This is the second part of My Photos Aren’t Sharp. You may have thought there was only one page of possibilities for unsharp photos, but there are more.

Environmental Conditions

I took a roadtrip with some friends to Las Vegas back in 2002, in February. We traveled through parts of Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho. Seeing this country during the months just before spring is absolutely the way to go. Everything is clear, crisp, but of course, the temperatures are very cool.

One of the obstacles in taking a few particular shots, was the wind factor. Regardless of trying to take images handheld in between bursts of wind, I noticed when I got home to review the images, they were not as sharp as I had thought they were. My images looked like I was taking shots from a moving car. Wind is one of nature’s elements which can become a pain to deal with if you are not aware of it or think you can manage it on your own. A tripod definitely helps.

Rain is another obstacle. Most of you may not have to deal with it as much as those who are photojournalists (”PJs”) or who just like to live life on the wild side, but if you do shoot in the rain, you will need to have knowledge of the Shooting Trinity: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and Depth Of Field. Sometimes you may get visible rain drops in your image when you don’t want them, and sometimes you may want them when you don’t have them in your image. In addition, a nice little rain drop may decide to take a rest right on the front element of your lens, which can distort an image at particular settings. The amount of rain is also something to think about. Be sure to monitor the rain and its behavior when you’re shooting in it. It can change drastically, and render an image that would have been just a 15 seconds ago, useless.

Wind and rain can also be a great addition to your creativity and expression of images, so they are not necessarily unwelcome. Shoot with nature. Not against it.

Quality Of Your Tripod

Not all tripods are built the same. Yes, this is true to some extent. However, you can still find a tripod for around $50-$200 that will perform just as well as a $500…and even a $3,000 tripod. Some people don’t want to admit this, but hey, it’s their money–not mine. In any case, regardless of the money spent on your tripod, make sure the tripod can accept the weight of your camera and lenses on it. Observe if the tripod is having difficulty remaining still when a gust of wind whips up. Depending on your equipment, you may need a tripod that can handle heavier equipment.

You And Your Tripod

This is sort of like the above, but looking at it from a different angle. Be aware of your stance when using a tripod and your camera equipment. I’ve seen photographers bump their tripods when shooting, accidentally trip over their tripods (I’ve done this a few times myself). Don’t lean into the tripod. Extend yourself OUT to the tripod, and begin shooting. If you just have to have the tripod in your face, read the following…

Your And Your Feet

Suffice it to say, make sure your feet are firmly planted when you shoot. Handheld or with a tripod. The system is only as strong as its weakest link, and yes, photographers themselves are usually the weakest link. Be aware of what you do when you shoot. I’ve noticed in some cases I actually sway back and forth if I am stationary for a particular time. What I do is gather myself again, and create a new stance. Some photographers have the physical capabilities of having the movement of a stone, and some have the behaviors of a long blade of grass, just waiting to be swayed back and forth.

The Camera Diopter

Most DSLRs have a built-in diopter to match your eyesight requirements. Also, you can buy attachments which have more of a precise and accomodation to your particular eyesight needs. Be sure to adjust the diopter on your camera, regardless if you think you need it or not. You might be surprised.

Your Eyesight

Yes, I had to mention it. If your eyesight is not particularly accurate, this could be a problem for your images appearing blurred. Be aware of Presbyopia, where one eye could be more affected than the other. This condition is progressive, and you may need adjustments every year. Eyesight issues are generally progressive in nature which could be the explanation for your images looking fine one season, and this season they are just as good as they could be. So, be sure to have your eyesight prescriptions up to date.

Final Thoughts

We’ve covered several possibilities for your images not coming out the way you are wanting them to. Overall, if you haven’t noticed, the key to eliminating a lot of these possibilities, is being aware of your own behavior, and aware of your equipment. In another articles, we will discuss image processing to reduce (or even eliminate) the effects of unsharp images.

©2005 by Jason Busch (DigitalDingus)

My Photos Aren’t Sharp (Part 2)

A part of the The DigitalDingus Guide To Photography series.

Once you have found the home that you would like to buy and have begun the process of closing on the house, you will need to begin searching for a Homeowners insurance policy that meets your needs and your budget.

Depending on the part of the country you plan to live in, the size of the home being purchased, and the amount of theft prone possessions inside, insurance price quotes can vary greatly. But most price quotes from a private insurance company will fall between $300 and $1500 a year.

Hopefully you are working with a helpful realtor who has already informed you of the importance of shopping around for Homeowners insurance price quotes before deciding on a coverage plan that is right for you.

If a realtor has not told you already, it is best to call at least three different insurance companies to get price quotes for your home. You may already have an insurance company in mind, possibly one that handles your parents’ insurance needs or one that already handles your car or life insurance.

If you don’t already have an insurance company then don’t be afraid to simply search online or through the telephone book for insurance companies. You may also recognize names from advertisements. Feel free to use these names as a starting point for a price quote.

Whichever insurance companies you decide to begin your search with, make sure you get at least three different price quotes from three different agencies before settling on the best quote for your home.

Before you begin calling the insurance agencies regarding a price quote, it is best to have hard knowledge about the home you are purchasing. This includes the current appraisal value of the home or an estimate from before the house was put up for sale.

You will also want to have a list of the dimensions of the home and the amenities inside the home, such as the square footage of each room and any special flooring, countertops or architectural design that adds to the value of the home.

As well, before you get started have a list of belongings that will add value to the home, such as appliances, furniture, jewelry and any major artwork or collectors items. Having all of this information ready can speed up the rate quote process.

With the advent of technology and computers, many major home insurance companies have begun placing information for quick 10-15 minute rate quotes online. This frees you up from having to speak to a representative on the phone, who may be trying to talk you into insurance that you don’t need.

Many of these websites also provide information explaining different types of insurance, so you can feel free to sit and read over the information without feeling as though you are asking too many questions.

Some of the major insurance companies that have information available online, as well as quick rate quotes for Homeowners insurance include Allstate, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, and Travelers insurance companies. Of course there are several other insurance companies available online, so take time to research these companies if you have access to a computer and the Internet.

If you have tried several insurance companies and still aren’t happy with the price quotes being offered, try switching up the details of the plan. Before locking yourself into an insurance rate you are unhappy with, ask about changing the deductible, the coverage costs or even the personal liability insurance.

It really is a personal preference as to how much insurance is enough insurance for your family, so keep in mind that if you feel like you can’t afford the price quotes being offered, there are ways to make payments more manageable.

One of the best ways to manage the yearly payment of Homeowners insurance is simply to increase the deductible, or the amount the homeowner will pay before the insurance company steps in and begins paying for damages or loss. Most insurance companies will require a minimum deductible of either $250 or $500 but the homeowner can easily change that deductible to $750 or $1000 to reduce the annual payment.

If this still doesn’t work in giving you a fair price quote, speak to the insurance agent and ask for options regarding reducing the rate. If you give them a ballpark figure of how much insurance you can afford a year, most often they will work to help you attain these figures.

You may even want to consider adding security or fire safety features to the home, if that insurance company offers a discount for these features. Although it may cost a bit of money out of your pocket to add these features, it will save your insurance premium in the long run.

Credit: Ian W Anderson of homeownersinsurance.cc, the homeowners insurance information site. For more homeowners insurance information and articles like this one visit: Homeowners Insurance

1. Buy the right insurance for you. “You should know what you have, and you should know ahead of time that you are covered,” says Jeanne Salvatore, vice president for consumer affairs with the Insurance Information Institute, a nonprofit industry trade group. She recommends looking at your insurance coverage in four key areas: the structure of your house, your belongings, your liability to others and your living expenses if you’re forced out. “If there’s a disaster, you want to be able to rebuild your house and replace everything in it. And you need enough liability coverage to protect you in case you do get sued.” Living expenses would cover the cost of making the house livable or living elsewhere while your home is being repaired or rebuilt.

2. Get replacement value insurance. Face it, this is an insurance policy, not a garage sale. You don’t really care how much your possessions would fetch on the open market, the so-called “cash value” or “fair market value.” You want to be able to replace everything you lost with similar, new items. And make sure that your policy spells out that both your home and its contents are covered by replacement-value insurance.

When it comes to replacing the house itself, look for extended or guaranteed-replacement-value coverage. Guaranteed replacement, which covers rebuilding no matter what the cost, is not offered much any more, says Don Griffin, assistant vice president of commercial lines for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). Many companies offer extended-replacement-value insurance, which will cover up to 100 percent of the value of the home, plus a certain percentage to cover rebuilding the home in today’s market.

3. Understand the claims process thoroughly. Two policies can promise the same amount of coverage, but they can be vastly different when it comes to covering you and your family after a loss. Have your insurance agent explain exactly how claims are handled, especially when it comes to writing you a check. Do you receive your entire claim upfront, or just a fraction? Does the company pay you for all the things you’ve lost, or only those things that you replace?

Some policies will give you the cash value of your possessions right after a loss, but wait to cover the replacement value until after you’ve replaced your items — and have the receipts to prove it. This could be a problem if you’re wiped out and have no cash reserves.

Equally important is the timetable on replacement. If you go from living in a five-bedroom home to sleeping in a motel room with four kids and a dog, you might not want to go on a shopping spree right away. How long do you have to replace your things?

4. Take a thorough and accurate inventory. Filing a claim involves two steps — proving you owned certain items and verifying their worth. This is a lot easier to do when you still have your things. Go through your entire home with a video camera (rent one if you don’t already have one.) Walk through each room, do a quick sweep and get everything you own on tape. Don’t forget the attic, basement, closets and offsite storage locker, if you have one. Or take the low-tech method: make a list and shoot a few rolls of film. Stash your video or photos in a safety deposit box with a copy of your policy. If you keep your inventory at home, make a second copy to give to a friend or keep at the office.

5. Buy floaters. Many times, homeowners insurance and renter’s insurance policies limit the amount you can collect on some big-ticket items — usually things like computer equipment, jewelry, furs and fine collectibles — to a fraction of the replacement value. If this is the case, you need to pick up a special policy known as a “floater” or “endorsement” for each of those items. A floater will also reimburse you if you simply lose the article. In the case of something new, save the bill of sale with your inventory, and fax a copy to your insurance agent. If the item is older, have an appraisal done. Again, save one copy and send another to your agent. That way, you’ll never have to worry about proving you owned an item, and there will never be a dispute over what it’s really worth.

6. Keep pace with inflation. This is especially important with a homeowners insurance policy. It may have cost you $100,000 to build your home 10 years ago, but it might cost $120,000 to replace it today. “Many insurance companies have inflation guard, which covers the increasing cost of rebuilding,” Salvatore says. When your policy comes up for renewal, talk to your agent to verify that your coverage amounts are still realistic. And when you make an improvement, add it to the total.

7. If you own a condo or co-op, protect your property. Make sure that the condo board or association has a policy that covers the common areas, and get a copy. Also look at the association bylaws to find out what portions of the home you must cover. “It’s usually from the drywall in,” Griffin says.

Since condo owners need their contents policy to cover things like cabinets and fixtures, they need a bit more insurance than the typical renter. Sometimes you get a price break if you go with the same company that wrote the policy for the condo association.

“Plus they are familiar with what they cover, so they know what to sell you,” Griffin says.

You also may want to consider assessment coverage. If the condo association’s policy is not large enough to cover a loss, or if there is a hefty deductible, the association will split the additional costs among the members in the form of an assessment. With assessment coverage, your insurance company pays the tab.

8. Consider flood and earthquake insurance. Granted, this is not for everyone. But if you live in an area prone to floods or earthquakes, it pays to know that most property policies do not cover these disasters. Some independent carriers offer both. For flood insurance, you can also contact the National Flood Insurance Program. In California, you can get earthquake insurance through the California Earthquake Authority.

9. Think about buying an umbrella policy. Liability insurance, which picks up the tab if someone gets hurt on your property or through the actions of your family members, tops out at $300,000 on most homeowners insurance policies, according to Griffin. “But nobody sues for $300,000,” he says. “That usually starts at $1 million.” His recommendation: if you have assets, pick up an umbrella policy that would add extra liability coverage to your home and auto policy. “Umbrellas are cheap — usually starting at about $200 to $350 a year.”

10. After a life-changing event, call your agent. Getting married or divorced? Are the kids moving out — or back in? The amount of insurance you need — and the items you want to cover — change over the years. Be sure you keep your policies and inventories up to date.

Matt McWilliams is one of the co-founders of HometownQuotes.Com, an online insurance quotes web site. He is originally from Pinebluff, NC and attended Middle Tennessee State University. He is considered an expert in the field of online insurance shopping and finding new ways to help consumers save money on their insurance. For more information visit http://www.hometownquotes.com

Trying to get your 16 year old acid rocker son to go to an Opera is like trying to get President Bill Clinton to admit that he had sex with that Lewinsky gal. You’ve got one big fight ahead of you. The truth is, if we didn’t have the opera, we wouldn’t have some of the other great music of our time as ultimately every form of music, especially Broadway musicals, comes from the classics. And there is no more classic than grand opera.

There’s a reason that most operas are sung in Italian. Most of the great writers of opera were Italian. The few English language operas we have, like “The Barber Of Seville” don’t compare to the old grand Italian operas. And it is those operas that have given us some of the greatest singers in the history of music.

Great singers go back many years. Keeping this discussion to the 20th century, one needs to go no farther than the incomparable Jussi Bjoerling, as he was called. Bjoerling lived from 1911 to 1960. He actually wasn’t even Italian but Swedish born. But he was one of the greatest of our time. He was the leading tenor at the New York Metropolitan Opera for more than 20 years. Some of this most memorable performances however were not done at the Met but at the Rome Opera House under the direction of Jonel Perlea where he appeared in some of the greatest operas ever written, including “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Tosca” and “Carmen”, just to name a few.

In the opera world, many people were constantly comparing Bjoerling to another great tenor by the name of Enrico Caruso. Caruso actually came long before Bjoerling, having been born in 1873. At the time he was considered the greatest tenor of all time. After the arrival of Bjoerling, the debate began. Most opera lovers are torn between the two as to who is the greatest. Caruso actually had technical problems early in his career that he did not overcome until the turn of the century when he was finally able to move away from resorting to falsetto or transposition. Caruso gave many memorable performances during his all too brief career which included probably his most popular role in “I Pagliacci” where he sings what has become his most famous aria, “Vesti La Giubba”.

The opera world did not just belong to the men. There have been many great women who have come to the opera stage over the years. One of the most famous of these is Leontyne Price who was born in 1927 and still lives today, though she has long stopped her operatic career. Price had many victories in her career. Her biggest was probably on January 27, 1961, when she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House while playing Leonora in the Verdi classic “Il Trovatore”. Her performance was so incredible that it resulted in her getting a 42 minute standing ovation. This was one of the longest in the history of the Met. The critics reviews of her performance labeled it as “flawless”.

These few greats only scratch the surface of what opera has given us. If you’ve never been to the grand opera, by all means go. Even if you have to leave your 16 year old acid rocker home.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Entertainment

Everyone that can hear normally has the ability to train their ear. I’ve taught dozens of students that claim they “just did not have an ear”, and yet after few weeks of lessons they are able to start noticing when their guitar is out of tune. It happens relatively quickly once you start hearing how things are supposed to sound.

Training your ear is like training your fingers on the guitar, it takes repetition, and it takes accuracy. Tuning your guitar every time you play is the simplest and most natural way to teach your ear what sounds good and not.

There are some excellent tools you can use in addition to just tuning your guitar regularly. My favorite is the Advanced Ear Training Software for musicians from Jana Software. For more about Jana Software make sure to check out the information on our main website.

Another strategy it to listen to your favorite recorded music. People tend to hear the music, what I am talking about is listening to the music. Focus on the sounds you hear and how they change. How the tones go up and down. Don’t worry about what key the song is in, or what notes is being played, just focus on the tones.

You do not need to be concerned about music theory or music notations to learn about how sounds relate to each other. It truly is a natural instinct, when two notes are played together that sound good, you know it, and when they sound bad, you know it as well. Do not let your inexperience with theory keep you from doing what comes naturally with the experience of just listening to music, and the notes you are playing on your freshly tuned guitar.

With time you’ll notice how sensitive your ears become to sounds that are not “right” and you’ll be able to instinctively reach up and adjust the tuner to make it sound right again. It takes time, accurate repletion and a desire to want to ROCK ON!

Bill McRea is the publisher of The
Guitar Warehouse and Guitar
Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

How can we stop Identity Theft, which is growing each year and becoming one of the biggest concerns of the American People? What can our government do to curb these pirates of our data and thieves of our good names? What is to be done with regards to those who have already been victimized? How can we stop Internet Phishers and personal data thieves when more and more businesses and government agencies are checking up on the data to protect us from International Terrorism?

One thing our government is doing is creating a national identity theft task force and an executive order has already been signed by the President of the United States of America to see that it is done.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060510-6.html

Some say it is about time and indeed it surely is and it appears our government will be rising to the occasion and going after these thieves once and for all. The task force plans on cracking down on criminals who steal folks identities, no matter where on the Planet they are hiding. This task force has some heavy hitters including the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission as Chair of the Task Force. Some say that the FTC is impotent unable to even curb the Viagra Spam in your email inbox, so how can they stop identity theft? Either way it will be nice to take a bite out of Identity Theft once and for all. Consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Sydney is one of the best cities in the world to see music in. It’s world famous for its Sydney Opera House , which is one of the most recognizable architectural sights anywhere. Sydney is also home to a large number of rock, blues and jazz bands if that’s more your scene.

The only problem with Sydney is that it’s not very affordable because plane tickets to Australia cost a lot from almost everywhere except New Zealand. However, because tourism is down all over the world right now due to a bad economy, you may be able to get a decent bargain on tickets, especially during the off season. Because Sydney’s in the southern hemisphere, off-season there is summertime here, so look for flights in July and August and be assured that the climate there is moderate. Even in the dead of winter temperatures seldom go below 40 degrees F, so you can enjoy yourself greatly, especially when you think about how much money you’re saving.

Cheap Sydney hotels are also easier to find in wintertime. Hotels often offer discounts of as much as ten to twenty percent off their high season rates. Sydney has a variety of accommodations, from hostels to ordinary hotels to apartment hotels that allow you to save money on eating out because you can cook for certain meals.

Once you’ve taken care of the basics, if you’re looking for an affordable music tour of Sydney you’ll be interested in cheap concert tickets . As an added benefit the prices are in Australian dollars so if you’re from the US, Canada or Europe you’ll find they’re an even better deal than they look on first glance.

Take advantage of these tips in order to enjoy one of the world’s most beautiful and exciting cities that you may have thought was out of reach due to expensive flights. You won’t be sorry you did.

Guitar Strings - How do you know when it’s time to change your Guitar Strings?

Well there are many signs. First simply look at them. Do you have all 6 strings? Are they rusty or discolored assuming they are steel strings. If the answer to these questions is no then guess what? You need new Guitar Strings!

If that doesn’t help you the next step would be to PLAY your guitar. How do the strings feel? Do they feel rough? Have they lost a bit of their elasticity? Have more of wire feeling than a guitar string? Then you need new guitar strings!

Most importantly how does your guitar sound? As strings get older they get corroded from exposure to the elements and from dirt and oils from your fingers. They won’t sound as fresh or bright anymore and not as easy to play. You then need new guitar strings!

How often you change your guitar strings is a common question. Think of the guitar like anything else that needs maintenance. You should periodically change your guitar strings before any of the above scenarios takes place. Some guitar players I know change their strings every week or month, and some every other day! If you play many hours a day every couple of weeks should be fine. If you play a little bit each day or every couple of days then you should change them no more than once a month or every other month.

Be sure to ALWAYS have extra set a strings on hand incase one breaks. Especially when playing a gig!

My personal favorite guitar strings are Elixir guitar strings. They make both acoustic and electric guitar strings. They are slightly more money than other brands but I believe it is totally worth it. They have a special coating on the strings that makes them last longer and feel better. Try them and I think you will agree.

You also need to consider the gauge (thickness) of strings you’d like. This is where personal preference comes into play; beginners should start with “medium” gauge strings, and vary from that as you develop a preference. A simple rule of thumb is thicker strings provide better tone, but are harder to play. Acoustics usually have thicker strings for that thicker tone. Have Fun Playing!

I will be honest and admit that I stumbled onto this high traffic generation news article secret totally by accident, although it had been staring me right in the face for a long time. I am fully aware of the fact that this sort of admission may not make me look very good or impressive as a traffic generation expert. But then I sincerely believe that at the end of the day, folks will always prefer somebody who insists on sticking to the truth rather than a “plastic” creation of some clever spin-doctor.

For years I have closely studied the effect of keywords in article generation and the result has been the generation of massive amounts of traffic both for my own blogs and client sites as well. I have also discovered many fascinating ways to use keywords in content to dramatically boost Google Adsense earnings. But through it all, I remained completely unaware of this amazing news article secret.

There is this current affairs blog that I launched almost on a whim and had not been updated the content for a long time. One day some interesting news item broke and I wrote a couple of quick news articles and posted them at the blog. When I monitored the traffic after a few days I was amazed at how high it had jumped. I carefully studied my tracking stats to see where the traffic had come from. What I discovered amazed and excited me.

I was shocked to realize that most of the traffic was from search engines. I was eager to understand why things had happened the way they had and that was the beginning of my journey of discovery. Probably the most important immediate news article secret you need to grasp is the fact that search engines have a way of monitoring and classifying news articles so that they will tend to get indexed much more quickly.

Garden Decor Tips

Are you thinking about adding a little something extra to your garden? Whether it is preparing your winter bulbs or planning your garden projects for the spring and summer season, there are several ways to add special touches to your garden without spending a fortune. Here are a few tips to help you on your way to a beautiful landscape.

Water features for your garden are becoming more popular and more affordable to people who are renovating their backyard. They can be created to suit any size and style of yard; from a full waterfall and pond to a simple water feature on your patio. Due to the many sizes and styles available, you may want to do some research so you can plan accordingly.

With a little careful planning and some heavy physical work, rock gardens can add a unique touch to your garden while being able to vary in themes and color schemes throughout the year if desired. Rock gardens are somewhat easy to change in the overall view by using different rocks, plants and flowers.

Feeling adventurous? Do you want to do something a little different while attracting wildlife to your garden? Why not give them a special corner? Wildflowers and nettles attract various wildlife such as bees, birds and butterflies. Building a little fence around the area will give it a special touch while the wildflowers continue to flourish and display their beautiful colors.

Do you enjoy relaxing in your backyard on a warm summer day? Investing in comfortable garden furniture will make relaxing in your backyard oasis even more enjoyable. Ideas may include a hammock that can be strung between two large trees or a park-type bench with comfortable cushions placed between a couple of lilac bushes. Other options such as porch swings, chairs and loungers on a small deck may be other possibilities.

There is something soothing, comfortable and familiar about the sound of wind chimes in the warm summer air that makes your outdoor oasis a relaxing one. Many chimes are available on the market to suit every style and budget. Wind chimes can also be made at home as a wonderful family activity.

There are many other ways to make your garden and yard beautiful. All you need to do is let your imagination run wild with a little research and planning. Visit Garden-Style-Decor.com for more ideas and options to make your backyard or garden a wonderful place.