Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Top Five Tips in Photographing Your Dog



Not a professional photographer? No problem. You can still take grrreat pix of your pooch - as long as you've got patience (and a camera) you can easily capture Fido's good side every time you snap a shot. We've asked professional pet photographer Mark Rogers to share a few of his secrets with you...

Other than baby photos, pictures of pets are among the most popular in any household. Unfortunately, they also tend to suffer the most from poor quality or, as we term it in the trade, snapshot-itis. You may have this problem if friends start walking away fast when you mention the latest photos of your cat or if your dog’s loving brown eyes end up glowing green like some malevolent demon in every shot you take.

Well, here are 5 surefire tips to help avoid snapshot-itis

1) Change angles

Most pet photos are taken from the perspective of a human being looking down while the pet looks up. Bor-rinnnnnng! Try something different and get down at their level or, if they’re moving, pan with them as you take the shot.


2) Stick with natural light. Turn off or cover the on-camera flash

On-camera flashes are evil. They flatten everything out, cast harsh shadows and are the source of the infamous glowing green pet eyes. If you have to use a flash go with an off-camera one and bounce the light off a ceiling or wall.


3) Stay out of direct sun and shoot in the morning or late afternoon

Contrary to popular belief, bright sunlight is not a photographers friend. It wreaks havoc with your exposure and you typically end up with lots of nasty shadows in places you don’t want them. I avoid photographing subjects outside in direct light except first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon before sunset when the light is angled low.


4) Don’t wait for the perfect moment and don’t be afraid to take lots of shots but…

Most of us are shooting digital these days so you can essentially take as many pictures as you want. With pets, unpredictability is the rule of law. You never know how a shoot is going to go. All you can do is be there and hope you catch the moment. This requires taking a lot of shots in quick sequence and culling through them later for the best one.



5) …make sure you edit yourself

Some of the most important work happens after you shoot. It sounds cliche but less is more. It’s easy to become enamored of the 100 pictures you took of Spot playing with his new ball but chances are your friends won’t feel the same way. Limit what you show people to only the very best.




Mark Rogers is a San Francisco-based professionalpet photographer. His most recent work can be seen on his Smile Like a Dog blog and you can also follow him on twitter.



Monday, August 18, 2008

How are the Beijing Olympics Medals Made?

Beijing Olympics medal reverse side






















Obverse Side
















Selecting stones























Jade cutting









































Jade polishing




























Check up details















Medal mold





















Bronze medal

























Medal machine tool


















Medal after punching

















Groove machine tool




















Groove checking up




















Putting jade into the medal






























Finiahing

Friday, May 16, 2008

How to Care for A Miniature Dachshund


Dachshunds were originally bred in Germany to be courageous, tough and persistent in order to hunt badgers and also foxes and rabbits. Their small size and short legs enabled them to dig foxes, badgers, and rabbits out of their dens. Dachshund, means "Badger Dog". Dachshunds were originally larger than seen today but were bred to be smaller towards the end of the 19th century.

Things You’ll Need:

* Feed bowl
* water bowl
* collar
* dog bed
* Suitable toys

Step1
Grooming. Short haired Dachshunds will require only occasional grooming, long haired Dachshunds will require daily grooming.

A brush or grooming mitt will be needed to prevent the hair from becoming matted and to remove loose hairs. Long Haired dogs will require a stiff brush, whereas short haired dogs will require a soft brush.

Rubber Grooming Mitts fit over the hand allowing the dog to be groomed whilst firmly stroked.

Claws may require trimming from time to time with a pair of nail clippers.
Step2
The amount of food required will depend on its size and also on its age and daily exercise. Most commercially prepared dog foods will include a feed chart indicating the average food requirement by size of dog and this will act as a reasonable guide.

It is important when changing foods to do so gradually by feeding the old food with a small amount of the new food and then over a few days decreasing the amount of old food and increasing the amount of new. This should avoid any stomach upset due to change of diet and is particularly important with puppies and young dogs.
Step3
The Dachshund is very active and needs regular exercise. Early training is recommended. Long Haired Dachshunds require regular grooming and regular ear cleaning is needed for all varieties of Dachshunds.

Sexy Secret Book

Make a secret book with a cool bonus feature you've never seen before! Perfect for birthdays or any sexy occasion.



Sexy Secret Book! - These bloopers are hilarious

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Drumkit Setup Guide

Set up your drum kit, base, snare, cymbals and all, with basic tips and tricks for beginners; learn how with tips from our expert drum instructor in this free drum kit video music lesson.

How to Play 1-4-5 Bass Guitar Progressions

Play the 1,4,5 bass guitar progressions when playing blues; learn how with tips from our professional bass guitar instructor in this free music lesson video.

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Introduction to Bass Guitar Basics

In this segment we would be discussing the introductory basic to the bass guitar. We would be talking about the components of the guitar itself, the body, the head, the neck. We would be demonstrating on our 4 string base though you might own a 5 string or a 6 string we recommend learning first with the 4 string base. Well at least these 4 strings EAD and G. Whether it is 6 strings, whether it is how to tune using the electric tuner or using your ear. We would talk about proper positioning, about how to pluck the strings. We would talk about the different methods but we would go probably concentrates in using our fingers as oppose as a pick or our thumb. Those are reliable techniques to you would rather work on the harder one and the more rewarding. We would talk about notes on the top 2 strings the low E and the A string on our bass ans we would learn the natural notes on those plus a melody. By the end we would be playing Mary Had a Little Lamb and we would understand also in between where our sharps and our flats can be found. How to read base clef and how to read notes as well.




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