Getting My Feet Wet with Photography
The Newest Thing in Photography
Getting Started
With my budding passion for photography I've been testing out my new skills. A few months ago, I figured it was finally time to suck it up and get a big girl camera. I travel enough that I realized taking photos on my Samsung Galaxy, although convenient and perfect for platforms like Instagram, wasn't enough, especially quality-wise. And who doesn't love a good challenge?
Instead of dropping a ton of money on a brand new camera, I took my brothers Canon 7D off his hands for a few hundred dollars. It came with both a Sigma 18mm - 50mm f/2.8 zoom lens and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens. I also picked up a 24mm f/2.8 lens just before my trip to Peru. With that, I was off and running.
Unsplash: Beautiful Free Images
This past week my brother turned me on to a new platform called Unsplash. Unsplash is an up and coming website devoted to sharing beautiful copyright free images. Yes, that's right, free. It began in 2013 by Michael Cho in Montreal and is quickly becoming one of the world's leading photography websites. They have more than 70,000 contributing photographers and now I'm one of them.
The first step is to register by submitting 10 images. By the following day, Unsplash will let you know if you've made the cut. If you're lucky, they'll feature one of your images on Unsplashes main page. This is by far the best way to get exposure.
Puppy Love
Machu Picchu
Reflections
Snow Covered Mountaintops
Paradise
Rain Drops on my Mind
Walking Among the Clouds
What Dreams are Made Of
Unsplash definitely has a certain type of image they love to showcase. Ones that are moody and full of shadow, crisp and clean or images that incorporate bokeh seem to shine most. So far, I've had eight of my images showcased on the main page with hopes of many more to come.
Unsplash is clearly a new and innovative way to share images but I'm curious how professional photographers who make their living getting paid for images feel about the site. Many think Unsplash will eventually monetize and contributors will have a chance to earn real cash but for now it's an amazing way to get your work out there, so give it a shot.