Art IXPDX

Archive for the ‘Hobbies’ Category

Coin collecting has been a hobby for hundreds of years, and GovMint offers a great online shopping resource for coin collectors who visit myreviewsnow. The coins come from all over the world and include silver and gold coins from the United States and foreign lands, paper currency, coins salvaged from shipwrecks, coins that would be of interest to children, and commemorative coins, including those commemorating the Olympics, as well as jewelry and other gifts. Most of these coins come with their own storage, display vaults and cases. The site also offers a handy glossary of coin terms.

Silver Dollars

Among the United States silver coins are the Morgan Silver Dollars. One is from 1884 and the obverse, or “front,” features the head in profile of Liberty surrounded by stars, the year and the motto E Pluribus Unum. The coin has an eagle clutching an olive branch and arrows on the reverse or “back.” Other silver coins include the Silver Eagle dollar. The Silver Eagle can be bought singly or in sets of as many as 25 pieces. The Silver Eagle shows the full figure of a windblown Liberty carrying a wreath on the obverse and an eagle with a shield on the reverse. 2011 is the 25th anniversary of the Silver Eagle. The $1 coin weighs one troy ounce and is 99.93% silver. The Silver Eagle also comes in a gold version, the $5 and $50.00 Gold Eagles. Gold Buffalos are also available. These 2011 coins are modeled after the buffalo nickels of 1913.

Eisenhower dollars are also on offer for coin collectors. The Allied Leaders Collection is especially interesting, as this mixed metal coin has Eisenhower on the obverse and Churchill on the reverse. Besides Silver Eagles, GovMint.com offers silver half dollars from 1809-1836 featuring the bust of Liberty, 1918 50-cent Lincoln head pieces, silver Kennedy half dollars from 1964 and the 1925 silver half dollar that commemorates California’s gold rush. The obverse of this coin shows a gold prospector while the reverse shows a California bear. About 150,200 of these coins were minted, but only about half survive.

Shipwreck Coins

Myreviewsnow was especially fascinated by the shipwreck coins. The rules regarding treasure taken from shipwrecks are complicated and GovMint.com is probably especially proud to offer these items. When Louisiana seceded and took over the mint at New Orleans, she started minting her own coins. When the wreck of the steamship SS Republic was recovered in 2003, these coins were found in her hold. They show a seated Liberty holding a staff on which hangs her hat, and a shield on the obverse. An eagle wearing a shield and clutching arrows in its talons and what looks like an olive branch in its talons is on the reverse — interestingly the words United States of America are printed above the eagle’s head, as this coin was struck by the United States. Other extremely rare and valuable versions of these coins were made by the Confederate States of America or even the State of Louisiana.

World Coins and Bestsellers

World coins include coins from the Isle of Man, including the Prince William Engagement Proof, and a coin featuring Silver Turkish Angora Cats — not Manx cats, interestingly enough. Best sellers include an Australian $30 silver coin with koalas on the obverse and a profile of the Queen on the reverse, a gold Canadian 1 ounce piece with the emblematic maple leaf on the obverse and, again, the Queen’s head on the reverse. Proof sets include a set of 28 coins from the mints in Denver and Philadelphia. This set offers five new coins from the America the Beautiful quarter series and includes Gettysburg, Olympic National Park, and the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. The Presidential One Dollar coins feature Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes and James Garfield. Five additional coins include the familiar Roosevelt dime and Lincoln penny.

Seminars are crucial part of corporate communication, employee training, appraising the clients or partners, etc. Whereas during early days a seminar could have been attended only by select few for various reasons e.g. distance, feasibility, economic cost, etc., the same can be done without much hassle with the help of seminar video. Thanks to seminar videos, now corporate organizations do not need to organize a number of seminars to communicate with the targeted audience; rather, they make a video and dispatch the same or upload it on web for the purpose.

Several Advantages of Seminar Videos or Corporate Videos

Corporate videos augment effortless communication; these can be used for staff training or induction. Companies use corporate videos to provide safety directions or guidelines; this is not only cost-effective but also requires minimum human resource for the purpose. Similarly, this can be highly appreciated method for investor relations management and to communicate financial results to shareholders or stakeholders.

However, major contribution of the method of corporate video as corporate communication is in branding or brand building. Company can either made the promotional video on its own or get the services from an expert company for the purpose. Once the video is made it can be send to television companies or can be uploaded on internet for promotional purposes. Nevertheless, hiring an expert video making company can be highly appreciated for the reason that it comes with professional touch in making the same.

Several Other Advantages of Corporate Video or Seminar Video

Corporate video containing role play are the most effective method of communication as these help in succinct yet successful communication. A company can use corporate video containing client and customer testimonials for the purpose of building trustworthy and long lasting rapport with existing and potential customers. Testimonials tend to generate trustworthiness among the new customers who decide only after seeing others saying positively about the company.

Employees or shareholders or clients who missed certain corporate even can benefit from the video made of the occasion. Such a video can be uploaded either at the company website or at video sharing websites e.g. Youtube. Additionally, such corporate videos can be used for live and on-demand webcasting and technology and product demonstration that are highly beneficial for clients/customers/shareholders.

Thus, apart from improving communication and reinforcing relationships, corporate videos can also enhance the productivity as these with the help of web sites and the Internet quicken the speed of communication. A close contact can be made with customers or stakeholders at reduced cost; this, helps in reducing the cost incurred on the communication. Moreover, the corporate video is in no way inferior mode of communication and learning.

There comes a time, usually after your friends have remarked well on your best photos and you already have your own photo website, when you will want to reach a wider audience. I’ve found that exhibiting photographic prints to be the perfect solution to reach more people, and there are several methods in which this can be achieved, and maybe make a few sales on the way:

Organising a solo show: This is the toughest method of self promotion, as you will have many things to consider and do, such as: find a venue, rent the space, find a framer, promote your show and obviously prepare all the prints. Initially it maybe costly, but it is also the most rewarding way to exhibit your photographic prints. The people who come along to see the show are there because they are interested in your theme and the subject matter (for example, urban, portrait, nude, erotic) and they may stay interested in your photography for a long time after.

Group shows: These are usually put together by an organiser/curator and are advertised in art journals or online. For this method your photograph(s) will need their approval for them to be displayed. Always read the entry details as you may need to send them examples of your photography and in what size and format is required. Most shows do have a small entry fee and you need to consider this too.

There are two types of group show: Open and Themed, and whichever one you apply for you will be on an equal terms with all the other artists/applicants and therefore once your photograph is accepted, it will feel great to be part of someone else’s vision. Remember all shows are oversubscribed by artists so if you are not accepted by the organiser, don’t take it too personally. After all their opinion is still subjective, as is the nature of art. Just find another show.

Open show – This has no specific theme to the show and the photography being exhibited will be varied and it could be either a hit or miss selection. It is the nature of an Open show that the visitors will like some of the prints on display but not all.

Themed show – This will attract more interest than an ‘Open’, and the sum of the photography on show can be very interesting. Many themed shows rely on the show title alone for its subject matter, but check the exhibition brief thoroughly. Also for the themed show you should not force your best work to fit its theme, no matter how loosely you think it fits, it probably won’t be strong enough to be accepted. So shoot new photography with the theme in mind if you don’t have the perfect photograph already. Your submission will benefit from it and hopefully it’ll be accepted by the organiser.

Join a Group, Society or a Guild: These not only have like minded souls like you but organise frequent shows of either open or themed. In this instance being a part of the group usually means that you and your photography have already been accepted and you only need to select your exhibition print carefully.

Whatever method of exhibiting you have chosen, remember there can never be enough promotion, so if the show has a curator don’t leave it up to him/her – promote it yourself. Also add the details of the show to your website, facebook page and twitter too. it’s worth noting that some exhibitions have their own specific website and/or facebook page, so do join in the group discussions.

Finally, on the opening night you will meet the exhibited photographers, who are taking part, and maybe some interested buyers, and by talking and networking with them; it could lead you to your next show, project or any number of future collaborations.

Almost every home has some kind of camera. Whether it’s the popular digital cameras like the canon powershot or the Nikon coolpix p90 , even cell phones. Anybody can learn how to make money with a camera. Now let’s take a closer look at how one young man made a fortune with one photograph and a few other examples to teach you how to make money with your camera.

Upon hearing of the death of Osama Bin Laden 23 year old Maurice Haray rushed home to his apartment and put up a website selling T-shirts. He made over $120,000 in less than 2 days, by putting a photo of Osama Bin Laden on a T-shirt, and selling it on his website for $12.00 a shirt. While some in the media ran the story as if the 23 year old was lucky, I say that you create your own luck by Laboring Under Correct Knowledge.

TAKING ACTION

Maurice got an idea and acted on it. How many of us have watched as others have prospered on ideas that we had. Belief in yourself and your ideas is a main ingredient on whether or not we decide to take action. Many successful people say that they envisioned their success long before it happened.

LABORING UNDER CORRECT KNOWLEDGE

Maurice labored under correct knowledge. This is evident in several ways. He understood marketing legend Gary Halbert’s principle of hungry fish. He lived in New York and there is probably no place on earth that would be willing to purchase a Osama Bin Laden is dead t-shirt more. They were hungry for the product that he created.

He also had correctly learned how to put up a website. In today’s internet driven world. If you are going to maximize any chance to make money with your camera you are going to have to have some knowledge of internet marketing. In addition his story was carried by one of the most popular entertainment shows today. So there was a element of free publicity incorporated into his marketing as well.

WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WITH YOUR CAMERA RIGHT NOW!

SPECIAL EVENTS

You can make money with your camera by taking photos or video of special events like weddings. Banquets, graduations, and fashion shows. If you have little or no experience then you might consider working for a very low fee or for free. Just to gain experience and build up your portfolio. Contact all of your family, friend and co-workers and let them know you are willing to work for a low price or even free to gain experience. Also look in the local newspaper for knowledge of when all of the special events are taking place in your area.

MAKING NOVELTIES

Making a keychain with a photo is a fantastic novelty item you could make. There are several photos that you could make that people would love to have on their keychain. Parents always love pictures of their children. Especially when they are babies. Coffee is second only to water as the most consumed drink in the world. Photos of family on coffee mugs is another idea for making photo novelties.

IMPORTANT FAMILY EVENTS

Do you have a Navy base or port in your area? Having lived in the Norfolk Virginia area for a number of years, I can tell you the media never missed a chance to do a story on a ship either departing or coming home. There are plenty of families and couples that would love a photo of such emotional events.

BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

There are plenty of business professionals that need to keep a current photo of themselves. Real estate agents, actors and models need to have good photos of themselves. In today’s economy many are looking to cut costs, and may be more receptive to a photographer that is lower priced then their current one.

MARKETING ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET

If you are just starting out you may not have a lot of money so here are a few tips to market your new business on a shoestring budget. Make some post cards and mail them to any business that might be interested in your services. You want to mail post cards because they are less expensive and more effective than a letter. A letter might get thrown in the trash and never get read. A postcard is already open and is going to at least get glanced at before being tossed away. Then as mentioned earlier there is the internet.

I am Brian S. Mahoney and I encourage you to get a blueprint of success. Take massive action. And live your dreams.

Photos are one of the most important memorable acts in our life. Photos are storing your past in the safest way. That’s why it is important to take good photos. Nowadays there is much new technology in the market and one technology that is good for photo printing is online digital photo printing. There are a few people who would not be aware of online photo prints. Many of these people think that online digital photo printing is the expensive, but actually it’s not like that because these type of photo prints are some of the most inexpensive. Because of that I want to tell you some advantages of Online Digital photo printing.

1. Top quality prints: You can get top quality prints without leaving your home. Online photo printing offered by online gallery sites use top quality printers. The best one is to print on Kodak paper and make your photo indistinguishable from others. You can order as many prints you want.

2. If you’re not technically adept, you can still make top quality prints on your digital photo printer: Online digital photo printing gives you the ability to print professional photographs even if you don’t have that much of knowledge of computers. All you have to do is upload the pictures onto the internet, and give the order for prints.

3. You can ship them whenever you want: You can ship them at any time. You can ship them directly to anywhere you want, with just a click of the mouse.

4. You can have attractive things printed on your photos like greetings: You can print attractive things at home. Many people use an inkjet printer. The quality is quite good and convenient, but the maintenance of an ink jet printer is costly and also time consuming.

5. Your photos are stored safely: Your photos are stored safely, yet you can access them and print at anytime you want.

6. Save the money: Money is important for all people and they want to spend only for worth purposes. People spend money getting good photo prints, but later on, they are not satisfied with the products. There are many websites which are into the selling of online photo prints. Search for the best photo printing websites and later on, you will find that these websites give you the best services available in the online market. Coupon facility is also available.

7. Faster than the street- shops: These prints are far better than that of any other prints that you cannot get from the high-street shops.

8. Scanning facility: Also, if you have older photos you can scan them and take a print whenever you want.

Our appetites have changed over the years and no more is this clearly reflected than in food photography. The rise of organic, real food combined with a focus on healthier diets over the last decade has seen a major change in how food is presented through photography.

No longer are we quite as tempted by a plate of perfect looking, vividly coloured food rested neatly on a table. These days, food photographers set out to capture society’s ever-changing tastes by ‘keeping it real’ – in other words – messy is in. Think of a slice of chocolate cake with icing oozing off the side, or a succulent steak with pepper sauce splashed almost carelessly about the plate. Today, this is how we like to see our food presented. This messy approach to food photography is now the favoured style for many in the food business.

If you look through a recent cook book or check out some recipe websites, then the chances are you’re more likely to see this rather modern style of food photography, and it’s not just about being messy. Food photographers are more likely to use natural light instead of artificial studio lights and less props to keep the shot looking clean, simple and giving more focus to the food. Food photographers will also often use different effects such as extreme close ups and unusual angles to make the food appear more visually appealing.

However another style of food photography has emerged in recent years. Referred to playfully as ‘food porn’, the food photographer will style the food in a provocative almost sensuous manner to get the customer’s appetite truly whetted. Often this food styling is used to shoot exotic or rather indulgent dishes – usually packed full of calories. This style is useful when marketing unhealthy food as it can be promoted as an indulgent treat, rather than trying to pretend to the ever-discerning public that it offers any nutritional value. The term food porn was first coined by feminist writer Rosalind Coward back in 1984 and has now become one of the buzz words for foodies everywhere.

Of course, the styles of messy food photography and food porn haven’t quite reached fast food restaurants. Pictures of perfect hamburgers and long straight fries still seem to adorn the menus and its advertisements. Most people aren’t going to head to your average fast food restaurant for an organic, natural meal – so messy food photography is deemed not as relevant in this environment.

Whatever is next for food photography, the one thing that will never change is its overall aim to sell to customers – and this takes real skill. The food photographer needs to visually convey not just the attractive appearance of the food, but also its aromas, taste and texture. This is not easy when you consider you can’t actually touch, sample or smell the food from a photograph. However, if the image successfully captures all these elements, then this makes the food much more appetising to customers, in turn increasing their propensity to buy – and that can only be good for the food industry.

It has been a long hard winter and one of the most anticipated events in the spring is wetting a line on open water. While ice fishing is fun and productive, there is nothing like being out in the boat after taking a few months off. What really adds to the open water fishing experience is the thrill of catching slab crappies.

There are many fishermen who wait in the spring for the crappies to move in to spawn. Don’t get me wrong; if you find crappies on their spawning beds, the fishing can be fantastic! But why wait to the spawn when you can have your cake and eat it too. Crappie fishing right after ice out can be equally rewarding.

The water temperature right after ice out will be very frigid. After a few bright warm sunny days the lakes ecosystem will start to come alive. Many crappies in the early spring will be found deep. These deep water spots typically will be the last spots the ice fisherman were having success. By using light jigs and minnows in these deep-water spots, chances are you will have good success. But if you are really looking for fast action think shallow water.

As the water starts warming up, the insects will start hatching and small baitfish will move closer to shore. When that happens the crappies will move in right behind the food to feed. The best thing about early season crappie fishing is that the best times of the day to be out is during the peak of late afternoon and early evening when the weather is the nicest. Every lake is different, but the best early season lakes are the more shallow and muddy bottom lakes because they tend to warm up quicker.

If the lake has a small bay or channel the crappies will be drawn in there like magnets. Fallen trees, sticks brush and last years weeds will attract more insects that are hatching that the crappies will feed upon. This combination will become your “A” fishing spot. The water temp that typically starts this early season action is about 50 degrees. There are many fishermen who incorrectly think the crappies at this time are coming in to spawn. They are simply coming in to feed at this time. Crappies will move in to spawn a little later in the spring when the water temperature is about 65 degrees.

There are many fishermen that will use a jig and minnow. They will catch fish, but if you really want the fast action switch your presentation to a tube jig. The best depths typically here are about 6 feet or less. When you rig you tube jig, place a small bobber a foot and a half up from the jig. Cast and retrieve it slow. The bobber basically simply keeps your jig at the same depth. In detecting the bite, crappies will often grab your jig and swim side to side or the bobber will tip up and then move slowly down. The tube jig body is plastic so give the crappie a little time to suck it down. The best thing about the tube jig is that if you miss you will often get another bite right away. When using minnows for bait, you miss your done.

Once the crappies move in, the action can get very fast. This spring crappie pattern usually lasts a few weeks. After that the crappies move slightly deeper staging for the spawn and then move back in. So why wait for the crappies to spawn? You waited all winter. Early spring crappie fishing is a real bonus. Have Fun!

It has been a long hard winter and one of the most anticipated events in the spring is wetting a line on open water. While ice fishing is fun and productive, there is nothing like being out in the boat after taking a few months off. What really adds to the open water fishing experience is the thrill of catching slab crappies.

There are many fishermen who wait in the spring for the crappies to move in to spawn. Don’t get me wrong; if you find crappies on their spawning beds, the fishing can be fantastic! But why wait to the spawn when you can have your cake and eat it too. Crappie fishing right after ice out can be equally rewarding.

The water temperature right after ice out will be very frigid. After a few bright warm sunny days the lakes ecosystem will start to come alive. Many crappies in the early spring will be found deep. These deep water spots typically will be the last spots the ice fisherman were having success. By using light jigs and minnows in these deep-water spots, chances are you will have good success. But if you are really looking for fast action think shallow water.

As the water starts warming up, the insects will start hatching and small baitfish will move closer to shore. When that happens the crappies will move in right behind the food to feed. The best thing about early season crappie fishing is that the best times of the day to be out is during the peak of late afternoon and early evening when the weather is the nicest. Every lake is different, but the best early season lakes are the more shallow and muddy bottom lakes because they tend to warm up quicker.

If the lake has a small bay or channel the crappies will be drawn in there like magnets. Fallen trees, sticks brush and last years weeds will attract more insects that are hatching that the crappies will feed upon. This combination will become your “A” fishing spot. The water temp that typically starts this early season action is about 50 degrees. There are many fishermen who incorrectly think the crappies at this time are coming in to spawn. They are simply coming in to feed at this time. Crappies will move in to spawn a little later in the spring when the water temperature is about 65 degrees.

There are many fishermen that will use a jig and minnow. They will catch fish, but if you really want the fast action switch your presentation to a tube jig. The best depths typically here are about 6 feet or less. When you rig you tube jig, place a small bobber a foot and a half up from the jig. Cast and retrieve it slow. The bobber basically simply keeps your jig at the same depth. In detecting the bite, crappies will often grab your jig and swim side to side or the bobber will tip up and then move slowly down. The tube jig body is plastic so give the crappie a little time to suck it down. The best thing about the tube jig is that if you miss you will often get another bite right away. When using minnows for bait, you miss your done.

Once the crappies move in, the action can get very fast. This spring crappie pattern usually lasts a few weeks. After that the crappies move slightly deeper staging for the spawn and then move back in. So why wait for the crappies to spawn? You waited all winter. Early spring crappie fishing is a real bonus. Have Fun!