I have, in the past and even today, participated with selling my work through stock agencies.  I try not to use microstock agencies, but I do submit to them from time to time.  What I am about to tell you has shocked me to the core of my being.  

Before continuing, you need to understand that microstock is really a commodity type of image sales where the photographer typically makes less than 1.00 per image.  So, it is really a tough way to make money to start with, but stay with me, because I think I will add more data to further complicate the issue.

Shutterstock announced in late May of 2020 that they were implementing a new commission structure.  Instead of being paid flat commissions, as the contributors have for as long as I have been with them, they would now have a level based structure numbered level 1 through 6.

Graphic showing shutterstocks new level plan

So, you might say to yourself, OK, fine, they are trying to weed out bad photographers and keep the good ones who sell more licenses.  Before you get up on your free market high horse, let me fill you in a little bit more.

Shutterstock resets this level every January, so every contributor, no matter how good he is, must secure 100 licenses before moving to the 20% level.  So what you might ask does a level one contributor make per image?   A whopping 10 cents per image!  TEN CENTS!   Up until June 1, 2020, an established contributor would earn a minimum of  33 centers per image and potential to make more depending on the license.  It was a sad amount, but nothing like this kind of cut.

What is probably even more despicable is that they are doing this in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest of 2020.  Does that sound like a moral decision?  I sat at my desk, stunned by this immoral timing and horrific outcome of this thought process.  This will affect thousands and thousands of people who try to make their living selling imagery, and it is only the latest in another corporate greed story.  It is so sad to see this happening to a beautiful industry of hard working and creative individuals.

I did some further investigation and found they are actually hiring for many positions with salaries up to a quarter of a million dollars.  Does that sound like a company that needs to reduce their commissions?  To Shutterstock, I would say, shame on you!

As I sit her contemplating my last five years of selling my photography, I am struck by one thought.  It has never been harder to sell imagery.  There is no denying that.  Images such as this bear portrait below, might have brought in thousands of dollars every year only 20 years ago.

I think about how lucrative it was in the late 1990s and how much my fellow nature photographers could earn.  Those days are long past, but I still want to sell my work.  I want others to enjoy what I enjoy, by seeing my vision through my photographs.  The options that once worked so well, like writing photo essays, no longer generate much income.  The stock agencies of old, no longer exist, but are replaced with shadows of what they once were.

In today's world, we must be more agile as photographers.  We must find other media and find other and less expensive ways of doing the same thing.  10,000 dollar lenses and 5,000 cameras are not the answer, but the answer is out there, and I am constantly pursuing it.  I don't pursue it to make a huge amount of money, I pursue it because I love what I do.

In my undergraduate work, I was trained in what we called back then, videography.  We were called videographers  and not photographers as we seem to be called in 2020.  So, I have been dabbling in the world I was once in, as a supplementary income.  My primary passion is creating still photographs, but I do enjoy creating videos to a large degree.  The requirements are different, and the editing can be grueling, but there is creative satisfaction from doing it.

I do not know if I will continue creating videos, but it is something to creatively explore and understand.  I encourage you to give it a try and see what you think about it.

Below is a sample of one of my slow motion hummingbird sequences I have been working on.

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"Cardinal on Plum Branch"

This photograph is from my "Songbird" Collection.  ********** Named after the magnificent clothing of the Roman Catholic cardinals, the northern cardinal is a species that often needs no introduction to even the most novice bird watcher.   Although both the female and male cardinal are amazing in beauty, the bright red plumage along with the crest and mask, make the male a striking figure indeed. It could be argued that this bird is the most loved bird in America.   In fact, the northern cardinal is the state bird of seven different states in the USA. It should also be noted that I find the cardinal to be a very mild mannered bird (except during mating season) and so projects a bird that will win hearts across the world and already has done just that.   Canvas Prints From $65 Metal Prints From $64 Deluxe Prints From $23 GET 20% OFF ALL PRINTS OF THIS IMAGE. 3 DAYS ONLY. USE CODE: AHBUHX Shop this Image > Browse All > Proud member of the Carolina's Nature Photographers Association Become a VIP and Subscribe to My Newsletter * indicates required Email Address *  First Name  Last Name

"An Insect in the Bill is Worth Two in the Bush"

This photograph is from my "Bluebird Project" Collection.  ********** During the nesting season, the bluebird is a ravenous consumer of insects.  It is interesting to watch them as the perch on a fence or rotten tree top searching for food.  Once they spot the insect they will swoop in for the kill.  I have personally watched them take insects out of the air as well. I for one am happy that these beautiful hunters are among us.  They help keep at bay the insect population, and in return we get to gaze at their royal coloration.  This year, the nesting pair I have been following, are now on their second brood.  I am rooting for them, but I know the second brood is less likely to make it to maturity (at least in my area). If you have never experienced watching bluebirds raise their young, you are missing out.  Here is a nest box that will suit your needs well. Canvas Prints From $65 Metal Prints From $64 Deluxe Prints From $23 GET 20% OFF ALL PRINTS OF THIS IMAGE. 3 DAYS ONLY. USE CODE: AHBUHX Shop this Image > Browse All > Proud member of the Carolina's Nature Photographers Association Subscribe to My Newsletter * indicates required Email Address *  First Name  Last Name

It is June 6, 1944, the rough seas, combined with fear make for a sick stomach.  Your landing craft is approaching a beach where entrenched, battle hardened German troops wait to gun you down.  All of this does not stop you from what you know must be done.  You begin to think, "I must stand with my fellow soldiers, my friends.  I can't let them down or the American people. This tyranny and bloodshed has to end!"

The throttle on the landing craft begins to be eased back and you can hear the driver shouting.  Suddenly, the ramp in front of several rows of soldiers drops into the water with a huge splash.  For a moment you can see a beach, but you don't have time to think before German positions just past the open ground begin to fire on your craft.  You hear shouts to, "go go go!"  

You can see the men in front of you start to move, but they barely move a foot before 7.92 mm German MG bullets rip into them.  You have to step on those fallen in front of you, but you manage to make it into the water and make a dash for a tank trap you see ahead. A stray round rips into your left hand and you take cover behind the tank trap. You yell for a medic, but no one can hear you in all the chaos. Seconds are an eternity in what can only be described as destruction and raw carnage.

Later, in a hastily constructed medical tent, you realize that you survived the encounter, but many of your friends did not.  You have to live with the guilt of surviving something they did not.

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Memorial Day, is a day in America where we remember those who fell in battle.  We remember the soldiers who died during harsh winters at Valley Forge, D-Day, the siege of Khe Sanh, the battle for Fallujah and a thousand other unnamed battlefields.
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To help honor those who have fallen, I created this image of a strong bald eagle.  She is battle weary with signs of dirt on her white feathers, but she still stands.  Behind her a battle worn U.S Flag stands as a symbol of freedom and a symbol of all those who have fallen. 

We must never forget their sacrifice for out freedoms!  I will never forget.

"Red Wolf Drinking"

This photograph is from my "Best Sellers" Collection.  ********** The red wolf of North Carolina is a somewhat sad story, but a story that still doesn't have a defined ending.  The red wolf was hunted pretty much to extinction in North Carolina, because it was a danger to farm animals and thus the economy of the farm. Recently, the red wolf has had mixed results being reintroduced.  In the far eastern part of the state, they do have some stability, but there are still far too few of them to say they are stable or on the rise. Hybridization with coyotes has also become a concern.  In the image above, the viewer is peeking behind the rock in the foreground at almost water level.  The viewer's eyes are met with the eyes of the wolf.  There is strength and determination in those eyes.  There is a hope in those eyes.  The drinking of the water helps reinforce the idea of a hopeful future in the clear, nourishing water. Perhaps, one day, the red wolf will once again roam the forests of eastern North Carolina in larger numbers and be a stable force once again.  Through conservation, we can possibly keep the numbers stable. Canvas Prints From $65 Metal Prints From $64 Deluxe Prints From $23 GET 20% OFF ALL PRINTS OF THIS IMAGE. 3 DAYS ONLY. USE CODE: AHBUHX Shop this Image > Browse All > Proud member of the Carolina's Nature Photographers Association Subscribe to My Newsletter * indicates required Email Address *  First Name  Last Name

In the world of iconic and big wildlife lenses, one needs to look no further than at the far end of the massive Canon EF line.  In my mind, there is no other glass that has received more accolades from wildlife photographers than the Canon EF 600 F4 IS II L.

In a recent trip to Florida to photograph the wildlife there, I had an opportunity to use this lens for several days.  This post is a culmination of my thoughts during that trip.  I will examine everything from build quality to the final images.  I hope find it useful and enjoy reading it.

Canon EF 600mm F4 IS L II (Photo courtesy of Canon USA)

SPECIFICATIONS

• Focal Length:  Fixed, 600mm
• Maximum Aperture:  F4
• Image Stabilized:  Yes, 4 stops
• Lens Construction: 16 elements in 12 groups (Fluorite)
• Drop in Rear Filter: Yes, 52mm
• Closest Focusing Distance: 4.5m/14.77 ft.
• Weight: 11.45 lbs
• MSRP:  $11,499

BUILD QUALITY/FIT AND FINISH
As I handled this lens day after day, the one word that kept coming to mind was "Tank."  This lens is a tank of a lens.  Additionally, my brother, who also accompanied me on this trip, used that word probably as much or more than I did to describe the lens.  

Those who follow my work, know that I am a run and gun wildlife photographer.  Although I do use a tripod, I do not like it slowing me down, making me miss valuable shots.  You must accept that bias when reading this and understand your style may be different than mine.  Personally, I found the weight of 11.45 lbs to be un-handholdable (is that a word?) for more than 20 seconds at a time.  Most of the time, I would lean against a tree/car or shoot entirely from the car when using it.  I had to be tethered to something the entire time I was shooting.  There was simply no way to run and gun.  I did find it to be great as a "car blind" lens.  I was able to rest it on my Grizzly Bean Bag and the weight really helped with the stability.  

Having said all that, the build was astoundingly rugged.  The lightweight aluminum shell was very strong, manual focusing was buttery smooth and all of the buttons easy to access.  All in all, it is what I have come to expect from a high end "L" lens.  Understand, that the weight does not come from the metal used in its construction, but from the massive front element and other glass elements. 

This lens is also a fully weather proofed, sealed lens, so the photographer can shoot in adverse conditions all he wants, as long as his camera is just as weather proof.  It is a nice feature, but in today's world, even many of the lower priced options also are equally weather proofed.  

I found the build of the 600 to be identical in quality to that of the Canon EF 400mm L.  Click here to read that review.

SHARPNESS AND OPTICAL QUALITY
As one would expect from a lens in this category and expense, the sharpness and contrast was excellent.  This allows the beauty of the subject to pop in the images you will take with it.  I don't know of any way to describe optical quality as it is something that needs to be seen.  The images below speak for themselves.  What do you think? Is the quality worth 11K? I will share my thoughts on that in the conclusion section.

Little Blue Egret - Canon 7D Mark II, ISO 200, F4, 1/400th (Image Stabilized, resting on bean bag)

100% Crop (Roughly) of the above image.

Florida Alligator (Cropped Vertical 50%) Canon EOS 7D, F 7.1, 1/500th of a second, hand held

In the photo of the alligator, pay particular attention to the eyes and around the eyes.  The level of detail is astounding!

AUTO-FOCUS
The AF on this lens is second only to that of the 400 f2.8 in the same line.  It is fast, so fast in fact that you can barely even see it focus. The focusing of the lens is almost silent as one would expect.  In cloudy conditions, the Canon powerhouse outperformed my Sigma 150-600 time and time again.  

If this lens was such a great focusing lens, then where are the flight shots?  Well, there are none with this lens, because it does not fit my style for flight shooting.  I want a lens I can hand hold.  It can be the fastest lens in the world, but if I can't hold it in my hands, pivot with each bird flying, then I am not interested in it.  With this lens, it all comes down to your own style and how this lens fits that style.  The quality is a given with any high end luxury lens.  In the shot below, I was stunned at how fast and how sharp the image was. Even heavily cropped, this image maintained its quality!

FINAL VERDICT
Stunning in optical and build quality, the Canon EF 600 mm F4 IS II is everything I would ever need in those respects.  However, the massive weight at 11.5 pounds, combined with the $11,000 price tag, keeps it from being a run and gun contender for my wildlife photography.  

In my opinion, this lens could act as a primary wildlife lens if you only shoot from vehicles or shoot only from a tripod.  For those folks who have the money, I would take a hard look at purchasing this lens.  It was a true pleasure to shoot with it and be able to provide you with a fact based, field test report. The next section contains a quick list of the pros and cons of this lens.

PROS

• Build to astounding quality
• Great image stabilization up to 4 extra stops of hand holding (too bad it is so heavy)
• F4 aperture provides extra low light performance
• Super sharp with great resolving power
• Blazing auto-focus
• Smooth manual focus ring

CONS

• Extremely heavy (Imagine holding two newborn babies on one arm out in front of you for long periods of time)
• Extremely high priced ($11,000 MSRP (US Dollars))
• Manual focus ring can cause your shots to shift focus when resting on a bean bag
• 14.7 ft minimum focusing distance

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