The anti-science/anti-free speech left

Hey Rebecca: From what I've seen there is a lot of demand for good food photography. Its a little specialty. I have to admit it interested me, but I never followed up. OTOH, great food photography w/ restaurants, recipes, food blogs, really enriches what is seen on the web. The process didn't look complicated...I just didn't even begin to experiment with it. I think you need a good camera, lighting equipment and possibly some background settings to make it work well.

If you live in a metro area think of all the restaurants that need good pics of their dishes on their websites. A great food photographer would probably be in local demand. I know its a bit easier to hit all the web developers for the restaurant sites than the restaurateurs for pics....but great pics sell themselves. It might be cool to market and keep you busy. On top of that you could get some great meals.

 

You're very smart with business. It started me thinking. I bet I could get a lot of leads researching restaurant review sites. I could even send them an email with my offer. I was thinking too, I'm kind of shy in person, not a sales type at all. But that wouldn't have to hold me back, if necessary I could always hire someone for that role. I'll think about it while I gather more experience and build a larger portfolio. I do like food photography, and have sold some of the images. The equipment I have is not fancy or expensive, but would probably be sufficient. My camera is a Nikon D3200. I bought it with a standard lens. On the Nikon website they recommended a different lens specifically for food photography, so I bought that lens as well. In my home studio, I have 4 lights with stands and umbrellas. That's about it.

Going on location, I have recent experience with that. About a month ago I took pictures of all the employees at work. They wanted to put them on a website they were making. The president of the company had an expensive photographer take his picture. They asked me if I would do everyone else. Who cares about them right? lol. Anyway, it was a lot of fun, although I didn't bring lighting, just my camera. They gave me carte blanche to do whatever I want. I kind of went above and beyond, removing all blemishes in Photoshop, and making them all look like professional models. That turned out nice, people seemed to be happy with it. To be honest though, I enjoy taking pictures of food more than people.

But to get back on topic, "Dang the left people!!?#$"

 

hey Rebecca: I have experience into selling into the world of restaurants. It has some complications. One is that their hours are restricted. The owners/operators are very busy at lunch or dinner. Never bug them during those hours.
In a discussion on selling restaurant people on website stuff...one smart person suggested going to the web developers of their websites. Usually those websites have a link to the developer/designer in the footer section. Where I live there are some designers that have a lot of restaurant clients. So if you got a web developer with a lot of restaurant clients...you could generate a big demand for food pics. They can use them to market local classes, different events where the restaurants participate, etc.

They (the designers) could be good sources to get into that world. Just thinking out loud on the topic. I do know that great pics go a long way. They can use them on their websites on facebook, etc etc.

meanwhile...back on topic. you are wrong.

 

I like that idea, you're right. It would probably be much better to go straight to the designer.

On a related subject, I was just on Pinterest and came across something. I might join. Tell me what you think. So, there is this lady making a nice income as a food blogger. I found her site at Pinch of Yum (dot) com. She actually has an income page. She is currently making almost $18,000 a month! I think that's so amazing. Although, she also started what's called Food Blogger Pro (dot) com. Although before she started that, it looks like she was already making $5000 a month just blogging about food. Anyway, the program is suppose to teach you all the ins and outs to be successful at food blogging. I might join that for guidance. Currently I have a blog, but the focus is microstock photography in general. It is also just a Weebly site. And it doesn't look near as nice as her site. I don't know the first thing about Wordpress, one of the things she says she'll teach you. Maybe I could put ads on it, write related Kindle books, and use it as a portfolio? It's only a dollar in the first month, so I guess if I don't like the training I can always quit. I sure wouldn't need to wait for About.com.

Back on topic. nuh uh, you are.

 

I'm going right on topic here. This thread is about free speech, and science.

Nah. you are wrong

On your other comments. I learned about that blog recently and read a little bit in it. Its very cool and interesting. I like food. But its far broader because of that part about making money as a blogger. I have some comments in general:

1. I learned about it through somebody else who has been a follower/reader of it for a while. It evidently became very popular in the last year or so. The couple had traveled to Asia and contributed in a orphanage or nursery and wrote about that experience. That evidently created a lot of interest and readership. Evidently the site has really taken off in the last year.

2. Before that they had spent several years on it, but it didn't create the kind of income nor did it have the huge volume of traffic (that creates the income stream). It took them time to get there. I guess they are selling all their time and learned experiences as part of that monthly fee.

3. The writer is terrific. She is cute and funny. She has her own style and its got to be appealing to some but its not appealing to all. After I saw the blog I sent it to some food experts I know. One is very familiar with it and is a big fan, following it all the time. The other said it did nothing for her. They are both expert chefs. They write and have had or have followings. Different styles work for different people. I couldn't write like her. Maybe I could write in a different style that would ultimately work for a big audience. I think the writing and the style is a big part of the equation. It serves as a hook to regular readers (once they get there in the first place).

4. The pics are excellent. That is a skill. You have the tools and interest to get good. Bingo. good for you. You have to get some of the other parts down.

5. Wordpress is a great Content Management System (CMS). I'm sure there is tons about it on DP. There is tons about it on the web. There are plenty of experts to give you guidance. Its pretty simple to get into. You have to pick a theme. Some of the themes have great help and communities. If you run into problems on the site there are a lot of easy places to get help through their communities or forums on the theme.

6. Wordpress is designed for a blog, but also enables you to set up a site with regular pages. Its very doable with terrific guidance all across the web.

7. The couple have regular jobs. Its how they lived on their income before the blog became so profitable and popular. They put a LOT of hours every week into the blog. It was a hobby/2nd income...but the 2nd income didn't hit for several years. I suspect their program will speed up a lot of the trial and error in trying to get traffic and readership all based on their long experience.

8. If I were you I'd read through a lot of the blog. You'll get some of the essence of how they grew just from reading through it. Of course you'll get far more precise instructions if you subscribe to their program, I suspect.

Anyways, good luck. It is an interesting blog with rich materials...and it seems to coincide with your interests and skills.

I need to go back on topic.

Rebecca: you are still wrong!!!!

 

Need to be on topic and a bit more descriptive:

Rebecca: I'm correct and you are wrong.

Off topic: Just a thought. You know what may be different, cool, and interesting in a broad way? Pictures of staffs. All the people that are working in places. In the front, behind the scenes, etc. It has many applications.

they aint food. but they are also interesting.

On topic. you are still wrong.

 

I thought I'd weigh in as an unbiased independent third party here. Rebecca is right, Dave is wrong.

There. Its settled.

 

@earlpearl is Wrong. 100% of unbiased, uncompensated, non-troll observers affirm this is an absolute fact (ty O). Science. Free Speech.

I think I'll sign up for that class. It couldn't hurt. I could combine it with my interest in microstock photography. On the downside, food blogging can take years to build an income. It's the same with submitting to microstock agencies. On the bright side, it's a lot of fun and I can incorporate my love for Photoshop with it. I'm still hoping Demand Studios will make an offer. How that works is they maintain a queue of photo assignments. You can claim what you want, and shoot it in your home studio. You get paid 2x a week. I've known some people that have done it full-time. I like the whole setup. I guess I'll know on that around the beginning of next week. If not, I would still be lacking a home opportunity that makes money short-term. I think with the staff photography, it wouldn't be my first choice. It would take at least as much effort to organize as the restaurant photography and I don't think I would like it as much. How do you think I could make short-term money just taking photos (not of people) in my home studio? There is submitting to microstock agencies. I'm doing that, but should also get into Shutterstock to make more. There is the food blogging. Both of those will probably take a few years to build up. Then there is DemandStudio. At this point I don't know if I'll be accepted. I wonder if there are other article content companies that would pay freelancers for pictures? I can't really think of anything else to try right now.

I think it's safe to say that the wrongness of EarlPearl has been proven beyond any shadow of doubt.

 

Geez, Rebecca. With those kind of mutual Fox news kind of responses I'll just shut my mouth and never again offer an opinion. LOL. Haha
Good luck with the efforts.

 

In all seriousness, your opinion and ideas are very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

Just an update: I was rejected by Demand Studios. It's so depressing. I don't remember what the email said. Something along the lines of, "You suck. We hate you. Please don't contact us again." On the bright side, I like the stock agencies. On the same day I got an email from Depositphotos saying I now have a special rep to help me. Normally I have to write all my titles, descriptions, and keywords when uploading images. She offered to do all that for me for free if I would like. That way I could just focus on the photography part. If only I could take about 10,000 good quality stock photos and upload them in the next few days, I could quit my JOB right away! lol. Or maybe even just with 5000, that would work. I wish. But I have three days off now. I'm going to try for 100 before I go back to work. Anyway, hope you guys have a happy Presidents Day.

 

Well the hell with demand Studios. Bad decision on their part. Go take pics. submit them elsewhere.

 

Just ran into this article from 2010 about food photography. Hm. 4 years ago and it was big: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/dining/07camera.html?ref=dining&pagewanted=all&_r=0. Four years earlier than that it was controversial.

Now it is soooooooooooo big. Restaurant sites, travel sites, food blogs, etc etc etc. Its a good area to get skilled in imho

 

@earlpearl - You will never believe this (I can hardly believe it)! When I was rejected at first I just felt bad. But then I went to look at the pictures I submitted and thought about how I could have done a better job. Just today I was thinking lesson learned, I shouldn't have rushed. I had finally kind of accepted it. I was resigned to not making it in. But under an hour ago I got an email saying my rejection was completely an accident. Somebody pushed the wrong button? lol. I can hardly believe it. I'm so lucky! Anyway, so they've given me all these permissions and I can see and accept work in queue. Looks like it's very busy. Crazy, huh? What are the odds of that happening??! Ha Ha. So, I'm going to do that. Also I plan to submit a much higher volume to the Microstock agencies. I've been up all night (and last night) just working on that. I don't think I'll have much time for my regular job, but will probably keep it for at least a month or so to make sure everything is working out as I hope it will. It looks like with Demand I can probably do as much or as little as I'd like. Plus, I'm also getting started with Appen. So I got a bunch of stuff to do.

On topic: I've learned an interesting thing about food blogging is that they can get a huge amount of traffic from from food photo sharing sites like FoodGawker. So you can kind of have a great way to get traffic built in. Just slap some ads on that puppy and your good! lol. I agree it's a good area to get skilled in. I haven't signed up for that class yet, but I can still get some good pics. A few that I took last night were of peppers and edible cactus on a wood cutting board. I made the red peppers pop out a little by adjusting the saturation in Photoshop. I'm just now submitting those to some agencies plus some others I took earlier.

Yeah and Anti-Free Speech Left.

 

LOL. Soon half of the USA will be skilled in food photography and the other half will be skilled in serving food in McDonald. Of course, I am kidding about the food photography part.

 

That's just silly. Why would anyone do that when they can make more money working at home?

On topic - I'm just sick and tired of the anti-free speech left! They're crazy!!

Off topic - Earl, in my searches I found a job for you. The only downside is extensive travel. Here's part of the ad,

 

Off topic. Cool job, Rebecca. Here is my problem. I don't write that well. I'm lousy at photography. Maybe we could team up. We'd need a third person to do the writing.

My part would be to do the eating and drinking. Your part would be the photography. We'd have to find somebody else to do the writing.

Traveling is okay. I'm not a great traveler.but if one gets into that mojo and rhythm its fine. We need to find a writer who will work cheap. We need somebody who isn't too sharp about that stuff so you and I can control most of the money. Why don't you contact o-nation about being the writer.

Back on topic: no no no rebecca you got it wrong on the free speech stuff. Its the other guys who are loony.

 

DP Road Trip! Unfortunately, my writing skills leave me woefully unqualified for the job. If they need help running up the bar tab, I'm quite good at that.

Every time I think of a road trip, I think of the great Hunter S. Thomson.

"The sporting editors had also given me $300 in cash, most of which was already spent on extremely dangerous drugs. The trunk of the car looked like a mobile police narcotics lab. We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug-collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. And I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon."
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Looking at this makes you think that U.S. state department is on a road trip with Obama on the wheel. They are picking up all the Al Quada and Neo-Nazi hitch hikers too.

 

@o-nation: nice reference, Hunter Thompson. great gonzo journalist.

Its so healthy and reassuring, let alone medicinal to see how he packed for his trip. Every road tripper would be wise to follow his lead. Its a good thing he packed the budweiser along with his other little road snacks. The bud helps to take the edge off.