With Spring, comes great photo opps.  Try these tips to take great candid photos.

Candid photography is by definition taking pictures of people when they are unaware.  Part of the fun in photography is catching your subject off guard so that your pictures have more emotion.  Photographers who work for magazines, like Time Life, have been able to get candid shots of their subjects.  Taking candid shots may appear easy although there are few techniques in the photography world that will make the candid shot worth more than just a snap shot of friends and family.

First and, of course, most important is to keep the subject in view while they are not paying attention.  The next step is training your eye to catch the moment.  You have to be able to move fast, but with design.  You need to have your camera set for the picture before you are even aware you will take the photograph.  The best way to do this if you have a digital or automatic camera is to keep it on the proper setting.  Manual cameras take moments to focus and can loose the candid shot if your subject becomes aware of you.

Candid photography relies on the light; however, you may not always get to choose the angle.  The angle could be where you are standing at the time.  As a photographer of candid photography, you know the importance of choosing the best angle at the right moment that is possible.

The entire point of candid photography is to gain the unguarded moments of a person’s emotions, whether it is tears, happiness, love, or other emotions.  While it is true, you need to have light, angle, and a good camera to catch the shot it is more important to observe.  Most photographers are trained observers.  Their eyes will wander over the crowds, landscape, or other setting searching for the perfect shot.  They will always have a camera ready.  It can be extremely hard when you are taking photographs of your friends because they tend to be more involved in the conversations or activity.

The key to taking candid photographs of your friends and family is to draw them away from the fact that you carry a camera.  If they forget, they are more likely going to act natural.  Some people tend to pose in front of the camera while others will shy away turning their backs when you get ready to take a photograph.  Knowing your friends will help you find the best way to take candid shots without their knowledge.

Observing, having the camera ready, and understanding the basics of photography will yield you better results when you try for a candid shot.  Posing or turning away from the camera will take away from the shot you hoped to attain so hanging to the side or a little ahead can get you the shot you may need.  Profiles make great candid shots because the person will not realize you are taking a photograph until you have already clicked the button.  Grab your camera and go for it!

Before the advent of modern medicine as we know it many cultures developed natural medicines called herbs. These cures usually came from plants and other natural substances which today can often be found in the kitchen.

Ayurvedic Medicine is a tradition of treating people holistically that has a history of treating disease and preventing illness through herbs and even some of your every day spices found in the kitchen.

A number of Indian plants or herbs and spices have found their way into the United States. Ginger, Gotu Kola, Gymnema, Cinnamon, Boswellia or Frankincense and East Indian Globe Thistle are just a few of the Indian herbs that can be found in your local herbalist store or even at the grocery store.  Caralluma fimbriata is beneficial when used in appetite suppressants.

Ginger
used as a digestive aid this spice has been recommended to cure gas, colic and even decrease heart burn. It is also known as a tonic to increase vigor and as an anti-depressant. In India this herb is also known as Sunthi or Adrak

Gotu Kola
Listed as a common herb in India this herb should not be confused with Kola Nut which is a different plant. In Ayurvedic herbalism this plant has many uses including wound healing, skin disorders, sedative effects and even seems promising as a blood pressure lowering herb.

Gymnema
Gymnema Sylvestre or Gurmar has received a lot of press because it appears to block sugars. The first noticeable effect when a small amount is placed on the tongue is that the person stops being able to taste sweets. The theory is that it has a similar blocking effect internally. The actual effect may be that because you don’t “taste” the sugar it doesn’t trigger that “sweet tooth effect”. When used with diabetics a decrease in blood sugar and insulin levels was noted with this Indian herb.

Cinnamon
In addition to being a key ingredient in mom’s cinnamon rolls this spice has been used as a stimulant for hundreds of years by the Ayurvedic Herbalist. It is used commonly to alleviate tooth ache, rheumatism and as an astringent. The essential oil seems to have marked anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties also.

Boswellia
Also known as Frankincense this gummy residue is used externally for its anti-inflammatory properties and as an expectorant and immune system booster when taken internally. This tree is native to India and the Middle East.

East India Globe Thistle
considered a tonic or energizer this herb also seems to have anti-diabetic qualities and may be found in compounds that promote anti-oxidant effects or that reduce blood sugar.

The list of Ayurvedic herbs is much longer than just these few. It is noteworthy that many of these herbs are also spices or foods such as apricot or licorice. The Ayurvedic tradition promotes the belief that food plays an important role in curing disease and promoting wellness. The precept that “we are what we eat” is not a new one it seems.

Taking herbs in place of medications is not without some risk. Many herbs contain potent substances which can create side effects as well as interactions with medications.

A common example is ginseng. Ginseng interacts with coumadin (a common blood thinner) and causes your blood to become even thinner.

Anytime you are considering taking an herb or supplement you should research the effects and side effects and as always if you are taking medications you should consult with your doctor before starting any herb or supplement.

You’ve taught your kids about the dangers of drugs.  You’ve told them to always wear a seat belt and helmet, not to play with matches or industrial products, etc, but have you told them about the dangers of the internet?

Violence, sex, nudity, and explicit language, pornography, online gambling, online predators, viruses, spyware, and adware; these are some of the threats that your kids can encounter while using the internet. And since you can’t monitor them all the time, you need to find ways to protect your kids from these threats. Here are some of those ways:

1.    Teach them to stay secure. Talk to them about personal security while using the internet. Tell them to refuse giving any personal information to people they meet online. Avoid filling out membership and survey forms that would entail them to state their personal information.

2.    Place your computer in a place where you can monitor your kids’ use of the internet and not in their bedroom.

3.    Set up house rules to limit your kids’ internet access.

4.    Keep your kids’ computer account “limited. This will keep you in control over the significant access to the computer.

5.    Discourage them from making personal profiles using online networking websites that can be viewed by anyone. Sites like MySpace create venues for online predators to access different personal information for their predatory purposes. If your kids already have profiles posted on the web, make sure that you know what pictures and personal information they post. Also, view their personal blogs.

6.    If your kids are young enough to use the regular web browser, download web-browsers that are made for kids. They filter bad websites and limit your kids’ access to pre-approved webpages.

7.    Tell them to avoid peer-to-peer file-sharing softwares. This is because viruses, spyware, and adware can freely enter your computer through these softwares.

8.    Use internet filtering software to block bad websites from your computer.

9.    Use internet monitoring software to secretly track the activity of your kids from websites visited, chat rooms entered, downloads, conversation, and IMs.

10.    Attend to your kids immediately if they report any uncomfortable online exchanges they have encountered.

11.    Share a common email address so that you can monitor their messages.

12.    If they use instant messaging, make sure that you know who are on their list.

13.    If they enter chat rooms, tell them to stay in the public room so that the chat room administrator can monitor your conversation. Tell them to ignore private messages.

14.    Tell them not to meet personally with strangers they only met online.

15.    And, teach them to approach you whenever they have any doubts on the emails and messages they receive, window popups that appears, and forms they were asked to fill-out.

Ingredients:

2 (15 ounce) cans sweet potatoes
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Instruction:

Drain sweet potatoes and place in a shallow baking dish. Pour orange juice over the top of potatoes. Fold flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl. Add margarine and cut in with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Top potatoes with the crumb mixture being sure to cover the potatoes completely. Bake 25 minutes or until heated through in a preheated 350 degree oven. Add marshmallows to top and broil until marshmallows are slightly brown.

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There are cards available for just about every holiday out there, and Thanksgiving is no exception. But who wouldn’t love receiving a handmade card as a keepsake? With a little creativity, imagination and time, you can create wonderful cards for family and friends. There are quite a few techniques and mediums that can be used to create cards from the heart. Children and adults alike can have fun making the cards.

One of the simplest Thanksgiving cards to create is the standard “hand turkey” that can be cut out and glued to either folded construction paper, card stock or even scrapbook paper. This is a great project to do with younger kids. First, trace your child’s hand on a piece of paper, being sure to have them spread their fingers as far apart as they can. Make it dimensional, by not gluing the finger feathers down. Use a pencil to curl the feathers, so that they stand out off the paper a little.

There are many rubber stamps available in holiday themes, sometimes combined in kits. Different inks, embossing powders and paper can be combined to create unique looks, even when you use the same stamps. Practicing on scrap paper before making your final product can sometimes provide ideas that you might not have thought about, such as overlapping the same stamp a couple times, with different colors, offset a bit. This particular technique provides a shadow effect.

Stencils are also a simple way to make a nice design on your greeting cards. Using either stencil brushes or sponges can give you totally different looks. Playing with different layouts such as overlapping things can allow you to create many different and unique designs.

Stickers can also be used to create simple cards or can be combined with other mediums. There are many kinds of stickers including those with metallic accents. There is enough variety of stickers that make it easy to create a nice scene on the front of the card complete with turkeys, Pilgrims and Indians. There is also a lot of free clip art available in graphics programs and online. Many of which can be printed on sticker paper or on regular paper and glued in place.

By using some scrapbooking techniques, you can create some very artistic looking cards. Layering different kinds of paper together, changing angles, ripping edges, etc. will allow you to create an almost old fashioned look. Accenting it with stickers, paper cutouts or other details will give your card some wonderful finishing touches.

If you know calligraphy, or someone who does, hand lettering can really set off a handmade card nicely. Even if you can’t do calligraphy, there are many nice fonts that can be found on your computer. Print the words out on a nice paper, cut out creatively (scrapbooking edge scissors are great for this) and glue onto your card.

Even if you feel like you have no artistic talent at all, there are many options available to make card making easy and enjoyable. As with most handcrafted items, it doesn’t have to be perfect. That’s what makes it special; they are made with love, not mass-produced in a factory. So try your hand at a handcrafted card this Thanksgiving and let your loved ones know how thankful you are they are in your life.

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