Cheap Perfume For People With Expensive Tastes

There is a difference between perfume that is cheap in the sense that it is inexpensive, and perfume that smells 'cheap' in the sense of it being tacky, lacking originality or of poor quality. Cheap perfume can be found without compromising on quality, if the buyer is willing to take some time to wisely shop around.

It can be a case of 'buyer beware' when looking for cheap perfume. Never buy from a random stranger, a car boot, a street corner or from a pub. Unlicensed vendors might be selling an inferior or bootleg product that will only disappoint.

High street retailers and secure online retailers should be your only port of call when searching for new perfume. There are plenty of bargains to be found online, and web retailers often sell designer perfumes at a large discount, by offering unopened demonstration bottles.

The choice of perfumes on the market can be quite bewildering. All kinds of celebrities including models, rappers, singers, actors, reality TV stars, sportspeople -,and even footballers' wives,- have scents available to buy.

It has become one of the business decisions that many celebrities take, when expanding their empire beyond the original talent that made them famous. As with the designer fashion names that grace the shelves, the marketing people use a celeb's name to imply a perfume with glamour, taste and style.

The same fragrance might smell differently, and vary in duration, from one person to the next. This is due to the fact that people all have slightly different skin from each other, due to their unique body chemistry. Skin might be naturally dry or oily, and hormones, medications, diet, stress levels and even the environment can all have an effect. Those with sensitive skin should consider wearing the fragrance on their clothes instead.

Perfumes also change on a person during the time they wear it. This happens because a fragrance evolves across three separate stages, which reveal themselves over a period of time.

To begin with, we have the top note, which reveals the early lighter side to the aroma, and which lasts for around eight to fifteen minutes. Next is the middle note, which emits constantly throughout the fragrance's time on a person, and fully emerges after the top note's duration. Finally, the base note develops and reveals the woody notes, which become more noticeable when the scent has rested on the skin for some time.

There are two methods through which a perfume can be applied: spray or splash. Sprays are considered to be the optimum way of applying a scent, as they can be applied anywhere easily, including directly onto clothes. However, they do have a minimal amount of wastage, as some of the scent is naturally lost into the environment around the sprayer. Eau de toilette and eau de parfum only ever come supplied as a spray.

Splash bottles are a more versatile and economical method, as the perfume can be added to steam-iron water and then impregnated into clothes - and as much or as little as desired can be directly applied to the skin. Splash bottles might not be the best option for the clumsy, or those with curious children.

Many a splash bottle has been disposed of onto a carpet, a bed or down a bathroom sink!

The Essence of Professional Photography

Heard of one of the latest venture photography trends? With the world going gaga for venture photography, how can photography in Norfolk be left behind? Needless to say, every picture has a story to tell and venture photography is no exception. But to capture the heart and spirit of each moment on camera, to find the essence in each person and let that stand out in the photograph is no child's play. Though we turn to Photoshop or other editing software to produce that Midas touch rarely do we get the desired result. Even the best of photographers fail to capture the emotional aspects of good photography if forced to become a technician and software specialist overnight often leading to losing sight of the emotional aspects of good portraiture. To capture the essence for many years, options like hiring a professional portrait photographer or opting for venture photography are worth trying, an investment that you will enjoy over the years.

Be it boudoir photography, model photography or traditional wedding photography - good photography capturing the true essence of the human being is always in vogue. Nowadays, digital photography has given rise to a new trend based on "speed" which has led to far too many "turn style" studios. Only a professional photographer can put the master strokes on an image. Though many consider it to be a luxury or unnecessary expense, the fact remains it is the best way to preserve cherished memories for generations. A professional photographer connects with the subject instantly. Moreover, the photographer's persona and personality are also important and critical factors here. It is the combined impact of both that can bring forth the emotions from the subject and that too in a very natural way.

Therefore, for special occasions such as wedding, Photojournalism has become an increasingly popular trend over the last few years worldwide. Due to the presence of leading portrait photographer, professional photography in Norwich, capture those elegant and traditional images of the wedding to last a lifetime. After all, weeding photographs are a cherished keepsake that lasts a lifetime and couples love watching it over the years. Therefore ensuring that your wedding photography is perfect one is a big concern for many couples. Special formatting or effects, or customization on your photos can make it truly special.

With numerous wedding photographers in Norwich, offering so many prices, and styles - choosing the right one is a tough job indeed. A good photo lab like Silvestri Studios can share the burden to free up your valuable time. Based in Norwich, Silvestri Studios is a professional wedding, boudoir and lifestyle photography studio. Silvestri Studios understands your sentiments and need and put their best effort to satisfy you.

After all, nothing lasts longer than your beautiful family photograph beside your bed side table.

Tips a Photographer Can Follow For a Successful Photoshoot

During a photoshoot, there are a number of moving parts. If you are a new professional photographer, you may find it to be a challenge to manage all of these moving parts. This article addresses some steps that most professional portrait and wedding photographers follow in order to have a successful shoot and happy client.

1. If you will be shooting outdoors for any reason, make sure you know when the sunlight will be the best for taking pictures and planning accordingly. Many photographers learn this lesson through the school of hard knocks. They schedule an outdoor shoot at the same time they did the previous month. When they arrive they find that  they and their clients need to wait around for an hour or so for the light to be optimal or they have missed the optimal light and are now shooting with too many shadows. To avoid these scenarios find out when the sun will be setting in your area and plan accordingly. This action is even more important for professional photographers who travel. Remember the best lighting will be at different times in different locations.

2. During a photoshoot have an upbeat, fun and positive attitude. While this is helpful at a wedding since if you are easy to work with you will be more likely to help people relax and get more spontaneity from you subjects, it is particularly crucial when shooting children. If the photographer is not upbeat and on top of her game in directing, encouraging, and engaging small children in a fun, positive and upbeat way she will lose the children's attention. They will not look where they need to look, sit where they need to sit or smile when asked. Dealing with small children can present a challenge that is not always evident in all types of photography. If you choose to photograph small children, you either need to naturally have these traits or work very hard to develop them for they are crucial to success.

3. Be early in everything you do. Getting to a wedding venue not only prevents the obvious disaster of missing key parts of the wedding but it gives you an opportunity to plan your game plan. By setting expectations early with your clients on ordering, cost and expectations you will avoid costly and uncomfortable misunderstandings. By finishing your editing work prior to when you said you would do so, you are communicating competence and responsibility to you clients and they will be more likely to use you again.

Becoming a professional photographer is hard work. Following these suggestions will help you be successful in that effort.

Digital Photography For Beginners - Fundamental Pointers

The basics you need to comprehend when learning digital photography is what all the pros know concerning the art of photography. Digital photography for beginners may be a baffling time. Starting with the basics in addition to taking a few digital photography lessons can be the best way to go as well as it being the most natural position to begin from. It is in addition a good thought from time to time for photographers having some experience to go back to the fundamentals and further increase their talents.

Anyone is able to take a photo, it happens to be knowing a secret or two that can transform your picture from everyday to an eye catching masterpiece. First and foremost you need your digital camera. Don't take too much notice of the intensity that a few people may make photography look. It, if truth be told, all comes down to the aperture and shutter speed. As digital technology advances keep an eye on the trained photographers then take note that they commonly work with portable and typically straightforward to work cameras. There are loads of digital photography books accessible that are able to teach you the common points of working a digital camera along with the definitions of aperture and shutter speed.

The bottom line is that aperture is simply a word for the width of your camera lens opening whilst it is permitting in light and the shutter speed is the length of time you allow the light to come in to affect the image. For instance if you would like to get a picture of a racing car traveling at a high speed, you require a wide aperture to let in plenty of light however an extremely short shutter speed so that you can capture the picture quickly and close the window to make certain the picture is captured prior to the light damaging the quality. Consequently an additional digital photo tip for today is that photography is in fact just about light.

You will discover that your camera will include automatic settings as well as manual options regarding aperture and shutter speed. During your digital photography lessons you should learn how to swap from automated to manual furthermore, you will understand the settings that suit various situations. When you come right down to it digital cameras will have automatic settings to facilitate the everyday photographer who is not concerned in learning anything other than just "point and shoot".

Over the course of your digital photography lessons you will grasp a better perception of lenses and flash photography together with added ways you can control the lighting of several conditions. Right through your experience of learning, make a promise to yourself to never stop learning about this beautiful art. The better and more sophisticated you get in your skill to work with the equipment, the more you will learn and the more you will want to continue learning.

This now brings us back to the point that digital photography for beginners definitely should not be a baffling time. It ought to be enjoyable and fun as that is what photography is all about. Take the time and practice, having fun, taking photos at any occasion. Play around with your equipment and take advantage of several situations, inside and out, using various aperture and shutter speed options. Don't fuss if your photo's don't work out, it is actually all part of learning digital photography.

Creating Personalized Photo Calendars

About Personalized Photo Calendars:

Photo Calendars are 12-month, wall-hanging calendars that you can create using your own digital photos and captions. As you customize your own photo calendar, you can start the calendar on whatever month and year you wish. Most photo calendars are printed on white heavy-weight glossy card stock that you can write on, and they are spiral-bound in the middle.

Creating Personalized Photo Calendars:

Most online digital photo printing services, such as Shutterfly (my favorite), Snapfish and Kodak EasyShare Gallery, offer custom photo calendars. The process of creating personalized photo calendars usually involves:

1. Picking a starting month and year for your calendar

2. Selecting a page design from a variety of templates

3. Choosing your photos from those you have uploaded to the photo service's website and selecting which photo you want for a specific month

4. Writing brief photo captions to accompany each page of your photo calendar (usually optional)

5. Adding a cover photo for your personalized photo calendar

6. Placing your photo calendar order with the web site

Templates for Personalized Photo Calendars:

Most photo printing services like Shutterfly and Snapfish offer a selection of photo calendar templates to choose from. There are also several software programs that include free photo calendar templates. FotoFinish offers several photo calendar templates with its FotoFinish Suite software version, and you can download a variety of additional free photo calendar templates from its website. Adobe Photoshop Album and Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5 Deluxe also feature photo calendar templates.

Printing Photo Calendars:

If you design your custom photo calendar using an online photo service, to print it simply add your photo calendar to your online shopping account and check out. You'll have your printed photo calendar in a few days. The average cost is about $20 per calendar. If you are using your own software to create your photo calendar, you can print your calendar pages using your own color printer and have your pages spiral bound into a calendar at a local copy store.

Customized Photo Calendars Make Great Gifts:

Custom photo calendars make terrific gifts, whether for birthdays, Mother's Day, etc. Got an avid golfer in the family? What about custom golf photo calendars featuring photos of your golfer teeing off? Sometimes it is hard to come up with a good gift idea for elderly parents or grandparents. A photo calendar with pictures of your children makes a great gift that grandma and grandpa will enjoy anew each time they turn over a new month. Don't have kids? What about 12 months of your favorite pet photos? The ideas are endless.

How to Take Great Photos of Holiday Lights

At this time of year, many of the world's cultures and religions celebrate holidays that involve lights. While the use of lights and candles is often explained in terms of the rites of the particular culture, most scholars agree that the lights came first; the explanations followed. After all, since humans gained control of fire, light has been used to illuminate the darkness - especially, during the depths of winter - rather than curse it.

Christians explain the candles, tree lights, and Yule log in terms of the birth of Christ and the Star of Bethlehem. The impact of these lights - if not the explanation - is so powerful that even modern-day Buddhist and Shinto Japan is ablaze with lights and decorations at "Christmas time." And, in the same dark days of the winter solstice, Hanukkah is the "Festival of Lights" celebrated by Jews around the world.

Years ago, taking great photographs of holiday lights was difficult because the films of yesteryear weren't very sensitive. They had difficulty recording an image in the low-light of a candle, for example.

This is no longer the case as technology has solved these problems. Many DSLRs can be set to ISO 800, 1600 and even higher settings with little noise.

In addition, most photographers today rely on auto-exposure with their point-and-shoots or SLRs. Unlike the light meters of old, which were often "fooled" by low-light situations, today's meters in auto-exposure cameras are able to give good readings even in low light.

This is an important point because holiday lights usually look their best when shot without added light. In fact, this is Rule One when it comes to getting good pictures of lights: Turn off your flash. Let's repeat that: For most pictures of holiday lights, turn off your flash!

Note that we said "most." There are a few occasions when you will want to add light, but usually you won't. So this brings us to the question: When should you use your flash, and when should you avoid it?

Now, let's remember one important point if you're taking a picture without flash: You're probably going to need a slow shutter speed. This means you may need to mount your camera on a solid unmoving surface to avoid camera-shake. A tripod is best.

When else might you want to use your flash? Let's say the subject of your picture is your kids under the tree. How are you going to light their faces? On the one hand, you may find that the Christmas-tree lights are sufficient and give a very soft glow to their cherubic expressions. Or maybe it is Christmas morning, and they are lighted by window-light that is streaming into the room. In these cases, you don't need your flash. But, on the other hand, maybe you don't have enough light to really see their faces. Then you may have to use your flash. How do you know which way to go?

One approach is to shoot both ways, then select the better image. We think a better way is to plan ahead and meter your subject. Remember that Guideline One of the Three NYI Guidelines for Great Pictures is to decide on your subject before you do anything else. You can learn this at the photography school. In this case, you've decided that the subject is the faces of the kids. Guideline Two is to draw attention to your subject. One method of drawing attention is to make sure your subject is well-exposed. So meter the light that falls on their faces from the lighted tree. Get in close and meter just the faces! If there's enough available light for a well-exposed picture, shoot it. If not, use your flash.

Now let's move outdoors. Outdoor photo subjects include elaborate lighting and decoration on houses, stores, and streets. Again, if you want to capture the lights themselves, don't use your flash. One other tip for outdoor lights - you'll get the best results when you shoot at twilight. That way, you'll capture some color in the sky, rather than the pitch-black tone that will be recorded on film later at night. But what if you want to take a picture of your friend in front of a brightly lit display?

You want to capture both the bright lights and your friend. If you use flash, you get your friend, but you're in danger of minimizing the bright lights behind. On the other hand, if you don't use flash, you get better detail of the lights but your friend is reduced to a silhouette.

There's an answer. Many of today's point-and-shoot cameras both film and digital have a funny-looking setting that looks like a person with a star in the background.
This setting tells the camera that you want the flash to fire (which will light your friend in the foreground), but that you also want the lens to stay open long enough to record the lights in the background. In fact, the symbol for this setting on many cameras is sort of a hieroglyph that tries to indicate "person at night in front of lights." Your solution to getting light on your friend's face and capturing the light display is to use this setting. The flash exposes the face. The long exposure captures the lights.

But, again, watch out here. The long exposure - typically, one-quarter of a second long - requires that you steady your camera to avoid camera shake. Once again, we advise you to use a tripod.

So, to take great holiday photos in this season of lights, we offer you these four tips we explore in our photography classes:

• Turn off your flash unless you have a very good reason to use it.


• Use a fast ISO - we suggest ISO 800.


• Avoid camera shake.


• Use a tripod...or, at least, brace the camera. Trust your camera's built-in meter.

Some Special Considerations

Digital ISO

Amplifying a digital signal is like turning the volume up on your radio as loud as it will go. At the maximum volume every hiss, pop, and scratch is heard and, depending on the quality of the equipment, quality is diminished. The same thing happens in a digital camera. When the ISO setting is increased, every image artifact and defect is magnified.

To achieve the best image quality, you might try working with a slower ISO setting to start. If you are having trouble getting a good exposure, increase the ISO as needed. You might even try using the Auto ISO setting and see how the camera chooses to handle exposure.

Digital Noise

Regardless of the ISO setting chosen, most inexpensive digital cameras produce "noise" during long exposures. Noise is caused by the small electrical disturbances that are present in every electrical system. In order to capture a weak light signal, such as a subject in low-light, longer exposures are usually needed. The longer a digital camera shutter is open, the more electrical noise is recorded as well.

So, it seems we have a double-edged sword.

• Increase the ISO to achieve faster shutter speeds and you will amplify noise and other image problems.


• Reduce the ISO and shutter speeds are slower. As a result, you will record inherent noise that might not be seen in a "normal" exposure.

Limited Dynamic Range

To make things worse, digital cameras have a limited dynamic range. Image sensors are only sensitive to a specific range of brightness. Anything outside of that range is recorded as pure white or pure black. This can result in an image without shadow or highlight detail.

Solutions

Here are a few ways to solve these problems. Noise can be reduced with software. In fact some cameras offer in-camera noise reduction features. Proprietary software is used exclusively, yielding uneven results. Test your camera's capabilities before committing to this feature. There are many noise reduction software products on the market today, some as stand-alone applications and others which are plug-ins that work in conjunction with your favorite image editor. This means you can select a camera with noise reduction or address any problems later in the digital "darkroom."

Timing is Everything

As we noted earlier in this article, when shooting holiday lights outside, I find that the best exposures can be made at twilight. Twilight is after the sun has set but before the dark of night. This fleeting balance of light and shadow will yield the brilliance of the lights while maintaining details in the shadow. Don't underestimate shadow detail to help establish your composition. Consult your camera's manual for details on your white balance options and how to adjust them. In the finished photo the viewer will perceive the twilight photo to be taken at night.

When shooting holiday lights inside, try turning on lights in the room to increase the ambient light, rather than using a flash. Flash can produce a harsh, high-contrast quality that obliterates the brilliance of the light. A carefully positioned incandescent light can increase the ambient light without overpowering your holiday lights.

Shoot Two Exposures

One way to extend the tonal range of a digital image is by making two exposures of a scene. Shooting in Manual mode, make one exposure configured to capture the best highlight detail. Make a second exposure to capture the best shadow detail. Then combine the two exposures in Photoshop as separate Layers. Using the Eraser tool remove poorly exposed areas to reveal detail and take advantage of the best parts of each Layer/exposure. Using this technique you could extend the tonal range well beyond the possibility of any single exposure made with the same camera. Of course this requires a strong tripod to ensure both compositions match perfectly. Consider using a remote control to reduce the possibility of camera movement.

Accomplished photographers may also create two separate images'- one favoring highlights, the other shadows' - from a single RAW file.

Turn Off Automatic White Balance

In many photographic situations white balance is a godsend. By automatically neutralizing extreme color casts, believable digital color is rendered without breaking a sweat. It is important to remember, not all photos require white balance. Tone down the rich, saturated colors of a sunset and you're left with nothing. Attempt to white balance a fireworks display and you end up with dull lifeless, de-saturated bursts and streaks of light. Holiday lights should be treated similarly. By turning off the auto white balance feature you are sure to capture the exaggerated colors the holidays have to offer.

You could try turning off white balance altogether or even experiment with any of the other manual settings to find a color balance that suits your visual needs. Either way is a better bet than giving the decision to the camera.

Test, Test, Test

The immediate feedback of digital photography begs you to test your exposures to determine what works best. Take advantage of the metadata that most digital cameras embed inside every digital picture you make. Metadata can include camera make and model, exposure, flash, white balance and other important information that can help you to determine what works and what doesn't work. This means you don't even have to take notes! To access your digital image metadata, open a file in Adobe Photoshop.

Choose File > File Info. The File Info dialog box appears. Select the Camera Data option on the left side of the screen. The Camera Data screen reveals shutter speed, aperture, ISO settings, lens focal length, flash settings and even the metering modes. Holiday lights are usually around for more than a couple of days each year, take advantage of this by shooting early in the season and then re-shooting if you have too.

Yearbooks And Memories

Most of the memories that you have of being young are likely tied in pretty tightly with school. For most people education is a constant that unites all of our early memories together. The days that surrounded your learning were likely the days that as you get older you wish you could return to. Yearbooks can help you relive the past, in a way, and refresh your brain of what it was like to be a kid.

A yearbook is a book that is the physical representation of a particular year that you had in a school or institute. Almost all elementary, middle, and high schools offer the students the chance to purchase a yearbook along with many colleges and trade schools. A yearbook is typically put together by the students and for the students.

Looking into an old yearbook can be like looking through a window into the past. On its pages you will find everything exactly the same as the last time you looked at it, and that can be extremely comforting to realize. Yearbooks can help us and the people around us glimpse back into the person we used to be, not just in the physical sense, but memories will be remembered that show us how we used to react to situations. One of the more fun aspects of yearbooks are the pictures that are immortalized in its pages. The pictures can remind us a lot of what the style was like when we were going to school.

Memories of being young are likely to fade over time and a yearbook is a great tool to help you remember all the things that were forgotten. Things that happened so long ago are likely to have slipped our minds over the years and without yearbooks those great memories could remain lost forever. Trying to remember who your girlfriend or boyfriend in 8th grade was or the name of your best friend from the 3rd grade was can be difficult if you have nothing to help spark your remembrance. A yearbook can hold all those people and times within its pages to always remind you of what things were like when you were younger. The part of the yearbook that is sure to have you yearning to go back in time are the sections in the front and back that were filled up with fellow classmates signatures and comments. These words that were left for us so long ago can help us remember who our friends and acquaintances were.

When you start to feel nostalgic and begin to yearn for the days when you were young and did not have to deal with adulthood stresses it can be extremely rewarding to pull those old yearbooks off the shelf and get lost in its pages.

Handmade Jewelry Photography - Essential Tips For Success!

Sometimes taking good photos of handmade jewelry is more difficult than making handmade jewelry! Everything has to be perfect to do justice to your handcrafted artisan jewelry. A picture is worth a thousand words if you're a writer; a picture is priceless if you are trying to market your jewelry and unique gifts online!

Handmade jewelry photography is too important to leave to chance. Waiting for the sun to be exactly right is okay if you don't have anything better to do but time is money and both are in short supply! You don't have to wait for the cloud to pass or the direct sun to be on the left. If you are serious about taking great pictures you need a studio set-up. It's not difficult and not too expensive considering the online marketing advantages. Once you get everything just right, it doesn't matter what time of day it is or what time of year. You will get consistently great results even if you are working into the wee hours of the morning.

Make your own light tent by making a cube and covering it with white rip-stop nylon fabric, cost about $20 to make. If you need instructions, there are many online. Use three 5200'K spotlights (daylight) about $35 each, use studio stands (kinda costly) but swing arm lamps work too, just less adjustable. If you are able buy a professional digital camera with a great macro lens, they hook up directly to the computer and you just press enter so no shaky out of focus shots. The photos come up on the monitor so you can adjust the coloring, etc. You just set up the first item getting it just right, then replace it with the next item so photo shoots go quickly. Touch ups are at a minimum if the photos are taken well. There will always be those really shiny pieces that when zoomed in at 5000 times the actual size you will see yourself taking the picture. Smudging tools work well in those cases!

Take your time to learn about your camera and all the features, it will make your life much easier. Experiment with background colors but nothing shows handmade jewelry as well as a white background. Make sure your designs stand out emphasizing the unique features of each piece. It is all about experimenting and finding the perfect settings for each photograph.

This maybe is extreme for someone just starting out but when you have been making handcrafted jewelry and unique gifts for over 23 years and have over 3,000 items it becomes essential! Photos are extremely important especially when marketing online and well worth the investment of your time and money.

Introducing Ana Sofia Henao

"I usually wear jeans, a T-shirt and tennis shoes... no make-up though."

- Ana Sofia Henao, on her casual wardrobe style.

Ana Sofia Henao, also known as Angel, was born on the 19th of June in 1982 in the then small town of Medellin, Antioquia, Columbia. Before she had even celebrated her 10th birthday, Ana Sofia knew that she wanted to be a model, but a big obstacle stood in her way; her body type. In her own words, Ana Sofia says she grew up "very, very chubby" and really did not have the right shape to get into modeling. It didn't help that classmates and neighborhood kids teased her and said that she looked like a barrel. In spite of all, Ana remained persistence and her shape as well as her life changed 3 short years later.

At the age of 13 Ana got her first experience as a young model at a 1994 photo shoot that earned her a whole 60 pesos; small change for a high-end fashion model, but to young Ana Sofia, it was a big payday. Now she was truly a professional and the money gradually began to flow, Soon she was getting regular work by modeling seasonal clothes from several Colombian chain stores.

Ana Sofia's true breakthrough into professional modeling came at age 16 when she was hired to pose for a swimsuit catalog named Onda De Mar. At only 27 years of age, she has become a large asset to the projects that she's a part of. Both men and women now knew her name and it was her plan to use that popularity to further her modeling career

It was her "SoHo" shoot that earned her the title of the Colombian "Lolita"," who drives kids, teenagers, parents, and grandparents mad", is the envy of most women of that country. In 1997, she was selected to model for the Onda de Mar catalog. Her career began to blossom after her appearance in the magazine Shock and a major modeling assignment for designer Carlos Pinel's clothing line

With the success of the Carlos Pinel gig, Ms Henao's career has begun to develop and flourish. After Pinel, she modeled for Wexler and was also involved as a model for Scribe notebooks for more than five years. Between 1998-2000 Ana became the Colombian face for Skechers joining the ranks of such beauties as Christina Aquilera, Ashlee Simpson, and Britney Spears. In 2000, she was named as the most beautiful woman in Colombia in a countrywide survey.

Ana is best known for her appearance in Crystal Gold commercials; a popular Colombian beer. One of Ana Sofia's career highlights came in 2001 when she was named "Angel of 2001" in Colombia, sharing the award with Natalia Paris, a fellow Colombian model who helped pave the way for Ana Sofia.

Since that award, Ana has maintained a steady diet of work that has included bikini modeling and pitches for Cervesa Cristal Oro, a Colombian beer. In addition to her current modeling, Ana is back in school studying corporate relations and communications, and hoping to get into acting at a later point down the road. Until that day comes, this soft-spoken Columbian "Angel" will continue to grace us with her beauty and exotic presence.

Atlanta Schools' Public Engagement Partnerships

Atlanta Schools' Office of Public Engagement

The Atlanta Schools' Office of Public Engagement is responsible for creating and fostering partnerships between Atlanta Schools, community volunteers, teachers, parents, national and local corporations, non-profit groups, and civic organizations in order to advance student achievement. The Office of Public Engagement was created as part of the ongoing educational reform that is occurring throughout the Atlanta Schools. The Office's aim is to connect the schools with any resource that could offer a positive influence on the success of the students in the Atlanta Schools. Many of these relationships are of a creative and ground-breaking nature. Several of the most successful partnership programs involve some of the largest corporations in the nation.

Hewlett Packard's "Bringing it Home" Program

The Atlanta Schools has for many years been part of the Hewlett Packard's "Bringing it Home" program. The Atlanta Schools partnership with Hewlett Packard is part of a larger program that has representatives from Hewlett Packard visiting over 600 schools in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The main goal of the Hewlett Packard's "Bringing it Home" Program is to encourage students, their parents and teachers to create and communicate with technology. The Hewlett Packard's "Bringing it Home" Program is an interactive exploratory program that allows students to gain practical experience using digital photography and computers.

Atlanta Schools' Price Middle School was one of the locations where students were exposed to the latest innovations in technology. The Price Middle School's students were able to see how this technology could be applied to their own assignments and projects. The aim at Price Middle School was to help the students by making their work more efficient. The students, principal and teachers at Price Middle School all profited from Atlanta Schools' participation in the Hewlett Packard's "Bringing it Home" Program.

Atlanta Schools' Long Term Partnership with General Electric

Atlanta Schools has been in a partnership with General Electric Energy since 1993 and will continue this partnership in the future. The partnership with General Electric involves several different ongoing projects and was originally started by former Atlanta Schools' graduates who now are employed by General Electric. The General Electric Partnership was started as a tutoring and mentoring program where General Electric employees would volunteer in schools in the area but it has grown to include Saturday SAT preparation, the Family Technology Resource Center, and scholarship programs. There are now more than 1,500 General Electric employees involved in the General Electric Partnership in some way. The General Electric Partnership has proved to be very influential in student SAT performance.

In 2002, General Electric donated $1 million to Atlanta Schools' Southside High School as part of General Electric's national College Bound Grant Program. This donation to Southside High School was the first grant from the College Bound Grant Program to be given to a school in the Atlanta Schools. The grant is being used by Southside High School's "Strategic Design for Student Success" project. The school wide project plans to double, by 2007, the percentage of Southside High School's graduating seniors who go on to four-year or two-year colleges or universities, or who enroll in technical institutions.

Adding Your Artwork to the Red Bubble Art Website

In the first article I wrote about using the Red Bubble Art website I covered the value of using it as an artist that wants to reach the ever expanding online community. I am also a stay home mom that home schools my children so I want to use the Internet as much as possible to show my art work.

In this article I wanted to cover the process of adding your artwork to the Red Bubble Art website.

First you will need to login to your RedBubble account and if your Internet browser asks if you want it to remember your account information including your password, I would do it unless you are on a public computer. Recently a large number of WordPress blogs were hacked on GoDaddy and other hosting company's servers so I don't have passwords that are easy to remember any more and I would recommend anyone do that after going through the frustration of being hacked.

After you have logged into your account you will want to click the large 'Add Your Work' text located in the upper right corner of the screen. Once you clicked that the menu will drop down and you will want to choose the category that you are listing your art in. In my case I will be using 'Art & Photography'. The next page that you see has a large red button that says. "Choose Your File". Once you click this you will want to navigate to the art piece that you want to display on Red Bubble.

Once you have chosen your file it may take awhile depending on the size of the file but now is the time to add the remaining information into the listing. Add your Title, Description and Tags. Remember that you should use keywords or long tail phrases that are good for SEO (search engine optimization) or at least that what my husband tells me. Actually he did give me a video about using some tools to help me in my website development and he does do some of the work for me, lucky me.

Once that is done you will want to choose what kind of Products for Sale you want to make your art work available as. If your file will not be appropriate for some of the choices the Red Bubble will determine that automatically for you. It is important if you want to use all the choices that you get a good scan of you work at a high resolution or get good digital photos and it would not be inappropriate to even bring your pieces to a photo studio for professional pictures at a high resolution. This will insure that you will be able to sell prints of your work for years to come unless you are going to have limited edition prints.

After choosing the items that you want to sell you will want to determine your pricing and you will see a text box that has a percentage in it with text to the left side that says 'Your Markup'. You can adjust the markup and then click on the link to the right that says 'Example prices'. You will see the base price that will go to Red Bubble and then you see your markup percentage and your profit margin and to the right column the retail price that will show on your website for your customers.

Once you are done you will be able to click on the red button in the lower right corner entitled "Done & Done - Add My Work" You will then be able to see the store view.

If you make any mistakes you will be able to edit your work by clicking on My Bubble, going to Art in the sub-menu and then click edit on the art piece that you want to revise.

How to Use Green Screen Photography to Shoot Fantasy Photos

Green Screen Photography is quickly gaining popularity, especially with small studio owners who want to offer an innovative product that larger photography studios do not want to provide. These small businesses can use green screening, or chroma keying, to get an edge over their competition. And the studio can increase their customer base by branching out into the niche market of fantasy photography.

First, there is a "sword and sorcery" fantasy niche. Some examples in this category include novels and movies like "Lord of the Rings" and role-based games such as "Dungeons and Dragons." These pictures are shot with the client in an authentic costume, posed in front of the green screen with a suitable weapon, such as a bow and arrow, sword, or wand. Then the photographer adds an appropriate digital background, such as a sensational nature scene or one featuring period architecture, such as a castle. Note: Affix a piece of nylon over the camera lens with a rubber band if the client desires a muted, mystical feel. That trick will instantly add softness and a sense of mystery.

Science fiction is another well-known fantasy niche. "Babylon Five," "Star Trek," and "Star Wars" are some of the common themes in this genre. But it also includes steam punk (a Victorian era character who uses steam to power today's technology) and the time and inter-dimensional travel character of "Dr. Who." This niche includes thousands of people who love to put on a costume as often as they can (known as "cos-players") and revel in being photographed. Great ideas for pictures would include replicating Star Trek's observation deck by shooting a large window with a field of stars behind it or imitating the cantina in Ten-Forward (by making the background a modern bar). Use the interior of an old Victorian house for a steam punk shot.

A niche that is related to the first two, yet deserves a distinct category, is fairy tales. The photos feature fairies and other creatures found in these stories. Magical landscapes that relay an air of mystery and a bit of mischief work well for this genre. Don't assume that the fairy tale category only applies to young children or cos-players. Female high school seniors also enjoy these photo settings. For example, you can take the photo with your subject in their prom dress and use the mystical background. The result is that your client receives memories that are joyful and magical.

The final niche, which overlaps the others but is also one on its own, is known as video game cos-play and Anime. Ideal areas for these photos would include an indoor or outdoor Asian-inspired area and decrepit locales, such as an abandoned warehouse or remnants of a old civilization.

The most important factor to remember when you take a fantasy picture is that, no matter how odd or extravagant the costume is, and no matter where the setting is supposed to be, if you can make the photo realistic, your client will return to you time and time again.

The History of Photography's Origins

Did you ever wonder who's the brilliant man that started all of this? Have you thought what would it be like if we couldn't take pictures?

Photography is derived from the word photos that means light, and the word graphien that means to draw. This word was first used by Sir John Herschel in 1839. But the concept was formed in around 1000AD when Alhazen invented the first pinhole camera, popularly called Camera Obscura. It is the Latin translation for dark room. It is a dark box that has a small hole or lens where the light rays from an object pass through and a film or plate inside where the image is produced. However, the invention was not perfected since the images were generated upside down.

Camera Obscura was used mainly for viewing and drawing. It was only in 1827 when the first photographic image with the use of Camera Obscura was recorded by Joseph Niepce. It was prints of the sun as so called heliographs. However, images created by Niepce would require eight hours of exposure to light to form a picture and would soon go away.

This was later enhanced by Loius Daguerre whose goal was to reduce exposure time and prevent disappearance of the images and named the method daguerreotype.

Later on in 1841, Henry Talbot formulated the negative process and named it calotype. The background is black while the subject are in shades of grey.

In 1851 Frederick Archer invented the wet plate negative. Although this produced a more stable and detailed negative, its disadvantage is that you need to bring a darkroom with you in any place you take the picture so that it has been developed before the emulsion dries.

It evolved into tintypes by Hamilton Smith in 1856, which give a lighter shade than that of calotype. Then in 1879, dry plates were invented, which give rise to the possibility of having a hand held camera.

In 1889, George Eastman created the flexible roll film. It was only in 1940's that colored films were introduced to the market.

Those innovations have opened the future of photography that leads to the creation of image prints and the discovery of various photographic devices that we see today.

Send Valentine Gifts to Pune Online Including Flowers & Cakes

Known as the "The Oxford of the East," given the number of schools, colleges and universities, Pune is also home to renowned giants of the Indian software industry. Naturally, the online bug has bitten the people of Pune much earlier. With Valentine's Day fast approaching, there would be sudden spurt in sending Valentine gifts to Pune online. And in case you happen to be out of Pune this Valentine, then do send Valentine flowers to Pune and wish your loved ones a 'Happy Valentine'.

Valentines day is here and the marketplace is inundated with mesmerizing red rose bouquets, yummy chocolate hampers, colourful greeting cards etc. However, unlike earlier times, when gifts had to be painstakingly chosen from gift stores and send in advance to people living in far off areas, gifts today can be send right away to your valentine at the click of a mouse, however.

Given the busy lifestyles, online gifting has become a rage in Urban India. Even online gifting companies are getting their acts together, by offering a host of exquisite gifts for every occasion. Be it birthday gifts, anniversary gifts, weddings gifts, romantic gifts, housewarming gifts and so on. There are gifts for every reason and for every season. For that matter, some sites even have sympathy gifts on display, in case you need extend your sympathy ASAP.

And with universal festival like Valentine's Day round the corner, it is but obvious these online gifting stores will go the extra mile in delivering the best of the services. Yes! It's a cut-throat competition even in the on-line world, each site trying to beat the other in terms of services.

Pune, akin to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, and Chennai is an IT hub, with scores of big and small companies filling up the industrial landscape. Online stores have a wide assortment of gifts on display for Valentine's Day. There are Flower Hampers, Cake Hampers, Chocolate Hampers, Love Hampers, to Royal Hampers etc. So this time you can pick from a wide variety of offerings, prior to sending Valentines Day gifts to Pune.

Mompreneur Advice - How to Get Started With a Business Idea

So, you're thinking about starting a new business? Whether it's to find a job that balances your work and family life or to create the next big idea- knowing where to start can be tough.

Once you've decided that you want to start a business the hard part is deciding what the business will be. There are literally thousands of business ideas out there. One of the most important parts of your decision will be to really think about what your goals and your core values are.

What kind of lifestyle do you want?

How much time are you able/willing to devote to it?

Do you have measures in place to help you with child care?

What hours do you want to work (9-5 or any time of the day or night)?

Are you willing to give up your weekends or holidays to devote to the business?

You are going to be spending a lot of time with your new business so you will want to make sure it is something you feel passionately about.

When I started One Tiny Suitcase it was based on a successful business model and service I had personally used while travelling. Baby Equipment Rental companies were quite common in the United States and I could see how it would be a good fit for a stay at home parent. When I got home from our vacation, I couldn't shake the idea that this type of business was something that Calgary needed.

That's one way to generate ideas for the type of business you want to start, by modelling it after what is working in another geographical location. But, there are lots of ways to start generating ideas:

- Improve on something that is currently on the market- There's got to be a better way

- Follow an emerging trend ex: Eco-friendly

- Inspiration or frustration from your day to day tasks

- Using a skill you have developed or a passion of yours ex: photography

Once you have your "big idea" it's time to do some research to see if it is viable.

Don't be afraid to talk to "people in the know". Have a great idea for a new baby bib design? Stop by some specialty boutiques and ask them what customers are asking for or what they would like to see. If they are already serving your potential customers they will be a great source of information.

I started asking local magazines, consignment stores and travel agents if they ever got requests for baby equipment rentals. The feedback I got was so valuable. Their answers encouraged me to keep going!

It can be hard to talk about your idea before you are up and running for fear that someone will start a similar business before you get going. Just remember, starting a business is hard work and anyone else who likes your idea would have to do just as much leg work to get it going.

Sharing your idea with friends is a great way to get feedback. Not only will your friends be a great source of support, they will be honest too. The day I told a friend about the business I was thinking of starting was nerve-wracking. I hadn't really told my friends about my idea yet and wondered what her response would be. I said, "You know that baby equipment rental company I told you about in Hawaii? What if I started something like that in Calgary?" It was great to get her honest feedback about my idea.

Talking to other successful Entrepreneurs can be a good idea too. Don't know anyone personally who has started a business? Do some research.

I always refer back to the story of the Entrepreneur behind the famous footwear brand ROBEEZ. Sandra Wilson was downsized out of her airline job and was looking for a business that would allow her more time to spend with her young son. She started ROBEEZ out of her basement and sold it years later for millions. Although her story might not be typical of many entrepreneurial ventures it provides some great inspiration.

Internet research is an essential part of the business planning process. You may be frustrated to find someone is already making your 'big idea' or that the demographic of where you live isn't suitable for your product. You may also find that there is a gap in a market that you could fill. Using the internet, I was able to find examples of other similar businesses that proved my idea could work.

You can visit virtual stores all over the world, get statistics instantly, research trends and hot topics on news sites. Look at what is working (or appears to be working) elsewhere and see how you can tailor that to work in your area. When you are developing your business idea, the more research you can do up front, the better your odds are for success.

If, after doing some research you find evidence that may not support your business idea, you have to be willing to let it go and move on to the next idea. Getting stuck on an idea that isn't supported by good information may mean that you waste a lot of time and potentially money.

When I started out somebody once said to me:

"You don't necessarily want to be in a business that has NO competitors"

If no one else is doing what you want to do, make sure you ask yourself- why not? There might be good reasons why it hasn't worked in the past. Or- maybe you will be able to tweak the idea and make it work. Analyzing your competition is part of the process.

It's not the fun part but, you will have to take a look at your finances. Do you have some money saved up to get your business off the ground or will you need financing? If you plan to get external financing, you will usually be expected to contribute some of your personal money as well. This is a good time to ask yourself how much you are willing to risk. The rewards of entrepreneurship are great but so are the risks.

Having a supportive partner is crucial at this point. If your family relies on your income or if you will be starting your business with money from a 'joint' savings account, your partner will have to be on board with the level of risk too.

When I started my business, I chose my business in part because it did not require external financial assistance. Part of my 'business idea' was being able to run the business while still being at home with my kids. If I had to get a traditional bank loan that would have added even more pressure to an already ambitious venture. My husband and I agreed that I would withdraw $5000 from our personal line of credit to finance my start up.

Once you have an idea and you've done some research go back to the beginning and ask yourself what your goals are. Extra money? A challenge? An empire?

I've been lucky. I started my business to support my decision to stay at home with my twins. When they were young and the business was starting off slowly it was a good fit. Answering emails during naptimes and delivering orders in the evening worked. As my business grew, so did my children. Now I answer emails on my blackberry when we go to the park and deliver orders while they are in preschool.

Your overall goals will help you narrow down a business idea that works well for your lifestyle. The business will grow and you will have to make adjustments along the way. Start with a plan for the first year of two to get yourself started.

I have one very ambitious friend and fellow entrepreneur who says, "Too many people plan for what to do if their business fails but never plan for the possibility that it totally takes off and is a raging success." She is a constant reminder of not only planning for set backs but also planning for success! Are you ready?

When You Have to Read Faster Than Normal, 17 Tips

Here are seventeen systems, methods, approaches.

System One. The easiest and less painful way to read faster is to think that way and act accordingly with actually pushing yourself to read faster. Just run your eyes a little faster across the page every time that you pick up a book, magazine or publication. It works well when you are standing in line at the grocery store, waiting at the doctor's or dentist's office.

System Two. Watch movies and short films with subtitles and try to read the lines. It will seem difficult at first, but it is an exercise that will pull you a little faster along when you do pick up a publication to read. If anything it will make you a little uncomfortable about reading. That might be a good thing. Give those brain cells a little workout is good.

System Three. One of my favorites is to get an audio book and follow along as the narrator reads aloud the work. This has a dual effect. You see the words and then you hear them. But it goes a little bit further with sound effects and increase in reading speed. You cannot help yourself in reading a little faster. The best part is when you put the book down for a little while and come back to the book, only to start from the beginning. You will find yourself reading a little bit faster. You are going over the same material, but what goes on with the special effects is amazing. Ones whole mental attitude changes for the best. You will never be the same after experiencing audio books. The more time spent in this arena, the better.

System Four. Of course, you can always purchase a rapid or speed reading program that stirs you along at several different paces. I find that system a little dubious and a little unnerving because every time that I used it, I seemed to revert back to my old way of reading. I think of being forced and that changes my morale. This happens even though I know I am supposed to be reading much faster.

System Five. One of the hottest methods today is mental photography. That is where the active participant reads at the reading rate of 25,000wpm at a minimum. It is wonderful when you apply the exercises that come after. Those after exercises hit a home run.

System Six. There is another system called the Alfred Porter's Perusal Strategy. This system is totally much faster than mental photography and has follow up exercises that shows instant results. It makes you a believer. It uses and cross references several different test models and exercises like mind mapping, multiple intelligences, preferred learning styles, affirmations, and some ancient and non-traditional methods. When one finishes that program you feel as though your comprehension has improved tremendously.

System Seven. Photo-reading is another powerful system and has similar results to mental photography. They are like brother and sister programs.

System Eight. One can apply the old rapid and speed reading techniques. They have a place in reading today; however, it is primarily used when covering material that has already been gone over. In that way, rapid and speed reading is superb. Most students use rapid and speed reading when preparing for exams and quizzes. They rarely use them when reading normally. Also many professionals, or anyone trying to get ready for a presentation or for a fast review usually lean on these approaches.

System Nine. You might find conducting reading sessions after taking energy drinks, coffee, or super vitamins may also increase your reading speed and comprehension.

System Ten. Try to read when you are not very tired and try to read interesting material. That will also spirit you through old or new material.

System Eleven. If you absolutely hate reading, watch videos clips or movies before. Later read the book. Today, they have on hand the script of the movie in book form. That also may help in preparing you for the material.

System Twelve. "Masterplots" is an excellent way to review a classical work. They may also have modern works available. With "master plots" or "quick notes" you can get a very good summary and if you add a lot of visualization you will find yourself enjoying the chosen work.

System Thirteen. Bribe yourself into reading, if it is so boring for you.

System Fourteen. Read the material you have to read out loud, and record it as well. This would be an excellent practice if you have to review the material.

System Fifteen. Seek out recordings already made on the material or in your field of choice.

System Sixteen. Learn so much of your field of interest that whenever you read or hear something in your field you will be have a new found energy and reading comprehension. You will read faster when you are more knowledgeable. Just think of a medical doctor reading a basic book on health and science. How fast do you think he or she might read through the material?

System Seventeen. Have someone summarize and record your reading material, so that you can listen to it as many times as possible.

If for any reason you need more information on mind mapping, the perusal strategy, mental photography, please do not hesitate to contact fasttrackproblemsolving.info

Boost Your Career Prospects For Free

Online courses
BBC Online

The BBC offers free online courses on a broad range of subjects including languages, media and first aid which you can follow at your own speed.

Their language section includes games, videos, dictionaries and online tests to help you gauge how much you know and where you can improve. You can even follow the BBC's own online soap operas in different languages.

For many of their courses the BBC provides extensive links to its news, documentaries and radio programs to help you on your way.

To see the full range of courses, click on the 'More' tab on the BBC's homepage and select 'Learning'.

Vision2Learn

This site offers over 20 courses including computer skills, sports coaching, money skills and business skills and can lead to a recognised NVQ qualification.

Vision2Learn courses are funded by the Learning and Skills Council which means that the courses are normally free of charge to anyone who:

• Is over the age of 16


• Currently lives in England


• Has been ordinarily resident in the EU/UK for 3 years or more, as long as this residency has been for purposes other than full-time study

You'll also receive help from an online tutor employed by a college in your local area; once you have logged on to your study area, you can contact your tutor by using V-mail - vision2Learn's own internal messaging system.

Open Learn

Run by the Open University, OpenLearn is a free online learning site which uses materials taken from Open University courses, at both undergraduate and graduate level - and you don't have to be or become an Open University student to access it.

These materials do not count towards an Open University qualification, but are pretty useful if you want to enhance your current learning or if you just want to get an insight into the type and range of things the OU has to offer.

You do not have to register, but doing so will allow you to tailor your learning to your needs. Courses covered include the arts, law, business, languages, IT and science and are set at four levels - beginner, intermediate, advanced and masters.

The courses don't come with access to a tutor, but each unit has a discussion forum which you can use to chat with others on the course and ask questions.

Other websites

Home and Learn offer free online computer courses in Word, Excel, Powerpoint and web design. Tuition is free and you can register to take online tests. They'll even send you a framed certificate if you pass!

IT website Beginners charges for most of its courses and course materials, but helpfully they also have links to many free online IT tutorials. These range from Microsoft Word to Java programming.Their 'free tutorials page' allows you to enter your chosen IT topic in the box marked 'Search Our Other Tutorials'. The results will display lots of links at the bottom of the page to free online tutorials.

Lastly, the Email College offers access to over 200 free online courses covering business, personal development, information skills, health and writing.

University Lecture Podcasts

Not many of us can attend (or afford to attend) lectures at prestigious universities. The good news, however, is that many of them are now broadcasting their lectures as podcasts and mp3 recordings and allowing anyone to download and listen to them - for free.

These universities use something called OpenCourseWare (OCW) to allow access to lectures and learning materials to anyone with an internet connection. Sharing podcasts is not only a big advantage to those who want to learn; it builds global awareness of separate institutions and potentially improves the recruitment of students into these universities.

There are no course credits provided and you won't be able to ask any questions but it's still a great way to expand your knowledge in your chosen field or supplement your existing course. The courses cover both undergraduate and graduate level.

So, now you can hear what professors at Oxford, Harvard and Yale have to say about everything from political philosophy to genetics - all for free.

Tutored courses

You may prefer the idea of learning in a 'classroom' where you can learn face to face with a tutor and are free to ask questions and unfortunately there aren't many options available. Emagister, however, offer a selection of free adult courses such as Customer Service and Levels 1, 2 and 3 in Literacy and Numeracy for speakers of English as a second language.You can view the full list of courses by clicking on the 'free courses' tab on their website.

Answer English, a company that gives free advice to language students studying abroad, is offering a free monthly English class to help students with the everyday English language. Classes take place in various locations including Brighton, Cambridge, London and Newcastle as well as Edinburgh, Dublin and Malta.

Happy learning!

How to Get Expensive Lenses for the Best Price

As a professional photographer, I have often been asked by amateurs how they can get professional quality, expensive lenses for the best price. It can be overwhelming, with all of the purchasing options available these days. There is no magic answer to this question, so if you want to have a try at improving your camera equipment by adding a professional lens to your arsenal, be prepared to do a little legwork.

The very first thing you need is some idea of the type of lens you want. This sounds simplistic, but anyone who has perused the photography section of ebay can tell you the broad range of lenses available. Do a bit of homework - take some books out of the library, buy a few photography magazines, or search reputable websites. Make sure you know something about what you are buying, and what you will use it for. Going all out on an expensive macro lens won't do you much good if you are interested in landscapes.

Once you have decided on the type of lens you want, do some research on the normal retail value. This is the price you can expect to pay for a new lens from a mainstream shop. Websites like "kelkoo.co.uk" and "pricerunner.co.uk" are helpful resources, and a quick and easy way to source the items that interest you. This step can also be as simple as walking down to your local camera shop if you have a good one in your area with a large selection.

eBay has been much touted as a cheap and easy way to get used camera equipment and parts, but this is not always the case, and has become less and less true very recently. The best deals are not always to be found on eBay. Still, it is worth the look, providing you do your market value research before you venture in. Always look at seller feedback and reputation, which will help you gauge whether you will receive good quality items at reasonable prices. One bad review does not a bad seller make, but consistently poor feedback should make you wary, and should be a sign to look elsewhere, whatever the price. Another area to check is the seller's location. That great deal may suddenly become much pricier than you bargained for once shipping from China is factored in! Be aware of issues like duty and tax when buying from outside your own country as well. Buying from eBay can seem daunting, but if you make yourself knowledgeable about the lens you want, then you just might luck into a fabulous find at a terrific price.

If you feel comfortable buying online, check other online resources like i-bidder.com. These sites sell items that were left unclaimed at airports, repossessed items from bankruptcies, items abandoned in storage containers, etc. These resources can be a great source of lightly used equipment, and will sometimes provide deals well below normal retail values. Again, be wary, use reputable sites, know what you are looking for and when to stop bidding.

If buying used online makes you nervous, local second-hand retailers are a wonderful option. London Camera Exchange is one that I would personally recommend. I have found them to be good value for money and reliable, with a six month guarantee on items purchased in their stores. Having that safety blanket if something goes wrong can be very reassuring for those more expensive used purchases. If you don't have one in your area, check for other local retailers that deal in second-hand photography equipment and check their reputation among other photographers.

If you know how to check for scratches and electronic defects once the lens is in your hand, then online bidding resources are most likely your best bet. You will be able to check over your purchases and ensure they are of the quality promised and have not been damaged or misused in any way. If your knowledge stops short of the mechanical details, then a reputable second-hand retail shop is probably the best way to go. All of the mechanics and the lens quality will have been checked thoroughly by staff, and there is that six month guarantee to fall back on as an extra safety net. Of course, if you happen to know a friendly neighbourhood professional photographer (such as myself) then you could always use their knowledge and expertise to check over your online purchases.

No matter which route you decide to take - retail, eBay, bidding sites, or second-hand shops - having some rudimentary knowledge is always key. Check reputations and reliability, whatever the resource. Do not be tempted to overbid on auction sites in the excitement of closing the deal. That first big lens purchase can be a bit overwhelming, but if you put the effort into finding the best deal, then you shouldn't be disappointed and can get on with the excitement of playing with your new toy!

Indian River Lagoon Fishing - The Best in Central Florida

The northernmost part of the Indian River Lagoon offers some of the best fishing opportunities for large "bull" redfish, trophy "gator" trout, giant black drum, tarpon, and various other species in the state of Florida.

Some of the best Indian River Lagoon fishing, can be found in the shallow headwaters within the boundaries of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Along the 12 mile stretch of unimproved Shiloh Road that parallels the river; the rich waters are a breeding grounds for all types of fish, and abound with baitfish, shrimp, crabs, and other crustaceans that attract and hold lunker redfish and gator seatrout.

This particular area of the northern Indian River Lagoon system, is particularly suitable for bank fishermen. The anglers that venture into the area, when the road is open for traffic, get to enjoy the peace and solitude of the area, as they go about trying to catch their fish of a lifetime.

Sow "gator" seatrout of over 10 pounds, and bull redfish in the 30 pound plus category, are available for anyone having the luck and skill to catch them. They are hard to catch, but they are definitely not rare in the area.

Bank and wade fishermen do best in the spring with topwater lures, jerk baits, and live pigfish, or finger mullet. The best times for a trophy gator trout are always early in the morning, and late in the evening, just before sunset.

Bull redfish can be caught almost any time of the year with half a blue crab, cut ladyfish, extra large shrimp, or live baits such as pigfish, finger mullet, or a "sailors choice" for bait.

Large gold spoons, jerkbaits, and for the fly fishermen, crab imitations, also work well. The nice thing about redfish is that they very accommodating and bite almost any time of the day.

The shallow mud bottom flats closest to Shiloh Marsh Road, are tailor made for anglers using canoes, kayaks, and small shallow draft boats. These craft are ideal for the stealthy approaches that are necessary for successful sight fishing in waters that are often no more than 6" deep.

Most standard flats boats are unable to access the better fishing areas that are in the northeast sector of the Indian River Lagoon, where the bank fishermen, and shallow water craft have the advantage.

The Shiloh Marsh Road is closed to motor vehicles annually from November 1st, through February 15th, to reduce the disturbance to waterfowl that winter in this area. Although bicycle and foot traffic is allowed for bird watching, or fishing during the closure; it's a long haul to tote your fishing gear in and out of the area, and most people don't bother venturing into the area during the closure.

Indian River Lagoon fishing is a year round activity, in fact some of the best fishing occurs during the winter, when the shallows are crystal clear, and the fish are easy to spot.

Since this section of the lagoon is in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, a sports fishing permit is required by anyone fishing the area by land or by water. The permit is free, and is available at either entrance of the refuge, or you can download the.pdf file at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website online.

You must read it, sign it, and keep it on your person at all times when fishing the refuge areas. As of this date, there is a $125.00 fine for violating the permit requirement, so do yourself a favor and take the time to grab one, after all it is free.

The Indian River Lagoon fishing has been getting better every year, and the fish keep growing larger, so the next time you get to Central Florida, why not stop to check out the redfish capital of the world and catch yourself one of those Bull Redfish you so often read about?

Creative Lighting Techniques

If you're an old school photographer like me, you probably still use many of the techniques learned on your way up the professional photography ladder. Digital cameras and computer software definitely have some great advantages over 35 mm SLRs when it comes to special effects. Now days though, many photographers simply load up their images with these special effect filters to make ordinary photos look interesting. You can, however, still create great images using basic tools such as a tripod, strobe and shutter release cable.

If I'm photographing a client and can only take pictures in the evening or low light situations, I'll always be ready to get creative portraits. First, I'll find a nice location and good composition consisting of low or ambient light. Moving object such as cars or people can add to these photos and create a nice blur in the background so keep that in mind when setting up your shot. Once you've decided on a good location, put your camera on the tripod and connect your shutter cable. You should use a TTL or sync cord so the strobe is off camera and won't give your subject that dreaded red eye. The important ingredient here is a slow shutter speed so set your ISO and aperture to balance with your shutter. Under exposing your subject is necessary because you will be lighting them so be sure to bracket. Also, if your camera has a rear sync shutter, turn that on too. This will allow the flash to fire at the end of the shutter's exposure and moving objects will appear to move in their true direction.

Let's say we are using a street corner as the backdrop for our portrait. Pose the subjects and tell them to stand still, very still. Wait for some cars to pass by in the background and then pop the shutter. Light from the cars will give you some nice streaks through the frame's background and your off camera strobe will light up your subjects, free of red eye. Shutter speeds between 1/10 and 1 full second can give you some great effects and ambient light. Slower shutter speeds may create ghost images through your subject. This technique comes in handy when I'm creating a portrait or working as a wedding photographer in Chicago and want to shoot at night.

Photography Courses

Do you love to take pictures, even of trivial things so long as these caught your fancy? Are you one of those people that would rather stay behind the camera than in front of it? Do you look into almost everything in vivid color and in artful ways? Then most probably, you have what it takes to be a good photographer.

Photography is an art first and foremost. You have to have the creativity of an artistic person to capture the beauty in everything. However, it also needs the comprehensive understanding of its technical aspect to come up with a great picture. Pictures need cameras to begin with, and you need to learn the basics and even the complexities of such gadgets to help you in your way to capturing the best picture. Also, there are many ways to capture an image, and learning all of it will be to your advantage in times when you do want to venture in the business of photography.

People hire photographers that are creative and full of imagination. This is primarily to avoid boring and dull pictures that mediocre photographers are known for. Great photographers have the depth, art and creativity.

If you have the plan in becoming a good photographer, why not enroll in photography courses. In this way, you will have the necessary background for the technical aspect of your chosen career, not to mention the artistic inclination that you have within you. Pairing the art with the right craft can be a good indication to you may have a good career in photography. By taking photography courses, you're creative imagination will then be enhance and ideas will then come more to life.

There are many art schools offering art courses which include photography courses. The best way to compare them would be to know these schools individually. You could visit the schools personally and observe firsthand their students taking the photography course of your dream. If you do not have the time, you could try going online and visit their websites. The most important thing to know is if the school has the right facilities and amenities to develop the art accordingly. And if they do provide a conducive environment for any artistic person to explore all the possibilities of the craft he is willing to take.

Photography Business: Taking Baby Photos - for Professionals & Families

Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph. They are the best for two reasons, people are more tolerant at looking at baby photos, as well as the fact that babies are not aware their image is being captured, and therefore they do not tend to put on the "camera face" so typically used by elder children and adults. They are the worst subjects because their behaviour is unpredictable. Because their behaviour is uncensored, they show their emotions, and can just as easily cry as gurgle happily into the camera.

One of the most challenging aspects of photographing a baby is to control the subject. On the one hand you want them relatively still, but too much control and the photo loses its impetuousness. Lighting and background are both important, you want the background as uncluttered and simple as possible if the photograph is indoors, or as natural as possible outside, a piece of grass is ideal. The lighting should be coming from at least two directional sources, but if it is too strong it will throw shadows that complicate the picture, and often lose the wonderful facial expressions it is possible to capture. However don't miss those impromptu shots either especially with a digital camera, you can always edit the background later.

It is usually helpful to restrict babies' activities; they are not portrayed at their best nappy high in the air crawling across the floor. A good way to restrict them is a highchair, or holding them in the arms of another person. Baby photography is often better taken very close up, and it is a wise move to look at the manual for your camera, and see how close you can get. It is better to get everything set up first, and then place the baby in position when the lighting and setting have been chosen. However that of course is not always possible.

Distractions in the form of noise, and toys can be a tool, but never forget that a baby's emotion's are always lightning fast, and it all makes for great photographs, whether it is tears of frustration, pouring a drink over your best camera, or laughing.

They are often easier to photograph when there is a minimum of people around because they are so easily distracted. The old school of thought was keep the mother well out of the way, however I personally can't see any mileage in that, as babies are calmer with someone they know, and in most cases that is the mother. Above all remember that photographing babies is fun, the unexpected if caught at just the right moment, makes great memories. Although I doubt if a father who has just picked up their offspring for a photograph will forget the time that their child was sick all over them. Control can only go so far with babies.

Babies are babies for short a period of time, you can never have too many photographs, and here a digital camera can save enormous amounts on both film and development. It also allows for wastage as you can view the results immediately and can the ones you don't want. You will have huge embarrassment value in later life showing your daughter's first boyfriend her as a baby with no nappy! Another enormous advantage to digital photography is that you don't have to shoot the photograph with a little black box in front of your face. This will catch a baby's emotions perfectly, but is not the best way to capture their best expressions. A small child will respond better when they respond to your expressions. By being able to hold the camera away from your face you have a chance to capture the best of their expressions as well; an LCD screen generally reaps huge benefits.

Another misunderstood statement is that the best photographs are taken by professionals, whilst there is no denying that professional take great formal photographs, and every baby should have at least one set to keep as an adult. It is hard to beat the formal professional photo. Some professionals offer annual sittings for family shots and supply regular updated montages specific to that family. A service that is hard to beat. However this formal stylised pose isn't always the answer, somehow, because children are not camera aware, they are not camera shy. Young babies are sometimes better photographed in an environment that they are entirely comfortable with and that place is often their own home or the garden. The great thing about photographing your own child is that it does not need any special equipment, special effects, or even any really special effort, and it certainly does not involve trailing somewhere in the middle of the night to capture a beautiful dawn. A point and shoot will work wonders.

Probably the most important technical point to remember when photographing a baby is that because of their size, you have to get down to their height to get that wonderful close- up. The easiest way and least dangerous way is to physically get down on the floor with them, not necessarily the most dignified way, but certainly the most rewarding. There are no imperfections in a babies face, you can get as close as you can without showing crow's feet! You cannot engineer this type of photography it has to happen, but you can be creative in your approach and let the baby respond to you, because it has no knowledge of how to respond to the camera.

With a very young baby still in its crib, there is very little option, but to shoot from the above, unless you want the baby to look as though it is captured in a wooden box, but it is an approach to be avoided if at all possible.

You have more opportunities to photograph babies in more settings than at almost any other age. After all you don't photograph your mother on the toilet. Few props are useful with babies, but baths and potty's are great because they are both tools that they are familiar with and with a little patience they can be put to great effect regarding play. Surely you can put up with getting a little damp at bath- time, but of course try and remember to make sure the potty is empty! Above all remember that it fun and relaxed, you will never have the opportunity to have so many natural photos again. Enter into the spirit of it and you will be amply rewarded. Another great "prop" to use if you have one is the family pet, providing it is not intimidating to the baby.

There is no fun at all in photographing someone screaming the house down in fear. Whilst every parent should have at least one set of professional photos taken, don't rely on someone else to capture those truly enchanting moments, especially at momentous milestones. If it is your child's first birthday they will reward you with better photographs if you take them yourself. Get someone else (professional) to do it on a less important day.

The professional would do well to keep a file for the parents and offer services such as a montage on the childs or childrens yearly progress (updated every year). There is great value in personalisation and there is an abundance of software available to help you organise this service.

Copyright 2005 Roy Barker

I Hear You Asking Yourself, How Do I Chose the Right Digital Photography Classes?

Digital cameras are all the rage. With excellent reason, they are among the most popular gifts, as well as purchases for ourselves. Its is a great way to get wonderful photos that don't cost a vast sum for development if you're putting your photos online or elsewhere. The cost of pictures has gotten a lot lower, and the quality has gotten a lot better since the advent of this type of camera.

Digitals however, do take a bit of getting used to. They aren't the same so far as settings, light, and shutter speed. Lightening photos and bright light photos require a bit of know-how, and the images are sometimes not perfect if you don't get it all just right.

Those manuals just don't seem to cut it for helping you to get the right image, but digital photography courses do cost more than many of us want to spend in the beginning. Still, what's the point in having a digital camera if you can't use it well?

Getting the best out of your new camera is a matter of learning what to do with it. A photography course of some type is going to be the answer to learning the best way to manipulate the settings on your camera to get stunning shots every time. Some of us however, just don't have the time for a traditional class.

Thank heavens for the internet. You can learn so much about any topic. Any class that you might want to take online is available to you in college courses as well as other kinds of certified classes. That includes training that can start as early as today.

Online digital photography classes, using companies such as Proud Photography are probably the best way to learn all about your new camera. You're going to get a better understanding of what makes the digital tick and how to manipulate it when you work with someone who uses it on a daily basis.

When you take online digital photography classes, you aren't locked into a schedule that you sometimes can't meet. You can study on your own time, in your own way. If you have time to learn about light meters at midnight, then that's the time you spend learning.

Along the way, many courses online offer you a personal tutor who will guide you in some of the things you need to know. Before you know it, you're going to be snapping away happily and getting the best photos around.

You'll be surprised how much you've actually learned and how quickly your photos change from mediocre to magnificent. If the world captures your interest, learning how to capture it clearly, with crisp, clean photographs is in your best interests.

The online digital photography courses can range from beginning photography to lights, lighting, meters, variable lens use, and everything in between.

If you've got a digital camera and you want to make it work for you, get on board with our online photography classes. Your photos can look like magazine work. Everyone has the capacity to take great pictures, it just takes a little effort to learn. When you use online training, you learn at your own pace, in your own time, but you learn from the best.

Distance Learning for Photography Helped Me Improve My Photography

For some time I struggled to improve the quality of the photographs I was taking. After I bought my first digital slr camera I was initially amazed at the quality of pictures that I was taking. After a while however I became a bit frustrated by my photography and underwhelmed by the results I was getting. In fact after a few months I reached the point where I was hardly taking any photographs at all.

I am glad to say that now the situation is very different to what I have described above. Not only do i have my enthusiasm back for photography but the quality of the pictures I have been taking has increased dramatically.

I now regularly get my photographs published in a variety of places have managed to turn my hobby into a money making venture. In fact I now earn enough from my photography hobby to think about giving up my day job!

So now I will tell you what I did to turn my photography around and relight my desire to take pictures. Well I simply learned how to take full control of my camera by taking a home photography course. Doing a course taught me how professionals get the most out of their dslrs and why most amateurs fail to get the most out of their cameras.

By learning how to use aperture priority mode in my cameras as well as functions such as exposure compensation, white balance adjustment I was able to transform my photography from amateur to professional looking results. The modes were not nearly as hard to learn as I imagined and allowed me to dramatically improve the quality of images I was able to produce.

Learning to use the manual functions in your camera is nowhere near as hard as you may think. Seriously I spent about $100 on on line courses and about 2 months practicing what I learned until I started to get a few paid jobs. I was initially a bit sceptical about how good a distance learning photography course would be but i was not disappointed.

Buying a New Laptop - What to Know, and What to Look For

It's that time of year again. The summer is winding to a close and that means colder weather, leaves changing their color and schools everywhere are about to open their doors. One thing that a lot of parents (and students) are dreading is that school's are beginning to require their students own laptops to use in their classes. But fear not, for I have compiled a guide that will make buying the right laptop much easier for you. And if you're not going to school this fall, this guide should still assist you in your quest for a business or personal laptop for yourself or someone in need this holiday season.

Why are you buying a new Laptop?

Maybe you're one of the parents looking to find a laptop for their child to take to school this year, or perhaps you're looking for a system that will give you a new edge at the office. The reason you are buying your laptop is going to determine what you're going to need out of the new system. If your laptop is going to be using Computer Animated Design software for example, you're going to want a more powerful processor than if you're merely using it for Word Processing or Internet based research. Are you a hardcore gamer? Do you like editing photos or creating videos? Are you a musician looking to get some better exposure? It may be best for you to jot down every possible scenario you could see yourself using the laptop before you read the next section of the guide, to be sure you're getting everything you need out of the system.

Laptops come in all shapes and sizes.

Size does matter.

This is a feature that a lot of people overlook when buying a laptop, but the size and physical features of the laptop are arguably one of the most important. Where the processor, amount of ram, and hard drive can be upgraded and replaced as needed, features like the size of the laptop, the placement of its various input/output ports and it's weight are all things that you're realistically going to be stuck with after your purchase it. Some things to ask yourself are:

• How large of a screen am I going to need?


• Am I going to be carrying this laptop around a lot?


• How many peripherals are going to be attached to the laptop?


• Am I going to miss not having the NUMPAD on my keyboard?

The size of the screen is going to directly affect the size of the laptop, so this question is important. If you are buying this laptop to edit photos, create videos, play games or watch movies and television then you'll likely want a large screen. Keep in mind that large screen laptops are heavier, and therefor if you're going to be crossing a large campus on a daily basis you'll need to consider that as well. The number of peripherals you'll be attaching to the laptop also helps narrow down what you'll be using it for. The most important consideration is the number of USB ports you'll have, as most accessories and devices connect to a laptop using these ports. A printer that isn't wireless, a drawing tablet, a wired or wireless mouse and a USB storage drive are all examples of devices that connect via USB. If you intend on connecting your laptop up to a monitor at any given time you'll want to consider the Output connection on the laptop as well. Finally, one of the most overlooked features of a laptop is the presence or absence of the NUMPAD on the keyboard. The NUMPAD is the 16 button portion beside your arrow keys that sort of resembles a telephone. Though, it is possible to purchase a USB powered external NUMPAD for a laptop, if you're used to having one, it's best to have it attached to the laptop itself.

What makes a good Laptop?

Now that you have an idea about what you want your laptop to look like on the outside, it's time to consider what you'd like to see on the inside. If you're buying this laptop merely to use programs like Microsoft Office, an internet browser and iTunes then you're not going to need a whole lot of power from your system. Laptops on the retail market these days come equipped with Windows 7 as an operating system, and unlike their Vista counterparts a couple years back will come designed to handle running the operating system smoothly. That being said, a good benchmark to set for your system will be 4GB of RAM; preferably DDR3, A quality dual core processor (avoid the Intel Celeron series for example), and then a hard drive based off how much you plan to store on your computer. Typically hard drives from 250 - 500GB are the most commonly found on lower to mid ranged laptops, and that should be more than sufficient storage space.

If your plan is to use more intensive programs, such as Graphic Design software, Music editing software, or anything else that will create an intensive load on your system you'll want to take a closer look at your Processor. A processor that boasts dynamic performance enhancement, such as the Multithreading feature offered in the Intel i series of processors are a good choice for this. The cores of the i3-i7 processors are designed to divide tasks up into threads within each processing core, allowing your system to think it has more cores to work with, the end result being that it can force a little extra power out of your system in a pinch. Another handy feature to watch for is the size of your L2 and L3 cache. The larger the cache, the more your system is able to do without slowing itself down to access more distant memory sources, and that means quicker response times to whatever you need to access.

If you're buying this system specifically for gaming, or for High Definition multimedia or 3D modeling, you'll want to consider the Graphics Card your system will come with. For the most part, a 1GB of video memory in the graphics card should be more than powerful enough to handle whatever your needs are, but it would be wise to check the specific requirements of the game or software you're installing, and be sure that the features you need are included in the design of the card.

Finally, the battery life of the laptop could be important as well. If you plan on using the laptop in a lot of places where there are no power sources, you'll want a laptop with a longer than average battery life. And considering the average battery life of a laptop varies from 2-4 hours, this can be a very important decision for the commuting over-achiever or social butterfly.

The Hard Drive of a Laptop stores all your data.

Where to go from here?

So you've finally decided on a laptop that fits all your needs. It's the right size, has the NUMPAD on the side, doesn't weight too much and it's a sweet shade of charcoal gray. Now that you're ready to dish out on the system, it's time to consider everything else you're going to need to work at maximum efficiency.

For software, consider again what you'll be doing with your laptop. If you're ever planning to take it online by any capacity (and who isn't, these days) then you're going to want a reputable Antivirus program. One of the best right now is from a company called Kaspersky. As of this writing, it has been found to locate and quarantine/remove the largest library of malicious software of any Antivirus in the retail market. The internet security package also includes metrics to protect your personal identity online from online phishers. This can be important if you access your bank information or log into sensitive company assets over the internet.

Another must have for business and school is the Microsoft Office suite. Microsoft Office comes in many packages, and the one that is right for you depends on what you need for work. Most users will find the Home and Student offering to be enough, featuring Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. This allows you to create professional documents and resume's, organize slide show presentations, and create powerful spreadsheets. Other popular programs included in other Office suites are Outlook, a program used to organize e-mail in ways most internet services can not, and Access, a program that can create Databases for organizing and storing information on anything from sales records to your Elvis Presley collectibles. Make sure when you're purchasing a copy of Microsoft Office that it has every program you need to be successful.

Graphic designers or photography buffs will want to get their hands on photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop. A music producer will need a program to allow them to record, edit and store music. Gamers will need to shell out for their latest digital fix, and Web Designers will likely want to purchase a license for Macromedia Flash or Adobe Dreamweaver.

What about Accessories?

So now you have a laptop and software to go with it. What else could you possibly need? Well for starters, what do you plan on carrying it in? Laptop bags come in several varieties. Slipcases for storing your system in a backpack or briefcase, messenger bags for carrying your laptop and a couple needed accessories, and larger briefcase style bags to carry your laptop along with work materials. They come in all sizes to accommodate a laptop of any size, so be sure the bag you're buying will hold the 17" wide screen your purchased.

Another accessory to add to your list is a wireless mouse. Most people (myself included) do not like the touch pad that comes with your laptop, so by plugging in a receiver into a USB port of your laptop you can replace that dodgy pad with a traditional mouse, AND you don't have to untangle 4 feet of wire first, either. Other input peripherals include a NUMPAD if your laptop keyboard doesn't have one, or a Tablet for sketching or signing documents.

If you plan on listening to a lot of music, voice chatting, or even just taking verbal notes for your to do list, you may want to consider purchasing a USB Headphone/Microphone combination. If you want to add video conferencing, or creating video blogs to that list you'll want to purchase a web camera as well. (keep in mind that many laptops come with a camera and/or mic built into the screen). If you're storing a large amount of data, or storing sensitive data you can't afford to lose, invest in an external hard drive. They store at least as much data as your laptop and can even back up your entire system on a scheduled basis. Plus, they're simple to install and can even be portable, to take with you wherever you go.

If you're going to be printing a lot and working in different areas of the house, a wireless printer is a good addition to any laptop purchase. They're no longer more expensive than their wired counterparts, and the added range and flexibility more than make up for the money spent. Make sure you weigh the cost of the printer with the cost and yield of it's ink cartridges. Typically the cheaper the printer, the costlier the ink to sustain it.

Finally, if you're not yet wireless at your home, there's no better time than now. Your laptop will come with a wireless adapter built right into it, so all you'll need to pick up is a Wireless Router. For the cost of technology, spend the extra $10 or so dollars and opt for a Wireless N system. It has a faster wireless download speed and a much larger signal range, allowing you to update your Facebook status from the bedroom, or destroy your best friends Town Hall from the comfort of your lawn chair. Keep in mind that just about any wireless router you purchase comes with at least 4 Ethernet ports so your wired desktop and/or gaming consoles can still be connected to the network as well.

Most of your accessories will connect to your laptop using a USB connection.

The Router Goes Where?

So now you've finally made your big shopping list of everything you're going to need to get back to school in style this year, and looking at the list you're starting to wonder how you're going to get it all installed, set up and be ready in time for the start of your classes. It's time for you to consider the last step of buying a new system...

Any retailers worth their salt can offer you assistance in setting up a new laptop. They'll power it on, install your hardware titles, install your printer's drivers and in some cases they can even go as far as driving to your home and setting up your wireless network. If the idea of configuring your home computer, new laptop, Xbox 360 and Ipod Touch to a single network frightens you, it may save you hours of frustration to pay and have it all professional installed and configured.

One last thing to consider as well is protecting your investment. If you're starting from scratch, you're likely spending close to a thousand dollars on your new set up, and in some cases even more than that. And though the idea of adding another expense to the already daunting list you're prepared to shell out may seem like a bad idea, the next consideration can literally save your butt in a pinch. What I'm talking about is the dreaded Extended Service Plan. Unfortunately I think that used car salesman and and commission based Electronic stores have given ESP's a bad rap. The Extended Service Plan actually exists to protect your investment from the limited warranty provided from the major electronic manufacturers.

The One Year Limited Warranty provided from companies like HP or Dell cover manufacturer's defects only. Meaning that unless the issue can be traced directly to being a flaw in the manufacturing of the product, HP or Dell will deny you any assistance or monetary compensation for the system. And believe me, they will do anything to convince you that they didn't mess up. What does that mean for you? Well, without assistance from an Extended Warranty, odds are good that you're stuck with that laptop with the dead hard drive and faulty screen.

The extended warranty however, will protect your Laptop against any and all damages and defects incurred during the life of the warranty, typically between 2-4 years. This means that if a year and a half down the road the cheap hard drive that HP placed in your laptop dies out, you can call the company that you purchased your warranty from and either get your laptop repaired, get it replaced, or get your money back (less the money spent purchasing the warranty). And in most cases, the cost of the warranty is less than even the cost of buying the replacement part, let alone the cost to have it replaced.

I hope this guide has been helpful in assisting you in purchasing not only a new laptop, but everything that you'll need to go with it. I spent a lot of time writing this from first hand knowledge, and any feedback you can provide will be most appreciated. Happy hunting, and I'll see you online!