Initially, she had a very steep learning curve as far as stock photography was concerned and it took time for her to polish her photography skills. According to her every time the photos submitted by her to iStockPhoto were rejected she learnt from it about what she had done wrong with the image.
Once she became a pro, her instinctive trait to share her knowledge kicked in and she started writing books on photography, helping aspiring photographers both in print and digital formats.
She also continuously shares words of wisdom on photography on her blog by using pod-casts, webinars, tips, video tutorials and talks about the latest photography trends with her readers. Some of the books authored by her are Canon7D: From Snapshots to Great Shots , EOS Canon 60D: From Snapshots to Great Shots and Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots.
Along with her stock photography work Nicole is also an accomplished food photography specialist. Some of the photographs that she has shared with us here and on her blog make me go drool and hungry to the core.
She is also an accredited Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Photoshop CS5 and is a Help Desk Specialist with the National Association of Photoshop Professionals where she answers questions related to the software. Read on to find out more about Nicole's journey of creating photographic artwork:
Happy reading!
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1. Hey Nicole, please introduce yourself to our readers.
I'm a photographer and author of several how-to photography books and eBooks, my latest one being "Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots". I love all types of photography, but a lot of my images end up either being stock photos of people or food. In my free time I'm usually outside with my camera photographing the beautiful landscape of the Pacific Northwest. I also work for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals as a Help Desk Specialist, which basically means I answer questions about Photoshop from members of the association.
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2. How did you get started with photography/writing as a full time profession? Always been the artistic type?
Yes, I've definitely always been artsy and into anything that required creativity. In high school I needed an art credit, so I took photography because it "looked interesting". I can vividly remember the moment when I knew that this was my medium, the best way to express my creativity and share my vision. I put it aside as a hobby until I discovered microstock in 2006, and also started a blog. At some point along my journey I met a few of the people over at Peachpit, somehow got on their radar and was asked to write my first book, "Canon 7D: From Snapshots to Great Shots". I never really thought of myself as a writer but realized that I do enjoy it, and have since then written three print books, two eBooks and another print and eBook are currently in-progress.
3. Being a total noob in photography myself, can you explain exactly what you mean by stock photography? Why stock and food photography only? From where do you draw inspiration for your photographs?
Stock photography is a way to license images—the photos are in a portfolio online, and clients find the photos they want and pay a fee to license the images. For my "work" photography I only really do stock imagery and don't take many clients, mostly because I fill up the rest of my time writing books or putzing around on social media. I draw a lot of my inspiration from other photographers online, there is so much talent out there that I would have never been exposed to if websites like Twitter and Google+ didn't exist.
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4. Please tell us briefly about your writing and also specifically about your Books. Just curios to know why you do not sell your books in pdf or ePub format on your own site? How has been your experience with Peach Pit and Craft and Vision?
I've written three print books, and I'm currently writing a fourth. My first two books were camera-specific (how to use a certain camera model), my third (and most recent) was on Food Photography, and my fourth will be a book on onOne Software, which is software for photographers to edit and enhance their images. As far as eBooks go, I have one currently on the market about stock photography, called "(micro)STOCK: From Passion to Paycheck", and another soon-to-be-published eBook, both with Craft&Vision. Here is a link to all of my current books: http://nicolesyblog.com/books/
I would say that the reason I don't have any books I sell on my own on my site is because a lot of my writing kind of just "happened". I was never really expecting to be a published author, so didn't really have a plan for it. I enjoy working with both Peachpit and Craft&Vision, they are really great companies and easy to work with. The amount of ideas I have for books and eBooks is keeps growing, however, and I'm sure that one day I'll start self-publishing eBooks over on my website as well.
5. How do you go about deciding on the theme of a photoshoot? How do you like to set the perspective of your subjects? Do you think the advent of ecommerce has thrown open the floodgates for creative people?
I keep a running list of dozens of possible ideas for my photoshoots, for both people and food photography. Much of my stock images happen when I have the opportunity, such as a location or the right type of person for the shoot. I also do believe that the ability to sell our goods or services through the internet has opened up a lot of possibilities for people to do things they may not have been able to in the past. There's very little overhead to open up an online store so people who work from home, even part-time, have the ability to sell their goods, books, prints, etc.
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6. Please tell us something about the equipment that you use. Could you please elaborate on both the hardware and the software. How does one get certified in Photoshop?
My main camera is a Canon 5D MarkIII, and I have a solid lens collection but find myself using three of them more than others: my Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS, Canon 100mm Macro f/2.8L IS, and Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5LII. I also use Really Right Stuff L-brackets and tripod heads, and a lot of different filters (ND, GND) for landscape photography. My computer setup is a MacPro with a 27-inch display, and I use Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS6, and I also use onOne Software as well. To become certified in Photoshop you need to take a test at a local test facility, and all of that information can be found over at Adobe's website. |
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7. What other photographers/writers do you look up to and why?
This is a question I get a lot in interviews and it's always challenging. There are so many photographers that I draw inspiration from on a daily basis, many of them for different reasons. I think that social media, particularly Google+, has opened my eyes to the world of photography in a completely different way.
8. If you could peek inside the studio/toolbox of any one other photographer, whose would it be and why?
I would love to sit and watch a food photo-shoot from a well-known food magazine, like Martha Stewart, Cooking Light, or Food&Wine. I'm very interested in the styling and prop aspects behind a magazine food shoot—I do all of my own props and styling for my stock images so I'm curious how other photographers work.
9. What are your future plans as a photographer? Are you working on any cool new projects currently?
I honestly don't know where I'll be in a few years, literally and figuratively. :) I'm hoping to still be doing the same things I'm doing now, but I really want to start teaching on a regular basis. I want to eventually lead workshops and teach larger groups of people ... I'm not a huge fan of getting in front of people and talking, but I think it's important that we strive to do the one thing we fear the most to challenge and improve ourselves. I also don't really have any cool projects, other than writing a few more books. I am trying to travel the world as much as possible while I'm still young (and don't yet have any kids). As long as I go somewhere that requires an airplane over water and a passport then I'm happy. :)
10. What top advice would you like to give to budding photographers/writers who want to make it big in the online world?
I think the most important thing for people these days is to stay true to themselves and be authentic in their interactions with other people. Sometimes it takes a while to find your groove, your own personal style and vision, but you'll get there if you keep at it. Try lots of new things and don't be afraid to try something twice, even if you didn't get into it the first time around.
You can find out more about Nicole's photography at:
Website
Google+
Pinterest
Facebook
Twitter
Thank you Nicole for working with us and taking the time for this interview; We wish you the very best for the future.
I would love to sit and watch a food photo-shoot from a well-known food magazine, like Martha Stewart, Cooking Light, or Food&Wine. I'm very interested in the styling and prop aspects behind a magazine food shoot—I do all of my own props and styling for my stock images so I'm curious how other photographers work.
9. What are your future plans as a photographer? Are you working on any cool new projects currently?
I honestly don't know where I'll be in a few years, literally and figuratively. :) I'm hoping to still be doing the same things I'm doing now, but I really want to start teaching on a regular basis. I want to eventually lead workshops and teach larger groups of people ... I'm not a huge fan of getting in front of people and talking, but I think it's important that we strive to do the one thing we fear the most to challenge and improve ourselves. I also don't really have any cool projects, other than writing a few more books. I am trying to travel the world as much as possible while I'm still young (and don't yet have any kids). As long as I go somewhere that requires an airplane over water and a passport then I'm happy. :)
10. What top advice would you like to give to budding photographers/writers who want to make it big in the online world?
I think the most important thing for people these days is to stay true to themselves and be authentic in their interactions with other people. Sometimes it takes a while to find your groove, your own personal style and vision, but you'll get there if you keep at it. Try lots of new things and don't be afraid to try something twice, even if you didn't get into it the first time around.
You can find out more about Nicole's photography at:
Website
Google+
Thank you Nicole for working with us and taking the time for this interview; We wish you the very best for the future.
"According to her every time the photos submitted by her to iStockPhoto were rejected she learnt from it about what she had done wrong with the image."
May I ask, does this mean that iStockPhoto TOLD here what was wrong with the image?
Or did she figure it out by evaluating the image herself?
Those pictures are just too beautiful! Guys, you should visit her site, and checkout her 'Two Minutes Tips'. Love it! :)
Hi Henry. iStock does tell you what's wrong with them, but usually in a very broad sense (such as "sensor spots", "poor lighting", "artifacting", etc.). From there I would have to figure out the specifics.
Thanks Claire!
I liked these photos very much
I think the most important thing for people these days is to stay true to themselves and be authentic in their interactions with other people.
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I honestly don't know where I'll be in a few years, literally and figuratively. :) I'm hoping to still be doing the same things I'm doing now, but I really want to start teaching on a regular basis.
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