Do you know that most of the companies get their first website way off the mark? The reason is simple! Unless the owners are technologically savvy or have extremely clear idea of the benefits of professional website, for most companies it is more like a thing that you have to have since everybody else has one. Another reason is whether the company builds its website in house or hires professionals to develop it, website requires a certain commitment from the company management. Many senior staffs don’t understand the seriousness of the web project as they don’t have enough knowledge of what a professional website is capable of doing.

Today, most of your business processes can be managed through your company website. Using web technology skillfully companies are in a position to grow business many folds and generate significant sales through the Internet. Sales increase of 40 percent to 50 percent within the first year of launching a professionally built website is not isolated cases.

If you want to get your website right from the first time, or would like to revamp your existing website to a more aggressive sales channel that generates revenue, the following suggestions will help you getting the desired results.

Before you set out to build your website you should pull together enough content for your site. In the Internet content is the king! The number one reason for people to go online is to find information that they are searching. That’s why to become a serious contender in the market you have to have a large number of pages with high quality content on your site. How many? There is no hard and fast rule, but for an average site it should be no less than 80 to 120 pages. Our content repository http://library.rusbiz.com a good resource for this purpose.

Once you know all the contents that you are planning to have on your website, the next step is to lay down the site structure. This might look complicated but there is a way out of it. Study the websites of your competitors those who are doing good on the Internet.

In offline world you probably already know who your competitors are. You also probably know, at least to some extent, which keywords your buyers will use to find a company like yours. Now, do a search using those keywords or phrases, check out the companies that are ranking best in Google, Yahoo and MSN. If these companies are selling similar products or services like you, they are undoubtedly your primary competitors. A systematic research of companies that are exposed heavily in search engines will help you see which key market they are targeting, how they are doing this, what marketing and promotional methods they are using to attract customers, etc.

Here I have listed some must have stuffs for a truly professional website:

A good company logo

For any business whether it is online or offline it is important to create a brand name. Branding helps people to recognize your company and associate it with your products or services. Your company logo is a key component in your branding endeavor. That’s why you should consider developing a high quality, visually pleasant and easily recognizable logo if your company still does not have one.

Ability to register on your site

One of the main ideas behind a business website should be to build a list of prospective customers. If a person shows enough interest in your products and services and feels it’s worthwhile to receive regular information from you and register at your website it means that he/she is a potential customer for your business. In order to entice more people to sign up, you should have a member’s only section with valuable content, discussion boards, electronic journals, etc. A registered member of your site should receive news and information from you regularly.

Search ability for the whole site

All the information available on your website should be at the finger tip of the visitor. Not all visitors have enough patience to browse through the pages of your site to find out what they are looking for. A search mechanism that covers your whole site allows visitors to find required information promptly.

Electronic journal

This is a very good way to keep in touch with your clients and prospective customers. Through your ezine you will keep customers informed about new products, changes in specifications, upcoming company and industry events, press releases, etc.

Testimonials

Positive testimonials from your customers give potential buyers a feeling of extra assurance. Make sure that the testimonials are true, concise and clear.

Company and industry news and press releases

You should regularly update and post company and industry news on your site. If you are planning to launch a new product or service or arranging an event you should announce this type of news through press releases.

Feedback

Whoever wants to contact you should have the ability to do so the way it is most convenient for him/her. Your phone number should be posted prominently on your home page. There should be a feedback form, which a visitor can fill up and send easily.

A call for action

Each of your pages should be created with a definite purpose. Once a visitor read through the page you should give him direction what to do next.

Easy navigation to key pages

No information on your website should be located more than three clicks away. The home page and other key pages should have access from top menu.

Product or service guarantee

You should clearly stipulate what guarantee a buyer has if he is not satisfied with your products or services.

A catalog with shopping cart

If you have a website you must sell products and services. If you don’t have anything of your own to sell you can always get relevant to your site products or services from other suppliers.

Product and service specifications

All your products and services should have precise, up-to-date and complete specifications with pictures.

Promotion

On your home page you should always have some types of promotion. A limited time discount, a free additional feature, two for one, etc. are examples of promotional advertisements.

Company history

Many prospective customers would like to know more about the company before doing any business. You should have a page with company profile, contacts, mission statement, company vision, etc.

When you finished preparing your site structure and gathered all the contents necessary, with the help of professionals create a detailed technical scope of the site. This will give you a clear picture of what you will receive when your site is ready.

This will also help you budget your site. The next steps that you have to take are:

1. Create layouts and designs for the Home page and the second major pages.

2. Create content surrounding two three key phrases per page.

3. Select designs for these pages.

4. Develop rest of the site.

5. Get peoples from different industries and backgrounds to have a look at your site once it is ready and give you honest recommendation.

6. Make necessary changes based on the new ideas that you have received from your friends, colleagues and workers.

7. Publish it.

Although, you should be involved in every stage of the web development, you should trust professionals to create the actual web site. Even as far as the cost is concerned, this will be cheaper in the long run.

Nowshade Kabir is the CEO of Rusbiz.com, a global B2B Portal, which helps companies build web store, buy and sell products and services using eMarketplace, eCatalog and other features. Rusbiz also offers website development packages: http://www.rusbiz.com/design_package.html

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Amish quilting has been a tradition for more than a century here in rural Pennsylvania. Amish women create quilts, often in groups called quilting bees. This “bee” affords them the opportunity to gather in a social setting as well as give a rare opportunity to be creative and expressive in a community that frowns on pride and fanciful possessions. Because the quilts are a functional creation for use in the home, the women are permitted to create these amazing pieces of art. They boldly experiment with contrasting colors, exquisite designs, and a variety of geometric shapes to create wonders that please the eye and bring delight to those who appreciate the complexity of the construction.

Since the Amish do not have electricity much of the stitching is done by hand or with the aid of a treadle machine. The designs of the quilt are pieced together from pieces of fabric cut into various shapes and then sewn into what will become the top of the quilt. When the top of the quilt is complete, the bottom fabric and batting are added and then quilted together with intricate stitching that form infinite numbers are patterns themselves. The quilt is then bound at the edges. This process can take weeks or even months depending on how many quilters are working on the quilt and how much time is afforded to the project, depending on the season in which it is being created. During harvest time, in addition to their busy household schedules of cooking three large meals, cleaning, raising the children, making the family’s clothing, these women are often involved in working along the men to help in the harvest.

Today, however, I fear this wonderful tradition is becoming slowly a thing of the past. The young Amish women I have spoken with are becoming more involved in other areas of Amish life. In what I perceive as a type of women’s movement in the community, many are learning the trades previously only taught to their young male counterparts. Many are learning carpentry and help their families crafting furniture and cabinetry. Some can be seen driving team of draft horses along with their fathers in the fields. Many are working in their family’s stores, keeping books, ringing registers, selling the goods that they have to offer. They do not seem to have the interest in the “bees” as their mothers and grandmothers did since it seems to be increasingly accepted that they take a more active role in the family businesses.

There is also the ever present “English” world outside their community which offers constant shortcuts to the traditional Amish life. Recently, the big news in our little corner of the world was that a Wal-Mart was being constructed about 10 miles from our little community. When the store opened, I must say I was saddened, but not surprised to see in addition to the vast parking lot, there was a hitching post. What this meant to me was that the retail world was sending a special invitation to these simple folks to come and let us replace your century old traditions with a $69 mass produced factory bedspread. It makes sense for these women to accept this invitation. They have long days filled with countless tasks and here is an opportunity to send less money than they do on fabric and get a completed item and countless hours back!

To further my concern about this, I recently met an Amish gentleman at a local quilt sale. We began speaking as we both sell Amish quilts. I was surprised to learn he had traveled here to Lancaster from Ohio to buy quilts. When I inquired about this, as I know Ohio has a substantial Amish community, he replied that they aren’t making many quilts there and he had better luck coming all the way to my neck of the woods to find them!! How long will it be until this happens in my community!

Well, that is all on this subject for now. I will close in saying that if you, the reader, own an Amish quilt, cherish it! You have a treasure that may someday soon become a rare commodity. If you do not, and you love art, find one! Support this artform before it is lost!

Maggie Prichard
http://www.honeybrookamishquilts.com

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What a prospect! You want to wear the heels because they make you look taller, more slender, look nice with your clothes but, then there is actually wearing them!

You know that occasional teeter-totter? Or perhaps you have already experienced a side ankle bend or even a complete fall. Hopefully this has not happened to you. Even if it hasn’t happened to you, it can still be a bit challenging to walk in certain high-heeled shoes.

But the idea is for that never to happen to you.
You may have heard the saying, “practice makes perfect”. Well in this case, practice does makes walking in high-heeled shoes possible, especially if they are brand new shoes. It takes time to get use to a new pair of shoes, whether flat’s or high heels. With heels, there is a certain risk that can be overcome with a little practice, skill and know how. Whether you’re dancing the night away or attending a business meeting.

You want to walk or dance with assurance without falling.
Here are some practical steps you can take to help you achieve this.

1. First, just practice standing in your new pair of heels. Place yourself in front of a full view mirror, standing a while, then turning from side to side. This allows you to get accustomed to the look and feel of the new heels you are wearing.

2. Second, try the new high-heels out by taking a few steps in them, if possible, on a hard floor or low carpeting. Then slowly progress to a thicker carpeted surface. High-heeled dress shoes are fun for women once you learn how to walk in them.

3. Third, keeping your legs straight and as close together as possible, take a few slow, determined steps. Place one foot in front of the other, noticing the placement of each foot. As you practice, your confidence in walking in high-heels will increase.
This will make the process of walking in high-heels more natural for you. Walking in high-heeled shoes will become second nature for women who walk in them often.

Walking or dancing in heels can be an intimidating experience, but it does not have to be. You can be the high-heel diva when you learn how to walk and dance in high-heels and can have fun doing it!

From sexy stilettos heels that make you dizzy just to look at them to lower heels. Although lower heeled shoes are better for our body, there are times when they just won’t do.

So on the occasions when you have just got to wear the higher heels, put them on and practice sensibly and safely first. Then walk out into the “high-heeled” stepping ground with confidence and, oh yeah… remember to smile!

This is the beginning of how to walk in high heels without breaking your neck!
So take your time, go slow and before you know it, you will be strutting your stuff in your new
high-heels!

Surely someone will say, “You look marvelous darling”.

Gregg Hall is a consultant for online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. Get your brand name shoes at http://www.brandnameshoesplus.com

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There are four “C’s” in determining the valuation of a diamond:
Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat weight.

1. CUT: Judging the ‘cut’ of a diamond refers to the pricing of a diamond in accordance with how that diamond is sculpted and shaped to allow for a maximum shine and a heightened ability to reflect light. Cut can be difficult for a layperson to evaluate, so it is important to get your diamond professionally appraised and to obtain a AGS or GIA Certificate to verify the quality of the cut. A diamonds cut can also affect its durability.

2. COLOR: If you are shopping for a diamond wedding ring or a diamond engagement ring, then it is important that you pay close attention to the value of a diamond’s color. A Diamonds ability to refract light is dependant on its degree of whiteness, making the whitest of white diamonds considerably more valuable than there lesser-white counterparts. Many experts name color as the number one criterion to consider when purchasing a special diamond for a special occasion.

3. CLARITY: Real diamonds generally tend to have small flaws such as tiny inclusions, air bubbles, or traces of other minerals inside the stone. While the presence of these tiny imperfections become the key factor in determining a real diamond from a fake, the quality and value of a diamond depends very much on a diamonds clarity. The best kinds of real diamonds have imperfections that can only be detected under a skilled diamond graders 10-power microscope.

4. CARAT WEIGHT: The ‘carat’ is the common unit weight measurement for diamonds, where one carat is equal to 200 milligrams and 142 carats equal one ounce. The bigger the rock, the more carats it has, and the more carats it has, the more expensive it becomes. Many feel that the size of the diamond is just as important as the other ‘C’ criterion.

Natalie Inger

Read more on Diamond Jewelry and Identifying real diamond from immitations.

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Baby shower invitations are one of the most important pieces of planning for a baby shower. Why you might ask? Well, the baby shower invitation is the first impression that your guests will have of the event. It is therefore the first chance you have to set the tone and theme for your wonderful baby shower. By carefully planning ahead and making a handmade baby shower invitation you can really wow your guests before they ever get to your doorstep. By using simple materials your probably already have or purchasing a few extra things you can easily make a handmade baby shower invitation.

The theme is the most important guiding principle in making your baby shower invitation. You will want to carefully consider ways to pull the theme into the invitation. Be it through the graphics, colors, or wording of the invitation you want to be sure to use your theme.

This can be a very easy process and by following some of the ideas below to spark your imagination you should be off and making your own unique and handmade baby shower invitation in no time.

Handmade Paper - It is not very difficult to make your own paper at home or even buy handmade paper at your local craft store. This combined with a few of the other techniques discussed below can really make for a handmade baby shower invitation that has quality written all over it. Honestly there is nothing quite like the touch and feel of handmade pieces of paper. When your recipients of these invitations open and read the invitations they will be delighted with the sensation of handmade paper. These types of papers will work well with stamps, calligraphy and other handmade baby shower invitation techniques.

Stamps - More and more people are getting into stamping and scrap booking. The supplies and techniques that are available in these fields is growing exponentially. It is really a lot of fun and can be a wonderful way to enjoy your hobby while make a handmade baby shower invitation. So simply go to your local craft store and pick up some fun stamps, pens, and even embossing powder and get started making your invitation. Try to find stamps that fit with your theme. A very fun theme can be baby building blocks and there are also many stamps that you can use to make an invitation with baby building blocks or Alphabet blocks.

Stickers - Stickers can be another fun way to make a handmade baby shower invitation. You can easily buy stickers from your local craft store that will fit well into your theme. Pick carefully and use high quality products. You might also want to think about how you can integrate handmade papers, stamps and stickers to make a really unique handmade invitation.

Wax Seals - Wax seals with an initial can be a lot of fun to add a quality finishing touch to your handmade invitation. You simply close and seal the envelope closed and then melt a little bit of wax on to the outside of the envelope. Then press a seal with your initials or family crest into the hot wax. This is a very nice finishing touch to a handmade baby shower invitation.

Computer - There has been a huge proliferation of computers in recent years and almost every household now has a computer. Many of the computers come with wonderful printing and page layout software. For example some popular titles are Printmaster, Microsoft Publisher, Print Artists and many others. If you do not have one of these programs they can easily be purchased for under $15.00 dollars and they are very easy to install and get up and running. The great advantage of doing a baby shower invitations this way is you can make each one unique and custom. You can add in the recipient’s names and even change the colors of each invitation to make them all individual and unique. Also with the templates that are often included with these types of programs it should be easy to find a template that will fit your purpose and theme. You can easily find a template that fits in with your theme and then make a few changes to customize it like changing colors or inserting different graphics.

These are only a few of the ideas that can be done in creating a handmade baby shower invitation. It might help to have your friends or close family member’s pitch in and help with making them or even gathering materials and ideas for the invitation. Just make sure you plan well ahead of time and leave yourself enough time to be creative and not under a lot of stress.

Chris Ryerson is the webmaster of Baby Shower Guides. A great resource for: handmade baby shower invitations

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You and your partner have decided to buy a new bed, and while searching to the internet you have taken a liking to four poster beds. When you take a closer look for quality four poster beds, there are only a few companies making them, and very few supplying custom, hand made beds. I offer a few tips to help you find a craftsman suitable for helping to make your dreams come true.

1. You want to buy a good brand, with a good reputation in their market, look for testimonials from other customers ranging over several years, supporting product quality and service. A company that trades internationally is usually a good sign. Getting things wrong overseas would be costly to fix, so they will insist on high quality control and customer satisfaction. Ask if your four poster bed comes with a guarantee or warranty. If there is a problem in the future, it is good to know that it will be sorted out.

2. You want comfort. Good quality mattresses are the key to good sleep. Try them out in a shop to make certain that you find the most suitable for you. It is you that will be sleeping on it. Two different mattresses can be zipped together, so you do not have to compromise with your partner, as long as you decide which side of the bed you want.

3. If you are having furniture custom made, then you need someone to answer your questions that knows the product. The ultimate person to talk to is the craftsman making the bed for you. Talk to them on the phone, visit the workshop, or showroom, ask all the questions that concern you, ask for advice, and get what you want. This often means that the company that you are dealing with may not be large; it is a good sign when the person who picks up the phone is the same one that is making your bed.

4. Ask about different styles of bed that are available. You should have a choice of posts, panels (headboards and footboards), woods (hardwoods, such as oak, ash, etc. from local sustainable sources), colours and types of finish and of course mattress size. Look at pictures of the standard range, and other customers’ beds and if there is nothing that suits you, ask whether something can be made that you do like. Some companies are quite happy to make to customer specification, and most beds break down into sensible sized components, for easy access into difficult to get at bedrooms.

5. Do not look for a cheap bed, quality counts. A custom made four poster bed will last for several generations, so please remember that you get what you pay for. Having said that, however, there is no reason why you should not expect good value for money. High street shops and high profile businesses can be unnecessarily expensive, due to their overheads, so just keep looking for good quality materials and craftsmanship.

6. When it comes to delivery of your four poster bed, it is worth paying a small charge for delivery and assembly, with both customer and craftsman happy with the final result. If you are in a different country to the manufacturer, ask for assembly instructions (pictures are often the easiest), and any specialist tools and skills necessary for installation. If your bed is being shipped overseas, please allow for insurance, it is only about two percent of the total value.

These tips should be a good starting point for you to find a furniture maker with a good reputation, who puts customer satisfaction paramount and treats you as an individual. Remember that you spend almost third of your life in bed, so find one that makes you feel good, for generations.

Stephen Edwards has been making furniture for 25 years, and has settled into making four poster beds and oak country furniture. For more information and other articles, please visit http://www.fourposterbed.co.uk or http://www.fourposterbed.com

The author is happy for you to use these articles, if they are kept complete with working links, and the author is recognised.

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Papyrus was the first known paper in history. It is an ancient Egyptian invention, and considered the most important writing material in the ancient world. Our word “Paper” derives directly from the ancient Egyptian word “papyrus”.

As a writing material, papyrus was used since the late fourth millennium BCE. It was produced in sheets by laying lengths of wet papyrus pith side by side, adding a second layer at a right angle on top, and fusing the pith by applying pressure. The product was then smoothed by rubbing it with a stone, shell or the like. The sheets were stuck together with starch-based glues to form scrolls which could extend up to 10 meters in length. Both sides of the papyrus were generally written on. Papyrus sheets were amazingly durable, elastic & 100% natural material. Good writing papyrus was not cheap and rarely served every-day purposes. Reeds of papyrus were also sharpened into pens.

A large part of life in Lower Egypt was based on the papyrus plant: It was used to make mats, sandals, rafts, and writing material; it fuelled fires, was eaten and its flowers collected and offered to the gods. No wonder it was used as a symbol for Lower Egypt and its king wore a crown seemingly fashioned from it.

The papyri discovered in Egypt have often been found in tombs. The ritual of the dead was most frequently the subject. Besides the ritual and religious rolls, there were literature, historical and administrative documents.

Egyptian rulers realizing the importance of Papyrus, made its production a state monopoly, and guarded the secret of Papyrus jealously. There was no real competitor to Papyrus until, in AD 105 in China Ts’ai Lun, a court official, invented paper. The difference between paper and papyrus is that paper is made from the completely separated fibers of any number of materials soaked and then sieved to produce thin sheets of matted fibers. With the introduction of paper making into Egypt, the production of Papyrus rapidly declined, and stopped. It was not until the 1940s when Egyptologists rediscovered the secrets or papyri manufacture.

Nowadays, papyrus is made the exact way it was made thousands of years ago with no chemicals or extra additives used.

http://www.bazaarway.com

Papyrus Shopping

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Quilts are a type of bedding that are made of a colorful quilt top, a layer of cotton batting, and a layer of fabric, which is used to provide a firm support and backing. All these layers are combined together using the technique of quilting. While the primary purpose of a quilt is to be used as a bedcover, several quilts are made for the specific purpose of decorating our homes.

Quilts come in various sizes with a variety of beautiful designs. While machine-made quilts are easy to make, the real beauty lies in handmade quilts. Handmade quilts were initially made as necessities by women to earn a living and keep their families warm. Of recent, quilts are developed more as an art piece than as utility items. These exquisite quilts were hard to make during earlier times, as the women did not have sewing machines for assistance. The handmade quilts were made from patches or small squares of different colors put together with a backing. These wonderful works of art were passed down through the generations with a sense of pride.

The material used in the manufacture of these quilts was rarely new. Pieces of worn out clothing were sewn together at random to create different designs and patterns. This gave the women a wider scope for imagination, which resulted in some truly unique designs.

Handmade quilts tend to be sturdier than machine-made ones and also keep a person much warmer. Moreover, as a lot of manpower is put into making these quilts, they are more expensive than the machine-made variety. Today, handmade quilts are made more for their aesthetic beauty than anything else. Many of them are items of excellent craftsmanship; they highlight the prowess of the quilt maker. Handmade quilts are not only great for decorating ones home, but also make unique gifts to fit any occasion.

Quilts provides detailed information on Quilts, Quilt Pattern, Handmade Quilts, Baby Quilts and more. Quilts is affiliated with Down Comforters.

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The best way to do this is, of course, digitally. Taking good quality pictures of jewelry for most is an unsolved mystery. However, there are some simple techniques used by the professional, which even amateur photographers can use to obtain dramatic results with minimal effort. The following examples show the basic setup that should allow anyone to achieve results they can be proud of.

The camera that I use is a Canon A520 Digital. It’s not too expensive, and if you go to our website you’ll see, it takes great pictures. The basic setup I use includes an “Ezcube” light tent to soften the shadows and eliminate glare, while providing a clean and clutter free background. I also use true color daylight balanced compact fluorescent bulbs as the main light source and clear acrylic risers to provide reflections for an added “professional touch”.

The keys to good jewelry photography are sharpness, lighting, and exposure.

Focus-

It is worth getting out your camera’s manual to find out how to put the camera in “spot focus” mode. The normal focus mode of digital cameras is some sort of average focus mode. That means that the camera will look at a wide area of a scene and base the focus on that area. Since you want to control where the camera is focusing, it’s better for jewelry photography to put the camera into spot focus mode, this will allow you to control more precisely what the camera will be focusing on. However, even in spot focus mode many digital cameras can’t really “lock-in” on a small shiny object like gemstone jewelry using auto focus. So unfortunately, for close-up jewelry photography, you need a camera with good manual focus capability.

Another key to a sharp image is a tripod. It is absolutely essential to use a tripod or similar camera support when shooting jewelry. A sturdy tripod is better than a flimsy one, but any tripod is many times better than no tripod. Use a tripod.

Lighting-

Another key to good jewelry photography is the lighting. Normally diffuse (soft) lighting works best for jewelry. You have probably already discovered that an on-camera flash does not lead to good jewelry photos. Not only is the camera’s flash too bright at such a close distance, but it is probably in the wrong position to actually light up the jewelry properly. An on camera flash will also create harsh and distracting shadows. Rather than flash, I like to use continuous lighting for product photography. Using continuous lights makes it easier to visualize what the final image will be like. I prefer daylight balanced compact fluorescent bulbs for lighting. These bulbs provide nice, natural-colored light and they produce very little heat so they can be left on for long photo sessions without over heating the photographer and everything else in the room. Even fluorescent light bulbs will need to be diffused and for that I, again, use a light tent as the diffuser. A small light tent makes it easy to reduce glare and control shadows for jewelry photography.

Exposure-

Proper exposure is also a key to good jewelry photography. If your background is actually white but appears grey in your image or if everything in your image appears darker than you would like, the image has been underexposed. It doesn’t mean you need more lights or bigger lights, it means you need to let more light get to your camera’s image sensor.

The most likely reason not enough light is getting to the camera’s image sensor is that the camera’s auto exposure mechanism has set the exposure too low. The camera’s auto exposure system doesn’t expect to see a very light background. Since it assumes the background is grey rather than white, it exposes the image to achieve a grey background rather than a white background. The result is that everything in the image appears darker than it should.

The solution is quite simple. Adjust your camera’s exposure compensation setting to slightly overexpose the image. [Nearly every digital camera has an exposure compensation setting, but you may need to read your camera’s user manual to find how to adjust yours]. Once you locate the controls for exposure compensation simply increase the exposure until the image looks correct. When photographing against a white background you will normally need to increase the exposure by about 1 to 1 1/3. (Camera makers make this confusing by labeling the exposure adjustment setting as EV, Exposure Value)

If you are comfortable with photography and understand how the camera’s aperture and shutter speed affect the exposure, you will want to pay attention to how the camera adjusts the exposure. If the camera increases the aperture it will decrease the depth of field.

A quick review:

1) In order to ensure your images are sharp, make sure you know how to focus your camera. Digital cameras with auto focus are often difficult to focus precisely, especially when shooting small objects. Read your owner’s manual and be sure you understand how your camera’s auto focus operates. Most digital cameras are designed to easily focus on large objects but have difficulty on small subjects.

2) Use a tripod, even the slightest movement when you are taking a picture will cause motion blur. The closer you get to an object the more obvious the motion blur becomes. Even an inexpensive tripod will make a big difference in the sharpness of your images. If you are going to be shooting a lot of images, it makes sense to invest in a good, stable tripod.

3) To get the largest area of your subject in focus put your camera in aperture priority mode and set the aperture to the highest number possible.

4) Use soft lighting. Your camera’s built-in flash will rarely give good results for product photography. For soft lighting either shoot outside on an overcast day or use a light tent or soft box.

5) Use imaging software. Even inexpensive software like Photoshop Elements

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One of the fastest growing hobby businesses of the last 10 years is soap making. If you were to “google” the phrase “soap making” you would come up with over 1.6 million indexed web pages on this topic. The process of soap making can be a tedious somewhat dangerous enterprise, which begs the question, why? Why are so many Americans pursuing a task
our colonial ancestors were glad to be rid of? The trial and error method of soap making was a long and thankless task that sometimes left the maker with an unusable commodity after many hours of hard work. Oprah relates how as a child her grandmother tried to teach her how to make soap and she declined not seeing the purpose in her young life.

Have you ever looked at the ingredient list of a modern day bar of soap?
Common ingredients include DEA, Isopropyl Alcohol, BHT and Triclosan. This is just a starter list. Can you imagine what all these chemicals are doing to your skin? Most commercial soap ingredients are petroleum based. This alone should be enough to scare off the average soap consumer. The commercial soap making process strips commercial soap of the best ingredient, glycerin. This is then sold separately by the manufacturer as another profit center for the soap company. Yet this is the main conditional agent available in soap to soothe irritations and protect the skin. Dermatologists across our country are doing a
brisk business remedying the consequences of the use of commercial soap.

Along comes the natural handmade soap maker. Making soap from common kitchen oils, including olive, soybean and coconut oils. In home based soap making the natural glycerin is retained in the soap. I would venture to say almost any handmade soap would out perform commercial soap as far as enhancing the natural properties of the skin. This would include both moisturizing dry skin, and cleaning excess oil from oily skin. Handmade soap is good for your body.

With a wide variety of fragrances now available to the handmade soap maker the possibilities for great smelling soap are endless. The most popular fragrances include lavender, vanilla and the love or leave it fragrance patchouli.

Most soap makers I have talked to find soap making addictive. They tell me the idea of creating a wonderfully utilitarian product that one can use, share or even sell to the accolades of others is euphoric. I must agree. One of the most exciting days for me is delivery day from the fragrance company. Examining all the new scents and imagining the newly possible fragrance combinations, keeps me coming back to my soap making bench again and again. I wish you many joys if you decide to venture down the soap making highway. Find a good soap making book and take your time. Don’t be discouraged by set-backs, and check out some of the many soap making forums for tips and ideas.

Jeffrey Dorrian is the soap guy. Really, that is my website http://www.thesoapguy.com He has been making premium olive oil soap for the past five years and now has customers in all fifty states. “This is a true inexpensive luxury anyone can enjoy.”

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