Neal Osborn
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Will –
This is the exact question I have been struggling with lately. My medical macro studio has taken off and I am getting some very unique high-resolution images that are desirable to the device manufacturers. Basically, I am able to produce clean images with the devices in vivo (applied photography). Also, I am a skilled lecturer and good at Keynote presentations. Thus, when I market the images in presentation style the executives are universally impressed but what they really want is to use my images in their own presentations by their own lecturers. My initial scheme was to have myself as the lecturer but I now realize there is more potential in licensing the photos for circulation.
Unfortunately, I have hit a few road blocks in regards to pricing. As you know, this is a touchy subject and not easily calculated, especially based on word of mouth. Thus, I have settled on a formula with the following variables: Uniqueness of images, circulation total, anticipated audience per year, printable vs presentation goals, and to a lesser degree my margin costs and time. I am looking at a 5 year unrestricted licensing agreement. Just need to figure out if it will be on a per-image or a per-project cost basis. The easy part in the formula for me are the pictures themselves (i.e. novel images that [literally] nobody else can produce right now).
I would be grateful to hear any advice on this topic. I will also be happy to discuss the topic offline to hear what others are doing and to offer my own insight/pricing.
Thanks Drifter.
For those interested, that white flag is the Stainless Banner (see below) or go here to learn more. http://www.nps.gov/fosu/planyourvisit/upload/Flags_of_Fort_Sumter.pdf
The Stainless Banner
The Second National Flag of the Confederacy, or Stainless Banner, was adopted on
May 1, 1863. Four of the six additional stars represent the states that seceeded after the
battle of Fort Sumter: Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina. The two
remaining stars represent Kentucky and Missouri, states that never officially seceeded
but were recognized by the Confederacy. This flag also caused confusion because its
long white field often made it look like a surrender flag. It was replaced with the Third
National Confederate Flag in 1865.I dug these photos out of the archive from my trip to Australia in 2006. Are these the same bats we are talking about here? These were taken in the daytime in that big park in Sidney (can’t remember the name)?
Dusty – a friend of mine had the same problem and here is how he solved it: Have your wife tell you to sit and give you commands and make the dog watch you obey and then get rewarded. Sounds weird, but it worked perfectly for them. Personally, I’m very lucky that my dog is an equal opportunity employer/obeyer.
Cameron –
I have a pretty good idea of the kinds of subjects you are interested in photographing (i.e. gorgeous antique reels and fiberglass rods and stream fish, etc). You are tailor made for the macro game!!! So here is my recommendation – either option is good but the first setup will surely get “YOU” the most bang for the buck and allow you do great product shots, macro fly shots and will also serve as a “normal” lens setup so you can avoid the 50mm for now (remember, everyone and their dog are talking about the new 50mm Nikkor lens but you will get a similar focal length with the 60mm macro).
1. My first choice for you – Nikon 60mm AF-D f/2.8 (1989 -2008). This is the lens that Zach recommended to me a while back and it was my first non-kit lens purchase. Nikon replaced it this year by a new 60mm which does the same thing but is more expensive. Since you have the D70 you CAN use the older (and in my opinion better) lens. This will get up and running better than any setup. Since it is now discontinued you will need to hit ebay http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkwZNikonQ2060mmQ20fQ2f2Q2e8QQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZR40QQ_mdoZ or other sources but it can be had for less than $350. Secret – this is the lens I use mostly to get the fly shots I post here.
Ken Rockwell reviews
Older 60mm AF-D f/2.8 http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/60mm-afd.htm
Newer 60mm AF-S f/2.8 http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/60mm-afs.htm
Example from my 60mm AF-D f/2.8
2. Another great lens is the 12-24 wide angle http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/1224.htm. This is a great lens and allows you get cool river shots and nature photography with wide angle. Everything is good with this lens. However, this is an expensive piece of equipment and your kit lens will similar focal length so it is not essential, just thought I’d mention it.
3. IF you still want a 50mm prime lens to walk around with, the 50mm f/1.8 is a great buy at $99. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/5018daf.htm. Most everyone has this lens (or the f1.4) in their bag. For a Christmas present the f/1.8 is an innexpensive stocking stuffer and you will have fun walking around with this little gem. Remember though, if you get the 60mm macro lens it will be similar except that it is “slower” meaning the aperture won’t open to 1.8 or 1.4 like the dedicated 50mm. Finally, know that most of the reviews on the 50mm lenses pertain to the new FX (full frame) digital cameras – on your D70 sensor this lens will essentially have a focal length of like 80mm and act more like a short telephoto. At $99 it’s not that big of a deal and that’s why most people just grab one and play around.
Instead of getting two lenses, you might consider just getting the 60mm macro plus an additional flash – like the Nikon SB-600! That setup will shoot you straight up the learning curve for product/fly shots that I know you want. Here’s something you may not know – very very important – your D70 is not only a great camera but it has the capability of acting as a MASTER flash control! Nikon discontinued this ability in the subsequent entry level cameras. This is huge because you can take flash (i.e. SB-600 or others) off-camera for creative lighting. You don’t need to buy additional masters like the SB-800/SB-900, or SU-800 – your camera has the master capability built in!!! Bonus, score. Read more here http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/ittlslave.htm or here http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d70/d70-settings-menus-custom.htm.
Mike, your step-by-step looks pretty good. I always hesitate offering advice on others pictures since I am still on the learning curve myself. Keep asking what you would improve and each set will be better than the prior.
That being said, I did notice something in your pictures worth comment – white balance and hue/saturation. I mention this because that has been a weak spot in my own technical learning curve and it is very important with pictures of flies. Believe me, this is one of those “Oh my God” areas where when the lightbulb turns on you won’t believe the improvement in picture quality. Basically, it is the art of making the colors of your tying material and final subject look real in respect to color. Having spent much time and effort on on the other aspects of macro photography, it still amazes me how important the final simple colors are to the picture. IMO this skill is best learned best by trial and error and lots (and lots) of photoshop post work with curves, hue, saturation, white balance. Also, here is where all that RAW vs jpeg and color space discussion come in to play (lots of discussion on these topics for a reason, they are basic requirements to getting the final picture color to look like the real color).
I can’t end without an example. 😀
Here is a shot I worked on for a very long time (but wasn’t able to get that single black hackle from hanging down, aagghh). This is a rainbow wooly bugger and I wanted to show the colors of the dubbing loop and highlight how important they are to the finished product. I shot all the pictures in RAW.
Look closely at the first picture. I was happy with the depth-of-field, composition, clarity, and the background was sufficiently far away and there was no spill of light (a bit bright on the wood but overall not bad). However, I forgot something very important – I didn’t switch the camera to manual white balance and therefore the auto metering was employed. Thus the final image has a lot of magenta and the colors, although vibrant and saturated, are clearly off. This off-color shot leaves the viewer a bit strained.
The solution is to reset the white balance (that is why shooting in RAW is so important because you can salvage in post production). I set a manual white balance that matched the flash. Then I selectively changed each of colors until I got the correct image (actually it still looks a bit green to me but then again I’ve looked at this picture so much I can’t remember the original, ha). Notice how this second image is cleaner and much more simple, basically easier on the eyes. Your attention is drawn to the fly and the dubbing. Now your viewer can walk right in to the picture and feel at home.
