Already, our options have narrowed.

We choose to work in one of our hotel rooms. It is dry, small, and has appalling decor. Full-length or even half-length photos are out of the question. Can you see how easy this is so far? We have been able to eliminate a vast number of options for creating a portrait. I view that as a positive thing.

Our model has earlier in the day purchased a costume mask; it’s silver in colour. Robyn, our stylist and my life partner, works with the model to create a dramatic look using the mask and some black tulle. The material adds drama and hides the green wall behind our model. I think that is called two birds with one stone.

We are halfway there with the how bit at this point. All that is required from here on is to create soft, beautiful light. The solution is straightforward. Strip the single bed back to the white sheets, which will be our reflected light from below the face of the subject. The main light is an on-camera flash, pointed straight up onto a white foldable disk reflector above and to the photographer’s left. One last thing, to reduce the blackness of the tulle and increase the sense of depth to the shot, we added a second wireless controlled flash unit behind our subject so that you can see through the fabric.

That’s it for this post on photography the how and why. We have a similar post introducing our photographic journey here.

Starting your photographic journey

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Chances are most will have already started their photographic journey.

Few humans, indeed the ones living or travelling in Australia, haven’t already started their photographic journey. Do you know anyone who doesn’t have a phone with an inbuilt camera? And who doesn’t use it regularly to record something they see? Even if all these people with mobile phones haven’t yet realised, they are photographers.

Being a photographer isn’t defined by the brand or type of recording device you use. It is simply the fact that you record images.
Good photographs are not defined by the equipment used to create them but by the vision of the human in command.

Outback photography, old rusting fridge door with contrasting logo for your photographic journey Nes post.
Whatever your vision, chances are your will find plenty of interest as you make your way through outback Australia.

 

If you are reading this, chances are you have already commenced your photographic journey. No one can predict where that trip takes you or what you will see and learn during your travels. I can only tell you that your camera is a passport to adventure.

I want to tell you about some of my journey with a camera, or should I say cameras, because, over the fifty years I have identified as a photographer, there have been a whole bunch of cameras. Small compact cameras through to massive, cumbersome pieces of kit that held only one shot in the chamber, miss the shot, and it’s gone.

I tell my photo workshop attendees that I pack heavy and shoot lite. And then point out my preferred means of transport. An old 70 series Toyota Landcruiser Troop Carrier. Affectionately known as the Troopy, and from here on only referred to as the Troopy. The point is the cavernous storage area would be full of photographic essentials. Then I would pull out one camera and one lens and shoot all day with that and nothing else.

Check out our blog post the how and why of photography

Well Hello World

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Outback photography, storm brewing over Hay Plains, stock photo by Excitations. hello world

G’day

Hello world, welcome to our little piece of paradise.
Popping down to the corner store can be a casual walk or a six-hour drive. But of course, that depends on where you are in the outback—newbies to the Australian bush only need to know one thing, it’s vast.
It is too hot, dry, wet, cold, or windy. Sometimes, too many flies and mossies are eating you alive, or nobody is around. The place we call home.
We hope to share this incredible corner of the planet with you. Introduce some of the creatures, both large and small, along with some seriously well-adapted flora.
We are Excitations; we are photographers, videographers and travellers. We are looking forward to sharing our world with you.

Hello world:)