<i>Seabiscuit</i>: A Fantastic Film for Any Type of Movie Viewer

Seabiscuit is an inspirational film that stars Tobey McGuire in an even better acting job in my opinion that Spiderman. The film is great in the setup because it really tells about the history in the time which the film was meant to be set in. When the film describes the Great Depression Era that ordinary citizens had to suffer through, the film uses black and white picture with a background voice instead of using the actors' voice. 

The film starts off with the story of Tobey McGuire who plays the role of horse racing jockey Red Pollard. He started off by betting on horse racing and win. He then became a jockey. He has to work very hard to make ends meet as he races horses as has very little success initially. When he looses a race by the nose of a horse, he is beaten by the horse's owner and loses his job. 

The other ongoing story is that of Jeff Bridges, a wealthy man who starts off making his fortune in the car business. He is able to perfect the parts of a car and make it run better using the Model T engine. He is liked by the public and has a loving family. However, tragedy strikes when his son drives one of the cars and is killed by he runs into a ditch. Bridges' wife also passes away, causing him great sadness and grief. 

He closes his car business. His fortunes change when he meets a woman at a horse racing track and falls in love with her. On one night, he also meets a trainer in the woods, played by actor Chris Cooper. Cooper cares deeply about animals and knows how to take care of horses. He and Bridges' character, Charles Howard become good friends and Cooper helps Howard pick out a horse to buy. He settles on a horse named Seabiscuit who is a wild horse who a lot of attitude but has been unable to win any track races. 

Seabiscuits history is told by the film as a horse that was used as a training horse, to build up the self esteem of other horses by losing races on purpose by being held back on the track. When Cooper and Howard go looking for a jockey, Cooper finds Red Pollard who has attitude issues of his own after he has to walk a horse in order to get paid. 

Cooper immediately likes Pollard's attitude despite the fact that Pollard is a little too big to be a horse jackey.  Cooper is able to train Seabiscuit by having him roam free to see how long and how far he can go which amazes Cooper. Seabiscuit and Red Pollard are able to have some initial success. However, when Pollard looses a race by a close margin, Cooper finds out that Tobey McGuire is blind in one eye from his days as a fighter to earn money. 

Instead of getting a new jockey, Mr. Howard sticks with Pollard and makes him part of his family. Pretty soon Seabiscuit is winning races again and Mr. Howard is back in the public eye. To stir up some drama, Mr. Howard creates talk of a match race which is a one on one horse race. Mr. Howard wants Seabiscuit to face War Emblem, a horse that has won a triple crown. 

War Emblem's owner from New York feels that his horse is in an entirely different class than Seabiscuit and his horse is far superior. He denies all of Mr. Howard's requests for a match race even after Howard calls him out in the newspaper and radio. 

Mr. Howard enters Seabiscuit in all of the races that War Embled is on to try and get the two horses to race each other but War Emblem dropped out of all the races. Finally, the owner of War Emblem agrees to a match race. The horse racing track is to be opened to the public to accomodate the mass amounts of people who are anxious to see this show down. 

To prepare for the race, Cooper decides to retrain Seabiscuit from being a horse that would make a late surge towards the end of the race to being a horse that gets out of the gate quickly and gets a lead early in the race. They practice this at night with a fire engine bell so that the media doesn't notice their strategy for the big race. 

Days before the race, Red Pollard is approached by a friend of his asking if he could just ride his horse to get media attention since he is in desperate need of money. Pollard agrees but when he rides the horse, a car engine backfires, scaring the horse and causes Red Pollard to fall off the horse and break several bones. 

This makes him unable to ride Seabiscuit in the big race. Red Pollard's friend who is a fellow jockey is brought in to race Seabiscuit. On the big day of the race, the horse race is initially close. However, towards the end, Seabiscuit pulls ahead and wins by many strides. Seabiscuit goes on to win another race or two before the horse breaks a bone in its leg and is unable to race. 

Inspiration is gathered from Seabiscuit and Red Pollard as they learn to heal from their injuries and slowly return to racing form after everyone says that their racing careers are over. Seabiscuit and Red Pollard ride into the race with joy upon Tobey McGuire's face.

Seabiscuit is an inspirational film about overcoming the odds and challenges that life presents to you. It deals with the Great Depression and how it affected everyone in poverty. And it also deals with horse racing and how it is more than just a game where betting takes place. I loved this film and recommend it to any movie viewer.

Wildlife Photography: Tips to Learn the Basics of Wildlife Photography

If you really want to learn the art of wildlife photography, then you should be aware of the basics of wildlife photography. It is rightly said that wildlife photography is one of the most challenging but rewarding hobby or career. It takes honest practice, persistence and hard work to master the real art of wildlife photography.

For mastering wildlife photography you have to have the basic knowledge of camera handling. As majority of the photos you take will be captured with the help of telephoto lens. This will test your patience and dedication as you have to wait a much longer time for the animal to come in the range and taking right pictures through right angles before that wild animal leaves from the site. Many of the times the animals you want to shoot will be yards away from you so that you have to take your pictures with more precision and care with zoom lenses.

While shooting wildlife you always have to watch out for minute movements happening around you. And for that purpose you have to be attentive for the longer time. The sunlight also plays a very important role in taking these wildlife pictures. For this purpose your camera should have the proper adjustments according to the various angles of sunlight so that pictures will be much clearer without any fuzz.

Also wildlife photography is all about capturing a particular moment of the wildlife. It makes or breaks your photography style. Many of the best wildlife photographers out there are really skillful in shooting the exact speed and momentum of the particular animal they are watching. But to be the best wildlife photographer out there you should first master the basics and you can begin this process by starting to shoot your own home pets. If you learn to shoot their natural movements and habits in their natural style then you can say that you are ready for outdoor wildlife photography.

There are no shortcuts to learn the basics of wildlife photography. Rather you have to practice it religiously and with full devotion. You should have to pay a special attention to your cameras. You have to take care that your camera has a quick shutter speed which is very necessary to take more than one shot as you roam around the wildlife to take pictures. In this type of photography most of the times you have to follow your subject to shoot many pictures at a time in one shot. This process is mainly known as "panning" which consists of taking faster pictures in one snap as you mover closer to a particular animal you want to shoot.

Thus wildlife photography is all about your patience, persistence and shooting skill where you need to wait a longer time to take the perfect picture. But at the end of the day it is also the most satisfying art where you get the really thrilling and enjoyable experience to cherish for.

Inexpensive Art for Your Home

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Your homes can be your refuge from the world. You want it to be comfortable yet stylish no matter what your home décor budget. If you watch home make-over shows or talk to an interior designer they might tell you that one great piece of art can be the focal point for the entire room.

The problem with great art is that it is usually not inexpensive. If this has stopped you from hanging anything in your home you may be surprised that beautiful paintings don’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. There are great places to look for inexpensive art and even ways to make your own.

Friends and Family

Do you have an artist in your family? Do you have any friends who paint? Ask them if they’d paint something for your home. They may do it for little money or even for free. My dad is an artist and almost all of the paintings in my home are his work. You could offer to buy the canvas and some supplies in trade.

Friends and family may have art they don’t have up and would be happy to let you use it. You might be surprised what you can find in your parent’s attic. Have a look around in storage areas for forgotten items. If you find something they most likely have forgotten they even own it.

Thrift Stores

Once in a while I like to go around to the thrift stores in my area and have a look at what inexpensive art they have. I often find unique items that can be restored or used as-is for home décor. I have a painting in my living room I found at a thrift store. It looks like an unfinished water scene and I fell in love with it when I found it. It cost me one dollar!

Neighborhood Sales

Don’t forget to check out the rummage and garage sales in your area for inexpensive art. People’s taste in art varies tremendously. People may be trying to get rid of a painting they don’t like but that doesn’t mean you won’t love it. Even if you don’t find a great work of art you may find a beautiful frame you can use later when you do find something you like. Don’t stress out thinking, “What do I like?” You’ll know when you see it. When your eye falls upon something you will either want to grab it and take it home or you barely give it a second glance.

Poster Prints

There are companies that make poster prints of famous paintings. These posters cost the same as any other poster you may have hung in your room as a teenager. I have a great print of a Picasso called “Old Man With Guitar” hanging above my couch. You can go to any retailer that carries frames and find a poster-sized frame. It’s not the same thing as a painting but if you love the picture you’ll feel great every time you look at it.

Along the same lines you can find art on the Internet and print it out. How good they will look will greatly depend on your printer and the quality of the picture you find. I have two prints of my dad’s paintings framed in 8 X 10 frames hanging in my home. You can see the brush strokes and they both look great! Remember when you are searching online to be aware of copyright issues. In most cases if you are printing something out just to hang in your home you are fine. Never reproduce and sell someone else’s artwork without their permission.

Make Your Own

This is something you can do even if you think you don’t have an artistic bone in your body. You may not be able to create a breathtaking landscape but you will be able to produce something pleasing to hang in your home.

Any craft store carries canvas and paint supplies. Decide what colors you want and go get your supplies. You can use brushes or your own fingers if you’d like. When choosing colors choose five or six that you find appealing and that go well together. Look around on the Internet or in magazines for inspiration and have a go at it. Perhaps the hardest part of making your own art is knowing when to stop. If it looks good stop! Over doing it can ruin a great look. Frame it, hang it and enjoy.

You can also leave the artwork up to your young ones. You could make it a fun family project. Spread out an old sheet to protect the floors and have everyone paint with their hands or even their feet. If that doesn’t appeal to you there are other alternatives. Cut potatoes in half and carve a design in them and allow your child to stamp the paint and designs onto the canvas. You can dip strings into the paint and hit the canvas with the wet string. You may end up with a fantastic piece of art as well as a memory to hang on your wall.

You may already own great art that is just waiting to be framed. My daughter loves to finger paint and I have a stack of paintings that is at least six inches thick. I am often surprised to find out how beautiful some of them turned out. You can pick out some of your child’s work and frame them singly or as a collage.

Christmas Photography Tips and Advice

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For Christmas photography tips, or any sort of photography, we want the best results to come from our time and effort. Christmas photography captures special moments, especially when children are involved. In fact, this leads to my first Christmas photography tip:

(1) Focus on the children first. This admittedly is a bias of mine, but Christmas foremost should be a children's holiday. This applies to gift-giving, and also to photography. If you disagree and/or if adults are at the center of your Christmas, fine, that's just my opinion. Just think of ol' Art Linkletter: "Kids Say the Funniest Things." Kids also make the best photo subjects, and regardless, Christmas (like Trix cereal) is for Kids.

Our Top Ten Christmas photography tips are going to relate to the strategy of taking the best photos, not to the type of camera. That's a whole 'nuther topic. In fact, yours truly is not even a shutterbug. My advice comes from working as a local daily newspaper reporter, among some of the best professional photographers, going back to the 1970s when they still used darkrooms, up to today in the digital age. These Christmas photography tips are geared toward how you interact with your subjects, once the camera is chosen and the lighting adjustments are made.

(2) Don't be one of these photographers who is constantly out front and interrupting things, asking people to pose. For your best Christmas photography, be the fly on the wall. Stay in the background and take candid photos of what's happening, photos in which the subjects don't realize you're taking their photos.

(3) A lower angle (shooting "upward" toward the subjects and the scene) often yields better results. Don't hesitate to sprawl on the floor.

(4) In your Christmas photography, look for sequences of events. A photo is just one moment in time and to capture a sequence, many folks nowadays prefer a video camera. Still, there's nothing like a series of photos. For example: (A) Child awaits anxiously for gift-giving to begin. (B) Child receives wrapped gift. ( C ) Child tears wrapping off of gift. (D) Child reacts to gift.

(5) In fact, your sequence of events could begin hours earlier. Child helps decorate tree. Child puts on Christmas outfit. Etc.

(6) Just because you're staying out of the spotlight with your camera, that doesn't mean you can't be persistent. Patience is a virtue in waiting for just the right moment, just the right shot.

(7) Be a minimalist. Don't try to illustrate the whole scene of the Christmas event at once. If it's a party, take turns focusing on individual participants, or no more than two or three in one frame. If your Christmas photography involves a group of carolers, go ahead and photograph the whole group, but also aim for closeups of one caroler, or a small group.

(8) If you still want some posed Christmas photography for the archives, that's fine. Try to do the posing at the conclusion of the shindig, not at the start or during the middle.

(9) For posed photos, try to keep the number of subjects small. Let's imagine the group of Christmas revelers is 20. Go ahead and shoot the group of 20, but keep in mind that with so many folks in there, their faces are going to be the sizes of dimes. Also shoot "subgroups" with three, four, five people.

(10) When people pose in groups, have them put their heads as close together as possible. This may seem like a minor point, but when you see the results, you'll understand. Faces can be 20 percent larger and up close if we eliminate the wasted space between their heads.

SOURCES

Personal experience

http://digital-photography-school.com/16-christmas-photography-tips

http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/Christmas-pictures.html

http://photography.about.com/od/christmas/Christmas_Photography.htm

Shooting for Stock Photography

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A great way to earn money and learn a lot in the internet is participating in stock photography. Stock photography has been around for a while. And there are a lot of great stock sites that sell photographs for a reasonable price.

Just how and what should you shoot to be able to participate in stock photography?

Photographers say you should start with the concept. But the very first thing you should do is to know your equipment. I literally spent ten times more time trying to know how my camera works than thinking of something to shoot.

Stock photography is a very demanding industry. It's as close as you'll get to professional photography. It requires you to be able to produce images of the highest quality. That is because this industry is very competitive.

Try shooting the same subject with different settings. You should know how your camera reacts with different kinds of light. You should also know how it responds to different levels of illumination. Note the differences you see and keep them in mind.

Next you need a concept. Your images should present an idea, a thought or an expression. Consider a photograph of a man typing on a computer. What is he doing? Why is he typing? Is he working? Is he Blogging? Or just playing?

Designers buy stock images because of the concept they present - not because they look good. Stock photos are used in web sites, brochures, magazines, publications, advertisements, and almost anything that has a print.

So you need to have an image that has a concept that satisfies the needs of the would-be buyers of your pictures.

Then, you need a lot of light. Stock photos require that images have the right level of illumination and contrast. They need to be clear. If you can't afford a big set-up, you can always use desk lamps or even the sun.

You'll also need a computer and two kinds of programs: noise reduction tool and a photo editing application. Most stock photographs go through a noise reduction process. They also get a little tweaking in color, contrast and brightness.

Stock photographs need to be as close to perfect as possible. It's like what they say in the computer graphics industry: "it does not matter how you do it as long as you get the job done." Don't think that editing a photo in your pc is cheating. That only goes for journalism.

The next is pretty simple. You need a stock agency to upload your images to. Or you can showcase your work in your own site. Uploading in stock agencies is better. That is because you can find out where and how to improve. Use their powerful community to find out your weakness and strengths as a photographer.

Then when you have all this, what you need to do next is to be consistent and improve and improve and improve. You need to keep up with the ever demanding industries. If you don't, you'll get left behind.

Where to Find Great Black and White Photography Online

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Black and white photography looks great in any décor. You can find just about anything, in any size, to match just about any room. Plus, the neutral tones of black and white photography ensure that it will match just about any color scheme. Here are some of the best places on the web to purchase black and white photography.

AllPoster.com

AllPoster.com is a fantastic site for cheap artwork. Now, cheap doesn't mean poor quality - quite the contrary, in fact. You can find just about anything - traditional paintings, classical art, black and white photography, large posters of bands, musicians, movies and more. They also offer framing.

My Top Pick: "City Street Signs" by Nelson Figueredo - $24.99 (Price doesn't include shipping and handling, or optional framing.)

Why I Chose This Piece: I love New York, more importantly - I love Broadway. Of course, Broadway and West 34th Street is practically the center of the theatre district. It's a great way to bring a little bit of Broadway right into my own home.

The Wall Art Store

This online store has a lot of fantastic, very 'artsy' black and white photos. They offer free shipping and all of the photos come framed, they even offer a few different selections for matting and frames. However, prices can run you from $55 dollars and all the way up to $919. Ouch. However, the quality is very high - so you can be sure you're getting your money's worth.

My Top Pick: "Stonehenge Sunrise" by Matthew De Haven - $50.00 (Price does not include shipping, handling or frame.
Why I Chose This Piece: I love Stonehenge, it's a fascinating place. The fog adds to the mystery of the structure and it's a great piece to add to a global photography collection.

Artful Home

This website offers a lot of wonderful photographs, but the prices run fairly average. The bottom line photographs start at $110 dollars and run up to several thousand dollars - so this isn't the most budget friendly site. However, if you've got the extra cash lying around, it's a great option and chances are you'll spend similar amounts at local art studios, especially if you live in a metropolitan area.

My Top Pick: "Winter Trees I" through Phoenix Galleries - $299.00 (price includes free shipping as well as framing and matting.)

Why I Chose This Piece: This particular photograph would be great for my fiancé's office. He loves the look of trees in the winter, so this is a great piece for him.

AbsoluteArts.com

Absolute Arts caters to the United States, the UK, China and more - and their prices range anywhere from $10 to $1,000,000. With more than 2500 works of art, you'll be sure to find exactly what you're looking for with this website.

My Top Pick: "Merced River Ice" by Ron Gallmeier - $330, Small; $665, Medium; and $1000, Large.
Why I Chose This Piece: Again, this is another piece I know my fiancé would really appreciate. Plus, I love the look of the water, the snow and the trees - so it's something we would both really enjoy in any room of our home.

So whether you've got $10 or $10,000 - you'll be sure to find the ideal pieces of black and white photography to fit your home décor and personal tastes.

DIY Wedding Photography on a Budget

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So, your wedding is fast approaching and you want memories that will last a lifetime. However, you are on a budget and don't have a lot of money to spend for a professional wedding photographer. You can still get professional-looking, creative, memorable pictures with DIY wedding photography.

The first thing to do is to find someone who takes great pictures. This doesn't have to do be a professional photographer. Many people have a "great eye" and instinctively know how to take great pictures. Think of friends or family members who you've complimented on their photography from vacations, for example. Another way to find a cheap wedding photographer is to look on local college bulletin boards, or post on them yourself in the art department or photography department. Many students have amazing talent, but since they are still a bit inexperienced, will be your wedding photographer for a fraction of the price of a professional wedding photographer. Some may even photograph your wedding for free, for no more than a free meal and use of your wedding pictures for their portfolio. You can also consider putting an ad on Craigslist for a hobbyist who is not a professional wedding photographer, but has an artistic eye and loves to take pictures. Get samples of work and negotiate a price you are both pleased with.

Whether you use a talented stranger or an artistically-inclined friend or family member as your wedding photographer, make sure they have a good camera. You may even consider purchasing a good quality, digital camera that you can give them as their "payment". If you need to purchase a camera for your DIY wedding photography, make sure you give it to the wedding photographer in plenty of time for them to learn the ins and outs of the camera, so they can adjust the settings. Digital cameras also allow for easy editing, so you or your DIY wedding photographer can edit your wedding pictures. Also, digital cameras have a large capacity to store many pictures, with a memory card they can hold hundreds of pictures, so you will have plenty of wedding photos to choose from to preserve your special day.

Another idea is to meet with your DIY wedding photographer to develop a plan of what you want photographed. Remember, since you will be saving a lot of money by not hiring a professional wedding photographer, you will have to do some of the work yourself. This includes providing the DIY wedding photographer with a list of what you want photographed. This may include photographs of the wedding rings, the wedding invitations, the bridal party, the groomsmen, the family of the bride, the family of the groom, the bride and groom's first kiss, the wedding service, etc. This will help you and your DIY wedding photographer be on the same page and know each other's expectations beforehand, so you get exactly what you want on your special day.

Also, encourage others to take pictures of your wedding. Some of the best wedding photography are those wonderfully candid moments caught by some of the guests. Some wedding couples choose to put disposable cameras on tables for guests to take photographs of, then ask that they leave the cameras when they leave the wedding reception. Some give the cameras out as wedding favors and ask that any great wedding photographs be sent to the married couple.

Lastly, consider the best of both worlds. You can hire a professional wedding photographer for a short period of time to take a few very specific pictures, then rely on your DIY photographer and wedding guests to take the rest of the photographs. This will eliminate a lot of cost for a professional wedding photographer. You can also opt to don your wedding attire a few days after the event and go to a studio to have a few professional pictures taken.

Remember, it doesn't take a professional photographer to take some amazing, creative, professional-looking wedding photography. Have a great day!