Back in the Seventies and Eighties I founded and ran several Fleet Street photo agencies specialising in stock images of celebrities from pop stars to politicians. These were syndicated to the National and International press and Television. These days I am active in the Microstock world and this blog charts my journey as well as, hopefully, providing inspiration and ideas to others. Image buyers should also find this blog useful with links to my portfolios and regular updates on new uploads. Unless otherwise stated all images are my copyright and may not be reproduced or copied. Comments are very welcome but will be reviewed before publication. Enjoy your visit. Regards, David.

Sunday 30 November 2008

Picture opportunities (missed):

Back to pictures you can get on your doorstep (if you get round to it). I have been meaning to get some portraits of Ashford's M.P. Damien Green for ages. It wouldn't have been hard as he has a web site telling everyone what he's doing. To be honest I never got round to it since I knew it would be easy to get him any time. Then, of course, he gets arrested this week and his photo is in every paper and every TV news bulletin. I'm kicking myself for this lost sales opportunity! David

Friday 28 November 2008

Signed up to Yay Micro

After some consideration I have picked Yay Micro as my next outlet. Signed up today and uploaded my first batch of photos. Very well laid out site and easy to upload. Top feature is the bulk editing tool which enables you to caption a batch of similar photographs in one hit rather than inputting the info one by one. Based in Norway this agency only launched this Summer so will probaly take time to build sales. They take Editorial images as well which suits my portfolio -and they pay in Euros! Regards, David

Jamie Staff photos approved

Had another thirteen photos approved by Bigstockphoto.com today including the Jamie Staff photo shown on my previous posting. Also a set of archive photos from 1978 of the Tom Robinson Band playing live in London. My portfolio on BSP now stands at 92. Check it out using the link on the left of the page. Regards, David

Wednesday 26 November 2008

Nikon training:

Did you know that Nikon UK ( http://www.nikon.co.uk ) run a whole series of training courses for their various models of cameras and other things like flash photography? I've just been on a one day course especially for my Nikon D80. No doubt, unlike me, you have all read the manual from start to finish but if you haven't got round to it, these one day courses are a great way to get to grips with your gear. I certainly found out about features I hadn't realised existed! Regards, David

Picture opportunities:



It might not be as glamerous as a James Bond movie premiere but don't overlook local events. At this time of year most towns are having a "celebrity" christmas lights switch on. Last weekend was Ashfords event and I got some good shots of Olympic gold medallist (complete with medal) Jamie Staff and some of Emma Barton (Honey Mitchell in Eastenders). Two useful shots for libraries that take celebrity pictures. Get checking your local events guide now! Regards, David

Seeking Steve Hill:

I am trying to get in touch with a press photographer that I used to know but have lost contact with. Steve is probaly in his fourties now and was from Huntingdon, England. If you know Steve please ask him to get in touch! Thanks, David

Monday 24 November 2008

First blog, First post

Well here it is then, my first posting on my first blog. I'm still working out how it all works so will probaly look a bit amateur for now! This is a blog for anyone interested in stock photography and possibly, like me, you are working towards photography as a full time career. Or maybe you haven't got started yet and want to give it a go. I'll be passing on tips, reporting on my progress and hopefully provide some useful and interesting information along the way. Thanks for reading this and do come back again, regards, David