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PennsylvaniaI've been making a lot of photographs lately and I've posted a lot of them on my Flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/randystankey/
These are almost all traditional photographs. There are only five or six digi-pics in the lot. (Out of almost 200.)
I develop the film and scan the negatives in order to post them on the website.
Now, I'm trying to decide which photos are the best so I can make good prints of them to offer to some local galleries and, hopefully, sell some of them. I use the statistics available from Flickr to help decide which are the best ones. It also helps when people comment or choose a picture as a favorite.
So, if you would, please, check out my Flickr page and help me decide which are the best. :)
Printing photos in the darkroom can get expensive. I would like to pare the list down to the top five or six so I can concentrate my effort (and my finances) on making the best photos I can.
T.I.A! 
Oh! Just so we stay true to the Bear theme, here are some Bear pictures.
Isabella having brunch at a French bistro:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/randystank … 7060913006
http://www.flickr.com/photos/randystank … 7060913006
http://www.flickr.com/photos/randystank … 7060913006
Pudge, the Bear, out for a walk in the yard:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/randystank … 6936210671
Awwww! Isn't that sweet. 
Bless, that's so cute.
-- Thomas Adam
Past Time BearsI liked "Old Boat", "Somocolonia", and all of your dad's photos - especially "Pop Wright Fisherman". Not that I didn't like the others, but these really caught my eye. Nice photography!
PennsylvaniaWow! There are nearly 80 hits in just under an hour! You guys are awesome! This really helps!
Thomas,
That's Isabella having brunch at Bertrand's Bistro. She's eating creme brulee.
But she prefers to say that she ate creme BEAR-lee at BEAR-trand's Bistro.
Just so everybody knows, I can see the hit counts on each picture as people click through the site.
Even if people don't comment I can still tell which are the most popular. That information helps me pick the best pictures.
When it comes down to it, I'd rather have ten people tell me that a picture stinks than to have one person tell me it's the greatest. You don't learn anything unless people criticize.
One of my first photography professors in college could be a real mean critic.
We had to have our photo projects finished BEFORE class started on Friday. They had to be dry mounted and hung on the wall before he came into the room. If your photos weren't there, you got zero.
The guy walked into the room, hobbling on his cane. He would stand there for about five minutes without saying a word then he would suddenly smack the cane against a picture and say, "Who took this picture?" He would ask, "Why did you take this picture?" and he would tell you all the things that were wrong with it.
But, here's the thing. He wasn't just tearing you down. He wanted to make you defend yourself. If you could stand up and tell him why you took the picture and the image you were trying to portray he would give you good marks. If you just said, "I don't know..." your grades would suffer.
I learned a lot more from that guy than photography!
q.D.paToOtieSWow there are a lot of very nice "gallery worthy" photos there Randy. I would definitely choose too many and most of my choices would be based on things that I love - the beach, bears, etc. I see from viewing your Profile that you belong to several Flickr Photography based groups. Why not go to some of the "experts" who really know what to look for in Black and White Photography and ask them? Or if you have a little more time on your hands, you could link your Flickr account to a Blog and post your photos based on theme and have people vote on which ones they like the best out of each grouping. Just some suggestions! They are all very nice!
bingle bearsHi Randy, you have some lovely shots in that bunch! Your people photos are very good, but I'm not sure how much a gallery would want them. In other words, I'm not sure how often people buy photos of someone they don't know. I've always been quite partial to b&w and I really like a lot of your abstract-style photos. But I must admit that having a photographer husband and an abstract artist mom makes me quite fussy. I made some comments (I think) on the ones that popped.
Oh, I just checked and my comments don't seem to be showing up. So let me tell you which ones I like: "Carousel Horses," "Luke," "White Lily," "Pop Wright Fisherman," "Park Street Station 2," "Pipe Roll," "Ferris Wheel," and "Lilies 4." I also liked "John."
Warmly,
Cheryl
PennsylvaniaI appreciate you guy's help very much!
Yes, I am a member of several groups and they have been helpful but a lot of those groups get so many posts that my pictures only get a quick look. Quick looks are helpful, though. If a picture can pass the "quick look test" it's got something that gets noticed. Getting noticed is helpful to getting selected for display in a gallery.
The one thing about posting a link to Teddy Talk that has been helpful is the sheer VOLUME of hits that have come in. Check this out!
This is my hit chart on Flickr for the past month. Notice the peaks. Those occur every time I post to a group. Understandably, the hits taper off after a couple of days. That's normal.
But, notice the peak at the end of the chart! That's just the number of hits that came in after I posted my link, here, on Teddy Talk! That's over 300 hits in less than 12 hours and they are still coming in!
Every one of those hits helps. I can see which pictures get the most hits on a certain day and I can tell where the hits come from. When I post a picture to a group, I can deduce that people in that group like one picture or another. When I post a link to a forum like T.T. I know that people from that group like certain things.
These little bits of information really help me focus on the pictures that people like the most and which are most likely to get chosen for a gallery. Hopefully, those are the ones that are most likely to sell.
You guys have helped a lot! Mille grazie!
Just so you know, I already have 11x14 in. prints of the "Bear Brunch" series made up and framed. I'm looking for a home for those but it has to be the right person. While I wouldn't mind selling just one, I would prefer the whole series went as a set. At $150 to $200 a pop (depending on commission rates) that's a chunk of change that somebody would have to cough up. It's just going to take the right person. (Probably a Bear person. 
) Finding a gallery to display them is also difficult. Most galleries want nature pictures or they want something more "edgy." It's hard to find a gallery willing to do "Children's" art. (The Bears and I don't see it that way. 
)
Sophie Z'OursJust considering the graphism of the photos, I picked : Lilies2 for each element looked perfectly placed and the lily is in strategic place where to catch the eye... plus I like the colours and well, all about it. I also like the way it looks like you really see the clouds, not just their eflect in the water, it looks like the clouds are melting with the water. In Lilies3, this magic is not anymore as the leaves look like they are in the sky plus the "movement" of the leaves and flower in diagonal from corner to corner gives a feeling like they try to flee. despite its beautiful colour contrast it has a little something perturbating for the eye. Lilies2 is better balanced, has less movement, less rythm, and is producing a feeling of peace plus is very relaxing. Concerning Lilies4, it as an interesting play of lights but it inspires me disorder. If you look well at it, the leaves' "movement" goes into two opposite diagoanls so the eye is a bit lost and perturbated.
I picked Hitchcok's nightmare because it s subjects are placed on a beautiful diagonal, for its rythm and its originality, for the ambiance it's producing. It really looks very professional.
I picked Tracks Diagonal also for the rythm created by the railroad planks, the contrast between the gravels and the snow, for the way the railroad catches the lights. Now I wonder if you could crop it so the railroad would go from top left corner to top bottom corner...
I hope that helps...
Beary hugs,
Sophie.
Boechout, AntwerpHi Randy,
I have posted a comment on the photos that I really prefer : "AAA" by peterbear2011 are my "ratings" (you will notice that triple AAA is better than the current credit rating of the USA :crackup: ).
you will notice that triple AAA is better than the current credit rating of the USA
Ouch! 
Becky
Past Time BearsDouble ouch! Wry sense of humor, Peter! 
PennsylvaniaHey! I didn't vote for those bums! 
The Littlest ThistleOkay, I left comments on a few, but I have a few thoughts:
Firstly, what Cheryl says is right ot an extent, generally people aren't too bothered baout buying photos of other people, however, for all the people shots, have you thought about submitting them to a stock site? I have a friend who's a web designer, and his company is constantly on the lookout for people photos on stock sites doing all sorts of things (it's mainly the healthcare industry they deal with)
For all the buildings and vehicles etc around Erie, they might go down better in local cafes rather than in a gallery, where people on holiday may see them better and get them to remember a trip, or locals might want them as a keepsake of certain things that are memorable to them. You may not be able to sell for as much as in a gallery, but you can probably avoid gallery fees this way - you decorate their cafe for free, they advertise your work for free.
The bears are cute, I think that's a different market again.
Good luck
PennsylvaniaThe "people pictures" are examples of my work so that others can see that I am capable of taking good portraits or candids. I don't expect those ones to sell unless they are extra special.
I am looking for a job in the photo business. When I go on interviews, those are what people want to see.
The photo of the tall ship, Niagara, is currently on display in a local gallery. I went there, shopping my portfolio around to different places and the manager asked me, specifically, for an 11x14 in framed print of that one. She also asked me for a few smaller prints, approx. 5x7 in. but she didn't specify which ones she liked best.
Two of the three galleries I have visited all expressed interest but they are mostly tourist stores or they specialize in nature or landscapes, etc.
According to my statistics, the top three pictures on my list are "Hitchcock's Nightmare," "Kayak Sunset" and "Old Boat." The lifeguard picture and the carousel horses round out the top five. I am definitely going to print the birds. (The title "Hitchcock's Nightmare" is strictly a joke. I don't think that will be the final title. I think it will be just "Birds" or "Seagulls.") For the kayak picture, I'm going to have to do a little work because it was shot directly into the sun. It will be tricky to print a good version of that image but, because it is so dramatic, I think it will work out.
The "Bear Brunch" series was printed specially for display in a local coffee shop. The idea of Bears having breakfast went over pretty well with the manager. They were only on display for a month and, now, they are at home with me. I am looking for a new home for Isabella's pictures but, as we agree, these are special pictures which need a special person to give them a home.
I agree with your assessment that most tourists want more "cliché" pictures. I think the sailboats in the sunset would be a good fit for that. Once I get my top five pictures printed out, I'll work on that one and a couple of the other sailboat pictures and offer them up to the same gallery that has my photo of the tall ship on display.
Those pictures taken by my father were done well before I was born. They are 50 years old. I inherited the negatives after he died because I am the only one in the family who has the faintest clue what to do with them. I think I am going to print up a few of those ones and see if they will sell but they are all on 4x5 sheet film. The enlarger I use regularly is capable of printing 35 mm and 60x60mm negatives. I have an enlarger that is capable of printing them but it needs cleaned up and aligned before I can use it.
Once I get this project off the ground and I'm making enough money for the pictures to pay for themselves, I'll start working on the 4x5's.
The main problem I have now is to focus in on the top pictures in my portfolio and make them as good as I can. As of this minute, we are approaching 450 hits on my pictures, just today. The information gained from that and the comments you guys are giving me is really helping a lot! :)
I can't thank you enough!
Maybe I'll make a special edition Bear picture and offer it at cost for somebody at Teddy Talk. 
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Ah Randy, there are far too many criteria to choose just half a dozen images for: commercial value, Gallery choices, family memories, the list goes on and on..
For sheer impact—and I especially favor black & white for this—I choose those with the highest contrast.
Stark, crisp.
And as all basic photography courses teach - what's most pleasing to the eye is balance, though it's usually/always manifested in being off-center, rendered in topics like 'Leading Lines' and the Rule of Thirds.
Based on all of that my overall choices are, in no particular order, but just as the rotated through your album:
Wind Sock, Ghost Kites, Old Boat North Pier 1, 4 July Kids By Pond, White Lily.
Two more almost made my list; they were stark enough but could have had the same brilliance had the sun been in just a slightly better position.
Kite Kid and Life Guard on Duty.
Sometimes one can wait for that shot - or move over 10 feet - and sometimes that's out of our control. Those few minutes or physical move can make or break a good shot from becoming a great shot.
And you have a nice series going, all from the same vantage point, in different seasons - Presque Isle Lighthouse.
Very nice work!!!
PennsylvaniaI have always been a little afraid to pump the contrast up too much but maybe I should concentrate on turning it up just a notch.
I can recompose most shots in the darkroom, at least a little. The shots you see on Flickr are scanned from the negatives. When I make a real print, I will use that same negative and project it onto a blank piece of paper so I can focus and compose before shooting onto photographic paper. Therefore, what you see on the computer screen will be slightly different than what comes out on the final photograph.
I never thought of making a series out of those lighthouse pictures. There's an idea!
That lighthouse is one of those cliche shots that everybody shoots. If you are a photographer in Erie, you MUST shoot a picture of that lighthouse. It has gotten to the point where I just don't "see" that picture anymore. I just go there and do it automatically. Whenever I get a new camera, test out a new type of film or if I just want to "try something" I'll go to the lighthouse and shoot a half-dozen shots.
The idea of putting together all the pictures of that lighthouse in one series is interesting. I bet I've got at least 50 exposures of that scene, all from the same angle, that I have taken over the years.
BTW: 453 hits yesterday and 289 so far today. 
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)LOL - we have a windmill in a cemetery here - same obligatory shot! My Dad won a $$ prize once from a Chicago newspaper competition (Daily News or Trib) and we too have inherited many great negatives
He was as experimental in the developing studio as yours.
I thought that red light and the twirling fluids were stinky but magical.
I'm pleased for you on the # of hits and visitors!!!
PennsylvaniaI thought that red light and the twirling fluids were stinky but magical.
Stinky?! It smells almost like Chanel No. 5 to me.
If my wife came upstairs from the darkroom smelling like film I probably couldn't keep my hands off her! 
Want to see something kinda' funny?
Go to Google and search for "unsinkable canoe."
There's a picture I took of my nephews playing in a canoe on the family pond, trying to sink it because somebody told them that it was supposed to be one of those "unsinkable" boats. Well, the kids decided to see whether you really could sink an unsinkable boat.
I took a picture of them in medias res and posted it on Flickr.
For some reason, that picture now comes up as the number one item on Google Image search and, at last check, number seven on the general search.
I don't know how it happened but, for the last week, I have been getting one or two hits per day that come in from Google.
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)"unsinkable canoe."
Too right! How could I've forgotten that one? !!!
I knew another image was niggling at my memory...it was nearer to the end and I didn't go far enough, once I actually went back to write down titles of faves. Thx for reminding me.
Stinky?! It smells almost like Chanel No. 5 to me.
LOL, I carried on a hairdressing business here at home for years after quitting the regular salon, and totally forgot about the associated smells. Poor Don; the minute he came in the back door after work he'd start complaining - "Who'd you do today?" meaning a permanent (wave) as the ammonia-like odor smacked him in the face, which I didn't smell at all......
But, No, if he were slathered in it, I wouldn't invite him into the boudoir!!!
PennsylvaniaFunny thing... The main ingredient in photographic fixer is the same as the main ingredient that they used to use in hair perming solution. They've changed the chemicals used to perm hair since then but it still has a similar smell.
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Well, I guess that why I didn't mind either one - - - and perhaps what drew me to the "Cosmetology" career!
Hope the rest of you don't mind why Randy and I 'carry on' here!!?
(That was my favorite brother's name, too!!)
And HA! As much as they'd like to say the perm solution is milder and doesn't have the old ammonia odor, a beautician can still smell it!
PennsylvaniaThings aren't so bad, these days, in the darkroom. Most of the chemicals used are no more toxic than any other household product. You probably use stronger stuff to clean your bathroom than I use to make pictures.
However, in the old days, they used to use mercury vapor, cyanide and lots of other "methyl-ethyl bad stuff." In the civil war era, if you were developing a picture and you didn't rinse the plate (film) well enough between steps, you could carry some of the chemicals over from one container to the next and that would cause poison gas to be released!
Nowadays, things are MUCH safer. The nastiest chemicals I have are for toning (coloring) the pictures after they are developed. They smell like ammonia and they can cause minor burns or irritation on your skin. It's about as strong as drain cleaner. Just wear rubber gloves and safety goggles and you'll be safe.
But, other than that, unless you have an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in the chemistry, the risk is very low.
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Speaking of nasty chemicals - do you know what type of shop I'd go to to purchase lye, or another chemical which will produce the same results? There used to be a product by Red Devil, available in hardware stores, but no longer.
I need it to strip the softer, green parts of leaves away, leaving its vein structures.
PennsylvaniaRoebic Crystal Drain Opener is 100% Sodium Hydroxide. (Lye.)
Available at stores like Lowe's, Walmart or Tractor Supply:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/drain-open … s--3001186
I use it to clean cast iron pots and to strip emulsion off film so that I can recover the silver from my scrap film and photographic paper.
In a five gallon bucket full of exhausted film fixer, there is approximately an ounce of dissolved silver. There is probably half-again as much silver in the scraps of film I toss out. I make a little bit of my money back by recovering that silver before disposing of my waste. That's between $40 and $50 that would have gone to the Haz-Mat collection site which I can use to buy more film with.
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)TY - I'll check it out, before "..all the leaves are brown..."
no, wait, that's the Mamas & the Papas...1965... sorry, drifted into nostalgia a bit there......
