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5 Quick Tips for Creative Photographs of Children

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As cliché as it may sound, we often hear the phrases, “they are only little once,” and “a picture is worth 1,000 words.” Since this is the case, you will want to ensure to take plenty of pictures of your baby, so you can look back and cherish the memories for the rest of your life. However, you do not want to make the mistake that most people do, which is to have a bunch of pictures that look practically identical with the exception of the child being a different age in each picture. We have done the research for you and came up with five quick tips for creative photographs of children.

Different Angles

First of all, you, nor anyone else you show the pictures to, wants to feel like they are looking at duplicate pictures with the exception of the child’s age and the clothes they are wearing. For this reason, you should try to vary the angles of your shoots. For instance, you could take some full-body portraits in some pictures, while you could have the angle looking up, down or from the side in others.

Zoom

In some pictures, you will want to capture your child with a cute background, such as in front of their playhouse or toys. However, there will be other times where you just want to focus in on your baby’s stunning eyes. You can accomplish either task by zooming in or out.

Caught Off-Guard

One thing that many parents have done in the past that they end up regretting is only having professional pictures or pictures they carefully choreographed taken. For this reason, we have found that your best bet is to catch your child off-guard when you take some of the pictures. If you see them making their infamous “pouty” face, quickly take their picture. In other words, you do not want to just have a bunch of pictures of them with a plain background and a cheesy smile on their face.

Bring it to Life

Another mistake many people have made is to take a bunch of generic-looking pictures of their kids. Instead, you should bring the photographs to life by using various special effects and angles as aforementioned. However, if you want the maximum effect, you should try to catch them when they are crawling around for the first time or playing with their favorite toys.

Lighting

Finally, you do not want every picture to have the same lighting. You can change up the lighting a bit by taking some pictures indoors and others outside. Additionally, you can create homemade backgrounds, such as using their favorite blanket, to make the photographs even more personal.

While your baby may keep you up all night and flat out wear you out, you should cherish these years because they are only young once. However, you are only capable of remembering so much about your child’s baby years, so you will really regret it if you do not have a wide variety of their baby pictures.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=children+photography&ex=1

About Author

Betty Pierce is a photography enthusiast from New York who first started using a rangefinder before switching to DSLR. She hopes to eventually work with Dr. Mark Antman; founder of the famous stock photography agency, Image Works.





7 Tips Successful Holiday Fundraising

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With a little planning, it is easy to host a successful fundraising event that is sure to have people talking! Don’t miss out on the added spirit of generosity many feel this time of year. Some smart planning and tactical thinking will help you make the most of the season. Because so much time goes into fundraising, it’s important to focus yours on items that will do the most for your program.

Have a Plan of Attack

Discussing the purpose of the fundraiser is a great place to start. It is important to have a clear goal in mind. Brainstorming ideas such as methods of fundraising, themes, venues, products or services and legal responsibilities will enable everyone to be on the same page. Establishing a timeline and a list of responsibilities will make the fundraiser run like clockwork.

Plan for Pizazz

Organize a fundraising event that will be fun for all involved. Create a great social affair that people will want to make an annual event. ‘Different’ may be daring but it can also be delightful.

Fix Your Focus!


It will be necessary to decide who will be the intended audience for the fundraiser. This will greatly affect the type of fundraiser and the amount of money that you can raise. This time of year, Christmas and Hanukkah are the obvious theme choices. Failing to consider the seasonal obligations of some targeted audiences could hinder the success of the event. For example, creating a raffle for white goods during the holiday season may not be as successful as possibly a cookie drive leading up to Christmas.

Determine the Budget

Depending on the type of fundraiser, different costs will be involved. It is essential that the budget is set from the beginning and all involved are fully aware of the budget. Consider seeking sponsorship to help strengthen the fundraising event.

Ask and You Shall Receive!

Fundraisers actually have several purposes. Primarily they are to raise money for a cause yet they have two more powers that if tapped into, can make the fundraiser even more successful. Fundraising highlights a cause. For example, it may bring attention to cancer research or even youth community involvement by highlighting a local junior softball team. So with this in mind, it is a good idea to seek the support of local businesses and celebrities.

Often by just asking, you can get goods and services donated for the fundraiser. Payment for such generosity is usually in the form of free advertising or acknowledgement by the fundraiser. It can be as grand as mentioning business names in radio interviews or simply printing company logos on product boxes or the backs of t-shirts. People love to get behind a good cause and often it is easier to offer free seating or a team of volunteers than to write a check.

Be Seen and Heard

Acknowledge supporters and advertise the fundraiser. Be explicit in the reasons for raising funds and list ways people can give. Tap into the local community and again, don’t be afraid to ask for support. The worse they can say is no. Contact local radio stations, newspapers and even favorite stores, restaurants and businesses. Utilize community newsletters and fully engage social networking media. Merchandising is also a fun way to spread the word!

Acknowledge All

When the event is all done and dusted, it is crucial to thank those who involved. Personal letters are touching and very considerate. A Certificate or photo is a great way to show appreciation to local businesses. For larger events, a gift bag for those attending is a clever way to show gratitude. These can be filled with samples gained through sponsorship. A letter printed in a local newspaper and on social networking sites can show appreciation for community support.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/785888

Keeping on budget with your fundraiser means checking out different printing and photocopying services to find one that will let you put more money towards the fundraising goal. Choose wisely.

The Heavy Influence of Modern Media on Today’s Youth

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Butch and Sundance ruined my life. I was, before that magical film, an obedient child and an upstanding sixth-grader. But somehow, men who wouldn’t even fight fair in a knife fight, blew up trains, stole money for a living, and then slept with Katherine Ross, who I watched undress between my fingers while my hand covered my eyes, were the kind of men I wanted to be. I turned 12 that day. It was my birthday, literally. I mentally set a path to abandon my goody two-shoes image and channel the personae of Butch and Sundance.

For the next two days, I did my best to emulate my heroes. But my jokes fell flat; my disrespect for authority blew up in my face; and my ventures into larceny dogged me in family lore for decades. I tried to be Butch and Sundance at school, but everyone ganged up on me. As I sat emotionally wounded and bleeding in the boy’s bathroom, I tried to reload and think about how I could still be cool like Butch and Sundance. Nothing came to mind. So, I walked out of the bathroom and faded back into my sepia-toned existence.

Effects of Media on Children and Teens

How is media, as in movies, music, video games, magazines, and television, affecting your child? If you don’t know, that’s scary. By the way, join the club. The producers of media, from Mulan to Grand Theft Auto and unrepeatable porn titles, like to downplay the effect of media on society. It’s just entertainment; no victim, no crime. There are many perpetrators and victims who would disagree with this assessment. Also, multiple studies and surveys have concluded that many forms of media negatively affect kids’ psyche and behavior. Certain types of media plant bad seeds in the minds of youngsters, and these seeds grow and bloom into bad behavior. But these are just studies. Think what you want.

How Youngsters Justify Law-Breaking

I talked to a twenty-something young man about his habit of pirating movies. “Don’t you think that’s wrong?” I asked. Without any hesitation or thought, he stated, “Absolutely not. By the time I was 15, I had seen at least 20 movies where the computer hacker saved the day. He broke the law and was cool. Then, Johnny Depp showed me that pirates could be heroes. When I watched these movies, I realized that I could go to my computer and be the hacker and pirate. I even learned how to pirate and be invisible. When I go to the movies and see some poor Hollywood schmuck whine and complain about video piracy, I laugh. Hollywood created me. I don’t owe them anything.”

Therapeutic Programs

There is a good reason why the most successful youth treatments include wilderness therapy programs. Such programs take away the Hollywood influence. I also talked to a single mother who commented that her 15-year-old daughter had inexplicably become more disrespectable, angry, and vicious in her language. She didn’t notice any change in her daughter’s choice of friends or other activities. She did, however, discover that her daughter loved the TV show, Bad Girls. So, she decided to investigate. In less than one episode, she discovered where her daughter’s language and attitude were coming from.

Final Words

The two examples above are PG-rated media. I don’t have the desire to wade into the areas of pornography, graphic violence, and anarchy that kids today have access to. And before you say it, I agree with you; most kids who play Halo war games don’t go on shooting sprees. All in all, your child’s questionable media choices aren’t a suicide pill. You child and most teens will survive the experience. It is more like Russian roulette. You will, only some of the time, lose your child.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Creative Commons – me and the sysop. “2”. April 2, 2009. Online image. Flickr. image source

Clyde Go is a freelance writer who regularly writes articles about teen problems and other social issues that plague adolescents. He also blogs about wilderness programs, specialty boarding schools, and other facilities that provide help for troubled teenagers.

Are School Cookery Lessons a Waste of Time?

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Learn About Life

With many people strongly believing that schools should be doing more to teach life skills rather than just “teaching to the test” across a plethora of subjects, it is strange that the debate around school cookery lessons is such a hot one. Surely cooking is one of the very best life skills we can all learn from a young age. Unless we adopt a “raw food” type of diet when we reach adulthood, the chances are that we’ll all need to have some culinary skills to get through life.

Now that we know this, just what is the problem many have with school cooking classes?

Not a Lesson

The biggest problem many have is that the children in schools aren’t really learning anything. Red tape and “Health and Safety” tends to mean that certain ingredients or practices aren’t allowed, or won’t be risked, in a number of schools, despite the potential benefits on offer.

Another issue that overshadows these lessons is that there generally isn’t actually a great deal of cooking that goes on. The focus might be on making dough, or getting a cake mixture correct, not on practical advice and teachings that could actually prove crucial in the years to come. Many people are fortunate enough to pick up bits and pieces from their parents in order to hone their own cooking skills, but what about those who don’t? There is an argument that, despite growing concern in developed countries around the world surrounding obesity and health problems caused by poor diet, education systems are doing little more that dooming children to a life of microwave meals and convenience foods.

People holding this point of view feel that more time could be spent in schools on more traditional academic lessons, although the best alternative would perhaps be physical education, so that the obesity and health issue can be dealt with.

Getting Familiar

In contrast, many argue that, regardless of what is actually made during a cookery class – and whether or not it is eaten – the familiarity that children can gain of the kitchen and how different things are used and operated can prove invaluable.

In a one or two hour lesson, someone with an interest in food isn’t going to turn into a young Jamie Oliver, however they could definitely pick up enough to begin to hone their skills. After all, isn’t schooling all about preparing youngsters for later life?

This article was written by Videojug. Videojug are a leading video content website, featuring thousands of professionally produced pieces of helpful video content. Videojug can help teach all of the valuable life skills that school cookery lessons didn’t, including how to make a meringue recipe.

Top 3 Tasty Breakfast Quick Fixes

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Rise and Shine

Whether it is related to energy levels, obesity, or the sort of mood we are in on a day-to-day basis, we are regularly told of the importance of eating breakfast. Despite us all knowing this, a large majority find themselves preferring the extra fifteen minutes in bed rather than getting up in time to have breakfast.

Thankfully, enjoying a little bit of an indulgent lie-in doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to skip breakfast. Before you go getting any ideas, it doesn’t mean that you can stop off at the drive thru or get someone to pick you up a greasy sandwich on the way into the office.

Instead, why not plan ahead a little and try out some of these ideas?

Slow Cooking

If you have got a slow cooker, then one great idea is to make porridge and cook it overnight. This can work brilliantly in either a large or small appliance depending on how many of you there are in your household. Invest in some reasonably sized cardboard cups and plastic spoons so you can eat it on the move if you need to.

Nuts or raisins are great additions to early morning porridge, while cinnamon is known to help kick-start your metabolism first thing, so add some either overnight or simply stir in before you leave.

Get Fruity

Many of you will already pick up an apple or banana on the way out of the door, however you can make things a lot tastier by preparing a fruit salad the night before. Simply leave it in the fridge so you can again take it with you, and perhaps have a small pot of yoghurt or a bag of nuts on hand if you want to add extra early morning nutrition.

You could always change this up and pre-prepare a traditional lunch salad for breakfast, with chopped peppers, tomatoes, and cheese, although this isn’t for everyone first thing in the morning!

Breakfast Baking

Obviously, you aren’t going to wake up and have time to bake, but you could always spend the weekends making tasty muffins or other breakfast cakes. Simply keep them in a container and use them throughout the week, or if you’re feeling extra generous you could take them all to the office at the beginning of the week in order to help dispel the Monday blues.

Think of the fun you will have and the money you will save against buying the same thing from the coffee shop on your way into the office!

This article was written by Videojug. Videojug provides a wide selection of high quality and informative “how to” videos to help you make tasty breakfasts, including how to make blueberry muffins, among others.

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