Freelancers Bite Back!

By John Thompson

The Internet has seen an explosion in so called 'lance' sites. Their service are a sort of go between to bring together clients requiring projects with freelancer seeking work. Whilst the client uses the service for free, the freelancer is charge an ever increasing fees just for the priviledge of bidding for the projects. In theory this seems reasonable but in practice the market is being destroyed by lower and lower bids as more freelancers from around the globe bid against each other, which in turn is pushing down the quality of the work.

Some of these job sites can charge up to ฃ175 a month to access their database of projects. This situation has become critical for the freelancer. To add to all these problems there are the students offering to work for nothing just build up their portfolio, little realising that they themselves will leave college and have to compete.

Fed up to the teeth with the freelancers 'lot' John Thompson, a freelancer himself, decide to set up a voluntary run forum / community,(Designcrowd.com), for freelance Designers, Programmers & Web developers. Designcrowd.com. In just 2 months we have been overwhelmed, he says, attracting nearly 800 members.

The ethos of the forum is to find jobs, projects, clients and offer them to the freelancers on the site for NO FEES. John says that the member join up is gaining pace daily and clients are taking a very healthy interest. I feel very happy that at last freelancers are getting a decent deal.

If you are a client or a freelancer and would like more info take a look for yourself. Its all FREE!

www.designcrowd.com

John Thompson - (Liverpool - UK) , Authoring Photoshop book, Teach/Trainer in Digital Imaging

Design Schools

By Ross Bainbridge

Design schools vary from each other in terms of the specialization that they offer their diverse students. There are the design schools for fashion designers, interior decorators and designers, industrial designers and graphic designers, among many others.

People who are interested in taking courses in design should check out the different design colleges and schools all over the country. Choose among the schools that offer four-year courses or diploma programs that can be completed in about six months. Designers who want to move up the career ladder can take masters in design from reputable schools.

For those who want to study part-time, there are also online design schools that offer good quality education and training. With advancements in information technology, students can learn the basics and experience practical application of design in real time. In fact, one can take classes from a design school in another state without having to leave your home.

Most design schools require student applicants to take standard aptitude exams. Design programs have Bachelor of Arts degrees for undergraduate courses. And like most BA courses, students are required to pass general education subjects and electives. Good grades in high school do count. On top of that, they require them to take talent tests to determine if they have what it takes to succeed in a design program: creativity, the right work attitude and most importantly, inquisitiveness and open-mindedness. Talent tests usually require hands-on drawing or rendering basic graphic design. It all depends on the requirements of a design program.

Top Photography Schools.

Its Not All about the Cleavage! Or is It?

By Simone Kelly

Times are a changin'! More women today work outside the home, earn (and control) significant amounts of money, and make large, important purchases like houses, automobiles and computers. In the past, advertising portrayed such independence as being primarily characteristic of men. But there has been an interesting role reversal where more men are involved with cooking, cleaning, laundry and childcare. (I know some of you ladies reading this don't believe me, but they are really out there!) LOL

Interestingly enough, the male consumer�whether married or single� seems to be shopping alone. And not all of them shop alike. According to NPD group, a market research firm, more than 45% of menswear sold in the US last year were sold to men who were shopping without women, compared to 26% in 2000.

What kind of male buyer is your target market?

Alan Katz, publisher of the new men's shopping magazine "Cargo", said that their research found three different types of male buyers.

* The enthusiast, who buys a lot across all categories, and is the first to embrace the latest trends;

* The focused buyer, who does a lot of research, but buys in only a few categories;

* The guided buyer, who looks to publications, friends, girlfriends or his wife to tell him what to buy.

SOME FACTS ABOUT MALE CONSUMERS:

Here are some key tips to be familiar with when understanding the male market:

Ain't He Pretty?

They're spending more and more time in front of a mirror, spritizing their bodies, styling and coloring their hair, 15-year-old teenage girls, you ask? Oh, no boys and young men are leading a grooming revolution that has fueled a 2.1 billion dollar industry, and one that is poised to grow in the next five years.

Cut to the Chase!

Tell them, you don't have to show as much. Women have been proven to be more visual creatures. Men want the facts! List the benefits and features rather than showing lots of pictures.

It's fine to have graphics, but make sure the details stand out first, so that the details are put into a context that makes them easier to relate to. Remember men give directions by using street names; women give directions by using landmarks. It's amazing, but it's true. Please, I can't tell my East from my West most of the time, but I'll know if the store is next to McDonalds and the Big Green Building!

Sell Them with Features (revisits the idea about cutting to the chase) A terrific example is research done by the Center for Women's Business Research and IBM that identified differences in how men and women business owners buy technology. Both wanted a fair price, but men were more concerned with processing power (How fast is it? How much memory? etc.). Women were primarily concerned with ease of use (How easy is it to get this up and running? How easy is it to use? Will someone help me if I have problems?)

Find out more!

-See what research already exists on this topic. I just opened the door, but there's so much more out there�Get to Googlin' for starters...(www.google.com)

-Tailor your benefits copy to recognize that men and women make decisions differently. For example, it's been said that women prefer to make decisions based on consensus, more so than men.

-Lastly, don�t obsess over this guys, it�s more important to make sure the advantages and benefits of your product are well positioned and communicated, no matter what the demographics of your audience. Good luck and if all else fails�get the girl with the pursed lips to help you out with a photo. Okay, okay, that was a cheap shot, I'm just kidding guys. ~cracking up~ Please no hate mail!

Simone Kelly is CEO and founder of Gots To Have It, Marketing, a firm that specializes in marketing and empowering entrepreneurs with a series of workshops and networking events. Please view her company web sites here: http://www.giventakenetwork.org

Virtual Reality and Computerized Projection Video Conferences with Holographic Images

By Lance Winslow

In the future there will be VR Virtual Reality meetings using computerized holographic projection, as these technologies are all currently available and becoming more robust and soon will be mass marketed. Give it 2-5 years and we will see some pretty wide spread use of these technologies. The first uses will be for entertainment; Virtual Lovers, Living Room 3D Gaming and meetings with fellow bloggers and Internet Friend.

The costs at first will not be cheap and the bandwidth requirements substantial so not everyone will have them right away. Call the challenge the "DBD" or Digital Bandwidth Divide. Well we will need the increased speeds for future holographic meetings, video on the go and all sorts of communication devices too. I have some ideas to be able to read the information much faster using shapes as symbols for words rather than one's and zero's.

My thoughts are to use the spaces between the frequency waves to create unique shapes, each shape could be one of 40,000 characters. Each character could be a whole sentence or a word, imagine the speed then? You could still have 26 letters, 22 currently used symbols.

The distance between each device would mean that only the intended reader could read it and the cold could not be broken, as it would have to be done in real "non-time" which is impossible. And then you could send streams of light waves as information at unbelievable speeds and still use the latest images on photons techniques to really scream the stream to a living room or Corporate Office near you?

I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

Holographic Tour of the Pyramids

By Lance Winslow

Many people want to see the Pyramids during their lifetime. They are wondrous indeed, unfortunately traveling to that part of the world is not so easy and it does cost quite a bit. Recently some are fearful of visiting Egypt due to unrest in the world and perceived animosity towards Westerners. Additionally there are issues with diseases and polluted water supplies as well. That is not to say that you will be in danger if you attempt the visit but there are enough stories that perhaps one might consider the risk.

There are many companies, which offer virtual reality tours of such places and many are quite good, in fact some are very realistic. Generally these are used to spark interest to get you to want to actually see them and help spark interest in tourists to go see them in real life. Additionally it really helps in educational purposes.

http://www-vrl.umich.edu/project/pyramid/

http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/digital_egypt/hawara/

http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/VirtualReality/

I propose that we fund those who wish to go one step further and wish to design a Virtual Reality Pyramid using Holographic Technologies in 3D, 4D and 5D. We will soon be enjoying Holographic Virtual Reality on our 360 X-Box in our own living rooms. Perhaps that technology maybe affordable in 5-8 years for the consumer market, but as HDHI or High Definition Holographic Imagining projection become available in the labs, we should be using it to help our populations see the Great Pyramids now.

The HDHI technologies allow for opaque images rather than translucent ghost like images and thus the experience is much more real than even Memorix, so think on this.

"Lance Winslow" - Online www.WorldThinkTank.net/

Do You Feel Youve Hired the Right Graphic Designer for Your Small Business? Here are 5 Indicators

By Jeremy Tuber

As a kid, did you ever find a shiny yellow rock that you thought might be gold? Well growing up in Ohio I came across a number of rocks that had a flash of golden metal that I thought were exceedingly valuable, so much so that I took the rocks back to my parents to find out how rich I was going to be. As you�ve probably guessed, they weren�t worth much. In fact, they were not worth more than the paper sack I had carried them in.

While they aren�t looking for rocks, I�ve found that business owners and managers have the same challenge looking for the right designer for their company. And like me when I was young, when they find something they think is valuable, they often have no way of knowing how valuable the rock, or in this case the designer really is.

The big challenge for business owners is how to evaluate if they�ve made a good choice when it comes to hiring a designer � how can they tell if they�ve picked up a gold nugget or a lump of coal. I am going to share with you 5 quick things you�ll eventually think and feel that indicate you made the right choice in hiring your designer. You might not say these out loud, but over the course of working with the designer you�ll begin to feel them:

1. You�ll feel you�re important to the designer not just as an account but also as a person. Rather than just being someone who just sells to you, you�ll feel the designer cares about you and your business, and that she/he is building a relationship with you rather than making a sale.
2. You�ll feel you have a partner who can help you with all of your marketing, advertising and design. Instead of feeling you have to know it all and do it all yourself, you�ll feel that you have an honest, expert who�s on your side and dedicated to helping you succeed.
3. You�ll feel comfortable communicating with your designer, that she/he is really listening to what you have to say and eager to provide helpful feedback and insight. You�ll feel energized and excited about your business and your business� future, and talking and strategizing with your designer will be something you enjoy.
4. You�ll feel confident that you�ll never waste money on design projects that won�t produce a good result for you and your company. You�ll begin to feel that you�re under the protection of the designer and that she/he will provide you with advice on which marketing and advertising projects will give you the best return for your money.
5. You�ll feel that you have a professional resource to always advise you when you are confused or wondering about your marketing, advertising and design. For example: where to advertise, how to identify your target market, how to analyze your competition, which web hosting plan is best and if you should or shouldn�t invest in search engine optimization � the list goes on and on. You�re going to feel, unlike your competitors that you�ve got someone who�s got inside information that will help you gain a competitive edge.

This of course isn�t an exhaustive list, but I am hoping you start to see what you should expect out of your designer, and you�ll now feel more comfortable and confident when it comes time for you to select one to work with your business. If you�ve hired someone and you already feel these bullet points I�ve listed above � pat yourself on the back, you�ve found a good designer. If you�ve hired someone and you don�t feel these five bullet points listed above. Well, I�d give you the same advice my parents game me about the rocks I thought were gold, �Throw them back and keep looking�.

A business savvy graphic designer is often a contradiction in terms; however, Jeremy is a unique combination of sharp business marketer and creative designer. This one-two punch provides clients with targeted marketing, advertising and design projects that yield outstanding results and a terrific return on their investment; they actually work. Companies looking to feel more confident and credible with their business brand, tired of getting lost in a crowd of competitors and always feeling like they have to compete on price, need to call Jeremy at 480.391.0704 or visit http://www.candographics.com

For small business owners dissatisfied with their ad or unsure if it�s bringing in customers or money. Be sure to visit Jeremy�s http://www.advertisingthatmakesmoney.com and fill in the convenient form to request his eye-opening insiders report, you will also receive his 5-day audio eCourse, "The REAL Secrets of Successful Advertising", AND his weekly boost to your advertising success, the Can-Do Confidence Builder. All for FREE!

Advantages & Disadvantages to Web Templates

By Melanie Kanis

In today�s booming internet market, there are so many companies competing for every single user that what ends up making or breaking the deal almost always has directly to do with the website design of the company. The user usually decides within the first 5-15 seconds whether or not they are going to remain on that site, making first impressions imperative. So, as the owner of a company, you ask yourself what type of website you need to make you stand out above your competitors and if going with a template is the right answer. You�ve heard a lot about templates and how much time and money they can save you. In this article we will examine the use of templates and their advantages and disadvantages. Of course, ultimately, it is up to you; these are just suggestions, but remember, the internet is growing daily and in order to remain competitive in your field you must place a high priority on your web presence.

Firstly, for those of you not too familiar, a template is a pre-made layout, usually designed for specific themes, that has a set color scheme and outline. The basic look of the website will always remain the same, but the user can purchase this template and modify the information on it to directly represent their company. If the template is set up properly, the time and effort required to do this is very minimal compared to the amount of time it takes to design and implement a unique website. However, if the template has not been set up properly the time it could take to rectify this and obtain the desired result could be much, much longer and usually requires the help of a certified programmer.

To examine templates more closely, let us look at their advantages. Firstly, templates usually have a good basic design and layout, making them very user friendly. Second, they are very cost effective and will save you a lot of time. Third, the person who designed the template usually has quite a bit of experience and a good idea of what colors to use and how simple to keep the site to make navigating easier. Fourth, the designs are usually relatively the same on each page making your website more consistent and less confusing to the user. Fifth, updating your website is fairly quick and straightforward. Finally, most templates have a section that is un-editable, making it impossible to destroy or change the basic design, which can be a big plus for those of you that are less experienced with web design basics.

On the other hand, there are many disadvantages to using a web template. First and foremost, it is not original. Because it is readily available to purchase on the net, you can assume that if it is a design that appeals to you, it appeals to many others as well, and has probably already been purchased and is being used by many companies worldwide. This tends to happen a lot, if you have ever noticed; while browsing through the web, you come across many companies of the same genre that have almost the exact same layout. I noticed this recently while browsing through some online florists. So many of them looked exactly the same making it rather repetitive and boring, on top of which, the user will no longer be able to remember which site is yours. Yes, it looks nice, but with all the competition on the web today, the idea is to stand out, not to blend in. Therefore, originality is a must. Second, many of the templates available were created before all of the informat ion was out on how to maximize your website and how the search engines worked, therefore many are database driven, and therefore are not recognized by search engines, which means that although your site may look nice, no one will be able to find it.

Third, many templates are very rigid in that they have many sections that you cannot edit, making the modifications very frustrating. If you have a text box that has a predetermined size and your text does not fit within that area, you are at a loss. Also, if there are specific details that you do not particularly like in the template, you are often stuck with them and unable to modify them. Fourth, you are on your own. Working with a template means that once you purchase the template, it is up to you to decipher how to edit and/or add information to it. You don�t have the advantage of being able to call your developer and ask him/her any questions or for some help if you get stuck. Lastly, unless a template has been created with the last few years at most, it is often outdated and will not be optimized for today�s internet market in order to make your web presence noticeable.

In conclusion, it is really up to you, as the owner, to decide which route you want to take. If you want to browse through some online templates to get some ideas of what you would like in your website, they are very helpful, but in terms of actually creating your website, you will realize that if you go with a reputable company that has a knowledgeable staff who is constantly updating themselves on the latest internet trends, that your website will generate a lot more interest and present a much more defined and sophisticated image. Since the internet is becoming, more and more, the place where businesses are looking to find new clients and/or sell their products, it should be looked at the way you examine your office and/or store. How much money is spent every day on businesses redoing their offices, renovating their stores, buying new furniture, d้cor, etc..? If this type of money was being invested into presenting a better online image, the margin of profit in rega rds to money being spent / earned would increase exponentially. It is your decision, but if it was up to me, and I had the choice to design a store that would look identical to my competition but cost me very little, or spend the money to create my own, unique look and appeal, I would go for the latter. You want your company to stand out and create an image of its own, one that can be remembered, and to do this, you need to go with the experience of a qualified web design company.

Melanie Kanis http://www.synaxiom.com

I grew up in Montreal Quebec and became part of a growing web consulting firm called Synaxiom Media Group. This company gave me the opportunity to explore my talents and expand my knowledge. I have done a lot of research on the internet, common search engine optimization techniques and web design. I hope that my articles will be able to guide others when making educated decision on web projects.

Image is EVERYTHING

By Jeanna Pool

The absolute foundation of your small business is your image. The way potential clients and/or customers perceive your business sets the stage for the way your product or service is recognized and ultimately judged. Image is everything and it will affect your business either positively or negatively.

What do you want people to think about when they see your image? When they see your logo, business card, brochure or website, what will they think? Cheap? Expensive? Professional? Successful? Expert? Amateur? Failure?

It doesn't matter if you have been in business six years or six days, the failure to recognize just how important your image is and just how much people will judge you based on that image, is a huge mistake. It is a mistake that will have a lasting impact on the long-term success of your small business.

People's perception tends to become their reality. How much do you charge? Is your product or service the best? Would people be crazy not to do business with you? Are you the most experienced and most qualified professional in your industry?

Does your image convey this? Does it say, "we are the best and we pay attention to detail..." or does it say "we are the cheapest in town and just throw things together at the last minute"? Does your image convey your professionalism and expertise? Or, does it say, "we don't stand out, we are like everyone else, we are a commodity to be passed over"?

I run across small businesses on a daily basis, that give absolutely no regard or consideration to what their image is saying. You've seen them too...they threw together a font with some clip art ripped from the Internet and call it a logo. Their brochure is printed with an ink jet printer on cheap paper templates bought at Office Depotฎ. Their website has been thrown together in a night and has six different fonts and twelve different colors.

Essentially, what these businesses are saying with their image is, "We don't care, we are cheap, we are amateurs, we are not as professional as we claim." Is this truly what they want to convey? Probably not, but disregarding the importance of image is a recipe for misinterpretation of your small business.

Image can make you look like the best.

Think for a moment about Starbucksฎ. Its image is one of excellence and top quality in the world of coffee. Because of the image it has, we willingly pay $2, $3 and even $4 dollars for coffee when we could go down the street, somewhere else and pay much less for the same thing. But, Starbucksฎ image says, "we are worth the price, we are the best". Starbucksฎ has added to the success of its business by developing a professional, successful and quality image.

Image can make you look cheap, even if you don't want to look that way.

I recently spoke to an owner of a small venture capitalist firm. His business is small, but he works with very large companies to get them millions of dollars in financing. Yet when I reviewed his logo, I found it to be absolutely atrocious. He did it himself by throwing together a font and some clip art that came with Microsoftฎ Word. A three-year-old may as well have designed it, because it looked that elementary.

Why in the world would potential clients trust his firm to handle millions of dollars in venture funding for them when his image screamed, "we are cheap"?

Successful businesses know and understand the importance of image. If you spend the time, effort and money to develop a professional and successful image, your business will be seen as a professional and successful business. If you don't take the time and just throw together your image, your business will be seen as thrown together and cheap.

A successful image will help you attract the types of clients you want to work with. You will convey that you are worth your price. You will convey you are the best in your industry. Additionally, you will give your prospects a sense that they would be crazy not to do business with you.

Your image is what everyone sees. It is what people think of your small business and is one of the most essential elements in a successful business.

Recognize its vital impact on your bottom line.

Jeanna Pool is President of CATALYST creative, inc., an award-winning graphic design, web design and marketing firm located in Denver, Colorado. She helps small business owners who are really good at what they do, but struggle to market their services effectively to attract more clients on a consistent basis. She can be contacted at http://www.catalystcreativeinc.com or call 303.380.9100.

Pet Photography & Graphic Arts - A Guide on Pet Photography and Creating Great Artistic Pictures

By Anthony Palmieri

1. Introduction:

If you have just picked up a camera for the first time, or have been taking pictures for years, the information contained in this guide will ensure that you do not overlook anything as you frame and shoot that picture. Taking your photographs to the next level, by using a few computer tools, and free clip art, we will walk you through the steps to create a picture like the one on the cover of this book as easy as 1-2-3.

At pet shows, and especially dog shows, enthusiasts like yourself pay close attention to every detail down to making sure that every hair is in place, the bows in the top knot are perfect, down to the shin on the glistening coats. The end quality of your picture is dependent upon your attention to details. Whenever we take a photograph for a client and create their unique art we do exactly the same. Starting with the right photograph is key and we will provide some often overlooked aspects of pet photography. Remember that you must start with the right photograph in order to obtain good and even great results.

2. Digital Photography Basics For Pets

There are two assumptions made here. The first is, that you are interested in color photography and the second is that you have read your camera owners manual and understand the features and capabilities at least at a basic level. With that said the intent of this guide is to help you get started with taking photographs and getting the best possible results. Before we continue, there is one thing often overlooked until it is too late that will ruin a great photograph. Shut off the date and time stamp feature. You can be sure that it will always take away from the picture or be in the wrong place where no amount of editing can account for it.

2.1. Picture Quality

The focus here is to start with the best of everything possible and use your camera to the fullest. This does not mean that you need to spend $2000 on a camera and special lenses, but it does mean taking advantage of the best capabilities your camera provides. Even a $100 camera can create good small prints. After you understand your cameras feature menu and how to navigate it, go back and re-read the picture quality section again. Once you understand that section set your camera to the BEST modes possible.

Many cameras have resolution settings similar to Normal, Better, Fine, and quality settings of Good, Better, Best. Select the Fine and Best modes or what ever your camera calls the highest quality and highest resolution modes. You can always reduce the resolution and quality later if needed, but you can never improve it. Starting off with the best quality photograph gives you the best possible chance of having a great photograph and piece of art. This becomes even more important when making larger prints or even posters. As you increase picture quality, your memory card will fill quicker and be able to store fewer images. Be sure that you have a large enough memory card or multiple cards. Remember, you do not want to run out of storage when your pet is doing something that will look great on that next Christmas card, so be sure to have that extra 512M or 1G card handy

2.6. Lens Filters and Shades

If you must take photographs in bright sun, such as at an outside farm and pet show, use a lens shade and force flash to overcome the harsh sun. One alternative to use especially if your flash is not powerful enough, is a polarizing filter instead of the flash. The polarizing filter is one of the most useful filters for outdoor photography and is a requirement for any serious photographer, especially for those that use a digital camera. A polarizing filter will reduce the glare and make colors stand out more in harsh sun conditions. These filters can significantly reduce white-outs or wash-outs (surfaces with the primary color all washed out) due to bright reflections. An example of this would be your golden lab having a whitish back, and dark murky looking legs lacking in detail. Some photograph flaws can be edited out and touched up, however, these flaws are nearly impossible to eliminate after the fact and make the editing look natural.

A second important tool to have in your camera bag is a lens shade. A lens shade is inexpensive and is attached on the end of your lens to keep excess light from directly entering the lens. It basically provides a tunnel that shields the optics (lens), and due to its black color absorbs any bouncing light. This helps the camera to better detect the light levels of the subject.

3. Express your Pets Personality Through Creative Art

People find many ways to express their personality, whether it is through sports, music, art, or another outlet. In any case, the creative nature that we have comes to the surface once we have the tools and have developed ability to accomplish this. One area that has continued to grow as a result of technological advancement is with computer enhanced graphics. Faster home computers coupled with programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator have taken the high end graphics work once limited to corporations to smaller businesses. The most basic photo manipulation is to correct flaws in the picture, which can be expanded to the more advanced creation of fantasy scenes, such as overlaying multiple images and the addition of special effects.

4. The Photo Shoot - The Tricks of Understanding Your Pet

Now that you have a general understanding of how to use your camera, lets focus on where, when, and how to get the optimum environment. There are some things in our control, and others that are not, and at any one time they can change. It is important that we discuss each element so you can decide what to do given your situation. These elements are lighting, the location, and the position of the pet. If you are restricted to a specific time of day outside, then you many not have any control over the lighting, or do you? If you are photographing the pet at a show such as walking around the judging stage, you are probably limited to the camera position and location. Ideally you want the best lighting, optimum flexibility with positioning the camera. Lastly if you are going to remove the background from the final print, the cleanest background for editing is desirable. This section will help you take advantage of any flexibility and optimize your shoot given the environment

4.1. Pick The Right Lighting

Given that we are focusing on color photography, proper lighting is essential. In fact proper lighting actually means LOTS OF LIGHT, and the correct type of light. Without proper lighting it is nearly impossible to have an award-winning photograph, even one that has been touched up with the best photo editing tools. When it comes to lighting you want to have an even distribution of light over the entire surface of the pet, including the underside areas. This light illuminates all areas, is not harsh or glaring and does not cause shadowing. Light that is at a low-angle such as parallel to 30 degrees above the ground, or when outside, sun rise or sun set is often the best. This low-angle light covers the side surfaces of the pets' body with light. Light that is high in the air, such as overhead lights, or when outside sun light that is high in the sky such as that mid-day harsh sun should be avoided. This harsh light results in the top surfaces being washed out, and the lowe r areas being dark with excessive shadowing. The ultimate goal is low angle, soft, evenly distributed light that illuminates the entire pet. Also remember when to keep the light source or the sun behind you and watch out for your own shadow!

4.5. Picking The Location

You need to determine if the photo session will be indoors or outdoors, and once that is decided you need to optimize the environment as much as possible to make the pet at ease. Before the pet is there, take a good look all around and make sure that the area is clean, organized, and there are minimal distractions. Distractions can be toys, a left over newspaper lying around, and even a tree branch. You will be in competition with all of these distractions for the pets' attention. Unless you have a sleeping dog you are photographing, you will always be in competition with the environment. Now the dog may be well trained and stay where you put them, but their attention may still be elsewhere. You also want to remove any items that could complicate the photo editing later on.

The intent for many of the photographs used in fantasy scenes is to remove the background and have the pet stand alone. It is important that nothing sticks up in front of any part of the pet that can cause an obstruction. Unless your final print will be of your pet in a grassy field, do not take your pictures of your dog laying on a lawn or grassy field. The blades of grass will hide the bottom of the paws or any part of the dog that is in close to the round

4.9. What Photographs Should You Take - Getting inside your pets head

It is recommended to initially start by letting your pet act naturally in the environment and study how it acts and responds to whatever stimulus is there. This will allow you the opportunity to get inside of your pets head and over time possibly predict how they will act. Remember that many pets will see the camera equipment around and sense the extra attention making them want to get even more attention. Over time they will forget that you are there and start to focus on the elements in the environment, including even laying down on that special pillow. The idea is to have your pet at ease and capture that natural moment. This will require you to be patient and continue to snap the shutter hoping to capture that special moment. Even in as little as 10 minutes you will understand the pets' personality and be able to now stage that specific photo.

5. Basic Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Introduction

For most photography work and picture manipulation you will be using Adobe Photoshop or other similar photo editing tool. If you will be creating large prints greater than 11x17 with text, you should use an illustration tool that provides good text and layout capabilities such as Adobe Illustrator. With these two types of tools you can create fantastic and artistic pictures, and then include them in professional looking layouts. The intent of this section is to provide some starting guidelines to create some of the basic pictures that are displayed on www.PalmieriConcepts.com. Keep in mind that the guidelines and steps provided here have been generalized, however, they will point you in the right direction to create a great picture. The references in this section are referring to Photoshop, so if you are using a different photo editing tool, you will need to find the equivalent features.

Note that to better demonstrate the techniques, the photographs used are not the best and did not follow all of the rules in the previous sections. For example, there are poor lighting and lack of detail to emphasize the use of the tools and techniques.

So to get started, take what you have learned here, get out that camera and have fun.

The selections of text are excerpts from the Ebook titled Pet Photography and Graphic Arts by Anthony Palmieri at www.Palmiericoncepts.com

Anthony Palmieri founded Palmieri Concepts after 20 years of creating custom artwork for his own pleasure and enjoyment. This business grew out of a love for motor vehicles and was started to share with others what began as a hobby. After taking his own pride and joys (yes this really started with family pictures and not cars) and combining them with creativity, it became obvious that many others would like to showcase their loves as he has done.

In addition to the custom artwork, he has also written numerous articles on automotive art and car shows covering topics from custom show boards, to automotive theme garages. Links to some of these articles can be found on http://www.PalmieriConcepts.com web page. His goal was to create a business where each and every one of his works of art are custom done just for you with the intention that it would be something that he would display on his own walls. Many of the custom pictures that he has created can be seen displayed at his house.

The Art of Copying

By Kenneth C. Hoffman

Your grandma just left you an oil painting and you need a few copies; one for appraisal purposes and two for your siblings who would love to have a copy, too. A trip to the professional photographer involves a set up fee, print cost, and a negative that is unavailable for sale. The painting is too big for a flat bed scanner so digital copies are not feasible. One solution is to copy it yourself.

A good 35mm SLR camera with a normal lens will probably focus to two and one half feet. Even better is a six or eight megapixel DSLR or EVF camera. Use an ISO setting of 100 or slower. Critical is the correct use of lighting. Allowing the surface texture to show in your copies prevents displaying the true color and values of the picture. Ideally, two identical incandescent lamps in reflectors angled at forty-five degrees will minimize surface reflections. Place the painting vertically and line up the camera on a tripod exactly perpendicular to the painting. An alternative is to use the sun at a forty to fifty degree angle. Any other unbalanced source (single) is to be avoided.

Fill the view finder to about 80% of the viewfinder and check to see that all edges are parallel. The circle of light cast by the lamps determines the distance from the lights to the picture. Make sure all of the painting surface is evenly lit. Use an 80B filter with outdoor film or set your digital white balance at incandescent. A filter is not needed if electronic flash is the source of light. Electronic flash must be metered with a flash meter or calculated using the guide on the back of the flash. Equalize the distance from each flash to the center of the painting and aim the center of the cone of light at the furthest edge of the painting. Bracket your exposure one stop over and under the recommended F stop. F8 or F11 are the sharpest F stops.

The resulting proofs are NOT a good guide to choosing the negative with the best quality. If a digital camera was used then print a small test picture before making the enlargement. When viewed over a well lit white surface, it is not too difficult to choose the negative with the best color and contrast. A slight increase in contrast is generally considered a plus. When done properly, it is difficult for the average person to tell the difference between the copy and the original when viewed from a normal distance.

The digital world changed only the tools.

E-book Sales - Will Your Cover Close the Sale?

By Andy Eaton

Well designed professional looking e-book covers do much, much more than show the title of the book. An e-book cover can be a powerful attention grabbing sales tool. If you are currently promoting an e-book on your web site and don�t have an e-book cover to promote it, you�re losing money.

Believe it or not, people DO judge a book by its cover. If you�ve got no cover, only words describing the book, you�re losing many potential buyers. If you�ve got an e-book cover with the title and a background cover only, you�re losing money.

As with any sales or marketing effort there are three things you need to keep in mind when designing your e-book cover. #1) You identify a desire or fear your prospect has and have come up with a solution (your e-book) People buy based upon emotions, not logic. #2) Next you make your prospect a promise to have him reach his desire or eliminate his fear. You want to have him picture his desires being met. (This is where the e-book cover goes to work.) and, #3) you make him an offer to purchase the solution to his desire or fear.

The e-book cover should make your prospect visualize reaping the benefits contained in the book. The word, the picture, the colors all should be set to intensify the emotion of reaching his desire or calming his fear. They should work together to bring a unique offer that can�t be achieved unless they have your e-book. The E-book cover will then be an immediate call to action. A call to action that is easily perceived and acted upon.

Creating an e-book cover that acts as described above will:

Lend credibility to your product

Help establish trust with your prospects

Increase perceived value

Make your e-book look like a �real� tangible book that people can see and feel

Whenever you look at your e-book cover, ask yourself these questions:

Does it adequately paint the picture of the desire of your prospect?

Does it calm his fear?

Does it fill his need?

Does it intensely attract your attention?

Don�t just settle for minimal returns on your e-book. Applying the concepts discussed here will increase your profits.

Andy Eaton is one of the most sought after graphic designers on the web, not only does he create quality graphics, but he also teaches you how to create them step by stem in his video membership site, Right now you can get access to some FREE quality videos by signing up to his action packed ezine Visit http://www.graphicsecretsexposed.com/ezine