Archive for February 5th, 2010
Discovering The Beauty Of Landscape Photography
February 5th, 2010 | 
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Symmetry, repetition, contrast, asymmetry, coherence, symbolism, and a dash of irony—these are the major components that construct a beautiful photograph taken by exceptional photographer. These are also the very same components that one needs balance when taking one of the easiest yet most difficult subjects to photograph— landscapes. LOOKING BACK Since they are permanent, familiar, accessible, and part of nature, landscapes have been one of the most favorite subjects by most photographers. Landscape photography can be traced as early as 1849 when the book “Egypte, Nubie, Palestine et Syrie” containing prints of paper negatives was published. In the 19th century, many eminent landscape photographers emerged which dominate large photography collections in museums and galleries worldwide. Today, many budding photographers continue to fall in love with nature. And as they pursue the road to landscape photography, more and more works and techniques continue to emerge. FALLING IN LOVE WITH LANDSCAPES Unlike other kinds and styles of photography, most people would say that it is easy to take landscape photographs because you don’t need to instruct you subject and you can choose whatever angle you want. On the contrary, most photographers believe that landscape photography is one of the most difficult because you will need an intense set of equipment and a very keen eye to make an “ordinary” scene quite extraordinary. Imagine capturing the natural beauty of a majestic landscape with your camera and in your own preference. Here are some of the elements you need to pay attention to before you delve into the realms of landscape photography: 1. Camera, lens, and lens shade are great deals. Although you can use any camera, most photographers would recommend SLR or digital SLR because these give wider selection of lenses and ensure superior results. Wide-angle lenses are also advised because it gives a great view into any picture. In order to protect your lens, look for a good lens hood or shade. 2. Tripod is a must. This is a very invaluable and important asset for landscape photographers to avoid the blurred outcomes and to ensure the maximum depth of field. 3. Invest on film and filters. Any film today can be used because it can record nature’s color vividly. You just have to be wise in using the right ISO film to avoid grains in your photo prints. 4. Consider camera position. This greatly affects the overall quality of your photo because it requires your creative decision. (TIP: If there is a horizon line in your composition, keep it leveled so there is a room for greater possibilities.) 5. Set the direction and the type of light to be used. Proper direction accompanied with balanced lighting will make or unmake your landscape piece so make sure that you visit the location and predict the weather before your shoot. 6. Be hands-on in post exposure manipulation. To get the job done, try to learn mastering the do’s and don’ts in the darkroom so you’ll get the result you desire.
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Internet Tips And Advice Sites
For the last 10 years I have been using the internet as a source for information, sometimes this is vital information about phone umbers, location of places and breaking news alerts, and sometimes I am just surfing the net in search of some product or service that I think would be nice for me to get. A few years ago I started encountering a strange phenomena, the empty site, these sites came up in the search engines and when I clicked them they led me to an almost empty page, with little or no information on the thing I was looking for, which was the reason for me being on that same page. These empty pages soon evolved into a mini search engine page, that was a little better than before but with all honesty, I didn’t want to be sent yet another search engine once I entered my search term and clicked the search button. It took me some effort and experience to start recognizing these sites before even clicking them, and so I became partially blind to those empty sites, recognizing them by their domain name or by the page description below the sites address. But it seemed that whatever I did or how much smarter I had become did not matter much to the creators of these pages, they had now started paying attention to their sites names, and they have started putting in a word or two on the page, sometimes I would find dozens of completely unrelated words crammed up on the bottom of the page. And so this personal disliking had started to evolve into a much more sophisticated war like situation each time I sat down in front of my computer trying to look something up on search engines. Today I am writing this to tell you about a new site, its dedicated to advice and tips, information at its best, for everyone to use. It is not an empty page, but a set of articles about different topics, from tips and advice about home improvement to information about skin treatment and shopping, this site is a great starting point in your search for what you need to find. How many times did you answer the phone only to discover the there is a telemarketer on the other side, and not someone who is genuinely calling to talk with you? This is exactly what the people behind this new site are doing, eliminating the empty pages, providing information and thinking about you first, not about scamming you into clicking into their site for whatever reason. This site has only been launched a short time ago, the creators promise to keep it as personal as they can, and provide as much information they can find about every single different topic. These are two internet veterans that have seen the internet grow from a tiny community into a huge money making machine, and they want to bring something back into this community, a true and honest set of sites that will not manipulate you, the visitor, but respect your needs and your time. I strongly recommend that you pay a visit to this site, just to see that things can be different, and that the internet can also be a place where people provide information and advice one to the other, because its possible.
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Posted in Internet Business | 
Tags: advice, tips, tips and advice, tips internet sites | 
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11 Ways To Create Successful Corporate Meetings And Retreats
What’s the cost to put together a strategic corporate meeting or retreat? Regardless of the specifics—hotel expenses, payroll, lost opportunities, lost management time planning the agenda, the cost of guest speakers, food, and supplies—you expect the returns to far outweigh the $3000 or $150,000 bill. Unfortunately, too many meetings never hit their mark. You start with specific goals and an agenda. You sit everyone down and start covering your list. However, somewhere the whole thing veers off course. Perhaps a guest speaker doesn’t deliver the content you intended. Maybe a member of the group falls short with their sales presentation or operations report. Before you know it, you’re at 72% of where you wanted to be, and you can’t go up. Now you’re stuck answering questions or offering solutions that weren’t part of your original agenda. When the event is over, you’re happy…not elated. The whole thing wasn’t a total loss. You rallied the troops, but didn’t achieve objectives the way you had intended. Sales will rise, maybe by 20%, but they won’t double the way you had hoped. You pay the bill and go home. It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are 11 ways to get more of what you want out of future meetings: 1. Set the agenda yourself…don’t have your staff do it. Yes, ask for ideas, and get involvement early. However, you give the purpose for your meeting, and that can only be focused if you keep on target. 2. Select presenters who have some presentation skills. This is not a popularity contest, but if your operations person should have been buried 8 years ago, you don’t need him/her at your meeting. Find a presenter who will perform in a way that suits your needs. 3. Get presenters on the same page you’re on. Too often guests are asked to deliver information and then left on their own. Stage the content like a Broadway show. Choreograph more than just their topic; know their direction, content, and tone. If you’ve ever been disappointed, that’s typically the reason why. 4. Focus on the value to the participants. Remember that participants are looking for “what’s in it for me.” Plan every aspect with this important factor in mind. 5. Get to the point. Start meetings off fast. How often have you enjoyed the CEO/President speech? No one else likes it either. 6. Stick to the issues and keep it honest. The purpose of the meeting is to focus on real data. When egos, sales, or fear get in the way, participants build solutions to fictitious problems. Not the way you want to go. 7. Place handouts in order of use. Then staple them in that order. Participants can’t pay attention if they’re struggling to find out where you are. 8. Create an accountability sheet. One page. Who does what, when and how? If it’s discussed, someone must do something (or decide to do nothing). Minutes are nice, but how many times in your history have you read minutes from a meeting and then acted? We’re guessing few, if any. 9. Don’t speak “off the cuff.” Even professional speakers who sound like they’re winging it are not. You shouldn’t either. Take the time to bullet your points. Think them through. Odds are you’ll get significantly better results with a trial run through your notes before the event, versus improvising in front of the crowd. 10. Stick to the schedule. Make sure your room has at least one clock facing the moderator. Try the Wal-Mart $5.99, 8-inch clock. The worst thing you can do is look at your watch. Then everyone else does. 11. Prepare the next agenda during the meeting. It’s like setting a rocket booster under your seat. Set 15-30 minutes aside to plan the next meeting while issues are hot. There can be changes later, but at least the burden is lifted, you’re covering key topics, and everyone knows what to expect. Olympic ski races are won and lost by only hundredths of seconds; most corporate meetings teeter on the edge of success and failure by similar fractions. Creating meetings is not rocket science, yet so few meetings bring about the impact intended. Implementing even a couple of the above suggestions should boost future results from so-so to astronomical. © David and Lorrie Goldsmith
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Tags: business strategy, corporate meetings, executive retreats, leadership, retreats, strategic planning |
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Your Help Desk Technician – Prepare Before You Call
People are often frustrated when they have to call a help desk technician to get assistance with computer problems. This is due partially to the fact that having computer problems is a frustrating experience so that sets the tone for a none-too-pleasant set of circumstances. It’s also due to the fact that most people don’t know how to effectively communicate what the problems they’re having are, which makes the conversation go less smoothly than it could. These are both simple problems that you can resolve by preparing yourself before you actually make the call to your help desk technician. The experience of calling any type of customer service person is greatly improved when you adopt a good attitude about the experience. Yes, the situation that you’re in is frustrating. No, you don’t want to be wasting your time trying to get assistance over the phone to repair something that you wish wasn’t broken in the first place. But if you start the call off with a grumpy attitude, it’s going to take a lot longer and go a lot less smoothly than if you approach the problem with a “can-do attitude”. By improving your attitude before you ever place that call, you’ll set yourself up for a much better experience. In addition to changing your attitude about the computer problems that you’re having, you should also change your attitude about working with a help desk technician. Many people set themselves up for a negative experience by assuming that their customer service support for everything from credit card bills to computer repairs is the same, and that it’s bad. This isn’t true. Your help desk technician went to school specifically to learn the skills that are needed to assist you in resolving your home or office technology problems. That’s probably because he or she has an interest in both computers and helping others. Start off the conversation on the right foot by assuming that if you’re nice, polite and informative about the problem, you’re going to get the help you need from a friendly person who wants to assist you. In addition to changing your attitude about the problem, you should also do a little bit of basic information prep work before you actually make the call to the help desk. The more information that you have about the problem and the more clearly that you can explain it over the phone, the better the technician is going to be able to assist you in quickly fixing the problem. So, get ready to sit down and spend some time with your computer. First, write down on a piece of paper what the exact problem that you’re having is. Then use the “help” function on the computer or application to check if you can fix the problem on your own. Your technician is going to ask you to run through these simple fixes first so if you’ve already done them before you call, you save yourself time and trouble. If you can’t repair the problem on your own, go back to your piece of paper. At the top is what you’ve identified as the problem. Brainstorm any causes for the problem that you can come up with. After all, the technician isn’t going to know that you caught your teenager downloading a bunch of garbage the other day. Then write down a list of what you’ve tried to do to repair it and what the computer’s response was. Finally, write down all of the questions that you currently have for the help desk technician. Now, take a deep breath, remember your positive attitude and place a call to the help desk so that you can get back to work sooner rather than later.