iStockPhoto

I completed an application to contribute photos to iStockPhoto.com today. They claim to be "the world's fastest growing independent library" of royalty-free images. Their prices are cheap to buy stock photos, and you can contribute photos to sell as well.

The application requires you to input your contact info as well as a scan of a government-issued ID, then complete a quiz on their submission guidelines and submit 3 sample photos. The application review process can take a couple weeks to complete.

We'll see!

I found out about this web site through a book I read - The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby. I really enjoyed this book. It's a book built on the premise of real world shooting. It is based on what the author would tell you if you were out in the world on a photo shoot with him. It's an easy read, as it's light on theory and big on practicality, and the author has a sense of humor that I enjoyed. Good stuff. He mentioned iStockPhoto.com in his book, so I checked it out.
I'm not really in photography to make a career out of it or anything, but it sure would be exciting to say I sold a picture!

On an unrelated note, I had to attend a photo shoot at work yesterday for a piece that will be in the local newspaper. The photographer had a Canon camera (and what appeared to be a big honkin' professional long lens). I was too shy to ask for any details on his rig, but I sure was curious! "Hey, what's that lens you're using? What settings are you using? Any advice for a n00b?" Nope, I was a big chicken instead :) He hand-held the camera for all of the shots, which were basically composed of a group of people pretending to be in a computer class.