Digital photography has taken over the photography world at an amazing pace. Early weaknesses in the technology are a thing of the past, and even an entry level digital camera is a powerful piece of equipment. But are new photographers making the most of their digital cameras?As the owner of a gallery, I have many conversations with digital photographers, and I am beginning to see problems, not with digital photography, but with the mindset it seems to have created. And I fear that photography as an art form may be the poorer for it.One of the benefits that make digital cameras so attractive is the ability to see your results immediately, and delete a photo if you are not happy with it, at zero cost. Gone are the days of waiting until you finish a roll of film, then facing the expense of developing and printing before you get to see your results. With digital photography, you can take a shot without fear: if it doesn’t work, just delete it and try again.Therein lies my biggest worry about digital photography. The ease with which a photographer can erase a mistake has taken away the need to think about what they are doing. Let’s face it, if you take enough shots of the same subject, eventually you will get it right accidentally.When film was king, the delay in seeing your results, and the expense connected to each exposure, made it important to get it right, or at least try to do so. When a photographer had to wait until days later to view their results, the opportunity to try again had usually passed. Consequently, it was essential to really learn how to use your camera, and to put creative thought into every exposure.Of course there was no such thing as a 100% success rate, and plenty of film was wasted, but with concentration and self-discipline, a good film photographer had a right to expect more hits than misses from each roll of film.These days it is common for someone to want to show me their great new photo, but have to search through the other 50 failed attempts on the memory card to find it. In these cases, the question needs to be asked: was the digital photographer’s eventual success due to good photography or good luck? Moreover, had they learned anything in the process? Presented with the same situation again, would they need to take another 50 photos to get it right the next time?All too often, if you care about good results, that approach is simply not good enough. In my field of nature photography, many opportunities last no more than a few seconds. Birds fly away, clouds cover the sun, the colours of a sunset change. Fleeting moments are not rare in photography, in fact for some artists they are what photography is all about.So how does the random snapper cope in these situations? In many cases, they just blame the bird for flying away, or worse, blame the camera for not doing its job. The notion that the photo should be easy for someone who knows what they are doing would not compute. Why? Because the sheer convenience of digital photography, with its automatic features and ease of deletion, does not encourage us to actually learn how to use the camera.Imaging software is part and parcel of the photography industry; I accept that. In fact, to get a truly high-quality print, even the best digital photographer has to do a little ‘work’ on an image from time to time. But computer wizardry should never replace skill with a camera. Sadly, these days many people are relying on software to fix their mistakes, instead of learning to take better photos.I look at it this way: time spent fixing up a mistake using software ‘ minutes or hours. Time spent getting it right in the first place ‘ about 1/500 second.If you have a good digital camera, I urge you switch it to manual and learn how to use it. Not much has changed since the old days. The main things you need to learn are still aperture, shutter speed, light and composition. Practice has never been cheaper, and learning from your mistakes has never been easier. A little patience and self discipline is really all it takes.Go on ‘ make your camera proud!—Andrew Goodall has made his living from nature photography for over 20 years. See his images at www.naturesimage.com.au Andrew’s ebooks “Photography in Plain English” and “Every Picture Tells A Story” have helped thousands of beginners learn the art and skills of nature photography. Find them at www.naturesimage.com.au/page/25/default.asp

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If you want your business to thrive online, then using search engines for advertising and marketing is mandatory for optimal visibility. The real question is how much can you afford to spend? and how cost-effective is the medium for producing traffic and conversion?Let Search Engines Work For You Not Against YouLooking at the function of search engines, they serve to scout the web and retrieve and index relevant pages for visitors based on related semantic or topical queries (a.k.a keywords). Understanding this, we know that words, (your content) plays a major role in this process and is one of the key metrics that determines where your pages rank as a result.Focus on producing causes and effects follow naturallyBy addressing the root cause (the content) rather than being preoccupied by surface level effects (the rankings), you can groom your pages for success based on the intrinsic topics of your web page content. Relevance is one of the main factors that determines which sites stand out and get promoted to the top 10 positions in search engines. Regardless of the industry, one thing is certain among online industry leaders, great content is the foundation.Whether you meet the criteria deliberately (as a result of SEO) or accidentally, at the end of the day the results are algorithmic. Instead of dueling with a competitor one keyword at a time which only encompasses short-term positioning, think about optimizing the entire niche as a whole instead. Then by developing a solid content development strategy, you can systematically research potential keywords or traffic patterns and tailor web page content and links to acquire a dominant position of authority for those phrases.There is something to be said about patience, planning and strategic execution. Instead of taking the dog chasing their tail approach to SEO and acquisition of keywords and losing focus (and market share) chasing a narrow range of phrases. On the contrary, if you scale all of your efforts to accommodate the rites of passage and focus on quality themed topics, it is only a matter of time before search engines cannot help but promote your site in multiple top 10 results due to the relevancy and stature of your pages (like a mini Wiki, if created properly).When Keywords Stem Your Content WinsThe premise behind one of the most prominent search engine ranking phenomenon is called (keyword stemming). This occurs when semantic relationships between the keywords spill over and instead of ranking for 10 phrases, now you rank for 20, 30, 40 keywords and so on. This is a boon, since increased traffic an visibility are the result. Not to mention this is naturally occurring phenomenon.This aspect of the search algorithm dictates that once a website (as a correlation of having themed content) manages to make an impact and garner a degree of traffic & links (which can be hastened by a Stumble, a Digg or a link from an authority site, etc.) it essentially can be fast-tracked into authority status and get the rest of the pages in that site on the map (into the search index with recommendations). What used to take years, can be done in a mere fraction of the time (I have seen instances in as short as 3-4 months) and the site in question virtually ranks for keywords that only appear sparsely on the related content (and higher for a range of keywords that appear more frequently).Traffic is a metric that equals popularity and this when combined with other known factors for elevating site authority in a niche are ultimately what can escalate your pages from not in the top 1000 search results, to the top 20 or top 10 pages respectively for specific exact match phrases as well as their distant long-tail cousins.If cost is a factor and long-term results are important to your search engine positioning strategy, then note that one of the most effective and ethical ways to rank for a competitive or moderately competitive phrases is to incorporate them into your website infrastructure (in a way that search engines understand) through strong internal links and external links from high places for starters.Once the elements are in place, you must promote that content (so each page can act as it’s own mini-site in essence) and nurture and develop the relationships between those pages into a cohesive knowledge base so that your site is tagged as an authority. For those of you who don’t enjoy composing content, there is a solution, hire a copywriter to do it for you, preferably one who is knowledgeable about keyword density, the appropriate use of tags, relative positioning of grouping keywords and overall delivery (since it has to be encouraging for human visitors to promote conversion).Why Pay Per Click and Put your Eggs in One basket?Say for example you were involved in an industry and you opted to use the search engine marketing approach and invest a portion of your sales proceeds every month into PPC (pay per click advertising). Once those clicks are reached, they just dip into your account to refresh the funds and as long as you keep paying, they keep sending traffic your way (at a price per click). So essentially your business model is dependent on that marketing method alone for sustenance. This is definitely not in your best interests for diversifying your link portfolio and only increases your dependence and increases your risk in the advent that something undermines that method such as price.Yet on the other hand, through performing a function as simple as creating a blog, writing a post or series of posts on topics that relate to your industry (which should roll off the tip of your tongue) this provide an anchor point (for your site) so you can build links back to to elevate those articles and posts organically in search engines.Renting or Owning? You DecideYou can use the analogy of renting vs. owning from the perspective of real estate. Why invest money in PPC solely, when you could be gaining a return on your short term investments in the long run from utilizing organic optimization coupled with content to systematically increase traffic. The only requirement is patience, quality link development and link building services and promotion if you apply savvy marketing fundamentals known for rousing visitors to act.Trust is the deciding factor for many to take action (make a phone call, IMS or fill out a contact form), and what better way to gain trust and leads than by housing a formidable range of content that essentially would provide answers to those seeking your expertise in the first place (within your own site).To say that this is a much stronger selling point than just seeing an advertisement floating around the “hey I am paying for this” sponsored section, it may as well be a press release. Not to say that using press releases are not part of a larger strategy, but people rarely use a blurb alone to make an informed decision. Once something grabs your attention, the tendency is to dig deeper into the offer by visiting the site, looking at the company profile, other supporting pages, etc. to assure them that they are making an informed decision. This is where your fresh new custom content comes into play.Which is more Cost-Effective? SEO Copywriting or PPC?By writing a plethora of topically themed series of articles and posts (then promoting them accordingly, through RSS, social media and building links) you are essentially insuring your future search engine visibility as a result (because search engines love valuable content) in fact they can’t get enough of it.So before you go out and drop a few hundred, a few thousand or a few hundred thousand dollars a year on pay per click (you know who you are), consider a tried and true route for building equity in your brand, one page at a time through investing in quality content which can sell on your behalf as a result of the merit and degree of expertise it shares with all who read it.Once you realize that you can scale and multiply this effect and put your link building, your public relations, your niche authority position and your promotion on the same page, like a symphony if you will. Then you have just graduated from the logic of PPC dependency to using a formula for developing an authority website which is the forerunner to successful online marketing campaign.It isn’t about how many top 10 rankings you have, but how many hundreds or thousands you can create as a result of your content development strategy and subsequent relationship with search engines who are insatiably hungry for quality coupled with relevant traffic and promotion to seal the deal (which is your endorsement).Jeffrey L. Smith is an seasoned search engine optimization expert and founder of SEO Design Solutions SEO Company. Jeffrey has been involved in internet marketing since 1995 and brings fresh optimization methods and SEO Services to businesses seeking organic search engine positioning.

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Whether you’re a CEO of a company or a guy who sweeps floors for a living, the Ohio Supreme Court has put its stamp of approval on a law that could have devastating consequences for you if you’re seriously injured in an accident.In a major opinion issued last month, the court showed contempt for its past decisions, disrespect for the Ohio Constitution, and disdain for the men and women who serve on juries.The court, in a case called Arbino vs. Johnson & Johnson, said for the first time in Ohio history that it’s constitutional to disregard the findings of a jury if the jury decides to award more than $250,000 to someone injured in an accident to compensate for the person’s pain - even if that pain may last a lifetime.The court reached this landmark decision despite clear precedent that such a law is unconstitutional. Essentially what the court says this time around is that the Ohio General Assembly really, really, really, really wants to limit damages for insurance companies, so who are we to stand in their way?Look at what the Ohio Constitution says, then you decide whether what the court has done makes any sense. The relevant part of Article I, Section 5 states, “The right of trial by jury shall be inviolate …”In Ohio, the constitutional right to trial by jury has always been interpreted to mean that judges and the government won’t be able to invade the jury’s fact-finding function.That’s why jurors are there, right? To hear the facts of each individual case and decide what they think is fair. Now, though, jurors can spend days or weeks hearing the facts of a case, reach a difficult decision that the injured person should be awarded a sum to compensate for the pain an accident has caused, only to have that decision gutted by a judge if the sum exceeds $250,000.How does the right to a trial by jury remain inviolate if a law requires judges to violate the decisions a jury reaches? We should probably now read the constitution to say: The right to a jury shall be inviolate, provided it doesn’t cost an insurance company too much money.The right to have a jury determine the facts of a case has been the backbone of our legal system for hundreds of years. It serves as a check against a judge who might be corrupt or for some reason influenced by one side or the other. It’s a concept as old as our country and traces its roots to the Magna Carta. As the court’s majority notes, Thomas Jefferson viewed jury trials as “the only anchor, ever yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.”If the court really believes those words, shouldn’t there be a much more compelling reason to upend the jury system than the desire to save insurance companies money? In the interest of full disclosure, I am a personal injury attorney and I work hard to help people who have been injured in accidents get a fair shake from insurance companies. And, yes, this decision has the potential to hurt my wallet in certain cases. The real impact on my practice likely will be minimal because most people aren’t hurt so seriously that the cap will apply. Regardless of my personal stake, this is simply a matter of right and wrong, and I don’t think people realize the impact of what’s actually taken place.Everyone has heard about the infamous McDonald’s scalding hot coffee case. It’s a complete oddity, but insurance company lobbyists always trot it out as if it’s the norm. The caps enacted in Ohio are far more likely to affect the average man or woman unfortunate enough to get into an auto accident.Here’s the nightmare situation that could happen to you or a family member. You’re driving to work when a guy driving a delivery truck takes his mind off the road while talking on a cell phone and plows into your car. Your head hits the window, your ankle is crushed when your car’s frame crumples, and your body is snapped back and forth like a rag doll, and your life has been altered forever.The head trauma leaves you plagued by headaches. Your ankle injury means that every step causes pain to shoot through your leg. Your back hurts so much that getting a real night’s sleep is impossible. You can’t play ball with your kids anymore or even mow the yard. And the pain doesn’t go away after a week, or a month, or even a year. In fact, by the time you get to trial years have gone by and the docs are telling you you’ll never run again and your pain will always be with you.A jury hears your case and awards you the cost of your medical bills that may have to be repaid, and lost wages, and decides - after hearing your testimony, your doctor’s testimony, your spouse’s testimony, the defense doctor’s testimony, and the defense attorney’s arguments - that your lifelong pain is worth $500,000. Or $1 million. Or $2 million. Whatever it is, it’s not enough to compensate you for what this accident has done to your life and no one - no one - in that courtroom would change positions with you for any amount of money.That’s the point where the judge steps in and reduces the jury’s pain and suffering award to $250,000 because that’s what the law requires. The jurors heard the facts and struggled to come to a fair decision, only to have their legs cut out from them by a General Assembly that knew nothing about the facts of your case or the impact the accident has had on your life.And our Supreme Court just blessed this system.It blessed a system where a jury can hear the specifics of an individual case only to have the decision wiped out by an arbitrary cap the state Legislature’s Republican majority came up with to satisfy their chamber of commerce and insurance company campaign contributors.The court justifies its decision on the thinnest of rationales. See if you can follow its logic: When judges reduce jury awards for pain and suffering, they aren’t interfering with a jury’s fact-finding function, they’re simply applying the law.What?Spin that around your head for a while. It never gets any clearer. So, the jurors can do their cute little dance, and we’ll pretend to care about what they have to say. But the second they award any money to someone that could actually make an insurance company pay fair compensation, well something simply must be done. Apparently, the right to trial by jury is inviolate, but only up to a point.And there is nothing in the Supreme Court’s opinion that would stop the legislature from capping pain and suffering damages at $1 or $5. The amount of the cap isn’t the point. Caps are wrong at $1 million and wrong at $1. Jurors are in the best position to determine what someone deserves for the pain caused by an accident.The caps can be lifted in extreme cases such as when someone loses a limb or can no longer independently care for himself and perform life-sustaining activities. But the caps apply to more common cases like I described above, even if the person will experience a lifetime of pain.To their credit, Justices Terrence O’Donnell and Paul Pfeifer dissented from this badly reasoned and disheartening opinion.I understand that the General Assembly desperately wanted to do the bidding of the business interests that have pumped millions of dollars into GOP campaign coffers. (Incidentally, those same interests also have contributed millions to Republican candidates on the all-Republican Supreme Court.)Legislators, whether Republicans or Democrats, can get into all sorts of mischief when big money is thrown their way.That’s why we have a right to expect that the Ohio Supreme Court will do more than justify its decisions by paying fawning deference to the legislature.We have a right to expect someone in Columbus to stand up for the people of this state. And most importantly, we have a right to expect the court to apply Ohio’s Constitution and legal precedent, especially when we’re talking about something as cherished and revered as the jury system.—Charles Boyk is managing partner of Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, LLC. With over 24 years of experience, Mr. Boyk specializes in personal injury, car accidents, medical malpractice, wrongful death, ATV accidents, workers’ compensation, and dog bites. Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, LLC is located in Toledo, OH with 6 offices in the NW Ohio area. Learn more about Mr. Boyk at www.charlesboyk-law.com or www.ohioaccidentbook.com.

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