Good in-camera exposure is essential to a great image and also cuts down on processing time & effort.   Here’s a little tip I learned early on in my photography journey that has helped me greatly using my histogram to guide me.

“Expose to the right” is an expression that you may have heard before, but my experience has been that most folks don’t understand what it means or how how to do it.

In simple terms what this means is that in order for you get the absolute best image quality your digital camera sensor can produce you should be slightly over-exposing your images. I know this does not sound like good advice, but bear with me for a minute, there is a very good technical reason for this.

The imaging sensor in your digital camera is composed of millions of little light sensors (as many as your camera has Mega pixels), and each of these sensors measures the intensity of the light that falls upon it, the camera then takes these millions of measuring points to create an image. However these sensors are not equally as good as measuring light at all levels, actually they are magnitudes more sensitive near the highlights than they are near the dark areas.

Read more …

Help your model look their best (or help yourself look better in photos):

• If your model is balding, shoot from a lower angle to show less of their hair and don’t use a hair light at all.
• If your model has a larger nose then have them look straight at the camera and shoot from a lower angle so their nose will not be so prominent.
• If your model has big ears, then turn their head so only one is showing and then feather the light so that the other ear will fall into shadows and not be noticeable.
• If your model has lots of wrinkles, light them straight on so that the light will not produce shadows from the wrinkles.
• As mentioned a little earlier, if your model has a double chin then have them lift their head slightly so that it stretches out the neck area. Also you can try to light them more from above which creates a shadow under the jaw line and makes under the chin less noticeable.
• If your model has a round or fat face, have them turn their face to the left or right, giving you a three quarter view. Also using a split lighting set up helps by keeping one side of the face in shadow.
• Another tip for making your model look slimmer is to make sure that you leave some space between their arms and torso. You will be surprised how much bigger they look with their arms at their side.

There’s something inherently special about using natural light for your photography.  I love the creamy skin tones & beautiful catchlights coupled with that natural glow.

So how do you achieve great results using only natural light and how do you overcome the shortfalls & limitations of low light?  Learn these photography basics & creative photography tips … Read more

Natural light photo by xtianyves
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtianyves/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Wonderful Presentation!! Most people have to pay BIG $$$ to get this type of information!! If you’re setting up business or have done so already, sit back and let it soak in.

To your successs …

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The Brand Gap – Presentation Transcript

1. HOW TO BRIDGE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN BUSINESS STRATEGY AND DESIGN
2. A VISUAL PRESENTATION BY MARTY NEUMEIER
3. Produced by NEUTRON LLC in partnership with NEW RIDERS PUBLISHING and THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF GRAPHIC ARTS Copyright © 2003 Neutron LLC. For educational use only. No part of this presentation may be published, sold, or otherwise used for profit without the written permission of the author.
4. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN: A modern definition of brand 1 The five disciplines of brand-building 2
5. READY?
6. LET’S START BY DISPELLING SOME MYTHS.
7. FIRST A brand is not a logo.
8. SECOND A brand is not an identity.
9. X
10. FINALLY A brand is not a product.
11. what exactly So is a brand?
12. A BRAND IS A PERSON’S GUT FEELING ABOUT A PRODUCT, SERVICE, OR ORGANIZATION.
13. It’s a PERSON’S gut feeling, because brands are defined by individuals, not companies, markets, or publics. It’s a GUT FEELING because people are emotional, intuitive beings.
14. In other words…
15. IT’S NOT WHAT YOU SAY IT IS.
16. IT’S WHAT THEY SAY IT IS.
17. WHY IS BRANDING SO HOT? People have too many choices and too little time 1 Most offerings have similar quality and features 2 We tend to base our buying choices on trust 3
18. THERE ARE 1,349 CAMERAS ON THE MARKET. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH ONE TO BUY?
19. TRUST
20. T=r+d TRUST RELIABILITY DELIGHT Trust comes from meeting and beating customer expectations.
21. $ Does a brand have a dollar value?
22. AND HOW.
23. THIS SELECTION FROM INTERBRAND’S TOP 100 LIST SHOWS WHY BRANDS ARE WORTH PROTECTING: 2001 % CHANGE BRAND VALUE BRAND BRAND VALUE BRAND VS. AS % OF NAME ($MM) PREVIOUS YEAR MARKET CAP COCA-COLA 68,945 -5% 61% MICROSOFT 65,068 -7% 17% IBM 52,752 -1% 27% FORD 30,092 -17% 66% MERCEDES 21,728 +3% 48% HONDA 14,638 -4% 33% BMW 13,858 +7% 62% KODAK 10,801 -9% 82% GAP 8,746 -6% 35% NIKE 7,589 -5% 66% PEPSI 6,214 -6% 9% XEROX 6,019 -38% 93% APPLE 5,464 -17% 66% STARBUCKS 1,757 +32% 21%
24. COKE’S MARKET CAP, INCLUDING BRAND VALUE: $120 BILLION WITHOUT THE BRAND, COKE’S GLASS WOULD BE HALF EMPTY. COKE’S MARKET CAP, NOT INCLUDING BRAND VALUE: $50 BILLION
25. PREDICTION BRAND WILL BECOME THE MOST POWERFUL STRATEGIC TOOL SINCE THE SPREADSHEET.
26. PROBLEM In most companies, STRATEGY is separated from CREATIVITY by a wide gap.
27. On one side of the gap On the other side are are STRATEGIC THINKERS CREATIVE THINKERS ANALYTICAL INTUITIVE LOGICAL EMOTIONAL LINEAR SPATIAL NUMERICAL VISUAL VERBAL PHYSICAL
28. DOES THE LEFT BRAIN KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT BRAIN IS DOING?
29. When both sides work together, you can build a charismatic brand.
30. A CHARISMATIC BRAND is any product, service, or organization for which people believe there’s no substitute.
31. QUIZ: Which of these brands are charismatic? AMAZON HITACHI OXO GOODGRIPS APPLE HOME DEPOT PEPSI-COLA BURGER KING IKEA PRELL COLDWATER CREEK KMART RCA DASANI KRISPY KREME REEBOK DISNEY LEVI’S RUBBERMAID DK BOOKS LONGS DRUGS SAFEWAY EVEREADY MACY’S SAMSUNG FORD MINI COOPER SEARS GENERAL ELECTRIC NEWSWEEK SOUTHWEST AIRLINES GOOGLE NISSAN UNITED ARTISTS HANES NORDSTROM VIRGIN
32. QUIZ: Which of these brands are charismatic? AMAZON HITACHI OXO GOODGRIPS APPLE HOME DEPOT PEPSI-COLA BURGER KING IKEA PRELL COLDWATER CREEK KMART RCA DASANI KRISPY KREME REEBOK DISNEY LEVI’S RUBBERMAID DK BOOKS LONGS DRUGS SAFEWAY EVEREADY MACY’S SAMSUNG FORD MINI COOPER SEARS GENERAL ELECTRIC NEWSWEEK SOUTHWEST AIRLINES GOOGLE NISSAN UNITED ARTISTS HANES NORDSTROM VIRGIN
33. Any brand can be charismatic.
34. EVEN YOURS.
35. But first, you have to master the FIVE DISCIPLINES OF BRAND-BUILDING.
36. DISCIPLINE 1: DIFFERENTIATE
37. FACT: Our brains act as filters to protect us from too much information.
38. WE’RE HARDWIRED TO NOTICE ONLY WHAT’S DIFFERENT.
39. SOLUTION: BE DIFFERENT.
40. FEATURES BENEFITS EXPERIENCE IDENTIFICATION “What it is” “What it does” “What you feel” “Who you are” 1900 1925 1950 2000 Marketing today is about creating tribes.
41. People join different tribes for different activities. DRIVING VOLKSWAGEN READING AMAZON COMPUTING DELL SPORTS NIKE COOKING WILLIAMS-SONOMA BANKING CITIBANK TRAVEL ORBITZ
42. ON SUNDAYS THEY WORSHIP HARLEY, GOD OF THE OPEN ROAD.
43. The three most important words in differentiating your brand:
44. FOCUS 1
45. FOCUS 2
46. FOCUS 3
47. IS THIS HOW YOUR CUSTOMERS SEE YOU?
48. THE FOCUS TEST: Who are you? 1 What do you do? 2 Why does it matter? 3
49. Unless you have compelling answers to these questions, you need more focus.
50. The most common reason for loss of focus is ILL-CONSIDERED BRAND EXTENSIONS.
51. EXAMPLE: FOCUSED PORSHE = SPORTS CARS UNFOCUSED PORSHE = SPORTS CARS + SUVS
52. are those BAD BRAND EXTENSIONS that chase short-term profits at the expense of long-term brand value. GOOD BRAND EXTENSIONS grow the value of a brand by reinforcing its focus.
53. EXAMPLE: THE GOOD GRIPS BRAND HAS GROWN STRONGER WITH EVERY BRAND EXTENSION.
54. DISCIPLINE 2: COLLABORATE
55. LIKE BUILDING A CATHEDRAL, BUILDING A BRAND IS A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT.
56. It takes a village to build a brand.
57. THERE ARE THREE BASIC MODELS FOR ORGANIZING BRAND COLLABORATION:
58. The ONE-STOP SHOP contains the resources C R E AT I V E SERVICES A DV E RT I S I N G to develop and DIRECT RESPONSE steward the brand. RESEARCH POP D I S P L AY S EXHIBITS PUBLIC IDENTITY SUPPLIERS R E L AT I O N S PRODUCT EVENTS DESIGN PROMOTIONS P U B L I C AT I O N S BRAND ST R AT E G Y WEB DESIGN NAMING PA C K A G I N G ANNUAL REPORTS C O M PA N Y
59. ONE-STOP SHOP SCORECARD Easy to manage Little choice of teams Promise of consistency Little ownership of brand
60. The BRAND AGENCY POP D I S P L AY S hires best-of-breed C R E AT I V E SERVICES firms to help develop IDENTITY RESEARCH DIRECT and steward the brand. RESPONSE A DV E RT I S I N G ANNUAL REPORTS SUPPLIERS EVENTS BRAND AGENCY PROMOTIONS NAMING BRAND S T R AT E G Y PA C K A G I N G P U B L I C AT I O N S PRODUCT WEB DESIGN DESIGN PUBLIC R E L AT I O N S EXHIBITS C O M PA N Y
61. BRAND AGENCY SCORECARD Choice of teams Little ownership of brand Promise of consistency
62. The INTEGRATED MARKETING TEAM is managed internally with open collaboration among C R E AT I V E A DV E RT I S I N G S E RV I C E S best-of-breed specialists. RESEARCH DIRECT RESPONSE ANNUAL IDENTITY REPORTS EVENTS POP D I S P L AY S EXHIBITS C O M PA N Y SUPPLIERS PUBLIC R E L AT I O N S PROMOTIONS WEB DESIGN PA C K A G I N G BRAND P U B L I C AT I O N S S T R AT E G Y PRODUCT NAMING DESIGN
63. INTEGRATED MARKETING TEAM SCORECARD Choice of teams Difficult to manage Promise of consistency Ownership of brand
64. IN REALITY, COLLABORATIVE NETWORKS AREN’T THAT SIMPLE.
65. and that’s OK.
66. Collaborative networks are not new.
67. A successful model has existed for years.
68. Like building a cathedral, making a movie takes hundreds of collaborators.
69. JOEL DARTMOUTH Smoocher Boy KELLY MARIN Agent Sims TREVOR CARMICHAEL Agent Townsend JOHN T. LANDON Agent Kruzic SHARON BONDLY Dijon PAUL DERAIN Jean-Michel JACQUES SOUVERAIN Keynes MICHAEL BRAND Corelli STEVEN GOLDSTEIN Johnston TRENT LOCKART Billie JACKSON BARNES Guards JOSEPH AKIO TERENCE BRADLEY MO DERENI ROBERT UNDERHILL KEN SILVER Librarian HILARY PROPRIATO Field Officer MICHAEL O. KELL Bus Driver HECTOR ABONDAS Night Guard NORMAN BRIER Meter Maid STACY BRECKSTEIN First Detective JOE KALEY Second Detective BRIAN BELSEN Beat Cop ABRAHAM LENDER Parking Cop T. T. MCBRIDE Helicopter Pilot VAN DERICKE First Old Man JOHN R. CARLSON Second Old Man VICTOR AMOS Tax Collector SEAN O’ KENNA Stunt Coordinator JEFFREY ROCKEN Assistant Stunt Coordinator DARREL TOM Stunt DoublesCarlos GEOFF WRIGHT MARK CONTADINA Mariana SUE SKENNIAN Ajax CHARLIE MARQUETTE Sgt. Santos VICTOR BANERAS Carter F. C. CAMERON Smoocher Boy TELLIE PANOPOULIS Agent Sims MARTIN AIRES Agent Townsend STEFAN C. KAISER Dijon BILL MOORE Stunts STEVE ADRIAN BENJAMIN BARKELEY TONY BEAUJOLAIS BOB CARTER GORDON COLERIDGE IVAN DEVERSON MICKEY DISANTIS JILLIAN DRUCKER JOE EVANS MIKE FLANAGAN BILL GEORGE JULIA HARRISON GEOFF IPSWICH MICHAEL KANTER KENNETH KITTRIDGE BARRIE LAWRENCE TERRY LEVINSON TED MARSTEN JACKIE MACDOUGAL GREG NEVILSON BOB OSBORNE JAMES PETRICKE PETE POLSON RAY TELSON MARY STAUFFACHER FREDDIE STEEN CAB UPTON CORNELIA THERRIEN JEREMY TRICKETT PETER YOUNG RAUL VALERIA RONALD DEAVER-WEBB ROBERT G. RUNYAN Hong Kong Kung Fu Team CHEN Dragon SEN YUAN Tiger CHU
70. Manners and Modes Supervisor FRANCIE MAS Storyboard Artists CAREN THOMASON MIGUEL TRASERO FRANCES CHU PEDRO BOGANILLO Art Department Researcher NUALA CORIAN Art Department Coordinator TRACY COLLISTON Conceptual Designer SERGIO MOLO Graphics BENJAMIN HIRASUNA Illustrator STEPHANIE RAND Set Designers GERI DEMONDE STELLAN GRETZKE MADELINE BARR LANCE DUNSTABLE MARCO DIPAOLO DEN MCENERY Set Decorators LISA BARHAM DRU LEE MANNING CARRIE DUNE Script Supervisor MARIE BELLEAU Camera Operator PAUL POLITO Steadycam Operator ROCK HANDLER 1st Assistant Camera GORDON ALBRIGHT 2nd Assistant Camera CRIS MORTEN Still Photographer BARRIE M. HORST Sound Recordist JACOB TREIB Boom Operators HORACE STEIN THOM CARRABINE Video Operator ART KELLEHER LUCIANO PROPRIO Props DAVID BELL Property Master ZUZU MANHEIM KAREN CAROLUS J. D. WHEATLY Action Vehicle Coordinators WILLIAM TREVANT Gaffer STU JEFFERSON Best Boy JOSH KNIPPLE Rigged Gaffers COLIN FARRINGDON PETER STANISLOV KIT GOINES BENNIE JAMESON RICK DEMIS STANLEY FREY G. G. NEWMAN Key Grip DAVID WEINBERG Head Grip RICKY MONROE Dolly Grips WILLI STRASBURG STAN BENTON CHARLES CRIVORN NORM LOFGREN VIC DOLAN GIORGIO VIVATO Rigging Grip TEL STEPHENOPOLIS Make-up Artists TRINI GONZALEZ MARCI STEIN BELINDA MCNAIR CARI DUNN MICHELLE TONAS ROBERTO BELLINI
71. TIM CURRIE Dig Composite Supv DONALD VERES Digital Compositors DAVID HUSSEIN BRIDGET QUESTED FRANCESCA ROTI Background Artists GREG STONE CGI Lead Animators WILL SUTTON INGE JOHANSSON CGI Animators DREW CRAIN URSULA BIERSCH VISUAL LOGIC, LLC JARED BAGMAN VFX Supervisor Programmer KAROL CONST System Admin RANDY HARDWICK Production Admin MAL GERICKE Production Aide CASS MONAHAN PATRICE ARNEM Producer Scene Graphics PEDRO CARILLO CGI Artist Coord SANDY PRIESTLY CGI Artists JOHN LANGORF BRENDA CALE CGI Designer MARK THOMAS KYLE M. SULLIVAN Compositors PATRICK MAHONEY STAV PROMIDES MARGRIET BILL TANIA SHAUB BENNET JURIAN I/O Supervisor CHUCK TRALIK PENNY GARCIA Assorted Visual Effects GRAYSON TRUE Color Toner SLIM DELGADO Negative Cutter BATOUTAHELL, INC Titles Designed by PACIFIC DREAMS, LLC Opticals by ARTISTIC RECORDS, INC. Soundtrack Album on Microscopic Cinematography by JAY FLAMMER `The Producers Wish to Thank the Following NASA CITY OF NEW YORK THE MARITIME CENTER OF SYDNEY LOS ANGELES POLICE THE CITY OF BEND, OREGON SULTAN OF BRUNEI Filmed on Location in CAPE KENNEDY NEW YORK CITY SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA BEND, OREGON Filmed with OMNIVISON Cameras and Lenses Color by COLORLAB, INC. Prints by VISTACHROME
72. IN THE 1990s, CREATIVE COLLABORATION SPREAD TO BRAND-BUILDING.
73. EXAMPLE: The Netscape brand was built on the Hollywood model.
74. WHY?
75. Because the mathematics of collaboration is nothing less than MAGIC.
76. DISCIPLINE 3: INNOVATE
77. Execution— not strategy—is where the rubber meets the road.
78. CREATIVITY IS WHAT GIVES BRANDS THEIR TRACTION IN THE MARKETPLACE.
79. Why do companies have so much trouble with creativity? Because creativity is right-brained, and strategy is left-brained.
80. Z V D Q CREATIVE THINKING
81. A B C D STRATEGIC THINKING
82. MANTRA FOR INNOVATORS: Zig when others zag.
83. THE REASON THE BEATLES WERE WILDLY SUCCESSFUL IS BECAUSE “THEY NEVER DID THE SAME THING ONCE.”
84. QUESTION: How do you know when an idea is innovative?
85. ANSWER: WHEN IT SCARES THE HELL OUT OF EVERYBODY.
86. To begin with, stand-out name. the brand needs a
87. The seven criteria of a stand-out name: 1 DISTINCTIVENESS 2 BREVITY 3 APPROPRIATENESS 4 EASY SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION 5 LIKABILITY 6 EXTENDABILITY 7 PROTECTABILITY
88. A GREAT deserves GREAT NAME GRAPHICS.
89. EWS LOGOS ARE DEAD. LONG LIVE ICONS AND AVATARS! FLASH!
90. An ICON is a name and visual symbol that suggests a market position.
91. EXAMPLE: CBS. The network for “eye-popping” television.
92. An AVATAR is a brand icon that can move, change, and operate freely in various media.
93. EXAMPLE: CINGULAR: The “self-expression” cellular service.
94. For products that sell at retail, the package is often the best and last chance to make a sale.
95. The hardest-working packages follow a natural reading sequence. THE SHOPPER: Notices the package 1 Asks “What is it?” 2 Wonders “Why should I care?” 3 Wants to be persuaded 4 Needs proof 5
96. By presenting information to match this sequence, a package can sell the product more effectively.
97. If you communicate with your customers ONLINE, your website needs to follow a SIMILAR reading sequence, one that supplies users with ONLY the information they need, instead of trying to squeeze EVERYTHING onto the home page LIKE THIS and making your users do ALL the work, which will undoubtedly cause them to LEAVE, when all you really have to do is ask yourself this SIMPLE QUESTION:
98. Does our website look at in this dress?
99. Too many websites are bloated with irrelevant information.
100. WHY?
101. 1 TURFISMO (Every department wants to be on the home page)
102. 2 FEATURITIS (Inexperienced communicators believe more is better)
103. 3 TECHNOPHOBIA (Experienced communicators resist new media)
104. QUIZ: Which of these sites looks easier to use?
105. DISCIPLINE 4: VALIDATE
106. means bringing the VALIDATION audience into the creative process.
107. SENDER MESSAGE RECEIVER SENDER MESSAGE RECEIVER THE OLD COMMUNICATION MODEL WAS A MONOLOGUE.
108. SENDER MESSAGE RECEIVER SENDER MESSAGE RECEIVER THE NEW COMMUNICATION MODEL IS A DIALOGUE.
109. QUESTION: How can you test your most creative ideas BEFORE they get to market?
110. HINT: Not with large quantitative studies or focus groups.
111. QUANTITATIVE STUDIES BURY THE PROBLEM IN HEAPS OF UNHELPFUL DATA.
112. FOCUS GROUPS WERE INVENTED TO FOCUS THE RESEARCH, NOT BE THE RESEARCH.
113. THE BEST TESTS ARE CHEAP, QUICK, DIRTY. AND
114. Better a rough answer to the right question than a detailed answer to the wrong question.
115. CHEAP-QUICK-DIRTY TEST 1: The SWAP TEST is a proof for trademarks.
116. If the names and graphics of two trademarks are better when swapped, then neither is optimal.
117. EXISTING TRADEMARKS
118. WITH NAMES SWAPPED
119. CHEAP-QUICK-DIRTY TEST 2: The HAND TEST is a proof for a distinctive voice.
120. If you can’t tell who’s talking when the trademark is covered, then the brand’s voice is not distinctive.
121. CHEAP-QUICK-DIRTY TEST 3: The FIELD TEST is a proof for any concept that can be prototyped.
122. If your audience can’t verbalize your concept, you’ve failed to communicate it.
123. SHOPPERS CHARACTERIZED THE PACKAGE CONCEPT ON THE MIDDLE-RIGHT SHELF AS “A FASTER PENCIL.” BINGO.
124. Field tests measure five things: 1 DISTINCTIVENESS 2 RELEVANCE 3 MEMORABILITY 4 EXTENDABILITY 5 DEPTH OF MEANING
125. TESTING MIGHT HAVE SAVED SOME OF THESE COMPANIES FROM THE GREAT SWOOSH EPIDEMIC.
126. HAS THE GLOBE BECOME THE NEW SWOOSH?
127. DISCIPLINE 5: CULTIVATE
128. Business is a process, not an entity.
129. A living brand is a pattern of behavior, not a stylistic veneer.
130. Brands are like people.
131. C. D. E. IF PEOPLE CAN CHANGE THEIR CLOTHES WITHOUT CHANGING THEIR CHARACTERS…
132. WHY CAN’T BRANDS?
133. OLD PARADIGM: Control the LOOK AND FEEL of a brand.
134. NEW PARADIGM: Influence the CHARACTER of a brand.
135. IF A BRAND LOOKS LIKE A DUCK AND SWIMS LIKE A DOG, PEOPLE WILL DISTRUST IT.
136. So let’s say you’ve DIFFERENTIATED, COLLABORATED, INNOVATED, AND VALIDATED.
137. + YOU’VE ADDED THE LEFT BRAIN TO THE RIGHT BRAIN.
138. You’ve zigged when the competition has zagged.
139. ++ YOU’VE USED TESTING TO BANISH THE FEAR OF STUPID.
140. Your brand is now NUMBER ONE in it’s category.
141. What’s your next move?
142. PASS OUT THE COMPASSES.
143. What’s a compass?
144. A continuing brand education program.
145. BRAND ORIENTATION BRAND SEMINARS POSITIONING WORKSHOPS BRAND AUDITS STATEGY SUMMITS CREATIVE COUNCILS QUARTERLY CRITIQUES GROUP BRAINSTORMING TEAMWORK TRAINING INNOVATION CLINICS DESIGN AUDITS BRAND MANUALS BRAND PUBLICATIONS
146. The more DISTRIBUTED a brand becomes, the stronger its management needs to be.
147. What your company needs is a CBO, or CHIEF BRANDING OFFICER.
148. THE CBO FORMS A HUMAN BRIDGE BETWEEN LOGIC AND MAGIC, STRATEGY AND DESIGN.
149. D I F F E R E N T I AT I O N C U LT I V AT I O N C O L L A B O R AT I O N V A L I D AT I O N I N N O V AT I O N BY MASTERING THE FIVE DISCIPLINES OF BRANDING, THE COMPANY CREATES A VIRTUOUS CIRCLE.
150. WITH EVERY TURN AROUND THE CIRCLE, THE VALUE OF THE BRAND SPIRALS HIGHER.
151. YOU BUILD
152. A sustainable competitive advantage.
153. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Marty Neumeier is president of a San Francisco-based brand consultancy, Neutron LLC. Neutron supplies the “glue” that holds brands together: brand education programs, seminars, workshops, creative audits, process planning, and more. Visit www.neutronllc.com.
154. Need books for your branding team? Bulk discounts on the THE BRAND GAP are available for educational and corporate groups. Contact STEPHANIE.WALL@NEWRIDERS.COM.

just hired an office assistant and now finally I think I’ll get my life back!

In the mayhem of life itself, motherhood, wifehood & all that it contains along with trying to establish a business, I was beginning to pull my hair out trying to keep everything together. I realised the need for some assistance so I went searching.

And what I found was such a delight I was hooked …

Táve (pronounced Tar-vay) is your virtual studio manager, assisting you from the moment a prospective client contacts you until the final product is delivered. Táve keeps your job leads and workflow organized, always reminding you what needs to be done next.

Your Customer Service Manager and Bill Collector

The versatility and automation of Táve has been developed with studios like yours in mind, allowing you to condense the responsibilities of your studio/business into one robust platform.

Táve acts as your customer service manager by giving real time updates on production status through a client login area, keeping trivial interruptions to a minimum. Everyone stays informed with Táve’s notes features, allowing employees to track conversations with clients so everyone is on the same page.

Your business will run so smoothly that your clients will think you’ve really got it together – and with Táve, you will!

“We are booking more and feel like we always know what is going on with everyone.”
Jacinta Norbel

Connect the Dots

Do you feel like you work in data entry instead of photography? Transferring customer information between your address book, calendar, invoicing software, proofing solution and album software? By using a web-based platform, Táve connects people and software together, so data is shared between your solutions and eliminates a whole lot of headaches.

Now I can be sure my clients are happy to refer me for my customer service & efficiency as well as my photos.

Now I can finally get back to doing what I love … photography!

Been struggling to understand depth of field or sometimes abbreviated to DOF.   This helpful post might just turn on  lightbulb.

Depth of field is the range of distance within the subject that is acceptably sharp.  The depth of field varies depending on camera type, aperture and focusing distance, although print size and viewing distance can influence our perception of it.  This section is designed to give a better intuitive and technical understanding for photography, and provides a depth of field calculator to show how it varies with your camera settings.

Continue reading …

Dear Internet friends, please don’t be mistaken for believing that I’ve left you all alone out in the cold cold chasm of web cyberspace .. oh contraire!   I’ve been hard at work setting up my business, learning my craft and discovering the world around me in new and exciting creative ways of which in time you will also benefit from as I share what I’ve learnt.

But in the midst of all that, I many times have doubted my own abilities & talents and got caught up in the “big picture” and lost my steps in the “now picture”.

Well today I stumbled upon a remarkable video which made me stop and breathe and continue to believe.  I trust it does the same for you too.

Just breathe!

Video by Zack Arias and made for Scott Kelby.

More on Zack’s blog.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the next article – Register to the RSS feed

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Creating silhouettes seems to be wildly popular on our site and I came across another good tutorial that will help you get great results at … http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2008/07/how-i-shoot-silhouettes/

Take a look and don’t forget to come back and show us results.

Here’s to your creative success …

Here’s  a neat video I discovered recentely which I found very helpful and thought it would be good to share with you all.

Jim Talkington: “In this video we’ll look at three fundamental styles of portrait lighting. Whether you’re using a studio strobe or a Strobist setup, this is a great intro to portrait lighting with just one light.”

You can’t help but get intrigued by the thought of photographing the world up close—super close in fact. Fortunately nearly every digital camera includes a “macro” mode that allows you to get extremely close to your subject. Some cameras call this mode “close-up” and it is depicted by a flower icon on your camera.

Depending on which type of camera you have “close” can be defined as anything from 6 to 18 inches,you can read your manual to find out what your camera allows. However, what if your desire is to get even closer than that? Below are a few tips that can help you get started.

Here are a few ways to get great up close shots.

One thing you could do is buy a “macro” lens that is made specifically for this type of shot. Unfortunately, these lenses are often quite expensive. An alternative to buying a new lens would be to purchase extension tubes for your DSLR.

An extension tube is a light-tight tunnel that extends the distance from your lens to the camera body, thereby increasing the magnification—note: the greater the distance, the higher the magnification. What do you do if your digital camera isn’t an SLR or doesn’t take interchangeable lenses?

The last, and most inexpensive, option is to purchase a zoom lens that mounts directly on top of your current lens, much the same way that you attach filters. Some cameras already have built in adapters for these types of auxiliary lenses.

Even if your camera doesn’t have an adapter you can purchase accessories from third-party manufacturers who have manufactured adapters to enable this capability on just about any digital camera. The advantage to this option is that you don’t have to buy a whole new lens and you can use the close-up lens with any camera, including an SLR.

Image © Martin Heigan. Used with permission