The Business Of Stamp Collecting

The Business Of Stamp Collecting
If you think that stamp collecting merely involves the
preservation of postage stamps in nicely-compiled binders,
think again.

It's true that stamp collecting provides a very rewarding
experience for enthusiasts all over the world. The
excitement of acquiring a valuable postage stamp, coupled
with the thrill of witnessing its rarity soar throughout
the years, is truly an exhilarating feeling. It should
come as no surprise that in this day and age of emails and
digital distribution channels, the hobby of stamp
collecting still commands a great following.

But stamp collecting can be more than just a hobby.

Stamp collecting can actually be a profitable venture, a
hobby that can be transformed into a business, and for many
entrepreneurs, a dream come true.

Welcome to the business of stamp collecting, where there
are many ways to earn substantial income while enjoying the
joys of one of the most wonderful and fulfilling pastimes
in the world.

The Game Of Speculation

The number one way by which a stamp collector can earn some
income from his hobby is, of course, by buying and selling
postage stamps.

Just like any investment model, the stamp collector is
supposed to sell stamps when they're hot, and but them when
they're not. It's a matter of pinpointing which of the
postage stamps currently in circulation have the best
chances of rising in value. Once such an appreciation of
value happens, the stamp collector can sell the same for
some profit.

Speculative stamp collecting is an investment model that
requires a small financial investment - currently
circulated stamps cost less than $0.50 each - yet yields
significant earnings as a normally-priced stamp today can
cost as much as $40 in a matter of 2 or 3 years.

Philatelic Investing

Philatelic investing is similar to simple stamp inventing
in so far as they both involve the buying and selling of
postage stamps. However, whereas the latter is about
speculating on currently circulated postage stamps, the
former is all about the purchase and eventual disposition
of postage stamps that already command significant prices.

Philatelic investing often involves thematic stamp
collecting. Philatelic investors usually concentrate on
specific types of postage stamps, as the variety of
published stamps may be too overwhelming for any
businessman in this field.

Philatelic investing requires more diligence. Unlike
simple stamp speculation where investments can be bought
for mere cents, the subjects of philatelic investing cost
hundreds of dollars, and sometimes, thousands of dollar
even. Hence, a critical study of market forces, postal
history and other relevant information is necessary in
order to make sound investments that have the greatest
chances of garnering fantastic profit.

Philatelic Brokering

Some people who are deeply involved with this hobby think
that speculative postage stamp collecting is not as
high-yielding as they'd like to fancy. However, philatelic
investing requires too much monetary investment, which
places it out of their reach.

The next best way to capitalize on the prevailing passion
for postage stamps is through philatelic brokering.

Philatelic brokering involves offering one's services to
find the postage stamps that particular collectors are
looking for. It involves the usage of one's knowledge
about postage stamps and about postal history as well as
the industry to provide for the needs of other
collectors... for a fee of course.

A collector may be looking for a 19th century half-penny
British stamp of Queen Victoria, for example. If you know
where to find one for, say, $850, you can offer your
services to the collector. Ask for $1,000 for the said
stamp, which will immediately net a profit of $150 for a
single transaction.

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Find out more about stamp collecing today! It's a fun hobby
and it can have the possibility of bring in money! Check
out my website for more information ==>
http://www.stampcollectinghobby.net

Photography For Beginners: Depth of Field.

Photography For Beginners: Depth of Field.
Depth of field is one of the most important aspects of
photography you can learn. Use depth of field well in your
photography and you can gain immense control over the look
and impact of your photos. Unfortunately, depth of field
also seems to be one of the toughest aspects for beginners
to learn and master.

Even when you break it down to the simplest terms, the
relationship between aperture and depth of field can seem
confusing. Whenever I teach a class, or try to explain the
manual settings on a friend's camera, this is the always
topic we have to go over again and again. The good news is
that with practice and concentration, the aperture/depth of
field relationship will finally 'click' for you. The bad
news is, there is more to understanding depth of field than
just using your aperture.

But let's start at the beginning. What is depth of field?

In simple terms, the depth of field is the area behind and
in front of your main point of focus, that is also
acceptably in focus. So if you focus on a subject one metre
away, you might look at your photo and find that everything
from 0.9 to 1.2 metres is in focus. In this case, your
depth of field is 0.3 metres (30 centimetres).

The very first thing a new photographer learns about depth
of field is that it is controlled by the aperture on your
lens. Very simply, a smaller aperture creates a larger
depth of field, and a larger aperture creates a narrower
depth of field. So if we go back to our previous example,
let's say the 30cm depth of field was captured with an
aperture of F-8. You could narrow the depth of field
considerably by adjusting the aperture to F-2.8, a much
wider setting.

Sound confusing? It is hard to explain it any more simply,
especially without showing you photos as examples. If this
is your first time working with depth of field, don't
worry. Go outside right now and take some shots just as I
have described, and you should be able to see the results
right away.

So if it is that simple, why do so many people struggle
with depth of field? As I wrote earlier, there is more to
depth of field than just the aperture.

Depth of field is also affected by how close the subject
appears in your photo. That means either how close you are
to the subject, or how much you magnify or reduce the
subject using different sized lenses.

The closer you are to your subject, or the closer you make
the subject appear by zooming in with your lens, the
smaller the depth of field becomes. Let's say you are
photographing a person five metres away. At this distance,
a standard or wide-angle lens will not only show a lot of
background, but the wide depth of field could make the
background quite distracting. However, if you walk much
closer to the subject and re-focus, the depth of field will
become much smaller. As a result, the well-focused person
will stand out clearly from a blurry background. You can
maximize the effect by opening the aperture to its widest
setting.

Now imagine your subject is posing in front of a beautiful
waterfall. If you stand close to the subject and photograph
them with a wide aperture, you could get a great shot of
the person but the waterfall will be an out of focus blur.
You could improve the situation slightly by closing the
aperture a few stops. However, the most effective way to
improve the depth of field is to stand a few metres further
back, and/or zoom back to a wider angle with your lens. Not
only will you capture more of the background, but it will
be much sharper than if you only adjusted your aperture
alone.

So there you have a quick look at not one, but three
factors than can make it easier to master depth of field;
aperture, distance from the subject, and the size of the
lens. This really is a topic that needs to be illustrated
with a few photos, but hey - you have a digital camera. Why
not go and try out these ideas at the next opportunity? It
won't cost you anything, and you can see the results right
away. You will soon develop a feel for the best way to make
depth of field work for different subjects in your
photography.

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Depth of field is better explained and illustrated in
Andrew Goodall's ebook "Photography In Plain English" found
at http://www.naturesimage.com.au/page/25/default.asp .
You will also find plenty of other great resources for
photographers, including a guide to making money from your
own photography. For even more photography tips, sign up to
the online newsletter...it's free!

14 Marilyn Monroe Quotes To Remember The Day of Her Birth

14 Marilyn Monroe Quotes To Remember The Day of Her Birth
Marilyn Monroe is truly an American legend, so it's only
fitting that we remember the day of her birth with some
famous Marilyn Monroe quotes. Whether you love her for her
beauty, her intriguing mystery, her honesty, or the fact
that she was a size 16 and still managed to acquire
superstar status (that's right ladies, a size 16), these
quotes are the perfect way to honor her on her birthday.

1. "If I'd observed all the rules, I'd never have got
anywhere."

2. "I don't mind living in a man's world as long as I can
be a woman in it."

3. "Creativity has got to start with humanity and when
you're a human being, you feel, you suffer."

4. "In Hollywood a girl's virtue is much less important
than her hairdo. You're judged by how you look, not by what
you are. Hollywood's a place where they'll pay you a
thousand dollars for kiss, and fifty cents for your soul."

5. "No one ever told me I was pretty when I was a little
girl. All little girls should be told they're pretty, even
if they aren't."

6. "I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not
because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had
never belonged to anything or anyone else."

7. "Everybody is always tugging at you. They'd all like a
sort of chunk out of you. I don' think they realize it, but
it's like 'grrr do this, grr do that...' But you do want to
stay intact--intact and on two feet."

8. "Fame is fickle and I know it. It has its compensations,
but it also has its drawbacks and I've experienced them
both."

9. "I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to
be loved, for myself and for my talent."

10. "Dreaming about being an actress, is more exciting then
being one."

11. "I was never used to being happy, so that wasn't
something I ever took for granted. You see, I was brought
up differently from the average American child because the
average child is brought up expecting to be happy."

12. "My illusions didn't have anything to do with being a
fine actress. I knew how third rate I was. I could actually
feel my lack of talent, as if it were cheap clothes I was
wearing inside. But, my God, how I wanted to learn, to
change, to improve!"

13. "People had a habit of looking at me as if I were some
kind of mirror instead of a person. They didn't see me,
they saw their own lewd thoughts, then they white-masked
themselves by calling me the lewd one."

14. "I want to grow old without facelifts... I want to have
the courage to be loyal to the face I've made. Sometimes I
think it would be easier to avoid old age, to die young,
but then you'd never complete your life, would you? You'd
never wholly know you."

When we lost Marilyn Monroe (or should we say Norma Jeane
Mortenson?) we lost a truly unique soul. While her death
remains somewhat of a mystery, one thing is certain -- she
left us much too soon. Let's remember her on her birthday
with these fourteen Marilyn Monroe quotes.

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For more famous quotes, check out the popular
Famous-Quotes-And-Quotations.com, a website that
specializes in 'Top 10' lists of quotations in dozens of
categories.
http://www.famous-quotes-and-quotations.com/