Rasmus Rasmussen dot com

Confessions of a Photographer…

Archive for the ‘Writing’


I’m a Magazineer

Let me start by apologizing for the recent lack of updates here. Most of my blogging about photography has been on the zoom-in blog, but more importantly, I have been working on getting the second draft of my novel finished, podcasting, music and a whole slew of projects (including making a board game). So, yeah, that sort of took focus away for a while.

And still, I go and get involved in even more things. Latest on the list is Magazineer, a website for people who love magazines. I do. Which is why I jumped at the chance, when asked if I was interested. And now, my debut as a magazine-reviewer is live! I review Light Leaks, issue 8.

I Want to See Your Photos

The guide I am writing is all about microstock photography and so far, I am quite happy with the response I’ve gotten on the series. Many of you tell me that you find the articles inspiring, informative and motivational, which is exactly what I hoped they would be. Especially for people who are new to microstock, but even more seasoned photographers have expressed their support. In other words, the articles are a success beyond my own expectations.

The series is supposed to turn into a book, in which I wil add more information and tips, based on the feedback I have recieved. So far, you may have noticed that I post a picture with each article. These have all been my own photos, but in the book version, I would like to include the work of other photographers as well.

If you have used any of the suggestions given in these articles, shot any of the suggested sessions or completed any exercises and uploaded your images to iStockphoto, I would love to see your work. I will be collecting the images in a lightbox and download the ones that work the best with the final material, when the time comes. So, if you have any images that fit this description, feel free to send me a sitemail on iStockphoto with the relevant links.

Any other comments, questions and suggestions are welcome as well, and you can post those right here in the comments. Thank you for continuing to support this project, and finally, if you’re enjoying these articles, please consider donating whatever you think it’s worth.

A Book About Stock Photography

Since June I have been posting weekly articles about stock photography right here on the blog. Each post has had a different theme and focus, and I have been telling friends and co-workers about my ultimate plan for this project since the beginning: To write a book about stock photography, using this place to publish the first draft as I finish itr, in a series of articles.

Do I have a publisher connected to the project? No, and I haven’t done anything to find one either. My priority has been to produce the articles on a somewhat regular basis. If you’re a publisher who likes my stuff, go ahead and send me an offer I can’t refuse. Actually, I won’t rule out some kind of self-publishing, if that’s what ends up looking like the best option. The important thing is to get it off my chest and out to those who might find use for it.

So, why am I doing this? Obviously, I am doing this because I think there is a market for it, but money is not my motivation here. So far, I have only made a few cents off of visitors clicking on my Google ads, hardly making up for the hours spent writing. I am writing this because there are thousands of people wanting to get into microstock photography, and most of them have the same questions and doubts, and they tend to make the same mistakes over and over. It’s my hope, that I can help these people get a good head start.

My years of inspecting other people’s images behind the scenes at iStockphoto has taught me many things, which I am only too happy to share. There are things I can’t reveal about the actual inspection process, but I promise that with the tips and pointers in these articles, you will have an easier time getting your images approved. Because of my background with iStock, that is also the agency I am focusing on in my writing.

The book does not have a title yet, not even a working one, but I can reveal that all the chapters were outlined even before I published the first post. Also, the individual posts will be edited to fit book-form, once I reach that point. Any ideas and suggestions are welcome along the way.

At this moment, I would like to thank all those who have helped spread the word, linked to the posts and the blog, clicked the ads and offered feedback. It’s great to see that my work is appreciated.

New Focus

People who know me, know that two of my main interests lie with photography and writing. This blog has long been gathering dust, while I have been busying myself both with my Danish blog, Twitter and actual real life. In the coming months, however, this blog will play the host to a series of posts about one thing: Tips for people who want to get into stock photography.

Why am I going to write about this? Because I know about it, and many people have asked me over the last couple of years. With my experience both as a contributor and behind the scenes at iStockphoto, I have enough knowledge about it, that at least some of you photo-enthusiasts out there, might find some useful advice.

So, pretty soon I will “air” the first post, about my own introduction to stock photography in general and iStockphoto in particular.