Photography is an art form. If you want to be taken seriously as a creative professional then it is essential to have the right logo design. After all, if you don’t have the creative edge and organizational ability to oversee the design of a professional looking logo, how can clients expect you to put together a portfolio of shots for them?Photography is competitive and you need a bold image to represent you if you want to stand out in a crowded marketplace. You need a logo that is simple and stylish. It should really make a strong statement about you and your work.Photographers need to place a little more importance on getting the perfect design than entrepreneurs in other industries do.In this article we look at some of the common elements of photography logos. We also offer advice to help you decide exactly what kind of logo you want to have as the visual representation of your company brand.Photographer Style and NicheThere are many niches in the photography business. A more abstract looking logo can allow you to be more flexible and to jump from fashion photography to family portraits or any area of the business that takes your fancy. However, if you have your heart set on one niche, such as wedding photography for example you may then consider incorporating this theme into your logo design.Let your designer know what kind of photographer you are and what kind of work you do and they will have a much better understanding of your needs. Do you want to come across as being sophisticated and modern or old fashioned and reliable? Do you want to be seen as being edgy or conservative?You may even want to send your designer some of your favorite shots before they start on your initial concepts. A good designer may even be able to pick up on shapes or other elements in some of your favorite shots and include them in your logo somehow.Remember that photography is often about the individual talent of a photographer rather than a team effort. Why not have a little bit of your personality or style in your business logo. Look for that ‘special something’ that makes you and your work unique and try to have that incorporated into the design.Common Photography Logo ImagesSome branding experts claim that you should make it obvious as to what business you are in when it comes to a business name and logo. In this regard it makes sense to include some common imagery into a logo design for a photography business.The incorporation of a camera, the basic tool of the trade at first seems to be a little tacky and overdone. However, after spending some time looking at photography logos I noticed that designers are often able to incorporate the shape of a camera into logos in ways that look refreshing and not at all like clichés. The basic shape of a camera with its rectangular body and rounded lens can be utilized by a designer in many ways and it is at least worthy of consideration as a focal point of a logo.Other images that I noticed were coming up often include rolls of film, shutters and antique photography equipment as well as symbols for a camera flash and a picture frame.Some photographers include their subjects as part of their logo design. A typical subject for a photographer in a certain niche could be a bride, a landscape, portraits, pets, fashion or food.Many photographers have text logos that simply feature their names or initials but the results are usually less than memorable. Try to include at least some kind of image or symbol. Even abstract images that may seem totally irrelevant at first can end up working out well.Suitable ColorsI noticed that many photography company logos are done in conservative looking color combinations that usually combine white with black or other dark colors. Others go for similar combinations but add a splash or spectrum of bright colors. What I found interesting was that some of the more conservative logos made me think of black and white photography while the more colorful ones brought images of color photography to mind.Once you have chosen a logo for your company it can be difficult to change at a later date. If a change becomes necessary then you risk losing a lot of the goodwill that you have built up in the logo. You will also be facing costs associated with re-branding such as design and printing expenses. Therefore you must make sure that you guide your designer into creating the ideal logo for your photography business first time around.

It was long time back since you bough or built a home for your self. Now the home requires lot of improvement works and that in turn means a fresh borrowing. Certainly you would like to do the improvements with as low cost as possible. Secured home improvement loan is meant for making a low cost loan available for various improvement works that you need to complete. You want to add a story to your home, make your kitchen look more technologically updated, want to enlarge a room to accommodate more family members and so on—secured home improvement loan can be put to variety of usages. Take note that on doing works through secured home improvement loan, the value and equity of your home increases sharply, making the loan availing even more easily in future.Secured home improvement loan applicant is required to place collateral with the lender. Collateral is usually the very home that you intend to make improvement on. The loan amount is decided on the back of value of collateral.. Usually lenders offer secured home improvement loan amount in the range of £5000 to £75000. The biggest advantage of secured home improvement loan is its lower interest rate. Lower interest rate means the borrower is making home improvement at a low cost of finance. What is more advantageous to the borrower is that he can repay secured home improvement loan in larger repayment duration of his choice. The loan can be returned in 5 to 30 years. This means the borrower can choose to repay a smaller monthly amount towards installments.You can easily borrow required amount as secured home improvement loan even if you are labeled as bad credit. Your property like home as collateral has already reduced risks for the lender. So, the lender has no hesitation in offering a loan amount. Lender has the option of selling bad credit borrower’s property for recovering the loaned amount. Still, take a copy of your credit report from a reputed credit rating agency and check it for inaccuracies before approaching a lender.But ensure to have a close look at different secured home improvement loan offers. You can locate them on internet. Compare their interest rates and apply online to the suitable lender. Online lenders do not take any fee for processing loan application and approval also comes earlier. Certainly secured home improvement loan is an opportunity for finishing improvement works at low cost.

If you invest money in a retirement plan on a regular basis the best investment strategy for 2014 and 2015 is an investment strategy that will keep your investment portfolio on track without subjecting you to a lot of risk. Most of the investment options in a typical 401k and many IRA plans are mutual funds. To achieve long-term growth with only moderate risk you need to invest money in both stock funds and bond funds. What’s your best strategy for 2014 and beyond?After 30 good years bond funds will turn sour when interests rates turn around and go up (that’s the way bond funds work). Stock funds have returned well over 100% since early 2009. Interest rates are near all-time lows, and an abrupt reversal in rates could cause havoc in both fund categories, resulting in big losses for investors in 401k and IRA plans. It’s time to get proactive to protect your retirement assets.The best investment strategy for average long-term investors traditionally focuses on a mix of stock funds and bond funds. Picking the best stock funds and best bond funds to invest money in from your list of options is a secondary consideration. Concentrate instead on asset allocation and investment strategy. In other words, how do you spread your money across the different options offered and what kind of strategy do you use to make sure you stay in a position that fits your risk profile? We’re talking money management here, and we’re talking about your financial future.Let’s say that you consider yourself a middle-of-the-road investor. You are willing to accept moderate risk in pursuit of higher than average returns. Wall Street has traditionally suggested that the best investment strategy is to invest money with about 60% in stock funds and 40% in bond funds. To protect yourself against the possibility of heavy losses in the future, why not get more conservative with your asset allocation?In a 401k plan asset allocation is your responsibility and you must make decisions on two levels. First, for the investment assets you already have in place (your portfolio allocation). Second, for the new money you invest each payday (your contribution allocation). These allocations can both be the same, or they can be different. For example, upon review of your statement you might see that 70% of your portfolio assets are in stock funds, with 30% in bond funds. And you have 50% of your new contributions going to each.Here’s my suggestion for the best investment strategy for cutting your risk while keeping stock and bond funds an integral part of your investment mix. No matter what your portfolio allocation is now, change it so that you have equal amounts invested in these three areas: stock fund(s), bond fund(s), and a safe investment option. If your 401k offers a STABLE ACCOUNT option that pays a decent interest rate, use it as your safe option. If it doesn’t, go with the money market fund. Remember, interest rates are extremely low, so money market funds presently pay very little interest. On the other hand, some 401k stable accounts pay higher interest rates than you’ll find anywhere else.For your allocation for new contributions set it up the same way with one-third going into each of the three options. If you have an IRA that you intend to contribute to on a regular basis, have it set up so that money automatically flows from your bank account to your IRA account. Split the existing money in your IRA into the same three areas as above, and set it up so that equal amounts flow into a money market fund, stock fund, and bond fund each month.The above strategy will not be the best investment strategy vs. the traditional 60%-40% strategy if both stocks and bonds continue their winning ways in 2014 and beyond. You have traded higher growth potential for greater safety. If, on the other hand, interest rates rise significantly and throw a wrench into the stock and bond markets, this investment strategy should work to your advantage.Let’s say that stock funds and/or bond funds decline significantly in value for a couple of years or more before rebounding. My suggested strategy has two primary advantages. First, your losses will be lower. Second, the new money you have flowing into stock funds and bond funds each month or each payday will buy more and more fund shares as fund prices get cheaper. When prices rebound you will break even and start to show a profit sooner because you bought stock funds and bond funds at cheap levels. That’s called dollar cost averaging… which is a crucial part of the best investment strategy.Sometimes the best investment strategy is to take aggressive action – like after a major decline in stock prices. Other times the best strategy is to be more cautious by cutting the risk in your portfolio… while you continue to invest money in stock funds and bond funds. In 2014 and beyond, I believe that caution is your best strategy.