What Is Microstock Photography?

For the last six months, I have been obsessed with learning the technical aspects of digital photography and getting a better handle on post processing software. It's been a very time consuming venture to say the least. Today I'm posting a before and after shot of my blacksmith. You can see from comparing the final with the first shot how I took things out, added and enhanced some details and softened some harsh shadows. Hopefully in the future, I'll get better at my photography and lighting skills so I need to do a lot less in my post processing. How many things can you find that I have changed or adjusted in this photo? Here's a definition of microstock from Wikipedia: "Microstock photography, also known as micropayment photography, is an offshoot of traditional stock photography. What defines a company as a microstock photography company is that they (1) source their images almost exclusively via the Internet, (2) do so from a wider range of photographers than the traditional stock agencies (including a willingness to accept images from "amateurs" and hobbyists), and (3) sell their images at a very low rate (anywhere from $.20 - $10) for a royalty-free image."