The Archive - How to Digitize And Archive Your Old Printed Photographs

The Archive - How to Digitize And Archive Your Old Printed Photographs

New Passion Project Announced

A lot has changed in our lives over the course of the past month. We’ve all been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in our own ways. As a commercial photographer and small business owner, I've also been impacted by this sudden disruption in our lives.

That being said, I’ve made it my mission to maintain a positive mindset and put all of my creative energy into new projects. Projects that I’ve been wanting to work on, but haven’t quite had the time until now. I’m excited to finally announce my latest passion project: THE ARCHIVE - How to Digitize and Archive Your Old Printed Photographs. This tutorial is exclusively available on my tutorial site DATR | EDU. I’ve been working really hard over the past few weeks to write, film, edit and self produce a brand new tutorial that I think can really help a lot of people.

Tutorial Overview

I wanted to create a tutorial that allows not only photographers, but everyday people, the ability and the knowledge to digitize and preserve their old printed photographs. There are services that will do this for you, but I've heard horror stories where these types of companies have destroyed old tapes and lost irreplaceable photos.

In fact, the inspiration for this tutorial was derived from an investigative report that I saw on Inside Edition. Investigative journalist Lisa Guerrero reported on a company that mishandled families' previous momentos. You can view the full report here: https://www.insideedition.com/has-legacybox-mishandled-families-precious-mementos-52477

This report really struck a chord with me and I wanted to do something about it. My goal was to create a tutorial that empowers people to digitally preserve their old printed photographs and give them the knowledge to do it themselves using easily accessible tools. Chances are, you probably already own one of these three items; a scanner, a smartphone or a DSLR/mirrorless camera. That means that even if you only have a smartphone, you can start digitizing your old printed photographs today!

How to Use Reverse Image Search To Find A Commercial Photographer On The Web

How to Use Reverse Image Search To Find A Commercial Photographer On The Web

Have you ever found an image on the web and wanted to find the photographer who created it? Maybe your company had interest in licensing that particular image or potentially wanted to hire that photographer to shoot their next marketing and advertising campaign? In this article, I wanted to share a couple of free tools that can help you do just that.

If The Photo is Watermarked

First things first, I have to state the obvious. If an image is watermarked, it should be pretty straight forward to find the original creator of a photograph because it’s very likely that the photographer’s website will be found somewhere on the photo. Having said that, while some photographers choose to watermark their work, some do not.

For me personally, I always place an unobtrusive watermark on my images that include my copyright information as well as my company website. I do this for a couple of reasons. First off, I want people to know that these images are my registered, copyrighted work. Second, I want people to know how to find my company website and potentially contact me to photograph their next project.

I can tell you, that if you did happen to find one of my images on the web somewhere without my watermark, there might be two reasons for this: 1. The photo was licensed to one of my clients, therefore no watermark would necessary for commercial advertising use (credit would still be required for editorial use however) or 2. Someone illegally stole my copyrighted image and removed my copyright information when they reposted it on another website.

If The Photo Is Not Watermarked

You may find an image without any kind of watermark whatsoever. If this is the case, locating the original creator of the image may not be quite as easy. In this case, we may need to rely on a reverse image search to help us out. What's the difference between a regular image search and reverse image search you ask? In a regular search, you’d type in a keyword description of the image results you’re seeking. Reverse Image search on the other hand, is a technology that allows users to upload an existing image file or use an image URL as an input query. This will display results related to the image you entered in the search. Think of it as searching the internet using a picture. The goal here would be to find an exact match to the image you uploaded or linked to.

Reverse Image Search

So, let’s say that you found an image online that you can’t get enough of. It’s creative, it’s unique and it’s amazing. But there’s no watermark to be found and you’re interested in licensing the image or potentially hiring the photographer to create commercial imagery for your next marketing or advertising campaign. How do you find the photographer who created an image? Try a Reverse Image Search. More and more companies are doing this. Two of the most popular and reputable reverse images searches are TinEye and Google Reverse Image Search.

There's More To Creating Heroic Product Photography Than Meets The Eye - The Exoskeleton of Chronometry

There's More To Creating Heroic Product Photography Than Meets The Eye - The Exoskeleton of Chronometry

High End Product Photography is Fine Art In A Commercial Market

While it’s easy to simply take an image at face value, there’s often more than meets the eye. Aside from the technical aspects of creating heroic product imagery, you might be surprised at the amount of thought and level of detail that goes into producing a single product hero shot.

From my perspective as a working commercial photographer and digital artist specializing in product photography, I view high end commercial product photography as fine art in a commercial market. Though art is highly subjective through the eye of the beholder, in my mind, if it’s something I’d hang on my wall or put in my home, I’d consider it to be a form of fine art.  

The Exoskeleton of Chronometry

I call this watch image “The Exoskeleton of Chronometry.” Chronometry means “the science of accurate time measurement.” The word “exoskeleton” refers to a rigid external covering providing both support and protection. A watch is literally the face of what we interpret as time. 

Symbolism in Product Photography

Much like literary works of art, if you read between the lines so-to-speak, other forms of art such as paintings, sculpture and even commercial product photography can also have symbolic meaning. Looking deeper into The Exoskeleton of Chronometry, for example, these two opposing surfaces might appear to have nothing in common, yet, they both symbolize the concept of "time." Similar to the face of the watch, wood also tells the story of time in a scientific yet abstract way. The blackened driftwood and the watch are made from completely different materials; yet they both have the ability to tell time. This seemingly hidden symbolism also creates an interesting visual dichotomy between these two objects. 

Hiring An Architectural Photographer? Here's What To Look For

Hiring An Architectural Photographer? Here's What To Look For

ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHER’S HAVE SPECIALIZED SKILLS

It’s important to realize that architectural photography is a specialty within the vast profession of commercial photography. With the profession of architectural photography comes a variety of specialized tools, skills and knowledge of the craft. This includes but not limited to; knowledge of industry standard business practices within the architectural community and specialized post production skills to overcome visual obstacles such as exposure blending and advanced compositing and retouching. To put it another way, an architectural photographer will have a completely different set of skills and knowledge than a wedding or wildlife photographer would have.

WHY YOU SHOULD HIRE A COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER INSTEAD OF LICENSING STOCK IMAGERY

WHY YOU SHOULD HIRE A COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER INSTEAD OF LICENSING STOCK IMAGERY

Unique Visuals have value

Here’s the deal, having license to use unique visual assets to market and advertise your brand has a lot of value! Yes, it’s true that hiring a commercial photographer to produce unique imagery will have a higher cost than simply licensing a stock image. But consider this, why would you spend thousands of dollars on ad placement without having unique brand visuals and messaging in the first place? What kind of message are you sending to potential customers?

Advertising for the sake of advertising is not necessarily good advertising. No matter what city you live in, I’m sure you’ve seen that terrible local car dealership commercial on tv….do you find yourself racing out to their lot to buy a new car. Probably not. In fact, you may even have a negative connotation associated with that brand due to the terrible jingle and lack of visual aesthetic. Maybe if they had put their dollars into creating better content, they’d have a better more impactful advertisement?

It’s about Getting The Imagery You Need

In a previous article “Stop Using Stock Photography To Market Your Brand. Here’s Why…” I listed 3 major reasons to stop using stock photography to advertise your brand. In addition to the concepts that I outlined in that article, think about the countless amount of hours you’ve probably spent online trying to find the perfect stock image, only to find out that it doesn’t exist. So your next inclination might be to settle on something that’s “good enough.” When you hire a commercial photographer, you don’t have to settle, because you have the freedom to create the images that you really need.

In today’s world, “first impressions” are often digital. Think about how many people visit your website before they make a purchase. Most people who look at your website will immediately start making assumption about the quality of your products and services based on your visuals alone. If your visuals are subpar or generic, there’s a good chance that potential customer will make a purchase elsewhere.  

Stop Using Stock Photography To Market Your Brand. Here’s Why…

Stop Using Stock Photography To Market Your Brand. Here’s Why…

STOCK IMAGES ARE NOT DOING YOUR BRAND ANY FAVORS.

In this article, I'd like to discuss the use of stock photography in marketing and advertising. Don't get me wrong, stock imagery has its place…These types of images work great as temporary place holders when you’re in the design phase of your company’s brand new website. However, using stock imagery to market and advertise your brand is the equivalent to saying “we’re just like everyone else.” Using stock imagery can also visually communicate that you don’t value your brand. If you don’t value your brand, why would anyone else? 

Stock images are cheap for a reason.

A large majority of the world’s stock agencies make their revenue on quantity. It’s simple math really. Lower licensing fees mean that these agencies are able to license a larger quantity of images which in turn makes them more money. But what does that mean for the licensee? What does this mean for your brand? It means that the images being licensed to you are not unique in the marketplace.

Think about the basic economic principle of supply and demand. When something is less unique in the marketplace, it becomes less desirable. When something is less desirable, it usually has a lower price point associated with it. It’s the same reason why something that’s unique, premium or incredibly rare will usually cost you more.

We’ve all heard the phrase “perception is reality.” So ask yourself, how do you want your brand to be perceived? Do you want to be perceived as a company that has cheap products and services and is just like everyone else? Or do you want your brand to be perceived as an industry leader full of experts who’s uniqueness in the marketplace allows your products and services to command the fees you deserve? If your answer was to be an industry leader, than you should consider not using stock imagery to market your growing brand.

THE NEXT BIG IDEA | SOUTH BEND ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHY | DIGITAL ART THAT ROCKS

I'm always looking for the next big idea. If you're a company doing cool things, creating innovative products and services, and have second to none customer service, I want to work with you! 

Hi there, I'm Brian Rodgers Jr. commercial photographer/digital artist and founder of Digital Art That Rocks LLC. I'm based out of South Bend Indiana and I've had the opportunity to work with clients from all over the country in various industries.

Being an artist my entire life, I'm always looking for creative and innovative new ways to create visual assets in the marketplace. If you're looking for highly creative PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY and RETOUCHING SERVICES, you came to the right place. Creative Vision. Technical Proficiency.™ Digital Art That Rocks.

Commercial Photographer And Digital Artist Brian Rodgers Jr Featured On the Cover Of Photoshop User Magazine

Commercial Photographer And Digital Artist Brian Rodgers Jr Featured On the Cover Of Photoshop User Magazine

Commercial Photographer and Digital Artist Brian Rodgers Jr. Featured on the Cover of Photoshop User Magazine - February 2018 Issue

This issue's cover  is by Brian Rodgers Jr., an Addy Award winning commercial photographer and digital artist based out of South Bend, Indiana. He's the founder of Digital Art That Rocks and specializes in product and architectural photography with an emphasis on the post-production process. Brian has crafted commercial imagery for global companies and small businesses alike through his relentless work ethic, creative vision, and technical proficiency. His rock & roll roots run deep.

 

The Hero Shot - Commercial Photographer And Digital Artist Brian Rodgers Jr

The Hero Shot - Commercial Photographer And Digital Artist Brian Rodgers Jr
In 2016 Brian became a part-time writer for Fstoppers.com and within just a few months became the highest rated product photographer on the Fstoppers Community

Commercial Photographer/Digital Artist and product photography expert Brian Rodgers Jr. teamed up with the crew at Fstoppers late last fall to produce a comprehensive tutorial on all things product photography. This tutorial is over 13 hours long and provides an incredible value for anyone looking to develop their skills in product photography. In this tutorial, Brian teaches a wealth of knowledge through his years of experience specializing in commercial product photography. 

We've worked with a lot of world-class photographers over the years but I am confident in saying that Brian Rodgers Jr is by far the hardest working photography instructor I've worked with. He worked at least 15 hours every single day preparing, filming, and then post-processing each of the shots for this tutorial without a single day off. We filmed this tutorial in in just seven days but it's taken us months to finish editing it. - Lee Morris

Photographer South Bend | Brian Rodgers Jr. | Digital Art That Rocks

Photographer South Bend | Brian Rodgers Jr. | Digital Art That Rocks

Looking for a photographer in South Bend? I get you...You're visiting this website because you have an appreciation for commercial advertising photography with meticulous detail. You want to work with someone who works as hard as you do. In a world full of noise, great work matters more than ever. Digital Art That Rocks LLC is committed to providing client's with exceptional imagery, creative vision & technical proficiency.

Whether you're looking to take your e-commerce game to the amazon level, engage your audience with the next big advertising campaign, or simply need professional headshots business networking, Digital Art That Rocks can create the visual assets you need to succeed in the marketplace. 

I'm Brian Rodgers Jr. Commercial Photographer / Digital Artist and founder of Digital Art That Rocks. Digital Art That Rocks, LLC. creates high end commercial advertising photography, retouching, composite imagery & video production for companies that understand & believe in the value of their visual identity in the marketplace.

 

Your Path To Better Advertising Photography Starts Here

I get you...You're visiting this website because you have an appreciation for commercial photography with meticulous detail. You want to work with someone who works as hard as you do. In a world full of noise, great work matters more than ever. Digital Art That Rocks™ LLC is committed to providing clients with exceptional imagery, creative vision & technical proficiency.

Hi, I'm Brian Rodgers Jr. a commercial photographer and digital artist based out of South Bend, Indiana. Thank you for visiting the official Digital Art That Rocks™ website and for checking out my latest work. Any business that designs, manufactures and/or sells products and services needs great photography to help sell their brand. Whether you need a product photography services, architectural photography, professional headshots, or video production services, you’ve come to the right place. 

Digital Art That Rocks™ specializes in product photography with an emphasis on high end retouching and post production. This means whether you need clean product shots on white seamless for selling your products on e-commerce sites like Amazon, or you need that next great hero shot for your next digital marketing or advertising campaign, Digital Art That Rocks has you covered. 

If you're an architect or in charge of marketing at an architecture firm, be sure to check out some of my exterior and interior architectural photography in the architecture gallery.