Watch and wait...

I find graphical and numeric statistics very interesting. Personally, the funnest part of being a member of DT for me is watching the earnings and stats grow. I have not been uploading a lot recently, but just watching my stats. I want to share with you all a fairly significant landmark in my account.

Wild Blueberries

This image was downloaded for the 5th time, making it my third Level 2 image. This image has been different because its popularity grew faster than any other image of mine. It was downloaded the day following its acceptance. It also became level 2 faster than either of my other two images that have attained that level. This download was the 40th for me. What makes it really different is that it was downloaded in the TIFF format, therefore being my most profitable download and the month with the highest RPD. And my paycheck is closer to becoming more than a dream!

Photo credits: Elimitchell.
  • Elimitchell
Whether the subject is a soaring eagle, snowy Mount McKinley or a blooming Dahlia, ever since I began photography a few years ago I have discovered details through the viewfinder that I would not have seen otherwise. Through my photography, I hope share these incredible facets of Creation with others.

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Elimitchell

July 22, 2010

Thanks Harold. May that download come soon!

Brad, In talk on photography forums, they said that the EF-S screen was a must if you are using this MF lens. But then some went even further and recommended the Maxwell Treated "EF-S" Screen. They told me that by all means, you should buy it if you can afford it. (you can contact Bill Maxwell at Bill Maxwell: maxwellprecisionoptics at toast dot net

404-244-0095

Maxwell Precision Optics PO Box 33146 Decatur GA 30033-0146 USA
he has no website) So I thought I would find more out about that. I found out that the screen is almost $200. I passed it up, and just went with the Canon EF-S.

Bradcalkins

July 22, 2010

Thanks for the reply on the Rokinon! I did know it was manual - I was interested in how you found manual focus with the 40D. Good to know you ended up with the EF-S focusing screen...

Secmaster

July 22, 2010

Congrats My Friend. I have one level 2 image and one more where I need just one more download to make it level 2.

Elimitchell

July 20, 2010

Brad, the Rokinon is a very interesting lens. I have not yet uploaded any images taken with it, though. It has the potential to be extremely sharp when focused right.

In case you don't know much about it, it is very manual. :) It has no electronic communication with the camera. The aperture is manual, and the focusing is manual. Because of these two factors, it is more of a challenge to operate.

Also, since the aperture is manual, the aperture seen in the viewfinder is always what it is set at (like the DOF preview is always on); not like most lenses/cameras where the aperture is wide open until the picture is taken, and it stops down to the selected aperture for the fraction of the second in which the shutter is open. As a result of this, the viewfinder can get quite dark at closed apertures. To minimize this problem, I use an EF-S focusing screen. This screen also makes MFing easier.

Using this lens with the Av mode selected on the camera's dial works best for me. Note that the aperture will be displayed as "00" always. I notice that the camera seems to underexpose images taken at 0 exposure compensation, so I usually set the exp. comp. to +1/2 or +1 depending on the situation. The bokeh is gorgeous. The focusing ring is smooth, yet fairly stiff. The rotation of the focusing ring is also fairly long. Neither of these things bother me personally. The only thing that is of slight annoyance to me is the hood. It is flimsy and tricky to mount in a hurry. This can be solved by purchasing a replacement hood. (***.com ***.com) It has some CA at times, but that is the norm with such a fast lens (even the 1.8k EF 85mm f/1.2L has lots of CA sometimes).

To summarize, I think the lens is excellent considering ***.com, and that you are getting something that produces gorgeous bokeh and has an f/1.4 aperture. My portraits have improved drastically since I bought it. Unless you absolutely can't get by without AF, I would definitely recommend it over the Canon 85mm f/1.8.

Bradcalkins

July 20, 2010

Congrats - how do you like the Rokinon 85mm? Do you use it for any of your stock images?

Elimitchell

July 20, 2010

Thanks Jdanne!

Jdanne

July 20, 2010

Congratulations!

Elimitchell

July 20, 2010

I don't want to celebrate my first paycheck too frivolously or else there will be nothing left! ;)

Starblue

July 20, 2010

:-) Nice blog - and I like the end of it - I wish you to get many paychecks, and the first paychekc to celebrate with a toast of a good wine :-)

Elimitchell

July 20, 2010

Thanks Maen! I'm still waiting to find my first image in use! :)

Mani33

July 19, 2010

Well what is the most important that it's successful & it made good revenues! Hope you can find it in use soon! Cheers :)

Elimitchell

July 19, 2010

Maen, I should be outside picking these VERY soon, actually. It would be nice to see this image used somewhere. I don't see why anyone other than an editor or designer would download this image in the TIFF format.

Elimitchell

July 19, 2010

Thank you for the comment, Alexandre. I believe this image had a total 2+ hour exposure (it was a stack of many 3 minute exposures). Most of the other images in my portfolio have the exposure in the exif panel on their DT page. Have you read my star trails photography tutorial yet?

As for the tripod, I only used a cheap generic name tripod. But it is so flimsy that a single bump could ruin the entire exposure (and has many times!). As soon as I can, I plan to upgrade to a Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 with a Kirk BH-3 ball head, or a Gitzo 1325 (great value tripod, but discontinued, so it must be bought used). If you don't want to shell out so much on a Carbon Fiber tripod, then the Aluminum Manfrotto 055CXPROB is an excellent choice.

To address your last question, Alexandre, the images were all downloaded under the RF licenses.

Mani33

July 19, 2010

Congratulations the fast level 2!
Well I had the curiosity to check the growing season of wild Blackberry on wikipedia & I think it's nice if you could match the sales dates with the ***.com specially in Canada & the US, maybe that helps you to understand why ;)

Afagundes

July 19, 2010

Hi Elimitchell,
I liked your portfolio, what kind of tripod did you used for the star trails?
How long was the exposure?
About the blog, I have seen this happen sometimes, some images apparently random, start being downloaded some times in a row very fast, I think its probably the same buyer who needs more than one type of license, couldnt it be?