VampireS SUMO

I am very fortunate to live in the beautiful state of Colorado where nature has provided me an awesome and diverse backdrop for my photography work. There is never a shortage of subject matter here, especially given that I live within minutes of Rocky Mountain National Park, a favorite photography location of mine.

Colorado is home to more than 50 fourteeners. A fourteener is alpine jargon for a mountain peak that climbs to or extends beyond 14,000 ft. above sea level. Therefore, anyone wishing to capture the true essence of Colorado will undoubtedly have to spend some time in the higher elevations.

Cameras, like other sophisticated electronic devices, can be temperamental. All electronic devices have an elevation threshold past which their operation is not guaranteed or recommended. Thus, it’s essential that you thoroughly read your instruction manual and know your camera’s operating limits before you go trekking into the mountains for photo ops.

If you’ve taken any photos on ski slopes or in other alpine environments, you may have noticed that your pictures tend to have a bluish tint to them. This is actually normal and can easily be corrected. To remove the bluish cast, try using a skylight filter (1A), which is lightly coated with magenta coloration. Adding magenta will remove the blue cast restoring proper skin tones and colors of your subject. If you find that the blue cast is still too prevalent, you may need to use a stronger magenta filter (81A).

Some of Colorado’s more elusive creatures make their homes at extreme elevations. Big horn sheep, for example, thrive in areas of Rocky Mountain National Park that are difficult and sometimes dangerous to navigate. If you are up to the challenge of a steep hike, you will certainly be rewarded with spectacular mountain views and may be lucky enough to glimpse and photograph the bighorns. Take care, however, to watch your footing at all times. Some of the trails can be quite treacherous. You may be tempted to go off trail to try and get a better vantage point for your photographs. If so, exercise extreme caution, as the terrain is precarious.

Remember that Colorado is bear and mountain lion country. The last thing you want to do is encounter a hungry mountain lion or startle a foraging bear in your haste to get the perfect shot. Make lots of noise while on the trails, and keep to the trails for your safety and the preservation of the fragile alpine environment. There are several schools of thought as far as what a person should or should not do if they happen to encounter a bear. I am not an expert on bears or bear behavior. Therefore, I will not purport to instruct you on the correct course of action. I suggest that you discuss this possibility with one of the park rangers before embarking on your journey and ask them for the proper methods for dealing with such an encounter. They are, indeed, the experts on the subject. The same logic applies to encounters with mountain lions. In any event, educate yourself prior to entering any wild animal domain.

If you decide to visit Rocky Mountain National Park, you will likely not have to venture far beyond the limits of the scenic town of Estes Park to see herds of elk moving about. Estes Park is located just before the East entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. I once photographed a rather large herd of elk meandering about the golf course, much to the dismay of the golfers attempting to play.

Drastic changes in weather can occur at any time, during any season, here in Colorado. This is especially true in the higher elevations. Storms typically develop in mid to late afternoon without warning and can produce sudden downbursts of rain and dangerous lightning. Hikers have died from lightning strikes before they even realized they were in trouble. So, I recommend that you get an early start if you plan to hike into the higher elevations for both your safety and for artistic reasons. Early morning light (at sunrise) and late afternoon, early evening light (at sunset) offer the best lighting opportunities for your photographs. This is especially true for portraits. The midday sun tends to cast harsh shadows on your potential subject matter. Unless you are striving for dramatic shadows, it’s best to shoot early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Be sure to dress appropriately and be prepared for inclement weather. Likewise, make sure your camera gear is protected. Invest in a good all-weather camera bag (I use Lowepro bags with good results) or be sure to bring trash bags or grocery bags to protect your valuable equipment from damaging rain. Important note: most cameras have far more operational latitude for cold weather than they do for extremely warm weather. So, if the thermometer reads 100 degrees outside, you may want to consider scrapping your photography plans for the day or at least taking care to stay in shaded areas to protect yourself and your gear.

So, if you are fortunate enough to call Colorado home or will soon be visiting, keep these tips in mind. I hope they will yield you better results for your Rocky Mountain photography adventures.

© Balsman Photography, LLC

Kim Balsman is the owner of Balsman Photography, LLC, a small, professional photography studio in Longmont, Colorado. Kim’s background is diverse, including formal education in communications and law at Truman State University and the University of Houston, as well as professional photography studies at the New York Institute of Photography. Kim spent more than a decade working as a paralegal, practicing in numerous legal specialties with law firms in Texas. Throughout her career, Kim has written thousands of legal documents but prefers the creativity of writing short stories, novels and journalistic pieces. Some of her work has been published in corporate magazines. Kim has lectured at entrepreneurial symposiums and educational facilities and led an initiative to help small printing franchisees compete for demanding legal document reproduction business. Kim enjoyed a brief career in real estate as a Century 21 agent in New England, grossing more than $2M in sales in a matter of a few months. Kim and her husband, Bob, enjoy living in Colorado with their two teenage children.

Not sure what’s happening with me on this one, but it seems like the more I listen to it, the better Extra Sensual Perception gets. Extra Sensual Perception simply stated is one of Kevin Toney’s best CDs to date.

Kevin Toney has been a super star in the Smooth Jazz genre for quite a while now and Extra Sensual Perception is an excellent illustration as to why.

The nice thing about a CD like this is with this level of talent even if Smooth Jazz isn’t your favorite style you still can’t help but appreciate the greatness of the artist.

If you’re a Kevin Toney fan this is a CD your collection flat cannot be without. In fact, this is one of those CDs that you don’t even have to be a fan of Toney, or even Smooth Jazz to know is good. It’s just good music. Period.

While the entire CD is really very good some of my favorites are track 1, Extra Sensual Perception, track 3, How ‘Bout That, and track 10, Get Up On It.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 7, Cat Walk. What a nice track!

Extra Sensual Perception Release Notes:

Kevin Toney originally released Extra Sensual Perception on Aug 17, 1999 on the Shanachie Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Extra Sensual Perception
2. Wishful Thinking
3. How ‘Bout That
4. Stay 5. Hush
6. Child’s Play
7. Cat Walk
8. So Good
9. Midori
10. Get Up On It
11. Redemption

Personnel includes: Kevin Toney (piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Jeremy Monroe (vocals); Kamau Kenyetta (soprano saxophone); Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright (tenor saxophone); Rahmlee Davis (trumpet); Darrel Crooks, Ray Parker, Jr. (guitar); Mel Brown (bass); Will Kennedy (drums); Bill Summers (percussion). Recorded at K-Tone, Reel Sound, Chatsworth, California; Clear Lake Audio, Burbank, California; Track House, Van Nuys, California.

Get the information you want on your favorite smooth jazz songs and artists at

French and Italian music are really something special to listen to. The way the words are pronounced and get mixed together is a true pleasure for me to listen to. The main reason why some people like to listen to music in a foreign language is mainly because you get to focus more on the sounds of the instruments and the voice of the artist. When you listen to music in a language you understand you focus a lot on the lyrics of the song and most of the times forget about the instruments. You seldom ignore the voice of the artist but it can happen when you focus too much on the lyrics and forget about who are singing.

The fact that you don’t understand the lyrics doesn’t make the experience necessarily frustrating. Your brain goes into passive mode because you don’t need to decipher the lyrics of the song, you only listen to the music passively. This is why it is easier to study while listening to music in a foreign language than it is when you understand the lyrics. This is when you show more appreciation for the voice of the artist in the first place and the combination of the musical instruments in the second place. During this process you detect sounds you would not normally detect when you were listening to music in your own mother tongue. You may also develop a bigger interest in the artist’s music because you are now listening at the core of the music.

Listening to music in foreign languages also gives you a break from your own cultural music. It is sometimes very interesting when you get exposed to music from other cultures and in the end you find that there are many similarities between that music and music from your own culture. Music is a universal language that can’t be restricted by language or culture. True music is sincerely and speaks from the artist’s soul. Lara Fabian once said “I don’t believe that a language will limit an emotion, so there is not a specific language to say something that comes from the heart. You can say something from the heart in Japanese, Indian, Italian, English, it doesn’t matter, as long as it is sincere. I truly believe specific feelings, true feelings have no limitations or no barriers when it comes to honesty.”

Coenraad de Beer was born on 27 February 1982 in small town called Lichtenburg in the North West (Formerly known as Transvaal) province of South Africa. He graduated High school in 2000 and started doing computer programming on his own for 2 years using the C programming language. In 2003 he started a career in Accounting and he is currently studying BCompt at the University of South Africa.

Coenraad is a very dedicated person in whatever he takes on in life and believes that success only comes from hard work and believing in your own abilities, the abilities God gave to you.

Coenraad is also the Webmaster of cybertopcops.com Cyber Top Cops - The Cyber Security Specialists

You can also visit his homepage at
myweb.absamail.co.za/coendb/ myweb.absamail.co.za/coendb/

With a history dating back to a Roman settlement, its industrial heritage, its fame for the mining and export of coal and the fact that it is a major regional centre to the North East of England, Newcastle has plenty of sights to see. Even before arriving in Newcastle itself, when approached from the south on the A1 you couldn’t fail to see the ‘Angel of the North’. This massive sculpture created by Antony Gormley is 20 metres high and 54 metres wide and dominates the approach to Tyneside. It is now one of the official icons of England. The following are some of the more interesting sights to see in Newcastle.

Opened in May 2000 is ‘The Life Centre’. The aim of the centre is “to inspire curiosity in science through an imaginative programme of exhibitions and events“. A breathtaking selection of activities is on offer to engage you in ‘living science’, with most of the events and exhibitions containing interactive components. The Life Centre is located on Times Square within a few metres of the Central Railway station.

Hancock museum – following a major refurbishment, this museum is due to re-open in 2009 with a host of new attractions, when it will become part of the ‘Great North Museum’. An interactive model of Hadrian’s Wall is planned along with exhibitions to do with plants, animals, dinosaurs, ancient Greek & Egyptian history and a planetarium.

Discovery museum – located at Blandford Square, this museum specialises in the maritime and industrial history of the area. It also has sections dedicated to fashion and military history. In 2005 it attracted nearly half a million visitors, making it one of the most successful museums nationally.

Laing Art Gallery – with a rolling programme of exhibitions there’s always something new to see at the Laing Gallery. Permanent exhibitions include works by the landscape artist John Martin and sculpture by Henry Moore.

The Castle Keep – a grade 1 listed building and an ancient monument. The castle reminds Newcastle of its turbulent past and strategic importance. Completed in 1178 it took ten years to build during the reign of Henry II. It is an excellent example of a ‘Norman Keep’. The Castle is on St Nicholas Street as you head down towards the river Tyne. Parts of the old city wall still exists nearby at Hanover Street and further away off Stowells Street in the Blackfriars area.

Path Head water Mill, at Blaydon – Blaydon itself is one of the most famous places associated with Newcastle. The song ‘The Blaydon Races’ was written in 1862 by George (Geordie) Riley. The song immortalises the annual horse race meeting that was held there and all the pageantry and events that went along with it. The last horse race meeting was held in 1916, in 1988 a ‘running’ race along the same route was organised.

Shipley Art Gallery – A well known gallery for its exhibitions of contemporary crafts such as wood, glass, ceramics, textiles, furniture and metals. Its most famous painting is ‘The Blaydon races’ by William Irving, showing the chaotic events of the races in 1861.

Stephenson Railway Museum – prize exhibit here must be the original ‘Puffing Billy’ made by George Stephenson, credited as the forerunner to his more famous ‘Rocket’, the Stephenson Railway Museum takes you through the beginnings of and then on to the golden age of steam railways. The museum also explains the importance of having local coal reserves available to the Newcastle area for the development of steam locomotion.

The New Metroland Funfair at Blaydon is across the River Tyne and inside the Metrocentre. It is an indoor theme park for young children with Carousels, Big Dippers, Pirate Swingboats and lots more to be a ‘daredevil’ on.

The Baltic Flour Mill Gallery – Despite the fact that this is across the river Tyne in Gateshead, the Baltic, as it is commonly referred, has become an icon of the Tyneside and the North East, which by default also means Newcastle. Originally built in the 1950s as a grain storage facility, it was converted into an arts exhibition and performance space in 2002. Being six storeys high it proudly calls itself “the biggest gallery of its kind in the world”. It boasts about the dynamism, visuality and contemporaneousness of its exhibitions. Certainly with no single permanent exhibition, visitors can expect to see something new and different on most visits. The ‘Baltic’ is most easily accessed from Newcastle by simply walking across the ‘Millennium Bridge’, a sight to see in itself.

Speaking of bridges, Newcastle is famous for its Swing Bridge and the Tyne Bridge. Both can be clearly seen from the Quayside and or the Sandhill. Whilst admiring the skill of the 19th century bridge builders, you can also visit the Quayside itself. Now developed into a thriving cosmopolitan section of the city, there are plenty of bars, cafés and restaurants at which to refresh yourself.

The Roman fort at Segedunum will be of interest to those wishing to explore the ancient history of Newcastle. This fort was at the extreme east end of Hadrian’s Wall and was, therefore, of great military importance to the Romans, guarding their eastern flank.

Somewhat away from Newcastle, in Jarrow to be accurate, is the Museum of early medieval Northumbria – otherwise known as Bede’s World. The Venerable Bede, 673-735 AD, was a monk who lived in the monastery at Jarrow. He is credited with being the author of ‘The Ecclesiastical History of the English People’, which he completed in 731. This work is accepted as being the primary source for information about the development of English people and the spread of Christianity throughout England. It is, in short, the first history of England.

Article by Susan Ashby of newcastle-singles.co.uk/Default.aspx Newcastle Singles. To read more articles like this or for newcastle-singles.co.uk/Romance/Default.aspx dating in Newcastle visit newcastle-singles.co.uk newcastle-singles.co.uk”

There are no big-ticket Hollywood heavies in this movie. I honestly did not know any of the actors who performed their parts exceptionally well in this documentary-that-isn’t.

I can imagine how stressful it must have been especially for those actors portraying the Muslim terrorists because they were so convincing and real in their roles. Perhaps we owe them a special thanks for agreeing to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.

This is a story we know inside out. A story with a handful of twisted villains and many many heroes. Rent the DVD and watch it for the heroes! With tears in your eyes, marvel at the backbone and kind of spiritual courage that have made this great country what it is today.

And of course, in many scenes throughout the movie, you will not be able to help yourself from asking the obvious question — “could I have done it?”

It is the hallmark of all great art to leave us one on one with our own inner reality and force us to face ourselves as we really are. “United 93” meets and passes that test easily.

AUDIENCE NOTE: Call me old-fashioned, but I really would not allow any kids under 10 see this one. It has just too much voltage for tender circuits who did not have the time on this earth yet to acclimate themselves to the soul crushing weight of sheer evil.

ALSO RELATED, you may want to watch these two other films:

WORLD TRADE CENTER (2006) by Oliver Stone. Heart-wrenching drama of two NYPA cops who got trapped under the collapsing towers.

LAND OF PLENTY (2004). An amazing look by Win Wenders at the post-9-11 America, and how things can get out of hand quickly if we only rely on our righteous anger and emotions…

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Every day musical instruments enrich the lives of people around the world and continue to promote culture and art throughout every society and community, no matter what size or structure. Even those people of the world who live outside the realm of technology enjoy and use musical instruments to tell stories or entertain. Someone who has never played musical instruments but is interested in trying one has quite a selection to choose from

Playing the violin is a wonderful experience and relatively easy to learn if you take it step by step. Firstly however you need to understand the mechanics of the violin so you know where to put your fingers and why.

The main components of the violin are the front, also called the belly, top, or soundboard, usually made of well-seasoned spruce; the back, usually made of well-seasoned maple; and the ribs, neck, fingerboard, pegbox, scroll, bridge, tailpiece, and f-holes, or soundholes. The front, back, and ribs are joined together to form a hollow sound box. The sound box contains the sound post, a thin, dowel-like stick of wood wedged inside underneath the right side of the bridge and connecting the front and back of the violin; and the bass-bar, a long strip of wood glued to the inside of the front under the left side of the bridge. The sound post and bass-bar are important for the transmission of sound, and they also give additional support to the construction. The strings are fastened to the tailpiece, rest on the bridge, are suspended over the fingerboard, and run to the pegbox, where they are attached to tuning pegs that can be turned to change the pitch of the string.

A violinist makes different pitches by placing the left-hand fingers on the string and pressing against the fingerboard. The strings are set in vibration and produce sound when the player draws the bow across them at a right angle near the bridge.

Among the most decorated characteristics of the violin are its singing tone and its potential to play rapid, brilliant figurations as well as lyrical melodies. Violinists can easily create special effects by means of the following techniques: pizzicato, plucking the strings; tremolo, moving the bow rapidly back and forth on a string; sul ponticello, playing with the bow extremely close to the bridge to produce a thin, glassy sound; col legno, playing with the wooden part of the bow instead of with the hair harmonics, placing the fingers of the left hand lightly on certain points of the string to obtain a light, flutelike sound; and glissando, steadily gliding the left-hand fingers up and down along the string to produce an upward- or downward-sliding pitch.

Among composers of major solo and chamber works for the violin are Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven in the baroque and classical eras; the Austrian Franz Schubert, the Germans Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann, and the Russian Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky in the romantic era; and the French Claude Debussy, the Austrian Arnold Schoenberg, the Hungarian Béla Bartók, and the Russian-born Igor Stravinsky in the 20th century.

You are certainly joining an elite group when you pick up a violin.

Looking for information about the violin?
Go to: mrviolin.com mrviolin.com

‘Mr Violin’ is published by Helen Baxter -
The Complete A to Z Of Violin Resources!
Check out more violin articles at: mrviolin.com/archive mrviolin.com/archive

Timmy was standing on the sidewalk holding his father’s hand when out yonder - maybe half a block - a commotion caught his tweenaged attention. Escorted by a parade of police cruisers and motorcycles, the parsimonious but patriotic protesting beavers had come out of the their ponds and taken their grievances to the streets.

“CANADA IS OURS!” read the caption held by one beaver. “We have been used for too long by Canada and we won’t stand for it anymore” explained the head patriarch beaver. “We built every damn dam in this country!”

“Oh daddy, why are the beevies doing this? Don′t they know their place?”

“Well, son. Sometimes all things must come to an end and it looks like the beevies have had enough.”

Beaver Nation alienation had been growing for some time. Its roots could be found as early as the 1970s when Canada engaged in compassionate social engineering.

The muddled marchers stopped right in front of Timmy as he looked on with a mixture of horror and interest. A hoary beaver stood on a few others and began to shout into a megaphone.

“For hundreds of years we were an integral part of the Canadian economy. The Coureur de Bois and The Bay became millionaires off our pelts. No more. The Beaver Boat Units are mobilizing and preparing to attack!”

“Attack?” Timmy cried to his father.

“Who are they going to attack, daddy?”

“Oh come now son. They’re beavers. They ain’t going to attack anybody.”

Meanwhile, back in oblivious Ottawa where obfuscation was the norm, Canadian officials remained defiant if not in downright denial. Timmy and his pimpled-faced pompous papa watched from a television in window.

A spokesperson for Defense (defense is used lightly here) Canada, Normie-Gordie Burntstrudel tried to reassure the nation. “This is Canada. Everybody loves us as we love ourselves. We are a peacecreating, peacekeeping, peacegiving, peaceeverything country” When pressed if the Canadian military is prepared in the event of the attack he continued with a confident smile “If we are attacked, which is asinine, we are appropriately ready.”

One reporter asked how appropriately ready they were Mr. Burntstrudel answered, “All of Canada will unite and defeat the uprising to preserve our unique existence. We’ve also put in a call to the Inuit. A kayak unit is ready to be dispatched and if dispersed shortly the estimated distance means they will be here in four or five days.” When asked if Québec will take part in the defense of Canada all he would comment is, “they are decidedly distinct and thus have distinct choices to make regarding their well-earned distinct territory.”

“Paw-paw. I do not understand. I thought Canada was perfect! Will I have to go to beaver school as well as learn French and various Native tongues?”

“Maybe so, son. Maybe, so. It’s the Canadian way,” Timmy’s father responded in a proud tone.

None of this surprised the beavers. “Canada always has its head up its ass. We’re forewarning them and they still won’t budge. They will see our anger is real and our wrath swift and lethal.” Even the Québec division is ready. They don’t speak English too well but we are united in our cause.”

Anger on what has become known as the ‘Canadian street’ is mounting. The average Canadian is outraged at the thought of even putting one lousy loonie into the listless military in defense of this country. “We need to put it in more important places. Like public health,” screamed one person. Another quipped, “What does beaver meat taste like? Is their fur, like, still popular in Europe?”

Timmy squeezed his paw’s hand as they turned and walked away. Unsure of their future they figured they may as well forgo Canada and head for the USA.

moonzuppa.blogspot.com moonzuppa.blogspot.com

I’ve never understood why, but the Arts &amp entertainment world have always felt a quite sinister fascination for the “died too young” artists. Perhaps the most famous case is James Dean in the cinema, but you’ll surely know Kurt Cobain in the music world or Jack Kerouac in the literature. And, if you look to the contemporary painting, you’ll find Jean-Michel Basquiat. Died at only 26, after a frenzy life highlighted with his ferocious graffiti art works, his multiple drug addictions and his problematic friendship with the also polemical Andy Warhol, Basquiat establishes himself not only as one of the most important artists of the second half of the past century, but also as a tragic icon of the contemporary Art world.

GRAFFITI AND GHETTO

Born on December 22, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat grew up in the Brooklin streets, where he begins to create ferocious graffitis on subway trains of Lower Manhattan subways, signing them with the anagram SAMO©, which means “SAMe Old shit”.

In 1980, when he was only 19 years old, Basquiat take part in the exhibition Times Square Show, and attracted the attention of both critics and specialized press. The following year, he exhibits in the P.S.1, where he achieved a great success, and he began his friendship with one of the most famous and controversial artistic personalities of that period, ANDY WARHOL. Warhol and Basquiat admired each other, and collaborated in almost a hundred works.

In 1983 Basquiat travelled to the Italian city of Modena, where he attended to his first individual exhibition. This hyped event was a extraordinary success, making him the most respected Afro-American painter. But this success had also a dark, negative side: Basquiat began an excessive drug use, which often makes him to stay in a paranoia state. On August 12th 1988, Basquiat was found dead of a drug overdose on his apartment. He was only 27 years old.

Stylistically, Basquiat’s work is much harder to explain that a superficial analysis could make believe, and it was inspired by multiple references such as contemporary artists as Picasso, the jazz music, the African Art and culture, and perhaps the drug abuse.

In 2002, his work Profit I was auctioned at Christie’s for more than $5,5 million. The work was painted in Italy in 1982, when Basquiat was only 21 years old.

THE GRAFFITI ARTISTS

Basquiat is, without doubt, the most important and well-known figure of the graffiti movement of the NY scene in the early 80s, but at least two other artists are worthy of being recognized here: KENNY SCHARF(born 1958) worked in Soho, where he exhibits in the Fun galleries (name given by Scharf himself) as the Civilian Warfare or the Gracie Manson. KEITH HARING (1958-1990) also worked in the Soho and East Village, but his style was even more ferocious, self-destructives than Scharf’s works. Haring, arguably the most important artist of the grafitti movement, was also an accomplished figure outside the artistic world, participating in many campaigns against the HIV.

Other important artists of the graffiti movement were Mike Bildo, Tom Otterness or Rhonda Zwillinger.

The Art Wolf
theartwolf.com/ theartwolf.com/
theartwolf.com is an online magazine about Art and the Art World

For decades Tattoo Art was a predominantly male club, but not any longer. Now it’s the Women who stand out in a crowd with The Lower Back Tattoo.

Since it’s seemingly “over night” appearance the late 1990’s the Lower Back Tattoo has now become a mark of distinction, a signature if you like. With more and more women opting for real ink rather than the traditional Henna (which until quite recently was all the rage) the Lower Back Tattoo has now taken its place in the annals of history.

Women are wearing tattoos with confidence; these markings in ink are leaving men slack jawed in awe. The designs are tasteful some are absolutely beautiful and complement both the person wearing them and the artist who created them.

I believe women all over the world must be commended on this sheer blatant, outspoken, expressive art form which adorns their female figure so well.

It has been said that the Lower Back Tattoo is empowering for women, I personally wouldn’t know if this is true or not. What I will comment on is the fact that any woman with a nicely inked tattoo drawn into the base of her back and wearing a top which reveals it, always seems to walk with more confidence.

Designs for the lower back and any other parts of your anatomy you wish to be tattooed can be found all over the internet. If you are thinking of a tattoo in any way, shape or form then spend some time finding the right one for you. Under no circumstances should you “settle for” any tattoo, this is going to be with you for the rest of your life (unless you count laser removal).

When you have decided upon a design which you absolutely must have (and you’re sure) then either hit the internet or your local phone directory.

Hold that thought a minute.

There may be dozens of tattoo parlours listed in your area, so how do you know which one to choose? Well that’s the easy part, you ask someone with a tattoo where they had it done! That’s right, this is the only sure fire way of finding the best in the area. You can ask them whether the tattooist premises is clean, what the aftercare advice is like, is there anyone else they know who had a tattoo at the same place. All of these questions are important, remember - you are having needles jabbed in and out of your skin and this is going to be for some time (not 5 minutes) and you need to know that the place is sanitary.

Please remember that cleanliness is next to godliness, and a newly inked mistreated tattoo is a playground for disease and infection; always follow the advice of your tattooist and follow the aftercare procedure to the letter.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you are serious about having a tattoo then remember that it is for life, do not put yourself through the discomfort just to change your mind later. Always look for a clean studio and a tattoist with a good reputation.

You can find out lots of general information about Tattoos, Designs and Aftercare at tattoo.informationworld.co.uk/ tattoo.informationworld.co.uk/

If you are interested in becoming a tattoo artist then take a look at tattooink4u.blogspot.com/ tattooink4u.blogspot.com/

If you would like to read more about The History of the Tattoo, Hygiene and Aftercare then visit theartofink.weebly.com/ theartofink.weebly.com/

If you’d like to learn a little technique which many professional photographers use to spice up their photos, here’s one that you’ll never stop using if you’re not using it already…

There is a principle in photography known as the ‘thirds composition’ or the ‘Rule of Thirds’.

In photography classes it is in most cases one of the first things you learn. Why? Because it is the base platform for balance and also adds an element of interest to the observer.

Many will say that this rule doesn’t always apply and that’s true - it doesn’t. But as a rule of thumb, it’s a good principle to follow. Just ensure if you decide to slip outside this rule, that you think about first because in most cases the rule of thirds applies well.

A good simple way to understand the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts.

While you’re checking your image you should do this in your mind through your viewfinder or in the LCD display when you frame your shot.

With the 9 part format (3 verticle and 3 horizontal) in mind, the ‘rule of thirds’ now identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in while you frame an image.

In addition, it also gives you four ‘lines’ that are useful locations for elements in your photo.

How this works is, that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines, your photo becomes more balanced and will allow the viewer to interact with the image more naturally. Some studies have indicated that when viewing images, people’s eyes usually head to one of the intersection points more naturally rather than the centre of the shot - by using the ‘rule of thirds’ we allow the viewer the opportunity to view the image or photo in a more natural manner.

Using the rule of thirds doesn’t always come to you straight away but I guarantee it will come to you in time if you keep practicing. Here are some excellent thoughts or questions you should ask yourself while practicing the thirds rule

- Which are the points of interest in the shot I am about to take?

- Where do I intend to place them?

- Remember - you can break the rule and this can result in some excellent shots - so once you’ve learned it, experiment a little to see what you come up with.

Finally - when you edit your photos keep the rule in mind. You can also make some excellent changes during post production of your photos on editing tools today with cropping and reframing.

This article has been supplied courtesy of Roy Barker. Roy often writes and works closely with profitable-photography.com Profitable Photography Business. This site is dedicated to coaching you in starting your own photography business but places a strong emphasis on profitability issues & guidelines. You can also gain many photography resources (some free) from profitable-photography.com/resources.php Digital Photography If you seek further guides, helpful hints, articles and news, you can go to photography-business-tips.com photography-business-tips.com which also has a Photographers Forum for exchange of views with other photographers.