Bonnie is the Creative Director for Great Escape Publishing, a regular contributor to The Right Way to Travel, and creator of the Breakfast Stock Club, which helps folks to get up-and-running selling their photos in online stock photo agencies. She got her first travel articles and photos published after attending the Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop six summers ago in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Before joining Great Escape Publishing, she taught English in the South of France and vagabonded through South America and South East Asia, dutifully testing all of the local foods and massage techniques.
Favorite travel tip:
Don't book a hotel room when you can rent an apartment! It tends to be cheaper, offers more room, and lets you live like a local, with a kitchen and living area. Recently, some friends and I found a cute apartment right in the middle of Paris with a balcony for half the price we would have paid for a hotel room in the city. I like to use Airbnb.com or Vrbo.com to book.
Two weeks ago, I woke up at 4 a.m. in a tent in Patagonia, Argentina. Donning our headlamps, Jordan and I started up the side of a mountain in the dark, determined to reach the top for sunrise. We made it! And here’s my prize: I love a good panorama. Especially printed HUGE on my […]
I’ve poured over the responses from our Breakfast Stock Club 2017 year end survey, and I’m excited to share some highlights and insights gained from the past year. First off, I have to say that it’s truly inspiring to see the collective progress we’re making as time goes on. Here’s how the numbers played out […]
Living in Buenos Aires last month, I wanted to take some iconic “tango” shots for my stock photo portfolios. It’s not hard to find tango dancers in Buenos Aires… just go to the main tourist areas and listen for accordion music. But when I found one, I was a nervous to ask her if she’d […]
When you’re learning photography techniques, it’s helpful to know what settings other photographers used to get their shots. Not everyone wants to share that information… But around here, we’re all about sharing and doing everything we can to help you learn! Today, let’s go “behind the photo” with four photographers, as they share how they […]
Stock agencies need near-perfect photos, with little-to-no noise, compression, or focus issues. Even the very best photographers encounter all of these issues in their images now and then. The way around it? Downsizing. Now, this doesn’t work on every image. But if one of your photos has very SLIGHT noise, compression, or focus issues… often […]
One of the scariest things when you’re starting out with stock photography is the idea of your images getting rejected. It sounds so stern and final. But the truth is, many ‘rejected’ photos can actually be re-submitted and turned into great sellers with just a minor tweak or two. While some stock sites give specific […]
If you’ve started signing up for stock agencies and submitting photos, be prepared for a few of those photos to get rejected. The first time I submitted photos to a stock agency, they got rejected for being “too similar in content or subject matter.” It wasn’t a big deal… but I made the mistake of […]
Back when I was shooting with studio lights, my living room would go for days (ok, weeks…) cluttered with light stands, cords, a background, reflectors, and a stool. Anyone who came through the front door had to run the gauntlet, risking the possibility that I’d make them sit for a few quick shots. Here’s a […]
Usually, when a photo buyer is looking through images in a stock photography agency, they know more-or-less what they want. Sometimes it’s a certain concept, like “freedom,” “togetherness,” or “strength.” Other times, it’s more specific, like, “young, ethnic, middle-class family happily unpacking boxes in their new home.” And sometimes, a buyer needs photography featuring a […]
The past two weeks, we’ve followed stock photographer Marianne Campolongo on her journey selling photos through stock agency Alamy. Today, we’ll end this series with her top five tips for success. This is tried and true advice from someone that’s been with Alamy for 9+ years and I can’t thank Marianne enough for sharing her […]