Resources

Alaska Stock's website has a little hidden gem that a lot of people may not have realized. We have a whole page of "professional resource" links that are handy for the graphic artist or photographer alike. There are links to popular trade magazines, font and clip-art houses, interesting tid-bit websites on Alaska (including weather cams), and some of our favorite hardware and software websites.

These links can be found at: http://www.alaskastock.com/professional_resources.asp

One of my favorites is the Northern Lights forecast site which for this week has been showing a lot of aurora activity!
http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/

have fun!

~ gina

The five basic points to successfully keywording stock images.

Ok , you’ve just taken what you feel will be the greatest picture that the world has ever seen. The problem is how are you going to get the world to see it? In this digital age the old saying that “a picture is worth a thousands words,” proves to more true than we could have ever imagined. While a thousand words is a pretty lofty goal when keywording an image, it is good to remember that each additional word that you can use to describe a picture will add exponentially to the likelihood that someone will be able to find that photo. Thus it has become paramount that we are able to ascribe as many words as possible to a given image. When attempting to find your thousand words there are five basic points to remember and consider.

1. Address the basics of the image; what, when, and where. For instance, are there people in the picture, and if so how many? Are they men or women or are there both? Where was the photograph taken? What time of year was it when the image was captured?

2. Describe the image - how would you sum it up in a sentence. Imagine that you are describing the image to someone who can’t see or you are trying to describe it over the phone.

3. What feelings are invoked by the image, does it portray any concepts. Does it give you a sense of solitude, does it make you feel cold, does the image make you feel festive?

4. Put yourself in the place of the person searching for the image. If you were looking for an image like this one, what words would you use to search for it.

5. Check your spelling and check accuracy. For instance very few people will ever see your wonderful image of a Caribou if the keyword that you have assigned to the image is: cariboow. Is the symbol in the photograph a pictograph or is it really a petroglyph. If you can, have someone else check what you have done, it never hurts to get a fresh set of eyes to look over your work.

- Jim

I took the photo challenge! In my backyard! This past weekend I looked out my window and realized there was this awesome lil' tree still lit from Christmas...I decided to be adventourous and photograph it... Well after about 30 minutes of packing on layers, I finally made it outside. This photo was taken while I was waist deep in snow! The tripod maneuver was fun, but a little tricky.. My house is the one all the way on the left!

-Jessica

Yes, that is a wall of snow behind my ride, Ruby! She sported icicles close to two feet long up until a week ago. Truly this winter has been one of the strangest winters across America in many years. Several areas across the US, including Anchorage, have experienced record storms. Alaska's largest city has gotten over 76" so far ... more than the 68" we normally receive in an entire winter. And we still have three more months of chilly goodness ahead! This hearty snowfall comes after several years of lame, low-snow winters in proudly rugged Alaska, and so for outdoor enthusiasts and shutterbugs it is an exciting time of year.

The key to enjoying being out in all this white stuff is to wear layers of polypropylene, silk and wool to help you take stay warm so you're not running for the car just about the time that great light shows up. Hats, earmuffs, parkas, and boots are necessities. Many seasoned outdoor photogs wear thin knit gloves inside heavy mittens and remove the outer gloves to operate their cameras. While you can also buy photographer's gloves with finger openings, I've found just cutting the fingertips off of an old pair of gloves works well, too.

- Laurie

Iron Dog!

I had a friend who once did practice "runs" with Iron Dog competitors and he told me that these guys average 80 mph in order to make it from Anchorage to Nome on their snowmobiles in about four days. That's really flying! Especially when you're skimming over snow and tundra in possible whiteout conditions. These guys are nuts! Here's a website to learn more about the race and see GPS tracking of where a bunch of the guys are currently on the trail: Iron Dog Snowmobile Race

Moose Lick Car Wash

Gina isn't the only one whose had moose in their yard lately... At my house, we had as many as five at a time this past weekend. They have been hanging out alot near our vehicles. Yesterday afternoon I discovered why...

As I was getting ready to leave I discovered Moose slobber all over our cars. Nearly half of my wife's car had been licked clean of the nasty road grime that had covered it earlier in the morning. I can only assume they did this to get the salt that is put down on the roads here to melt the ice. Not the tastiest way to get your daily dose of sodium...

-Greg

Gina's 10th year with Alaskastock!

I had a cow moose and its yearling calf in my yard and neighborhood this morning! My dog's barking brought me out of the house at 6:30 am (thanks, Chester!). These two moose have been hanging around in the general vacinity of my neighborhood for a few weeks now.

A friend had them walk right in front of her living room window last week. The size of the female moose took up almost her entire front window.

These things are huge!

~ gina