In the past, photography has been looked at as a very boring and limited way of expressing your idea through pictures, especially when it came to wedding photography. Talking about models and media, you see their pictures have an absolutely different flavor, brightness, color and flamboyance which were never really there in the ordinary wedding photographs. It was however realized by some photographers that they need to put some life to wedding photography and the result of those efforts was fine art wedding photography. The ways pictures are taken and edited in this form of photography make it a completely different thing than the conventional photography that has been done in the past.Fine art wedding photography is the use of coloration, discoloration, blurriness, prominence, dimness and a number of other effects that are used to make the pictures look special. This is a completely different way of taking pictures and the photographer who takes such pictures works in an entirely different way as opposed to how conventional photographers used to do. It is not about telling the family to stand together, asking the short ones to come forward and taller ones to go in the back and taking the picture. It is not about telling the couple to stand hand in hand, look towards the camera and give a cute smile. These things have gotten old and photography has moved on.In fine art wedding photography the photographer makes use of everything that comes into the camera lens and even those that don’t. He will make use of shadows, reflections, deflections and elevations to come up with a photo that speaks for itself. What difference did it make in the conventional and old photography whether you were laughing or crying because the pictures looked all the same? In the modern photography techniques, every expression on your face changes the whole look of the picture. For example, the photographer will make use of some black & white colors, dry leaves and dark shadows in a picture where the bride has tears in her eyes just to make the impact of the picture powerful.Use of bright colors, greenery, birds and flowers in the pictures where the couple is laughing and smiling makes the pictures memorable. Modern softwares and tools are used for editing to enhance the pictures. Hundreds of new effects are used to make the pictures look more than wedding pictures and fine art wedding photography is thus the best choice in today’s weddings. At the same time, you will notice that these modern techniques don’t focus faces only. Wedding is not all about faces and if it was, why would people buy the most expensive dresses they can to wear on the weddings? So if you have spent thousands of dollars on your wedding dress, jewelry, shoes, venue and preparation, why not giving them some highlight in the pictures as well? This is only possible through the new fine art photography
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Auto Insurance Does Not Mean The Same Things To People In The Financial Profession
It is amazing how much literature has been written about the car insurance business online. The main approach in use by the bulk of the writings is in the direction of selling car insurance, rather than offer it in the proper context of insurance product or ‘a product to protect your assets and wealth.’ That is why when searching for the phrase ‘auto insurance’ a large number of websites emerge with the ‘selling’ phrases like affordable auto insurance, or cheap auto insurance or low cost auto insurance.In the early part of 2011 and according to Google AdWords there were 8,100; 74,000; 9,900 monthly searches for the above key phrases, respectively. On the other hand, there were only 110 searches for the phrase ‘reliable auto insurance’, 170 searches for ‘quality auto insurance’, and 8,100 for ‘top auto insurance companies.’ It is rather easy to conclude that most of the searches on line are about price, not quality of insurance.A basic principle in marketing is to understand what people ‘want’ and design and package your product or service to meet what the folks want. Looking at those numbers we can tell that most people want cheap auto insurance. As a marketer, if you design any campaign without considering that analysis you may eventually flunk the marketing tests, close your website and go do something else.So what’s the difference between auto insurance polices? From a ‘financial planning viewpoint’ car insurance comparison should never be based on price only, and perhaps most people agree that cheap insurance is not necessarily the best car insurance. But what most people do not know is that an insurance policy with the best rated company may also be one of the most problematic contract. An auto insurance policy should be compared in reference with three factors:1. Price: of course the cheaper the better.2. Company Rating: Non standard companies are more flexible than their standard or preferred counterparts with regard to past violations found on the MVR activities of the drivers and the credit score of the car insurance applicants. However, non standard companies are harsher than others in customer service and paying claims. Most of complains come from non standard insurance companies. While preferred companies do not hesitate to quickly pay for smaller claims suck as seven or eight thousand dollars claim, or even little more; all companies from top to bottom will try to examine the application to see if they have to or do not have to pay a $100,000 claim.3. Liability Limits. This is the most ignored, least understood, but is the most important aspect of the policy which affect customers during time they need the insurance. It measures how much protection you have in the event you get sued. A professional financial advisor will never ever sell you an auto insurance policy at low limits if he/she has enough information that you and your spouse have enough wealth to be sued for in the event that you or a family household member cause a major auto accident and your car insurance pays the maximum on the policy which turns out not to be enough.There are many insurance policies sold with superior insurance companies at the lowest liability limits mandated by the state. In the State of Illinois these limits are 20/40/15, which means that in the event you cause an accident that is your fault and you get sued by others, then your company will pay to others on your behalf no more than $20,000 for bodily injury for one person, no more than $40,000 for bodily injury for all other people in the accident, and a maximum of $15,000 for any and all property damage you case in that accident. If you are a business owner and you cause a major accident resulting in a unbeaten lawsuit of $300,000 and your insurance company maxed the payment on the policy and paid $20,000, the difference of $280,000 will have to come from your own money!Financial Planners and Auto Insurance Marketers Are Not in HarmonyFinancial planners are not in harmony with insurance marketers about the weight that needs to be placed on limits of liability in auto insurance. Marketers like to stress the aspects of price and company rating, while financial planners like to stress the importance of liability limits first, then company rating second, and perhaps price at a later stage.Although financial planners and auto insurance marketers have the common goals of maximizing their earnings while providing their services, the scope of their operations is different. Auto insurance marketers make their money by selling as many polices as they can have. The marketer does his best to make as many sales as possible, hence making small amount of money on too many policies sold. Financial planners work differently as they try to make big money from each of the few number of customers they have. Selling an auto policy is not the primary concern of a financial planner, but for him or her auto insurance is one of the fundamental subjects of the financial planning process.Car insurance agents look at auto insurance as a way to protect the car itself in the event of theft, fire or another loss, besides the fact that it’s the law. Financial planners look at auto insurance as an integral part of their clients risk management process. To the financial planner an auto policy is not to repair the car in the event of loss, but is mainly about protecting the assets and wealth of the insured, especially against potential lawsuits.Some auto insurance marketers would even suggest to cut down on liability insurance as a way to save money. No sound financial planner will ever make such a suggestion. No way!When does height matter?How high your liability limits should be is the main issue that should prevail when you buy car insurance. You probably need only the minimum liability limits mandated by the states if /when(1) you shopped for higher limits and could not afford it, (2) your current assets or wealth is not big enough to expose you to further lawsuits in the event of at fault auto accident. (3) you are a high risk driver where no one else wants to insure you except at the minimum limits. But, if you have certain amounts of assets and wealth, or is expected to have sizable assets or wealth, then you need to worry about the height of your liability limits.What about if you are not wealthy with plenty of assets? Even for people with little or no wealth, the height of liability limits should be much of a concern to them. This is due to the fact that liability insurance contains certain coverages to pay for your bodily injuries in the event that you get hit by a vehicle that is legally uninsured, or is insured but the insurance on that vehicle was not enough to cover your bodily injuries. According to the Insurance Research Council, approximately 15% to 17% all drivers in the United States are uninsured. Coverages for Uninsured Motorist (UM) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) vary from states to states with regard to their mandatory status and limit amounts. In Illinois UM is mandatory at the limits of $20,000 for bodily injury per person and $40,000 for bodily injury per accident. Underinsured motorists coverage is not mandatory in Illinois but insurance companies must offer it to clients for policies issued with liability over the state limits. Clients can still reject to have higher uninsured/ underinsured motorists but it must be in writing. As you can see, your liability only policy provides coverage for your bodily injuries, and making sure that you have high limits on both liability, UM and UIM can have tremendous effect on your life.
Online School Or Home School? Before Shelling Out For a Virtual Academy, Consider the Whole Package
With online virtual academies becoming more common, you may have asked yourself, “Is it possible for children to receive a proper education online?” My opinion may differ from others, but I have researched several online schools, through their websites, and formed some generalizations which I think should be understood before enrolling any student. This article is not meant to be a review of any particular school, but rather a summary of common characteristics I have found among several online schools. The schools you consider may differ in their teaching approaches and practices. Consumers should always fully research any school, whether brick-and-mortar, or virtual, before enrolling their children. Of course deciding whether an online education is right for your child is a decision you and your child should make together. However, I recommend some alternatives to consider before enrolling your child in an online school. The generalizations and alternatives I found are listed below.School can be broken down into its basic components, which, in the author’s opinion, includes four things;1. Teacher-student interaction
2. Curriculum
3. Student-student interaction and
4. Feedback (Grading).Let’s examine each of these components and how each are implemented within a typical online program1. Teacher-student interaction (instruction). Most online schools do not offer real-time teacher-led instruction. Instead, they provide curriculum materials which should be reviewed and studied independently by the student. The student subsequently submits the materials for grading, and receives a response from the teacher. Most programs offer some form of tutoring by the teacher via e-mail or chat. Most programs are asynchronous (student and teacher not together at the same time.) This offers the advantage of a more flexible schedule where a student can participate in other activities or programs and complete lessons and assignments at differing schedules. The disadvantage, however, is that the program may seem impersonal, resembling strongly old-fashioned correspondence courses. Many students become discouraged from this type of instruction, where others may enjoy the flexibility. The key to success in this type of program, especially for younger students, is strong parental support. Parents should expect to keep kids on track by overseeing lessons, and even assisting if need be. Some programs offer a real-time chat as a substitute for scheduled live lessons. In the real-time chat, students and teacher meet synchronously (at the same time) in a chat room and the students are allowed to ask questions and receive a response. This provides an advantage of live interaction with other people, but the chat should have a “whiteboard” available so that the teacher can clearly illustrate concepts, especially for math and science courses.2. The next part of any school is its chosen curriculum. Of course, many parents have religious preferences and there is an abundance of curricula out there to support most choices, especially if the family is Christian. For many parents, this is the primary factor driving them to choose a private education for their children. Parents should be certain that the curriculum can be tailored to each students needs, and that it meets standards for their state. It is a good idea to be certain that the student will receive the required state-mandated coursework before choosing a school, because, especially for the high school courses, they may discover too late that the student has not met state requirements for graduation. The good news is that most curricula are tailored to meet state standards, and the parent has little need for concern here. Special needs students are often exempt from these requirements and can benefit from a custom-tailored program that can be chosen in a virtual school. Parents should be cautious, however, when enrolling children in higher-level coursework. Be certain that tutoring is available as part of the program, with a “whiteboard” in the classroom chat. If this option is not available, I would recommend that consumers shy away from these types of programs, as the parent may find himself or herself spending extra money for private tutoring, which defeats the purpose of paying for the virtual education in the first place.3. Student-student interaction or socialization. We’ve all heard so much about socialization. What is all of the hype really about, and is it relevant to online education? The answer is yes, yes, and yes. People need other people, and those taking online courses can feel very isolated. Most virtual schools offer students the opportunity to interact with each other in an online chat. Some even offer a “virtual world” which resembles a real school campus in a video game type of environment. Students who enjoy playing video games may benefit from the latter option. Parents should be certain that they have time to support their children’s educational needs with outside activities like sports, clubs, etc. There are usually home school groups in any area and those attending a virtual school would certainly find themselves in like company at these meetings. Consider finding a local chapter and getting involved. Students who meet regularly with other students in the area will feel like part of a group in much the same way as those attending a regular school. Students who sit home alone all day will most certainly suffer from the isolation.4. The final component necessary to any basic educational program is teacher feedback or grading. This component is critical so that the student knows how well he or she is doing in the program, and which areas of study may need work. Virtual programs may offer immediate feedback for curriculum components which may be graded automatically. There should certainly be some live input, however. Parents should ask whether lessons receiving a poor grade may be repeated. Sometimes computerized grading systems can be less that foolproof and a live teacher should be available and willing to review even the computerized answers. Be certain to ask about this critical area of the program.Parents have quite a few options when considering an online program, and it is possible to find one that fits you and your student exactly. Many students and parents are happy with this educational option. These people find that an online program helps to keep them on track and provides the support they need for more difficult or time-consuming subjects.Parents who are considering this option may sell themselves short, however, if they do not consider homeschooling their children instead of purchasing an online education. Many virtual schools utilize the exact same curriculum options that are available to home schoolers. Several of these curricula are considered to be “self-teaching,” meaning that each lesson is carefully planned and presented in a package that builds on information previously learned, but does not require the student to review or refer to that material to complete the lesson. Several “curriculum-in-a-box” options are available to home schooled students which offer a complete 5-subject set for each level. Electives are also available. Those considering virtual education may consider using one of these curricula coupled with outside tutoring services when necessary. There are several of these curriculum options available to homeschooling families, and a comparison is beyond the scope of this article. Since the parent will find him/herself monitoring and guiding daily student lessons and activities with either choice, some students may better succeed in a homeschooling program which offers direct tutoring support rather than impersonal online interaction. Money saved from not purchasing the virtual school program can be used for funding the tutoring services. If the parents feel comfortable answering most questions themselves, rather than hiring a tutor, further financial benefit can be realized from the homeschooling option.Of course, parents should always refer to local and/or state homeschooling regulations. If homeschooling is chosen, parents are required to register their student with a regulating authority. This is also required in some states if a virtual school option is chosen. In some states students are allowed to register with the virtual school only.Congratulations on your choice of seeking an alternative educational setting for your child! Whichever program you choose, make sure it offers the benefits and support you need as a family to achieve success. I wish you success in whatever choice you make together.