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I’ve been to deserted beaches in Zanzibar. I’ve swum with dolphins in Praia de Pipa in Brazil. I’ve seen clouds of gulls over Mancora in Peru. I’ve travelled all over South East Asia looking for white sands and towering palm trees. I’ve spent too long on beaches in India watching fishermen hauling in their nets and women splashing in the waves in tight wet sarees. I’ve tried lake beaches in Malawi and Uganda. I’ve sunbathed on empty beaches strewn with coconut husks in Tanzania. I’ve camped on Caribbean beaches in Colombia and I’ve spent childhood holidays staying on forlorn and windswept beaches in Britain. I just can’t get enough of beaches. I really am a beach addict.

At one point I even lived on a beach for 18 months. It was kind of an experiment to see if I would drift into an enlightened state through being surpassingly relaxed. It was also an experiment to see if I would get bored of the Thai beach that I chose for the experiment. The answers are that sadly I’m still chained by desire to the wheel of life and death and that no, I never got bored of living on a beach.

I chose the beach of Thong Nai Pan Noi because for too long I have considered this particular beach to be the epitome of a great beach. More than that: I considered Thong Nai Pan to be the apotheosis of a great beach. Thus, if I’m going to try and define a great beach it should be with reference to Thong Nai Pan Noi.

The first thing about a great beach is that it should be relatively undiscovered. This is not only an environmental must, but also inherent to the experience of a perfect beach. You should ideally walk through majestic palm trees and onto the white sands and see nothing but clear turquoise waters merging into green waters. The sand should be so white it reflects the sun and makes you squint. There should be no madding crowds with canopies, beer coolers, big cars and loud music. No ridiculously defunct swimming pools on the beach. No Bablesque high rise hotels. Just nature at its stunning best is best for me.

The next most important thing about a great beach, in my opinion, is beachfront accommodation. From my cheap bungalow in Thong Nai Pan I could hear the ocean lapping on the shore. I could look out the hole that was my window and see the moon through the swaying coconut palms. Not only do I like cheap beach accommodation, but I also like accommodation that does not drive away nature: when towering concrete comes to a beach the animals retreat and the beauty of a place fades as convenience grows. Yes mosquitoes are a pain and having a snake slide into your bungalow is a heart stopper but it is worth it to feel part of God’s not man’s glorious creation.

My next ‘must’ for a great beach is great local people. There is nothing more addictive than island life. Months can literally slip through your fingers like the sand on the beach and you wonder what you achieved. There is no point being in a hurry. There’s always time to stop and chat and enjoy a drink. For those lucky locals who have imbibed the liberating elixir of island life from childhood there is a definite calmness and openness that we city slickers find both infuriating and enchanting. Time is measured by things infinitely more valuable than minutes and hours.

Finally, my definition of a great beach must include a beach with a beach bar; but not just any beach bar. It must be made of local materials such as bamboo and coconut and have a make shift feel; just a basic counter, a bit of shade and lots of cold drinks. A place mostly deserted except for a couple of locals. I like a bar where when somebody does come in, you have the chance to have a real conversation and make a real friend.

Thong Nai Pan used to have all of this and more. Sadly half the beach has been sold to developers from Bangkok who are trying desperately to turn sand into a high rate of return. While we stayed there they knocked down cheap $5 a night bungalows as soon as we vacated them. We watched the ominous fad of the swimming pool take hold. We saw granite boulders chiseled away and trees cut down. Clean wide views of nature became cluttered with man-made lines. The price of everything went up. The locals grew a hint of misplaced avarice, the police decided they needed to investigate parties and those beach bars became cluttered with iPods, Amazon Kindle 3 readers, smart phones, laptops and people with nothing to say.

These pictures were taken by Carl Glancey using a Canon 5D Mark2. He specializes in Surrey wedding photography.

Social media, digital technologies, and the net in particularly tend to bombard us with pictures at such a shocking speed that our eyes are usually numbed and occasionally overcome by visible details.  We so many images especially photographs on screen that there is a tendency to not actually spend much time looking at them.  Our susceptibility to each individual picture may become blurred or used down – certainly a picture without some sort of visual impact is going to be largely passed over especially if it’s a photo on the web. Moreover, the cheapness and comfort of cameras have so democratized photography that anybody can do it.

Because photography should be tryed by everyone, that is amazing. However in ways I believe because presently there are so many pictures, it is has a down side too. In years gone by the photographer would have to set up the scene and carefully check the light levels.  Digital photography has made taking a photo much, much easier – the technology in cameras does a lot of the work for you.  The flash will come on when required, shutter speed will adjust due to conditions and subjects – the camera will even flash twice to eliminate the dreaded red eye in pictures.

The reality is that anyone now can take a great photo – you don’t need any special training, or skill or even an artistic eye – but of course all these will help!

In addition, digital technology enables photograph to be manipulated through applications like Photoshop. Such manipulations enable anyone, especially media outlets, news companies, and authorities, to alter their pictures, and  even to modify them to suit their needs.  You might have seen a picture of a celebrity looking particularly bad or even good – digital manipulation can allow both perceptions from the same photo. Many audiences don’t know they are being fooled, since the manipulations are frequently perfect.  There is almost no way to tell if any modfication has been completed by a professional – today the saying the camera never lies is simply incorrect.

Make no mistake the progress although it has some drawbacks has undoubtedly been positive.  Some of the photos we see on our screens simply wouldn’t have existed 20 years ago.  Now most of us have a very powerful camera in our phones which we take along most places.  Just browse through some news shows on the BBC Iplayer and you’ll see stunning images taken from around the world on mobile phones.  By the way if you have problems accessing the BBC abroad – try reading this interesting post – Why I can’t watch UK TV abroad – it explains the method for fixing this issue.

Nowadays everyone with an expensive digital camera, especially with a DSLR, consider themselves to be good photographers. It is a little like nearly everyone with an iPod now secretly think of themslevers as DJs just because they have 2 GB of music at their finger tips.

Just as you need the right musical track at the right time to keep the crowd on the dance floor, so you need the right beach at the right time to get a good shot. One of the secrets of photography is getting a good subject. It is true that you can step outside your front door and take a good picture; but if you travel to the other side of the world to a remote location you are likely to get a photograph that is not only technically excellent but also engaging and interesting. You have to seek out the lesser visited spots in the world; find what is new to your audience.

The first consideration when photographing a beach is the light. Don’t point the camera into the sun otherwise the glare will ruin the picture. Spend time to identify the unusual and intersting about the beach and how to capture it in a photograph. Sometimes it is the people on the beach. When people are relaxing they are often more interesting to photograph.

The temptation is to take a long shot of the entire beach. It is often a good shot but probably the one everyone else has on their computer who has been to the same beach. If you take a photo of the beach and sea remember the horizon. If it is not exactly horizontal across the shot it will ruin the effect of the picture. It is a good idea to use a tripod or to rest the camera on a flat surface.

Wildlife makes an excellent focal point for a beach photograph. It can be a butterfly, a bird on the water or a dog running across the sands. You will need to consider shutter times to capture the animal if its moving around.

Another angle for a beach photo is distance. Try to get above the beach. Or try walking to the end of the beach. Capturing the wider geography of a beach area helps to re-create the scene for the viewer. Moreover, the local geographical features often provide good counterpoint colors to the white, yellow and blue of the usual beach pictures.

Finally, while people obesses over kit, it seems to me that making the effort to get to a great beach is far more likely to result in memorable pictures than going overboard ordering camera equipment online.

To give you an idea about beach photography and ideal beach locations visit my Beach Beaches Blog.

For anyone selling anything online then taking photographs is going to be an essential part of the selling process.  It’s easy to think you can just snap a photo with your phone then upload it onto the web as a two minute job.  But the reality is that without a proper, clear and accurate image you are going to struggle to sell anything online.

A lot of you rapproach will depend on what you are trying to sell.  But have a look at this image that appears on a popular silver site, that sells antique silver items.

This is a Georgian toilette box in silver with a glass cover, a beautiful item certainly.  The market for these is largely for collectors as they are quite expensive and it is essential that good quality photo’s appear on the website.

One of the first thing’s you notice is that the background used in this photo actually has a huge effect on the reflections on the items.  Remember this is a silver box yet the orange background gives the item and almost ’gold’ sheen.  Using deep colours and upholstery is normally not a good idea, as it effects the natural shade of the item in the photograph.

However when I asked the owner Patricia from Anything Silver why this colour was chosen she explained it seemed to work better.  She explained that although the background did alter the sheen of the item it actually made it easier to see the overall condition of the item.  Using neutral colours as a background meant that often the silver reflected badly and wear and tear appeared worse than it actually was in reality.  The upholstery background gives the items a warmer feel and as long as a clearer image was also taken of the actual silver colour then she found this approach was more successful.

It’s worth thinking of, generally a pastel or neutral background will give a more accurate representation but may make an item look pale or washed out.  Sometimes a picture needs a little background colour to bring out the depth in the item.  There are no hard and fast rules for this however if you ask potential customers which they prefer you’ll not go far wrong! 

Instagram have scored an incredible own goal with it’s new terms and conditions.  Here’s what it says - 

“You agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.” 

Which basically seems to say any pictures you upload can be sold to whoever they like without your permission and without paying you. Not surprising most Instagram users are very angry about this, National Geographic who partner with the company seems to have been unaware too, they’ve suspended uploading any images to the site.  It’s not really surprising people are getting mad, how would you like to see an image of you suddenly appear on a web advert or site without your knowledge.  Is Instagram going to grab pictures of overweight people and stick them on dieting ads or health supplements?  

As the Josh Holiday in the Guardian rightly pointed out – this move is effectively turning it’s users into a product to be bought and sold with no control.  In some ways it’s not surprising after all if you pay a billion dollars for a company, you’d kind of expect to make some return on it.  Is turning a collection of everyones personal photos into some sort of photo warehouse the ideal way, I think not.  It’s madness to think there wouldn’t be a huge backlash, there was already a similar outcry and when the company was sold to Facebook.

Of course some may argue that it is simply the cost of using the product.  If you use the app and site you pay by allowing them the commercial rights to your images.  Of course some may not care that their half lit, photos from a cheap smartphone are used or not.  But many professional photographers use the site who sell and distrbute those images themselves.

In any case there are huge privacy issues involved in just allowing anyone to do as they wish with your images.  There are so many online risks now to your personal data this is just adding a huge extra risk.  Many of us already use security software and utilise proxies to protect our information like these - http://thenewproxies.com/. It will be increasing to see what happens with Instagram’s clarification (which they are compiling as we speak).  However reports are spreading of thousands of users closing their accounts and moving to other photo upload sites of which there are many available.

Instagram have scored an incredible own goal with it’s new terms and conditions.  Here’s what it says - 

“You agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.” 

Which basically seems to say any pictures you upload can be sold to whoever they like without your permission and without paying you. Not surprising most Instagram users are very angry about this, National Geographic who partner with the company seems to have been unaware too, they’ve suspended uploading any images to the site.  It’s not really surprising people are getting mad, how would you like to see an image of you suddenly appear on a web advert or site without your knowledge.  Is Instagram going to grab pictures of overweight people and stick them on dieting ads or health supplements?  

As the Josh Holiday in the Guardian rightly pointed out – this move is effectively turning it’s users into a product to be bought and sold with no control.  In some ways it’s not surprising after all if you pay a billion dollars for a company, you’d kind of expect to make some return on it.  Is turning a collection of everyones personal photos into some sort of photo warehouse the ideal way, I think not.  It’s madness to think there wouldn’t be a huge backlash, there was already a similar outcry and when the company was sold to Facebook.

Of course some may argue that it is simply the cost of using the product.  If you use the app and site you pay by allowing them the commercial rights to your images.  Of course some may not care that their half lit, photos from a cheap smartphone are used or not.  But many professional photographers use the site who sell and distrbute those images themselves.

In any case there are huge privacy issues involved in just allowing anyone to do as they wish with your images.  There are so many online risks now to your personal data this is just adding a huge extra risk.  Many of us already use security software and utilise proxies to protect our information like these - http://thenewproxies.com/. It will be increasing to see what happens with Instagram’s clarification (which they are compiling as we speak).  However reports are spreading of thousands of users closing their accounts and moving to other photo upload sites of which there are many available.

Instagram have scored an incredible own goal with it’s new terms and conditions.  Here’s what it says - 

“You agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.” 

Which basically seems to say any pictures you upload can be sold to whoever they like without your permission and without paying you. Not surprising most Instagram users are very angry about this, National Geographic who partner with the company seems to have been unaware too, they’ve suspended uploading any images to the site.  It’s not really surprising people are getting mad, how would you like to see an image of you suddenly appear on a web advert or site without your knowledge.  Is Instagram going to grab pictures of overweight people and stick them on dieting ads or health supplements?  

As the Josh Holiday in the Guardian rightly pointed out – this move is effectively turning it’s users into a product to be bought and sold with no control.  In some ways it’s not surprising after all if you pay a billion dollars for a company, you’d kind of expect to make some return on it.  Is turning a collection of everyones personal photos into some sort of photo warehouse the ideal way, I think not.  It’s madness to think there wouldn’t be a huge backlash, there was already a similar outcry and when the company was sold to Facebook.

Of course some may argue that it is simply the cost of using the product.  If you use the app and site you pay by allowing them the commercial rights to your images.  Of course some may not care that their half lit, photos from a cheap smartphone are used or not.  But many professional photographers use the site who sell and distrbute those images themselves.

In any case there are huge privacy issues involved in just allowing anyone to do as they wish with your images.  There are so many online risks now to your personal data this is just adding a huge extra risk.  Many of us already use security software and utilise proxies to protect our information like these - http://thenewproxies.com/. It will be increasing to see what happens with Instagram’s clarification (which they are compiling as we speak).  However reports are spreading of thousands of users closing their accounts and moving to other photo upload sites of which there are many available.

For any travel photographer, the law can be quite a confusing subject.  Most countries you can happily snap away wherever you are without any problems.  However start taking photos near a miltary base or airport and you could find yourself in some problems in many countries.  

In the United Kingdom for example you do not need any sort of permit to take photos in public.  Also the police have no rights or powers to stop you photographing whatever you want including themselves.  There are some powers that the police can use and they mainly focus on Section 43 of the Terrorism Act.  If they have reasonable grounds to believe you may be a terrorist, then you can be stopped and searched.  They also have the power under this act to view any images stored in a digital format on phones, cameras etc.  

The main focus of these searches is to check whether any of these images could be used as evidence of terrorism.  The police have no rights to delete or remove any image stored on any of your devices even under this act.  

Of course you may find yourself being questioned if you start taking pictures of police stations, army bases or intelligence units.  However it is important to remember that there is no legal right to stop you taking innocent photos of any of these.  If you’re travelling abroad and taking photos obviously care should be taken depending on where you are.  If you have press credentials take them with you they can be an important piece of identification if needed.  Of course you should obviously do your research if you intend taking any pictures off the tourist trail.

A bit of common sense though goes a long way, I’ve taken pictures all over the world and never had many issues.  Incidentally if you do are travelling for some time, may I recommend this tip for keeping up to date with all the latest news – http://www.theninjaproxy.org/tv/how-to-use-a-bbc-iplayer-proxy/, it shows you how to access UK TV sites like the BBC on computers and Ipads and stuff by changing your IP address to a UK one, neat huh.

Regardless of whether you will be trying to obtain or sell a business, using the expertise of a enterprise brokerage firm could be a pretty wise selection. The professional brokers will help you via the complete method and they are able to also make it easier to come across buyers for the organization, which will support sellers get the highest profits doable. However, choosing the most effective firm is often challenging to complete. There are a whole lot of brokers around who basically don’t have adequate encounter to essentially allow you to correctly.

In this post, I’ve outlined a few of the most significant guidelines you need to follow so that you can select the most effective business broker for your needs…

* Lots of Expertise

Be sure to ask for their “resume” kind of like you’d should if you had been hiring a person to get a job. They really should have a lot of knowledge getting and selling small business and at the least some knowledge of the distinct sector. Take the time to discover a true professional that understands almost everything needed for the purchase or sale of a enterprise within the niche which you are involved with.

* Solid Reputation

Their reputation desires to become very great with a good amount of legitimate references to back them up. For those who obtain past concerns, ask about them straight and do not be shy about it. An sincere brokerage or person home business broker will answer all of your concerns devoid of hesitation or hiding anything. You’re coping with certainly one of by far the most essential processes that any enterprise skilled can ever experience, so be sure that you uncover a firm that you definitely believe in and has the credentials to back it.

* Assess Their Reach

A further really significant aspect of a fantastic enterprise broker may be the scope of their reach. Do they have a large speak to list of prospective purchasers? They want it to be able to make certain that you are getting the highest price tag you are able to for your organization. Research their network if doable ahead of contacting them.

* Specializations

Some business brokerages specialize in a single issue or a different, even though other individuals are substantially much more versatile. You might be better off locating a organization which is much more specialized in transactions inside your business. Furthermore, your organization’s size need to often be taken into account. If you are a smaller company then a sizable corporate merger expert could not be much help to you. Keep these seemingly minor tips in the back of the thoughts and they’ll support.

The very best enterprise brokering corporation can have an enormous influence on no matter whether or not a effective sale occurs and absolutely everyone is pleased on both sides. In the event you do not obtain the appropriate firm from the start they may possibly mess up and you could waste months acquiring an additional buyer. Doing all the required investigation from the get started can save you a ton of headaches within the finish!

There are many differing opinions about regardless of whether or not marriage, couples, or loved ones counseling is great for relationships. Many men and women assume it doesn’t function and is nothing but a needless expense, but a sizable percentage of folks which have really completed it’ll testify that therapy saved their marriage or other relationship. Is it right for you? Only you realize that for positive but here are a few issues that could support your choice…

Why are you currently contemplating going to counseling?

Usually instances, it might definitely be a touchy subject. Numerous people are stubborn with regards to in search of help for anything. It really is crucial that you just don’t wait till the last minute to acquire ames therapist and counseling services. In case you let factors go as well far you are much less likely to be inside a position to solve your problems regardless of how severe they’re.

Is your fiance (or other) prepared to go?

When you are thinking about acquiring counseling it’s important that your significant other understands of the intentions, and are prepared to go. Be truthful with yourselves and make an effort to work on the marriage as a couple. It genuinely helps a lot if they need to save your relationship as much as you do!

Some individuals just refuse to go to any type of therapy. If your spouse is like this do not get too disheartened. There are lots of possibilities for men and women which have spouses like this. You’ll be able to even try online counseling, because it is a lot more discreet and not as embarrassing as going to determine a therapist.

How much is it going to price?

Numerous marital troubles are cash related, and a lot of partners will scoff at getting but an additional expense. Insurance coverage organizations won’t usually cover counseling for marriage, so it will be an out of pocket expense. Are you prepared to contribute what may possibly be hundreds of dollars to save your marriage?

What happens if you don’t get marriage counseling?

Do you feel your marriage will make it with no counseling? Counseling for couples is definitely worth it if it may cease a divorce from happening. Should you can discover a strategy to work out your differences with out counseling then more power to you. A lot of people cannot do that even though and they want some kind of guidance to assist them get via the rough patches in their relationship.

Who should you get therapy from?

Ensure to decide on your marriage or family members counselor wisely. Don’t just choose someone out randomly. Discover a person who comes suggested by reliable sources and is easy to discover data about online. Also, be sure each you and your spouse like them.

There are tons of distinct marriage counselors and therapist services to select from. Take the time to discover what will perform the very best for you as well as your spouse. No one said that saving your marriage is going to become simple.

Counseling for couples is undoubtedly worth it in case you are serious about saving your relationship. Just be certain that absolutely everyone involved is prepared to place the time and effort necessary. It really is not going to become easy, but it is worth it within the end.

As online marketers or basically almost any kind of business owner, there’s a very important factor the vast majority of us can agree on… Crafting excellent sales copy isn’t an effortless task. There are many of things that you must perform very well in order to create sales copy that converts a large proportion of viewers into customers. There are many vital elements for creating mindblowing sales copy, however three of these jump out above the rest. I have talked about them below.

1) Write for the Target Audience

One of the positively most essential tricks for generating sale copy that actually converts for your internet marketing company would be to write it specifically for your target market. You’ll want a precise person in mind when you’re writing it. That means you must know exactly who your possible client is and what they need. Form an image in your thoughts of what your ideal customer is and write directly for that person.

If you target your sales copy to a particular person that signifies your market it may become personal for everyone that reads it. Making your writing personal should help the text to genuinely touch the reader on a more intense level and will make more and more people purchase anything that you are offering.

2) Use their Emotions

People today purchase stuff determined by emotions for immediate gratification most of the time. That is why you hear the saying “impulse buy” so frequently. For that reason, playing on the readers emotions is imperative for crafting terrific sales copy. You are trying to access them psychologically and the easiest way to achieve this is to discuss issues that they can identify with. Paint a picture in their thoughts for precisely how wonderful their life will be if only they had whatever it is that you are marketing.

3) Focus on the Advantages

Another essential word of advice for writing terrific product sales copy is to heavily focus on the advantages for the potential buyer. You don’t purely want to inform your reader of all the great things that the product or service does. That doesn’t trigger them to purchase. What you need to do is take it a step further for them. You should show the viewer what these amazing things will do for them. You need them to know the benefits and picture how incredible they are. Never simply explain what your product does; tell what it will do for the consumer!

Okay, that is truly all you need to understand for getting going. The three crucial tips for creating fantastic sales copy are to write for your target market, use their emotions, and concentrate on the advantages for them. Like I said, there are lots of additional factors, but these are unquestionably a few of the most essential ones. Just be certain you always recall these points when you are writing product sales copy for your products and services.