Art & Design Center and AMH properties help Revitalize downtown Reno

New life is being brought to the two previously owned Morrison University buildings on Washington Street in downtown Reno thanks to AMH properties a local property management & investment firm and Art & Design Center -Reno-.

Marrion Tavenner Hose of AMH properties asked Art & Design Center to place two 4 foot by 9 foot photographs in the main lobby of the 140 Washington street location. 

The panoramic photos were provided by renostock.com and photographed by Tom Robinson: owner of renostock.com and Art & Design Center. Framing and installation will be provided by Art Source Reno.

Above, the first of two panoramic views of downtown reno facing facing southeast down the Truckee river. Below,  the second panoramic view, facing northwest up the Truckee river.

Both images, printed on canvas, will be mounted seven feet high on both sides of the front lobby entrance bringing a warm urban feel displaying the quickly changing face of downtown Reno and the beautiful Truckee river and the ever changing winter landscape.

We will be posting images of the finished lobby next week.

Tom Robinson

Owner: renostock.com / morimages.com / Art & Design center

info@renostock.com

Renostock.com launches "Art & Design Center"

Necessity is the mother of invention. Out of necessity, Art & Design Center has emerged.

Once Renostock.com and Morimages.com opened its doors, we started getting requests for fine art prints and canvases. In order to fulfill these requests, Art & Design Center is now a reality. We are a sate of the art online fine art broker. Clients have access to all the images we offer in renostock.com and morimages.com, while offering clients a wide range of fine art, sculpture, ceramics, prints and professional museum style framing. All this is possible due to a partnership with the fine art gallery, "Art Source Reno".

Together, we will be able to offer corporations, businesses, design firms, hospitals, contractors, architects & designers, fine art, fine art prints, canvases, sculpture, ceramics and museum style framing.

Many of the photographers that are submitting images to renostock.com and morimages, are submitting fine art images and landscapes. This does not really fall into the commercial stock category. Yet is perfect for placing art in corporations and industrial projects.

Another benefit is that any corporate art dealer accross the U.S. can access the images on renostock.com or morimages.com to satisfy needs of clients in their immediate area. So its a win/win for everyone.

For more information about renostock.com, morimages.com
or Art & Design Center, contact us at info@renostock.com
or call 775-324-0403

"TracyLocke" Advertising eyes Renostock.com

"TracyLocke" Advertising, Dallas Texas has made Renostock.com /morimages.com a vendor thanks to Renostocks growing library of images of Lake Tahoe and Northern Nevada. One of TracyLocke's accounts is Harrah's Resort Casino. "When we found Renostock.com we were thrilled," said Virginia Burchell, Sr. Art Producer for TracyLocke in Dallas.

"TracyLocke" Advertising was founded in 1913 by Shelly Tracy and Raymond Locke. Innovative thinking combined with old-school determination launched the agency into history books with a string of milestone achievements.

Some of TracyLocke clients include: Harrah's, Frito Lay, Hershey's, Gatorade, Southern Comfort, Tropicana, Starbucks, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Pepsi to name a few.

Renostock.com is a quickly growing stock photography agency that focuses its attention on The Adventure Capital of the world. More specifically, Reno, Lake Tahoe and surrounding areas. Renostock.com's goal is to be the one source for any business or agency looking for quality images that reflect resort living, skiing, gaming, rafting, biking, or images that simply embody our unique lifestyle and the spirit of this beautiful area.

Renostock.com is very pleased to be able to support TracyLocke and Harrah's marketing efforts. We look forward to providing both with quality images that support the growing economy of Reno, Lake Tahoe and gaming community.

Tom Robinson Owner: Renostock.com / morimages.com

Renostock/Morimages Chooses Rights-Managed

I have officially decided to convert all images to Rights-Managed. So as quickly as I can, I am moving all images to the Rights-Managed category for both Renostock.com and Morimages.com.

Tom Robinson
Owner: Renostock.com/Morimages.com

Morimages Considers Accepting Rights-Managed Photo's Only

Well, after a-lot of thought, I am seriously considering removing the Rights-Ready and Royalty-Free options from Morimages.com and Renostock.com. The more I talk to other photographers around the country and the more I soul search, I come up with the same answer.

Rights-Managed is the way to go.

Rights-Managed protects the photographer and the client. It elevates the integrity of our industry. It stops undermining what we have worked so hard to create.

An Art Director by trade, I work with many photographers. They all share the same concern. What happens If I sell a Royalty-Free image and it ends up on the cover of Time magazine?

Who wins then?

I am also wrestling with the National Rights-Managed price calculator that many stock houses use. I think it is unfair to charge someone in Reno the same rate as someone in Chicago. The markets are different, the financial climates differ from region to region and budgets fluctuate with changing trends and sales. So all these need to be taken into consideration when negotiating a price for an image.

It's only fair to offer the client a fair price depending on market conditions and on ones individual photo budget.

Our mission should read: No matter how small or big your budget/company is, we will find the perfect photo at the perfect price for you.

"Rights-Managed, Right-Now, at the Right-Price."

The photographer wins and so does the end user.

I have decided on another matter as well. If you choose to list a Rights-Managed image with Morimages.com or Renostock.com, it must not be registered with any other Royalty-Free stock agency or Micro-Stock agency. No exceptions.

We don't want an image floating around being sold at different rates, and used by companies in similar markets in similar media venues.

Because of the affordable digital camera, everyone thinks they are professional photographers. Unfortunately education and respect for the art don't come in the box.

So these digi-happy people are running around giving their images, ownership and power away, undermining the whole industry. We as a whole need to nicely educate these folks and let them know that they can make a-lot more money if they sell their images as Rights-Managed and stay clear of the Micro-Stock agencies.

So there you have it. So expect some quick and decisive changes to Morimages.com and Renostock.com.

Sincerely

Tom Robinson
Owner: renostock.com/morimages.com

trobinson@renostock.com

Morimages Opens Its Doors to Photographers

Morimages opened its doors to photographers and creatives in February 2008.

Morimages came about simply due to the fact that many of us have photography that was not taken in Northern Nevada and we wanted an outlet for these images as well.

Since I had already developed renostock.com, I decided to make a sister site Morimages. Morimages has every image I have on Renostock, plus more. I am just piling up images on top of the Renostock image library.

When you visit Morimages.com you will notice I have posted many of my Chicago images. It is my hope that Morimages will have more of a Global appeal, and overtime, I hope to see many photographers from all over, posting and selling their images.

you will notice that the look and feel is identical to Renostock.com. This will all change soon. In a couple weeks you will see changes being made with a new slide show and possibly a whole new look to the home page.

Take a look for yourself: www.morimages.com

Big Snow in Reno

Last week, we had a huge storm blow into the sierra and into Reno.
The mountains received 8-12 feet of new snow. I reside in the foothills of Peavine Mountain in Reno, and by Saturday morning I received 14 fresh inches of snow. Ahhh, Perfect for picture taking.

I love these events because it always makes for some great photo opportunities.

So without giving it a second thought, I slapped on my snow shoes, grabbed my camera and scurried out the door. Always on the hunt for some cool shots.

Cool was an understatement. It was freezing, with 40 mile-per-hour winds, temperatures in the 20's and snow pelting my face. All the more fun, I thought.

My son on the other hand, was not as adventurous as I, and quickly retreated to the comfort of our home.



Up the hill I persisted, looking for anything that was different, anything that was unique. This was not as easy as it looked, for I had shot this trek up Peavine many snows before.

Still I persisted, shooting at will. I shot anything that caught my eye. Once again, clicking out of control. Getting as many shots as possible before the moisture consumed my lens.

I thrust the camera deep into the protection of my coat, as the wind and snow completely consumed me. I could barely point and shoot without having to duck away. Time was running out, I thought. The moisture was quickly building up on my camera lens. Only have time for a few more shots...I muttered under my breath.

So I got as low as I could pointing the camera directly into the path of the wind and pelting snow, and shot.

Finally, the wind, snow and moisture build up, was too much for my lens. I had to retreat. Turning, I cradled my camera like an infant, whipping away the snow from the lens and body, quickly making my way back down the trail.

Snow covered and wet, I lumbered back into the warmth of the house, camera in tow. I quickly removed any remaining moisture from the camera, knowing too well that water and digital technology don't mix.

Like reaching for treasure, I pulled the drive from my camera and quickly downloaded the shots. Soon, I would be sifting through the lot of images, searching, hoping...



You see photography is not my profession, but my hobby, nothing is planned in these spur of the moment shoots. So its with quiet anticipation that great shots reveal themselves.

To view all my Peavine shots and more Reno in winter click here.

Sincerely

Tom Robinson
owner: renostock.com

Zack Rawlinson Technique

I did a little research, and the technique Zack uses on his High Dinamic Range (HDR) photos is created by the software called Photomatix. You can find this software at www.hdrsoft.com. Download the trial version and start creating some really fun images. Here's the process in a nutshell.

Set up your tripod, shoot a range of exposures capturing the maximum and minimum values or darkest to lightest areas of your subject. Photomatix allows you to merge all these exposures into one image, capturing the dynamic range of your photograph.

Click here for a quick tutorial

› How do I shoot HDR?

Most digital cameras are only able to capture a limited dynamic range (the exposure setting determines which part of the total dynamic range will be captured). This is why HDR images are commonly created from photos of the same scene taken under different exposure levels.

Here are some recommendations for taking different exposures for the HDR image:

1. Mount your camera on a tripod

2. Set your camera to manual exposure mode. Select an appropriate aperture for your scene (e.g. f/8 or less if you need more depth of field) and the lowest ISO setting.

3. Measure the light in the brightest part of your scene (spot metering or in Av mode to point only the highlights) and note the exposure time. Do the same for the darkest shadows of your scene.

4. Determine the number and value of exposures necessary. For this, take as a basis the exposure time measured for the highlights. Multiply this number by 4 to find the next exposure with a stop spacing of 2 EV. Multiply by 4 successively for the next exposures till you pass the exposure measured for the shadows. (Note: For most daylight outdoor scenes excluding the sun, 3 exposures spaced by two EVs are often sufficient to properly cover the dynamic range).

5. You can make use of Auto-Exposure Bracketing if your camera supports it and if it allows a sufficient exposure increment and number of auto-bracketed frames to cover the dynamic range determined in step 4. Otherwise, you will have to vary the exposure times manually.

For a complete overview of this process visit: www.hdrsoft.com. For a great site on all typs of photoshop techniques using your digital camera visit www.dpchallenge.com

Downtownmakeover.com posts renostock.com's Zack Rawlinson photography

Downtownmakeover.com
is a site dedicated to the redevelopment of downtown Reno. Downtownmakeover tracks all of the downtown Reno redevelopment projects, and some select projects outside the downtown Reno area.

They also post photo's of Reno's redevelopments, landmarks and social scene. Renostock.com's photographer Zack Rawlinson surreal photos of downtown Reno are featured on Downtownmakeover, giving Reno a whole new look. To see more of Zacks work visit renostock.com.

I Will post how Zack creates these images with a photo merge software with related links and information soon.

Welcome to renostockblog

Hello and welcome to renostockblog

My name is Tom Robinson and I am the owner of renostock.com and the creator of this online journal. I, as well as my fellow photographers, will be posting interesting items such as photo shoots, sharing Interesting photo techniques and photoshop tricks. I will be keeping you updated on new photographers, photo additions to renostock, and news about renostock as it continues to grow.

Being an art director in Reno with a nack for taking pictures, I quickly created a large volume of digital photo's. The problem, where do I put them all, and what do I do with them. At this time, I was working with many of the professional photographers in reno as part of my job, and quickly realized that there was no central place for anyone to go to find their stock images. I also guessed that now that the age of the digital camera was upon us all, there must be hundreds if not thousands of great photo's that have never been seen. So with this in mind, in 2000, I registered renostock.com. It was a slow and long process, but finally after a-lot of time and programming, I completed phase one of the project and in August of 2007, I opened the doors of renostock.com to the public and started allowing other photographers to upload stock iamges of Northern Nevada and the surrounding area.

To date, have over 1,200 - twelve hundred stock images and counting. Every day I find another photographer, or he finds me. And soon it will be the same with all the advertsising agencies and designers in Reno. Finally, Reno businesses will have one central location to go and find quality stock photography of Northern Nevada, lake tahoe and surrounding areas.

If you would like to be apart of renostock.com and want share your stock photography with all the businesses of Northern Nevada, please contact: Tom Robinson by email at trobinson@renostock.com or by phone at 775.348.7862.