Welcome to the Twenty-Fifth issue of Stockilicious

Back and badder than ever!

Index
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1 - Thumbnail Feature and Stock Tips - Night-Time
2 - Featured Stocker - *jademacalla
3 - Stock Tutorials
4 - Stock Forums!
5 - Resource News!
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FEATURES AND TIPS:
It was a dark and stormy night... no, wait... I think that line is copy-writed. The moon shone down over the lake... um, I think thats taken too. The point I'm trying to make is that night-time is one of those mysterious and somewhat sensual times during any given day that for some reason lures artists in, kicking the muse into overdrive and arousing the creativity in artists to try and capture the wonders it holds. The moon and stars, up there all alone in the sky... or maybe its those silently flickering streetlamps as you walk down a deserted street, or the hum of insects as they go about their nightly routine beside a lake. Heck, I'm feeling the tingles of creativity right now just thinking about it. But what is it about night-time stock that gets our creative juices pumping? Rather than answer that question myself, I've chosen a selection of night stocks below... maybe you can answer that one yourself




TIPS FOR NIGHT STOCK:
Grain/Noise: Ok, so it doesn't matter how brilliant a photographer you are - night-time will always be a b!tch to photograph. Why? ISO, Noise, Grain, coloured flecks in the photos... no photographer is immune to these little buggers. You want to get more light in? You need to change the ISO. BUT the higher the ISO - the more grain and noise you get in the shot. Best bet for this is to take the photo at anything above 800 ISO and take your chances. If the grain/noise isn't so bad - a little blurring with the blur tool won't hurt. Just don't go overboard.
Repetition: "Oh the moon is so lovely tonight, darling!" Yes, we know. We have a lot of moons in the stock gallery. It is like the gauntlet stockers must pass before really showing their worth in anything to do with nature. Sadly, its always the same thing. Moon, cropped and centred in the middle. Sometimes its just a big ball of white, sometimes you can see the man's face (hey, I can see it!). We have enough of the moon by itself so taking photos of it in a different positioning in the frame won't hurt. Heck, if you can zoom out enough to capture some of what is going on down on Earth as well that's a plus. It will give the photo a bit more feeling of how we're 'not alone in the universe'.
Hidden Treasures: Night isn't all about whats happening upstairs in the pitch-black above the horizon. Although we can't necessarily hear the sounds of the crickets chirping in the photos you take, a photo really is worth a thousand words. A dark moon-lit night, spiders weaving their webs in the trees, and that lake behind your house (if you're that lucky) turns into a wonderland, a hive of activity. All you need to do is set the scene and the inspiration will take an artist wherever they want to go. My point is - don't overlook things just because you see them every day. Step back a moment to admire what you have... you never know what someone else will make of it.
No rest for the wicked: You may need to sleep but casinos never do. Just because we naturally associate night-time with sleep doesn't mean its true. Nature works 24/7... and thankfully, so does Vegas You don't need to travel across the globe to find the 24/7 style - even a taxi waiting on the side of the street under a blinking sign is enough to show that.
Keep her steady: Get a tripod. For the love of God, get a tripod. When you bump up your ISO speed you do it so you can slow the timer on your shutter (aka, how long the mirror is open to TAKE the photo and let light in). In simple terms - the longer the shutter is open the more light and detail can be let in for dark photos. BUT the longer your shutter is open - the more opportunities there are for you the move even the slightest bit. Invest in a tripod and you won't have to worry about that ugly camera shake. If you don't have a tripod - rest your camera on something sturdy and use a wired remote control. You don't have to pay through the teeth to take night photos.
Celebrations: Fireworks are a BIG THING when it comes to night activities. After all, big balls of light exploding in the air - who wouldn't be excited? The best thing about fireworks is that they give you at least a second or two to time when they'll explode. From the time they leave the 'canon' (boom #1) you get a set amount of time depending on the type of firework before it turns all shiny and sparkly in the sky. Once you figure out which type it is, get the shutter button ready and BAM... or click. Photos of fireworks - done
Experiment on-site: Don't wait until you get back to your computer before you realise 'oh dang, I should've tried using a slower shutter'. Check your camera's LCD and see how things are working out. If its too dark to see on your LCD chances are it'll be beyond photoshop assistance when boosting the exposure (without wrecking the picture).
Fill-Flash: Is the bane of my existance. But enough about that - fill-flash is the flash that is already on your camera. No extra bulbs floating around, its already installed. Don't use it. Although it will light up your area and shower everything in brilliant white light - it also kills any kind of mood you were aiming for while doing the night photos. Instead, try sticking to adjusting your camera settings (if possible) or if worse comes to worse, SOFT lights with dampners on them. Yes, they cost money - but if you're after a quality photo... its worth it.



FEATURED STOCKER:
A little section to showcase a particular stocker each week. Its not just because I LOVE their stock - but because of how useful it can be and just how generally amazing it is! You will be kicking yourself if you don't take a few moments to check them out!

This week: *jademacalla
*jademacalla is one of the first people to inspire me to do stock where you don't just stand or sit in the photo... you move. Jade has an exceptional gift of being able to make characters come to life in a single frame. He most recently noted that stock, to him, is just like making very very very short films. Single-frame films, in fact. For high-energy, action-packed and oft kick-ass stock then Jade is the man you're looking for.

Jade also has a collection of wicked cool videos out - Portfolio, DS2 and footage of Metrocon Anime Human Chess Match. Be sure to check those out while you're there!





TUTORIALS:
We all try to get better at what we do but sometimes our own trial-and-error just leaves us back at square one. Tutors can be expensive so thankfully among all the fantastic resources on this site - we can also find tutorials from people who have been there before.

Night Photography by ~infernal-moltres - sticking to the subject of night-time stock, this handy tutorial can give you a brief insight into the settings you should be using as well as touching on things like composition to get you started.

Photography at Night by ~Dodongo is another fantastic tutorial for taking photography at night. Getting down into the nitty-gritty of f-stops, ISO and more and putting it in simple terms even I can understand! Definitely worth a look for those budding vampires... um, I mean... night photographers.



FOCUS ON THE FORUMS!:

The StockArt forums are located here: [link]

A place for stockers to promote their contests, artists to request specific stock, ask for help finding stock, discuss stockart in general and much more! We go a little silly sometimes but don't let that scare you off! Just remember what we're about - STOCK!!

Stock ad by =cookiekitty-stock is aimed at stockers with access to video cameras to put together an ad to promote stock art, the artists behind the stock and more Stay tuned

Blues Contest Update by ^Hanratty-Stock - for those stockers out there that haven't heard the news about the Blues Contest, please drop by here for more info.

Don't forget, artists, if you want to look for stockers - this should be your first stop. You can make specific requets to be filled also.
Stockers, no joke, this is your FIRST stop you should make. If you want to know whats going on in the big wide world of stock - its talked about here so stay informed!



RESOURCE NEWS:
Keep up-to-date with all the news revolving around our favourite subject - RESOURCES & STOCK!
Resource News is the place to be. Keep an eye on it regularly for fantastic features, terrific tips and some bitchin' contests!

Stockspiration Vol 1: Hanratty-stock by =eli-stock
Stock Feature on Friday #4 by *Talei-stock
Unrestricted stock with endless possibilities by ~RockStock
Resources for Inspiration III by =LoverZero
Be creative - Stock [Part I] by *EmelieA

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PREVIOUS ISSUES:
Vol 16: Kids Stuff
Vol 17: Unknown Stockers
Vol 18: Stock Tutorials
Vol 19: Poster Boys (MC)
Vol 20: Stock Prints
Vol 21: Emotive Stock (MC)
Vol 22: Architectural Stock
Vol 23: Reflections
Vol 24: Landscapes
Stockilicious Index!

And I've once again babbled on enough for this issue, I have a lot of notifications to send out now...
Hope to see you again next time!
-Demonic