Robert Michaud Photography

I am a regular contributor to the Getty Images iStock collection. This image is the one that has sold the most with 24 sales. This may not seem like a whole lot, but when you are in a pool of over 30 million images, this one got over 60 views resulting in the 24 sales, which to me is significant. So what makes a shot popular on iStock? Here’s what I’m looking for when I shoot for iStock. First: Research, planning, and patience. I was planning a trip to Southern California for an airshow and some rail photography, and thought additional research might provide more photo opportunities.   The Boeing 737 MAX had recently been grounded and was trending on Google. Many images showed a bunch of Southwest Airlines 737 MAX planes on the ground at an airport in Victorville, in California’s Mojave Desert. Makes sense, the desert is a popular place for aircraft storage because the dry conditions are less harmful to idle planes. Since Victorville was not too far from where I was going to shoot ...

Imagine this. You have a vision for a photo, take the trouble to travel to the location, set up the shot, and wait until the proper moment only to discover that your shot is not possible by simply snapping the shutter. What do you do now? Back in the days of film you would take the shot then go into the darkroom to manipulate the image until you were satisfied. Manipulating images in the darkroom was considered a magical skill that was admired. Look no further than Ansel Adams for an example of this. He was well known for his photography as well as his darkroom enhancement skill. How things have changed! It seems that photo manipulation in today’s digital darkroom, usually Adobe Photoshop, fails to command the same level of respect. Well, I use Photoshop for myriad reasons with every image I shoot. Mostly, it is just for a few quick adjustments, but sometimes it is out of necessity. For me, the digital darkroom is an integral step in achieving the shot. My photographic process goes lik...

I thought I’d share a few of the challenges that went into taking this shot and what you will need to consider to photograph a rocket launch. First, patience. I took this image from Playalinda Beach, adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center. It takes an hour for me to drive there, which includes 40 minutes on suicide alley, I-95. In order to beat the crowd, I left home in time to arrive three hours prior to launch. I managed to stake out a good spot on the boardwalk between the parking lot and the beach and began my wait in the 90 degree heat. The countdown advanced all the way to T-minus 6 seconds at which point the launch was scrubbed for technical reasons. Damn! Packed it all up and headed home. Two days later, I did it all over again. T-minus 6 and Spacex shut her down...again! That’s it. I’m done. I’m not doing this again. Three days later, a little bird was whispering in my ear “you really don’t want to miss this”. So, off I went for round three. Finally, success! I had invested 300 ...

Hello and welcome to my blog! I look forward to sharing backstories of my images, thoughts on photography, and what goes through my head when I'm shooting an image. But for now, I would like to share my new website with you. When you get a chance, grab a favorite beverage and enjoy your visit to  bobmichaud.com . See you soon!