My husband calls me a Photoshop Diva  I'm good with it but not an expert by any means. It is such a powerful program that I learn something  every time I work on a new project.
I've recently been asked to check out an online photo editing application called Picnik and decide whether it would be easily used by amatuers with no photo editing experience.
My opinion is a very emphatic YES.
I wish i knew about this product a few months ago when i was out of town and realized that i had no photo editing software on my laptop. I didn't get any of the work done that I had taken with me.
This program has everything that a user needs to optimize an image with a super simple, bright and cheery,  learn as you go interface. ...and it's all online!
When applying the tools, the speed is as fast as desktop photo software. I uploaded a high res image and it loaded lightening fast for a photo this large! 
There is also a histogram for better control over brights and shadows. This is more for the advanced user but can be learned through the program by exploring the tool.
Features such as brightening, color correcting and saving the photo are simple to use and there are helpful notes that appear for each tool describing what each function will do. I was concerned when it came to saving the file.
Would a new user know what a .jpg file was and how to save it?. No worries. There is a slider bar that explains the outcome of each setting. Awesome!
The feature that I found to be useful to many and a huge timesaver is a  connection to most of the websites that you may want to display a photo ( flickr, facebook, myspace and more) through the interface!
Although I personally would keep using my more advanced software, I will definitly use  this Picnik for one particular feature that makes my job so much easier.
I have found the 'get from web site' feature unique and the perfect tool for me. You type in the URL of the page that you need graphics from and Picnik captures all of the graphics from the web page and displays them in the interface.
All that I have to do is click on the image that I need. This works great when a client has asked me to use their logos and I have to go in search of. Picnik lays it all out in front of me.
One thing I would like to see is a reminder for those capturing images from the web, to be sure that you have permission from the owner to use the image.
Picnik is a great tool for beginners and advanced users alike. It has most of the tools that you would need to easily enhance and share your photos.
I've just touched on the basics here but once you use Picnik you will discover the versitility in this program to help you create and share!

  It's been about a month since hurricane Ike hit our area and I've had a chance to think about how I would have prepared differently had I known the true power of the beast.

I'll save you the details on what it's like to experience a hurricane. I will say though that this force of mother nature needs to be respected.

Preparation and the Media-

The media was so wrong. Ritz, water and a pack of batteries do not make for essential hurricane supplies.
They broadcast segments telling everyone to prepare for 3 days without power and water.
They showed the little kits made up of water bottles, crackers, tuna and cheese, a flashlight, ice, first aid kit etc. This information left many that followed it unprepared .

It was okay for a few days but.....

What about the next 11 days??

This is what life will be like for most-
(Assuming you aren't flooded and your home is still intact)

It will be really hot in the house and if you go out to get relief, you'll get attacked by the mosquitos that get blown in from the ocean front marshes. It will get dark early and will be pitch black.
You won't be able to see your hand in front of your face. You can't go anywhere because there will be a curfew. You will have no clean clothes after a few days, the house will start to smell musty.
Everything in your fridge will spoil and need pitched. Do not open the freezer for 24 hours! It will stay cold.
You'll need a constant supply of ice but have to decide if it is worth it to spend the gas to drive to the POD sites. Gas will be hard to find. If you have a generator, use it sparingly at first.
The gas will be available after a few days. If you have no water, you'll have to figure out how to wash your self, your clothes, dishes, and most importantly, flush.
News will be difficult to gather and rumors run rampant.  Did you know FEMA was giving out free $600 generators the day after Ike? (They didn't know either)
Some stores will open next day with limited power and will sell ice beer, soda etc... but nothing from coolers. 
One word of advice. Always be mindful of the safety of your family and check on your neighbors. Do not be a vicitm of your generators gases
or fire from unattended candles.....and remember that someone will lose the bathroom flashlight eventually!
It's so much easier if you just leave town. They call it an evacucation. Visit family that you haven't seen in ages. 
Staying in a home without power and/or water can really wear on your mental health. Resist the urge to hurt someone that says 'hunker down'. It happens because we have come to depend on everything electrical to sustain our lives.  It is nice for a little while though. You get back in touch with your children, you meet some neighbors for the first time, a little bit of roughing it is good for the soul. ...but just a little bit.

Having survived the storm intact but without power for 2 weeks here is what I would do if another storm were to hit the area.

I'd LEAVE. But if i had to stay, here are some helpful tips and questions you will need to ask yourself.

* If the water stops flowing, How will you flush the toilets, bathe, etc......? (Unless you have a pool in your back yard to grab water from, you should probably stay with a friend or relative)
   Well water needs power to pump as does city water.
*How much water will you need per person to drink daily for 2 weeks?
* How much water will you need to cook with, make campfire coffee, wash dishes, bathing?
*  How much water will you need for bathing and where will you store it?
* Do i have 14 days of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks? Can opener?
* Do you have enough diapers, formula, bottle liners and wipes?
* When the sun goes down, it will be pitch black inside and out. Be ready.
* How many flash lights will you need? Consider contiuous lighing during the evening and a large supply of batteries for these light sources.
* How many batteries will it take to run 2 flash lights at night continuosly for 14 days?
* How many batteries will it take to run other flash lights.... bathroom etc...?
*  Should i use candles? Candles are dangerous, heat up the room, are difficult to contiously attend. use as a last resort.
*  What are you going to heat your food/water on and in?  
*  How much charcoal and lighter fluid will you need for 14 days?
* How will you charge your cell phone?  Cells calls are almost always impossible to get a signal. Texting is the communication method that works best. Your recipient would get the text when they too had a signal.
  Check with your provider to see if they offer a discounts for over usage of texting or minutes. You have to ask though.
* Does everyone in the household have a car charge for thier cell?
*  Is the car's gas tank full?
* Gas will be scarce for a week. Will you have enough to get back and forth to work?
 *Do you have a ladder and plastic if a tree falls on the roof?
* Do you have an alternative plan if your home is flooded or destroyed?
* Any cars parked under trees?
* Oak trees close to the house? They topple easily. Try to trim them. Stay out of the rooms they can land on.
* Do you have screens on the windows? You'll need to let air flow if it is hot.
* Marsh mosquitoes blow in and are huge.  Have spray ready.
* Pets need to be indoors. Have enough food and water for them. People actually left their animals outside! Many escaped and are in the local shelters or they are wandering the streets.
* Do you have a generator? The first time that you fire one up, the angels will sing, and the coffee will be hot!  Communication with the outside world is so important to your feeling of well being.
*  Did you get several gallons of gas for the generator? It will take a lot of gas per day. The gas may be difficult to obtain. Also the noise will wear you out after awhile. Use sparingly.
* Do you have enough cash to pay for gas and other necessities? The atms won't have power either.
* Is all of your laundry washed?
*  String a line to dry clothing after hand washing.
* Febreeze!  Humidity+heat + fabric =  funky
* Get a land line phone that doesn't need electricity. (do they still make those?)
*  First aid kit.
* Will you be financially strapped if you can't work for 2 days to 2 weeks? You'll spend a lot of money to survive for 2 weeks and most people will not be able to return to work right away.
* Keep kitty indoors. Give the birds and other wild life a chance to recover. Hurricane season coincides with the birth of squirrels and after Ike, there were many baby squirrels that needed rescued.
* If you are on insulin or other medications that need refrigerated or are caring for sick and/elderly, you should  evacuate them out of the path of the storm and plan to be away for 2 weeks.
*Dust off the bike and air up the tires.

Every family has different needs. I'm sure I've overlooked a lot of things. Mainly because my children are grown nor am I caring for elderly parents. If I were, I'm sure the list would be longer. If your family developed useful methods to get you through those long days and nights please share!

To all of the families that lost a loved one - May God  bless you and comfort you.

Night time photos vs. Day time photos for marketing.

What photos do you feel are better for marketing a traditional brick home, an ambient  lit night exterior or a vibrant sun lit day exterior.

I'm just curious why some agents use them and some don't.

I was fussing with a particularly difficult shot when i overheard the seller talking to her neighbor about the stager that just left.  "The nerve of her to ask me to put my table in storage! I think it looks fine where it is and it is our favorite family gathering place. Who does she think she is?  I'm not moving my table and look at what she did to my dining room! I guess I can live with it like it is." This was all said after the stager left. I'm sure she left feeling happy with her work and a job well done...except for that table in the den.

I wished the seller would have listened to her because the rooms were beautiful except for this huge drop leaf table behind the sofa in the den. It had an enormous lamp on it. I wished the stager could have convinced her to remove it. I couldn't get a good shot of the room because the furniture was in the foreground of my photo and I had a hard time shooting around it.

Hearing her talk about the stager like that made me realize that sellers get seriously offended when you start redecorating their homes for photos/showings.  This stager is probably one of the best I've encountered in the area.

It must be very difficult for the seller to remove their emotions and listen to the professionals. It's not that the table is hideous where it is but that by removing it, the space opens up which makes the room airy and pleasant rather than small and cramped. This is the goal. To open up the spaces and make the eye move around the room. If upon entering a room, you see the back of a sofa, the sense you get is to stop, stand behind the sofa, do not come any further into this room. In easier terms it's uninviting. :) Also, the depth gets cut off which makes the room seem smaller. 

Another example,

Today i was at a shoot where there was a large round table at the entry. In the center was a beautiful bulky vase and a dried arrangement. You could not see past the table into the family room and this space wasn't designed to have an entry table. It wasn't large enough. The purpose of the table being there was to block the view into the home so the homeowner could walk around in her robe in private. She was paranoid that passersby would see her.
She was home during the photo shoot. This particular agent asked me to help create a wow factor in this home as it was definitely lacking. I quietly suggested removing or relocating the table and explained why.  The agent brought it up to the owner who looked horrified at the suggestion. With that look in mind, we knew that we had to tread softly. A few agents that I have worked with for a long time look to me to do the offending. I'm the photographer and therefore more apt at it i guess. ;) Usually I can suggest staging ideas and the owners most often heed my advice. "Sure! Move whatever you need to!" Do they really mean it? All I can do is offer suggestions if my advice is asked for. Otherwise, if the owner is present, I must let the agent decide if the home is ready.

Eventually, she listened to us both and the table was relocated and looks great! The space was opened up, visitors feel welcomed past the entry and as for the owner, offended? I hope not but she may be talking to the neighbor and will eventually "...learn to live with it."