The Digital Negative For Platinum and Other Printing Processes

Introduction.When people involved in alternative processes started printing with digital negatives, at first I totally ignored the new ‘trend’, being then focused on sensitometry tests, densitometers, pyro staining and so on. Although learning all that has proved to be extremely useful in the computer age too, working digitally gives us more consistency and better results in less time (plus other advantages). I now print from digital files only (except old work of course), directly from a digital cameras. Ditching heavy view cameras altogether (of which I was an avid user for many years) has also improved dramatically the quality of my work and made easier to capture the images that I want, when I want. When I have to print an old image (I have a large archive of 8×10″ in-camera negatives) I generally contact print from the original negative, unless it is an important image, which I feel I will be printing again in the future. In that case I prefer to scan it (I use a Microtek full bed scanner) and prepare a digital negative anyway.I do not care whether working traditionally, or digitally, or both. I am interested in producing the best possible, long lasting images and to me, a mix of digital and traditional is what works.That said, let see how to produce a digital negative that can compete with a traditional one. First, the raw file has to be good. If you shoot digitally, this means a top-notch digital camera (i.e. a full frame sensor Canon Eos 5d would be the very minimum), or if you scan traditional negatives, a good quality scanner and software. I use Vuescan in 16bit mode. If the file from your digital camera or scanned negative does not have the resolution required to produce a good negative, and you really want to make the print, I would recommend to blow it up with specialist software, such as onOne Genuine Fractals PrintPro (Benvista Photozoom Pro is also good). Keep in mind that of course this is a compromise, yet I have managed to produce good prints from relatively small files. Many of my customers do not own ultra professional digital cameras or scanners and often supply me with medium if not low resolution files. Speaking of software useful for working with digital files, I would like to mention Alien Skin’s Exposure. This neat Photoshop plug-in “emulates” the look of many traditional films (HP5, Tri-X etc.), includes complete control on grain and also has a nice channel mixer to convert to B&W, plus many other features. I am the first to admit that moving from traditional film to digital and then using a filter to emulate… film may seem absurd, but as said at the end of the day the results count. I do not think one needs to invest in more software to do a good job, although Viveza 2 (NIK Software), is terrific for localized contrast tweaking (and the new Structure slider is worth the purchase of this filter alone).The last “software” of course is your own skill to use Photoshop to make your images look great. This goes well beyond the scope of this article, just keep in mind that you need an image with at the very least a good histogram (without gaps between sample values) and plenty of details in the shadows (I feel to say this because almost always, when I get digital files from my customers, the shadows are too thin). Here is an old little Photoshop trick to give your images more “presence” in the mid tones and shadows. Load a picture. Duplicate the layer. Gaussian blur the new layer until it is out of focus (not too much e.g. about 10/15 pixels for an 8×10″ 400dpi image). Double click the blurred layer to get the Layer Style window. Select Blend Mode: Multiply. Opacity around 60% (you will play with this setting later). Go to the first of the two grey gradient lines at the bottom of the window. Alt-click (on a PC, I do not know on a Mac) the left white pointer to detach it from the right one and slide it to the left, to your taste. Now slide a bit to the left the other white pointer too keeping an eye on the highlights. What we are doing here is having the blurred image multiplied on the background layer in the mid tones and shadows only. Now click OK and in the layers window you can play around that 60% Opacity that we set earlier. Slide around it to see the difference. Use this technique with the greatest moderation because of course we are introducing some blurring in the image.Two last things about working digitally, before we talk about the platinum curves. First, with digital negatives we have the opportunity to improve the original image, with cropping, dodging, burning and so on, but we can also enhance it a bit with some special effects. I would recommend, however, to use special digital techniques carefully and with moderation, i.e. without making drastic changes to the original image. After all, we are working with an almost two centuries old process which certainly deserves all our respect!Second thing, in platinum you can print everything, not necessarily photographs. For example, because of its extraordinary permanency, I have often being asked to print even important documents. Or you can print paintings reproductions, completely computer generated landscapes such as those made with Vue or Terragen and so on. Endless possibilities and fun.Photoshop and curves.You need to make a step wedge. In Photoshop, create a new image 4×5″ at 360 dpi (this resolution is the recommended resolution to print all our digital files). Marking six columns and nine rows will create 54 squares. Number them from 00, 02, 04… to…98, 100 (you will leave three squares unused). Then fill each square with black in the respective density, i.e. 0% (white), 2% (very light grey) up to full black (100%). Please check with the eyedropper in Photoshop that the numbers truly reflect the indicated density, then, invert and flip the image. Now insert a sheet of 8,5×11″ Pictorico OHP in your printer to print the wedge. Make a new larger Letter size image same resolution as the wedge and paste the wedge in the top left corner as a new layer, so not to print it in the dead center of the Pictorico sheet, this way you will save some space for further tests.For years the printer I used to print my negatives was an Epson R1800 with ultrachrome inks, so your settings may vary depending on the printer you have, but if you use any Epson with ultrachrome inks they should be very similar to mine. I have recently switched to an Epson Stylus Pro 3880 without any change in my curve. With Epson printers and Windows Vista, this is the procedure: choose Edit/Color settings and notice the settings. In my case Gray gamma is 2.2, please note that if you make your test with a gamma and then change it in the future it will make a difference. Click File/Print with Preview and make sure that your settings match mine, in particular Color Management > Print > Document > Profile Gray Gamma 2.2 (every time that you print a negative check that this setting is the same that you used when printing the wedge). To print Pictorico I am using the Epson profile PhotoRPM for Premium Glossy paper (download your Epson profiles if you do not have them yet). Note: some people print digital negatives with a color cast (i.e. orange, brown etc.) to take advantage of the actinic qualities of UV light, i.e. to obtain more density. This to me is NOT necessary and only complicates things just the same as developing negatives in Pyro.Click OK and in the Epson panel make sure that everything matches, i.e. Premium photo paper glossy, Photo RPM quality, etc. If you do not use an Epson, try the best photo quality settings on glossy paper for your printer. Also make sure that the color management is obviously ICM. After printing the first wedge you can duplicate the layer, shift it to another quadrant in the Letter size image, delete the first layer which you have already printed, and re-insert the same sheet of film in order to print the wedge again changing the printer settings, for example I have different glossy paper profiles in my computer and I have tested them all with different setting such as Photo, PhotoRPM etc. Our goal is to obtain the maximum density your printer is capable of. If you have a densitometer and a calibrated wedge you can check the density. In my case, printing pure black on Pictorico gives me the same density as wedge #14 on my 21-step calibrated Stouffer wedge. Step#14 is a 2.00 density which is plenty. If you do not own a densitometer you can make a quick visual test: in normal lighting conditions, lay down the wedge on some black text written on the back of a Pictorico envelope, you should not be able to see the text at all under squares # 00-10, and very faintly through square #12.After printing the same wedge – if you want – up to four times (of course you should take note of the settings maybe writing them down on the Pictorico sheet itself with a marker) we are going to coat some paper and make our first print.If you have built your UV unit similar to mine, your printing time should be around 4 minutes. Coat the paper with pure palladium and one drop of 2.5% Na2 and expose the sheet for this time (as said earlier if you want to standardize your printing with one drop of 5% Na2 you can, just do it now and do not change it anymore). Develop, clear, wash and dry and you are ready to assess your first “print”. The procedure is quite straightforward: notice on the print the first square that is not pure white and write down its number, the same for the first one which is not pure black. These are our limits when preparing out images, or in Zone system terms, these are your Zone IX and I. These two zones as said are the limits but please keep in mind that you have to shift the zones one stop to get useful details in the print (e.g. Zone VIII and Zone II, the lightest and the darkest zones in the texture range). To easily find these zones, I usually cut a corner from the print and punch two holes, one in the black brush strokes and the other in the clear paper. I then pass over the squares to compare the densities. Please do this in normal lighting conditions, not under a strong light to see better.In my case, and hopefully in a similar way in your tests, I got Zone IX = ~8/9% and Zone I=~78% with a 4 minutes exposure. Why I am happy with these results. Because I have several pure white and pure black squares above and below this range, which means that my time is correct as well as my contrast. If you do not, for example if the 0% square is not white but slightly darker than the paper outside the brushed area it means (assuming that the print has cleared well) that your time is too long (or there is a problem printing your negative i.e. not enough density). Conversely, if none of your blackest squares are not as black as the brushed borders your time is too short. Especially with pure palladium the brush strokes should be real black, like ink. Lower the light panel if they are not. If you have built the exposure unit as suggested, you can raise or lower the light panel to correct the timing, being careful to stay around four minutes (remember that if you double the distance, the light received will be four times less). Only one stop more is already eight minutes, two stops are 16 and so on, and this is not convenient when printing for business. Conversely keeping the UV tubes too close to the paper would give unpractical short times (for dodging etc.) and probably would show light stripes from the tubes on the print.I would stick to this test in pure palladium for now. Of course, should you decide to go for a classic 50/50 solution with platinum, for example, you will have to repeat the test with this mixture (same thing if you plan to print with different papers).Now back to Photoshop to create your own printing curve. Load your favourite grey scale image, a landscape, a portrait etc. with good tonality, plenty of detail in shadows and highlight, like my lake in the next page for example. Go over the image with the eyedropper, for example on shadows where you still want good details. Photoshop will probably indicate a value of 80% or more. But by checking the printed wedge you can see that 80% will print almost pure black, so this value needs to be tweaked. Likewise pass over well detailed highlights, the reading will be too low, such as 30%, while you know that your Zone VII is around 10%. So the next thing to do is to apply a curve to the image to match the palladium curve in the darkroom. Create a new Curve Adjustment Layer. Basically as a starting point you just grab the central part of the curve, which of course is a flat line (from top right, shadows, to bottom left, highlights) to start with, and pull to the right, adding control points to keep it smooth. Keep the Curves window open and click over the same highlights as before and notice the two values in the Curves window, Input and Output. As you can see the 30% reading has now become probably a 15%, similar change has happened with the shadows.The curve will resemble a sort of an S (do not move the control points at the two vertices). The curve is obviously only a starting point. To tweak your own curve you just keep an eye on the wedge and another on the image, and slightly shift the points on the curve to match the wedge. Basically if, for example, you have a photo of a beach and the sand falls on Zone V, you can first check you reference (the printed wedge) and see that, let’s say, your Zone V is 30%. You click the eyedropper on the sand (be sure to right-click the eyedropper and pick the 5×5 pt average reading) and check that Output is around 30% in the Curves windows. If it is not, shift the curve’s points accordingly. Of course, if you have chosen a well balanced image, you do not have to do this with every image that you will be printing. This is done only once and that will be your own curve. You should repeat the procedure for different mixtures of platinum and palladium, or when changing paper, or printer, or with another contact printing process – but I prefer this approach rather than giving you different curves for pt, for pd, or for different printers on the market (I could not anyway). This way you will have to spend some time working at your own curve(s), but just think of the power in you hands: Ansel Adams was limited to place the shadows on Zone III or IV and develop to get a decent Zone VIII or IX. You, up to a certain limit, can place all the ten zones almost wherever you want! I usually re-print my wedge (both negative and in pt-pd) every six month, to make sure that my procedures are still correct. For example my wedge is now slightly darker than the first I printed years ago, probably because of the UV lamps aging.Now when you are happy with your curve, click OK, then click again the fourth icon in the Layers window and pick Invert. Finally, click Flip Canvas Horizontally to mirror the image and print on Pictorico in the very same way as you printed the wedge. You can now print the negative as before and, if everything has been done correctly, almost certainly you will get a print that will look very similar to the one on the screen. As said earlier, from now on all your prints in palladium will print with the same time and the same contrast, provided that you spend some time at the computer to get a good negative. Sometimes, you may get a print that is not what you wanted because it does not look similar to the computer image, for example because the shadows are too thin. In this case it is easy to go back to the computer and tweak the curve a bit to give more details to the shadows. Then print the negative again. Since there is little control in the darkroom (because we are printing with as little contrast agent as possible), making a new negative is almost always more convenient. Of course, please always keep in mind that you are trying to match a transmitted light image on the PC with a reflected light subject, a print on watercolor paper which is obviously 100% matte. As said earlier, if you are coming to pt-pd from an high contrast printing process such as silver for example, please consider that here the contrast will be lower, the darkest shadows will be lighter, the tonal scale will be longer. If you like very contrasty and punchy images I think that platinum-palladium is not an appropriate medium.Making digital negatives requires a bit of experimentation, but the results are well worth the effort, especially when using traditional printing techniques. Never like now it has been possible to produce outstanding prints that can rival any other printing technique known to man so far.

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Steel Security Fencing, Designed With Security in Mind

If security is on the list of requirements for your fencing needs then you should look at steel security fencing. There is a wide range of steel security fences that is available and manufactured to the highest possible specifications. Look for a company that shows that it uses top quality steel to manufacture its products. Top quality steel is fundamental to the strength and security of the best fences. The designers and engineers are very aware of the properties of the steel that they are working with to produce their fencing designs. They make use of the top quality steel to make the best secure fencing that is possible with today’s manufacturing techniques.The best steel security fencing is made with the best available steel to make it as strong and durable as possible. Security is at the heart of these designs and is never forgotten throughout the whole design, manufacture and installation process. The steel meshes that are integral to the designs and security of these fences are designed with a deep knowledge of the properties of the steel. So the strength of the steel supports the mesh design and the mesh design supports the properties of the steel. There are some innovative designs that combine the natural qualities of the steel with the structure of the fence to make some truly strong and secure fences.Finding a company that design and manufacture to the highest quality is only half of the process, however. You need to find a company that will provide a top quality installation as well. Steel security fencing, however well designed and manufactured, also needs to be installed to an extremely high standard or its security features will be compromised. The installation team should apply the same professionalism to the fitting as the designers do to the design. Look on websites and in brochures to make sure that the company you are considering make a point of the fact that the installation is just as important as the design and quality of the fence panels. A badly fitted security fence would have no security value at all. For this reason onsite surveys before during and after installation are the sort of service you should be looking for. And it is the sort of service that will be provided by a firm that truly have security in mind. Although you may be choosing from particular designs the overall security package should be completely bespoke and tailored to the individual environment and situation.All steel security fencing manufactured by the best companies will be meticulously tested to make sure that there are no defects and that it will perform to the high standard that you expect. Make sure you browse around to see that the companies you are considering adhere to all government security and safety standards. Their websites and brochures will tell you where their products have previously been used and you should be able to check out some testimonials and view a portfolio of the fences in situ. Make sure you take advantage of free site surveys that most companies should offer you. Fitting this fencing is a costly business and you want to get it right so you will need at least two or three quotes to compare. Any company with a commitment to quality and security will be happy to give a no obligation survey and quote.

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Find the Right Health Care For You and Your Family

You may wonder what is more important in life than money or even love. Health Care may be the answer for this question and I hope the following lines will help you all to be able to choose the best way to deal with that. Through services offered by any medical specialty, Health care embraces all the services to promote health including palliative interventions. First of all, Health Care should be better defined and understood so as any treatment and management of illness or preservation of health what is the most important thing to care for.The social and political issue of access to health care in the USA has often led us to debate the subject and got us confused about the usage of terms such as Health insurance (reimbursement of costs), and the Public Health (the collective state and range of health in a population).A provider is a person or organization responsible to provide the delivery of a proper service in a systematic way to any individual in need of Care services. Therefore it is crucial to choose right whoever is going to be your provider and request a Free Health insurance quote whenever it is possible.Taking the time to see how you can get the quotation with the best rates available to assure an extraordinary Health Care for you and your family you may save a great percentage on your month’s budget and all that without being committed to anything and even before disclosing personal details.After all, saving money is mandatory especially nowadays and Health Care is not cheap wherever you go for it. Concerning all of what has been said above finding any free quoting service to guaranty you and you beloveds the best of life surely is something we should take advantage of.So having an understanding of why and how you can get a free quotation to find whatever fits you best to assure a proper Health Care to everybody in your house or company or whoever needs it, hopefully, you will be more encouraged to take advantage of this great offer, and see how you and your family can benefit, save money, and enjoy a new Health care service and don’t lose track – Health is what we most have to care for.

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Tricks to Making Money With Credit #6 – Get Approval For That Commercial Loan

The commercial real estate industry is a tricky one. You are paying for a property that you more than likely will not be using. That’s an interesting thing when you consider how much you are paying for it. It may seem smarter to try and invest in the residential market, but if you know what you are doing the commercial market can be very lucrative. Like the residential market, prices are rock bottom right now for buildings, warehouses and offices. That’s because the economy is bad, more businesses are now based out of peoples homes, and also because a lot of small businesses went under.The best trick when it comes to saving and making money for commercial real estate is to make sure you buy low, and have a good credit score. If you are renting out a warehouse, you want to make as much profit as you can from the payments. Well if you buy the property for $100,000 and the mortgage payments are $1,000, having a great credit score can help a lot. The reason is because it can turn that $1,000 a month into $800 a month. So if you charge someone $1,500 a month in rent, you are making a solid profit.To get a good score and fast you can look to credit repair. A credit repair company can fix any score even if it was lowered by missed payments, foreclosure, identity theft, lawsuits, repossession, and bankruptcy. The process is fast and simple, and usually only takes a few weeks. Credit repair is very effective and affordable and can be the difference for you between a profit and a solid profit as you rent out a property. It makes a lot of sense to do what you can to get a high score, especially when it is that easy.By David George

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Teak Wood Outdoor Furniture for Your Backyard Patio

Teak wood has long been prized for it’s outdoor use, not just for it’s beauty, but because teak survives all that our seasons throw it’s way. Teak ages gracefully with very little maintenance. Teak wood outdoor furniture will last 50-75 years, untreated. Teak will not split, though it may check (the grain will split away at the ends), which is completely normal. It is very important when choosing teak outdoor furniture that you make sure that it is plantation grown. This is important because hardwood forests are being destroyed by poachers. Plantation wood is grown as a renewable crop, in an environmentally responsible way. Local production encourages stability and further helps to preserve the ecology of our planet’s forests.You can leave teak outdoor furniture outdoors, with no care. As it ages, the wood will mellow to a beautiful silver-gray color. It is very easy to clean using a mild soap and a soft bristle brush to lightly scrub and rinse with clear water. Teak wood outdoor furniture should last a lifetime if built properly in the first place. Top grade teak outdoor furniture lumber is kiln dried, epoxy resins are used for lasting strength, and any metal parts used to hold the furniture together are constructed of either stainless steel or solid brass, which will not corrode when left outside. Top furniture grade teak, used for furniture contains high natural oil content that will resist warping and rot, ensuring that it will last more than a lifetime.If you prefer to maintain the original color of the teak wood, you can use a timber treatment and sealer, or teak oil, in the beginning and end of the season. Teak wood that has already weathered can be rejuvenated with a special teak cleaner and protector. Before applying teak oil or preservative, wash the piece to remove loose soil and dust, and allow it to dry thoroughly before applying and treatment and sealer or oil. Teak is a natural product, it can be left out in the open all year round through the rain, hail or shine. The character of your Teak wood outdoor backyard patio furniture will alter, but it’s strength will remain. An occasional scrub down following the directions above will not only preserve the look of your teak wood outdoor furniture but it will also discourage any moss growth.There are a number of cheaper hardwoods used for outdoor furniture and all of them are inferior to teak. Jarrah is the is the most common of these woods and it does not have the same life expectancy as teak, let alone the same touch, feel or aesthetic quality. Teak outdoor patio furniture is not expensive when you relate the cost to its life expectancy. You must remember this when comparing prices. You are not comparing like with like when you compare teak outdoor furniture with any other wood furniture. It is strange anomaly that despite the fact it is built to endure decades outside in harsh weather. Generally price is dictated by the shape and weight of a piece of furniture. The more shape a piece has, the more wood is required to make it along taking more time to create. Also the heavier the sections of wood used more weight and thus more cost.It is perfectly normal for cracks to appear in teak wood outdoor backyard patio furniture. Teak wood breathes and reacts to variations in the moisture content of the air. The cracking tends to appear on the end grain sections and usually happens early in the life of the outdoor furniture. Cracks come and go depending on seasonal variations but rarely do they affect the strength, performance or life expectancy of the teak wood outdoor backyard patio furniture. Drink stains are common on teak outdoor furniture and they will weather out naturally or can be cleaned down with soapy water and a hard brush. Other damage or stains can be removed quite simply using ordinary sandpaper. The grade depends on the degree of damage. Serious damage, you should start with course and move up to fine sandpaper. Light damage, fine grade sand paper is all you will need. Stains usually disappear with a light sanding.Teak wood outdoor furniture for your backyard patio is available in many different styles. From chaise lounges, dining set to deep seating sets, teak wood outdoor furniture is top of the line. Make sure you purchase your teak wood furniture from a reputable source that stands behind their product. There are many manufacturers out there that claim there teak wood is plantation grown, but it is not. If the company guarantees their teak wood outdoor furniture for a lifetime, than most likely it is plantation grown kiln dried. teak wood outdoor furniture for your backyard patio is a great addition to your outdoor living area and is guaranteed to last a lifetime of enjoyment.

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Online Payday Loans – Hidden Dangers For Consumers

If you are short on cash and need an emergency loan to pay off a bill, you are likely to need an online payday loan.Online payday loans are generally for someone who has low credit and is living paycheck to paycheck. Then an emergency comes up, their kid is sick or their car needs emergency repairs, or a bill comes up and it cannot wait until payday to get paid. So, why on earth would someone need to worry about taking out an online payday loan?What is a payday loan?These online loans are too readily available for quick cash. All a person needs is proof of employment, usually a few paycheck stubs, your boss’s phone number, and two forms of identification. That’s it. Normally your credit score doesn’t even come into play.The money is made available to you usually in 24 hours or less and is deposited directly into your checking account. Sounds easy right? Online payday loans usually come with enormous fees and potentially dangerous risks. Here is what you can look for to keep yourself safe and your identity in the clear.The Dangers of Online Payday LoansThe biggest danger is you. If you loose your job before payday, or your paycheck is not large enough to cover the “up to 60% fees” you could be owing money to the online payday loan creditor AND your banking institution. Associated fees, percentage rates, and payback percentages are big money making business for these companies.How do you think they can afford to take such a risk? Of course, the payout has to be great for them to take it. Other dangers may be hidden fees not covered by your next pay day or initially only covered in the fine print you might not have read. Even more surprising is if your check is a day late and the creditor takes the money out of your now empty banking account. You wind up paying both institutions and up to double the original payback amount.Other dangers aside from hidden fees could be identity theft, if the online pay day loan company is not FDIC (www.fdic.gov) insured and backed by a national institution.The simple fact that they have access to your bank account to withdraw funds is heart pounding scary enough in today’s insecure world. Simple clerical errors are made everyday; they could accidentally take the money from your bank on the wrong day or for the wrong amount and this might not be in your favor. You could wind up with a huge mess on your hands and in your wallet.You need to do a little research about your chosen online payday lender well in advance of the emergency. And you need to make sure that this is in fact, a real desperate emergency.Making online payday loans a habit can lead to larger and larger fees each time and destroy your credit entirely. They are not a quick fix, not a long term solution to a money shortage, and they can quickly leave you completely shortchanged and even more desperate than before.Finding a Reputable CompanyAs stated before, research lenders well in advance of your need and have one or two in mind before the crises hits. Make sure this is a real emergency and not something that can be postponed by a quick phone call or a couple days wait.Next look into the bank backing your lender, read the fine print and all updated material before signing anything. Make sure that the chosen lender is who they say they are and not a fly-by-night-company or a look-a-like fraud. If possible, ask around for other people’s opinions from among your friends or co-workers.

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Employer Branding 101 – Four Fatal Errors When Building Your Employer Brand

As you develop you employer brand to attract and retain talent to deliver your business strategy, how confident are you that you are taking the appropriate measures to guarantee you build a compelling and magnetic employer brand?Here are four fatal errors when evaluating the effectives and strength of your employer brand. How well does your employer brand stack up against them?1. No clear, consistent and differentiating employment experienceHow many businesses are there who are looking to attract the same talent as you are in a 10 mile radius of where you are based?How well do you know who they are and what the employment experience is in their business?If you don’t know who you are competing against for talent and you don’t know how you are different from them, how will you be able to communicate this clearly and concisely in all your communications?2. Not leveraging every communication vehicleEngaging people behind your employer brand is a key to bringing it to life.How well do you communicate about your employer brand and what you stand for in all your communication from your corporate website to your intranet; from your internal newsletters to your external job adverts; from your appointment announcements to your employee handbook; from the minutes of executive meetings to the verbal messages delivered by your line managers?Are you sure that your message is consistent?And if your message is consistent does it also match your behaviours and the decisions you make about key appointments, reward decisions and how you recognise the contribution your people make to the business?3. Paying lip service to your employer brand valuesWhen the going gets tough, are you prepared to stand your ground in the decisions you make on appointments so that the people you hire are going to live your corporate and employer brand values?All too many times, especially in internal appointment decisions, many companies will appoint the person who is able to undertake the role based technical ability, not their ability to live the values of the organisation or their ability to demonstrate the leadership behaviours required in the organisation.Technical capability can be bought or taught. Behaviours and reputation are far more difficult to acquire. Hiring for technical ability above leadership behaviour and demonstrating living the values and culture you aspire may help you in delivering short term profit but does not build equity in your talent for the future.4. Not considering the employment brand through the total employment lifecycleMany organisations consider that the employment brand is only important at the time of recruitment and selection.However those organisations that are able to attract and retain high quality talent in a challenging market place recognise the importance of delivering on the employment brand proposition throughout the total employment life cycle.Understanding where you need to adapt your systems, processes, policies and ways of working will enable you to create a magnetic employment brand where employees are not only proud to work for you but they are also your biggest employer brand ambassadors and can themselves help you attract talent to the business.

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How is Yoga For the Rest of Us Different From Other Yoga Methods?

My cousin really wanted to learn yoga but she couldn’t find a class that was suitable due to her health concerns. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t locate a yoga class that was basic enough to ease her into the level of fitness that yoga requires. How did “Yoga for the Rest of Us” open the world of yoga to her?”Yoga for the Rest of Us” is a video class developed by Peggy Cappy. This particular approach to yoga allows nearly anyone to enjoy the benefits that yoga has to offer. If your flexibility is limited or you have other health and fitness concerns, this may be the solution you’ve been looking for. This yoga video allows people of all sizes, shapes and ages to enjoy the benefits yoga has to offer.”Yoga for the Rest of Us” consists of a three-part video that allows you to learn the basics of yoga in the privacy of your own home. You don’t have to worry about keeping up with a class or dealing with an instructor that pushes you beyond your physical limitations. Peggy uses this video to teach the basics of yoga and demonstrates poses that almost anyone can achieve.While “Yoga for the Rest of Us is great for those who aren’t yet ready for a more intense yoga workout, there are some things to remember:• This yoga video is not meant for those who area already flexible enough for regular yoga classes and it definitely isn’t intended for those who want to learn the more advanced poses of yoga.• If you prefer to learn yoga in a class or with a live instructor, this particular yoga product probably won’t meet your needs.• “Yoga for the Rest of Us” will only take you so far. While it is great for beginners, you may eventually want to work your way to up to classes in a yoga studio or more advanced yoga videos.• Even though Peggy’s video is geared towards those with physical limitations, you should still check with your doctor if you have any health complications. Any exercise program needs to be cleared with your physician if you have serious health concerns.Whether you just can’t handle the intensity of a regular yoga workout or you want to learn basic yoga poses in your own home before working your way up to a more advanced yoga class, “Yoga for the Rest of Us” is a great tool. While you won’t become a yoga guru by watching it, you will learn to benefit from the basics that yoga has to offer.

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Keep These 5 Rules in Mind for Successful Commercial Designing

Who doesn’t want an excellent commercial design? Excellent commercial design is important to maintain the reputation and brand image of the company. As it is said, the first impression is the last impression, a good impression always attracts potential customers. It’s obvious no one would ever love to walk in a congested environment with bad lighting.

Bad design and interiors deteriorate the productivity of the employees. It can be a confusing task when planning a commercial designing project for the first time, hiring expert Commercial Architects Melbourne can be the best option to know about the latest trends and perfect matching designs.

This blog is about some basic rules to consider for making the commercial project successful.
Keep structures versatile

When it comes to transforming any commercial space, focusing on convertibility and keeping office interior decor versatile can be the best option. It can be done by implementing a versatile structure to spaces such as cafeterias, offices, and many more. Everyone gives preference to comfort hence, focusing on spatial and versatile design will help to complete commercial designing projects in an optimal way.

Consider the latest technology implementations

Technology plays a supportive role to enhance the commercial designing project. Moving forward with the latest technology is important to execute any business smoothly because technologies make the work much easier and comfortable for the employee as well as organizations. Implementing centralized and decentralized digital control is much needed in any commercial design.

Keep office aesthetics updated

Good aesthetics and interiors impact the overall representation of the office and make the place functional and attractive. Hire a reputed designer for modern décor and furniture ideas. Hiring a designer reduces half of the project stress and helps to meet the contemporary fashion and latest trends. They can help to choose the perfect theme that blends well with the office decor, atmosphere, and colour.

Provide personalized space to prevent congestion

Majority of customer prefers personalized space such as different seating to seat comfortably and do the personal work. Personalized space is one of the crucial factors for customer-based service offices such as hotels and cafeterias to provide an ambient and comfortable place.

Always keep safety first

Safety is the central feature of every construction and designing project. Hence, it’s the high-priority factor to keep the aesthetic and functional safety at the working place. It can be compromised for interior decoration and design purposes but it’s not at all affordable to compromise for safety purposes.

Following the above useful ideas can easily help in the successful completion of a commercial designing project in a safe and pleasing way. In today’s, modern construction, reliability, and comfort is also an equally important factor.

Final words,

It’s important to hire the experienced Building designer Melbourne to make the commercial designing project worthy. Hope the above rules helped you to scale up your interior designing projects with a better outcome. Follow the above tips for any renovation or remodelling project and surely you will get award-winning and achieve a better office experience.

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