iStock in Action
Posted on 05. Jul, 2009 by Leo Kowal.
It’s impossible to know how ALL of my images have been used. After all, as of January 2010, I’ve sold almost 17,000 images on iStock. It may sound impressive and I’m quite happy about the accomplishment, but its nothing compared to the top 10 iStock contributors who have sold over 200,000+ images, and that may be a low estimate.
Continue Reading
Portraits with Kyle
Posted on 06. Apr, 2009 by Leo Kowal.
Last week I got a chance to shoot (almost) 5 year old Kyle. Kyle is the son of an old friend that I’ve known since Freshman year of high school. She actually originally contacted me because her computer was on the fritz and I mentioned that I do photography as well. When I first met Kyle, I knew that he would be great in the studio and the images show!
Continue Reading
Dockside Shoot for iStock
Posted on 05. Apr, 2009 by Leo Kowal.
The idea for this shoot was more of a reason to get out of the house then an actual planned shoot, but I was still happy with the result! Obviously hair and makeup are VERY important no matter where you shoot (studio or outside), you might as well get that right so that you don’t spend too much time editing the photos afterward. You can only edit a photo so much before it is no longer acceptable as a stock image. As I like to say, “You can’t polish a turd”.
Continue Reading
Autumn Part I
Posted on 04. Apr, 2009 by Leo Kowal.
For those caught up in the hustle and bustle of a 9-5, its hard to tell when the autumn winds begin to push summer’s warm, lemonade laced days south of the equator. Twice a year, the angle of the earth is so that day and night are equal, with it comes a sense of transition as well as reflection. I swear, there is a distinct moment where I feel the first brisk autumn winds embrace my skin. Immediately I am filled with visions of cloudy days and psychedelic forests, pumpkin patches and apple orchards, the smell of autumn potpourri and the taste of cider and pumpkin pie.
Continue Reading
How to Take Night Pictures of Your Yard Haunt or Prop
Posted on 03. Apr, 2009 by Leo Kowal.
Taking a picture of your yard haunt during the day simply doesn’t do it justice. You can take pictures with your camera’s built in flash, but that also takes away from the spookiness. We all want to give our pictures that ghostly feel that you can only get from darkness, but taking pictures at night can be very challenging because of the lack of light. Night photography usually ends up smudged, blurry or way too dark. With the right equipment and technique you’ll be taking brilliant night shots with very little effort!
Continue Reading
Winter Shopping Shoot for iStock
Posted on 03. Apr, 2009 by Leo Kowal.
The last two years we did shopping related shoots for iStock as Christmas seems to be one of the most popular times for stock photography. I always approach my shoots from a customer’s and designer’s perspective. Its safe to say that designers love photos on white backgrounds just as much as photos on single colored or themed backgrounds. It just depends on what that designer is looking for at any given moment. A good designer can take a subject on a pure white background and place it on anything, hence the argument that white background images are better sellers.
Continue Reading
Outdoor Jack O’ Lanterns
Posted on 02. Apr, 2009 by Leo Kowal.
Shooting Jack O’ Lanterns in the studio is fun, but I’ve never had more fun shooting gourds then the time I shot them outside with a fog machine. I usually start carving Jack O’ Lanterns around mid September and continue all the way through Halloween. While shooting in the studio, I thought about how cool it would be to shoot the Jack O’ Lanterns on hay bails with some creepy fog in the background.
Continue Reading
Witch Hazel Portraits and Gallery Event
Posted on 02. Apr, 2009 by Leo Kowal.
The idea for this started just like every one of my Halloween shoots. I just wanted to shoot Halloween related stock and just started going down the list of things I could possibly shoot. Mary and I decided that she would make a great witch… we were right! We went to a local Spirit Halloween store and found all of the fixins for a witch: fake chin, fake nose, special glue for the fake parts, wax for missing teeth, makeup and a witch hat and gown.
Continue Reading
Portrait Session with Jovon Burkes
Posted on 02. Apr, 2009 by Leo Kowal.
I recently had the honor of creating a promotional poster for former Bowling Green Falcon’s linebacker, Jovon Burkes. You can see Jovon’s stats by clicking here. Jovon needed a flyer and poster for birthday party / charity event. The theme of the party was “A Black and White Affair” so what better then to shoot on a white background.
Continue Reading
Downers Grove North vs. Glenbard East 04.01.2009
Posted on 02. Apr, 2009 by Leo Kowal.
I’ve been anticipating the warm weather for many reasons. Shooting baseball being one of them. This varsity game between the Glenbard East Rams and the Downers Grove North Trojans was originally scheduled to be played in Lombard, but when I arrived at the Rams’ home field, my foot sank about 4 inches into the infield dirt.
Continue Reading
