Tip 3: Buy Decent FTP Upload Software
I personally think it is a good idea to keep the uploading process as
simple as possible. So, while we are stuck with iStockphoto’s fl aky
upload interface, I insist that other libraries I submit to must use FTP
bulk upload if I am going to send my work to them. The advantage
for you as a photographer is that you can use FTP software to upload
new images to several libraries at once.
There are many available software packages that make uploading
via FTP painless. I use a program called Ipswitch WS_FTP Professional,
which costs about $60 to buy, but there are good and cheaper alterna-
tives available. I have listed some of them in Appendix 3.
Tip 4: Buy and Use Adobe Photoshop
Yes, yes, yes, I hear you—Photoshop is expensive. But it’s not as
expensive as your time. Photoshop is an industry standard, and that
means that there is a lot of free help out there from other users. I have
used Photoshop since Version 4, and its current iteration, CS3, is a
complete and powerful package. The cheaper Elements or Corel Paint
Shop Pro offer viable alternatives.
Tip 5: Buy a Macro Lens if You Own a dSLR
It’s a bit off the wall, but I do recommend getting a proper, dedicated
macro lens for the options it opens up in portraiture (and, hence,
fashion and business-type shots), food and object shots, and concept
shots, and for the simple pleasure of using a quality fi xed focal length
lens. Zooms with a macro function are not quite as good, particularly
if used near their maximum aperture.
Because macro lenses are optimized for close-up photography, the
results are sharper, and because true macro lenses are “prime” lenses
with just one focal length, they tend to have faster maximum apertures
of around F/2.8. It is tempting to go for a zoom lens with a macro
button or function on it, but it is unlikely, in my experience, to offer
the same level of performance as a true fi xed focal length macro lens,
and it will probably be bigger and heavier.
Tip 6: Buy a Tripod to Go with That New Macro Lens
No one’s hand is steady enough for available light macro or studio
work. Decent shots deserve decent support. A tripod is so useful that
I cannot believe anyone would consider not having even a cheap
one.
There are any number of different tripod designs and they vary
wildly in price. For indoor use, you don’t need to spend a lot of money.
TIP 6: BUY A TRIPOD TO GO WITH THAT NEW MACRO LENS 145