I final earned my first flame at iStock photo.Those photos that achieve the 100 download mark earn the “Hot Files” flame award.There are three levels. Yellow for 100, Orange for 500 and Blue for 1000.This one photo has blown away every photo in my portfolio at iStock.What’s interesting is that at Shutterstock this image is about average.Strange.Just goes to show you that photos will sell differently at different sites.
This photo is actually quite near and dear to me.I took this at the Food Lion Auto fair several years ago shortly after my father passed away.He loved cars.I saw this beat up blue truck on the race track someone was trying to sell, and it had this rusty old “Faith: license plate on the side.I thought the textures looked kinda cool and snapped it.I also kinda looked how I felt at the time.All beat up and worn out.
I had an opportunity to shoot photography for my web job. We needed a hand shot that was unique and I agreed to do the shoot. As a result I was also able to do additional shots and sell for stock. They turned out….ok. I’m not thrilled about them, but they’ve sold quite well. I might revisit these shots later on. It’s interesting the one shot I didn’t think would do well at all, is actually the best out of the group.
Last week we were only a day away from closing on a rental property that we bought over three years ago.We got into buying foreclosed homes as rental properties as a way to make money.We had two homes.One did very well.The one we just sold did not.
Long story short….this house almost killed me.I have never experienced such fear and anxiety in all my life just wanting this house to sell.The day before we closed on the house, I was a wreck.My guts felt like they were turned inside out and drenched in hot acid.My head pounded with numerous scenarios of a closing gone wrong.I needed a break.That night a lightening storm was moving into the area.I took the camera outside and decided to shoot some lightening shots.The weather fit my mood perfectly all chaotic and uncertain.I thought this would be a good way to get my mind off things.This was the result
I managed to catch this strike across the street from my home.I had set the camera on a tripod.ISO 800, f11 20 second exposure.I can’t remember white balance.I think I set it to tungsten.Any-who.For about an hour I would snap away and captured a few strikes.This and another shot in the same spot were the best.I actually overlapped the images to create this.
Now mind you, I was just doing this for fun to clear my head and not really to create a work of art or something to sell on the stock sites. But this shot turned out to be something really special.I posted it at the Shutter Stock forums to tell photographers the same story I’ve told you here.Many thought I should submit the photo for stock.I really didn’t think so.ISO 800 produces to much noise for stock, but I worked on it some more, made some corrections and submitted.It was accepted and has sold quite well.As of this writing it is the most popular shot.
The moral of the story I guess is to harness you emotions when it comes to your art.Be that music, painting or photography.Having one of the worse days off your life does something to you.Sometimes it puts you in a frame of mind which we don’t normally have from day to day.It can allow you to see things that you don’t normally see.Even if you’re completely infuriated at the world, create something, you never know what the outcome can be and it can help change you attitude.
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