I learned some valuable insider secrets from a professional photographer friend of mine about a year ago when he came over for dinner. Of course, I asked him all kinds of questions and picked his brain that evening, hoping to get some valuable insight into improving my fine art landscape photography and my inspirational photography. In a previous article, I shared the #1 secret which had to do with how to creatively crop your photographic images. Today I’d like to share the #2 insider secret with you, which, by the way, did take my photography to a whole new level.My first real camera was an old classic SLR model. Several years later, I bought an Olympus OM-1 SLR. That was a great camera and I used it for many years. After getting married, I slipped into the habit of not using my SLR as much and instead started shooting more casual shots with a simple point and shoot camera. Then, in preparation for my new baby, I got a tiny 5-megapixel Pentax Optio S5i digital point and shoot. It was no bigger than a pack of cigarettes, was light weight, and could do some amazing things. I used that camera a lot for the next three years. It was my entrance into digital photography. For the first time in my life, I was shooting photographs, downloading them onto my computer, manipulating them, and then emailing them to people and getting prints made. I loved the new camera and the whole digital world it opened up to me.Now, back to my dinner conversation with my professional photographer friend. I eagerly showed him some of my best photographs and asking him for his input.Insider Secret #2 – Upgrade to a Digital SLR to take my photography to a whole new levelI can hear you saying right about now, “Duh!” This rather obvious “revelation” came to me at a time that I thought I couldn’t afford a digital SLR because I thought they cost $2,000-$4,000 to buy.In addition, I didn’t realize that I had gone as far as I could with the point and shoot digital camera that I had. My photographer friend, Larry, explained some important points about cameras that helped me realize that I needed to get my hands on a digital SLR as soon as possible if I wanted to continue to grow and improve in my photography.He taught me that there are three main “hardware” factors involved in the final equation of a good quality digital image. First, the number of mega-pixels that a camera can shoot at is important. However, this is not the only important factor, and it’s not as important as some people think. For example, I thought that I could just go out and buy a digital point and shoot camera with 8 mega-pixels and that would greatly improve my images. He showed me how that wasn’t necessarily true because the number of mega-pixels is only one of three critical factors in producing a high quality image.The second main factor in the equation is the quality and capability of the internal sensor in the camera. In other words, a digital SLR has a much better and much higher quality sensor than the basic digital point and shoot cameras have. It is the computerized sensor in the digital SLR that is able to capture light much better and give you a much higher quality image in the end. Inexpensive digital point and shoot cameras are very limited in what they can produce because they have a much more inferior sensor.The third critical factor in producing a high quality image is having a good quality lens on your camera. Most digital point and shoot cameras have very tiny lenses that do a fairly good job, but they are limited in the quality of the images that they produce. On the other hand, digital SLRs have much better, stronger, larger, and higher quality lenses and optics that will produce a much better final product.When you put all three of these critical factors together in a digital SLR, you end up with a much better, much more high quality photographic image than what a digital point and shoot can produce.My professional photographer friend basically told me that it was time for me to upgrade to a true digital SLR (DSLR) if I ever hoped to improve my photography and take it to the next level. He personally recommended looking into a Canon camera.After much research on the Internet, I finally decided to purchase an 8-Megapixel Canon Rebel XT as my first digital SLR camera. I was surprised to find that I could buy one on-line for about $700, which included the 18-55 mm lens, as well as a battery, a battery charger, a manual, and the software for my computer, as well as several different computer cables. I went ahead and bought it, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Grant you, it is an entry level digital SLR, but it is a good quality camera and one that I can learn a lot about digital photography using.All I can say is that I am so thankful for Larry’s advice to me to take the plunge and buy my first digital SLR. It was worth it – every penny! Some day I’ll upgrade to a better model, but in the meantime, I am learning all I can about my new camera and I am out shooting with it almost every day.If you haven’t yet taken the plunge, I encourage you to do it soon. It is worth it!
The Options For Your Home Entertainment Center
The Best Home Entertainment Centers depends on a persons needs and style. The home entertainment center needs to fit the T.V. and the style of the other furniture in the room. It also needs to fit the space that its going to be sitting. A piece that is too big for the room, or too modern for an otherwise country furnished room sticks out like a sore thumb and does not flow well with the aesthetics of the home. Taking the time to look into the sizes, and the styles can help anyone find the perfect piece.When looking at getting one of the Best Home Entertainment Centers on the market, one should first look at which size they need. Take into account the size of room its going into, the wall it will be sitting up against, and the size of television that will sit on it. Also look into how much media will be placed on the entertainment center, such as DVD players, Stereo, speakers, or even movies. They make home entertainment centers to fit any size, from a small center that holds just the television and the DVD player, to something larger that has a number of shelves and drawers to fit any media imaginable. They also make them short and wide to fit on a half wall, tall and skinny to fit into a small space, or even a corner unit to fit into that perfect spot.Once you have the size picked out, you need to look at the style you want out of the Best Home Entertainment Centers. First, look at the style of the room its going into, is it modern, country, or even traditional? Once you have the style in mind, go and look at the different materials the entertainment centers are made out of. You can get a country light oak, or even a modern, stream lined steel and glass. They have wood that can be stained just about any color, and a plethora of wood materials if that’s the way you want to go. They also have other materials available like particle board, which is cheaper, or even the glass and steel look to have that modern flair. No mater what your style is, you can find an entertainment center to fit your needs.Looking for the Best Home Entertainment Centers can be a fun and exciting shopping trip. Being able to look at the options and envision what it will look like sitting in your room can help anyone design challenged find the perfect look for their media and television. Take the time to explore every option, and when you have found the perfect one, invite the family over to envy your choice.
Selling Your Book Effectively
There are many stages that the earth has gone through but ultimately, except for plastic nothing much new has happened since moveable type and the first lithiograph.Before books had been copied by hand. And while someone these days may say that books are in the background next to Survivor or the newest kind of gadget and ultimately minimized, most who love books would disagree. A book doesn’t need a computer to read, although you can. A book doesn’t need a certain situation. It just packs and goes.So for the first time author who knows how much people love books, the first months can be incredibly frustrating. You have a book. You are published. Look, there it is. Watch me flip the pages. It is a whole part of the person who wrote it and yet open to enjoyment and interpretation by all who read it. So what now?Most sit back and wait to see what the publishing company does with it and many fall into despair. The publishing company doesn’t go out on tour, the author does, if they had money which they usually don’t. So that begs the question, what now?Start small until you get your feet suitably wet that you are a professional author, used to the way things are.Buy up fifty to one hundred of your books and throw yourself a party. If you are not too much in love with throwing it yourself, consider talking a friend into doing it. Have these books available to buy and make it a big deal. Buy a cake. Put your face on it or hang a big glossy of your book. Watch the support. As an author, you will find that you get at least a 25 percent discount. One of our authors at Stargazer Press figures that any book she sells is better than one that wasn’t sold because it encourages reading.If you tell fifty of your closest friends to buy your book online, you’ll be waiting awhile. Whereas if you personally sell them the books, they will all know what you wrote.Next go to a local organization. Oh, something that needs a little money. You know the kind. Even if it is a thrift shop organization, then it’s totally worth it. Suggest they host an event. Promise to give them ten percent of the proceeds. Order more books. 50 to a hundred more. Arm yourself with change and again, have a glorious poster of your book. Chances are the organization will publicize it to their membership.At this point, you should have already sold one hundred books. Most publishing companies take the risk of 2,000 books on you. This is pretty good. They’ve already sold one hundred copies!OK, now you’re getting a bit used to being the center of attention and that’s great because you need that. Then, you learn how to work the phone. Call an independent bookstore in the area, the kind that hardly anybody goes to but the ones that do love the bookstore. Have them order in their own copies. That part is easy. Great, now learn how to write a press release and blast it off to the newspaper and radio about your upcoming book signing. Fantastic. Oh yeah, please follow it up with a brief call to the editor, and ask them to include it in Briefs at least. Sell more books.If your book is targeted at a certain age group, book yourself into a school next. Order copies in advance so they are readily available and sell them too. If your book is not suitable for an elementary school, go be present at a high school. Do a little spiel about being a writer. If the students have been told in advance that they can buy a book if they want, great. The average of authors who sell their books at a school is around 20 to 30. In a lot of cases, teachers buy copies if their students appear interested.OK, now what? Contact the local library and offer to do a book signing there. The trick with talking to anybody who is a public entity like a library or school is the sincere offer to donate a percentage of sales. This can even be one dollar a book! If the library doesn’t want to hold one, contact the friends of the library who typically have a gift shop to make money for the library.Initially, you don’t have to stray that far away. Truly. You could stay within your own area but as you get better at being places, great.I’d like you to also consider doing a charity event at a cafe. This gives you exposure to people who actually have money for a cup of coffee. But I would also not spend my time putting on writer events in the hopes of selling books unless you make a copy of your book part of the seminar package.What ends up happening if you stick to a modest plan like this where you pop up in bazaars or festivals or bookstores or cafes or libraries is that people in your area get to know your name. And looking at the law of averages, consider the reality that 2,000 books really isn’t that much. You want to have your publishing company run out of books. As a first time writer, you are in your entry level job. If they never run out of books, why on earth would they publish you again?Performance in this case does actually matter and though this does mean buying the books in chunks to have available at various events, it is no different than the publishing company doing it themselves.Book sellers don’t sell books as much as authors sell books or people sell books. That part will never change and it is a lot of work but totally worth it.
Commercial Real Estate Loan Strategies – The Value of Using Stated Income
The use of “Stated Income” (no tax returns and no income verification) commercial loans is a critical strategy to avoid several commercial mortgage loan problems. For example, many borrowers will simply not qualify for a commercial real estate loan if tax returns are used due to high business expenses (and low net income). This article will describe what differentiates a Stated Income business loan from a conventional or traditional business loan.Very few traditional banks use Stated Income for a commercial real estate loan. Many/most commercial lenders will perform a thorough income verification as part of their underwriting process. Most non-traditional commercial lenders do not require tax returns or any income verification for a Stated Income commercial loan. Traditional bank commercial loan underwriting conditions will typically include copies of tax returns as well as a requirement to sign IRS Form 4506 which authorizes the lender to obtain tax returns directly from the IRS. Some lenders require this form in addition to current tax returns. The more devious use of this form is when lenders make a point of not requiring tax returns but separately ask the commercial borrower to sign this form. The most common explanation in asking for this form will involve the words “routine request”. This will usually occur just before the final closing and be further characterized as “one final small detail”. In reality IRS Form 4506 is neither “routine” nor a “small detail”. The use of this form is a lending practice that can have a potentially detrimental impact on a commercial borrower’s financial interests. In contrast, for most non-traditional commercial lenders, IRS Form 4506 is not required for their Stated Income business loans.The value of using Stated Income does not end when the commercial loan closes. Many/most traditional banks require income verification/audits even after the commercial real estate loan closes. Most commercial borrowers won’t believe this until it happens, but many traditional commercial loans will have covenants stipulating that the lender must receive financial data even after the loan closing and that the loan can be recalled (forcing the commercial borrower to pay the bank back early) if the audit of this data is not satisfactory to the lender. Most non-traditional commercial lenders do not verify income either before or after the Stated Income commercial loan closes.I have prepared a Special Report entitled “The Top 5 Reasons that Banks Decline Business Loan Applications and the Top 5 Strategies for Converting a Declined Loan into an Approved Loan”. One of those five reasons is that loan underwriters find something on a tax return that disqualifies a borrower under the bank’s lending guidelines. This “something” will frequently be insufficient net income, but when loan underwriters look at tax returns, there are many other possibilities which produce a similar result. If the commercial borrower is applying for a Stated Income business loan, this situation will not occur because tax returns will not be included in the commercial loan underwriting process.Many commercial borrowers should be interested in strategies for preventing a lender from obtaining their tax returns directly from the IRS or preventing a lender from forcing a long-term loan to be repaid early. Stated Income commercial real estate loans provide a viable commercial financing strategy to alleviate concerns about these issues. Stated Income business loans are no longer just a strategy to help a commercial borrower that could not obtain a commercial loan any other way. Stated Income commercial loans are now increasingly viewed as a a vital method to protect the commercial real estate borrower’s overall financial interests, both before and after the loan has closed.Copyright 2005-2006 AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Features Offered by Furniture
It is the desire of every single individual to have a home that is perfectly fitted with high quality and stylish furniture that brings out the perfect look of the home. Scandinavian furniture is very popular in the market and this is mainly because of the benefits that it affords its users. There are numerous advantages that are associated with this furniture and the best thing about it is that it can be found in any part of the world.Quality
Many are times that people look for pieces of furniture that are perfect in quality and the functionality is not overlooked. It is somewhat difficult to find such kind of furniture which is perfectly found in Scandinavian furniture. This furniture surpasses the quality of other furniture in the market by far.Stylish
It is the desire of every single individual to have furniture that brings out the unique modern style they are looking for. The great modern style of this type of furniture leaves people wishing for more when they visit your home. This furniture complements any particular environment that it is placed in. It is perfect for those who are looking for a perfect modern look for their homes.Functionality
Scandinavian furniture is very high in quality and the best thing about it is that performs the function that it is meant for. The furniture plays the role that it is meant for without losing shape or losing its comfort for many years. If you are looking for durable furniture, this is the perfect one.Variety
There are varieties of Scandinavian furniture to choose from. There are those that are made from plastic, others from steel and still others from wood. This means that individuals have the opportunity to settle for the type of furniture that suits them and their homes perfectly. These pieces of furniture are also available in different sizes and designs. There are those that can be moved from one place to another making it perfect for different environments. Those that are small in sizes can perfectly fit small spaces ensuring that space is saved accordingly.Comfort
Scandinavian furniture is one of the most comfortable furniture in the world. The best thing about it is that it is available in different parts of the world at affordable costs depending on the material used.All these features make Scandinavian furniture as the best choice for your needs.
Property Price Forecasts by Region in 2014
Understanding what’s likely to happen to property prices in the future can be really helpful in knowing whether now is the right time to buy or sell.How can you use property price forecasts to help you make your decision?This really depends on whether you are a first time buyer, trading up, down, investing in property, looking at exiting from your investment and whether you are taking out a mortgage or have cash.What do the forecasts say?Ideally, property prices would always increase just ahead of inflation. Over time the average inflation is around 3% per annum, but at the moment and for 2014 it looks like inflation will run at around 2%.In comparison, the forecasts range from 4% in Scotland to 8.4% in London for 2014 and over the next five years, property prices are estimated to rise from 17% in Scotland to 39% in London. Now, although these figures sound enormous, don’t forget if inflation runs at 3%, to stand still, property prices over a five year period to keep pace would need to increase by 16%.So the predictions are that Scotland’s property price growth is in line with inflation, and areas such as the North East and West, Yorkshire and Humber and Wales won’t grow much more either. So in these areas, although there will be different price changes for different property types in different local postcodes, overall it doesn’t matter too much when you buy as prices aren’t expected to rise that much.However, in areas such as the South East and West, East and West Midlands and the East of England and of course London, knowing what prices are likely to be at, at the end of each year, can be helpful in knowing whether it’s best to buy now with a 5% deposit or whether it’s better to save up for a higher deposit, knowing how much you may need.Below I’ve given you some thoughts on how to think through whether it’s worth buying now or wait for a while, and from an investor’s perspective, how to work out whether it’s a good idea to invest in the area you are planning to or not.First time buyers, should you buy in a rising market?For anyone looking at buying in areas like London where you’ve seen a sudden 5-10% increase in prices year on year, it’s feels very scary at the moment and better to buy now than in the future.And to some extent, in areas where you have 7-8% growth in 2014, if an average property price is £200,000 now, in a year’s time, these forecasts suggest prices would be around £215,000, so a 5% deposit would increase from £10k to £10.75k. However, if you could save up another £10k so put down a 10% deposit instead, you may get a better mortgage rate so your costs are lower.On the other hand, if you do buy now and put down a 5% deposit, then your property’s value could increase by £15k, allowing you to increase the equity in your property from £10k to £25k, so £25k over £215,000 would give you a ‘deposit’ of 11.6% and as you are likely to be on a repayment mortgage, the equity may be even more.But, and it’s a big BUT, by 2016 interest rates are likely to start increasing, so it’s important to make sure you don’t overstretch yourself too much as mortgage rates since 2000 have been as high as 7%, so if you do buy over the coming year or so, then make sure you can afford the mortgage on-going.Buyers and sellers trading up, is it good to buy in a rising market?When buying and selling in a market which is rising, it’s definitely a good time to sell and trade up sooner rather than later, as long as your job and finances are secure.For example, if your £150,000 property increases by 7%, then it would be worth £160,500 by the end of 2014. If you then buy a property worth £300,000, then that would cost £321,000. So you’d earn an extra £10,500 on your current home, but then it would cost you an extra £21,000 to buy the new one.Buyers and sellers trading down, does it matter when you buy if prices are rising?For anyone looking at trading down, it’s important to make sure you move to a property and area which is right for you, especially if you are retiring. Although seaside towns and lovely rural settings may seem great to start with, if you are retiring, making sure you have easy access to public transport, doctors, hospitals and indeed having family and friends close at hand, is incredibly important.But the good news is if you are trading down, a rising market will help you financially. If you are selling a £350,000 property and hold on to it for a year at a price rise of 8%, then it should be worth £378,000 – if you own your property. In the meantime, if you then buy a property at the end of the year which is worth £200,000 now, if it too increased by 8%, you would have earned £28,000 from your own property, but spend only an extra £16,000 on the property you trade down to.So from a trading down perspective, buying when you find the right property is more important than worrying about house prices, as long as the area you are buying into rises at the same rate (or less) than the one you are selling in.
Keep These 5 Rules in Mind for Successful Commercial Designing
Who doesn’t want an excellent commercial design? Excellent commercial design is important to maintain the reputation and brand image of the company. As it is said, the first impression is the last impression, a good impression always attracts potential customers. It’s obvious no one would ever love to walk in a congested environment with bad lighting.
Bad design and interiors deteriorate the productivity of the employees. It can be a confusing task when planning a commercial designing project for the first time, hiring expert Commercial Architects Melbourne can be the best option to know about the latest trends and perfect matching designs.
This blog is about some basic rules to consider for making the commercial project successful.
Keep structures versatile
When it comes to transforming any commercial space, focusing on convertibility and keeping office interior decor versatile can be the best option. It can be done by implementing a versatile structure to spaces such as cafeterias, offices, and many more. Everyone gives preference to comfort hence, focusing on spatial and versatile design will help to complete commercial designing projects in an optimal way.
Consider the latest technology implementations
Technology plays a supportive role to enhance the commercial designing project. Moving forward with the latest technology is important to execute any business smoothly because technologies make the work much easier and comfortable for the employee as well as organizations. Implementing centralized and decentralized digital control is much needed in any commercial design.
Keep office aesthetics updated
Good aesthetics and interiors impact the overall representation of the office and make the place functional and attractive. Hire a reputed designer for modern décor and furniture ideas. Hiring a designer reduces half of the project stress and helps to meet the contemporary fashion and latest trends. They can help to choose the perfect theme that blends well with the office decor, atmosphere, and colour.
Provide personalized space to prevent congestion
Majority of customer prefers personalized space such as different seating to seat comfortably and do the personal work. Personalized space is one of the crucial factors for customer-based service offices such as hotels and cafeterias to provide an ambient and comfortable place.
Always keep safety first
Safety is the central feature of every construction and designing project. Hence, it’s the high-priority factor to keep the aesthetic and functional safety at the working place. It can be compromised for interior decoration and design purposes but it’s not at all affordable to compromise for safety purposes.
Following the above useful ideas can easily help in the successful completion of a commercial designing project in a safe and pleasing way. In today’s, modern construction, reliability, and comfort is also an equally important factor.
Final words,
It’s important to hire the experienced Building designer Melbourne to make the commercial designing project worthy. Hope the above rules helped you to scale up your interior designing projects with a better outcome. Follow the above tips for any renovation or remodelling project and surely you will get award-winning and achieve a better office experience.
How Long Should A Laptop Battery Last And How To Increase the Battery Life
No matter how expensive your laptop is, its battery won’t last more than four years. According to experts, a new laptop battery gives you as many as 1,000 cycles. In other words, you can charge and recharge the battery up to 1000 times. However, many factors play their role to increase or decrease the lifespan of a laptop battery. For instance, the material used for producing the battery substance. So, if you want to ensure that your battery stands the test of time, given below are some of the tips that can help.
1. Install a good battery monitor
If you are looking for an alternative, you can choose from tons of third-party utilities. Basically, the software programs help you monitor your laptop battery. These programs have no compatibility issues with any type of laptop.
Using these tools, you can find out which programs are using most of the battery power. You can then close the unwanted programs to save battery power.
2. Install maintenance apps
You can use some manufacturer-recommended maintenance tools for maintaining your laptop battery. Based on the type of your battery, you will receive different suggestions. Apart from this, your operating system will come with a built-in utility that can help you keep an eye on your battery condition.
3. Maintain your device temperature
You should try your level best to ensure your laptop maintains its temperature. In summer, electronic devices tend to heat up, which negatively impacts the life of the battery packs.
Therefore, you should make sure that there is a little bit of space between the bottom of the device and the table you have placed your device on. Besides, the ventilation system of your device should be working properly. For this purpose, regular cleaning of your device is quite important.
4. Don’t use maximum brightness
When your screen brightness is at maximum level, your device will use the maximum power. So, turning down the brightness is the first thing you can do to save power. Also, it is not a good idea to keep the brightness at max level as it can have a negative impact on your eyesight.
So, by following these simple tips, it will be easier for you to extend the life of your laptop battery.
5. Change the power-saving settings
Before you do anything, go into the power options of your laptop. If you are using Windows operating system, you can go to the control panel to access the power options. The control panel can be accessed from the Start Menu.
Some users have MacOS. If you are one of them, you need to access Energy Saver, which is found in the System Preferences. If these values are set to default, your computer will use the least amount of power.
So, what you need to do is make small changes to the settings so that you achieve a balance between power and performance. For best performance, there is always the choice to connect your device to the AC outlet.