Arts and Entertainent

Digital Photography: Overcoming Your Manual Fears

So, you bought the best digital camera you could afford, with every intention of finally learning to take better photos. All those features sounded great while you were in the camera shop. Then you took one look at that inch-thick manual, full of technical terms and complex detail, and thought 'Maybe I will stick with auto after all'. After all, if you make a mistake, you can just delete it, right?

Does this sound like you? Don't worry, you are not alone. Camera manuals reflect the technical power of modern cameras, but they are intimidating to any beginner who just wants to take a decent photo.

Digital cameras are like most computer programs; you may only need to learn about 10% of the functions on offer. So don't get tied up in knots trying to understand everything. Just learn what you need to know, and learn it well, and you will be well on the way to being a better photographer.

Here are a few tips that may just take the complexity out of photography for you.

Tip #1. Stick with the basics. In the days of film, good photographers used SLR cameras with two main settings; aperture and shutter speed. These were the ingredients of all great photography. Today, cameras come with hundreds of features, but guess which ones you really need to understand? That's right, aperture and shutter speed.

If you can understand these two settings, you are halfway to becoming a better photographer. Your manual (I never said you could throw it away) will tell you which buttons to press on your camera. However, to really understand what these settings are all about, don't rely on the manual. There is plenty of information out there; workshops, websites, books and ebooks can help.

Practice has never been easier than it is today. Most cameras have semi-automatic settings, called 'aperture priority' and 'shutter priority,' that allow you to operate one setting while the camera takes care of the other. This is a great way to practice a skill without fear of getting too many failed exposures.

Tip #2. Learn from your mistakes. If you just delete every photo you are not happy with, you are missing a golden opportunity to learn from your own experience. Your 'failures' contain so much information, you could be learning from each exposure - even the bad ones!

Let's say you are experimenting with aperture. Try photographing a scene three times, with three different aperture settings, for three slightly different results. Instead of keeping your favourite and deleting the others immediately, you could transfer them to your computer and take the time to examine them properly. You can see how each setting changed the look of the picture, and which setting worked best for that subject. Now you can learn from your own results, not from some theory in a book.

Did you know that if you right-click your mouse over a photograph on your computer and select 'properties' you will find a lot of information embedded in the file? You don't have to keep a note of the aperture/shutter speed information; your photo does it for you!

Of course in the long term you don't want to keep every single photo you take, but you might want to keep a folder of 'learning photos' to refer to later, with maybe two versions of each subject you experiment with. To make it even easier, rename the pictures with relevant titles, for example: Red Rose/Small Aperture, Red Rose/Large Aperture; Waterfall/Fast Shutter, Waterfall/Slow Shutter.

Tip #3. Learn The Art As Well As The Technique. Every problem in photography cannot be solved by the camera. Professional photographers rely on light and composition as much as they rely on technology. In fact, most photos fail not because of bad technique, but because they were taken at the wrong time of day, or the photographer did not put enough thought into the composition. Yet daily I meet people who think that all their problems would be solved by a better camera, or some mysterious technique they are yet to learn.

Remember what I said in Tip #1; aperture and shutter speed are the fundamental skills, and with a little practice, they are not hard to learn. Master them and you are halfway there. The key to becoming a really good photographer is a balance of technical knowledge and artistic skill. Practice both, and soon your friends will be coming to you for photography tips!

If you found these tips helpful, Andrew Goodall has released two top-selling ebooks that have already helped thousands of new photographers learn the art and skills of nature photography. See Andrew's images and ebooks at http://www.naturesimage.com.au While you are there, enjoy even more great photography tips by subscribing to our online newsletter...it's free!

Food and Drink

Fun Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

The emotional trigger that a smell can stir up is one of the most powerful triggers that there is. If you live anywhere in the United States, chances are that the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking conjures up some kind of emotional memory for you. Smells are part of how we remember, part of how we define our memories, our stories, our lives.

For me, the smells of baking were part of my childhood, part of the fabric of how I define my childhood and part of the fabric of how I define my life to this day. The smell of a favorite baked treat can still bring a smile of remembrance to my face. What kitchen smells define your childhood memories? What smells do you want your children to define as their childhood memories? Here a couple of great variations on that old favorite, chocolate chip cookies. I hope you use these baking recipes to make wonderful memories with your children.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter. Mix together until creamy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture. Add in the chocolate chips and peanuts. Drop the dough by teaspoons onto baking sheets. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set but the centers are soft. After removing the cookies from the oven, leave them on the baking sheets for 4 minutes before removing them.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, butter and regular sugar. Add in the eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Slowly add the flour mixture. Add the oats, chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheets. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 9 to 10 minutes for soft cookies and 12 to 13 for crispy ones.

Jill Borash loves to share her passion for baking and story telling at her website, YourBakingStory.com. If you're looking for a tasty

or just a good story, stop by and browse awhile. Happy Baking!

Health and Fitness

Pets and Animals

What to do to remove that cat urine stain on the carpet?

So you want to remove that cat urine stain on your carpet or furniture. Wondering which cat urine remover should you select. What is the process to select a cat urine remover?

Most importantly how to find the cat urine remover ? Or is there any home recipe for cleaning the stain at all?

It's a common dilemma. The scent of cat urine is strong, its stains are vivid. It becomes very difficult to remove from carpet, flooring,upholstery, or anywhere else. Realize that regular household cleaning products, such as carpet-cleaners can't remove the stain properly. Also you must avoid using ammonia or ammonia-based products. Ammonia smells similar to cat urine, so these products will only encourage the cat to urinate in the area again.Your cat will still be able to smell the urine, which tells the cat that it's a good spot to urinate.

Don't go for fragrance cover up products. This will not fix your cat urine problem. If you are going to buy a cat urine remover, make sure the cat urine remover is simple to use which saves you time. An effective product will be one that doesn't merely suck up or absorb stain but cleans it completely so that your cat doesn't soil again in the same area.

Applying vinegar is an effective home remedy for cleaning cat urine. Mix it with water in equal proportions and wet the problem area with this. If it's on carpet then you have to use enough solution to penetrate the fibres. Then dry it either with a fan or blotting with paper towels.The acidity of the vinegar will neutralize the ammonia in the cat urine.

Finding the exact spots on the mat to clean could be a major problem. the cat urine is not in the mat but in the mat padding underside so you need to try and remove that cat urine from deep down below the mat. Scrubbing the mat is usually not a good idea.This is a mistake often done by cat owners. What it does is that it absorbs the urine deep into its fibers and then the stain or the odor will be far too difficult to eliminate.

Realize that cats drink little water so their urine is very concentrated and stinking. That ammonia-like smell is so strong and annoying.Most people think cat urine is hard to remove.Cat's urine is rich in protein and if you learn diverse ways to remove it you will never get annoyed in the future.Also learn to train your cat so that he doesn't urinate again wherever he pleases.

Cats drink little water so their urine is very concentrated and stinking. Cat urine problems are serious issues that a cat lover can't avoid.

Sports and Recreation

Fly Fishing Secrets

Copyright © 2008 Steven Magill

When most people think of fly fishing, they think of the movie A River Runs Through It. They picture standing on the banks of a beautiful river (or possibly standing in the middle of it) and whipping a fishing pole back and forth as an amazingly long line flings back and forth with the whip of the pole. To be sure, to watch fly fisherpeople (or anglers as the people who fly fish are called) can be very relaxing. Imagine how soothing and peaceful it must be to actually be out there doing the fishing. Of course that isn't to say that there aren't a few fly fishing secrets to help you have a successful fishing trip.

To the non-trained eye, fly fishing doesn't look like that big of a deal, but there is a gentle and subtle art to it. Like with most things, fly fishing relies on gear, technique and skill to result in a successful catch. Of course, the fly fishing secrets vary depending on where you are going fly fishing and what you hope to catch.

The first thing you will want to think about is your gear. If you are fishing for trout (which is the fish of choice for most anglers), you will want to use the lightest fly rod possible. This fly rod should have a fly reel with, at the most, four pound test monofilament in its reel. If the line is any heavier, the trout will see it and recognize that it is not a natural part of their world.

The best bait that you can use is a still living worm. That probably isn't what you want to hear after spending all sorts of money on different types of line, lure and fancy kinds of bait. Still, simple and natural is always best. The best way to use live worms is to attach them to a set of gang hooks that have been pre-tied.

Believe it or not, what you are wearing can also have an impact on the success of your fly fishing trip. Because the trout have such fantastic eyesight, you will want to do everything you can to blend into the background of the fishing location you have chosen. Bland colors that match the naturally occurring colors are the best bet. You don't have to spend a bunch of money on camouflage, but you also don't want to wear bright red pants in a dark green river.

These are just a few simple fly fishing secrets to keep in mind as you set out on your fly fishing expedition.

The act of fly fishing is at least two millennia old, and while it didn't become popular until the nineteenth century, the last couple hundred years has been wrought with fly fishing developments. As the gear has improved, the angler's basic trials and errors have resulted in some wonderful fly fishing secrets. A simple search on the internet will yield far more than the few we've shared with you here.

Tired of fumbling with your rod and reel? Get The Insider, Professional Fly-fishing Tricks, Tips and Techniques at http://www.flyfishinglessons.org

Travel and Leisure

Known as the city that never sleeps

Known as the city that never sleeps; you will need to have at least seven days in New York City if you want a real taste of what it has to offer the visitor. One of the busiest visitor locations in the city is the Empire State Building and even if you don't get to the top there is still a great deal to see. For even better views, when the weather is fine, it requires a trip to the top of the 820 feet tall Rockefeller Centre. Visitors to New York will often get the best view of the Statue of Liberty from the many tour boats but New York has seen a dramatic rise in the number of tourists since 9/11 and often it is worth disembarking at Ellis Island instead.

As an alternative why not go to Staten Island via the free ferry and look at the Statue of Liberty from there; this is also a great place to spend some time enjoying the talents of local (almost professional) street entertainers. Whilst you are on a seven day visit to New York New York a trip to the area where the Twin Towers used to stand has become something that every person who visits this great city must do. It's strangely moving location and the terrorist struck World Trade Centre site covers a huge area but it is a peculiarly unfriendly subject for the photographer. The reason many people travel all the way to New York, even for a weekend, is for the stores and you can pop along to Tiffany's or look for bargains around Broadway and Lower East Side.

Bloomingdales is another famous store (for the wealthy) to look around but it is Maceys, who will give 11 percent discount on production of a tourist card where most people will head for. Another popular visitor destination, which is currently closed for refurbishment is the ISASM or the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum which will be opening it's doors again late in 2008; if you're going to be there next year it will be a worthwhile place to see. There is a great deal there with the focus on the USS Intrepid, a Second World War aircraft carrier but Concorde is also there and many other interesting vessels, including a submarine. The New York City Police Museum is worth an hour if you're down that way; it's free to enter but a five dollar donation is recommended to help with its upkeep; because it's about New York's finest (and some not so fine), it has some really excellent NYPD souvenirs.

Another museum is the Lower East Side Tenement Museum which focuses on the appalling conditions experienced by the immigrants back in 1864. If Central Park is on your list of places to see then there is another museum aptly named the City of New York Museum which has exhibitions exploring the city's past, its present and the future. It is all housed in a beautiful building and entrance is free but a nine dollar donation is recommended. Most visitors seem to be on a flying visit so end up missing some of the most beautiful areas and that's why seven days in New York should really be the minimum stay.

More Resources http://www.travelguides247.com