The below article is a guest post from photographer John Lund. His photography career has taken him many places and he’s had the ability to photograph many different subjects. However, few prove as humorous as when he photographed Truman the Lion. Here’s his story.

The animal trainer told me that I would have to get rid of the sandbags from my studio. She was explaining the rules to me for photographing a lion in my studio. She went on to explain that he might think they are rodents and would be possessive. “Well, he can have them if he wants them!” I joked. “No” she said, “You don’t understand. He would have to kill you to keep you from taking them”. OK, lose the sandbags!

I had decided that not only would it would be fun to photograph a lion in my studio, but that shooting the big cat for stock would payoff as well. I certainly hoped it would pay off, because the cost to shoot the lion was $5,000. I asked Stephanie, the trainer and owner of Truman, the lion, how long I would get with him for that amount of money. “As long as he wants,” was her wry reply.

Back to the rules. There were five of us. Collette, an art director (I had pre-sold a greeting card idea to a greeting card company), Tiffany, my assistant, two friends and me. There were also three animal trainers each with a can of mace and a pick handle, though if you saw the lion you wouldn’t think any of those weapons would mean much in a pinch. Stephanie told us that none of us should “separate” from the pack. She admonished us that if any pieces of meat from the lion’s “treats” happened to fly in our direction, don’t try and pick them up. Avoid sudden movements, and, oh yes, if there was anything we didn’t want marked we’d better cover them up. It turns out that the lion can “spray” for fifteen feet!

Truman arrived in a trailer, which had brought into my studio. We made sure that there was no way he could end up on the streets of San Francisco before we let him out. As Truman stepped out of the trailer there was a collective gasp from all of us. His regal bearing and taught muscularity was far more impressive than I had anticipated.

I had once asked an animal trainer who worked with both of Stephanie’s big cats, Truman the Lion and Safari the tiger, which one was more dangerous. She had told me that Safari was more dangerous because people thought of him as a big kitten and tended to let their guard down, but when Truman was around there was a more palpable sense of danger. I now knew what she meant!

The two main images I wanted to create included a lion on a throne as the “King of Beasts”, and a shot of a lion trainer with his head in the lion’s mouth. We needed to have Truman in a standing position, sitting on a pedestal, various shots of his body parts, and a photo of him with his mouth open. To get a shot of Truman in an upright position I improvised super heavy-duty camera stand reinforced with a light stand. I was still nervous, as Truman weighs over four hundred pounds. One of the trainers enticed him to stand up and rest his paws on my makeshift stand by hold chunks of beef heart, on a stick, over his head. We used the same method to get him to stand on the pedestal. For his open mouth I just had to be ready for those lucky moments when he might yawn.

Most of the time he spent pacing in circles. After about forty-five minutes his circles started to get larger bringing him within a few feet of me. Stephanie said he was being sneaky about getting closer to me because he was curious. She also said that he was starting to get a little assertive and it was time to end the shoot. My $5,000.00 had bought me forty-five minutes of the lion’s time. It wasn’t long, but it was well worth it. Oh yeah, and before he left he did manage to “mark” the art director’s car.

John Lund has been shooting professionally for over thirty years.  He was an early pioneer in the digital world using Photoshop 1.0 in 1990 and digital capture as far back as 1995.  Over the years Lund has taught digital workshops, written numerous articles on digital photography, served as DIGITAL IMAGING’s Digital Photography Editor, been a Photoshop columnist for PICTURE magazine, served on APA”s National Digital Committee, lectured extensively and written a book on Photoshop:  Adobe Master Class Photoshop Compositing with John Lund.  His stock imagery is licensed through Blend Images, Getty, Corbis, SuperStock and Kimball Stock. He currently works out of his studio in Sausalito, California.

More of John’s work can be seen at www.johnlund.com.

Pascal Tremblay is a graphic designer / illustrator from Montreal. He has been working freelance for the past 11 years doing work for a wide variety of clients.

Pascal’s work has always been an introspective and personal way for him to express himself. He describes his work as a way to “define my emotions and thoughts in a way that when I look at it, I will know exactly how I felt at the moment I created it, but without making it definite for others.” In other words, though he has strong emotion connection with his work, it’s up to the person viewing it to decide what it means to her or him.

Where were you born, where do you live now, any other background info?

I was born in Germany but I pretty much consider myself 100% Canadian since I have lived here all my life almost. My dad was in the army so we moved around a lot and Germany was one of those places. I currently live in Montreal with my fiancee, Elaine. We’ve lived together here for 3 yrs and prior to this we lived in Malaysia for 18 months.

How would you describe your work?

That’s a good question because I never really think about stuff like that. I just like to start creating a piece and see where it leads me. I don’t really have a plan in what I do, I just let my intuition guide me. I think that, as a whole, my work could be described as a series of vague and fleeting expressions of myself. I like to keep the interpretation to the viewer and not pigeon-hole it into what I think it should be saying and, while it’s not a specific goal of mine, I do hope everyone can see a little something different in each piece. Over time I’ve been more and more abstract in what each art piece represents and my use of type has gone in the same direction.. Whereas before I might have put plainly the words I was thinking about, now they’re represented by a specific color or square, or whatever… So in a way I guess my work is a bit like an emotional puzzle to me. I always put a lot of myself into it and if I don’t feel anything intense I really cannot produce the kind of artwork I enjoy the most. That is probably why I can go for months without doing anything, I don’t force it.

What processes and techniques do you use to create your work?

I like to use a technique I coined “create and adjust”. It’s basically a semi-fancy term for “I just do whatever comes to me and then I arrange it all as I go to make it work together”. I really wish I could describe my process better but it’s really just improvisation each time. I don’t have a plan on and the more specific my concept I start with the more difficult it will be for me. If I keep it all flowing and organic it works much better. When it comes to client work I work differently and I can build towards a specific goal with no problems.. however with my personal artwork, it has to come naturally and on the fly.

Are you a full time artist?

No, I do design mostly during the day but I also have other interests that are taking more of my time these days. I do feel the need to take a break from design recently. I’ve been doing this for almost 11 yrs and I need a break. I’d say art-making is the least time-consuming part of my work. Art doesn’t pay the bills unfortunately. It doesn’t pay anything actually and it’s not why I do it anyway.

How did you get started?

I started by dropping out of college and not knowing what to do with myself. Then I discovered Flash websites and it just gripped me. I had never had any interest whatsoever in art before this (although as a kid I would spend hours re-creating country flags with coloring pencils). I just stumbled into this dormant need to express myself, it was something completely new for me and I had finally found something I was passionate about. From there I kind of shifted from Flash to artwork and into print and web.

Any notable accomplishments?

Being able to make a good living off of freelance for 10 yrs is something I am proud of.. I still haven’t received my medal for it, which is very very disappointing.

Where can we find more info and keep up with your work?

Makeshift.ca is my personal portfolio, and while I don’t update it weekly or anything be assured there’s always something new in the works. Most of my work I don’t even post because the bill-paying stuff is rarely ever too exciting or mind blowing.

What artists inspire you?

David Carson is the reason why I am here today doing what I do. Without him I would have never gone the path I chose. I’ve yet to met him. I do have an autographed Raygun magazine which I keep very dearly. It’s pretty much the only design publication I own.

With the Imagekind Portfolio Manager it is now easier than ever to edit your images for sale on Imagekind. The Portfolio Manger allows you to batch-edit your images’ titles, tags, descriptions, categorization, default frame and more. Login to your account to start utilizing the Portfolio Manger right away!

Get Recognized!

It is essential to add titles, tags, descriptions and categorization to your images. Adding these will not only allow shoppers to  find your work easier, but Imagekind team members as well. Our internal search engine, as well as big ones like Google, take all of these into account. So, it is imperative that you heed this advice if you are selling your artwork on Imagekind, and want your images to be found!

1. Title your Work

Descriptive titles will not only help your buyers connect with a piece, but will help your images come up in searches. If you do not have a title for a piece, putting a descriptive term in the title box is adequate. Having a more personal title than “DSC1937” will let your buyers know that you spent the time to think about and present your work.

2. Write a description

Adding a short description will also help buyers to connect with your pieces. A couple of lines will do. Some artists include a little snippet about how they created the piece, or what inspired it. Others will add a small detail shot of the image. If your description is too long, it will be truncated, but you can view it in its entirety by clicking the “View More” link.

3. Tag It!

What are tags?
The Imagekind search engine uses several methods to find your work, one of them being your tags. Tags are descriptive keywords that you assign to your images to identify major elements and details featured in your work.

Be Specific…
Specific, accurate tags are essential. Tag your images with all the specifics of your image. If you have taken photograph of a sunset over the ocean, don’t stop tagging at “photograph” and “sunset.” You might want to include water, pink, sun, ocean, seascape, pacific… Be precise and detailed, and use terms that a customer would search for. If your images convey a certain emotion, such as “Happy” or “peaceful,” feel free to include them, but keep in mind a buyer may not search for terms such as these.

Be accurate!
Inaccurate tagging leads to bad search results. If a customer is looking for a sunset, and you have tagged your nature photograph of a tiger with “sunset,” then you will not change the customers mind – in fact, you make your customers frustrated. Inaccurate tags may be removed at the discretion of Imagekind.

Not enough tags? Upgrade your account
Free accounts can tag their images with up to 10 tags. Pro members get 50 tags, and Platinum members can use 100 tags to classify their work. If you need to add more information, consider upgrading your account.

4. Utilize Taxonomy

What is Taxonomy?
“Taxonomy” means the science of classification. Our taxonomy system allows you to group similar images together based on broad categories such as subject, genre, medium. Users can then drill down their search results based on the classifications you have assigned each image. One of the best ways to think about taxonomy is as a categorization method that allows shoppers to easily find particular images, based on their broad preferences.

Subjects, Genres, Mediumsand Decor

Categorizing your images is one of the best ways to be found on Imagekind. Directly after the general search (based on titles and tags), is categorization. Let’s go through some of the options individually.

Subject – Subject is the content found within your image.  Let’s say you have a photograph of cows in a large field, with flowers. You’d want to find subjects that relate to what is actually in the image. If there is not a direct subject available, tags are the next best option.

Genre – Genre is the general style of art that your image might fit into. For example, if your image is more conceptual in nature, you’d want to categorize it in that genre. If you are still stuck on this, here is something that might help. Consider your artwork were going to be hung in a museum, or gallery, or heck, they were selling it at an art supermarket (if such a thing exists). Before you go to drop it off, the owner calls you up and asks what section of the gallery or museum it would fit best. If the supermarket were split into various genres, which isle would your image fit best in?

Medium – Medium is the method you used to create your image.

Decor - Decor is what style of home you think your art would look best in.

Remember, you can feel free to leave any of these blank if you’d like. However, categorizing your images appropriately is one of the best ways to be found on Imagekind.

Need to classify further? Upgrade your account
Free accounts can add 2 subjects, Pro members can add up to 4, and Platinum accounts are allowed up to 8. If you need to add more information, consider upgrading your account.

Following these tips will ensure that your work gets more recognition when shoppers search for artwork on Imagekind. However, that’s not it. Imagekind team members are always looking for art to showcase as well. We constantly utilize all of these options to find artwork on Imagekind. Whether it’s through tags, titles or taxonomy, make sure to use all of the above options to make sure you get found on Imagekind.

We’ve all come across art that inspires us. Finding it is usually not difficult. However, if you’re an artist, knowing how to emulate similar techniques takes learning, practice and patience. Below, I have compiled some of the top photography and art tutorials online. This list is in no way exhaustive, as I know there are many more out there.

Most of these were shared with me from our member artists via Facebook and Twitter. If you have a favorite online tutorial site not listed, be sure to drop me the URL! You can leave it in the comments, or share it on Facebook or Twitter. I will try and get it added as they come.

Quick note: Though many of the blogs below contain tutorials on several different techniques, I have tried to point directly to a post that corresponds to the particular technique listed.

Photo Manipulation

abduzeedo.com – Manipulation Basics: Illumination and Coloration

psd.tutsplus.com – All about PhotoShop tutorials

HDR Photography

stuckincustoms.com – Imagekind artist Trey Ratcliff, one of the premier HDR photographers, breaks down the technique on his blog

gizmodo.com

hdrcreme.com – The reference website for HDR photos

Macro Photography

On YouTube – Macro Photography Video Tutorial

photo.net – How To: Create Stunningly Realistic High Dynamic Range Photographs

Oil Painting

Hal Groat on YouTube – Imagekind artist shares tips to oil painting on YouTube

Panorama Photography

yanikphotoschool.com – How to Create a Panorama in Photoshop – Video Tutorial

earthseaimagery.wordpress.com – Imagekind artist shares several tips and tutorials on his blog

Illustration

noupe.com – 60+ Vector Illustration Tutorials

smashingmagazine.com – 40+ Cartoon Character Illustration Tutorials

Dennis Mash has been making works of art using non-traditional techniques for decades now. His ideas and techniques have evolved over the years, but he has carved a niche for himself with his gorgeous x-ray images of shells, sea life, and everyday objects. Dennis was kind enough to share his image making methods and his marketing ideas with our blog readers!

The Inside Nature Gallery is a collection of shells and sea life from oceans around the world, all of which have very cool looking internal designs. When friends or clients would see my work, they would come up with other ideas for me to X-Ray. The Inside Design Gallery represents those ideas. I am currently the President of Medical Insights Inc., specializing in consulting, integration and implementation of solutions for the diagnostic imaging market. I continue to work at a local hospital to keep up my diagnostic skills and look for new subjects.

1). How did you start making these types of images?

It’s not like I discovered this technique – other people have done similar things before. When I was in the Navy, my friend Lynn Walsh had the idea. We were both in special procedures – specifically looking at arteries with an x-ray. One day, Lynn said “Hey! Why don’t we x-ray this shell?” We were always looking for new ways to make a little money, and when we saw the images we knew we could sell them matted and framed.

2). What techniques do you use to get your images? How has your technique evolved?

The technique was originally a combination of Radiography and Radiographic film processing. (By the way, a Radiograph and an X-ray are the same thing.) At first, it was trial and error. We were using film, and developing the films in the radiology darkroom to create a negative. We varied the exposure till we got just the right contrast and gray scale to show all the internal dimensions of the shells. The next step would be to go into the darkroom and combine the negative with a piece of subtraction film. Subtraction film gives you a positive image, with a clear background. The original images were the actual films mounted onto a white pebble background, giving it a sense of depth. It looked more like a pen and ink drawing than an x-ray. I taught myself to do matting and framing, and when put all together it looked really neat. This is how I created my prints until 1980.

In 1980, I started working with Andy Reisberg, owner of Photographic Archives in Dallas, Texas. Andy had seen my work and suggested I collaborate with him to take my art in a different direction. He turned my films into gorgeous silver-gelatin prints, sometimes sepia or selenium toning them. We focused on my 13 most popular pieces. Andy and I really collaborated on the process to get the artistic results that I wanted.

Later on, I had my negatives scanned to make giclee prints. I now use different digital techniques to put the images together as collages.

3). What post processing work do you do them?
After scanning, I clean up the backgrounds so they are pure white. If the image is not toned, I will apply a duo-tone filter in Photoshop. It’s a very time intensive process to get it looking just right!

4). How do you choose your images? What are you favorite subjects to work with, and why?
When I first starting making these images, I was in San Diego. Everywhere you looked there were shell shops. Shells were easy enough to get my hands on, and they were gorgeous as well.

I’ve x-rayed many other items as well, though, mostly at the suggestion of family and friends. One year, I made an x-tray of penny loafers for a shoe company that presented at the Apparel Mart in Dallas. They put up the images in their showroom. It was a different, fun advertisement for the shoes. The musical instrument images that are in my gallery were borrowed from a band store in Dallas, and I just paid them back in images!

I prefer working with shells though, but maybe I have just been pursuing them longer. I’ll x-ray pretty much anything!

5). What was the catalyst to sell your images as fine art?
As soon as I saw the first image that we made, I knew I could sell it. Once I saw the finished framed and matted product, I knew that others would want to buy it and they did. It was fine art from the beginning. I try to connect my art to every aspect of my life. It has become the thread that connects my artistic side to my professional life.

6). Do you show your work in galleries? Do you participate in shows and competitions?
I am still represented by the Photographic Archives Gallery in Dallas, Texas. I participated in a number of competitions in the early ‘70s, but I hate to say it, I just don’t have time anymore. My main focus is getting my internet presence worked out and developing my online marketing plan. I might participate in more competitions and shows in the future.

7). You send out some interesting material to your buyers and fans. Can you tell us more about it?
I travel a lot, and wanted former clients and potential clients to have a way to easily see my artwork in my Imagekind galleries. So, I created a marketing email that I sent out to my email list that showed examples of my various pieces matted and framed.

I also designed a CD that I would give out at any Radiologic meetings that I would go to, and I think most radiologists would be interested in my work. I designed the CD in PowerPoint, and built a slideshow to showcase my images. I even added a little jazz music that plays in the background. One thing I learned is that a lot of people are not comfortable with just sticking a CD in their computer, and going to find the drive, and then the file to get it to play. I took that advice to heart and bought an auto-play program so that the CD plays automatically as soon as it is put in the disk drive. The CD boots up with a menu of options, including buttons linking to my Medical Insights web site and my Imagekind galleries.

I really like to have options for those that can’t afford to buy a print. My work is really popular as greeting cards. The greeting cards at Imagekind are great quality, and that’s what I use today when giving out samples of my work. I always give a box of greeting cards to the Radiology departments after an installation. I think it’s important to reach out to those that would be interested in your work.

8). How did you decide on Imagekind for printing?
I started using Imagekind after searching for a way to output my digital files. It’s also really convenient to have my images available on the internet without building a big website. I don’t need printing experience or a lot of money to sell excellent quality images – the printing is great! I knew it would be a great way to market my work for the future, and I found it at the right time.

9). What do you do when you are not making art?
Currently, I am the President of Medical Insights Inc. I still work in the hospital as a Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist part time. I’m married and we have 3 sons. If I’m not traveling for my job I am working on my website and projects.

10). Who is your favorite artist on Imagekind (besides yourself!)
To be honest with you, its hard to answer, because I just haven’t had the time to look at everything! I can’t possibly give you a favorite because I haven’t looked at everything. I do have to say that I look at all the artists who have become my fan, and all of them are extremely talented. I really think there is a ton of great talent on Imagekind, and if my work isn’t quite right for someone, I will always recommend my fellow Imagekind artists.

Welcome to our series of interviews with some of our favorite member artists on Imagekind. They may be best sellers or up-and-coming artists. We hope that you can learn from these members and find some great new artists to love!

John Kraft joined Imagekind in 2008. His bright and bold work is a favorite on Imagekind and he has helped many members by continually giving great advice on artistic techniques and marketing. In addition to answering a few questions, John is also offering one of his best-selling pieces, “Racing the Moon,” at a special price this week.  Be sure to check it out, and get this deal while the price lasts.

San Francisco based artist John Kraft was born in Los Angeles in 1967. He was selected as a Featured Artist by Apple, and his art has been included in Dwell Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, ARTnews and in Modern Painters.

1. How and when did you get started making art? What has been your journey as an artist?

My journey as an artist arguably started at birth, but my work, in tangible form, has been in development for just over twenty years. Fourteen years ago I found what I consider to be my voice and my vocabulary as an artist. With a consistent palette and use of both strong color and line, this vocabulary has freed me to focus more on the story I wish to tell and less on the words I use in the telling of that story.

2. What was the turning point that gave your art a “voice and vocabulary?”  Was it a trial and error process or a brilliant epiphany?

The turning point in finding my current style as an artist was development of the piece “Priorities”. I began the piece by creating relatively abstract color fields and then for no particular reason I wondered what impact strong black lines would have on the various shapes and the composition as a whole.  It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Keith Haring and that I consider him a major influence, but at that moment it truly was an innocent experimentation with something new.  Of course, this was a turning point in terms of style, but the vocabulary itself developed over time as more and more pieces were created.

3. What is your process when creating a piece? What medium do you use? What is your inspiration?

My process has evolved over the years from the use of acrylics and pastels on wood panel or canvas to what is now a true composite of both traditional and digital painting techniques. This includes the creation of key elements with acrylics and pastels, digitization of those elements, and finally refinement of composition, color and scale within the digital space. I love the flexibility of working digitally and the myriad of “what-if” scenarios that I can explore. The added benefit of this approach is that the work can then be expressed in various media, whether it is paper, canvas, or more durable materials – all from the same source composition.  Inspiration comes from everything around me, but most significantly from my wife Nikki and my daughter Sienna and from the beautiful city of San Francisco.

4. What does your work area look like? Are you messy or meticulous when creating?

I’d like to say I have a roof top studio that overlooks all of San Francisco, but in reality, like many artists, my studio consists of a spare room in our home where I have a combination of easel, paints and computer equipment.  The final composition for every single piece is completed on a now somewhat dated G4 Powerbook.  I’d say I’m fairly meticulous when creating, especially when doing the work on the computer.  I can spend hours on details that will never be seen in the online version of the piece. There was a MacWorld UK interview I did years ago that went into greater detail on my process at the time: http://www.johnkraft.com/jk_mw_uk.pdf

5. There are a lot of recurring themes, symbols, icons and color choices in your pieces.  I’d love to know more about them.

In earlier pieces, like “Priorities” the recurring figures represented either lonely or lost souls fighting against excess and inner conflict, but now, in pieces like “Soulmates” or “One More Makes Three” these same figures are exclusively celebratory, loving and joyful – a direct reflection of the happiness and joy I’ve found in my own life with my wife and my daughter.  The recurring use of wine bottles and bowls of fruit represent abundance and celebration, and the recurring use of a guitar represents my other life as a singer/songwriter.  In terms of the palette… what can I say? I love color and the impact of using the strong black lines to define the objects and shapes.

6. For the recurring imagery in your pieces, (like your wine bottles) do you create them for every new piece, or do you reuse imagery from previous works?

It’s a bit of both, I definitely make use of previous imagery.  It’s really the visual analog for sampling in music.  Only in this instance I’m purely “sampling” from my own catalog of work.  Having said that, when I embark on a new piece that has new elements, like “Eden Before Apple”, much of that content is created fresh specifically for the new piece.

7. How often do you make new pieces? inkheart dvdrip download

It varies, but typically I’ll create one new piece every two to three weeks.

8. How do you promote and market your work?

My current efforts include a personal website , a Facebook Fan Page, Twitter, and of course my online gallery on Imagekind

In terms of promotion and driving traffic to these sites, I’ve used print advertising, targeted Facebook display ads, Google Adwords, PR Newswire and PRWeb Press Releases, and Email Marketing.  The ‘craziest’ thing I ever did to promote my art was to stand on the center divider on the street in San Francisco during rush hour handing out “Lombard Street” postcards, which eventually turned into being featured as an “Artist You Should Know” on About.com.  A few years ago, I was also fortunate enough to be selected as a featured artist by Apple, which led to a lot of great exposure as well.

One recent promotional experiment of mine was a virtual online art reception via YouTube that I produced to coincide with a private exhibition at Intel’s worldwide headquarters.  In total, that video has been viewed over 1300 times in 38 countries and has led to several sales.

9. Which promotion and marketing methods have proven most successful for you?

Without question, it has been the targeted Facebook ads that drive to my Facebook Fan page.  It has been successful in terms of resulting sales, but as importantly, as a means of raising the general awareness of my art and my brand as an artist. Those IK artists that frequent the forums have heard me “speak” extensively about the benefits of Facebook.  Creating a lasting career as an artist is not about the quick sale, it’s about the relationships you develop over time with people who appreciate your style and the way you engage with them on a personal level.  I should stress this includes fellow artists.  It is not always about the sale.  It’s about being connected to the world around you in a way that enables you to share your gifts.

I do have a tip or best practice to share with other artists that see artist ads on Facebook and want to learn more about that artist.  Whenever possible, try Googling the artist or searching for them in some other way besides clicking on the ad itself.  Typically every time you click on a Facebook ad the artist is paying for that click.  So I always try to avoid clicking on artist ads – and I try to find them through other channels after seeing their ad pop up on Facebook.

10. Who is your target audience?  What do you do to market to them specifically?

The short answer is: anyone who loves my work, whether or not they can afford my work right at that moment in time.  Target markets do not exclusively refer to people one expects to sell to today, but those that you wish to build a relationship with over the long term.  Developing your brand (and sales pipeline) as an artist during tough times will result in more sales during the good times.  Having said all that, the majority of my sales have been to people in their 30s and 40s that have an interest in modern, contemporary colorful art.

11. You have mentioned that you don’t usually sell originals. Why?

It’s purely an emotional decision.  I’d like to say there is a grand strategy behind it, but I really just don’t want to let them go.  Of course the definition of original becomes somewhat blurred when one enters the realm of digital art.  For example, “Lombard Street” exists as a real acrylic on wood panel painting, hanging in our living room – with pastels that still come off the surface when touched, but newer pieces like “Racing the Moon” or “Sausalito” are digital composites from the beginning, so the giclee is in essence the ‘original’ and the first tangible manifestation of the digital piece.

12. Who is your favorite Imagekind artist? (Besides yourself, of course!)

This is indeed a difficult one to answer, because I believe both artistically and personally in so many of the artists here on Imagekind.  So, if I’m allowed to “cheat” a bit I would answer like this: “My favorite artists on IK are the ones that wake up every morning thankful that they are artists, the ones that feel alive when they create regardless of medium, the ones that genuinely want to do all they can to share their gifts with those around them.”

Your profile page is your introduction, artist statement, and first impression all in one! Make your page pull in potential buyers by being articulate and informative.

Upload an Avatar

Customers want to connect with you as an artist and a person. Having a compelling avatar will cause buyers to click through to your page and recognize your posts in the forum as well. A photograph of yourself or a small piece of your most popular work is appropriate. Keep in mind that the image must still look great and clear at a small size. It’s good practice to keep your avatar the same as soon as you decide on a good one – it becomes your face on the site. Your fellow artists and buyers will come to recognize it.

These artists have great avatars:

Write an Artist statement and Biography

Your artist statement and biography are how you connect with your internet buyers, but writing about yourself can be tricky! Be sure to describe what you do, your materials, your inspiration… anything that relates to your artistic process.

Some ideas to get you started:

• Make a quick list of the words that describe you and your art. Use this as a starting point.
• Ask a friend how they would describe your work , and include that in your statement.
• What would you tell someone if they had never seen your work? Give an introduction to what they are about to see.
• Think about how you feel when you look at your work and when you are creating it, and what you hope your viewer will feel.
• Write about the materials that you use and why you use them.
• Describe your education, any awards, or upcoming shows, and update it as often as necessary.
• Be yourself! Write in a style that reflects who you are, and what your art is about.
• Do keep your statement and biography short and to the point.

If you are really stuck, you can always ask the wonderful members of our community to help you out! We have a thread on Artist Statements that has a lot of great advice.

Note: If you are selected to be a Featured Member, a small portion of your artist statement and biography will show on the Imagekind homepage, so start your artist statement strong.

Chris Leavens has an awesome writeup for his bio.  He covers his history, his artwork, and where else to find him. Perfect!

Michael Sprouse focuses on his life as a professional artist.  An interested buyer would find all the information that they need here.

Post your CV

If you have a CV or Artist Resume, then your biography section is the perfect place to post it. The organized, clean nature of a resume guides a buyer through, and they will probably spend the time to read it. Pare down the information so you only show the essentials: education, important shows, prominent buyers.

Post your upcoming events

Having a show soon? Exhibiting in a coffee shop? Having a sale? Let your buyers know in your profile!

Use keywords to attract search engines

The text in your profile page is indexed by major search engines. Including key terms like “photographer” or “watercolors,” will help searching customers find you. Keep in mind that you need to be as specific as possible, so that you can attract customers who WANT your work!

Check your grammar

Take the time to spell and grammar-check your profile: this will make your information polished. Presenting yourself as a professional will inspire buying confidence from your customers.

Use HTML in your profile

We allow limited HTML to be inserted into your profile. HTML can be used in the text box where you write your bio or artist statement, where you edit your profile. Some ways to use this are to:

• Format your artist statement with line breaks and paragraph breaks to give a polished appearance.
• Use bold or underlines to emphasize and highlight recent accomplishments, and to draw your customers’ eye to the most important information.
• Include your logo if you use one. This will strengthen your brand awareness and personalize your profile page.
• Add links to your blog, personal website, or reviews of your work.
• Let the world know if you have been a featured artist with a link or graphic to the featured artists page.
• Feature one of your favorite, most popular, or best-selling images. You can link to a framed image directly from your Imagekind galleries, or you can make your own graphic and host it from your personal website.
• Limit yourself to just one or two images inserted in your profile, and make sure they are kept to thumbnail size. Try to keep your Recent Images up high on the page, as these will change as you upload. Keep your buyers interested!
• Be sure to keep at least part of your biography or artist statement in good ol’ text format! Search engines cannot index text that appears in image files.

You can use HTML in your gallery and image descriptions, too! You can offer detail images of the pieces, or links to matching pieces. Again, be sure to keep these short so your images are still kept in view!

You can read more about allowed HTML in our forum. Remember, only 3000 characters can be in your Bio section, including HTML code. Also note that any affiliate or pay-per-click links are not permitted anywhere in your Imagekind profile or galleries.

Natasha Wescoat uses HTML in her profile.  A small image is inserted, and important points are emphasized.

Angel Mist has inserted an image that highlights her best work framed.  The rest of the description is well organized, and the use of HTML to center the text works very well.

Welcome to our series of interviews with some of our favorite member artists on Imagekind. They may be best sellers or up-and-coming artists. We hope that you can learn from these members and find some great new artists to love!

Second in our series is Imagekind artist Patrick Morand. When he isn’t making beautiful photographs for select clients, Patrick is taking gorgeous landscape pictures of France. He uses unique angles and processing to give his images their signature look. Patrick was kind enough to answer a few short questions for us.

Born in 1966 in the French Alps. Scientific studies and graduated as a software and network engineer.Worked as a software project manager for a company during a few years and rapidly decided to be self employed. Nature lover always, spent more than 20 years climbing rocks across the European continent. – Patrick Morand

1 ) When did you first realize that you wanted to be a photographer?

Not sure when I decided, but I remember how it happened. A friend who was kind of a garden designer offered to pay me for taking photographs of his garden work. As I was self employed, it was not a problem and so the story started like that …

2 ) You are a professional photographer for a living. How is your professional work different from your artistic work?

In what you call my artistic work I mostly do natural landscapes. In my day job I photograph many things:

- Garden, swimming pools, villas. This is very similar to my landscape work. Villas interiors, a few portraits, industrial processes, physical experimentations, paintings, etc.

In my landscape work I’m totally free to decide how I’ll shoot the scene, in my day job sometimes the client lets me have freedom and sometimes he doesn’t.

3 ) What gives you inspiration to make your work?

Nature first, but also some painter’s works, and other photographer’s works.

4 ) Do you show your photographs at any galleries?

Yes, a few along the Mediterranean coast. My dream would be to run my own gallery. I know where it would be, but I still have to wait a few more years.

5 ) What is your online presence?

The first place is my french website patmo.net where I show a part of my stock. It’s only about my personal work, not about my day job because this one runs mostly by “bouche à oreille”.

Then comes my English blog: french-landscapes.blogspot.com

I’m also on Imagekind, Twitter, Flickr and a few other art sites …

6 ) What equipment (camera, lights, processing programs) do you use to take your pictures?

I mainly use my Nikon DSLR. Some studio lights for portraits, interior shots or paintings. Some flashes also. I also use many types of software. Mainly SilkyPix, PTGui, Photomatix and PictureWindowPro.

7 ) Did you ever use film? How have your photographs changed since you have started taking pictures digitally?

Yes, black and white negative films a long time ago and I loved processing them in my own darkroom. Color slides (mainly Fujifilm Velvia) for landscapes. I loved (and still do) medium and large format film cameras.

About changes, I don’t really know. I think I experiment more with digital cameras. No film costs of course but a huge time to spend on the computer (and that’s a real cost).

8 ) What is your favorite photograph that you have made?

Difficult question, it changes every day!  I can cite these two :

9 ) Who is your favorite artist (besides yourself!) on Imagekind?

Another difficult one. The answer is Mike Dawson.

10 ) Thanks for taking the time to tell us about yourself, Patrick! Your photographs are breathtaking, and we certainly hope to see more soon!

Thank you!