The Stock Photo Saga

2008-06-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome Blue Iris

2007-12-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

Pantone has selected the color Blue Iris (PANTONE 18-3943) as the 2008 Color. The Blue Iris hue will represent a color direction in 2008, for fashion, cosmetics, and home products.

Pantone has selected the color Blue Iris (PANTONE 18-3943) as it's Color for 2008.

Blue Iris won! Is it because the color blue is ready to play an even more significant role in 2008, an election year?

The blue iris implies faith, hope, wisdom, courage, and so, we vote for BLUE!

Welcome Blue Iris

Hot color and background trends for 2008

2007-12-18T23:11:00.000-08:00

Natural textures are always are in demand. Grunge old paper was a favorite in 2007, but other backgrounds such as wood and sand are pretty noticable.

Natural wood textures indeed were very popular in 2007. Artists know that the texture they use can make the difference between a good or a great final image. FeaturePics has a huge portfolio of "wood grain" photographs to choose from. These are some examples of patterns and colors you can use to create texture variations for complete texture sets.

Hot color and background trends for 2008

Images of Chinese Culture

2007-12-18T23:07:00.000-08:00

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, were awarded to Beijing. Interest in this global event could spark a trend in:
- Reds and yellows, traditional Chinese colors.
- Chinese motifs that include the dragon, pine trees, tall jagged mountains and birds such as the crane.
- Floral motifs with peonies and chrysanthemums.
- Chinese calligraphy.

Images of Chinese Culture

Trendy brick patterns and backgrounds

2007-09-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

Nice seamless brick backgrounds suitable for web pages and creative textures for all purposes. medieval and modern dark red, gray, and white brick wall fragments can be "tiled" into any sized surface. A lot of choices to make your presentation fit the era you are working on.

Where to find images for blogs

2007-08-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

Goof news! You can use images in your blog openly, freely, and without needing to pay royalties!

FeaturePics and it's Authors are offering free of charge, images licensed under "Blog Use License (tm)" for the world of blogs.

This licensing allows blog publishers to use low resolution (130 pixel) images without watermarks in blog/news content.

This new image license is of interest to anyone who wants to use free images without copyright infringement.

Source:
Blog Use License

More information about the license at:

Blog Use License

Images you can use in your blog under this type of license:

Images for blogs

Copyright and Digital Images

2007-08-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

The Picture Archive Council of America (PACA),a North American trade association representing the interests of the image licensing industry, has published a freely downloadable PowerPoint presentation on copyright in image licensing.

The presentation is of interest to anyone who uses or produces images. It includes some very interesting copyright infringement case examples.

Metallic textures

2007-08-21T22:58:00.001-07:00

Metallic textures

Metallic effects are, without a shadow of a doubt, extremely popular amongst web designers and game artists. The reasons behind this are simple - there are many places that these textures can be placed, and they can be used for many different themes. You can use metal textures as a background to depict toughness or something rusty with age, it's up to you. Brushed, discolored and oxidized, scratched rusty metal, different aged metallic textures, patina colors for stylish website design layouts - all of them are photography based, which is why they are so unique and eye catching.

Stone and rock textures

2007-08-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

Stone and rock textures
This collection of royalty free pictures focuses on stone and rock textures. These types of textures are essential for architectural visualizations, artists, game artists, and web designers. Stone surfaces, stone and rock walls, cliffs, close ups of different rock formations, fragments of weathered stones, portions of old brick facades, stones with topographic textures, and sophisticated erosion effects -- the textures in this selection. The ageless stone patterns have different color variations and levels of detail to produce complex scenes and effects for your renderings.

Stone and rock textures

Wood textures

2007-08-19T13:35:00.001-07:00

Make an object appear to look like wood

Without texture the 3D environment is nothing more than a series of flat surfaces, with maybe a single color on a given surface. To make an object appear to look like wood, the Artist needs to capture a wood texture and put it on the object. Photographs can be used as the basis of the composition. Occasionally, they may need to be modified to appear seamless by the artist. 3d artists know that the texture they use can make the difference between a good or a great final image. FeaturePics has a huge portfolio of "wood grain" photographs to choose from. These are some examples of patterns and colors you can use to create texture variations for complete texture sets.

Textures to Enhance Colors

2007-08-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

For a long time, background patterns and textures were a no-no. Recently they have made a classy comeback. If you scan some of the latest ads and websites out there, you will notice these textures used in place of plain color. By using this method, the eye is caught, and the site looks much better. The images in this collection will help you to replace your flat color with an enhanced color.

Using Textures to Enhance Colors

Animal patterns (prints)

2007-08-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

Animal Fur, hides, and reptile skin - these pictures depict the look, texture and the patterns of animal skins. It is an excellent collection - we prefer to observe the images, not women's clothes and accessories made from animal skin. Cool vs. Cruel - produce animal friendly designs by using your own creativity to replace real fur whenever you can. Find tiger, leopard, cheetah, giraffe, and other wild animals skin patterns with background textures.

Animal Patterns

Pictures for green eco design

2007-08-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Green leaves on a white and black backgrounds, macro close ups of fresh and dry leaves , green natural patterns will help you to illustrate eco ideas, or concepts.

Excellent water textures and backgrounds!

2007-08-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Water textures and backgrounds
Pictures of splashing fresh water, water drops on different backgrounds, bubble and ripple illustrations, raindrops on a window surface, different abstract forms of water in motion - an excellent source of textures and backgrounds for designers!

Credits: Enjoylife25 (Fresh Water)

Floral design

2007-08-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

Pictures for decorative textured backgrounds and background borders. Composition with foliage, swirls, leaves, flowers, and curls. Floral backgrounds in different hues.

Floral Design

Fire Fighting pictures

2007-08-08T00:27:00.000-07:00

Fire Fighting
While dangerous, the oranges and reds in some of these images are facinating, and hypnotic. It takes many types of courage to fight this menace, and to appreciate the people who do it everyday. Check out our images related to firefighters responding to fires and emergencies.

Firefighters responding to fires

Global Warming/Climate Change Themes

2007-08-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

"Global climate change is "very likely" to have a human cause, an influential group of scientists has concluded." news.bbc.co.uk

Human actions are "very likely" thought to be the cause of global warming Climate change 2007" - The IPCC 4th Assessment Report is coming out

Featurepics Authors are contributing their images in answer to this question!

Global Warming/Climate Change Themes

Martial Arts

2007-07-29T22:39:00.001-07:00

Martial Arts Pictures
It doesn't matter what style you study, but how you study it. These pictures depict all age ranges and both sexes hard at it. The training is both mental and physical, and will last throughout your life. So, Karate, Kung-Fu, Tae-Kwon-Do, or whatever suits your vision of the right style, can be found in this collection. Train Hard!!!

Martial Arts pictures

Credits:
Martial Arts Belts 3

Blank cards and empty signs

2007-07-27T00:25:00.000-07:00

Place your own text over blank cards and empty signs

The following images all have a blank area surrounded by a theme, that can be used for insertion of your text, images, or signs, and may be used for advertisements or flyers. Many are funny, and have a light scene that is suitable for all needs. There are many choices for placing your text over blank cards and empty signs

Blank cards and empty signs

Credits: Kamaga

Still life images

2007-07-22T00:27:00.000-07:00

Various still life and abstract images, focusing on food, and relaxing scenes. Well lit and staged, good colors.
Credits: gsk
Still life images

Black and white photography

2007-07-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

Photography world seems to be going completely digital and colorful, black and white photography causes us to pause in thought. Even though it seems 2-dimensional to the uninitiated, there is a depth to it that color just seems to take away. B&W photography creates a mood of it's own, that just can't be duplicated with color.

Mysticism and mystery, fascinating shapes and forms, light, shadows and outlines - FeaturePics Authors enjoy experimenting, they create black and white and sepia-toned images using a variety of techniques.

Credits: Fluca

Black and white photography

Intimacy with nature, permanency and timelessness

2007-07-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

From grand landscapes, to sea and oceanscapes, to the richness of nature, to the changing of seasons.

Mike Dawson's marvelous collection includes seascapes overrun with fog, snowy, still, quiet mountain scenes, waterfalls, mirror smooth lakes, and many well captured nature scenes, that are studies of light, tone and mood.

A unique and special look at Nature by Mike Dawson

Textures and patterns

2007-07-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Textures and patterns so real you can almost touch and feel them. Great images useful for Designers interested in backgrounding presentations of all types. Text and image overlays would be easy with these.

Credits: EcoForm

Textures and patterns

Two colors

2007-07-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

A logical step in the process of using color, is creating shots using only two colors. These images show how this is possible.

Credits: CPhoto

Two colors

Geometry And Forms

2007-07-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Geometry, is the math that makes the world. These images, in an abstract way, point out the many forms that this can assume. Circles, triangles, angles, and cubes, combined with vibrant colors, serve to illustrate how versatile this medium is.

Credits: Daneel

Geometry And Forms

Photo contests: 2008 calendars

2007-06-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

At this time year you can find a lot of contests concerning "2008 calendars". Just google "photo contest 2008 calendar", and you will be busy the whole weekend submitting your great photos. Please check only a few below: flowers, pets, beautiful gardens, races, national parks, fireworks in a night sky...
For sure, you have a lot of great shots to submit, do it!

Photo contests: 2008 calendars

Motion pictures

2007-06-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

Motion pictures

Things and people in action. Images of movement and change. These photos display the world and the constant motion that it and it's inhabitants are in.

Credits: Lovleah

Check it out! Motion pictures

300,000 benchmark

2007-06-23T22:57:00.001-07:00

Fremont, California June 20, 2007 — Featurepics.com today officially launched final features of the redesigned portal offering news and entertainment agencies an easier way to purchase stock photos online. Some of the final features were available to existing customers on the selective basis for the last two months. Newly redesigned portal provides medium and large customers with one-stop purchasing options with an ability to purchase images on in-store credit. Featurepics.com gives consumers quick and easy way to find stock images they need while customizing for individual preferences of larger institutions.

300,000 Benchmark

Photo Metadata Conference

2007-06-18T00:42:00.000-07:00

Photo Metadata Conference

7 June 2007 -- Florence, Italy (Europe)

Working towards a seamless photo workflow

Exif, IIM, XMP, IPTC Core, custom panels – these are only a few terms from the continuously growing spectrum of metadata standards and technology that apply to photos. Whether it's your photos or the photos of your customers, your business depends on an accurate, smooth work flow. Metadata helps make that happen.

About Photo Metadata Conference

Malick Sidibé Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement

2007-06-18T00:40:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Golden Lion Award of the 52nd International Art Exhibition has been named; he is Malick Sidibé from the African state of Mali.

The winner of the Golden Lion Award of the 52nd International Art Exhibition has been named; he is Malick Sidibé from the African state of Mali. The 72-year old master has received Award for contribution to photoart. As related by BBC News, the main prize of the biennial is awarded to the photographer for the first time in the history of the Exhibition.

About Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement

Taiwan International Poster Design Award 2007

2007-06-18T00:37:00.000-07:00

This project uses "Taiwan International Poster Design Award 2007" competitions endorsed by ICOGRADA and supported by JAGDA to enlarge Taiwan's design perspectives and internationalize.

The competition is open to designers from all regions and countries
Taiwan International Poster Design Award 2007

About Poster Design Award 2007

Images 32 - The best of British contemporary illustration 2008

2007-06-18T00:35:00.000-07:00

Images 32 is distributed free of charge to a specially targeted list of 4,000 UK and European art buyers in summer 2008 and sold worldwide. The complete annual will be published as part of the Images archive on the AOI's website promoting the selected illustrations online.

The best of British contemporary illustration 2008

Photo contests: 2008 calendars

2007-06-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

About Photo Contests

Tourism and Leisure Photo Competition

2007-06-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

"The Department of Tourism and Leisure will accept entries in the annual Isle of Man Department of Tourism and Leisure Photo Competition from Friday (June 1) and are pleased to announce a new partnership with Nationwide International Ltd this year.

Photographers have just one month to lodge their entries in seven categories and the Department hopes winning entries will help promote the Isle of Man. There is more than £5,000 available in prize money for the best images, and the closing date for receipt of entries is July 2. Entries must be high quality digital images or transparencies, and should have been taken during the past year (between July 2006 and June 2007)."

http://www.manx.net/default.asp?id=18&articleid=6409

The CLA Centenary Photographic Competition

2007-06-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

"Enter your photos for your chance to win a cash prize of £500 – plus a day’s photography tuition
...
There are monthly prizes, an under-18 category and regional and national winners. The competition will run from 1 January and the last date for entries will be 31 August 2007. The national winner will be announced in December 2007.
...
The CLA Centenary Photographic Competition – in association with Smiths Gore – is designed to show how farmers and land managers work to maintain and enhance the landscape throughout the year.
...
Photographs can be of landscapes; wildlife; livestock; or can show a particular activity such as people working in a farm shop, a village fete, dry-stone walling, milking or people out enjoying the countryside.
"

http://www.cla.org.uk/CLA_Centenary/Photo_Competition/

100 Best Products of 2007 -- Products related to photography and imaging.

2007-06-04T21:44:00.000-07:00

At the end of May, PC World, the most widely-read computer and business related magazine, announced the winners of its "100 Best Products of 2007" Awards.

The products included the best PCs, HDTVs, components, sites and services.We will list those products related to photography and imaging, ie. cameras, photo printers, and photo/image editing tools.

100 Best Products of 2007 -- Products related to photography and imaging

The complete list of Best Products of 2007 is at The 100 Best Products of 2007

Rain Photos. The sun hasn't come out! It's raining, it's pouring...

2007-06-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

Bad weather doesn't mean bad photographic opportunities -- there's no need to leave your camera at home. Just read Chris' instructions, pack your equipment, and shoot, believing that a rainy day can bring some interesting surprises.

Source: PHOTOGRAPHER'S JOURNEY.com

Rain Photos

Disc Labeling Photography Kit

2007-05-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling Launches Photography Kit
With LightScribe, photographers can get noticed with picture-perfect discs

Corvallis, Oregon, May 30, 2007 – LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling announced today the LightScribe Photography Kit, a CD and DVD labeling package created specifically for professional photographers and photo enthusiasts. The LightScribe Photography Kit's disc labeling tips and resources for photographers are immediately available for free download on www.lightscribe.com.

Wright Photograph Award winners

2007-05-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill., May 30 -- The Construction Writers
Association (CWA) announced the winners of its Journalism and Photography
Awards at its Annual Meeting May 3rd in Washington, D.C.

Wright Photograph Award winners

The Gordon B. Wright Photography awards were designed to honor
photography of construction related subjects that add to the elements of
the story as either a feature photograph or as a series.

The Winner for Feature Photography is "Twists and Turns" by Michael
Goodman. This cover for ENR showcased steelworkers constructing one of the
venues for the Beijing Olympics. Jurors found the graphically strong image
compelling and a metaphor for the emergence of China as a world power while
suggesting the ongoing oppression of the common worker.

http://www.constructionwriters.org

Rodney Smith

2007-05-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.johnclearygallery.com/pastshows/smithshow.html

The moments on film Rodney Smith is capturing are, indeed, unique...

"Empowering the people who give us art" -- excellent initiative!

2007-05-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

..So many dedicated individuals and businesses work hard to create and support the arts in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Work of Art Awards is one way for us to recognize their contributions to the community. “Pittsburgh has a thriving arts community that would not exist without the support of our area businesses,” says GPAC CEO Mitch Swain. “The Work of Art Awards celebrate that critical synergy between business and the arts. We are proud to honor the people behind the arts in Pittsburgh.” ..

..Awards were presented in six categories: Creative Collaboration, Arts Educator Award, Volunteer of the Year, Chairman’s Award, Mayor’s Award for Public Art and People’s Choice Award. ..

Wow! New ways of thinking & applauding the arts!

http://www.workofartawards.com/

Portraits of a strange land

2007-05-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

The Tate's vast new exhibition of photography celebrates the pleasures and peculiarities of being British. Benjamin Secher reports at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Don't rely on color alone

2007-05-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

If you are using images that provide important information (not just design elements), insure that there is sufficient contrast to allow the visitor to discern that information. Reveal how your images may appear to users with a variety of color blindness conditions.

There is a list od tools and recommendations to help web developers and designers to simulate various vision problems and to assist them with making design decisions at

Images friendly to color blind people

Color Photographer Saul Leiter

2007-05-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

"Leiter’s color work was virtually unmatched during the 1940s and 1950s. His improvisational, spontaneous street approach found him floating from one beautiful, often somewhat abstract image to another. This seems a perfect match for the be-bop rhythm of the New York City of his time. "

1959, 35mm, no Photoshop - unbelivable!
Beautiful abstract images!

http://christianpatterson.com/blog/archives/408

Background patterns and background images

2007-05-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

Backgrounds in the hands of experienced designers can result in outstanding productions.
Visit these examples to see how background textures impact website design.
Check out examples of background textures that will open up many interesting visual design possibilities.

Background patterns and background images

Hang on to those old cameras

2007-05-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

Hang on to those old cameras, they may be worth something.
Vienna, May 26 (DPA) The oldest commercially built photo camera, a so-called Daguerrotype Susses Freres was auctioned at Vienna's WestLicht Gallery and auction house Saturday for 588,613 euros ($792,333), making it the most expensive camera ever sold.

FeaturePics Old Camera image resources

COLOUR before COLOR

2007-05-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

The show curated by Martin Parr, 'COLOUR before COLOR' which opens at Hasted Hunt in New York on June 7, (until July 20, 2007) is already attracting a great deal of attention. Parr has selected work in color from European photographers before color became a part of the American art world in the late 1970s.

http://photography.about.com/

Photo contests and awards

2007-05-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

National Geographic Magazine awards first annual photography grant

WASHINGTON (May 11, 2007)-- The National Geographic Magazine has awarded a $50,000 grant to Eugene Richards. The National Geographic Magazine Grant for Photography is one of the largest grants awarded in photography, and the magazine plans to award this annually.

Pulitzer Prize for feature photography

Awarded to Renée C. Byer of The Sacramento Bee for her intimate portrayal of a single mother and her young son as he loses his battle with cancer.

IPC Celebrates 23rd Annual Infinity Awards International Center of Photography

Announces 2007 Infinity Award Winners The ICP Infinity Awards highligh the medium's vital and central place in contemporary culture, by each year honoring those who have both done extraordinary work in and demonstrated dedication to the field.

Collection of art photos illustrates new season colors

2007-05-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

A beautiful array of colors -- this collection of art photos illustrates new season colors.
Cafe Creme, calming Sky Blue, sweet Strawberry...

One more spring collection of illustrations in colors -- soft cream, white, lavender, grape and blue colors --
at "Important color trends"

What images people are looking for? What images people are buying?

2007-05-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

FeaturePics has publisged "What images people are looking for? Images sold at FeaturePics sorted by subject." statistics,
illustrated with bar graphs.

You can find number of sold images sorted by category, images sold in the main categories.

Fruits & Vegetables, Architectural details, Portrait are the most popular subjects...

What images people are looking for?

फर्स्ट Vector इल्लुस्त्रशन कोल्लेच्शन अत FeaturePics

2007-04-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

People Vector Illustrations

Detailed illustratons of people, concepts such as shopping, event and holidays, relations, interaction with daily objects

People Vector Illustrations

Increase Your Image Sales

2007-04-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

Describe your image so FeaturePics visitors and search engines can find it.

I'm sure you've heard the Woody Allen quote that 80% of success is showing up. How do you increase your chances of selling an image by 80%? Ensure that people find your image on the net.

We wrote about software that recognizes and describes images in words, but let's face it, the current image search methods depend mainly on the use of image descriptions and links associated with an image.

First of all, FeaturePics will continue to improve a lot of things on it's end. We are making the site more user friendly. In the meantime, you can help us a lot by describing your images more effectively.

The main information you supply about your image is, image title, image description (caption), and key words.

How to Increase Your Image Sales

Photography by Lilya Corneli

2007-04-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

"Like a single note of a piano struck that sets other strings within to vibrating in response, a unique artistic voice can set our soul ringing."
http://www.lilyacorneli.com/

I like how the photos seem to be painted.
Lilia applies her magic laces, flounces, and fabric textures to transform photographs to realistic appearing paintings.
I can’t tell the exact process she uses to create the graceful beauty of theatrical images.
Any ideas?

Photoblog by FeaturePics.com

Implement your image galleries using Ajax Tabs Content script

2007-04-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

This tab content script uses Ajax to let you display a selection of external content on your page inside a DIV and via CSS tabs!

Fetch and display an external page (from the same domain) inside a container when a tab is clicked on.

Find the full source code at: http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex17/ajaxtabscontent/

Check image galleries "Inside of a car", "Modern cars", "Classic cars", "Car Drivers", and "Car Wrecks" implemented with this script

Implement your image galleries using Ajax Tabs Content script

Open Image Suite User License - images फ्री ऑफ़ charge

2007-04-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

A big collection of photos and images that may be reproduced free of charge.
Credit to the Artist is required when an image is used. The max size of the free images is 640 px and it works just fine for web sites and blogs.

All images collected and uploaded by the Authors.

All collections are 6 images each.

Free images collection example:
A Girl

The complete Open Image Suite

Better, More Accurate Image Search

2007-04-11T15:24:00.000-07:00

Better, More Accurate Image Search

By modifying a common type of machine-learning technique, researchers have found a better way to identify pictures.

Finding photos: A new algorithm developed at UCSD that adds word tags to images can increase image-search accuracy and efficiency. Above, features from a picture are assigned a likelihood that they belong in certain categories, such as “water” or “person.” Credit: Gustavo Carneiro, Antoni B. Chan, Pedro J. Moreno, and Nuno Vasconcelos

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), have developed a new image-search method that they claim outperforms existing approaches "by a significant margin" in terms of accuracy and efficiency.

The researchers' approach modifies a typical machine-learning method used to train computers to recognize images, says Nuno Vasconcelos, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UCSD.

The result is a search engine that automatically labels pictures with the names of the objects in it, such as "radish," "umbrella," or "swimmer." And because the approach uses words to label and classify parts of pictures, it lends itself nicely to typical keyword searches that people perform on the Web, says Vasconcelos.

...

For instance, consider submitting an image of a dog on a lawn. The objects in the pictures are analyzed and compared with results for known categories of objects, such as dogs, cats, or fish. Then the computer provides a statistical analysis that gives the likelihood that a picture matches those categories.

The system might score the picture with a 60 percent probability that the main object is a dog and a 20 percent probability that it is a cat or a fish. Thus, the computer deems that, in all likelihood, the picture contains an image of a dog. "The key idea is to represent images in this semantic space," Moreno says. "This seems to improve performance significantly."

Source : http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/18501/page1/

Color generator creates harmonious color palettes

2007-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Color generator creates harmonious color palettes

Color palette generator - This is useful for coming up with a website color
palette that matches a key image that a client can work with.

It creates color combinations with an impact.

Color
generator creates harmonious color palettes

Color palettes from famous paintings and a color palette generator

2007-04-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

Van Gogh used colors to express moods and emotions—or as he said, "to suggest any emotion of an ardent temperament."

Vincent's Room, Arles 1888; Vincent Van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam

It is one of my favorites. I used http://www.degraeve.com/color-palette/ to generate the pallete. And I love it!

Color palettes from famous paintings and a color palette generator

Carousel image gallery. Lovely cats plaing on your desktop.

2007-03-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

This lovely carousel component allows you to view a series of images. The forward and back buttons allows you to navigate through the images.

You can easily customize css, so your Carousel has a different look and feel.

Carousel image gallery. Lovely cats plaing on your desktop.

Photography by Oleksiy Maksymenko

2007-03-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

The biggest part of Oleksiy's portfolio are his photographs of Anastasiya. I was a little bit mystified from the start. Who is this pretty woman?
The answer is very simple. The marriage between the photographer and the subject is an old story. In Oleksiy's case "marriage" has a direct meaning. His model Nastya is his wife.

Working together they don't spend a lot of time planning a photo session. They just dive into these scenes, do it, and find their way.

More photos of photo model Nastya

Photography by Oleksiy Maksymenko.

Photographer Alina Glasova and her professional philosophy

2007-03-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

...Alina doesn't just record the external world, but brings her own interpretation of the world to her media...
We met Alina in a small coffee shop in St.Petersburg, Russia. We were going through her photo albums and listening to...

A very tiny girl with a very large spirit of the Artist. Alina was so enthused about her art, that she kept forgetting to breath when she was talking about photography.

Alina fell in love with photography in the last millennium, when color photography was still a wonder, and the process of printing black & white photos in the bathroom was nearly as complicated as flying a space ship.

Since then she hasn't stopped experimenting, she interpretates the rules of composition and color in her own way, and always surprises us with direction of movement, creative framing, broken diagonals, macro themes, etc.

Alina Glasova

Easter eggs!

2007-03-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

Colors of Easter: White symbolizes purity, holiness, and virtue. Gold symbolizes majesty, joy, and celebration. Yellow symbolizes light which in turn is a symbol of the presence of God. Fuzzy bunnies, Easter egg hunts, candy and chocolate eggs, new dresses and suits for the kids, and Easter Sunday at church. This holiday coming in early Spring, has always been spiritual and the forerunner to Summer. Kids get Easter Break from school, to rest up for the scholastic run to Summer vacation, and they use it well. Enjoy these images of Spring!!!

Easter eggs

Age-map portfolio by Bobby Neel Adams

2007-03-27T23:49:00.000-07:00

Images of a person taken when they were young are fused together with a recent photograph.

http://www.bobbyneeladams.com/

We remain by ourselves, despite going through years of experience.
The uniqueness of each person in these photos is visible. A Great Master found a way to
show beauty and originality of people...

Flower images in web site layouts and design

2007-03-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

No matter what images you have chosen for your production or your web page design, if they have been selected based on your color sense and experience, you can't go wrong.

Flower images in web site layouts and design

Color scheme selector

2007-03-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

Generator of color schemes and palettes to create good-looking and well balanced and harmonic web pages.

When I was odering the book "The Color Star" by Johannes Itten at Amazon.com, I came across a very interesting review: "If you came to me for a job in graphic design and you told me you hadn't studied Itten, I wouldn't hire you."

A point in case: The Johannes Itten wheel is the RYB (The primary colors are red, yellow and blue) wheel, not the RGB wheel (The primary colors are red, green and blue) that we have to deal every time we turn on our computer.

Color scheme selector

Image Borders With CSS

2007-03-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

The subject of this article is image framing on your web pages.
Add emphasis and visual interest to your pages without increasing the page loading time.
Check examples for image frames using CSS border & background-image properties.

Image Borders With CSS

A javascript based image gallery

2007-03-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

This is a javascript based image gallery that displays larger versions of thumbnail images dynamically when the mouse hovers over them.

A javascript based image gallery

An awe inspiring Image

2007-03-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is undoubtedly one of the most reproduced Cliff House photographs.

Marilyn Blaisdell's book attributes it to a Japanese boy "T. Imai". The story tells A Japanese boy, noticing the approach of lightning and thunder storm, took the last car for the Cliff House at 10:30 p.m. and was waiting until 2 o'clock a.m.

So, it was decided, that today we would take our photos at the North Beach area which is famous for both fog and cold winds. North Beach was where Adolph Sutro was not afraid to build a tropical paradise inside a glass building with Victorian arches, and palm trees.

First we climbed up and shot in Sutro Heights. Fortunately, this beautiful park is not so well known by tourists... As part of the history of Adolph Sutro's development of the area, Sutro Heights was known for its plant conservatory and Romanistic statues that once decorated the area. Now Marble bases that once held Greek statues are all that's left of the gardens of Adolph Sutro. ...

Death Valley in Winter -- Photo Story by FeaturePics

2007-03-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

Mesquite Sand Dunes offer good photographic opportunities either at sunrise or sunset. The origin of sand dunes is very complex. We have found an explanation how ripples and dunes form at "Death Valley geology field trip", read it, but still wondering how wind can produce so beautiful "Sinuous" sculptures of sand...

Salt Creek flows on the north of Furnace Creek. There is a species of fish, pupfish, found nowhere else in the world. We couldn't take a picture of this fish because they are active only in the early spring. In winter time they sleep in the mud at the bottom of the creek. In spring when the water warms, Pupfish begin their mating ritual. The breeding males become iridescent blue in color and defend their territory, chasing away all other fish except females that are ready to spawn....

Death Valley in Winter

Magical Fairytale Moments a photo story By Steve Hunziker

2007-03-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

Magic in Nature is the theme of our article. A little imagination and a great image can take you away from your daily cares for a moment. You are only limited by your imagination, and your belief in Magic!

Steve is a multi-faceted Magician/Artist. He has the "Magic" and it comes through in his photography.

"What more could an artist ask for except maybe a client or two?But mostly my prayer is that God will use this magic of art, photography and design prints to reveal some part of His eternal truth and touch someones heart with a message of His eternal beauty and power."

Steve Hunziker

Fairytale Moments a photo story By Steve Hunziker

Photojournalist and photographer

2007-03-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Eric Foltz began his photographic journey in 1981 when he purchased his first camera to chronicle his adventures while serving in the U.S. Army's 1st Ranger Battalion.

In 1998 he began Eric Foltz Photography and began licensing images to magazines and selling prints to collectors. He has since sold prints all over the United States.

Following the bombing of the USS Cole in October of 2000, Eric volunteered to rejoin the U.S. Army as a photojournalist.

From 2001 - 2004 he documented military events in Iraq, Korea and thoughout the United States. His images from Iraq have appeared in publications worldwide.

Photojournalist and photographer

Female orientation in web-design

2007-03-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

Female orientation in web design

Oh, MiGod, not pink again!

Women and men have different aesthetics. If you know you are designing for women - what graphics would you use?

Female orientation in web-design

Masculine orientation in web-design

2007-03-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

Men and women worlds apart when it comes to what catches their eye on the Internet.

"Male subjects tended to assign higher ratings to pages designed by men.
Men responded better to dark colors and straight, horizontal lines across a page.
Men were more pleased by a three-dimensional look and images of "self-propelling" rather than stationary objects."
(http://www.glam.ac.uk/news/releases/003056.php)

We decided to check some of America's largest corporate sites at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/

Do you think the majority of them displayed a masculine orientation?

Bright colors,straight lines, no color in the background, a lot of blues, reds, and blacks....

Masculine orientation in web-design

AJAX your photography site

2007-03-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

With AJAX you can update the content on your pages automatically — every day and every hour without changing the page itself.

The example below is just a starting point in AJAXing your site.

AJAX your photography site

Timeline AJAXy widget - 1 day of FeaturePics.com in terms of "who has uploaded photos?"

2007-03-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

Timeline AJAXy widget - 1 day of FeaturePics.com in terms of "who has uploaded photos?"

Web2.0 makes the Internet a much better place to live. It provides new ways to inform and entertain. Data visualization visual communication are the most important aspects of Web2.0.

1 day of FeaturePics in terms of "who has uploaded photos?" using Timeline AJAXy widget

Timeline AJAXy widget - 1 day of FeaturePics.com

"Image Reflection" effect using javascript

2007-03-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

You can find a lot of advice regarding color schemes, layouts, and other suggestons from "web design gurus" - they are about design.

Naturally, we should follow basic design criteria, but the fact is, nobody but us, can make our sites very individual, very personal, and very different.

Visual or special effects can be good, bad, or ugly. Interesting visuals, or special effects that don't override content but complement it, are good.

Reflection.js is a cross platform script which allows you to add reflections to images on your web pages.

"Image Reflection" effect using javascript

Stock photo license fee estimator

2007-03-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Stock photo License Fees are estimated based on specific uses including: size, placement, circulation, and length of display time. License Fees for FeaturePics.com images depend on uniqueness of the image and adjustments made by Authors.

The value of the use of a
photograph ultimately is a decision of the buyer. The Licensee might set a
price, but the licensor sets the value. The value and the price are equal
when the buyer agrees to purchase.

Licensing Photography by Richard Weisgran and Victor S. Perlman.

Free photo license fees calculator

ThickBox by Cody Lindley and Image Gallery using ThickBox

2007-03-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

ThickBox is a webpage UI dialog widget written in JavaScript on top of the jQuery library.

"With ThickBox, and not unlike Lightbox in order to view a full sized image with a caption, all you have to do is create a link, add the image path (src value) to the link, provide a title value, and then give the link a class name of "thickbox"..."

How to Implement ThickBox http://jquery.com/demo/thickbox/

Image Gallery using ThickBox

The Face2Face Project takes similar photographs of Palestinians and Israelis and displays them together in pairs.

2007-03-20T16:40:00.001-07:00

Face2Face posted black-and-white giant portraits of people from Israel and Palestine to show that they are not so different after all.

Photographs of different sizes have been posted on the walls and in the cities. The pictures for the Palestinian territory went up on March 4, and the Palestinian side was completed March 7th.

Tatyana Morozova - A member of the Union of Pictorialists of Russia.

2007-03-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

Tatyana Morozova is a famous professional photographer in Moscow. She is a full member of the Union of Pictorialists of Russia

Tatyana shares with us her unique and artistic style of wedding photography, nature photography, and portrait photography.

Her artistic inspiration results in photographs that convey beauty and glamour, a fusion of modern details and a contemporary documentary style. Tatyana's photograraphs are available to you at her FeaturePics site

Combine still life images into your interior design statements

2007-01-16T16:33:00.000-08:00

From spicy color combinations to hues that warm the soul, 2007 color trends contain palettes that work independently as a "statement color" or as a subtle backdrop where home furnishings and accessories take center stage.
"Many of these palettes will find a home in rooms from coast to coast," Debbie Zimmer, color and decorating expert for the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute and member of the prestigious Color Marketing Group, an international organization that helps shape the latest color trends said. "What I enjoy most about our palette grouping this year is the homey and nature-like quality afforded by each."

Comfort Colors
Biscuit and wheat neutrals, cocoa brown, pumpkin orange and cinnamon apple pie, are just a few of the comfort colors that will wrap your room with warmth and promote a stress-free space. The comfort color palette is an especially good choice for kitchens and family rooms.

Back to Nature
Yellows and blues, leaf-like greens, along with organic browns combine to bring the outdoors in. Add translucency and a glass like quality by incorporating varying paint sheen levels. As a subtle accent color, add rust or copper-like metallics into the scheme. Bedrooms and bathrooms are perfect places to incorporate the back to nature hues or in rooms where an accent wall is employed.

Stark Contrast
From clean, clear reds and deep plums to the sophistication of black and white, this color group works both as an accent and as an elegant backdrop for many living spaces. Polished brass metallics complement this scheme. Dining, living rooms and especially powder rooms will benefit from this bold and spicy palette.

Source: Color Trends 2007 Home Hues that Comfort and Excite

OnestopDesign and FeaturePics Images are commenting this information.

OnestopDesign:
Comfort Colors -
Earth tones, muted browns, yellows, reds, harvest colors, all good choices for relaxation and kicking back. Interior designers, OSD, Inc. recommends using these shades to make our interior designs feel like home the way we remember it. Family rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, should all transition from one to the other in an easy way. We are here to be calm, and this is how it's done.

FeaturePics Images:
Comfort Colors in Still Life Images:


OnestopDesign:
Back to Nature
A more vivid use of greens, yellow, and blues, aid in reflecting light into dark areas and bringing otherwise uninspiring rooms such as bathrooms and bedrooms up a level to where they are more interesting. Gloss and semi-gloss finishes, on smooth wall, aid in this effort to reflect light in a pleasing but not overwhelming way.

FeaturePics Images:


OnestopDesign:
Stark Contrast
Ramp up the elegance level with this pallette. Vivid reds, stark whites, endless blacks, serve to draw you eye in ways that other colors and combinations won't. OSD's interior designers can combine these and other colors in design statements that will result in dramatic outcomes.
FeaturePics Images:


Using images and colors to aid the creative process is one of the keystones of interior design (or any other attempt at art). Ideas and inspirations don't just appear out of thin air. You don't suddenly have a brain fart, and instantly produce a great idea or production.

What happens is, you receive input in the form of experiences, the environment you are in, logic, a good color sense, balance, and finally, luck. Combined, these different facets come together to create a unique idea or design. Even though these are past inputs, when mixed in the right way for you and your clients, or associates, something occurs which hopefully hasn't before, hence "creation", and "originality". This creation was truly inspired, and therefore your own.

Digital camera brands statistic

2007-01-11T22:26:00.000-08:00

The chart below was composed as an informational tool so that our Authors and visitors alike, could see what cameras FeaturePics.com Authors were using.

This chart is not an endorsement, or recommendation of who makes the best cameras, rather it is a statement of which Brand is used most frequently by the stock photographers at FP.

Factors of cost, appearance, ease of purchasing accessories, all come into play when selecting a camera, so do your research!
Canon- 41%
Nikon - 32%
Sony - 8%
Olympus - 7%
FujiFilm - 6%
Panasonic - 2%
Other = 4%

http://www.featurepics.com/Editorial/digital_camera_brands_statistic.aspx

Great photos of fireworks. Tips and hints.

2007-01-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

This is a perfect time to discuss the techniques... 10 days after a major number of fireworks displays around the world. Many attempts. Some of them good, some not so good, some of them Great!

Thomas Russ Arnestad, FeaturePics Contributor asked the following question to FeaturePics and apStockPhoto contributors;! "I didn't realize how bad my skills were at photographing fireworks until now:) Does anyone have a few pointers on how to get better at this? Some thumb rules, general adjustments or do know of any good books or online tutorials on the subject? I'm pretty sure there are more like me who could need a brush up on the subject. Hope someone can contribute with their knowledge!"

We are publishing answers from FeaturePics.com and http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/apstockphoto Contributors.

By Madelaide
Every year I take photos of fireworks, but only this year I had a camera in which I could make adjustments (my previous P&S was all automatic).
I take many photos to get just a few decent ones - it all depends on the intensity of the fireworks and the amount of smoke they generate.
Roughly speaking, using ISO 50 and aperture f3.5, an exposure time between 1/4 and 1 second is adequate for most fireworks.
A larger exposure time may get a much brighter image though, getting more bursts in the same frame.
As it's difficult to predict where fireworks will explode, I don't zoom much and crop the final iamge as required.
This one for instance, now a 2MPix, was originally a 7Mpix, f6.3, 1sec.

By dr Bouz
For fireworks photos you'll need three things: a camera,
tripod, and a little knowledge. (some luck doesn't hurt either) :)

Put your iso at the smallest value.

Turn off all long exposure and other noise reductions on camera. Do not use
"night" scene mode - use MANUAL (M) set White Balance (regarding what you want
to shoot - at first place I mean if there is going to be only fireworks, or on
example street or urban scenics with fireworks).

Set "middle" aperture (about 8), meter the light (if you will shoot "city" with
firework).

Put the camera on the tripod.

"Frame" your future picture (I do not know if I wrote this correctly) put on "small continuous" speed of shooting (for exampe, 1 photo per second).

Put focus on...hm...what is the word.... (this number eight ( 8) laying down :)
) - and turn off autofocus.

Wait for "these firework guys" to start - and it's time to fill up your memory card.

By Pixelman
First the thing should be:

use the tripod,

long time of exposure 6 second,

focus manual,

aperture f:8-11,

focal length 50-100 mm ISO 100-400.

Great photos of fireworks. Tips and hints.

Stock photography. Is that a bad word?

2007-01-10T16:31:00.001-08:00

Stock photography. Is that a bad word?
We have been online for one year, and we have heard a lot of very interesting opinions. In summarizing them, we would like to highlight some misunderstood concepts.

- Stock photo is a 20 cent photo

Big and successful micro payment Mega-distributors payouts may be not so much per download, but they can provide a reasonable income because they sell a lot. It is one business model. We (at FeaturePics.com) are offering a different model. Photographers are setting their own prices and getting generous 70% returns. We are not a micro payment site, and if your images are competitive, better, unique feel free to set a price that is not even close to 20 cents.

- Stock photos are "Handshake of Synergy" /"Business woman on the phone" type of photos.

This is wrong. Stock photography consists of existing photographs no less, no more. The beauty of stock photography is that a photograph can be used and reused multiple times. This photograph can be about family, business, agriculture, nature, traveling, you name it.

- Stock photography is killing professional photography.

Wait a minute. Professional photographers have the powerful benefits of 24/7 e-commerce capability. The point is to find a good match with an agency or agencies. Some of our FeaturePics.com Authors prefer to set a higher price for their professional images, and distribute the images less frequently. They believe that the price is justified because of their time and expense for equipment, models, studios, etc, and therefore a better product.

- The Photographer is losing 'image control'.

There is always a chance... A client may use an image after the license has expired, beyond the license parameters, or an image can be transferred to someone else who has no right at all to use the image. The reality is, that our buyers ask several times in what way they can use an image. Why? Because they are usually extremely careful and do not want to be sued.

A few times we faced situations when "Authors" uploaded photographs that did not belong to them. The stock photography world is very big, but it is a "small world" from the inside. FeaturePics.com has the privilege (due to not being oversized) to know the majority of our Authors by communicating with them through electronic means, phone, and sometimes meeting them personally.

A quick reminder to our Authors please include a copyright notice in your image. You make a client sleep better and protect your image in a better way.

- Stock photography is just for the money.

We have a lot of examples of when Authors were very happy to see their free images (with credits) published in articles, or on big sites. Recognition is very important. A possibility to discuss photography subjects with other Photographers is very important. We believe it is "A Basic Need" to present your point of view and your artistry through photography.

- If you license your images through agencies there is no need to do something by yourself.

I would disagree. First of all it is fun to create your own site, to show your images the way you want, to write articles, and run discussion groups. The second it helps a lot to promote your own images. When you see 1,000,000 photos, 1,500,000 photos in stock it is easy to be lost in this world.

Please check excellent examples of individual promotions by FeaturePics Authors

- I just take a picture. People will find it because it is good.

Just type "stock photos" on Google. What do you see? 71,100,000 results. I think "image description" should be a subject for our next talk.

Yes, we were talking about technologies that can "recognize and describe images in words" (http://www.featurepics.com/Editorial/Alipr.aspx)
It will take a little time to build a real technology that can describe your image correctly without human intervention. In the meantime, we take very seriously our responsibility to do this job ourselves.

No, it is not the end of our observations. We are learning and analyzing working in this wonderful world of stock photography.

The only thing we can tell for sure thanks to stock photography and internet distribution everybody has a chance to express himself/herself by taking pictures (photographers) and by putting these images into work (designers).

Stock photography

The Stock Photo Saga

Welcome Blue Iris

Hot color and background trends for 2008

Images of Chinese Culture

Trendy brick patterns and backgrounds

Where to find images for blogs

Copyright and Digital Images

Metallic textures

Stone and rock textures

Wood textures

Textures to Enhance Colors

Animal patterns (prints)

Pictures for green eco design

Excellent water textures and backgrounds!

Floral design

Fire Fighting pictures

Global Warming/Climate Change Themes

Martial Arts

Blank cards and empty signs

Still life images

Black and white photography

Intimacy with nature, permanency and timelessness

Textures and patterns

Two colors

Geometry And Forms

Photo contests: 2008 calendars

Motion pictures

300,000 benchmark

Photo Metadata Conference

Malick Sidibé Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement

Taiwan International Poster Design Award 2007

Images 32 - The best of British contemporary illustration 2008

Photo contests: 2008 calendars

Tourism and Leisure Photo Competition

The CLA Centenary Photographic Competition

100 Best Products of 2007 -- Products related to photography and imaging.

Rain Photos. The sun hasn't come out! It's raining, it's pouring...

Disc Labeling Photography Kit

Wright Photograph Award winners

Rodney Smith

"Empowering the people who give us art" -- excellent initiative!

Portraits of a strange land

Don't rely on color alone

Color Photographer Saul Leiter

Background patterns and background images

Hang on to those old cameras

COLOUR before COLOR

Photo contests and awards

Collection of art photos illustrates new season colors

What images people are looking for? What images people are buying?

फर्स्ट Vector इल्लुस्त्रशन कोल्लेच्शन अत FeaturePics

Increase Your Image Sales

Photography by Lilya Corneli

Implement your image galleries using Ajax Tabs Content script

Open Image Suite User License - images फ्री ऑफ़ charge

Better, More Accurate Image Search

Color generator creates harmonious color palettes

Color palettes from famous paintings and a color palette generator

Carousel image gallery. Lovely cats plaing on your desktop.

Photography by Oleksiy Maksymenko

Photographer Alina Glasova and her professional philosophy

Easter eggs!

Age-map portfolio by Bobby Neel Adams

Flower images in web site layouts and design

Color scheme selector

Image Borders With CSS

A javascript based image gallery

An awe inspiring Image

Death Valley in Winter -- Photo Story by FeaturePics

Magical Fairytale Moments a photo story By Steve Hunziker

Photojournalist and photographer

Female orientation in web-design

Masculine orientation in web-design

AJAX your photography site

Timeline AJAXy widget - 1 day of FeaturePics.com in terms of "who has uploaded photos?"

"Image Reflection" effect using javascript

Tag cloud. Key words visualization

Stock photo license fee estimator

ThickBox by Cody Lindley and Image Gallery using ThickBox

The Face2Face Project takes similar photographs of Palestinians and Israelis and displays them together in pairs.