Top Ten raw videos of the Iranian Riots

Iran has been shutting down media contact with the outside world. Hoping that the world would not see what is occurring in Iran. Regardless of their efforts pictures and videos are getting out. The majority of the videos below are not produced by video journalists, but coming directly from people in the street.

Some amazing pictures of the riots can be found here on the Big Picture.

Ten Top Tips for Winning Photo Contests

Title: Angel Awakening
caption: If one looks closely enough, one can see angels in every piece of art. ~Adeline Cullen Ray


The above photographic montage will be entered in a contest in July. I have based my decision on this entry on the ten tips below. I am already thinking this will be a winner.

Can you win photo contests? I would think so. I have had winning entries in over 50 percent of the contests that I have entered, both locally and internationally. So are there secret keys to success? Yes, so please don't share these tips it is our secret.

This is what I do with every contest.

1. Read all the rules carefully: Be sure what you are getting yourself into. Some contest are just a sham to have your copyright. So be careful. Once you have read the rules comply. And, make sure you use the exact format the contest requires.

2. Look at the past winners: Here you can find exactly what the contest is interested in. Do you have photos of similar quality? Study the past winners for compositional elements, color, subject, and representation. Then study again. These people were not winners of a lottery. They fulfilled the expectations of the judges. And, if a contest put out by a company, or organization: How does your photo play thematically into the message or mission of the contest sponsor?

3. Look at the judges: Not always but often the judges are listed. Now, you need to search and seek out their photographs. Study their photographs carefully. Find in their photographs salient traits and style. Study carefully and you will unearth their taste. Study their bio and their writings. The more you know about who is judging you the better you will be in choosing the photograph to enter. If they write about light, composition or other photo attributes: Then these are the secret keys in unlocking their interest your submission. I would not say mimic their style, but I would say try to present what they would appreciate in a photograph.

4. Go through your photographs carefully: Set up folders of candidate photos based on you would think the judge would pick. Pick perhaps a hundred. Put all your candidates in a folder called "winners." Yes, you need to think positively. Pick out the top ten and put in another folder called "the winners."

5. Get appraisals from others: Now this is the real test. Invite some friends over for evening of photo appraisal. Go over everything you learned in researching tips two and three. Ask them to play the role of judge and show them the folder called "winners." Ask them to pick out the top ten that makes the grade. Once done, compare with your own top ten picks. How many choices were the same? Now, you should have a good idea of which photos to use in the competition.

6. Decide if you should start from scratch: Now decide if your photos really have the mustard to compete. Be honest. If the photos are not competitive you have a camera and editing tools. Armed with what you know it is time for a photo outing and get what you need.

7. Examine your selections: Put your selected photographs back into your editing program. Enlarge you photograph and check every small detail of the photograph. Decide if it can be improved. Attention to detail is an important key. You should offer the most technically correct photograph that you can. Perhaps you have learned a new technique of improvement since you last edited your photograph that you can now apply.

8. Title and caption: Taking the knowledge you have learned in tips two and three, carefully decide on a title and caption. Sometimes the decision of a title and caption for me can take longer than actually editing the photo itself. Do not take the importance of this lightly.

9. The unavoidable bell curve: Realize you are trying to push you photograph to the very best end of the bell curve. If you have followed these tips you are getting to the good end. Ninety percent of the photos submitted will be rejected quickly. You should now have a photo in the top ten percent. One little tip, is to submit early. It may be okay to submit your taxes at the last moment, but photo contests are a very different matter.

10. Be a winner: You are a winner if you followed these steps. You have improved your chances of winning the photo contest dramatically. So sit back and wait for the notification. Don't be disappointed if you lose. Look at the winner and his photos. Congratulate them in your mind. My experience is being a winner 50 percent of the time. Try again and know you are going to succeed.

Ten Top Reasons Photographs Say WOW

Beyond all the rules of photographic is the intangible WOW. WOW happens at lightening speed in the viewer's mind. They know WOW and perhaps they can not explain why they were WOWed.

So how can the photographer achieve WOW in the viewer's mind? To reach this intangible are some tangible hints.

1. The medium is the message: Marshall McLuhan theorizes on the effect of media on the mind. In the Wikipedia explanation is a good start in understanding the relationship of the viewer's mind in response to media. And of course photography is a medium.

2. Tonal quality: Tonal quality can add sensual undertones. These can be over stated or under stated. And, I suppose this relates to style. Even in Black and White photography the tones of transition can have a deep effect on the viewer mind. In color photography, I try to achieve a pleasing smoothness to acquire that eye candy feel. Other photographers delve into harsher tone transitions. The real point is to offer something unique that is not found in snap photography. Tonal quality is an evolving process for me, and it has been part of the evolution of my style.

3. Style: Style is the fingerprint that an artistic photographer places on his photograph. Style can be achieved from the compositional elements, the post processing techniques and even the camera settings, or the kind of camera a photographer uses.

All of these elements really have a bearing on style. And each good photographer develops his unique approach. Many photographers try to emulate work.

Imitation may be the best flattery, but learning from others then evoking your own style should be your goal. Style is a process that grows with the photographer. As I look through my photographs, I definitely see a progression. I have posted most of my work on Flickr and a time line of development can be noticed.

4. Atmosphere: What photographs are likely to send a viewer into orbit?

I have found that atmosphere can be a deciding quality. A foggy scenes taken in the woods, a mountain landscape or a river scene adds immensely to the visual appeal of the viewer. I look for these atmospheric events to add accent to my photographs. I know when nature interacts it positively affects the WOW.

5. Interaction: When people or animals interact in your photographs you tell a story.

You have one frame to tell a story. Your subject can interact with others or even the viewer. A one frame story does not have to be the whole story. If it leaves something unsaid the better. Letting the viewers interact with their own musings is the ultimate in making a photograph interactive.

6. A sense of mystery: We always enjoy the imponderables. If our photographs can inspire a viewer to reflect we will hook the viewer.

I really can just can't tell you how to do a photograph with a sense of mystery. I can give you a hint. It is all in how the photograph leads the eye. If you can lead the eye into a deeper more provoking space you may achieve the sense of mystery.

7. A sense of disbelief: In good novels an author who can suspend the sense of disbelief can consume the reader.

The same is true for the artistic photographer. No photograph is an exact representation of reality, even snap shots. Reality is changed from three dimensions to two. Colors light and contrast are different from what reality presents. How effectively a photographer makes this transition depends on his ability to suspend the viewer's sense of disbelief.

8. Thematic Photography: Thematic photography helps a photographer develop his specialty and evoke style.

Thematic photography can broadly span the photography a person does. Nature, politics, sports, journalism and even wedding photography can promote certain styles.

Personally, I present two themes in my photography. I find it interesting that each have evolved separately. My style in nature photography is different than my race car photography. Themes help build a photographer's evolution in creating style and his own personal WOW factor.

9. Conceptual Photography: The idea here is to covey a concept.

As a nature photographer I am constantly emphasizing the importance of nature. Photographs are subliminal messages.

Other photographers have other messages in the photographs. I do not always agree with their message, but I appreciate the style and delivery. Every time you can inspire a viewer to think you are tapping into the WOW factor.

10. Originality: Perhaps you have gleamed from my last nine points an emphasis on originality.

If your photographs fall into a general commonality with others you are not exploiting the WOW factor.

Photoshop tutorials tend to lend to that commonality. And while I do suggest you explore these, you might try striking out on your own plowing new ground of creativeness. After all, only if you are different will you truly tap into the WOW factor of your viewers.

Ten Top Reasons Photographs Sell

As a photographer you can have some of the most beautiful and dramatic photographs. Yet, sales may be slim or not at all. So you may ask yourself, why am I not making sales?

Here are some answers that I have learned through experience.

1. Emotion, emotive, and sentiment: Ask yourself, do your photographs inspire the viewer to connect? The above photograph is named memory lane and has been a good seller for me.

I captioned this photo with a Saul Bellow quote: "Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door. "


While the title and the quote help set the scene for viewer connection, the photo itself has evoked childhood memories from many.

I have had some viewers and buyers ask where this photograph was taken. They have been sure they have been there, sitting on the wall drinking a soda as a child.

Oddly, they have only visited this place in their memories. I have a color version of this photograph. Although, I think it is a great photo and perhaps better, it does not inspire the same sentiment.
The quotation I used with the color version:

"She glances at the photo, and the pilot light of memory flickers in her eyes." ~Frank Deford

So I wonder, why the sepia version sells and the color version does not? My only guess is that memories are in black and white and people can connect with the sepia version better.


2. Photographs that relate directly to the viewer: Some photographers specialize. If it is Wedding photography, pet photography, or even event photography you have a ready market.

This can be the bread and butter for your craft. One sideline I do is dirt track racing photography. And, because the drivers, sponsors, and fans can directly and emotive connect, I make sales. Plus, there are tons of other perks that I enjoy.




3. Location, Location, Location: The three prime words in Real Estate Sales also applies to photography. Can take good local photographs? If so, you can develop a local market. I do this with the Blue Ridge Parkway and the city where I live, Lynchburg Virginia.

When you take photographs at your location imagine how they would look in a business. Visualizing your photographs hanging on walls is a mental exercise that I do all the time.



4. Is it worthy: Do a self appraisal of your photographs. Would you hang a large version behind your sofa?

And for that matter is one of your photographs being displayed above your sofa?

Your taste may be different from others, but these are pertinent question to ask. Can you compete in the art market place? And if not, decide how you can.

This picture is one of my best sellers and has appeared in National Magazines, such as National Geographic. And it is behind sofas of a select clientele worldwide.

5. Exposure: We are not talking about film exposure here, we are talking about your exposure. Do you do shows, do you exhibit? The more you expose you photographs the more sales you make. You can show your pictures on the Internet, but there is nothing like people seeing your photographs in person. Get out there and expose.

6. Tell your friends: People that have a connection with you are very likely to buy your photographs. There is nothing like a photograph at a friends house. They can tell their friends I know this photographer and he is great. You might even consider gifts to your friends to increase your exposure.

7. Donate your work: Promote your photography by donating your work to institutions and charities. This both lends to reputation and increases your exposure. And, besides this is a good thing to do.

8. Have a beautiful online gallery: I have opted for SmugMug for some very important reasons. I highly recommend SmugMug and I suggest you read why.

9. Show your attributions: Attributions are in essence testimonials about your photographs. I had someone else write mine, because I am shy. Attributions add meaning to your photographs, and suggest other reasons to develop interest in your photographs.

10. Be personable: As a photographer not only do you need to connect with your photographs, but as a person. Many people want a sense of who you are. Let them know you and they will be more apt to buy your photographs. Photographs are visual emotions and the more you can connect the better you will sell.

Top Ten Crazy Things I just happened to Photograph

I started this post with the idea that I would also tell you some of the crazy things I have done to get a shot along with some crazy shots I have taken. Well, just like a kid I started to think of all the crazy photos I have taken. I guess my own craziness will have to wait for another post.


1. This photo got nearly 5,000 views on Flickr. And was done with a super duper 3.2 thousand mega pixel camera. So pardon the quality. I called this competing for the Darwin Awards for obvious reasons.









2. Also from my early days of photography, so excuse the mess. If you have lived in a cave most of your life you may not know that this is Rev. Jerry Falwell's Church. And the Druid Society wanted to make sure their street was clean. When the Church moved I think the Druid group decided they have cleaned up the neighborhood enough.






3. Well, I do not mean to dwell on the religious aspect of Lynchburg. But I did find this guy walking up Wards Road one day. I guess everyone has their own cross to bear. So why not make a public display of it.











4. Again from my early days of photography in the digital age. So again excuse the quality of this point and shoot camera which cost over a thousand dollars and had a magnificent 3.2 megapixels.

Yes, this is an un-retouched photo of a hugh shoe. I just wish I had not lost the picture of the giant lady who died in in a hard drive failure.










5. This is more sad than funny. I took this photo one week before a boy, and maybe this one drown after jumping of the bridge. Oddly, this is the second time that I took a picture before someone drown. The other case was when a boy fell off a boat. I talked to him when he launched their boat. Later that evening I heard of the drowning.










6. Don't you wish you always had a camera when those unusual sights happen? This picture ended up on the cover of Imagine Driven Magazine.











7. Well, Shanti wanted a cracker at the National Zoo. I think she was getting her point across and I do not think this was a planned trick.










8. Yes, another one of those crazy things you see at the zoo. Again, this picture was taken with a low mega pixel camera in the early days of digital. He was giving the hippo a cracker, but I originally named this photo how to become an amputee.











9. Well this Red-Tail hawk is having a nice dinner of squirrel. Then on cue another squirrel just has to take a look and see what's for dinner. I generally use quotations with photos. And found this one pretty appropriate:

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations”
Oscar Wilde






10. I was watching for a climber to scale this cliff at Raven's Roost overlook (see the red rope). Unfortunately, he gave up before cresting the cliff.

I was somewhat surprised, and with my heart in my throat, as I took pictures of curious onlookers who stepped out on the edge of the world. This guy almost lost his balance on one foot.

The elevation here is 3200 feet and there is not much in between to break a fall.