Nature photography is a fascinating pursuit, and wildlife photography can be the most challenging and rewarding field of all. Digital cameras have inspired a whole new generation of photographers to get into wildlife photography.Most of the photography guides these days focus on the technical aspects of the camera: but really good photography relies more on composition, lighting, and sensitivity to your subject. This means you can improve your photography by thinking creatively, not technically.Here are five of my top tips for taking better wildlife photographs.Wildlife Photography Tip #1. Get to the subject’s eye level. Wildlife photos are most effective if they create an intimate connection between the subject and the viewer. The best way to do this is to take your photo at the subject’s eye level. This way, the viewer can feel like they are looking at the subject from inside its little world, rather from the outside looking in.If, for example, your subject is low to the ground (like a lizard, frog, or even a pet), crouch or lie flat, getting as low as possible so you can take your photo at the subject’s eye level.Wildlife Photography Tip #2.It’s All In The Eyes. The personal connection mentioned in tip #1 is really about eye contact, so it is important to get the eyes right. If the eyes in your wildlife photo are sharp and clear, the photo will probably work. If they are out of focus, lost in shadow, or if the subject blinks or turns its eyes away, the connection will be lost, and the photo will almost certainly fail.You don’t even need your whole subject to be in focus. Your animal could be mostly hidden by leaves, in shadow and out of focus. The picture could still work…as long as the eyes are open and captured sharply in the picture.Wildlife Photography Tip #3. If The Background Doesn’t Help, Get Rid Of It. Many wildlife photos are spoiled because the background is cluttered, distracting, ugly, or just plain inappropriate. For example, seagulls on a beach can be quite beautiful, but seagulls at the local rubbish tip is a different matter. Also, wildlife photos look far less natural if you can tell they were taken in a zoo. Apply this principle: “Anything that does not make my photo better, makes it worse.”This does not mean you can’t take a good wildlife photo at the zoo, at the tip, or anywhere else for that matter. You just need to manage it. If your background is spoiling your shot, zoom right in on the subject to eliminate as much of the background as possible. By zooming in, you will also reduce the depth of field to a minimum, so any background that does appear in your photo will be out of focus and less distracting.Wildlife Photography Tip #4. If Your Background Is Working For You, Use It Well. A wildlife photograph that captures the subject in a beautiful natural setting can be even more effective than a simple close-up. My photos of a kangaroo on the beach, for example, show the subject in an unexpected context, making a more interesting image than a close-up portrait style photo.If you take your wildlife subject as part of a wider landscape, you need to consider all the techniques of composition that apply to landscape photography. Remember the rule of thirds (which may or may not help) and be careful to position your animal so that the subject and the background work together to make a more effective composition. In particular, try to position your wildlife subject so that it looks toward the centre of the picture, not towards the edge of the frame.Wildlife Photography Tip #5. Capture your subject in the best possible light. Even the most perfectly composed wildlife photo can fail because of bad lighting. Losing your subject in the shadows, glare reflecting off shiny feathers, and shadows across the face of the subject are all simple mistakes that can ruin a photo.There is no single rule for lighting in a wildlife photograph, but here are some suggestions. I often find the best results when the sky is lightly overcast with thin cloud. This produces light that is bright, but soft and even compared to full sunlight. Your subject will be well illuminated, but you avoid harsh contrast and heavy shadows that rob the image of important detail.If the weather is sunny, try to take your photos early and late in the day when the sun is low. At these times the light is soft and warmly colored. It is also easier to catch the full face of your subject in sunlight, rather than half-obscured by shadow.So there you have my five tips for wildlife photography. I could cheat and add tip #6: take lots of photos. Animals twitch, flap their wings, blink, and generally find a way to frustrate even the most patient photographer. Don’t forget, with digital photography it costs you nothing to keep snapping. So practice, persevere, and try out these tips…you could be taking better photos in no time.
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Will the Electric Car Cause a Power Shift in the Automotive Industry?
There was a big imbalance created in the automotive industry, as the Western world’s automotive industry came under serious pressure due to some car manufacturers management and the economy. In the same period, the Eastern world started to manufacture a lot more cars, which were cheaper because the Eastern world’s labor costs are much cheaper than the rest of the world. The reason why they have cheaper labor is due to the massive labor forces they have available.At the same time, the Eastern world tackled their quality problems by head hunting highly skilled automotive engineers from the Western world. This caused a massive brainpower wave between West and the East. This brainpower shift caused the amount of high quality cars that gets manufacturer in the East to increase massively.The Eastern countries even merged with some of the world-renowned car manufacturers. Some of these world-renowned manufacturers decided to open their own plants in the East. This wave in the East came like a tsunami, which could not be stopped, this caused the competition to became fierce between East and West.Predictions are that the East is going to overpower the West in the field of car manufacturing, due to their massive labor force. These labor forces combined with the highly skilled automotive engineers they have head hunted from the West cause them to be a force to be reckoned with.This whole paradigm shift will cause that the East and Japan to join up and Japan is already a reckoned force in the motor industry. There are predictions that new electric cars will also come out of the East as Mr. Warren Buffet bought some shares in a big company by the name of “BYD” in China who plan to tackle the electric car industry, “BYD” stands for “Build Your Dream”.All the major players in the automotive industry are busy developing electric cars, even in South Africa there is a company developing an electric car. This will cause a power shift on its own in the automotive industry, as electric cars will replace conventional cars very soon. Predictions are this will happen far quicker than most people realize. Let us not be skeptical about it and look forward to all these power shifts, which may come in the future and hope it will be good for the greater good.
How to Become a HR Manager in the UK
A human resources manager (or HR manager or short) has a number of responsibilities, which are centred on the recruitment, development and welfare of company personnel. They implement and maintain good policies and practices in regards to training, development and salaries. They oversee the recruitment process, and ensure that employees are managed and resourced correctly and to the organisations’ full potential. HR managers also play a role in developing and maintaining positive working relationships between management staff and employees.A human resource manager has a large number of other responsibilities, although some depend on the sector and size of the company. They will contribute to advertising job vacancies within the organisation in newspapers, magazines and online, and are usually assigned the task of responding to the applicants. They will also help with the interview and selection processes for new staff. They will plan weekly staff rotas, ensuring that all shifts are fully staffed, and deal with any related issues (e.g. a member of staff wanting to alter their working hours for a particular day). There are many other duties, and the sheer number of responsibilities may be off-putting to some. However, every company has a HR department, and as a result each organisation requires a HR manager capable of performing any and all of these tasks. If the manager of human resources is not contributing to his/her full potential, the organisation as a whole will suffer.Qualifications
The qualifications that one must have to become a human resources manager will depend on the nature of the industry, and the size of the company. Nevertheless, there are a number of qualifications that are shared by the majority of those who have succeeded in the position.Human resources managers should have a good set of GCSE and A Level results. They should aim to work towards a qualification that relates to HR management. Two examples are the Certificate in HR Administration and the Certificate in Personnel Practice, both from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. CIPD is certainly an industry standard qualification, and on most job descriptions this is certainly a must have if you are to pursue a career in HR.CIPD Qualifications can and will be paid by employers if you are lucky enough, but if you really want to break into this career path, it has to be self funded. CIPD qualifications range from foundation, intermediate and advanced. Investigations have shown that with these types of qualifications you can earn up to £5,000 per year more than someone without the qualification! Deciding which one depends on your experience.There are other worthwhile qualifications that can assist one as they aim to become a HR manager. They include a BTEC HNC/HND (Higher National Certificate/Higher National Diploma) in human resource management, business management, and perhaps psychology as well. For those graduates who have a degree in a subject unrelated to human resources management will often choose to take a postgraduate qualification in this area. This isn’t considered to be essential, but it can be advantageous for those trying for more competitive human resources roles.What Employers Are Looking For
Even before you become a manager, there are a number of key skills that an employer hopes to see in someone who works within human resources. Those working within HR should possess good computer skills, and be able to remain calm and collected when working under pressure. They should also have excellent written and verbal communication skills, be careful when it comes to attention to detail, and have the ability to multitask. It also helps to be able to build healthy working relationships, both with and between personnel. For those who aspire to become a manager, having a good knowledge of employment law and company policies, in relation to personnel, is vital, as is being able to work both independently and in a team.Once you become a manager, many of the core elements of what an employer wants to see remain, but others take on a greater level of importance. You should always be able to meet deadlines, and managing your time properly is essential, but as a HR manager these skills have to become second nature to succeed.As a manager, many people will come to you for information and/or advice. As a result, you will have more responsibilities within the organisation. You should be a confident leader, and obviously possess strong management skills. You should be aware of how to correctly handle any disciplinary issues, and to diffuse potentially difficult situations, or incidents involving conflict, between members of staff. You should take an approachable and compassionate nature, so that people will warm to you and respect you more, and feel that they can discuss anything business related with you.You may be a manager, but you should still be able to take instruction from senior management on what you should be doing and how. And, in the event that advice is not available, you should be able to use logic and your own initiative. All of these are just some of the key skills employers want to see in someone who aspires to be a human resources manager.How Much Money Will I Make as a HR Manager in the UK?
The starting salary for those working in human resources (usually personal administrators) is generally between £15,000 and £18,000 per annum. Once you make it to the position of a human resources manager, your annual salary will increase, possibly as high as £25,000. Those who possess a wealth of experience as a human resources/personnel manager will inevitably earn even more money on a yearly basis as much as £40-£60,000 with HR Business Partners and HR Directors earning in excess of £100,000 per annum.Pros and Cons of Becoming a HR Manager in the UK
As with every position, there are positives and negatives to being a human resources manager. Some of these are related to the managerial position, whilst others apply to human resources in general. Nevertheless, the list below shows the key pros and cons of being a human resources manager.PROS
• Make a valuable and important contribution to the company
• You will help many employees, as a lot of enquiries will go through you
• The chance to progress further up the company ladder
• Your earnings will increase as you gain further experience as a managerCONS
• Could often be working under pressure
• Occasional problems in any company between a manager and some staff
• A great deal of responsibility, which may be too much for some to handle
• Managers usually have to handle a lot of awkward/difficult situationsHelpful Contact Information
For those interested in becoming a human resources manager, there are a number of contacts to be aware of. They can provide further information, and go into extensive detail, on the different qualifications that are required to succeed as a HR manager.For more information on the Certificate in HR Administration and the Certificate in Personnel Practice, both accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, contact:
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
151 The Broadway
London
SW19 1JQ
Telephone 020 8612 6200
Certificate in HR Administration: http://www.cipd.co.uk/training/CHRAFor details on the BTEC HNC/HND qualifications relevant to human resources, contact:
Edexcel
190 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7BH
Telephone 0844 576 0026
BTECs: http://www.edexcel.com/btec