Why Stock Photography is a Great Resource for Web Business

by Kelly Paal

A picture is worth a thousand words.And it still is today.

With the media changing everyday photography has changed along with it and as a result is still a valuable resource for web business.

1. Photos enhance the look of a website.

2. Communicate so much more than words, they communicate emotions.

3. Photos can be customized for borders and backgrounds.

4. Photos have more impact than clip art. (They tend to give a more professional look.)

5. Stock photography is a big business and affordable stock is out there.

As a web business you’re most likely a small business and have a limited budget and that’s where stock photography can be great resource for you. You can spend as little as $10.00 or as much as $200.00 plus on one image. (Consider that if you hired a professional commercial photographer to shoot a few rolls of film to your specifications it would cost you thousands and thousands of dollars.)

Things to remember when shopping for stock photography:

1. Know what you want, start with a generic idea and get specific as you shop (Remember you probably will not find the exact image that you have in your head, be open to good photos that you find along the way.)

2. Shop around, try the larger agencies try the independents too. (Larger agencies offer more to chose from independent photographers offer more personalized service.)

3. Know what you’re going to use it for, stock photography belongs to the photographer who created it, or the agency, so know what you need it for there can and will be limitations of use.

4. Know what format you need, you only need 72 dpi for the web, be careful that you don’t pay for a higher quality when you don’t need it. (300 dpi for printing purposes)

5. Know your terms for the industry, Make sure that you know what the difference is between royalty free and rights managed, and any other terms the business may use. If something is not clear on their site contact them and ask for clarification.

So remember you can add a little more impact and emotion to your site by making use of the stock photography out there today.

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally.

Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (http://www.kellypaalphotography.com/).

She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design

Digital Photo Printing - How To Insure You Get Quality Prints

by Mike Kruske

Now that you have purchased a fine quality digital camera and finally got thatgreat shot of the baby that you would like to get enlarged and framed, how doyou know the digital photo enlargement you order from that online printer willlast without fading?

A good price is nice, but in the world of digital printing, there is a world ofdifference in the quality and archival properties (non-fading), of digital prints.Differences range from the quality and weight of the photographic papers, tothe type and durability of the inks used. The greatest difference may be in theactual print quality, or printing resolution, of the digital printer.All in all....a basic general knowledge of the differences out there can be thedifference between a beautiful framed image and a complete disappointment.

Photographic papers for digital prints range from very light weight, economicalpapers, to professional grade, heavy weight durable papers. Economical papersrange from 5mil to 7mil thickness and can be damaged by creasing very easily.Because the resin coatings on these economical papers are thinner, the printedimage may not be as stable and durable, which can result in color shifting in theprint. If you are looking for a one time use with a photo, this may work for you.

If you are expecting your photo enlargement to last for many year with a vibrantdynamic image, I would always recommend using the professional grade photopapers. These papers will be of 10mil thickness and rated with a weight of 250gm.

The type of inks used in digital printing have the most to do with your photo printlasting for years without fading and color shifting. There are basically two types ofinks, dye inks and pigmented inks. Pigmented inks are produced from organicmaterials and will last the longest with the greatest UV and stability protection.

The final, and most important point related to high quality digital prints is the printresolution or printing dpi of the digital printer. Generally, the higher the printingresolution, the finer quality the print. Higher resolutions will produce a fuller, moredetailed image, close to whats refered to as "solid tone" printing. Many printersuse systems with 600dpi or 1200dpi resolutions. These will produce nice prints,but for the finest quality digital prints, you will want to find printers with higherresolutions like 1440dpi or 2880dpi. These will produce the best visual prints.

As a rule of thumb, you will want to deal with printers that offer a satisfactionguarantee. If a printer does not guarantee their work, how good can it be?

For in-depth information on photo enlargement and digital photo printing visit:Digital Photo Printing

If you have any questions concerning the information in this article:PhotoArt Imaging


Mike Kruske established PhotoArt Imaging Digital Arts Center in 1997 specializing in Photo Enlargement, Digital Photo Enlargement and Wide Format Digital Photo Printing of Digital Images. This targeted experience provides a unique insight into digital photo processing for large format print output. For further photo enlargement and printing info or questions: http://www.enlargephotos.com/