Enlightened Tripod 5

Wow, what a summer! I am a victim of my own success.

Time just flew by and I feel so bad that I didn’t have time to send out “The Enlightened Tripod.” Don’t worry, I am figuring out ways to make it up to all of you. On the other hand, I am very excited to have learned so much more and done so many new things. I am eager to share with you several techniques that have been used very successfully by my clients.

Let’s start with the “Enlightened Action” word of the day.

The “Enlightened Action Word” ….

Eager

Eager: Impatiently desirous of something Having or showing keen interest, intense desire, or impatient expectancy Marked by active interest and enthusiasm The “Enlightened Quote” …

Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised Dennis Waitley

The “Enlightened Business Plan”…

Employees are the backbone of our business. Often our clients will be in touch with our employees before they ever see or hear us. That is why it is crucial to hire the right person. The first place to start is making to make that you hired the right key employee – THAT IS YOU, YOURSELF who has been “hired”!

Every employer dreams of a business where the employees are happily doing what they are supposed to be doing. Are you happy doing what you are doing? We want that ideal situation, but do we take the responsibility to make it happen? Often the answer is no. So let’s go through the hiring process and on the way let’s check out to make sure we did a good job in hiring ourselves.

1. Focus on special skills and attitudes that would make someone succeed in this job. Go ahead and list what you think is important.

2. How important will this person be to your organization? Do you need them full time, half time, or quarter time and would it be crucial for them to be there?

3. How much training are you willing and able to give or pay for? Very few people come tailor made for a position, having all the skill sets and attitudes.

4. What tasks and results do you expect? Are you totally clear on what you want them to do? Come to think of it, are you totally clear on what you can and want to do? 5. How much are you willing to pay someone? Would you be willing to work for that amount? Are you happy making the money that you are earning?

6. From your answers to the questions above, make a standard checklist with the priorities at the top. Have a new sheet for every applicant and jot down notes to remember the strengths and weaknesses you detect from your interview with that particular person. After having interviewed forty people, you will need to have something to jog your memory. It’s not a bad idea to take a quick digital picture of each candidate as well.

I remember the last time I put in an advertisement for a position, I received over four hundred applications in one week!

7. Assess how you, yourself have done based on your pseudo-interview.

Remember that you may possibly spend more time with your employees than with your family, so choose wisely. Also, be careful of hiring a friend or a family member. Often the lines of business and personal life cross and that interference could be challenging.

Eagerness is a good trait in an employee, but assertive confidence is a better asset.

The “Enlightened Technical Corner”…

Eberhard Effect

The Eberhard Effect is the observed phenomenon of a small developed image with higher density than a larger image because of variation in photographic plate densities with variations in size of opening. Some call it edge or adjacency effects.

These edge effects tend to show at boundaries of high exposure and low exposure areas. In simpler terms, these are highlights and shadows. In order to understand how they are created, we need to step back and look at the properties of film.

When we look at an area of exposed film, we see silver particles that have been struck by light. It is impossible to see the individual particles, but we do see a grouping of particles into denser and less dense areas. Different films have different shapes of silver particles. Naturally, with digital photography, there is no silver; we are then looking at light turning into electro-magnetic impulses.

Graininess occurs because the random distribution of opaque silver particles separated by gelatin. What we see is the overlap of individual particles at different depths of the emulsion layer. In a digital image we see the pixels; under and over exposure add to the ability to see the individual pixels.

Here is a quick course in film development. There are many different formulas for developers and every photographer has their favourite. The funny thing is that they all give the same results. Consequently, we see the Eberhard effect in colour film as well. We know that the developer to metallic silver reduces exposed silver crystals. This process, of course, changes the shape of the crystal. This change depends on the alkalinity of the developer and on the physical or chemical nature of the development action. A high pH value makes the gelatin swell and become more porous. The positive effect is that the developer solution can reach the lower layers of the gelatin quite quickly. The negative effect is that the silver particles are no longer physically constrained by the gelatin and can grow at random. This type of grain pattern is fluffier.

Many developers contain a silver halide solvent (sodium sulphite) and during development, the solvent action takes some silver from the exposed crystals before proper development occurs. The effect is that the grains are rounded and can no longer grow into a cluster of adjacent grains. This dissolved silver is deposited to the exposed areas (not exposed grains) and so the developed emulsion does not accurately reflect the original (exposed) grain pattern.

The result is greater or less acutance. Acutance is the measurement of the steepness of the gradient across the edge between a light and a dark area. Which then translates to a more or less sharp image.

Based on what we have learned, we can describe the following types of developers.

Normal grain: high alkalinity and low amount of sodium sulphite: rapid action that promotes clumping and no solvent to refine grain.

Fine grain: low alkalinity and high level of sulphite: finer grain and slower speed.

Maximum definition: medium alkalinity, low level of sulphite to prevent regeneration of developing agents and so promotes Eberhard effects.

For colour film, results depend on how fresh the chemicals are. I usually don’t bring my colour film into the lab for processing until after the usual “weekend warriors” have their films developed. Normally this would be Tuesday or Wednesday and I have found that the pH levels of the chemistry are back in alignment to garner maximum sharpness with development. With the “edge” off the chemistry, the film shows less contrast, and thus is sharper.

The exact opposite occurs with digital photography, where adding contrast and increasing the definition between light and dark areas gain sharpness. That fact explains why, when taking the photograph digitally, we often need to decrease the contrast to take away the “digital look.” This is so because the light waves are turned into electrical impulses that are captured on a single layer of sensors, inherently causing extra contrast.

“Enlightened Marketing”

Envelopes can be a simple, yet powerful marketing tool.

“What do you mean, envelopes are a marketing tool, Chuck?”

Think about it.

An envelope is an expanse of empty space used to cover up something else that you are sending. This is prime advertising real estate.

Do you know how many people handle an envelope before it gets to the intended recipient? Lots! Moreover, each and every one them have to look at it in order to determine where the contents are going.

It is therefore imperative to have your name, address, email address, and web address on it; however, this empty space is also perfect spot to put a sales message. You can put pictures, slogans, calls to action, reminders, sales announcements, just about anything on the enveloped exterior and the cost is minimal. Yet there is the outside chance that more than one set of eyes will spot it and be moved to come to your place of business. If nothing else, they will have heard of you. We know that the more people hear your name the greater the chance is that they will think of you when they need some photography done.

You can have your envelopes preprinted with information or you can have a stamp made just for special messages. The price you pay for a stamp will easily be recouped by having just one more client from your efforts.

The envelope can:

1. Present a tight sales message that does the same job as an ad headline.

2. Induce people to open the letter even though they know it is a sales promotion.

3. Titillate with the promise of a powerful benefit inside.

4. Attract a personal reaction if it is (or appears to be) handwritten.

5. Entice people to be more eager to open it.

“Enlightened Living”

Exercise!!!

Yes, I hate to say it, but nothing beats exercise. It relieves stress, prolongs life, and promotes good health.

Now, exercise does not mean that you need to go to a gym every second day for two hours. You can:

1. Go for a walk 2. Ride a bike 3. Go dancing 4. Do yoga 5. Play a recreational sport

You get the idea, there are many things that you can do.

Just make sure that you do something that you enjoy. Do it with someone you enjoy being with. Make it a habit. Doing something every second day for at least half an hour is the minimum required to help you get a healthy, happy heart.

Yours in Health, Happiness, and Success Your Friend, Chuck Groot BFA, F/PPABC, MPA