Why You Need a Professionally Designed Logo for Your Business

A well-designed logo sets your company apart from the competition.
Your company is not the only business of its kind in the marketplace. There are other companies that offer similar products/services, and therefore cater to the same type of customers - this is why your logo should let you stand out. It should be able to distinguish you from direct competitors with the help of images, colors and prints. No matter how much you admire the logo of your competitor, you have to be unique to prevent your customers from getting confused.
For example, if most of your competitors have blue logos, you can opt for a brown logo. If their logos have straight lines, try using curves. However, do not go overboard, far from what your customers expect.
Bank logos are mostly blue and black for a reason. These dark colors are often associated with trust and seriousness. All banks want a trustworthy image. They usually shy away from bright hues, except of course, if they have good reason - like they want to project youth and dynamism.
The finish should look professional in every aspect.
There are logos that look substandard and usually, logos of small companies fall under this category. Perhaps they used a clip art that is cheap, or fonts that make words hard to decipher. At times, small details, like wrong spacing between words, can let the viewers sense that something is not right, though this may not be noticed by non-professionals. The quality of implementation in a logo is very important. When it is seen as professional, there is a higher probability for this quality to be passed on to the company.
The graphic symbol and the typography are the two elements of the logo in which the quality of design is crucial. It is best for symbols to be simple and easy to read, as well as balanced in the logo. A lot of designers slightly alter the typography to boost the legibility and give a distinct look.
It always looks great no matter what media is used.
Logos are versatile. They can be printed in full color on business cards and stationary, as well as black in phone books. They can be seen on large advertisements and computer screens with low resolution. They can appear as very small on company checks, or large on the surface of a van.
There are lots of logos that may look great on standard size media, but are difficult to recognize when reproduced for very small media. They can look uneven when enlarged for a trade show booth. There are times when a logo's details vanish when printed in a newspaper because of the paper's poor quality or lack of colors.
For this reason, nearly all professional logos are simple and come with legible fonts. The best designers can produce many versions of the logo, with a different color at the least, and a plain black counterpart for various uses.
Usually, designers also provide other versions of the logos where components can be arranged to fit in small or vertical spaces.

Do you need a quality Columbus logo design service? Come visit our site and learn more about our company - we also offer Columbus website hosting services!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karina_Popa

Questions To Ask When Hiring Video Production Services

Videos are loved because they add depth to messages that are being passed across. A production that has a video to complete it, makes a better presentation than one without a video. There are so many reasons that you could be looking for video production services, but the one you should be focused on is the quality of the video. To get high quality videos, then you need to ensure that you trust your project in the hands of a company that is qualified and can easily meet the project demands. A few questions before hiring the services can help you narrow down the search for the best company considering that there are so many video production companies today.
How is the company clientele base and how happy are past clients?
The current clientele that the video production company has can tell a lot about quality and professionalism. Another very simple way of telling the potential it has for your project is looking at how happy and content past clients are with the video production services offered by the company. You can contact firms that have worked with the house recently just to gauge how good they feel the services were.
Does it offer ideas towards improving the project?
In as much as your ideas should be given priority, there are video production elements you might not be very much aware of yet they can positively improve your production. By working with a company with a creative team and deep technical knowledge you can be sure that the areas you overlooked or didn't make very good decisions on will be rectified for a powerful video in the end. Take time to listen to such ideas and relate them to your project and you will be surprised at how beneficial such a company can be to your project.
Do you get along?
This is a very important question, but unfortunately, you might not be able to answer it until much later into the production. However, you can tell how well you get along with the production team from the onset of discussing the project at hand. The company team should be made up of good listeners interested in your ideas and requirements before offering any suggestions to make improvements. Getting along is very important for a successful video production process, so make sure you love the team you are working with or drop one you feel is too hard to work with. Respect and communication should be your determinants.
Is the company videography style what you want?
Filmmakers are responsible for bringing out the characters in the video and the style they use during production can determine how well this is achieved. Color grading, editing, music choices, equipment used and the shots selected for the video make part of the style and they can determine the end results. The style can differ from one video production company to another and therefore your main goal should be to choose a style that matches exactly what you wish to portray with the video.

Austin video production houses are very professional in what they do. It however still makes a difference to take your time choosing the best video production Austin Company to get desired results in the end.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jovia_D'Souza

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This Is Why You Need to Hire a Graphic Designer

Small businesses should appreciate the worth of their computer, allowing them to design brochures, fliers, postcards and even a website on their own, thus doing away with the services of a skilled graphic designer. Yet, there are good reasons for any small business to hire the services of skilled personnel for creating their marketing supplies.
1. You lack time
Small businesses are too occupied with other business affairs to find time for developing effective marketing tools, though they realize how helpful these can be. Assigning the job to a professional designer enables them to quickly get this project completed, and they can start its implementation for furthering their business.
2. It is indispensable for you
You may get software for preparing page layouts at no charge, but it takes a considerable amount of time to learn its effective use. You could use that time for other worthwhile business activities. You may need to spend $400 for getting the job done by a professional, but you would have earned additional $800 by better utilizing your time.
3. Try creating a unique brand for your business
Not all small businesses need to stand out from the rest. For instant, for an electrician in a small town it should suffice to appear in the Internet, along with getting listed in the phone books. But if there are a dozen or so electricians in the same town, you need to stand out. You can't achieve that by simply designing a logo or distributing fliers, just like others in the same field of business may be doing. The use of unique marketing materials is imperative for getting your name registered in the minds of the consumers. If they are able to recall having seen your name or logo earlier, they are most likely to ask for your product.
4. You like your looks to be consistent
By using different fonts, logos or messages every now and then, you can't convey too much professionalism. This doesn't help your business getting registered in the mind of your likely customers. Entrust this job to professionals, as they understand how to take care of such seemingly minor details to ensure that all your marketing supplies effectively communicate your business to your clients. If you employed "Calibri" in one ad, and "Times New Roman" in another, it is quite likely that your clients will fail to notice the difference, but it will get recorded in their subconscious mind and may change their outlook to your business. Your message creates a better impression of your business if everything fits well.
5. Your business gets exposed to a storehouse of ideas
Designers are known to be creative people who like being helpful to their customers, and who try to derive the maximum out of any project. Hiring a competent designer generally amounts to having a better product on the whole than you might have done on your own, though you might be good at making things appear great. Professionals are generally capable of creating more appealing, attractive and better polished content than you can, thus drawing more attention from prospective clients, and hence getting more business for you.

Still looking for an experienced Las Vegas graphic design company? Don't waste your time anymore, we are only a click away! We also offer reliable Las Vegas website hosting!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karina_Popa

I Be Copacetic

August 02, 2015 - Saturday morning began badly for me last week and if I am claiming a bad morning, you have to believe me, it was a bad start. The only time I have slept for more than 15 to 20 consecutive minutes has been following one of the several surgeries I have had. So, when I think it was a bad night, then it was a long and sleepless one. A couple of years ago, I started a newsletter with a similar paragraph and my readers told me they thought, "Wow, Dave is not doing well." They were right, but, then I continued by talking about turning things around and finding joy.
Most nights I have little problem falling sleep; staying asleep is the problem. Friday night / Saturday morning I could not go to sleep because of a head cold. Every time I moved, I coughed. I stopped trying after a couple of hours and got up for forty minutes. I then went back to bed exhausted, but failed to go to sleep for the rest of the night. To add to the great start, my wife woke up unable to move her knee. We have no idea what she could have done to hurt it, but she cannot walk. So here we are, two old grouches starting Saturday moaning and groaning, in a horrible mood. About 8:30am, our oldest son called to ask what we were planning to do today, because he and his family want to do something with us. I groaned at him and said I would talk to mum then call him back. At this point, only our 5-year-old daughter is awake. All this summer, she has woken up at 7am and come knocking on our bedroom door. In a few weeks, school will be back and she will have to wake at 7am. Who wants to give me some odds on whether she will voluntarily get out of bed at 7am? I doubt I would make any money on such a bet. lol
How many of you have started your Saturday feeling like this? You want to stay asleep but circumstances are working against you. I have to believe this scenario is played out in many, many homes each weekend. Probably not exactly the same, as not everyone has the same family setup. There are also not that many families have someone who suffers from the devil cursed disease of RSD/CRPS. Or have someone who wakes up with a twisted knee and in agony when they were not suffering when they went to sleep. There are, however, hosts of other reasons the day can start badly. I am sure you could write several blogs yourself on how NOT to start a Saturday, things you have tried yourself.
So, what do we do when this is our Saturday morning? Moan, groan, whine and gripe is one option. Shouting at the children and anyone who comes close to us for doing anything other than breathing, will naturally follow doing this.
I would argue we should act as if we are at our peak and whatever is happening is not going to get us down. Even though life, the universe, the gremlins or whatever is giving you grief, is making your day miserable, it is important, in fact essential, that we act as if everything is copacetic. I love this word because it sounds so cool. I can just see 1960's flower power people using the word. If you have never heard of it click on the link for the dictionary definition.
Being copacetic means you find things very satisfactory, very acceptable, not that everything is nice or wonderful. It is a state of mind that says, "You know what? I am going to be happy, anyway! Regardless of what's currently happening. " Copacetic may mean something completely different to you than it means to you. I suffer constant chronic pain and a good day for me, may be a totally horrible day for you. Imagine living with several toothaches, a couple of twisted ankles and either giving birth or being kicked in the groin depending on your gender and you might begin to imagine my good days. If you are male who wants to know what it is like to give birth, go to a gym and have someone throw a medicine ball at your groin repeatedly for several hours. Let me know if you try it, I would be interested in sharing your experience. Please note this is not a recommendation. Do not try this because you think I am telling you to do so, I am not! It is also true that a day you find totally satisfactory could be unacceptably boring to me. Each of us relates to things differently and what is easy for one person to handle may be completely impossible for someone else to deal with.
The concept of using the word copacetic to describe how our day is going is a completely personal thing. If it is satisfactory to you then it does not matter what anyone else thinks or feels.
My family and I decided to go to Fort Bridger in Wyoming for the day. Why there? Because we like it there. It was the meeting place for all of the western migrations and thousands of pioneers passed through the fort over its 60 or so years of existence. It is only 100 miles north of where we live up Interstate 80. Ann took some pain medicine and put a knee brace on her knee, I pulled on my big boy undies, and we got on with the day. Did I still hurt horribly? Yes! Was I exhausted? All day long! Did Ann's knee hurt? Yes! Did we enjoy the day? Yes, we did! Sharing it with our children and grandchildren made the day fun and wonderful.
Fort Bridger has special a spirit left behind by all the people who passed through on the way to their future. Some were headed to Oregon and a new life there; some were headed to California, also for a new life and, after gold was found in 1847, with the hope of striking it rich. There is also the Mormon trail being followed by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seeking the right to practice their religion in peace. I do not know the correct word to describe the feelings and emotions these thousands of people left behind, but you can sense all the hopes etc. they had. Good days, by our standards, were probably few and far between. They traveled about 11 miles a day on a good day and sometimes only managed to get everyone up or down a steep incline on another. They had to decide to be copacetic or quit and go back the way they had come. Some actually did this.
Whether your day is starting well or badly the only thing you can control is how you find the day. Be copacetic and happy or find everything unsatisfactory and be unhappy. It is your choice to make. Me? Everything is copacetic!
Click here to look at my new book Fighting Pain Finding Joy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_A_Gray

Mental Illness and Creativity

How the mind works? Our culture is full of so much stereotypes about it and may be most of all artists suffer from it. The juxtaposition between genius art masters and their great art works despite their mental illness or because of it has been part of our life for thousands of years. The science has not yet been able to prove it right or disapprove. And while the final verdict is still up to be said we can see how many painting masters actually suffered from mental illnesses - Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Jackson Pollock, Edvard Munch, etc. They had in particular manic-depressive disorder and schizophrenia.
But the question here is - what is most important - illness or Art? Should we instead of trying to eliminate illnesses by medication to try to embrace them as something crucially valuable in their own right?
Actually a link between illness and creativity has been documented and can be traced back to 4th century B.C. People back then call it divine madness provided as a gift from the heaven, like a channel by which we receive the most important information and knowledge. It comes from God.
Even Lord Byron states that all artists of the craft are crazy somehow. Some are really affected by gaiety or melancholy. We are all more or less touched by this gentle emotion to express the inner life vision by shapes and colors.
At one point of the time association between diseases of the mind and artistic creativity and merit was so popular that surprisingly some art workers actually mimic this eccentricity and mind illness in order to be respected for what they do as Art. Such tries of course are far from the blazing glory of the ones really 'touched' by mental illness as blessing to stay genius for centuries and centuries.
First studies in this area focused on simple correlation, looking for evidence that mental illness is much more common among creative people of all sorts. And vise versa - those who are really creative and make art of all kinds are much more predisposed to mental disorders than the rest of just highly intelligent ones. Such studies have provided some persuasive evidences that the connection is real. The biological support evokes the front lobe of the brain, where the temporal and parietal lobes are, where knowledge and concepts are stored. It is minded that unusual activity has been found there with people suffering from all sorts of mental disorders. Hyperactivity might cause a person to draw unusual and seemingly unrelated items, result from delusions and mania.
And it's not hard to see how a mental illness actually affects the artistic creativity. It makes the person think in an original, unique manner, to express amazingly well in this world of no emotions. Thinking of the artistic mind would never be traced properly because it moves in its own paths. It creates all rules and changes them constantly. Because actually movement and change is what makes us creative and alive. Feeling productive make personality valuable not only for the inner self-satisfaction but for the rest of the people as well.

Thank you so much for reading my article!
My name is Alexandra Duhlinska. I'm doing Art for fun and living and I hope that you like my very useful and interesting articles. If you need to contact me, do it here - http://artdux.com/. Thank you for being supportive! Giving me your time for reading my articles, makes me really happy and satisfied with what I do! Keep in touch with me for more great article topics here! Thank you!

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Blab - Fad or Fabulous?

The first I heard of Blab.im was when my buddy, Brian G. Johnson posted on Facebook he was hosting a Blab. Shortly thereafter, Joel Comm was promoting his Blab. Before I knew it, many of my friends and colleagues were Blabbing and having a great time doing so.
My initial thought was, "Oh no! Not another BSO - bright shiny object."
With all the new distractions on social media, I truly thought this was just one more to add to the bone yard of soon to be forgotten ways to mindlessly fill time online.
Knowing Brian and Joel the way I do, Blab warranted further investigation. After all, both of these online rock stars seem to always be on the leading edge of how to serve their communities.
After closer examination I got the bug. AND I predict Blab is going to create immense opportunity to those who strategically utilize this platform and the incredible capabilities Blab offers.
The great thing about Blab is there are virtually no barriers to entry. Unlike Google Hangouts, Blab is very user friendly. Even the most non-techie person can get the hang of it from the start.
As with anything, there are always Pros and Cons. Here is my take on the Pros and Cons.
PROS

• What I really like about Blab is you can use it as an open discussion forum, training platform or simply talk about trending topics.
• Limited number of on-camera participants. Some people think that having only four people on camera at a time is a major downside. Personally, I like this feature. This prevents a free for all conversation that could quickly get out of control.
• If you're the host of the Blab you have complete control on how long you let someone stay on camera. In other words, if you have someone who is inappropriate, tries to take over the conversation with their own agenda or is just an out and out jerk, you can X them out.
• The user interface is very simple and yet, it has room to grow.
• One of the nicest features is the Twitter integration. While on a Blab you can tweet out to all your Twitter followers by the click of the button that reads "Tell a little bird." Participants can do the same. In very short order, your Blab is being tweeted out to untold numbers of people.
• From what some experts are claiming, they are picking up quite a following, their subscriber lists are increasing and their visibility is going through the roof.
• Another nice feature is the ability to record your session. Many experts are using their recorded Blabs for membership sites, podcast shows and creating more value for their community.
• You can go live immediately or schedule your Blab in order to let your community plan accordingly.

CONS Although the Pros are plentiful, there are some downsides. Yet, the upsides far outweighs the downside.

• You don't have privacy on Blab. Once you go live, anyone can join in.
• Blab has already proven to be a BSO for some people. The phrase, "Addicted to Blab" is starting to surface.
• If someone is using Blab simply for the purpose of filling their time, you can end up wasting precious time searching out high content Blabs.
• From what I've seen, there are more "time waster" Blabs happening than really useful ones.

Getting the most out of Blabs you host and/or participate in
The following recommendations are for those who want to use Blab to enhance their market reach, visibility and position their expert status.

• Use the Blab platform as you would any other training environment. In other words, treat the time of participants with respect and give them something useful from your Blab.
• Make sure the whatever shows on camera is not distracting. For example, don't do the Blab in your bedroom with an unmade bed showing.
• Avoid noise and distractions while hosting, or participating on camera, with the Blab.
• Record the session in order to repurpose into a podcast episode, content for a membership site, or added value for your subscribers.
• Dress and act the part you want to convey to the viewers. I can't believe the number of people I've seen on camera with messy hair, eating their lunch or dinner on the Blab, picking their nose (yes, I did see one person pick their nose) and/or looking bored while others are talking.
• Have fun. This is key to others having fun. If they see you enjoying yourself, it's likely they will too.
• Keep things on target. Unless your Blab is a free for all, keep the conversation on topic. It will keep your viewers more engaged.
• Acknowledge people as they join the Blab. A quick hello works great.

Ready to jump on the Blab bandwagon? All you need do is go to Blab.im to begin Blabbing.

Kathleen Gage is the "no-nonsense, common sense" online marketing strategist, speaker, author, product creation specialist, and owner of Power Up For Profits. She helps entrepreneurs make money online. Her clients are driven by making a difference through their own unique voice.
As an early adopter of online marketing, Kathleen is known for cutting through the fluff. She speaks and teaches about what she believes are the core elements of a successful life: accountability, integrity, honesty, and living with passion and hope.
Kathleen believes the best way to become well known in your market is to let go of the need to be well known and simply serve and create an incredible experience for all you come in contact with.
http://powerupforprofitslive.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathleen_Gage

Necessities of Image Editing Services for Real Estate

Marketing real estate by means of images over the internet is a common procedure in the world today. Many realtors and real estate owners look to hire photographers who can click images of the real estate property. When hired the photographers will click images of both the indoors and outdoors of the property. These images will then be outsourced to a firm by the photographer for proper edition and better aesthetics. The reason behind the editing part is to impress potential buyers into buying the home, No buyers would like to look at images that make the house look pale and gloomy. A few photo related enhancement procedures rectify this issue. The question now is, what are the Photo related techniques that are necessary to make the images look both pleasing and appealing to the buyers?
Color and Contrast correction:
Color and contrast correction is mainly done on images that have uneven color and requires correction. The basic steps would be to find the areas of the images that need change, before which a duplicate of the image is necessary for comparison. Make a list and rank the issues you find in each image. It's easiest to fix one problem at a time, and if you find those problems, you'll know when to stop twiddling with the image. Use the adjustments layers to add the right changes over the original picture.
Perspective correction:
While taking photographs of the building that are tall, it is quite difficult to capture the building with a straight camera and therefore photographers choose to tilt the camera to accommodate the building in one picture. The straightening of the building in the image can be done using Photoshop.
Real Estate Panorama Stitching:
Panorama images are those that are shot side-by-side to cover a wide area and then stitched together. The best way to offer panorama images is by taking multiple photographs of a property from various angles and then stitching them together carefully. This technique is known as Panorama Stitching.
Sky Replacement:
Weather is of paramount importance in the real estate images and therefore sky plays an important role in how good an image can look. Dark and gloomy skies can spoil the aesthetics of the building in contention. With the help of the Sky Replacement service, one can completely select the skies and change them according to the requirements.
There are many more such Image related services that come in handy while dealing with Real Estate images.

Abdul Gaffar has been working on Photo Editing Services for a long time now and has written more than 200 articles explaining various forms of Image Editing services like Picture Enhancement and Panorama Stitching services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abdul_Oits_G

God Is Existence And Little Else

Call me superstitious or whatever, even an idiot at times, but I do know this: God is existence totally and little else. Everything that is not existence, or not totally there in reality is the devil. Now, I know that is a loaded statement, so let me take this article to explain myself. Within the realm of existence, I look at things this way, all energy is God and a part of God, and "the little old Nick" or the devil is just there to keep things interesting. After all, "Star Wars" without the villains and only the heroes would be more boring than most of "2001: A Space Odyssey" before the ship running computer "HAL" goes neurotic or crazy, being the close to conscious computer or conscious computer that "HAL" the computer is and kills and attempts to kill the astronauts.
I am saying that without a game, nothing would be interesting or have purpose. Purpose comes from having to win over obstacles or a devil of sorts. Without that purpose, what good would anything be, and what reason would there be for growth? Except for going along like a boring country ride in perfect settings with nothing going on except for fresh air and nothing else interesting and even the scenery becomes uniform after a while on the green earth of God, with great weather also.
In the game of life, there is an obstacle course and the main obstacle is in the mirror. God made it that way, the most interesting and challenging way of all. After all, should not the obstacle be outside of ourselves? After all if God is in every energy particle in reality, why should it not be that way naturally where our main obstacle or enabler to win is in the mirror? Reason has everything to do with that reality really, because, within ourselves is our best friend or worst enemy. We have a choice to make, do we not? A choice to overcome the obstacles or be overcome by the obstacles.
Without obstacles or a devil for God to win against, life and existence would be a bore even for God.
Before I wrote this article, I thought deeply about what would be said here and I know and feel that in order to keep existence interesting and fun, interesting things have to happen like for every Barack Obama, there has to be a John Boehner or if "this" comes up "that" has to oppose it, to keep things interesting. What would life be without "the action" to give us a reason. Nothing much. Without a goal to reach, what would life be if everything were there already for us, and ready? Nothing much. What is everything? It is what we make, because like I said, our best friend or worst enemy is in the mirror. The more creative we are, the better it is for us. God made us in the image and likeness of God? Well, I agree. Start by looking in the mirror, and end by doing what God does anyway. That is how we were designed.

My name is Joshua Clayton, I am a freelance writer based in Inglewood, California. I also write under a few pen-names and aliases, but Joshua Clayton is my real name, and I write by that for the most part now. I am a philosophical writer and objective thinker and honest action taker. I also work at a senior center in Gardena, California as my day job, among other things, but primarily I am a writer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Clayton

Death And Its Perspectives

The word 'Life' connotes activeness and consciousness. When a seed germinates, we say it has life; otherwise, it is dead. The absence of life in an organism or part of it is referred as death. When a branch of a tree might be dead while the tree remains alive. A person can be alive physically with the heart beating, but the brain remains dead. Any life comes to an end through natural and unnatural ways. When a person dies of old age or poor health, it is a natural event. If he dies by the strike of thunderbolt, it is unnatural. The latter is also known as untimely death. Whatever be, death is the destiny and inescapable as well. Death happens in many unimaginable ways like war, accident, disease, and natural calamities. Nevertheless, death plays a vital role in Nature's scheme of things. There are many reasons to justify it. The important ones are presented here.
1) Paucity of resources: Imagine a situation of Earth when no death takes place but birth alone. There will be a shortage of land, water, and all other things required for maintaining the bulging population. Chaos will rule the scene through the ever-growing conflicts and competitions for sharing the limited materials. All sorts of crimes and malpractices would emerge decimating the law and order.
2) Renewal: Like changing the old cloth with a new one, death provides a lease of life to the soul that supposedly enters a new body. In case there is no death, a soul remains in the same body that becomes weaker over the years. An old machine will never perform with the same efficiency even if fitted with a new motor.
3) Relief: Chronic illness and inability make many people feel dejected. They prefer to die for escaping the hassles and troubles of life. One Tamil poem on Lord Shiva aptly brings out the need for death as "Worldly life is the greatest disease intertwined with pains and pleasures, and that can be wiped off only with the grace of God. So, seek Him through devotion."
4) New entrants. In any sound business, the old stocks need to be disposed of before ordering the new stocks. Or else, the logistics issue will crop up. Even in an airport, the aircraft that arrived first have to be either moved to the hangar or flown out to another destination. Moreover, old and unusable stocks need to be discarded to make way for the new and efficient entrants.
Death is certain to all living things, but its incidence is unpredictable. Yet, poor humans crave for wealth and power that never accompany them beyond death.

Author, an Ex-Banker with Masters in Agricultural Economics, publishes very useful and practical tips and ideas for happy life at his site http://www.mohanspage.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mohan_Thulasingam

6 Elements to Ascertain Whether a Photo Print Is Good or Not

We all know for a fact that pictures are the only thing that illustrates our memory. Without pictures, our memories would have long been forgotten. Photos are the one that's proof of the times gone by. Many people these days fail to comprehend the fact that photos have an aesthetic value that's hard to replace. No matter how digital the world gets, the good old picture printing will never lose its appeal. Even today, professional photographers all over the world earn their living by printing images and selling them. Over the years, the photography and printing industry has undergone radical developments. Almost every one of us has access to a digital camera these days, and that has been our preferred choice for clicking images.
But for every artist, it is important to showcase their talents to others. If someone is talented enough, and no one knows about it, it's just a pity. In the profession of photography, there is fierce competition. If you want to make a name for yourself, you have to decide what you can do that will give you an advantage over others. Many of you take it for granted but most of the time, prints can make all the difference.
So how will you know if your prints are better than others? Let's find out:-
• Creative: Make sure your pictures are creative enough. There is no place for dull and bland photos if you want to take it to a professional level.
• Exposure and Lighting: These two elements are extremely important in photography. When you are printing your images, make sure that you have the right amounts of it in your pictures.
• Subject: Professional quality photos always tell a story. If you want to be a professional, the subject matter in your photos should be relevant to it.
• Color balance: Your prints should have a color balance that enhances the look of your photos.
• Technically brilliant: The images should have a balanced amount of elements like sharpness, color and brightness.
• Has an impact: No photographer is worth it's salt if they can't click an image that creates an impact on others. People should be able to immediately acknowledge the beauty of your images.
Not only are prints essential in a photographer's profession, but they are great for decoration. Whether in offices or home, you can mount a picture on your walls and let others admire it.

If you are looking to avail professional photo printing or the ever so popular online printing, Created for Life is the best option.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dylan_Flint

Make Memorable Photo Treasures From Ordinary Moments - 10 Tips

Did you ever wish you had photos of the last time you and your Mom had dinner together? Do you remember when you and your grandmother were sitting together talking about her younger days? Do you remember when you and your children were coloring together?
We always remember to bring our cameras and take photos at graduations, weddings, and birthdays, and what about those ordinary experiences that are the source of our richest memories?
Where are those photo memories? Do you find it frustrating when you see other photos from your friends of their special moments? Would you like to be one of those people who always have photos of those daily living moments of the people you love?
You do not need to struggle any longer. Here is how you can successfully photograph and document special ordinary moments with the people you love.
First and more importantly, always carry your camera, charge it, and use it.
Remember, the people you are photographing will act more naturally once they see your camera and you begin taking photos of the surroundings or setting for the scene. Always take more photos than you think is necessary for those less than stellar ones.
While taking photos of the people involved, always take multiple shots of the scene, before during, afterward since many people are light-sensitive and often blink - especially if there are multiple people in the scene. My mother is light-sensitive; therefore, I always take a minimum of three photos with her in the scene for this reason.
Here are my ten tips on how you can make ordinary photos into memorable photo treasures.
1. Cradle your grandparent, parent, or child's hand in yours and take a close-up photo of only your hands together.
I do not have this type of photo with my Dad before he passed and I do have one with my grandmother and my Mom.
2. Take photos when loved ones are saying hello and goodbye. This makes a loving moment last forever.
For example, recently I took photos of my brother leaning over to hug my Mom and in the series, they were before, during, and afterward and then I chose the best of them; the most tender one with their faces side-by-side and my brother's hand on her back.
3. Take portrait photos of your loved ones capturing their lifelong beauty at different times during their lifetime. It is always nice to look at the changes over time and we always appreciate our photos of our younger days.
Because I am an avid photographer, I have a long list of photos of my Mom from a variety of activities, events, parties, and ordinary times and it is wonderful to see her life unfold through my photos.
4. You can take photos of your family and friends at breakfast, lunch, or dinner anytime to document your experiences. Take them before the meal and in groups of people around the table. Make sure everyone is included (the photographer too!). The cook/chef will feel proud too!
5. You can capture photos of people milling around the kitchen where everyone tends to congregate doing ordinary chores or merely conversing.
The children can complain later when they always had to wash the dishes - there is the photo to prove it!
6. If you snap photos of the family doing ordinary things, such as reading a book, watching a movie or TV, snacking on popcorn together, playing games or with toys, reading the newspaper or a magazine, working on the computer, there will be a document of how they spent their days.
7. Take photos of people doing their hobbies, playing music, dancing, singing, tinkering, building things, working on things, gardening, painting/drawing, knitting/crocheting/sewing, etc. It is important to document their creation process with several shots. This is the most often overlooked photo of your family.
My Dad was handy around the house and he was always tinkering with cars and he could fix or repair anything, yet, we have only one photo of him working on a car engine.
8. You can make great family memories with photos of someone bringing the food to the table, not only at Thanksgiving, and on ordinary days with favorite family meals from a favorite recipe.
I have several photos of my Mom and my sister bringing great meals to the table, which also documents their cooking abilities.
9. Children playing games outside and with toys in the house are always a fun photo memory.
My Dad took some photos of us playing at the park when we were very young and they are more special than big event photos.
10. Pet photos can be humorous and entertaining even when they are posing, sleeping, begging for treats, playing with other pets and children, walking, and eating. They never complain and are never camera-shy.
My dogs, Fuzzy and Romeo, pose quite naturally and always look adorable to me no matter what they are doing and I am grateful for my photos of them.
Years from now, you will treasure these timepiece memories and you will wish that you had more of them. Begin now; you can make ordinary photos into memorable photo treasures with these tips. Enjoy your memories!

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Sweet Memories Of Your Wedding Captured Efficiently With Wedding Photography

Most people consider their wedding day to be an exceptional occasion and would love to make it memorable by clicking photographs. These photographs keep the memories fresh and help cherish them forever. The pictures act like mementos which can be handed over to future generations. This gives your grandchildren and great-grandchildren an opportunity to see how you looked years ago. A photograph can easily become an object that helps in bonding and brings about a lot of emotions too. Looking at a wedding picture can make a personal emotional as it helps bring back fond memories of the past. A wedding is incomplete without photographs. Photography is considered one of the most essential features of a wedding.
Since photography is a very important aspect, a lot of care needs to be taken in order to select a photographer. It is vital that you ensure that the wedding photographer is experienced because they would surely do a good job. They know different ways to capture the best pictures. This knowledge does not come with qualification but it comes with experience. Photographers with experience would be able to pinpoint the poses that work beautifully and those that won't. Inexperienced photographers may end up clicking pictures that may not be up to the mark. This may lead to the photographer missing out on pictures that would have been beautiful. The quality of the pictures may be compromised as well. All these factors requires consideration and it would do you a world of good if you prepare a checklist before you select a wedding photographer.
It is important that you decide on the desired style of photographs beforehand. Preferences vary; people may be sometimes interested in a traditional style where you get predefined posed pictures. Some others may like the more casual styles and open shots. It is essential to consider the style before you choose your photographer.
Experience is crucial. Photographers who know what they are doing will always try to incorporate the most modern techniques into a style that you want and the outcome of this is an amazing collection of photographs that you are sure to cherish. In order to identify the photographer's experience you can request for samples from previous work.
Wedding photographs are surely one of the most significant pieces of information of a couple's wedding day. This evidence goes a long way and is handed over from generation to generation. This is exactly why wedding photographs need to look lovely. With advancement in technology, clicking wedding pictures is getting easier by the day. However it is up to the couple to decide whether to use modern technology which will for sure make those touchable memories even more breathtakingly beautiful.

These days' photographs are being used on invitations as well. Experienced Sunshine coast wedding photographer is getting creative by the day and are coming up with more ideas to incorporate Sunshine coast wedding photography into many other aspects of the wedding.

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Never A Good Idea To Settle For Anything Other Than The Best When It Comes To Wedding Photography

Hiring the services of a great photographer is not something that one can afford to overlook when planning a wedding. It is vital to consider and value both the photographer as well as his studio. With so many photographers around it is surely a challenge to be able to choose one. Following these tips will help you choose a photographer who would be able to do justice to the task assigned to them thereby letting you create a collage of memories of your wedding that you can cherish later.
Asking for samples of the photographer's previous work will let you asses his talents and lead you to make a decision on if he is the right one for you.
Asking friends for references is an almost sure shot way of zeroing on a good wedding photographer because friends only give names of people they have worked with and have liked.
Arranging for a one to one meeting with the photographer will let you discuss all the plans and will give you a good idea of how serious the person is about his job. This will also help you assess the photographer's nature which has to be appealing and approachable.
Weddings are most definitely a very romantic occasion and couples always wish to make them even more memorable by adding a lot of excitement, adventure and also sometimes a bit of exotic experiences in the form of unique photography. This can only be done with the help of a professional. Professionalism of a wedding photographer can benefit the couple tremendously because an experienced wedding photographer would have all the equipment and expertise that is necessary to capture the occasion in the most beautiful way.
Professionals use equipment that helps capture the best pictures. They may demand a higher fee; however it is totally worth paying for as you are presented with pictures of top quality that you would proudly flaunt among your friends and relatives. A photographer who assure you quality and promises you quality is one who you cannot afford to let go because photographers rarely guarantee results. This ensures that the results will be fantastic.
Some wedding photographers are accredited members of the AIPP, Australian Institute of Professional Photography. To become a member the photographer needs to have completed the accreditation process from the Australian Institute of Professional Photography. Although AIPP is a great institute be part of it, be aware that there are great photographers out there who chose not to be part of the institute. So don't be discouraged if you favorite photographer is not accredited, it's a matter of choice and does not dictate their ability to capture your wedding in a professional creative way.
Many photographers who have managed the accreditation may still be amateurs and may be inexperienced with wedding photography. It is vital that you check for previous work experiences to make sure you have the best.

 The most skillful and amazing photographs are taken by the experienced Sunshine Coast photographer. This is exactly why experience is a very important consideration to be made on choosing a Family Photographer Sunshine Coast.

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The Exposure Value System (EVS)

In order to understand how EV settings work, you must first be familiar with the concept of f-stop, and shutter speed settings.
Briefly the smaller the f-stop number, the larger is the aperture size it represents. Each aperture setting is either half or twice the size of its neighbour (so f/8 - for example - is half the size of f/5.6, and f/5.6 is twice the size of f/8).
Similarly, shutter speed steps are also either half or twice as fast as its neighbour (so 1/30th - for example - is twice as long as 1/60th, and 1/60th is half as long as 1/30th).
Thusly, a number of different combinations of aperture size and shutter speed all produce the same degree of exposure. For example, f/5.6 at 1/60th provides the same level of light exposure as f/8 at 1/30th (where the amount of light halves, and the duration of exposure doubles).
Of course, there are even more permutations; f/8 at 1/30th is also the same as f/11 at 1/15th (half the light for twice as long), or f/4 at 1/125th (four times the light for a quarter of the time), and f/2.8 at 1/250th (eight times the light for an eighth of the time) etc.
A one step change, to either setting, is known as a "one stop" change.
To simplify the process of setting alternative aperture and shutter speed combinations, a German camera shutter manufacturer - called Friedrich Deckel - first developed the Exposure Value (EV) concept in the 1950s. The likely impetus for this was the rise in popularity of colour film, which required greater exposure accuracy than black and white film photography (modern 35mm colour film started to become available in the mid 1930s).
In 1954, numerous camera (and shutter) manufacturers adopted Deckel's Exposure Value Scale (EVS); including Hasselblad, Kodak, Konica, Olympus, Ricoh, Seikosha and Voigtländer, to name but a few.
They introduced lenses with coupled shutters and, and EV scales, such that, after setting the exposure value, adjusting either the shutter speed or aperture made a corresponding adjustment in the other to maintain a constant exposure.
When camera models with built-in light meters started to emerge, some also metered against an EV scale (as opposed to an aperture or shutter speed scale), and correct exposure was accomplished by transferring the meter's EV reading to the lens, though adjustment of lens apertures and/or shutter speed settings.
The Exposure Value (EV) is therefore a numerical scale that represents a combination of a camera's shutter speeds and f-numbers, such that all combinations yield that the same exposure have the same EV value.
More than that, Exposure Value scale steps also align with intervals on the photographic exposure scale. In other words, an increment of one step on the EV scale represents a one step (often referred to as a stop) increase in exposure, and conversely a one step decrease corresponds to a one step reduction in exposure. For this reason, some cameras had, and still have, exposure compensation features that are graded as EV steps (e.g. +/- 2 EV).
For example, if EV 9 corresponds to f/4 and 1/30th of a second, EV 8 is f/4 at 1/15th of a second, and EV 10 is f/4 at 1/60th of a second (plus any other combination of settings that produce the EV scale value).
The EV scale starts at 0, which represents a 1 second exposure at f/1.0. Lenses with an aperture that big are rare, but it's the same as a 2 second exposure at f/1.4, or a 4 second exposure at f/2, etc.
EV 15 equates to full sunlight with distinct shadows, while EV -4 would be a scene lit by a full moon. An EV is therefore a convenient "system" for describing the quality of light.
The EV scale can thus be used as a rough guide to exposure setting in the absence of a light meter. So EV 14 is hazy sunlight with soft shadows, EV 13 is cloudy bright with no shadows, 12 is overcast, and so on (for a 100 ISO film).
While the EV scale is still in use today (and has some merits in describing lighting conditions), it fell from favour as a means of setting a camera exposure towards the end of the 1960s, when meter coupling became more common, and removed the need to manually transfer a meter reading to lens settings, or even set anything at all (with the camera doing this automatically). In effect, the importance of correct colour exposure had been automated, leaving the way clear for casual photographers to concentrate on other aspects of the craft.
While the EV was (and still is) a simple method of expressing two variable settings (aperture and shutter speed) as a single number, the problem with this generalisation is that it ignores some fundamental principles of photography. These are: the f-number determines the depth of field, and the shutter speed determines the amount of motion blur.

My 35mm Film Camera Collection

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رقص منزلي رهيب فضايح عربية  2016

31 كبار الشخصيات المعادية

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Top 10 Must Haves for Successful Photography

How did you get into photography? Can you really make a good living shooting photos? These are a couple of the questions I get asked by friends, models and trainees. I recently visited a family friend whose son recently graduated and had really become interested in photography. He purchased a nice camera body and a few lenses and had already shot a number of beautiful scenic shots. As we were visiting, the questions above surfaced. I feel like I have had this conversation a number of times, but I still love sharing what I have learned on the journey.
As a photographer and media designer, I get to do a lot of fun things and call it work. Few people get to wake up in the morning and do what they are passionate about day after day. Life is far too short to work an 8-5 job that slowly sucks the life out of you. I'm sure if you are reading this you are well aware of that fact, but the challenge is how to make the transition. It's a scary endeavor to start a photography business. I have come up with the following list of tips to help the newcomer get off the ground and down the road towards success. I provide photography advice coupled with business advice. I don't claim to be a photography or business genius and unfortunately have been taught far more through going down a road of mistakes then I have by nailing it the first time. As far as the completeness of my list, there are other great resources or recommendations out there, but I feel these ten make a very strong base from which a photographer can operate.
Buying Essential Tips
1. Passion is vital for success. Are you really passionate about photography? No, I don't mean have you taken some pictures on your cell phone, posted to Instagram and found it exciting. What I mean by are you passionate about photography, is do you find it addictive? Are you continuously looking for opportunities to shoot, experiment and tweak to make that perfect picture. Do you desire to intimately know your camera, understand lighting, aperture, lenses, posing techniques and so forth? If you find yourself saying, "Mehh, maybe" then you might want to choose a different path. Clients can sense lack of passion like dogs sense fear.
2. Equipment is essential, but significant debt is debilitating. The easiest way to kill a passion is to water it down in debt.
3. Don't be afraid to buy used equipment and work your way into better equipment. For years, I have bought and sold equipment used from Craigslist, Facebook photography groups, friends and even pawnshops. It may be intimidating at first and I recommend finding a photography friend to help you make sound decisions. I have found a number of people that did not follow rule number 2 and now need to sell their equipment. (Hint: When buying from Craigslist, never use PayPal and never ship. Always meet in a comfortable, public location like Starbucks for the transaction and review of equipment. Don't be afraid to offer less, but discuss that before meeting. Also, for better deals, shop suburbs where the known income levels are notably higher.)
4. It is typically better to spend more money on a lens versus a camera body. This may seem odd but I have bought a number of lenses over the past 12 years. Amazingly enough, the lens I bought for $1350 over 10 years ago is worth about $1300. The Canon 5D body I bought for $1800 would be hard to sell for $500. Putting current values behind, I know how tempting it is to buy the best camera body you can and then find a second rate lens to save money. The problem with that methodology is you just reduced your cameras quality tremendously by adding poor glass. Make sure you buy the highest quality lens you can afford, as you will likely have it longer than your camera body.
Know Your Market
5. Knowing your market is essential to thriving as a photographer. You may enjoy taking pictures of families with a fake mountain in the background. It may be an incredibly crisp picture with great lighting but if nobody likes the 70's theme, it's time to move on. Don't force your style where the market is not going if you hope to make a living.
Always Learn so You Can Grow
6. Get out of your bubble and shadow other professionals when possible. My clients have greatly benefited from the knowledge I have gained when working with other photographers. Sometimes, you have to put pride aside and look for opportunities to learn. Early on in my career, I worked with several photographers in a media design lab that I managed. Two photographers really stood out to me. It was interesting to learn their approaches to photography and dramatic differences in what they shot and how. Both were great, but had completely different styles. One focused on the technical aspects, while the other took an artist approach. Later in my career, I shadowed a photographer on a bridal shoot that transformed how I use the sun and natural light. I've learned advanced lighting techniques from other photographers by simply asking questions. I've learned Lightroom techniques that simplified my postproduction while also contributing techniques that I use with other photographers.
7. This may sound like a contradiction to my previous recommendations, but be yourself as a photographer. By this, I mean don't try and mimic other photography styles based on a client's whim. Do what you do best and don't be afraid to say you're not a great fit in those cases. (This is certainly easier once you are more established.) Having said that, study other photographers and attempt to replicate photography styles that you find fascinating for the advantage of learning. Hint: It's not always best to do that during a live shoot unless you've got the time and report with the client.
8. Educate your clients. Although it's tempting to accommodate a clients every wish, you must gently educate them on what it takes to have a successful shoot. For instance, noon outside in the summer of Texas, presents a number of challenges that will likely lead to a poor photo and a frustrating experience. When scheduling natural light shoots, I learn more about the couple, family or individual to determine style. Then I recommend a place and time (usually during the golden hour). Then we build from there. If we are doing newborn photography, I will inform the client that we will move at the babies pace, which sometimes will take much longer than expected. Sometimes the baby needs to nurse or extra time is required to sooth the baby. You can't rush a newborn! Telling this to the parents before they show up for the shoot, helps prepare the them for what may be a longer shoot and reduces stress of an unexpected long shoot.
Be Confident and Create Confidence
9. Guns and Cameras shoot. A photography instructor told me once that a good photographer directs a shoot like he or she is holding a gun. I laughed at first, but I found this to be some of the greatest advice I ever received as a photographer. Clients don't want unconfident direction.
Examples:
Unconfident request: "Would you like to try posing like this, maybe?"
Confident request: "Let's try this pose next."
Unconfident request: "Do you think you may like a picture with your left hand on your hip and arm across your body towards the shoulder?"
Confident request: "Put your right arm on your hip and bring your left arm to your shoulder... I love it." (Compliments will inspire confidence - see next tip).
You get the drift. An unconfident camera man or woman yields an unconfident model and it will reflect in your photos. (Note: confidence is not rudeness but it is more direct and clear directions.)
10. Compliments create confidence. While working with another photographer, I noticed that he would provide excellent feedback and compliment the model or group when their pose was good or the picture looked good. He would say it with such confidence that the models in the picture could not help but stand taller and appear more confident in the picture. He would through out things like:
a. Wow, that's a beautiful image
b. I love what I am seeing here. Let's continue with this look.
c. What a glorious photograph.
d. Oh, I really like this one.
e. The lighting is just remarkable.
He didn't make it an awkward compliment that could make the model feel uncomfortable or concerned that their photographer may be creepy. He mainly spoke about the picture itself but it was still exciting for the model to know they were getting good photos.

For more information about Luminous Productions Photography, check out getyourpix.com.
Contact Luminous Productions Photography in Commerce, TX today and save 15% on a photography booking when using the coupon code EZINE15.

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This Is Why You Need a Selfie Stick

The selfie stick is a relatively new gadget getting introduced in the market, yet many people would claim having seen somebody using one, though they might not have realized what exactly it is used for, or how it operates and helps its users. If you come across someone using it, you are very likely to find it a superfluous item, as one could easily use their arm for performing the act that a selfie stick does. But in fact, it is more helpful than many people can guess. If you have not used one so far, here are some good reasons to prompt you starting using one.
Fits in more people
Just think of the action you need to perform for taking photos of large groups. Yes, you'll need to extend your arm to its maximum limit to include every member of the group in your photo. Now, think of the results of this action. Often, the result would be a tasteless photo wherein everybody gets squeezed, much to the discomfort of everybody forming the group. Unless the photographer is abnormally tall, the result would not be satisfactory. The use of selfie stick allows you to easily and comfortably fill in all members of a large group in your frame. Moreover, you won't need to stretch your arm to an uncomfortable level, or displace your shoulder.
Traveling
Everybody loves taking pictures while traveling and holidaying. One finds too many funny incidents or beautiful places that need to be capture in camera. Often, you would prefer to get photographed with some beautiful monument or natural surroundings forming a background. So, you would need help from a third person. A selfie stick on the other hand allows you to take such beautiful, memorable photos without seeking help from anyone. Well, you may draw puzzled looks from onlookers, as they can't make out what you are doing really. Soon, they will be using a stick of their own. Traveling with a selfie stick is no problem, as it can be folded to the size of a writing pen and stored in a handbag.
No need to seek favors from strangers
The use of selfie stick dispenses the requirement of requesting any unknown person to take your photos. So, you don't have to wait till a stranger comes your way and looks decent to talk to, and does you the favor of taking your photograph. It saves you plenty of time. Moreover, you need not worry about people unintentionally walking past the shot that you had focused.
Splendid angles and points of viewing
A selfie stick really comes handy when you want to take snaps from an angle which is almost impossible otherwise. You can rotate the stick to any desired angle and capture your unique shot, much to the envy of your friends and relatives. Same holds true for making videos - the use of these sticks offers endless possibilities.

Looking to buy a gopro selfie stick? Or perhaps you are more interested in a dicota selfie stick? Then you should come and visit our online store today!

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Short Guide to Taking the Best Selfies

Taking selfies with your phone is a very easy and convenient way to express your various moods. Selfies enable you to express yourself in any manner you find preferable.
It is fun taking selfies where you can illustrate your confidence, personality and sense of fashion. These days it is quite a norm to take selfies. Though the process is simple, it doesn't imply that you just aim your camera to your face and click. It takes practice to take striking selfies that will be admired by your friends when they see them on the social networking sites. Here are a few tips to help you improve your skills of taking selfies:
Get the correct angle
You can try different angles to highlight some of your personal features, or cover up those that you don't want to be noticed. That is one of the important advantages of taking your own snaps. When you like your face to look thinner or the eyes to appear larger, you can shoot from a slightly raised level. When you don't want to highlight a small bulge beneath the chin, slightly pull your neck out. In case the upper part of your body is coming in the frame, try turning your shoulder a bit in the direction of the camera. That should make you look slimmer.
Change the position of the camera, take a shot, have a look and take another shot. You may need to spend some time for finding the most appropriate angle. Once you are able to locate it, you would have improved not only your photos, but also your skills.
Be considerate of lighting
Having the right amount of light is a vital part of photography, and thus selfies. Make use of natural light. When taking indoor photos, position yourself close to a window. If light is not adequate, the photo will reflect the imperfections of the skin.
Keep the source of light opposite to the object to be photographed. It is light that can soften or brighten your features. As far as possible, the use of flash should be avoided while taking selfies. Selfies taken using cameras which include flash are rarely good. Use flash only with more professional cameras having the feature of color correction.
Do not ignore the background
Selfie obviously means that you should be dominating in that photo, but don't overlook the background altogether. Just make a mental note of your surroundings, and arrange the setting of your camera accordingly. If you are not positioned properly, a tree in the background could appear to be jetting out of your head. Avoid looking at something that could hinder a cheerful smile.
If you take care of these simple aspects of photography, you can surely take unique, loving selfies and post them on Facebook or Twitter.

Looking to buy a selfie stick pink at the best price? Come and check our selfie stick sale before we run out of items!

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10 Common Composition Mistakes in Photography

1. Subject is positioned in the center of the frame
Sometimes a central subject works, but normally you would better shoot it positioned to one side, as explained in the "rule of thirds". Some cameras, if not many of them these days, are capable of showing a grid in the viewfinder or a screen with a "grid" that can help us split the scene into those thirds, horizontally and vertically. The main subject should be ideally positioned where those lines cross each other or in a full third, and the rest of the elements aligned with the grid lines.
Again, we have to mention that the rules of composition are a great aid to consider as a starting point, trying to move from centrally composed images, but keep in mind that sometimes it is worth trying to break the rules to innovate, to create something more interesting... let your feelings speak with you.
2. Subject is too small in the frame, therefore you ended up including too much in it
Although our brains are great at focusing on a subject and excluding its surroundings on a scene, that almost never happens when you look at an image. When taking a shot, always consider if it would look better if you get closer (or zoom in with your lens) so the subject fills the frame and clearly dominates the attention.
The more you include in a photograph, the more complex and difficult for the viewers is to understand and appreciate the idea that is trying to be conveyed.
3. There is nothing in the foreground
It is always a good idea to have something in the image foreground to give the shot depth, draw the viewer's eye and add scale, specially in a landscape or in a still life image. Do not waste this space telling nothing to the viewer.
Wood logs, rocks, flowers, tide marks in the sand or waves, for example, always add a little interest into the foreground. If you are arranging a still life scene, you should try to put something in the right place.
4. Always shooting standing up or straight on
You must play with perspective! Get down to your knees, move to one side, lay dawn or get yourself to a higher point of view. Many of us get so worried about finding a subject that we forget to think about how we are going to photograph it. If you shoot a subject straight-on you will record its appearance, but you may fail to capture any context or atmosphere. Again, experimenting is key!
5. Including a bad background
We covered that in our tips for beginners, and we are going to highlight it again due to its importance. Always examine your photo background. We should not miss the clutter behind the subject, and it is an easy fix if we move to one side, pick a different angle, change our lens or use a wider aperture (to blur the background).
Get used to the habit of taking a good look around the scene before framing a shot to find the best background and shooting location.
6. Bad use of depth of field
Depth of field is an important and powerful tool for composition as it determines which elements are in focus (clearly visible) in the image, and draw our attention to them.
Shooting with a small aperture creates lots of depth of field, which is often desirable in landscapes and macros (it is needed here because of the shallow depth of field we get being too much closer to a subject), for instance, but if you want your subject to standout from its surrounding, it is usually better to shoot with a bigger aperture to restrict depth of field, specially in portraits or when you want to isolate the focal point from its surroundings.
7. Sloping horizons
We talked about this in the landscape vs horizon line post. A sloping horizon in a landscape or even behind a portrait or an isolated subject can be incredibly distracting so make sure it is levelled. Many cameras have a built-in electronic level that can be displayed in the viewfinder or on the main screen to guide you, but if not, there are some bubble level accessories you can fit into the camera hot-shoe (normally used for an external flash unit).
Also, many tripods have a level built-in if you are looking into buying one.
It is specially very important to make sure that your water photos look leveled, as a sloping horizon normally ruins a composition.
8. Blurred images due to small apertures and slow shutter speeds settings
We should really pay attention to this one, combined with the depth of field we are trying to get. Sometimes we are so worried about getting everything in focus that we set the aperture much too small, which calls in a need for a really slow shutter speed as a consequence.
Remember the aperture and shutter speed are closely linked to each other, they work together to keep in balance a good exposure. The more you close down the aperture (smaller opening, larger f-number (f/11 and beyond turns things difficult for a hand-held photography) the slower shutter speed will be required to keep the exposure balanced. If the shutter speed is too slow, you can either open up your aperture or increase the ISO, or both, until you reach the correct exposure.
9. No focal point
The main subject in a photograph should be effectively positioned and be the central point of interest in the composition (emphasized). We must draw the viewer's eye exactly to where we want. Size, color, shape and how the object contrasts with the rest of the elements in the image are ways to isolate and direct attention to it.
10. Not knowing where your camera controls and functions are
You MUST read your camera manual. Knowing your camera and all of its buttons and settings is vital. Being able to do that takes practice. As we said in top tips for beginners, you should be able to adjust ISO setting, shooting mode, focus point, exposure compensation, aperture and shutter speed without taking the camera away from your eye. Believe us, it will make a difference in that photo you can not afford to miss!

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Top 10 Essential Qualities Every Photographer Should Possess

Being photography enthusiasts, we all know for a fact that clicking an amazingly beautiful picture is not an easy feat by any means. Some people have the grave misconception that just by having a high-end camera they will be able to capture stunning images. Yes, having a good camera always helps but it's not a foregone conclusion that you will immediately be a better photographer with it. Like every other art form, you have to learn it from scratch to be able to master it.
To be an expert photographer, you must have the following qualities:-
• Creative: Needless to say, every artist should have some creativity when it comes to their work. They should be able to churn out ideas that are unique and innovative.
• Imaginative: For clicking stunning images, one should be imaginative. They should be able to visualize an object or landscape in a way that is distinct from the rest.
• Attention to detail: In order to take professional quality photos, a photographer must pay close attention to details. In addition to big landscapes, they must also be able to emphasize in the smallest details.
• Ambitious: Like every other profession in the creative field, photography is hugely competitive. One must be ambitious enough to showcase their talents in comparison to others.
• Marketing knowledge: In order to get work based on photography, a photographer has to market themselves in the market. The better they portray themselves, the more opportunities they'll get.
• Social presence: We all know for a fact how important social media is today. Having just the talent is not enough these days as one has to be actively involved in several social media platforms to promote their talents.
• Technical: Obviously, to be an expert photographer, one has to possess technical skills to use modern cameras and other equipment.
• Pleasant personality: It's always an added bonus to have a pleasant personality as find you more approachable.
• Possess necessary equipment: For every photographer, amateur or professionals, having a camera is imperative. The kind of camera will depend on the money people are willing to splurge on them.
• Compliance with travelling: Any photographer who is looking to make a name for them should be willing to travel quite frequently. There are so many picturesque landscapes around the globe that one can't just sit back in their home.
Irrespective of how many qualities you possess, you need to determined about capturing images that speaks volumes of your talents.

This article is written by Dylan Flint, who is a passionate photographer a regular in photographic workshops and courses in photography arranged by Fotoworkshops.

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The Esoteric Meaning of the Wizard of Oz

This much beloved movie is played yearly for families everywhere. It is America's first true fairy tale, written by L. Frank Baum. A fairy tale is traditionally a story in which fairies (or trans-dimensional beings) help the hero to overcome the worst of personal circumstances. These spirits act as a midwife to help the hero make a profound shift from a miserable life -- to one of immense joy. It is in essence, a rebirth. Animals and nature are often highlighted in this process. This shift of awareness can occur for anyone, regardless of their station in life. Often the hero or heroine win their true love, and achieve their heart's desire in a happy ending (American version). Mythology is important in this regard, as it cloaks a valuable lesson in the telling of each tale. This is why such stories become classic generation after generation.
European fairy tales were often modeled after bible stories adopting the regional culture -- such as Snow White who bit the apple and fell to her sleeping death. The hero is often faced with the most frightful of circumstances, often primal in nature. A good example is the story of Hansel and Gretel, who wandered upon a cannibalistic witch, after being abandoned by their parents. These stories portray the many difficulties we face living in the material world. Children relate strongly to these adventures since they often feel powerless, and are promised magical solutions (against all odds) that can deliver their heart's desire. Magic, in this regard, means finding solutions that are beyond normal occurrences, often miraculous in nature. But making a dream come true only happens when one can prove their worth, mostly through enduring a set of grueling tasks. These tasks prove the integrity, loyalty and devotion of the native. These trials are reminiscent of the labors of Hercules, of Greek tradition.
In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy leaves her home after her neighbor threatens to kill her beloved dog Toto. Distraught, her family fails to protect her faithful companion. Dorothy flees, only to be knocked unconscious by a terrible tornado. She awakens in another world and is led on a journey where she wishes to find a happier place. Along her way she makes friends with a Scarecrow, a Tin man and a cowardly Lion. The foursome then search for the wise and powerful Wizard of Oz, so that they may find their heart's desire.
Metaphorically, Dorothy represents the person who is on a journey -- and the "path" of course is the yellow brick road. She is our spiritual side seeking fulfillment. Her desire for a better world leads her away from her everyday existence to a magical place in which lurk hidden dangers. The Scarecrow represents our intellect, for he wants a brain. Without intelligence or the capacity to reason, we are indeed men of straw; apt to be pushed around by others. The Tin Man represents our emotions, for he badly wants a heart. Without the gentleness of love in our lives we become hard and unyielding; an attitude perfectly symbolized by a man of metal. The cowardly Lion represents our physical nature, and our will to survive in the material world. He seeks courage so that he can be strong and protective -- a king in his own kingdom.
When all of these characters meet up, they seek a wise man, the great Wizard of Oz, so they may find what they are searching for, and gain possession of the qualities they believe they are lacking. The wizard advises them to prove their worthiness and gives them a most difficult task. They must confront and overcome the evil wicked Witch of the East, or they may not return to the Emerald city.
So in essence, it is not until they work together as a team -- the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual -- that these four characters are able to gain the power they need to overcome their evil opponent. Once they are successful, they return to the Wizard to claim their prize. When the foursome approach Oz, they are hailed as great heroes and are now on equal footing with the Wizard. The Wizard declares that they possessed their desired qualities all along, but that these qualities could not manifest clearly until they helped each other in overcoming a decisive obstacle. It was only together that they were able to vanquish evil and free the witch's slaves.
So the inner message of this story is: that which we seek on the outside -- really exists on the inside, but remains to be discovered. This happens naturally when the aspects of our personality: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual work together harmoniously. When we achieve this wonderful union, we too will gain access (return) to our spiritual nature and our spiritual home, a great kingdom.
The fairy helping in all of this was of course the good witch Glenda, who came to their aide in several instances to help keep them on their path, like a good spirit guide or angel always does.
The Wizard of Oz is a version of the biblical tale of the prodigal son, who left home only to return much wiser and with a grateful heart. This story also emphasizes that home truly is where the heart is. The lessons of love and its transformative power is a prime theme in many European fairy tales. The Wizard of Oz is an American version of this timeless theme and remains in the hearts of thousands who enjoy revisiting Oz, and its magic, every year.

© 2015 Lynda Lee Abdo - Feng Shui consultant, spiritual intuitive and author
http://www.fengshui2bliss.com
Lynda Lee Abdo is a certified Feng Shui consultant, author, artist and has been a commercial designer for more than 25 years. I am available for holistic private consultations. Please visit my website for testimonials.
lynabdo@gmail.com

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