Photography Sample 2
Photographers love to travel to Honduras, especially in the winter, to photograph the beauty of the tropical rainforests, the underwater scenes in the Bay Islands and the ruins of ancient America. In order to be successful with your photography in a foreign country and in the field in general, you will be much more successful with a mentor.
In order to find out more about finding a photography mentor in Honduras, we spoke to Daniel Doyle Pleasantville NY. Dan Doyle has a successful and thriving photography studio in Queens. He specializes in weddings and studio photography. He solidified his reputation in Queens by creating unusual and distinct headshots and other promotional photography for local entertainers.
Travel Recommendation –
In the case of a country like Honduras that is in the midst of political unrest, it is critical to look for a mentor if your goals are improving your craft, discovering the best locations for photography in the country and knowing how to keep oneself safe.
As of the New Year in 2020, the U.S. State Department has a travel advisory for Honduras. The current travel advisory level is three. This means that the government is suggesting that travelers reconsider visiting Honduras right now. The reasons for the advisory are high crime incidence, drug trafficking in Gracias a Dios and demonstrations that are, at times, also directed at the U.S. government.
In the case of Gracias a Dios, the U.S. State Department is asking U.S. citizens to not visit that area of Honduras. They are recommending that U.S. citizens, if they go to the country, stick to tourist areas, such as the Copan Ruins and the Bay Islands because the government has a stronger law enforcement presence in those locations. A Honduran mentor can help you navigate safely in the country.
Places to Find a Photography Mentor in Honduras –
Coworking Spaces –
One place to begin your search for a photography mentor in Honduras, as well as other mentors who can provide advice on how to grow your business, is in the coworking spaces found in the country.
In a coworking space, you have a place to work during the day and sometimes into the evening. The best coworking spaces provide business-building presentations and some even host startup incubators. Also, you can meet with your mentor in a coworking space in one of the meeting rooms.
Top coworking space providers in Honduras include Connect Cowork, Widu, Easyoffice and Workbox – all in Tegucigalpa, the capital city. Although there are coworking spaces available in the town of San Pedro Sula, Coworker.com suggests that foreigners avoid the area, due to narcotraffickers and frequent murders.
Mentors in the States Who Have Experience in a Country –
U.S.-based photographers, like Daniel Doyle Pleasantville NY, who have extensively traveled in Honduras, are also fountains of information for budding photographers. They will have already established and maintained contacts within Honduras and can help you travel safely, critique skills and find the best subjects for your work. Dan Doyle mentors other photographers in his Queens, NY studio.
Honduras is not really a place for someone who does not know the country to go on their own to explore at this time. A mentor will help you find stunning and safe places to hone your skills.
Photography Sample 1
Ismail Sirdah understands the massive change that digital photography created when it was first introduced to the masses and the continuing changes it creates as the digital camera continues its evolution. Sirdah is a Savannah, Georgia-based photographer. Sirdah’s studio bears his name. He is continually driving on the new frontiers of digital photography, using techniques like portraits lit by LEDs and strobe with motion. He is the author of “10 Underrated Photography Destinations” and mentors young photographers.
Film Photography Versus Digital –
Prior to digital cameras available for the masses, photographers had to be very conservative in how many pictures they took. Most film rolls were 12 to 24 frames, and there were costs involved in developing film, whether one developed the film themselves or sent the film to a lab. Today, whether one takes one photo or 100, there is no additional cost other than that of your phone or camera and an SD card unless you print out photos.
With film cameras, one was unable to see if they nailed the shot out in the field. The results were a mystery until the film was exposed in the darkroom. Today, we can look at the results of our digital photography as soon as the shot has been snapped.
There were other costs as well. At the time, cameras used expensive batteries that could not be recharged. Today, we can simply put the phone or camera’s battery on a charger to replenish the battery. Thus, photography is no longer just for those who have the means.
Any changes to exposure that one would create after the shot was snapped had to be done in the darkroom environment. Today, one can choose from a wide variety of photo editing software that will allow us to change exposures, remove things we did not realize the camera saw in the shot and even create special effects.
Back then, with those precious few rolls of film you could afford, everything was manual. You would set the film speed just after loading the film. When you were ready to snap a shot, you would compose your picture, manually focus the lens and set the aperture and shutter speed manually as well before clicking the shutter. Today, many digital cameras don’t even have a means of setting aperture and shutter speed, unless they are the larger, high end DSLRs. Much of this process is now automatic.
There also were no film cameras that recorded videos as well. If you wanted to record a video, that would take another device. Today, our digital cameras and cell phones can take video or pictures, so we have the versatility of one small device taking the place of two devices.
How Did the First Digital Cameras Change Things? –
Documentation –
Since you did not have to wait to get photographs developed, people began to use cameras to document events more than in the past. For example, more people use their cameras to snap photos and take videos of transgressions by others than in the past. If the neighbor does not like the water from the new home construction being routed to his house, he can take a picture or video and show it to officials at the planning department. We can watch many videos on YouTube of confrontations between the police and citizens where it appears the former have crossed the line.
Sharing –
Combined with social media and other online places to upload photos and videos, we are doing far more sharing of our photographs than in the past, often with the potential of far wider audiences than Aunt Margie and Uncle Al.
Citizen Journalism –
In a more benign vein, think of how many people watch cat videos on YouTube. But, also consider how an average citizen with a cell phone, digital camera or video camera can become a citizen journalist and share things happening in their area, things that our mainstream media may not want us to dwell on, like videos of all of the empty homes in Gary, Indiana, or Detroit, Michigan or empty malls deteriorating around the country.
Without the ease of use of digital photography, the fact that taking the pictures are free and all of the forums where we can share pictures and videos, we would not know as much about the truth of what is going on in the world. Maybe that is why so few people trust the mainstream media today. There are so many more places to get information.
Too Many Video But Don’t Provide Help –
The BBC reminds us of the sad and ugly truth that there are all too many who will record something horrific happening as their first action, rather than providing assistance. This author is convinced that there are some percentage of the cat and dog “rescues” we see online where animal abuse was committed first before the rescue occured by the “rescuer.” The BBC reports that a stabbing victim in Glasgow recently suffered longer needlessly because more people were busying themselves recording the event than they were providing assistance.
On the whole, we are benefited by the speed of digital photography and how we can see the results immediately. Also, there is much more sharing of information. We do, though, have to temper when to turn the camera on and when to show human compassion.
https://www.crunchbase.com/person/ismail-sirdah
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16483509
tghttps://amp.businessinsider.com/digital-photography-revolution-2015-4
Personal Finance Sample 3 – Where to Find Economic News
Whether you are an investor, a business owner or just an average person who is committed to your financial health and wellbeing, it is important to keep up on financial news. The question is how to do so without spending hours each week.
It was just a few decades ago when only those who were wealthy and could afford insider newsletters had access to information to help them make good financial choices for themselves and their family. Today, the problem is exactly the opposite. There is an abundance of economic current events information available. Much of it can be found on the internet. How can you sift the wheat from the chaff and streamline your time investment on keeping abreast of economic news?
How to Choose Your Sources –
One other key issue is false information. Today, we have political leaders on both sides of the red/blue divide and others who warn us of fake news. One troubling development over the past year or more is that many in the country were very keenly aware that the economy had not fully recovered from the recession for many Americans, but we were told that the economy was flourishing. How could that be when so many retail stores have closed and millions of people were falling into homelessness and in danger of losing their cars to repossession? How could that be when 47 percent of Americans surveyed cannot pay for a $400 emergency?
If you are an investor, a business person, or even an average person who needs to make financial choices for your future and retirement, it is really important to know the true state of the economy. In order to do that, you have to keep track of your different sources of economic and financial news and pay attention over time to who is telling the truth consistently and who is so busy promoting some narrative – like red/blue, evil Russians, evil Chinese or some other narrative that they are so wedded to, they will lie to promote it. So, be like an elephant and never forget.
How to Not Get Overwhelmed –
The other issue with any information on the internet is that not enough information is not the problem. You have to narrow down the information so that you don’t have too many sources that you get bogged down in updates. The best way to do that is to find ways to aggregate information and set alerts.
Aggregation –
As you narrow down and consolidate your information sources to a handful of reliable, but varied, voices, it is essential to place them in one location where you can look at headlines from your sources and choose those you would like to read. That is where a Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, reader comes into play.
According to Lifehacker, the best two RSS readers are Feedly and Inoreader. In the free version of Feedly, you can aggregate your economics new sources chronologically, search for information, and track updated news on websites, YouTube channels, podcasts and blogs. You can also use Feedly on your laptop or desktop as well as on your smartphone. This is all free. For just under $6 a month, you can have Feedly set alerts for certain strings of words.
Inoreader has much of the same capabilities in the free version. The difference is that you can have 150 sources in your reader with Inoreader and 100 with Feedly. Inoreader also allows you to listen to a podcast while you are looking through your feed. A $20 a year version of Inoreader will remove the ads that pay for the free service. If you are willing to pay $50 a year, you can get an offline mode, stronger search options and unlimited sources.
Alerts –
Once you have all of the news sources in one location, there are undoubtedly some alerts you will want to set for financial information that impacts you personally. For example, those looking to purchase a home will likely want to set an alert for information on changes in mortgage interest rates and changes in home prices in their area. If you are tracking a stock, you will want any new information that emerges online on the name of the company as well as information on changes in their industry.
The best way to set alerts is with Google Alerts, unless you are willing to pay for your RSS feed. Google Alerts is free. Just go on the website page and type in the string or strings of keywords that you would like to track. It will be sent to your Gmail, so you can click on new articles on your topic of interest.
Specific Sources –
Some of the better sources of economic news are as follows:
Reuters: Reuters is one of the two sources used by other Western press organizations. They have an app that is easy to use and does not ask for nosy permissions. Relevant categories of news include the sections: Business, The Markets, Trade, Investing and Wealth. Each article has a picture and a synopsis to help you decide if you would like to click on it and read.
Yahoo Finance: Yahoo Finance is highly respected as a source of economic and market news. You can use an app or your laptop or desktop. Along the top horizontally, you will get the current events in the financial world. There are commentary and in-depth discussion articles that you can scroll horizontally through. Also, there are stock quotes, financial reports and some financial management tools available.
Fisher Investments: You can watch videos from Fisher investments on YouTube. They have a short Market Insights economic current events series of videos. The longer, Market Insights Podcasts videos go into more depth on current events or certain topics from current events. There are also short videos that contain investor education material.
Ron Paul LIberty Report: On Fridays, the Liberty Report’s YouTube channel has a 20 minute video on U.S. domestic policy that is often centered on fiscal policy and economic issues. Paul, the former Congressman and presidential candidate is honest and has no stake in the red/blue illusory divide.
Today, with the internet, a news aggregator, Google Alerts and some of the top economics news sources, you can keep abreast of key economic news in minutes each day.
https://www.youtube.com/user/fisherinvestments
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/05/my-secret-shame/476415/
https://lifehacker.com/the-best-rss-readers-and-news-aggregation-apps-1839030732/amp
Personal Finance Sample 2 – Retirement Planning
According to Bloomberg, a Government Accountability Office report found that 48 percent of people over 55 years of age have nothing saved for retirement. Three-fifths of people over 55 have no pension plan. Thus, they will be forced to rely upon Social Security benefits alone in their old age. Of those aged 35 to 64, about 41 percent expect to run out of money sometime during retirement.
Retirement planning is key. It is also important to find reliable and honest sources of retirement planning information. Sadly, we have likely all heard about scams and ponzi schemes that have ripped off consumers who were diligently trying to save for their golden years. Where can one find vetted information on retirement planning?
What is Retirement Planning? –
According to Investopedia, retirement planning actually encompasses several steps. You need to determine how much money you will likely need to save in order to stay in retirement, and you will need to determine how to amass that sum during your working years. You need to estimate how much you need for living expenses when you retire. You will also need to find out how to begin a retirement savings plan and how to manage risk.
Rightfully, Investopedia also reminds us that retirement planning is far more than a sum of money at the end of one’s career. Retirement planning also entails determining where you will live once you are retired, how you will spend your time and when it is safe to end all work.
Sources of Retirement Planning Information:
U.S. Department of Labor –
The U.S. Department of Labor has some really comprehensive guides on retirement. These include publications with information on how to continue to receive health benefits after you retire. In addition to the guides, there are a few tools, like the one that allows you to determine if you are ready to save money. The latter is quite comprehensive and will help you determine your goals for retirement, calculate your current net worth, determine how much you need to save in order to retire, determine your post-retirement spending plan and reduce all debt.
The best publication of the lot that puts all of the information together is the PDF titled, “Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement Planning.” One would think that this PDF would be boring and dry. It is exactly the opposite. There is a page or so to read that has engaging graphics, then they have you fill out a retirement planning chart. This pattern repeats throughout the entire 68-page PDF. When you have read the PDF and filled out all of the charts, you will have comprehensively completed your early phases of retirement planning and can then move forward to researching your savings vehicles.
U.S.A. Retirement Website –
This website also has some important guides, like information on the most common options people use to save for their retirement, how social security works for those who are retired and how to protect your pension benefits.
Nerdwallet –
Nerdwallet has great articles on retirement planning as well as financial tools to help you determine how much money you will need in order to retire.
Fisher Investments –
You can find great content on investing and investments on the educational YouTube channel by Fisher Investments. There are both informational videos on general investing as well as videos on current economic news and how those relate to investing.
Good Financial Cents –
This blog is written by a Certified Financial Planner who teaches consumers all of the ins, outs and tricks of how to successfully plan for retirement.
Credit Donkey –
The goal of the Credit Donkey blog is to help everyone understand the principles of sound financial planning in layman’s terms. They review online savings accounts and IRA providers.
Frugal Rules –
The Frugal Rules blog is designed to help people who in the past have not believed they could possibly save and plan for retirement. The FR blog also reviews financial products. The nice thing about this blog is that there are many articles about frugal living that will help you find more money with which to invest.
Mr. Money Mustache –
Mr. Money Mustache retired in his thirties. He has a lot of great information on living a frugal lifestyle and retiring early while not running out of one’ s nest egg. This link is a really great article on how he proposes one follow in his footsteps.
The Penny Hoarder –
Another good blog that helps a variety of people move toward financial freedom is the Penny Hoarder. Like Mr. Money Mustache, they emphasize frugality. This article has some really great tips on how to start saving for retirement with tiny amounts of money that most anyone can put together.
Retirement Planning is really for everyone who is in their working years. The sooner one begins amassing retirement income, the sooner one can retire because of the compounding of interest. Some of the above sources are for people who may have struggled in the past to save for retirement, while other sources are for those who have more means to do so.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/retirement-planning.asp
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/workers-and-families/preparing-for-retirement
Personal Finance Sample 1 – Using Market Sentiment to Choose Stocks
One means of choosing stocks is to utilize mathematical models to determine such things as the stock price-to-earnings ratio. This helps investors determine if a particular stock is valued properly. One less traditional means of choosing stocks is via gauging investor sentiment to news stories and gauging sentiment on social media.
What is Market Sentiment? –
Market sentiment is the general feeling investors have towards a certain stock or towards the market in general. If they don’t like a particular stock or bond and sell it, the price of the stock will decrease.
There are a few indicators of market sentiment:
The VIX: The VIX is a fear index. The VIX is high when investors feel the need to purchase insurance to protect themselves from losses.
The High-Low Index: The High-Low index is derived by the comparison between the number of stocks that are making 52-week high valuations versus those making 52-week low valuations. When the index is below 30, stock prices are low, and the market is bearish. If the index has risen above 70, prices of stocks are high, and the market is bullish.
Bullish Percent Index: The BPI uses a formula to determine stocks that are bullish. When the BPI is at 80 percent or higher, stocks are often overvalued. If the BPI is around 20 percent or below, stocks are undervalued.
Companies that provide market sentiment information include:
Bloomberg Terminal –
According to Bloomberg, one can definitely improve their investing in the stock market by conducting a sentiment analysis on news stories and social media posts. It is a very technical subject, though.
For the past 10 years, Bloomberg Terminal has provided investors with sentiment data based upon reactions to news stories about companies. Today, they also take into account sentiment on social media.
In Bloomberg’s Terminal, every news story is assigned a positive, negative or neutral rating, based upon reactions. These are scored and provide a daily sentiment score that one can access before the markets open for the day. Bloomberg’s team suggests that investors purchase stocks that are in the top third of the sentiment rankings and sell the ones in the bottom 5 percent of their sentiment rankings.
Bloomberg advises that this strategy will not produce high yields if one is using the sentiment scores for only one company or a small group of companies. Instead, investors must diversify their portfolios in order to be successful with this strategy. With those guidelines in place, investors trading the top and bottom third of sentiment scores were able to receive a 23 percent return on investment.
Another strategy that the Bloomberg team tried was to buy stocks with positive sentiment the day prior to their earnings report and short those with negative sentiment prior to their earnings report. Using the S&P 500 and sentiment data from news outlets and Twitter, this strategy netted a return of 156 percent.
The problem with both of these strategies is that, with the need for diversity and the number of trades required to execute the strategy, the returns will not net much after the costs of making so many trades.
Chartcraft Indices of Investor Sentiment –
Bloomberg is not the only company that has worked on formulas for gauging investor sentiment. According to Investopedia, Chartcraft has created investor sentiment indexes. Investors use these indexes to try to track market sentiment changes that would cause bull and bear markets to begin to change.
For example, investors use Chartcraft’s Investors’ Intelligence Index in a contrarian manner when the markets show that they are either extremely bullish or bearish. If a market has swung too far in either direction, investors will typically take that as a signal a correction will soon occur in the opposite direction.
CNN Money Fear/Greed Index –
CNN Money takes a slightly different take on market sentiment. Its Fear and H Index takes into account seven indicators of whether investors are operating more from fear or greed. They look at the strength of stock prices, the demand that exists for junk bonds, put and call options, stock price breadth (determining whether there are more advancing than declining stocks in the market), the market momentum, whether investors are pursuing more stocks or bonds, and the volatility of the market.
According to The Balance, the FGI index can help investors determine if the prices of stocks are too high or too low. The Balance advises investors to use the FGI to enter the market when the index is moving towards fear. Then, investors can look for underpriced stocks to purchase. The Balance does suggest, though, that investors refrain from trying to use FGI for short-term profits. It is a tool that helps investors determine the best time to enter the market and purchase undervalued stocks that can be held for long-term profits.
Fisher Investments –
Fisher Investments analyzes stocks for their clients. They begin by looking at worldwide trends in politics, economics and market sentiment. These help them weight prospective stocks by country, sector and theme. Then, they use a screening process for stocks that has multiple stages to come up with their initial list of potential stocks. This narrow list of stocks are then rated by analyzing their fundamentals and risk.
You can read about investor’s opinions like Fisher Investment’s articles on Reuters.
Thus, there are market sentiment indices that are used to help investors choose when to safely enter a market. Some companies have created their own indices that are an amalgamation of other indexes. Also, one can consult articles and videos by leading investment firms, such as Fisher Investments, in order to know when market sentiment supports entering a market and when to sell stocks.
https://www.reuters.com/brandfeatures/fisher-investments-insights
https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/blog/finding-novel-ways-trade-sentiment-data/
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/06/investorsentiment.asp
https://www.thebalance.com/how-fear-and-greed-index-can-guide-investment-4147563
Laurie Flood on Freelance Writing 