How to Take Better Portrait Photos

By Steve Nichols  

Taking pictures of individual people is often the mainstay of general PR and editorial work. But there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.What I am going to look at it how to take a classic portrait shot, suitable for use as a PR image.Before you go on to try more elaborate or way-out methods of photographing people at least manage to try and perfect the classic portrait.There are a number of hints and tips for this one, so let’s get going  

1.Hold your camera vertical not horizontal

For the classic portrait shot you want your camera to be oriented vertically. This suits the image much better and avoids you having to crop off large amounts of wasteful image to the left and right of the subject’s head.  

2.Make sure that the subject is not up against a wall

I always believe that if the background adds something to an image keep it in. If it doesn’t then get rid of it. The problem with a lot of digital cameras nowadays, especially the smaller compact ones, is that they have tremendous depth of field. That is, a heck of a lot is in focus. If your subject is near to their background the chances are that it will be sharp too, which is very distracting. So keep them at least eight feet away from their background and DON’T use a brick wall either – it always looks like a mug shot from “Prisoner cell Block H”!  

3. Shoot at their eye level

This is the best option – I usually put a chair in place for the sitter and then set my camera up on a tripod or hold it so that I am at their eye level. This gives the best perspective.  

4. Don’t use a wide-angle lens

Most compact digital cameras automatically default to their wide-angle settings when you first switch them on. This is the worst possible setting for a portrait. For a start you have to get way to close to the person you are photographing to fill the frame. Secondly, you then get terrible distortion – like looking into the back of a spoon.

Photo captured by Aleksey Yurchenko (Click Image to See More From Aleksey Yurchenko) 

 
The solution is to go back until you are about six feet away from the person and then zoom in to fill the frame. This will give more flattering perspective and help to make the background more blurred. It will also help to get rid of distracting elements in the background.

5. Get your sitter to sit at an angle of 45 degrees to you

If you shoot the person head on it will look like a police mug shot. Get them to sit at an angle of 45 degrees to you and then turn their heads to look square on to the camera. The result will be much better.

6. Don’t use direct flash

Direct flash (or flash on camera) is not flattering and will give severe shadows and flare off the sitter’s nose, forehead and chin. Better to use bounce flash if you have a external flashgun and bounce the light off the ceiling. This can work well if you have a white (or light coloured) ceiling that is about eight feet high. Don’t attempt it if you are in a hall or somewhere where the ceiling is 20-30 feet high – it won’t work.

7. Or use available light

If you haven’t got an external flashgun turn your flash off by pressing the button with the small lightning symbol on your camera until you get the symbol that looks like a lightning with a line through it.This means the flash will NEVER go off. Now mount the camera on a tripod and use the available light (if in a bright room) or use light coming through a window. Don’t use direct sunlight as it is too harsh – light on a cloudy day or light from a north-facing window is best. To avoid harsh shadows you can use a reflector to bounce some light back.You can buy commercial reflectors, like the ones from Lastolite, or you can make your own from a large piece of cardboard covered in aluminium foil. The secret is to get it quite close to your subject’s face, but not so close that it appears in the shot. At a push you can use a large sheet of white paper or a white bin liner – try it it works! Please note you must use a tripod – the shutter speed will be quite slow and you will probably get camera shake if you don’t.

8. Make sure you “Fill the Frame”

Don’t place the sitter’s head in the middle of the frame. Make sure you use the whole frame and position their head towards the top.  

9. Look with your eye first

Take a look at your subject first. Are you happy with what you can see? Is the lighting correct on the elements you want to capture? Make sure the scene is composed in the way you want to capture it and everything is in place.  

“This girl life” captured by Jim K. (Click Image to See More From Jim K.)

So there you have it. The sure-fire way of taking a first class classic portrait shot.

Source: Picture Correct

Photography Zoom Effect: Racking the Lens Technique

By Affendy

A zoom effect in photography terms is where you capture an image which looks like the subject is moving either towards you or away from you with a motion kind of lines. It’s also known as racking the lens. What I’m writing today is where the effect is created or done while shooting the image through camera and not the post production techniques (in photoshop terms its call “radial blur”). During my assignments I would look for opportunities where I could apply this technique where possible just to provide more variety for my client.

3 basic steps to achieve the effect

1. Set your shutter speed to a longer exposure
2. Composed, focus and take a shot.
3. While taking the shot between when the shutter opens and actually closes, you need to zoom in or zoom out your lens.

As usual you need a lot of practice in order to be able to capture a nice zoom effect and that’s what fun about photography.

Tips to help you get better results

Choosing the shutter speed – Choose a shutter speed long enough to zoom your lens from one end to another. There is no one standard setting on your shutter speed in order to achieve the effects. There are few factors to consider. Always look on the situation at the point of your shooting.

1. Level of available lights.
2. Type of lens you are using.
3. Amount of movement of your camera or the subject

Again, always experiment with different shutter speeds and see the result. Different setting may result in different level of effect.

“Zoom Burst of Colemen Bridge” captured by Joey (Click Image to See More From Joey)

Aperture – While aperture setting is not the most critical to obtain a nice zoom effect but when using a slower shutter speeds you might have a problem in over exposed situation (depending on the overall lighting situation) as it lets more light into your camera. You can cope with the potential over exposed situation by selecting a larger aperture (large f numbers).

Zooming – To get a nice smooth motion lines in your image, you need to be able to zoom smoothly and constantly (nice smooth flow while zooming). Do not speed up at one point and later slow down at another point while zooming.

It does not matter if you either zoom in or zoom out to get the effect as zooming in on a subject will give you a different result than zooming out. Try both way and you will see the different effects.

Make use of lights – Lights can produce really spectacular effects.

On one occasion I captured a photo during a stage performance where the stage was well lighted with colourful lightings where else the foreground where the audiences are seated where dark. In this situation I fire my flash gun just enough to freeze the subjects on the foreground.

During the long exposure, I managed to freeze part of the image in this case the video crew and the audiences while getting movement behind it (in this case the stage performers) and around it.

Photo captured by Bob O’Lary (Click Image to See More From Bob O’Lary)

Hope this is a useful tip. Keep a look out for more photography tips and tutorial. Enjoy and have some fun with your camera. Remember to practice and keep practicing.

Source: PictureCorrect

Tips To Emphasize Your Subject In Photography

By Wayne Turner

When you watch a movie there is one element that never changes, a leading character. The whole movie centers around this leading player and the story is created around this subject. It is no different with a still image like a photograph. Each photo should have its lead character, called the subject, around which the image is created.

“Fort Perch Lighthouse Mono” captured by Mark Broughton (Click Image to See More From Mark Broughton)

By creating this center of interest you form a visual focal point that anchors the eye of the viewer and holds it there. Everything else is discovered by the eye in relation to this one focal point. How the eye moves into the rest of the image is determined by this point. So in order for you to create a successful image you need to emphasize the subject. This is done in one of several ways, so let’s take a look.

1. Get in closer

When you get in really close to the subject it starts to fill the whole frame and the eye can no longer miss the subject and the subject is emphasized. It powerfully directs your attention to the subject as there is nothing else in the image to compete with it. It is a simple but dramatic emphasis of a subject. Use your feet more often when shooting and you will see just how dynamic the resulting images are.

2. Get further away

This may not seem a great idea in order to emphasize your subject. Picture this. The subject is a light house and there is an azure blue sky reflected in an ocean topped by white foam. The bold red and white lighthouse on the horizon is in stark contrast to the blue of the sky and ocean. It may not fill the image but it still dominates the scene in relation to the rest of it. Placed in the correct position it becomes even more striking.

3. Selective focus

Using a small aperture to control the depth of field, or depth of focus, lifts the subject out of a background that is now blurred by the very shallow depth of field. With the background details now blurred the subject stands out against it in clear focus. This simplifies the images and cause all attention to be focused on the subject.

“Ladybug on a car roof” captured by jacques gautreau (Click Image to See More From jacques gautreau)

4. Subject placement

By placing your subject off center it creates a very pleasing image to the eye. Called the rule of thirds, discovered by the Greeks and used by artists for thousands of years it adds a dynamic element to your photo. Imagine a noughts and crosses or tic-tac-toe grid over the scene. Where the two horizontal lines intersect with the two vertical lines is where you place your subject thereby emphasizing it to great effect.

5. Simplify your backgrounds

By placing the subject on simple, plain single colour background there is no doubt as to which is the subject. Making sure that the colour of your subject and the background contrast with each causes the subject to be clearly emphasized. You may need to change your viewpoint or angle of view in order to exclude clutter and keep the background simple. Remember that less is more and the KISS principle applies here.

The key to a great a photographs is a clear subject. Knowing where to place it in a photograph as you learn digital photography, allows you to emphasize the subject to great effect with stunning photo results. Happy shooting!

“lone tree” captured by paul Robertson (Click Image to See More From paul Robertson)

Source: Picture Correct

10 Tips For Taking Great Cityscape Photos

By Rueben Hird

“Cat Street” captured by AlwynL (Click Image to See More From AlwynL)

Cities are not only home to many people’s homes, businesses and offices but they also full of energy, power and vitality. There are many things that make a city great and capturing the true essence of a city in one single photograph is a very hard thing to do.

The main thing that encapsulates and defines a city can actually differ depending on the time of the day and even the season. During the morning cities can look peaceful and calm, whilst during the evening or nighttime they can come alive with activity and purpose.

Most of the people that call the a particular city home don’t take the time to stop and marvel at the magnificent landmarks and sights that make their own home city such a wonderful place to be a part of. A really good city photograph not only shows off the majestic buildings in the heart of the city centre, but should also showcase some of the more enthralling aspects and delights that day to day city life has to offer.

1. Choose an Interesting Subject – Make sure you have an interesting subject for the photo, either in the middle section of the photo or in the foreground.

2. Have a Mix of Foreground & Background – Ensure that you have a good mix of interesting foreground and background areas in the entire photo.

3. Leave Room to Crop – When you are framing up the photo in the viewfinder make sure that there is some room around the edge of the photo to crop the final image.

4. Use a Level Tripod – Before taking the photo make sure that you use a level tripod so that the horizon is straight. Even though you can fix this up later in photoshop it is easier to do it right in the first place to save yourself the hassle.

5. Keep the Sun Behind You – Try and keep the sun behind you so that you get the most amount of light on your the city and the sky has a brilliant blue look to it.

6. Choose the Right Time of Day – Try to take photos as early or as late as possible in the day, as these times generally give the best light and produce more shadows and detail on your photos.

7. Use the Correct Exposure – When setting the exposure for a photo make your reading based on the brightest part of the photo so that there is no overexposure.

“paris” captured by abeer (Click Image to See More From abeer)

8. Use a Timer or Remote – Always use a timer or remote control to take the photo so that there is not any camera shake caused by you when you depress the photo button.

9. Use a Polarizing Filter – On your SLR camera use a polarizing filter to remove the light reflections that bounce of building windows and metal objects.

10. Buy in a Good Lens – In order to get the best from your SLR camera invest in a good quality lens. They may be expensive but it will be well worth the money.

By using all of the above tips you are sure to see a noticeable improvement in any photos that you take of city building or skylines. Not only will your city photos will clearer and more well defined, but they will also has a wide spectrum of color, which is the sign of a great photo.

“shtil” captured by Raluca Mateescu (Click Image to See More From Raluca Mateescu)

Source: Picture Connect

ISO Settings in Digital Photography …

By Darren Rowse

In traditional (film) photography ISO (or ASA) was the indication of how sensitive a film was to light. It was measured in numbers (you’ve probably seen them on films – 100, 200, 400, 800 etc). The lower the number the lower the sensitivity of the film and the finer the grain in the shots you’re taking.

In Digital Photography ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The same principles apply as in film photography – the lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain. Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds (for example an indoor sports event when you want to freeze the action in lower light) – however the cost is noisier shots. I’ll illustrate this below with two elargements of shots that I just took – the one on the left is taken at 100 ISO and the one of the right at 3200 ISO (click to enlarge to see the full effect).

100 ISO is generally accepted as ‘normal’ and will give you lovely crisp shots (little noise/grain).

Most people tend to keep their digital cameras in ‘Auto Mode’ where the camera selects the appropriate ISO setting depending upon the conditions you’re shooting in (it will try to keep it as low as possible) but most cameras also give you the opportunity to select your own ISO also.

When you do override your camera and choose a specific ISO you’ll notice that it impacts the aperture and shutter speed needed for a well exposed shot. For example – if you bumped your ISO up from 100 to 400 you’ll notice that you can shoot at higher shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures.

When choosing the ISO setting I generally ask myself the following four questions:

1. Light – Is the subject well lit?
2. Grain – Do I want a grainy shot or one without noise?
3. Tripod – Am I using a tripod?
4. Moving Subject – Is my subject moving or stationary?

If there is plenty of light, I want little grain, I’m using a tripod and my subject is stationary I will generally use a pretty low ISO rating.

However if it’s dark, I purposely want grain, I don’t have a tripod and/or my subject is moving I might consider increasing the ISO as it will enable me to shoot with a faster shutter speed and still expose the shot well.

Of course the trade off of this increase in ISO will be noisier shots.

Situations where you might need to push ISO to higher settings include:

• Indoor Sports Events – where your subject is moving fast yet you may have limited light available.
• Concerts – also low in light and often ‘no-flash’ zones
• Art Galleries, Churches etc- many galleries have rules against using a flash and of course being indoors are not well lit.
• Birthday Parties – blowing out the candles in a dark room can give you a nice moody shot which would be ruined by a bright flash. Increasing the ISO can help capture the scene.

ISO is an important aspect of digital photography to have an understanding of if you want to gain more control of your digital camera. Experiment with different settings and how they impact your images today.

Source: Digital Photography School

The Shutter and Aperture, Let The Sun Shine In

By Suzanne Vandegrift

In order to get a picture that has the perfect brightness, not too light or too dark, the amount of light that gets into the camera has to be controlled. One thing that controls the light in the camera is the aperture. That’s what the light has to pass through before it reaches the film. The aperture opening settings are also called F-stops.

The camera’s aperture settings are actually the same principal as the function of the pupil in the human eye. When you go the the eye doctor and have your eyes dilated, the pupils are enlarged, which allows a lot more light to enter the eye. To protect your retina, you need to wear sunglasses when you go out into the sun, until the pupils have a chance to go back to their normal size. Your pupils will enlarge automatically when you go into a dimly lit area to allow you to see better.

The smaller the aperture becomes, the less light enters the camera; the larger the aperture gets, the more light enters the camera. F-stop settings can be a little confusing. The smaller the F-stops numbers, the larger the openings; the larger the openings, the more light. An example, more light would get through to the film or memory card on a setting of 2.8 than a setting of 5.6. Some people are good at memorizing this type of information. But, if you’re not one of them, consider keeping this kind of pertinent information tucked in your camera case for easy referral.

The shutter, when open, will allow the light to enter the camera. This is determined by the shutter speed. Shutter speed, as with aperture, has a standard series of settings called stops. Shutter stops are measured in seconds or fractions of seconds, which determine how long the shutter is open. Shutter speed is relative to the length of time the shutter remains open after you press the button to take your picture.

Shutter speeds are fraction denominators, such as 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, and 1/1000. The longer the shutter speed, the more light; the shorter the shutter speed, the less light. An average shutter speed that would produce a good photograph taken in sunny conditions is 1/125th of a second. Shutter speed impacts how action photographs will turn out, such as photographing an aerial performance of the popular Blue Angels.

In this day and age, we’re more sophisticated and our equipment is definitely a lot smaller and more manageable. They fit nicely in our quality camera bags along with our lenses, batteries, and accessories. But, the basic principles of aperture and shutter hasn’t changed since the early days of photography. The waterhouse stop was invented by a photographer by the name of John Waterhouse in 1858. The size of the hole acted just as the apertures of today and a lens cap was manually removed and then replaced for the exposure process, as our shutter does on today’s cameras.

Photographic artistry often times can be attained by manually focusing, rather than relying on the automatic settings with which our cameras come equipped. It gives you complete control over aperture and shutter settings. With manual focus, you have the advantage of speed. You don’t have to wait for the automatic focus before taking your next shot. This can be an important reason to go with manual exposure, perhaps at a fast-paced sports event. So, remember before you head out to that all important game and you’re loading your camera bag with your camera and accessories to check the settings on the camera and make sure they’re set to manual.

Source: Picture Correct

Photography Exposure Basics

By Richard Schneider

Exposure is the amount of light collected by the sensor in your camera during a single picture.  If the shot is exposed too long the photograph will be washed out.  If the shot is exposed too short the photograph will appear too dark.  Almost all cameras today have light meters which measure the light in the given shot and set an ideal exposure automatically.

Most people  depend on the light meter which is fine, but if  you know how to control your exposures you can get some creative and sometimes better pictures.  (The photo on the left is with low shutter speed and narrow aperture (high f/stop).

The two primary controls your camera uses for exposure are shutter speed (the amount of time the sensor is exposed to light) and aperture (the size of the lens opening that lets light into the camera).  Shutter speeds are measured in seconds and more commonly fractions of a second. (1/2000 of a second is very fast and 8′ seconds is extremely slow).  Apertures are measured in something called f/stops (a very wide aperture is f/2.8 and a very small aperture is f/19).

You might wonder why there is not just a constant shutter speed or a constant aperture so that you would only have to worry about one control.  The reason is that even though they both control the amount of light getting to the sensor they also control other aspects of the picture.  Shutter speed for example can be used to freeze subjects in midair with a fast speed or it can be used to blur water with a slow speed.

Aperture controls the depth-of-field which is what is in focus in the picture.  Aperture can be used to draw attention to one subject (like the flower on the right) by blurring the background with a wide aperture (low f/stop).  Aperture can also be used to focus everything in a picture with a narrow aperture (high f/stop).  (The photo on the left is with Wide aperture (low f/stop) and corresponding shutter speed).

Low shutter speed and slightly narrow aperture (pretty high f/stop)
On most digital SLR’s (Single Lens Reflex) cameras today you can even change the sensitivity of the sensor when collecting light which is called the ISO speed.  The common span of ISO speed is 100 to 800.  The higher the ISO speed the faster the camera collects light but it also adds more noise to the photograph than the lower speeds.

For example if your trying to take pictures in dim light without a tripod you might want to raise the ISO speed in order to get a picture that’s not blurry.  Most of the time you should keep it at a lower ISO speed if there is enough light, but it makes a big difference when there isn’t.

The best way to learn how to use shutter speed and aperture is to just keep experimenting with them.

Source: Picture Correct

5 Tips To Add Flavor To Your Landscape Photography

Landscapes can have a magical impact on people. Dependent on the location, a provided piece of landscapes may instill a feeling of serenity or natural turmoil; it might imply lush development or continuous erosion; green with life or dim, gray, and lifeless; a talented photographer could leverage these features to create pictures that are simultaneously captivating, poignant, and beautiful.

“Mountain hat” captured by Jim K. (Click Image to See More From Jim K.)

However, this seldom occurs by chance.

In this post, we’ll provide a short list of 5 tips that can bring essence to your panorama digital photography; several of the following suggestions may appear instinctive while some might be unexpected. In the long run, you’ll have the ability to utilize these tips to create landscape pictures that seize the curiosity of your audience.

#1 – Use A Tripod To Eliminate Camera Tremble

In order to catch a broad, deep portion of landscape, you’ll want to employ a smaller aperture to improve your depth of field. A littler aperture generally requires a longer shutter speed to make up for a reduction of lighting; a lengthier shutter speed can make camera tremble more probable, which leads to blurring. Utilize a tripod to eliminate the issue.

#2 – Properly Use The Foreground As An Intro To The Photo

Suppose your shot comprises of a field of gaily-hued blossoms in the front with snowfall-capped hills etched into the backdrop. One approach to “bring” your audience into your photo is to use the foreground as an intro

For example, bring your camera lower so the flowers are shot up close at eye level; the field will stretch into the distance towards the mountains in the background; this generates a graphic experience that makes it simpler for your audience to work together with your scenery.

“Sunset Tetons” captured by Katie (Click Image to See More From Katie)

#3 – Use Depth of Field

If you are an experienced shooter, you might need to play with a much more shallow depth of field to generate unique effects. That said, amateur photographers should select as deep a depth of field as possible when shooting panoramas; that permits objects at varying distances from your camera to enter into focus

As pointed out previously, think about utilizing a tripod since a smaller aperture normally needs a lengthier shutter speed.

#4 – Show Action

Panorama photography is typically thought of as capturing stillness. However, you can bring a unique result to your pictures by filming particular kinds of surroundings in a way that captures movement; for instance, water lapping a close by shore, trees swaying in a soft wind, a group of gulls slicing lazily through the air… these components animate your pictures; they attract the individual seeing the picture into the scenery’s action.

In order to accomplish this, you’ll have to lengthen your shutter speed and use a smaller aperture to compensate for the related increase in lighting. And of course, utilize a tripod to remove the problem of digital camera shake.

#5 – Integrate The Sky, Clouds, And Sun

The atmosphere may make your panorama pictures sparkle; in fact, if you allow additional components of your landscapes to command the top part of your photo, the end result may be less than fulfilling to your viewers. The key is to make sure there are contrasting features that draw the eye.

For instance, strips or teams of clouds may split an otherwise clear blue sky. The clouds add flavor

If you are capturing near dusk, a setting sun can splash atmosphere with colored light. Splotches of red and yellow thrown through a light cloud cover can generate startlingly beautiful photos.

“FoggyMorn” captured by Debra Vanderlaan (Click Image to See More From Debra Vanderlaan)

Photographing landscapes is an opportunity to present the environment in a manner that draws your audience into your arrangement. Many photographers – both beginners and pros – squander the occasion.

Employ the tips above to introduce elements into your photos that show nature at its most exciting and stunning.

Source: Picture Correct

15 Failed Predictions about the future …

“It will be years –not in my time– before a woman will become Prime Minister.” — Margaret Thatcher, October 26th, 1969.

She became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom only 10 years after saying that, holding her chair from 1979 to 1990. But she wasn’t all that wrong since she is the only woman to have held this post. Maybe she should have added the word “again”.

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers”. — Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

It may sound ridiculous now, but the prediction was actually true for about ten years after it was made. Almost every forecaster would settle for a ten year limit on the testing of their forecasts. Of course, by the 1980s and the advent of the PC, such a statement looked plain daft.

“That virus [HIV] is a pussycat.” — Dr. Peter Duesberg, molecular-biology professor at U.C. Berkeley, 1988

By 2006, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization estimated that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized on December 1, 1981.

“Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy.” — Associates of Edwin L. Drake refusing his suggestion to drill for oil in 1859.

Only one hundred fifty years passed by since the first attempt to dig out oil from the ground met such contempt, and now the whole world is trying to look for unimaginable places to satiate the thirst for money that is propelled and sustained on this black gold.

“A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.”
–New York Times, 1936.

10 years later, in 1946, the first American-built rocket to leave the earth’s atmosphere was launched from White Sands, attaining 50 miles of altitude.

“Reagan doesn’t have that presidential look.” — United Artists Executive, rejecting Reagan as lead in 1964 film The Best Man

Before becoming the 40th President of the United States in 1981, Ronald Reagan pursued an acting career, but spent the majority of his Hollywood career in the “B film” division. In 1964 he was rejected for a part in a movie with presidential candidate theme due to “not having the presidential look”.

“The singer [Mick Jagger] will have to go; the BBC won’t like him.” — First Rolling Stones manager Eric Easton to his partner after watching them perform.

We can only wonder what Sir Michael Philip “Mick” Jagger, Golden Globe, Grammy Award-winning English singer-songwriter, rock musician and occasional actor, has to say about it now.

“Rail Travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia.” — Dr Dionysys Larder (1793-1859)

It may sound impossible to Dr Larder, professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at the University College London back in the 1800, but in 1939 the first high speed train went from Milan to Florence at 165 km/h (102.5 mph). Thankfully no one died. Now-a-days these trains go at 200 km/h (125 mph) and faster.

“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible..” — Lord Kelvin, 1895

This was said by Lord Kelvin (British mathematician and physicist, president of the British Royal Society) only eight years before brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright took their home-built flyer to the sandy dunes of Kitty Hawk, cranked up the engine, and took off into the history books.

“There will never be a bigger plane built.” — A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that holds ten people.

What would this engineer say if he saw the current largest passenger plane on earth, the Airbus A380? The Airbus A380 has 50% more floor space than arch rival Boeing’s 747 Jumbo, with room for duty-free shops, restaurants and even a sauna, and can provide site for up to 853 people.

“Taking the best left-handed pitcher in baseball and converting him into a right fielder is one of the dumbest things I ever heard.” — Tris Speaker, baseball hall of famer, talking about Babe Ruth, 1919

Ruth has been named the greatest baseball player in history in various surveys and rankings, and his home run hitting prowess made him a larger than life figure in the “Roaring Twenties”. He became the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season (1927), a record which stood for 34 years until broken by Roger Maris in 1961. Ruth’s lifetime total of 714 home runs at his retirement in 1935 was a record for 39 years, until broken by Hank Aaron in 1974.

“Ours has been the first [expedition] , and doubtless to be the last, to visit this profitless locality.” — Lt. Joseph Ives, after visiting the Grand Canyon in 1861

More than a century later, five million people annually visit this “profitless locality,” by car, foot, air, and on the Colorado River itself.

“If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one.” — W.C. Heuper, National Cancer Institute, 1954

In 1964 the United States Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health began suggesting the relationship between smoking and cancer, which confirmed its suggestions 20 years later in the 1980s. Nowadays, it’s well known that long-term exposure to tobacco smoke is the most common causes of lung cancer.

“You better get secretarial work or get married.” — Emmeline Snively, advising would-be model Marilyn Monroe in 1944

In 1944, Marilyn Monroe was discovered by a photographer who encouraged her to apply to The Blue Book modeling agency. She was told by Snively, director of the Modelling Agency that she should became a secretary, besides they were looking for models with lighter hair. So Marilyn dyed her brunette hair to a golden blonde. She finally signed a contract with the agency. And of course, became Blue Book’s most successful model.

“Read my lips: No new taxes.” — George Bush, 1988

That pledge was the centerpiece of Bush’s acceptance address, written by speechwriter Peggy Noonan, for his party’s nomination at the 1988 Republican National Convention. It was a strong, decisive, bold statement, and you don’t need a history degree to see where this is going. As presidents sometimes must, Bush raised taxes. His words were used against him by then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton in a devastating attack ad during the 1992 presidential campaign.

Sri Venkatesa Suprabhatham

Sri Venkatesha Suprabhatha is sung in the morning as a wake-up call for Lord Venkateshwara . It is recited at Tirupati to awaken Lord Venkateshwara. The rendition by M. S. Subbalakshmi can be heard in many houses each morning.

It is believed that Lord Venkateswara will bestow prosperity in abundance to devotees who recite this sloka every morning. Lets all together sing this Sloka and get the Lords blessings.

1. Kowsalya supraja Rama poorva sandhya pravarthathe
   Uthishta narasardoola karthavyam daiva mahnikam
2. Uthishto Uthishta Govinda uthishta garudadhwaja
   Uthishta kamala kantha thrilokyam mangalam kuru
3. Mathassamasta jagatham madukaita bhare
   Vakshoviharini manohara divya moorthe
   Sree swamini srithajana priya danaseele
   Sree Venkatesha dayithe thava suprabhatham
4. Thava suprabhatham aravinda lochane
   Bhavathu prasanna mukha chandra mandale
   Vidhisankarendra vanitha bhirarchithe
   Vrishasaila natha davithel daya nidhe
5. Athriyadhi saptharushayssamupasyasandyam
   Aakasa sindhu kamalani manoharani
   Aadaya padhayuga marchayithum prapanna
   Seshadrisekha ravibho Thava suprabhatham
6. Panchananabja bhava shanmukavasavadhya
   Tryvikramadhi charitham vibhudhasthuvanthi
   Bhashapathipatathi vasara shuddhi marath
   Seshadri sekha ravibho thava subrabhatham
7. Eeshathprapulla saraseeruha narikela
   Phoogadrumadi sumanohara Balikanam
   Aavaathi mandamanilassaha divya gandhai
   Seshadri sheka ravibho thava suprabhatham
8. Unmeelya nethra yugamuththama panjarasthaa
   Paathraa vasishta kadhaleephala payasani
   Bhukthvaa saleelamatha keli sukha patanthi
   Seshadri sekha ravibho thava suprabhatham
9. Thanthreeprakarshamadhuraswanaya
   vipanchyaa Gayathyanantha charitham
   thava naradopi Bhashasamagrama sakruthkara sara rammyam
   Seshadri sekha ravibho thava suprabhatham
10. Brunga valeecha makaranda rashanuvidda
    Jhankara geetha ninadaissa sevanaya
    Niryathyupaantha sarasee kamalodarebhyaha
    Seshadri sekha ravibho thava suprabhatham
11. Yoshaganena varadhadni vimathyamaane
    Ghoshalayeshu dhadhimanthana
    theevraghoshaaha Roshaathkalim
    vidha-dhathe kakubhascha kumbhaha
    Seshadri sekha ravibho thava suprabhatham
12. Padmeshamithra sathapathra kathalivargha Harthum shriyam
    kuvalayasya nijanga Lakshmya Bheree
    ninadamiva bibrathi theevranadam
    Seshadri sekhara vibho thava suprabhatham
13. Sreemannabheeshta varadhakhila
    lookabandho Sree Sreenivasa
    Jagadekadayaika sindho
    Sree devathagruha bhujanthara divyamurthe
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
14. Sree swamy pushkarinikaplava nirmalangaa
    Sreyorthino hara viranchi
    sanadadhyaha Dware vasanthi
    varavethra hathothamangaha
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
15. Sree seshasaila garudachala venkatadri
    Narayanadri vrishabhadri vrishadri
    mukhyam Akhyam thvadeeyavasatheranisam vadanthi
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
16. Sevaaparaashiva suresa krusanudharma
    Rakshombhunatha pavamana dhanadhi
    nathaha Bhaddanjali pravilasannija seersha deSaha
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
17. Dhateeshuthevihagaraja mrugadhiraja Nagadhiraja gajaraja hayadhiraja
    Swaswadhikara mahimadhika marthayanthe
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
18. Sooryendhubhouma bhudhavakpathi
    kavya soori Swarbhanukethu divishathparishathpradanaa
    Twaddhasa dasa charamavadhidaasa daasa
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
19. Thwathpadadhulibharita spurithothha manga
    Swargapavarga nirapeksha nijantharanga
    Kalpagamakalanaya kulatham labhanthe
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
20. Thvadgopuragra sikharani nireekshmana Swargapavarga
    padaveem paramam shrayantha Marthyaa manushyabhuvane
    mathimashrayanthe
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava Suprabhatham
21. Sree bhoominayaka dayadhi guna mmruthabdhe
    Devadideva jagadeka saranya moorthe
    Sreemannanantha garudadibhirarchithangre
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
22. Sree Padmanabha Purushothama Vasudeva Vaikunta Madhava Janardhana chakrapane
    Sree vathsachinha saranagatha parijatha
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
23. Kandarpa darpa hara sundara divya murthe
    Kanthaa kuchamburuha kutmialola drishte
    Kalyana nirmala gunakara divyakeerthe
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
24. Meenakruthe kamatakola Nrusimha varnin Swamin
    parashvatha thapodana Ramachandra
    Seshamsharama yadhunandana kalki roopa
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
25. Elaa lavanga ghanasaara sugandhi theertham
    Divyamviyathsarithi hemaghateshu poornam
    Drutwadhya vaidika sikhamanaya prahrushta
    Thishtanthi Venkatapathe thava suprabhatham
26. Bhaswanudethi vikachani saroruhani
    Sampoorayanthi ninadai kakubho vihangha
    Sree vaishnavassathatha marthitha mangalasthe
    Dhamasrayanthi thava Venkata subrabhatham
27. Bhramadayassuravarasamaharshayastthe
    Santhassa nandana mukhastvatha yogivarya
    Dhamanthike thavahi mangala vasthu hasthaa
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
28. Lakshminivasa niravadya gunaika sindo
    Samsarasagara samuththaranaika setho
    Vedanta vedya nijavaibhava bhakta bhogya
    Sree Venkatachalapathe thava suprabhatham
29. ltnam vnsnacnala pamerlna suprabhatham
    Ye manava prathidinam patithum pravrutha
    Thesham prabhatha samaye smruthirangabhhajam
    Pragnyam paraartha sulabham paramam prasoothe

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