Perfecting Website Photography

Photography is a skills which you will want to try and learn if you are the owner of a small company and you have a website to advertise it. Sure, you can stick to using stick photos, however this can be a bad idea because it makes you look less professional than if you take your own.

If you look at way to design your website such as with Darren Langley Web Designer, you will see that many of the themes which perform well are the ones which have striking imagery, which is why you need to brush up on those photography skills.

1.Visit an Art Museum

Remember that photography is a form of art, it isn’t just a tool to get more views to your website. Take the time to visit a few art galleries and really see the way that photographers capture their subject matter. By doing this you will learn to appreciate the art of photography and you will be able to take these ideas away to use as inspiration for your own work.

2. Experiment With Perspective

A large part of photography is the perspective used in the images. Set up a basic photograph of an object such as a fruit bowl and start taking photos from different angles. This will allow you to start seeing from different perspectives and learning what effect taking the photo from the side has against from above. It is an important exercise and will get you used to looking for the best photography angle.

3. Visit The Zoo

The reason that a zoo is a great way to practice your photography is that there is no shortage of subject matter to work on. It will be a great exercise in shooting from a distance and trying to change your depth of field to focus on the subject in its enclosure. Taking photos of moving subject can make a huge difference to your skill and allow you to really start taking some incredible photographs.

4. Minimize Your Possibilities

It might seem strange to think that only taking. Few photos can make your photography better, but it is a fact. Rather than taking the largest memory card with you in order to get the most photos you can, take the smallest so that you are limited. This will mean that every photo you take needs to count, and it will, therefore, increase the quality of the photographs you take in the end. If you know you have a limit you will work harder to make each and every image count.

5.Take Your Camera Everywhere

One of the best ways to make sure that you never miss an opportunity for an amazing photograph is to take your camera with you wherever you go. It is often those times when we are simply minding our own business when a perfect opportunity will show up, so make sure you are prepared for that and take advantage. It means you will never miss a photograph and you can capture those special moments.

4 Things SMB Owners Underestimate

Bosses have to make quick decisions for the good of the firm. Obsessing over judgment is a sure-fire way to lose money and lower efficiency. But, there are decisions which owners can’t make at the drop of a hat. Why? It’s because they are too important and far-reaching. Sadly, the management tends to spend too much time analysing the areas they shouldn’t. Therefore, they don’t pay enough time evaluating the sectors which can transform the company. It’s known as underestimating, and it happens on a daily basis in SMBs around the country.

To make sure you don’t fall into the trap, here are four “little” details that demand respect.

Physical Security

Businesses spend so much time securing their digital files that you could be forgiven for this lapse. Well, that is until you realise that hackers aren’t the only security threat. Offices contain electrical equipment, most of which are easy pickings for burglars. Then, there is the data which is stored offline just case of a breach. As a result, the premises need to be as secure as the servers. Access Security Products can help with their maglock and door retainer features. They even have mechanical door locking and keypads and readers.

Employee Theft

Sadly, third parties aren’t the biggest threat regarding theft. Normally, employees are the ones who steal company resources. A box of stationery here or there seems insignificant, but it costs the business money in the long-term. Plus, there is the attitude that it endorses. Before long, pens and pencils might make way for credit card numbers. The experts at Score suggest using office security cameras to reduce temptation. Also, purchase receipts are essential as they act as proof in their humble opinion. Many business owners would also recommend getting to know your employees. That way, you can spot indicators beforehand.

Brand Awareness

“I’ll just start a business and use the internet to advertise the brand. It’s no big deal!” Sorry, but marketing is a huge deal which doesn’t occur overnight. Aside from the time and effort, it also requires quite a bit of financing too. SMBs that underestimate advertising soon end up on the scrapheap as marketing opens new revenue streams. Standing out from the crowd is a big challenge which is why startups turn to professional agencies. If that is too expensive, try mastering the basics of SEO and social media. For example, use your platforms to promote novelty competitions which interact with consumers.

Recruitment

You will instantly disagree with this because recruiting employees is a long process. Still, just because it takes time and research doesn’t mean companies make informed decisions. Often, managers can’t find a way to split opinion so they cave and hire an applicant in which they don’t believe. Or, they choose a person who is less qualified, even if it’s a microscopic amount. The biggest mistake is to only focus on the CV. Quality employees are trained yet they are confident, perceptive and emotionally intelligent. Only by researching a candidate’s character can you spot these traits.

Are you guilty of underestimating business processes? If so, how do you plan to make amends?

The Secret To Happy Employees

We all want to be happy, right? It’s like the one universal truth that can be absolutely guaranteed. After all, what’s the point in any of this if we aren’t smiling from ear to ear until it starts to ache a little bit. That is why it’s so important you make sure your employees are happy. Or to put it o you in slightly more business-beneficial terms:

• Happy employees are more productive employees.
• Happy employees go on to be much better leaders.
• Happy employees are almost always your most creative employees.
• Happy employees are incredible team players.

Of course, this shouldn’t come as a shock to you because (as you are aware), those that work under your brand’s banner are spending the majority of their lives doing so. They work hella-long hours and they work five or six days a week, which puts happiness at the top of their priority.

In fact, employees would prefer being happier over being richer. Now, if you are a lazy-ish boss, then you probably read this in a dreary tone because you’d prefer to just throw money at the problem. If, however, you are a hands-on boss with a real admiration for those that work for you and with you, then you probably read that fact with an optimistic twang.

In any case, the question still hangs in the air: how can you help your employees feel happier at work? Well, to start with, you should definitely read our top tips below:

The Reality of Recognition

Nothing makes a person feel more content, satisfied, proud and valued than a little bit of real recognition, so make sure you are either keeping an eye out for those that are achieving or asking your managers to keep an eye out for you. It could be something obvious like smashing their sales target (woohoo, go them!), or could be something even more personal, such as acknowledging the effort someone has put in despite that terrible bit of personal news they received last month. You don’t need to go all out and buy them a new Audi to say they rock; just a company-wide email acknowledging their awesomeness (or even a little thank you) will help people know their contributions don’t go unnoticed. Ergo, happier.

Nothing Beats Friends

Close your eyes and think about when you are at your happiest and, the chances are, “being with friends” has made it into the top three. Using that pretty undeniable fact, a great way to ensure people are happy at work you need to make sure people feel like they have friends, and that means doing all you can to create a culture where that becomes possible. Now, we know this is not exactly easy because, well, you want your business to be a hive of productivity and not just a coffee shop for nattering but, as we pointed out in our list of examples, happiness equals productivity. That’s why you should encourage open conversation, have breakout areas and even dedicate some spaces to just enjoying life. It will work wonders, we promise.

Protect Them Where Possible

No one wants to work somewhere they can’t escape or vent or chat about any concerns they might have, which is why you need to give them that option. Sure, if you wanted to be super-duper up with the times, you could have an on-sight councillor to help people stay positive and focussed, but it could just be that you speak to an HR recruitment agency and a) add or b) bolster your HR department. The reason this will help boost your employees’ happiness levels is simple: they will feel like their interests are getting the level of interest and protection that they deserve, and that is a worry for employees. They fear speaking out about anything in case of repercussion and that can build up into resentment. So, give them a voice and the protection they want.

What Is It With Micromanagement?

Do you really think you’d be happier in your role if you had someone looking over your shoulder all the time and drip feeding your responsibilities? Exactly. So why encourage this kind of culture for everyone else. People want to know that you hired them for a reason – that their skills and talents and passions and experiences could be of benefit to you – so anything other than this will backfire. As such, try backing off a bit, try letting them have more control over a task and let them get things done the way they prefer to. If it doesn’t work, then reel it back in and help them understand, but if it does, then you will find that you’re getting a more productive employee that smiles a million times more. Now that has to be worth it, right?!

Encourage Some Downtime

Technology is amazing. It lets us be so productive. It lets us work efficiently even when we are away from the office. But that also makes it bad. In fact, more and more employees are struggling to cope with the feeling they always have to be working simply because they have a smartphone that allows it. And it’s not just tech. Even when they are at work and tapping away on their computers they are worried about stepping away for a second because their eyes hurt, even though stepping away for a bit is going to be so beneficial. That’s why you need to encourage this kind of downtime. Encourage people to take a little break every hour, have twenty-minute power downs come three o’clock and tell they are not to answer or check their phones when they get home because that is their time. What you will find is that a huge amount of stress is lifted from their shoulders. It’s amazing. It really is.

As you can see from each of these points, helping your employees be happier at work isn’t hard and, more importantly for your bottom-line, it doesn’t cost anything either. Now that’s pretty amazing stuff.