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Progress in The Food System Means Empowering Eaters—Today and for Generations to Come,"I spend a lot of time thinking about how to be a citizen eater.
A citizen eater is engaged in food systems, active in pushing policy forward, and focused on building policies where everyone is nourished and can access and afford healthful food. So many of the local food system wins we’re tracking at Food Tank are made possible thanks to tireless advocates working in the communities where they live.
Just as one example, let’s highlight the city of Atlanta—where we’ll be next week for a Summit on Sunday, April 14, starting at 1:30PM, in partnership with Emory University and Spelman College and in consultation with the CDC Foundation, in support of the Biden-Harris Administration National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. And please feel free to forward this message to your networks in Atlanta! It’ll be an unforgettable afternoon.
There, many leaders and organizations are working hard to support local food producers and food economies, provide educational resources and agricultural training, and—at the heart of it all—make sure their neighbors are nourished.
Open Hand Atlanta, for example, delivers meals free of charge to folks in Atlanta and around the state with the goal of eliminating diet-related chronic illnesses, and they operate a teaching kitchen to offer nutrition support. Mariposas Rebeldes focuses on building access to ecology and community gardening for queer folks, and The Grocery Spot exemplifies a sustainable, community-first model for a nonprofit grocery store.
There are many inspiring organizations working across Atlanta, so I hope you’ll read the full list HERE. So many citizen eaters, stepping up as changemakers!
The Acres of Ancestry Initiative and Black Agrarian Fund work to restore land ownership by boosting food and fiber economies across the South and connecting people with financial resources through the Black Belt Justice Center—and Tracy Lloyd McCurty, the center’s Executive Director, will be at our Summit.
Wholesome Wave Georgia works to increase access to nutritious food options and help folks enroll in assistance programs—and Will Sellers, their Executive Director, will be at our Summit. Save Our Legacy Ourself, or SOLO, works to uplift heirloom crops and preserve the heritage of the Saltwater Geechee people—and Maurice Bailey, the organization’s President, will be at our Summit. Diversity Dietetics fosters collaborations to build a more diverse field of nutritionists and dietitians—and the Co-Founder and Executive Director, Tamara Melton, RDN, will be at our Summit.
And many of the most amazing food system leaders, farmers, researchers, scientists, journalists, lawmakers, food bank leaders, and others are joining us at the Empowering Eaters Summit next Sunday, April 14.
I hope you’ll join us, too. The event is completely free and open to the public, whether in-person or via livestream! So please CLICK HERE to secure your spot at the event.
Here’s a partial list of speakers, which you definitely won’t want to miss: Maurice Bailey, SOLO; Fedele Bauccio, Bon Appétit Management Company; Ravi Bellamkonda, Emory University; Kelliann Blazek, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture and Rural Policy; Caree Cotwright, USDA; Andre Dickens, Mayor, City of Atlanta (via video); Rachel Ferencik, CDC Foundation; Diane Harris, Centers for Disease Control; Dr. Nik Heynen, University of Georgia; Kevin Holt, H&H Hospitality ; Dr. Kimberly Jackson, Spelman College; Steven Jennings, Ahold Delhaize USA; Sabrina Li, Emory University; Tracy Lloyd McCurty, Black Belt Justice Center; U.S. Congresswoman Lucy McBath (GA-07); Will McIntee, The White House; Beth McKibben, RoughDraft Atlanta; Tamara S. Melton, Diversify Dietetics; Alastair Pullen, Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School; Karuna Rawal, Nature’s Fynd; Tambra Raye Stevenson, Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture (WANDA); Rose Scott, NPR-Atlanta; Pamela Scott-Johnson, Spelman College; Kashi Sehgal, Rataaza; Will Sellers, Wholesome Wave Georgia; Arthur Tripp, USDA Farm Service Agency; Kyle Waide, The Atlanta Community Food Bank; and Raphaela Ysrael, Atlanta Harvest, and many more!  More info is HERE.
We will also have breakout sessions, where discussions will inform a policy report submitted directly to the White House, and an amazing reception with our food and beverage partners.
As I mentioned: Progress in the food system comes down to empowering eaters, today and for generations to come.
That idea is at the core of discussions at the Summit around food and land justice, healthier school foods, food is medicine, procurement and business solutions, student best practices, and so much more.
HERE’s that registration link, so we know you’ll be joining us.
I look forward to seeing you next weekend! And, as always, my inbox at danielle@foodtank.com is open to Food Tankers around the world—send me the questions and concerns on your mind, and let’s keep the conversation going.
One last note: What’s amazing about the food movement is that every city in the world has so many amazing projects we can learn from! This week, we highlighted these fantastic 20 organizations just in and around Atlanta, including Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund; Atlanta Community Food Bank; Community Farmers Markets (CFM); Diversity Dietetics; Friends of the Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill; Food Well Alliance; Georgia Foundation for Agriculture; Georgia Organics; Giving Kitchen; Global Growers Network (GGN); Mariposas Rebeldes; Open Hand Atlanta; Recovery Eco Agriculture Project; Save Our Legacy Ourself (SOLO); Slow Food Atlanta; The Common Market; The Grocery Spot; Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture (TLW); Umi Feeds; and Wholesome Wave Georgia. I hope you’ll read more HERE about the many best practices and replicable models in Atlanta.
And at the same time, I hope you’ll find some organizations carrying out these best practices in your community! We can’t take these local organizations for granted—it was not always the case that our cities had thriving food networks, so let’s celebrate empowered eaters!
Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here."
El Valle de Guadalupe Under Threat: The Campaign to Save Mexico’s Wine Country,"El Valle de Guadalupe, one of Mexico’s most prolific wine and agricultural regions, has recently come under threat due to increasing urbanization and economic development in the area. In response, winemakers, chefs, and community members launched Rescatemos El Valle, a campaign to preserve the valley.
El Valle de Guadalupe is an area of Ensenada Municipality in Baja California, Mexico. The region contributes to more than three quarters of the country’s total wine production, according to a paper in Wine Economics and Policy. And wine-related tourism brings in US$180 million of annual revenue to Baja California.
Between 2014 and 2019, 18 percent of the agricultural and wine region in El Valle de Guadalupe was lost to urban development, members of Rescatemos El Valle report. The land has been subdivided and sold for the construction of private homes, businesses, and concert venues. The Municipal Institute for Research and Planning (IMIP) of Ensenada expects that less than half of the 5,445 arable hectares that existed in 2017 will remain by 2027. And if urbanization is not halted, IMIP predicts the region will cease to be known as “wine country” by 2037.
In a virtual press conference, members of Rescatemos El Valle–including President of Baja California State Council of Vine Producers Fernando Pérez Castro and winemaker Natalia Badan–emphasized the impacts of deforestation on the land. “In general terms, the uncontrolled growth of human settlements is identified as the main cause of the problem in Valle de Guadalupe,” a Spokesperson said, “which results in direct effects on water, soil agriculture, the community, and the landscape.”
In 2010, a Sectoral Program for Urban-Tourism Development of the Wine Valleys (PSDUT) was created to conserve 95 percent agricultural land for the next 30 years. But officials considered the plan a failure and replaced it with an updated version which reduced the declared area of conservation.
Rescatemos El Valle, howerever, wants more regulation. They are calling for the creation of federal agencies to protect the agricultural and biocultural heritage of the land. The campaign also proposes the naming of El Valle de Guadalupe as a “zone of natural and cultural beauty.”
“The campaign was to emphasize the importance of agricultural land use,” Ileana Espejel, campaign member and Professor of Ecosystems Management at Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, tells Food Tank. “Only 9 percent of the soil of Baja California is suitable for agriculture. We cannot yield an inch of this valuable land, even if its use is to produce alcoholic beverages. These beverages greatly increased the state’s income and put Ensenada on the world map.”
Espejel and her team have prepared regional plans to order land use laws in El Valle de Guadalupe since the 1990s. Espejel says she sees the valley as a “transdisciplinary laboratory” where different members of the community, with varying backgrounds and expertise, unite to advocate for the land.
Espejel says the campaign has helped restrict concerts in the valley, end illegal constructions, and support a project to update the aquifer data and build green infrastructure this summer.
Members of Rescatemos El Valle hope that the concrete and immediate actions to protect this national heritage will be used as an example to save other agricultural areas in the country.
“Cities can be built in so many other places,” Espejel tells Food Tank, “but losing fertile soil is unforgivable.”
Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here."
‘Leak of corporate data’: Cyber-attack hits Pak Suzuki Motor Company,"Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) said its corporate data “has been leaked” due to a cyber-attack.
The company shared the development in its notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday.
“On April 9, 2024 we came to know that our corporate data has been leaked due to cyber-attack,” read the notice. “Initial investigations suggest that data related to HR, financials, etc., from server has been port out to public IP (Internet Protocol),” it said.
“We have onboarded a security consultant for detailed forensic assessment and eliminating potential security threats from the entire infrastructure,” PSMC said.
The automaker shared that detailed findings will be concluded after the completion of assessment.
A cyber attack is an assault launched by cybercriminals using one or more computers against a single or multiple computers or networks. A cyber attack can maliciously disable computers, steal data, or use a breached computer as a launch point for other attacks.
Back in February, the shareholders of PSMC had resolved to authorise SMC (Suzuki Motor Corporation), its parent company, to repurchase 22,145,760 ordinary shares of 62.84% of the shareholding at a buyback price of Rs 609 per share as determined by the Voluntary Delisting Committee (VDC) of PSX.
The majority shareholder is required to purchase at least 13,915,775 ordinary shares (62.84%) out of the total 22,145,760 ordinary shares outstanding with the shareholders other than the majority shareholder, to qualify for delisting as approved by the VDC of the PSX.
In January, SMC decided to purchase the shares of PSMC at a buy-back price of Rs609 per share, 50% higher than the sponsor’s original offer of Rs406 per share made in December.
Last year in October, PSMC formally announced to voluntary delist from the bourse, citing several factors including Pak Suzuki’s losses, lack of dividends, and cheap valuations at the PSX."
Two types of entrepreneurship: The Freelancer and the Entrepreneur,"Two types of entrepreneurship: The Freelancer and the Entrepreneur | by Tijmen Rümke | MediumOpen in appSign upSign inWriteSign upSign inTwo types of entrepreneurship: The Freelancer and the EntrepreneurKnowing which one you are allows you to see which business model or strategy is right or youTijmen Rümke·Follow10 min read·Jul 4, 2018--5ListenShareWe talk about entrepreneurship for all different companies and the people starting and running them. It’s too broad a definition. To know whether or not advice or conventional wisdom applies to your business, it helps to make a distinction.There are two main categories of entrepreneurship that operate very differently. They have different business models. Their most valuable work is different. They are (1) The Freelancer and (2) The Entrepreneur.Now, both run a business, act entrepreneurial and can have employees. But, the main focus of their work and their business models are entirely different.Note: I heavily borrow this distinction from Seth Godin, who does a great job explaining the difference in this Akimbo-episode, or in this excerpt from a masterclass he gave. But I have added to it from many different sources and my own experience.The FreelancerThe freelancer gets paid when she works. She can’t outsource her work or have someone else show up.She’s asked to deliver a service. This service is customized to the client exact needs. So every time is different.She is the brand of her company. The company is hired for her. It’s her uniqueness that makes others choose her. Her unique craftsmanship, experiences, track record, etc.She’s not a hired set of hands that need to be instructed. She’s the advisor. The expert. There’s a need, and it’s up to her to decide how to solve that.She’s not for everyone. She also doesn’t need to be. She needs to be the absolute best for some. Possibly even the only one. And at the same time, she needs to accept that the rest will absolutely dislike it because it’s incredibly not for them.They often run a company of one. They can expand by hiring help. Though, when they do, their employees are not a duplicate of the brand. The freelancer is still the one who is hired.They’re in business from the moment they find their first client. Generally, her costs are low and most of the revenue is her income.But most importantly, her main job is to do the work. To do great and unique work. Everything else, like administration, marketing, hiring, is all in service of doing great work.Examples:The archetypical freelancer: The logo designer, travel photographer, video production, consulting, painter, etc. They sell customized services/products on a project basis.The agency: The consultancy firm, design agency, architecture firm, etc. However many people work there, the work is still sold by and by virtue of the partners of the firm.The quick hit: The coach, masseuse, jewelry repair, workshop facilitator, etc. Usually sells productized services in short time-slots.The interimmer: The interim event manager, change manager, etc. Sells large chunks of time. Say, 2 days a week for 3 months.(Side note: An employee could technically also be seen as a ‘freelancer’, albeit with a bit of different fee-structure. She’s someone who is paid to do the work, has a personal brand and is entrepreneurial in her career. But, of course, she doesn’t take on the risk of generating enough work and doesn’t get the freedom to do the work as she sees fit.)(Side note 2: Beware that as the interimmer, you must make sure to not be paid like a temp employee. You still take on the risk of working for yourself. And you’re also responsible for your own gear, payment for days off, education, insurance, and pension.)The EntrepreneurThe entrepreneur gets paid when the company he runs sells enough products. He himself is not the one making or delivering the product.Clients don’t necessarily want the entrepreneur to deliver the product. We want the thing the company makes. And since the entrepreneur is not involved in actually making every single product, they all need to be standardized. They need to meet ‘spec’.The company has a brand. It stands for something. It makes a promise and its products need to fulfill that. The uniqueness is in how the ‘machine’ is built. The entrepreneur downloads his vision in the company and translates it into values, culture, mantras, archetypes and processes/rules.The work can be taught relatively quickly. Or the work is a complicated concoction of different expertises, brought together by the entrepreneur. By doing this organizing, the entrepreneur creates a product that solves a problem.Sometimes it is a company of one. But most often, the entrepreneur hires people who do the “actual” work.He makes his profit off of the margins of the products he sells. Others do the work; revenue is higher than the costs; the profit is his. It often takes time and investments to build this machine up to a point where it can generate money. That’s why there are often loans or venture capital involved.His main job is growing the company. That involves telling the story about the company to find clients and teaching others to do the work by downloading the vision into the company. It involves very little to none doing the actual work.Examples range far and wide. Here are a few:Classic physical products: Pizza or coffee shop, jewelry or clothing line, event space or hotel, car manufacturer, etc.Outsource galore: Simple products, designed once, with automated selling, purchasing and assembling and shipping.Reseller: Supermarket, Plant store, Amazon.Standardized service company: Events like festivals and conferences, temporary employment agencies.Digital: Software, apps, data sets, ebooks, online courses, etc.But what about… A few more examplesLet’s do a few more example to illustrate the differences. Note that some people are both in different endeavors. Maybe one subsidizes the other. Perhaps one is an easy add-on. That’s fine. But either part of their business runs at a different mode of operandi.A musician selling music albums/streams on Spotify is an entrepreneur. Selling a gig to play at an event is freelancing. Putting on a concert and selling tickets is also freelancing but with a productized service. She can’t not show up.A bookkeeper selling the service of doing taxes is a freelancer. The guys behind Jortt are entrepreneurs running a do-it-yourself bookkeeping software. The Bookie is also entrepreneurship. Even though they sell time of specialist, it’s not one of the founders who necessarily have to do the work.Creating a custom art piece like a painting is freelancing. She gets paid for the service of making it. Creating a line of jewelry creates a product line that’s produced en masse? That’s entrepreneurship.My trainings are freelancing: you get custom time from me. Festivals or conferences are generally entrepreneurship. It gets more blurry in massive trainings like Tony Robbins’ Date with Destiny. Even though it’s bigger than him alone (many coaches involved), he can’t not show up. It’s his ‘show’. Now, he also teaching other the ‘Tony Robbins Method’ for coaching. That’s entrepreneurship.A masseuse who sells her time is a freelancer. She needs a brand to have her uniqueness stand out. A chain of masseuse parlors is run by an entrepreneur selling standardized services. That brand is there so you can know what to expect when you walk in.The red flagsThe freelancer works best when your uniqueness adds substantially more value. And when you can use your small size as an advantage to be even more specific.The entrepreneur works best when customers actually desire a standard way and you can teach that to employees. And when standardizing allows for scale.It gets tricky when you navigate too close to the edge of the comfort zone of your natural type of entrepreneurship. Here are some red flags to be aware of.A hard business model: When time is expensiveA freelancer that creates every single physical product she sells (custom jewelry, ceramics, paintings, etc.) will have to convince customers that the price is worth it. Looking at what goes into production, it might not be expensive. But it sure quickly adds up to a lot of money. Especially when selling to consumers. This can be incredibly difficult.The solution is not to be faster and more efficient in your production. Be effective, sure, but you’ll never out-machine a machine.Instead of watering down your brand, the way out is to be more high-end. To lean more into the uniqueness of your taste, skill or story; strive for more mastery of the craft; and find customers that value what you do more. From here you can produce custom art and, while you build up a brand, expand to product lines where your brand is draped in the design but that you don’t hand-produce.Charging a premium for ordinaryAn entrepreneur needs to be aware that what’s special is the machine they’ve built. The work they do is not especially unique.A pitfall is when the machine is not efficient enough and the price is high to cover the costs of your time and you end up needing to charge like you do special work. While you, actually, run a business that does work that could be standardized. This puts you at risk of being copied and undercut by someone who’s figured out to do it more efficient cheaper. An extreme example is when Amazon moves into your business. But it can be as simple as someone else who’s really committed to connecting clients with people he’s taught to do the work.You either make your work unique, or you build a unique “production machinery”. So, understand well why people buy from you. Is it something you do extraordinarily well? Or, is it the well put together, a convenient experience of getting and using the product?Stretched too thinOne of the ways a freelancer can grow is by having part of the work of projects done by people you hire. This doesn’t work well for every type of work. It works best for work where a large portion of the work is not face to face and doesn’t require the absolute best of the craft. That’s why it’s difficult for trainers and coaches; and more natural for consultancy and design.In the ideal situation, you find people to do the simpler parts of the projects (or the parts of complementary skillsets) and you spend your time on the complex and strategic elements of the project that really require your attention. And at the same time, spending more time on getting new clients.What you don’t do is have the employees run the entire project. Because, the tricky thing with hiring new people is that they’ll always be less qualified (or they’d be too expensive). That means a) that your client base still expects you to do the more complex parts of the project, and b) that you have to spend a lot of time teaching. Or, they’re less committed than you (or they’d have their own shop). So, when in a pinch, you still end up fixing it yourself.It’s a balancing act. Because you’re still hired for the work; the complex work only you can do. It becomes overwhelming when you have to that ánd spend time teaching, ánd end up doing the simple work, ánd run a company with people for the first time, ánd find enough work.A more prudent approach is to start outsourcing the parts of your projects you keep doing again and again, and thus learn how to teach well. First with freelancers. And you hire someone permanently when the size of the work allows and after working with them on a project basis.Forgetting what makes you specialDesign agencies or consultancy firms run a freelance business. They get the work because the client trusts the partners/the principle of the firm. But for the sake of growth, it’s tempting to forget. “Sure, we can do that too.” When they mistake themselves for entrepreneurs, they’ll standardize the service and dilute their brand.Forgetting what it is that makes your special makes you vulnerable to be copied. You’ll need to decide if you are the high-end specialists, with junior designers/consultants for support. Or are you a teacher, being effective in getting inexperienced and cheap(er) employees to do relatively good work (like ‘simple’ accounting firms).When, what got you off to a good start isn’t what will help you make the next hump.An entrepreneur might get off to a good start off the merits of his personal brand, goodwill and network. But, it’s hard to scale selling when people buy because of the connection to you. After a while, the product and company need to stand on their own two feet.The process of selling, producing and delivering needs to be independent of him. And thus, an entrepreneur needs to download himself and his vision into the company. This is what a successful clothing brand does.The trick is to find people (or services) who are better at those individual elements than you and to weave it all together in a positive business case. The bottlenecks are teaching and letting go. The more you keep doing yourself, the slower the business grows.How to knowSome questions to ask when you want to figure out which one you are.Do you get paid when you don’t work?Is your product or service the same every time? Or are they custom and based on the client?How unique is your approach? Is there something about your experience or journey in life that helps you do it in a way no-one else can do? Is it teachable to someone else?Do people come for you and what you can do, or for the product? Would the customer mind if you yourself didn’t show up to do the work yourself?What is your main job? Is it to do the work or to grow the company?If you need to choose: What work would you love doing the most? Do you want to do the work, solve the problem, create the solution? Or do you want to connect clients to a way of solving their needs that you’ve designed and grown?Thanks for reading!I hope this helps you. If so, clapping along or sharing the article really helps others find it too. Both would be much appreciated!Subscribe to me on Medium if you want to follow what I write.A Calculator for your Hourly RateOften experience is the best teacher. And sometimes, there is a tool that can help you prevent unnecessary mistakes. Like this nifty calculator that helps you calculate what your hourly rate should be!It shows you what your revenue needs to be to secure a monthly net income you desire. From here it calculates your needed hourly rate. Soon it’ll even compare your rate to your peers!Download my Freelancer Hourly Rate Calculator here and see for yourself!FreelancingEntrepreneurshipBusiness ModelsWorkEntrepreneur----5FollowWritten by Tijmen Rümke357 FollowersEmpowering creatives to gain clarity on purpose and get business savvy. Trainer and Podcast Host by day, know-it-all by night. www.studiogeorge.nlFollowHelpStatusAboutCareersBlogPrivacyTermsText to speechTeams





























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Multiplicity of taxes heavily burdening industrial sector,"ISLAMABAD: Nineteen to twenty different federal and provincial taxes are currently levied on industrial sector/manufacturing units, increasing their cost of doing business in Pakistan.
A senior official of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) told Business Recorder that the multiplicity of taxes at the federal and provincial level has created serious problems for the industrial sector in the country.
The claim by the manufacturing sector is that while their share in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is 20 percent yet their contribution in taxes is over 60 percent. In-depth research revealed that except corporate income tax, all remaining federal/ provincial taxes are indirect taxes collected in the sales tax mode - taxes passed onto the consumers and thereby contributing to inflation.
Industrial sector slams SBP for keeping policy rate unchaged
According to an estimate, the contribution of corporate income tax in total tax collection is nearly 35.87 percent.
Three types of corporate taxes are applicable on manufacturing or industrial sector with the manufacturer/ industrial unit paying the highest of these three corporate taxes: (i) 29 percent corporate income tax on their normal profit; (ii) 17 percent Alternate Corporate Tax (ACT) on gross profit; and (iii) 1.25 percent minimum tax on the turnover payable for certain categories of manufacturers.
Official told this correspondent that practically 90 percent of corporate entities pay turnover tax.
Details of other taxes applicable on manufacturing/ industrial sector included Super Tax (1 to 10 percent) applicable on income of over Rs 150 million to Rs 400 million. However, the newly elected Finance Minister recently stated that he is not in favour of the super tax though any decision he may make in this regard would be part of the finance bill for next year.
The standard rate of 18 percent sales tax is applicable on the manufacturing sector and “further sales tax” at the rate of 4 percent is applicable in case of supplies made by manufacturers to those who are un-registered.
The manufacturing/ industrial units also act as withholding agents as per FBR declaration with no compensation given, which increases their cost of doing business. Withholding tax is chargeable on electricity consumption: in the event that monthly electricity bill of an industrial consumer exceeds Rs20,000 the rate of withholding tax would be Rs 1950 plus 5% of amount exceeding Rs. 20,000.
Five percent withholding tax is applicable on payment of goods, services and contracts.
In addition, sales tax is levied at the rate of 18 percent on electricity and gas bills of manufacturers/ industrial units.
FBR also levies customs duty, withholding tax and sales tax on import of raw materials and inputs consumed in the manufacturing of finished products.
The federal Excise duty (FED) is paid by certain categories of manufactures -cigarettes, beverages, locally-manufactured vehicles and other non-essential items.
Sales tax under section 8B of the Sales Tax Act is also payable by industry which is not allowed to adjust input tax in excess of 90 per cent of the output tax for a particular tax period. The remaining 10 percent sales tax has to be paid by these entities.
Manufacturers/ industrial units are also bound to obtain provincial sales tax registration and pay provincial sales tax (13 percent to 15 percent as per the rate levied by each province) on services and are required to pay Workers Welfare Fund (WWF)/ Workers Participation Fund (WPF)/ EOBI.
There are social security and old age-related payments, as well as, provincial and local taxes including property tax, stamp duty and Zila tax. The Infrastructure Cess (1.20 to 1.25 percent) is also a provincial tax and charged on total value of goods.
Other provincial/ local taxes include municipal corporate tax, professional tax, labour levies and employees’ social security.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), defined as one engaged in manufacturing of goods whose business turnover in a tax year does not exceed Rs 250 million, are classified into the following two categories, and tax on taxable income is required to be computed at the following rates:
(i); Category-I: 7.5% of the taxable income, where annual business turnover does not exceed Rs 100 million.
(ii); Category-II: 15% of the taxable income, where annual business turnover exceeds Rs 100 million but does not exceed Rs 250 million. The SMEs can also opt to be taxed under the final tax regime (FTR), an option required to be exercised at the time of filing the return, which will be irrevocable for three tax years. SMEs that opt to be taxed under the FTR shall not be subject to tax audit.
The category-wise rate of tax under the FTR is:
(i) Category-I: 0.25% of the gross turnover, where annual business turnover does not exceed Rs 100 million.
(ii) Category-II: 0.5% of the gross turnover, where annual business turnover exceeds Rs 100 million but does not exceed PKR 250 million.
Minimum tax on turnover does not apply to SMEs.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024"
Saudi FM-led delegation arrives in Pakistan,"A high-level Saudi delegation, led by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, arrived in Pakistan on Monday, Aaj News reported.
An earlier statement from the foreign office stated that the delegation would include the Saudi Minister of Water and Agriculture, Engineer Abdul Rahman Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadley, the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar Ibrahim AlKhorayef, the Deputy Minister for Investment, Badr AlBadr, the head of the Saudi Special Committee, Mohammad Mazyed Al Towaijri, and senior officials of the Ministry of Energy and the Saudi Fund for General Investments.
“The visit takes place essentially to expedite follow up on the understanding reached between Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and HRH Mohammad bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during their recent meeting in Makkah Al Mukarramah to enhance bilateral economic cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,” the FO said.
The Saudi delegation is expected to hold meetings with the president, prime minister, the foreign and counterpart ministers, COAS, and the apex committee of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), it added.
PM Shehbaz Sharif met with the crown prince last week and discussed expediting a planned $5 billion investment package, which cash-strapped Pakistan desperately needs to shore up its current account deficit and signal to the International Monetary Fund that it can continue to meet requirements for foreign financing that has been a key demand in previous bailout packages.
A Saudi investment of up to $1 billion is expected to be made next month in the Chagai district of Balochistan's Reko Diq Copper Gold project.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will form a committee that includes all stakeholders to ensure a smooth completion of Saudi investments.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will sign agreements for further mining investments after this investment.
Pakistan has lately also been trying to secure Saudi investment in industries ranging from agriculture to mines, minerals and aviation."
Oil tanker 'mafia': PM Shehbaz again pushes for renewable energy generation,"Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed relevant authorities to utilise resources for power generation through renewable energy sources.
The PM, who has been seen pushing for renewable energy several times, made these remarks while addressing a high-level meeting to review progress in power sector projects on Monday. The meeting was attended by various ministers and officials representing the power sector.
“Ultimately, we need to move towards renewable energy,” he said, terming crude oil tanker companies as a “mafia” and “parasites eating the wealth of the country”.
“At the moment, we cannot control crude oil imports used for transportation until we bring in electric transport infrastructure. However, oil imports for power generation can be curbed by diverting to renewable energy, and in the long term it will benefit the country,” he said.
Renewable energy plants to be set up by public sector oil companies: ‘Concrete plan’ sought by PMO
The prime minister appreciated the Punjab government for taking concrete steps to control power theft across the province.
“It is common knowledge that the government strives to reduce electricity theft, and I have come to know that a lot of progress has been made in Punjab, and other provinces would expectedly follow suit,” he said.
“Our electricity transmission system remains dilapidated,” PM Shehbaz admitted. “No matter how much investment is done in the power sector, if our transmission system remains ineffective, the investments would go down the drain,” he said.
Moreover, PM Shehbaz directed the relevant authorities to hire ‘world-class’ consultants to address the issues in the power sector.
The prime minister also directed the relevant authorities to develop a mechanism for utilization of surplus electricity.
He said that the recent spell of rain is a good omen and would help boost the hydropower generation."
Rupee registers marginal decline against US dollar,"
The Pakistani rupee registered a marginal decline, depreciating 0.06% against the US dollar in the inter-bank market on Monday.
At close, the local unit settled at 278.12, a loss of Re0.18 against the greenback, as per the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

During the two-session previous week, the rupee remained largely stable against the US dollar.
The local unit closed on Tuesday at 277.94, against 277.93 it had closed the week earlier against the greenback.
In a key development, Pakistan’s economic team led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb left for Washington on Sunday to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new bailout programme.
Talks between Pakistan and the IMF are scheduled for this week in Washington, wherein the government team will request the Fund for approval of a new loan programme. The main ministerial meetings and events will be held from April 17-19.
Globally, the US dollar steadied on Monday, holding its biggest weekly gain since 2022, as escalating conflict in the Middle East and the prospect of stubbornly high US interest rates gave support.
The dollar went up 1.6% against a basket of six major currencies last week after a small but unnerving upside surprise in US inflation cast doubt over bets on US rate cuts, while European policymakers signalled a cut within a few months.
The dollar made a 34-year high on the yen, rising to 153.69. It made a five-month top on the euro on Friday and traded near those levels early in the Asia day, buying a euro for $1.0646.
The initial reaction in currencies seemed to be based more on the receding Federal Reserve rate cut expectations than a weekend retaliatory attack on Israel by Iran, which caused stock markets, bitcoin and oil to drop.
Oil prices, a key indicator of currency parity, slipped by about 1% on Monday, with the market downplaying the risk of broader regional conflagration after Iran’s weekend attack on Israel.
Brent futures for June delivery fell 99 cents, or about 1%, to $89.46 a barrel by 0933 GMT while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures for May delivery were down $1.05, or about 1.2%, at $84.61.
Oil benchmarks had risen on Friday in anticipation of Iran’s retaliatory attack, with prices touching their highest since October.
Inter-bank market rates for dollar on Monday
BID                            Rs 278.12
OFFER                      Rs 278.32
Open-market movement
In the open market, the PKR lost 18 paisa for buying and 29 paisa for
selling against USD, closing at 277.00 and 279.66, respectively.
Against Euro, the PKR gained 4.85 paisa for buying and 4.64 paisa for selling,
closing at 293.99 and 296.83, respectively.
Against UAE Dirham, the PKR lost 14 paisa for buying and 13 paisa for
selling, closing at 75.29 and 76.00, respectively.
Against Saudi Riyal, the PKR lost 14 paisa for buying and 11 paisa for selling, closing at 73.27 and 73.94, respectively.
Open-market rates for dollar on Monday
BID                            Rs 277.00
OFFER                      Rs 279.66"
The quest for a rule-based economy,"During Eid holidays a simple graph was viral which depicted the secular decline in Pakistan’s economic growth since the 1990s relative to India, on fifteen years rolling basis. The frequency of low growth phases is growing. Meanwhile, the duration of economic recovery in each cycle is shrinking to shorter periods.
The anemic economic growth is the biggest challenge in a country, which is dominated by a young and growing population. The way things are today, poverty is on the rise and the middle class is thinning.
This is exact opposite to what is happening in neighboring India. One can see the vibrancy of middle class oozing in India from the size of crowds in the stadia during IPL matches, which is stark opposite to the (lack of) enthusiasm of crowds during recent PSL fixtures in Pakistan.
The good thing is that the realization of the long-term economic mess the country has been in is sinking in. The political pressure from the growing youth voters and media is exerting pressure on the powers that be to focus on an economic revival on a sustainable basis. The young population wants economic prosperity and security. Now the pursuit of turning Pakistan into a citadel of Islam needs to be tempered with a large pinch of reality.
However, the youth is frustrated and losing hope due to the actions of the powers that be, which are divergent from ground realities. They are still focused on the bandage approach. The idea is to keep the economy afloat on the current, albeit failed, model based on support from friendly countries and international financial institutions (IMF, WB, etc.) while dodging tough reforms at the same time.
The vibes coming from the US and Saudi Arabia are that they may not allow the country to default and would keep it afloat by ensuring enough balance of payment support through bilateral injections and the next IMF programme. That is comforting news. However, on the other hand, that is giving a lifeline for those at the control of the helm to continue with the status quo.
The country needs a rule-based economy and rule-based system. Right now, one rule exists, i.e., might is right. The investment is sought under the umbrella of SIFC (Special Investment Facilitation Council), which would ensure bypassing other hurdles such as NAB (National Accountability Bureau) and courts. Those who are routing through SIFC are kosher while the rest must face all the hurdles. The bureaucracy would shy away from doing anything that is not coming under the ambit of SIFC, as they fear NAB and likes, otherwise.
The new rule is for investors to knock the SIFC door to ensure establishment’s cover, while others may choose not to invest at all. What is missing is rule-based economy, an economy that treats all investment opportunities on their merits.
The country is in dire need of private sector-led investment, which ensures Pakistan is in a position to run a healthy current account deficit while FDI is used to build reserves. That’s the economic model that Indian economic growth spurred on following reforms in 1990s.  And the broad-based investment needs stability in the political system, which is badly missing in Pakistan.
It’s not just the lack of investment in mining, agriculture and information technology that has led to the country’s secular decline. In addition to above-mentioned factors, the lack of spending on human development is another reason. The country badly needs to spend on human development – healthcare and education. This should be the priority to correct the long-term path.
Once people have skill sets and education, they can innovate. Once the system has appetite and room for entrepreneurship and productive financing, the private sector can do wonders in mining, agriculture, and information technology.
The time is running short, as the next 3-5 years are very critical to change the economic trajectory. The economy is progressively on a downward trajectory. The forecast for the next few years is grim. That could lead to deterioration of law and order, and further polarization, as the state writ is focused against selected elements. This is not sustainable, and it can implode, if things are not put back on the corrective path.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024"
"Petrol price hiked by Rs4.53, diesel’s by Rs8.14","ISLAMABAD: Federal government on Monday announced a massive raise in the price of high speed diesel (HSD) by Rs 8.14 per litre and petrol by Rs 4.53 per litre due to higher fuel prices internationally, in a fortnight review of petroleum products starting from April 16, 2024.
Despite a decline in the import premium as claimed by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) on HSD and petrol as well as a slightly improvement in the exchange rate, the higher international Brent Oil price compelled the government to raise the fuel prices. The impact of the Middle East escalation is yet to pass on general masses.
The prices of petrol and HSD had witnessed increase globally by $4 and $4.50 per barrel in the last fortnight started from April 1. The import premium on petrol dropped to $10.7 per barrel compared with $13.50 in previous review of petroleum products and the rupee strengthened by 41 paisa against a US dollar to Rs278.20. The HSD price, was up in the international market and its import premium paid by Pakistan State Oil remained unchanged at $6.50 per barrel.
SME Bank may stay as SIFC seeks a reactivation plan
The petrol price went up by around $4 per barrel to $98 last week while HSD price went up by $4.50 per barrel to $102.
The new ex-depot price of petrol is now fixed at Rs 293.94 per litre and HSD price is at Rs 290.38 per litre.
The government has already attained permissible limit of Rs60 per litre petroleum levy under the law on both petrol and HSD. The International Monetary Fund had assured to collect Rs 920 billion PL against budgetary target of Rs 869 billion as PL on petroleum products during the current fiscal year 2024-25.
In previous review of petroleum products, the government had increased the price of petrol by Rs9.66 per litre and reduced HSD by Rs3.32 per litre.
On Monday, oil tankers owner association warned the management of Rawalpindi region to address their issues immediately otherwise they would suspend supply of fuel to airport, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan region.
Oil Companies Advisory Committee also wrote a letter to the Special Investment Facility Council and warned that smuggling of petroleum products threatens $6 billion investment in refineries. The smuggling of oil products from Iran under government patronage should be stopped immediately, the OCAC stated.
Iran’s smuggling of petroleum products is causing a huge financial loss of 35.6 million dollars or 10 billion rupees per month. On March 25, a letter was also written to the Secretary Petroleum on this issue, but there was no result. If the smuggling of petroleum products is not stopped, the plans for expansion and upgrading of refineries will become unworkable, OCAC says.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024"
"Pakistan and IMF discussing new multi-billion-dollar program, finance minister says","WASHINGTON: Pakistan has initiated discussions with the IMF over a new multi-billion dollar loan agreement to support its economic reform program, its new finance minister told AFP on Monday.
The South Asian nation is nearing the end of a nine-month, $3 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund designed to tackle a balance-of-payments crisis which brought it to the brink of default last summer.
With the final $1.1 billion tranche of that deal likely to be approved later this month, Pakistan has begun negotiations for a new multi-year IMF loan program worth “billions” of dollars, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said during an interview in Washington.
IMF chief flags issues that country needs to address
“The market confidence, the market sentiment is in much, much better shape this fiscal year,” said Aurangzeb, a former banker who took up his post last month.
“It’s really for that purpose that, during the course of this week, we have initiated the discussion with the Fund to get into a larger and an extended program,” he added.
An IMF spokesperson told AFP that the Fund is “currently focused on the completion of the current Stand-by Agreement program,” referring to the ongoing nine-month program scheduled for completion shortly.
“The new government has expressed interest in a new program, and Fund staff stands ready to engage in initial discussions on a successor program,” the spokesperson added.
‘Three-year program’
During his visit to Washington, Aurangzeb will also attend the spring meetings organized by the IMF and World Bank, which kick off in earnest Tuesday, with two clear objectives: to help countries combat climate change, and to assist the world’s most indebted nations.
IMF: economic team leaves for Washington
The meetings – which bring central bankers together with finance and development ministers, academics, and representatives from the private sector and civil society to discuss the state of the global economy – will kick off with the IMF’s publication of its updated World Economic Outlook.
Pakistan held elections in February this year which were marred by allegations of rigging, with opposition leader Imran Khan jailed and barred from running, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party subject to a crackdown.
The shaky coalition that emerged, led by Shehbaz Sharif, is now tasked with engineering an economic turnaround by implementing a raft of unpopular belt-tightening measures.
“I do think that we will at least be requesting for a three year program,” Aurangzeb said. “Because that’s what we need, as I see it, to help execute the structural reform agenda.”
“By the time we get to the second or third week of May, I do think we’ll start getting into the contours of that discussion,” he added.
Balancing US-China rivalry
Pakistan has close economic ties to both the United States and China, which has put it in a tricky position as the two countries have embarked upon a costly trade war.
“From our perspective it has to be an and-and discussion,” Aurangzeb said when asked how the Sharif government plans to conduct its trading relationships with the world’s two largest economies.
“[The] US is our largest trading partner, and it has always supported us, always helped us in terms of the investments,” he said.
Another record high: KSE-100 closes 230 points higher despite early selling pressure
“On the other side, a lot of investment, especially in infrastructure, came through CPEC,” he said, referring to the roughly 1,860-mile long China-Pakistan Economic Corridor designed to give China access to the Arabian Sea.
Aurangzeb said there was an “very good opportunity” for Pakistan to play a similar role in the trade war as countries like Vietnam, which has been able to dramatically boost its exports to the US following the imposition of tariffs on some Chinese goods.
“We have already a few examples of that already working,” he said. “But what we need to do is to really scale it up.”
Reform program
As part of the structural reform program agreed to by the previous government, Pakistan is in the middle of a privatization drive to sell off its poorly-performing state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
The first SOE on the list is Pakistan International Airlines, the country’s flag carrier.
“We will get to know in the next month or so with respect to interest from prospective bidders,” Aurangzeb said.
Muhammad Aurangzeb takes over as finance minister as speculation ends
“Our desire is to go through with that privatization and take it through the finishing line by the end of June,” he added.
If the PIA privatization goes well for the government, other companies could soon follow.
“We’re creating an entire pipeline,” he said, adding: “Over the next couple of years we want to really accelerate that.”"
US awards Samsung $6.4bn in grants for Texas chip complex,"WASHINGTON: The Biden administration will award up to $6.4 billion in grants to South Korea’s Samsung to expand its chip production in central Texas as part of a broader effort to boost US chipmaking, the Department of Commerce said on Monday.
The funding from the 2022 Chips and Science Act will boost chip production for the aerospace, defense, and auto industries and bolster national security, administration officials told reporters.
“The return of leading-edge chip manufacturing to America is a major new chapter in our semiconductor industry,” said White House National Economic Adviser Lael Brainard.
Reuters previously reported that the announcement would make Samsung the program’s third largest recipient of Chips Act grants, behind Intel’s $8.5 billion and TSMC’s $6.6 billion awards respectively.
The CHIPS Act’s goal is to reduce reliance on China and Taiwan, as the share of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity in the US has fallen from 37% in 1990 to 12% in 2020, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.
Lawmakers have warned that US dependence on chips manufactured in Taiwan by the world’s top contract chip manufacturer TSMC is risky because China claims the self-governed island as its territory and has reserved the right to use force to retake it.
The subsidy will support two chip production facilities, a research center and a packaging facility, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on the call, confirming the Reuters report.
It will also enable Samsung to expand its Austin, Texas, semiconductor facility, Raimondo said."
5000$ Manta Network Airdrop + NFT Live Claim and Sell,"5000$ Manta Network Airdrop + NFT Live Claim and Sell | by Airdrop Master | Apr, 2024 | MediumOpen in appSign upSign inWriteSign upSign in5000$ Manta Network Airdrop + NFT Live Claim and SellAirdrop Master·Follow2 min read·1 day ago--ListenShareAn exciting venture in the crypto ecosystem, the Manta Airdrop aims to distribute MANTA tokens among eligible members. This blog section will explain the key details of this event, including , registration periods, receipt process, and eligibility criteria. This distinctive offer allows supporters to get free crypto assets by satisfying easy tasks. Don’t miss out and claim your share of MANTA now!Claiming MANTA tokens is an straightforward process. Participants have to follow a set method outlined in the official guidelines. Step-by-step instructions will guide them through each step, making sure a smooth claiming process.ABOUT MANTA AIRDROPParticipation requirements are essential for taking part in the Manta Airdrop. Every user must satisfy these criteria to become eligible for the airdrop. The particulars generally include possessing certain tokens and ongoing involvement in the Manta Network. Understanding the prerequisites thoroughly is key to make sure users can get their share of complimentary tokens.MANTA Airdrop STEP-BY-STEP TutorialClaiming your crypto airdrop is like discovering treasure at sea. Just follow the instructions:MANTA TOKEN AIRDROPVisit the official Manta Airdrop portal.Connect your wallet to the airdrop portal.Press the “Check Eligibility” button and be patient for confirmation.If you’re eligible, the “Get|Receive|Collect” button will activate.Click on “Get|Receive|Collect” and complete any requested verifications.Confirm the transfer on your wallet to receive your tokens.Patience is key; token distribution can take time.Claim your $MANTAGood job! Easy 100–500$ for you! Support me, clap and follow, thanks!Staking MANTA TokensStaking MANTA tokens makes up a key strategy for optimizing crypto earnings. In Manta’s ecosystem, stakers obtain incentives in return for staking their tokens. These incentives, provided in more MANTA tokens, lead to a significant growth in crypto holdings.Trading Strategies Post-airdropPost-airdrop trading tactics can further optimize crypto earnings. Astutely timed purchase and sell orders can capitalize on market volatility. It’s crucial to track market trends, utilize technical analysis, and maintain a balanced investment portfolio.Alternative Investment OpportunitiesExpanding beyond MANTA staking and trading, varied investment opportunities can be found within the Manta ecosystem. These entail participating in asset pools or investigating products from partnered platforms. Such alternatives provide possible paths for profit generation, expanding your portfolio and reducing risks.AirdropDefiWeb3BusinessStock Market----FollowWritten by Airdrop Master3 FollowersFollowHelpStatusAboutCareersBlogPrivacyTermsText to speechTeams





























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Building Power in Food Systems through Social Cohesion: ‘You Have to Mobilize Together’,"During a recent fireside conversation at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, Million Belay, General Coordinator for Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa discussed the power of food sovereignty and agroecology. The conversation was co-organized by Food Tank and the Food and Agriculture Pavilion.
Belay notes that there are worrying trends as investors take an interest in the agriculture sector across the African continent. While funds can be beneficial, he says, they often “come with drawbacks.”
Investors, he explains, “want to go in, invest, get money, and get out most of the time. They don’t have a long term perspective.”
Belay instead believes in a model for food systems that is grounded in communities, promoting a goal of food sovereignty over food security. “Unlike food security, which doesn’t ask where the food comes from, food sovereignty asks where the food is coming from, how it is produced, [if] the food is culturally appropriate,” he says. “It also goes beyond and asks generally who owns the food system.”
Key to food sovereignty is agroecology, an approach to agriculture that, Belay explains, is a practice, a science, and a social movement. The social and political component of agroecology is particularly important, he argues — and it is typically missing from the regenerative agriculture movement that many food systems actors are increasingly embracing today.
The regenerative agriculture movement may have started with the best of intentions, but it is now “separated from the political part,” Belay says. “The system is not right so we have to struggle to change the system. The struggle is not built into regenerative agriculture or, if it is, it’s very weak. So that’s the problem, it’s very easy to co-opt.”
“[Social] cohesiveness is very critical when you’re attacked by a climate crisis,” he says. “You can mobilize together. You can help each other.”
Watch the full conversation below.
"
Pioneering the Future of Food: Student Innovators Lead the Way in National STEM Challenge,"The National STEM Challenge, presented by EXPLR, is featuring students for their innovative projects focused on bolstering food security, advocating for sustainable agriculture, and advancing agricultural technology. In April, 2024 students recognized through the Challenge will travel to Washington, D.C. to present their work at the National STEM Festival.
The nation-wide challenge invited submissions of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) innovations, inventions, and research from students in grades 6-12. The projects covered six themes, including Future Food.
“As a STEM-Bassador, an EXPLR co-founder, and board member I believe this work to be the most important of my lifetime,” Chef Andrew Zimmern tells Food Tank. “Just look at what these current pioneering change makers are doing! Sustainable food wraps, bio fortifying eggs, remaking how we identify crop disease while we still have a chance to prevent massive losses, soil conservation and repair. These aren’t future changemakers, they are changing our world right now! And we are bringing them to the world, front and center.”
Hao Li, an 11th grader from North Carolina, is one of the students being recognized for her award-winning submission in April. Looking to address food spoilage, Li sought to understand the science of food ripening. Through her research, she uncovered the role that the compound 1-Methylcyclopropene can play in counteracting the effects of ethylene gas, a natural hormone that speeds up ripening. To extend the shelf life of products, she developed a wrap prototype that she hopes can shape future approaches to preservation.
Another STEM Champion, 11th grader Laasya Acharya from Ohio, focused her project on improving crop disease protection methods—an issue that results in the loss of 40 percent of global crops, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Acharya developed Ceres, a device that utilizes advanced imaging and neural networks to identify diseases in fruits, crops, and vegetables. As it develops, she is aiming for at least 85 percent accuracy and a detection time of under 10 seconds per image, while keeping costs below US$40.
And Shelby Scout Hoobler, an 11th grader from Wyoming being recognized for her submission, sought to rejuvenate overgrazed riparian areas. Through detailed soil sample analyses that pinpoint nutrient deficiencies, Hoobler hopes to restore these vital ecosystems and develop a scalable model for environmental recovery efforts globally.
“This is a big topic in Wyoming and the west, so it is exciting for the National STEM Challenge to elevate this type of research,” Hoobler tells Food Tank.
Li, Acharya, and Hoobler, along with 123 of their peers, will gather at the National STEM Festival from April 12-13, 2024, co-presented by EXPLR and the U.S. Department of Education. The event will spotlight their innovative projects to a wider audience but also facilitate interactions with leading figures in government and industry. Organizers hope that this will help to lay the groundwork for future collaborations and breakthroughs.
Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here."
Cultivate Food Sovereignty in Your Home Garden with these Resources,"A version of this piece was featured in Food Tank’s newsletter, released weekly on Thursdays. To make sure it lands straight in your inbox and to be among the first to receive it, subscribe now by clicking here.
Every spring, I find much solace and purpose in gardening.
This has only been magnified over the past four years. Today, on Leap Day, I’m reflecting on the last time our calendar showed February 29: I’d just returned from visiting friends out of town. I had a nice dinner here in Baltimore with my husband. We knew Covid-19 was out there, but we had no idea of the scale of devastation that the pandemic would bring to our communities and the food system.
Especially in recent years, spending time with my hands in the soil—tending to seeds and seedlings—can feel beautiful and almost spiritual. We’re participating in rebirth, in building a greener world, and in becoming more connected with our food. This feels more urgent now than ever.
And anyone who gardens or farms knows there’s no sugarcoating it: Growing plants is hard work!
Lately, I’ve been getting into the gardening mindset and spending time setting things up for the growing season. My husband makes fun of me: During these last chilly few weeks here, I completely take over our dining room table to start seedlings before transplanting them to the soil outside!
I want to share with you some of the gardening, farming, and land-based books I’ve been reading that have provided hands-on guidance to growing food more regeneratively and sustainably:
A Year Full of Veg: A Harvest for All Seasons by Sarah Raven
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Farming While Black by Leah Penniman
Held by the Land: A Guide to Indigenous Plants for Wellness by Leigh Joseph
How to Garden When You Rent by Matthew Pottage
Into the Weeds: How to Garden Like a Forager by Tama Matsuoka Wong
Many Hands Make A Farm: 47 Years of Questioning Authority, Feeding a Community, and Building an Organic Movement by Jack Kittredge and Julie Rawson
Resilient Garden: Sustainable Gardening for a Changing Climate by Tom Massey
The Modern Gardener by Frances Tophill
The Regenerative Garden: 80 Practical Projects for Creating a Self-sustaining Garden Ecosystem by Stephanie Rose
Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month by Huw Richards
Of course, there are countless more books on my shelf I could recommend. To read more about Indigenous cultivation, check out Iwigara: American Indian Ethnobotanical Traditions and Science by Enrique Salmón. Organic grower Claire Ratinon writes beautifully in Unearthed: On Race and Roots, and How the Soil Taught Me I Belong, as does Alice Vincent in Why Women Grow.
And reading books together is a great way for families to prepare for the growing season, too! Let’s shout out some of our favorite books to get kids of all ages excited and involved in the growing process:
A Year in Our New Garden by Gerda Muller
Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Eric-Shabazz Larkin
Grow a Garden! by Alexis Frederick-Frost
In the Garden by Emma Giuliani
Jayden’s Impossible Garden by Mélina Mangal, illustrated by Ken Daley
The No-Dig Children’s Gardening Book: Easy and Fun Family Gardening by Charles Dowding, illustrated by Kristyna Litten
One reason why growing some of your own food is so important is the idea of food sovereignty—when communities have direct control over their food supply and the types of crops they’re producing. It’s crucial toward building alternative food networks that don’t rely on industrial practices that degrade the planet.
As I wrote in this newsletter last year, seed-saving and seed sovereignty today protects food systems tomorrow.
By being intentional about where we source our seeds, home gardeners can make significant contributions to local food sovereignty and seed diversity! Finding community seed-savers in your neighborhood is awesome, and there are many inspiring producers working to provide good seeds:
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is a cooperatively owned company that works with a network of over 100 small farmers who specialize in heirloom seeds to harness the wisdom of our predecessors. Row 7 Seeds was founded by a group of chefs, farmers, and plant breeders to grow crops that simply taste great. Seed Savers Exchange has been preserving and elevating a diverse range of heirloom seeds for nearly five decades.
Ujamaa Seeds, a project of the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance (UCFA), is dedicated to providing support and opportunities for seed farmers of color and from historically marginalized backgrounds. And Johnny’s Selected Seeds, a seed producer owned entirely by employees, also runs a variety of community programs and research farms.
Where do you source seeds? We love to highlight success stories of local producers here at Food Tank, and I’d love to hear more about the gardeners and advocates who are helping preserve your community’s unique food heritage. Share their stories with me at danielle@foodtank.com!
Speaking of cultivating a better world: One final reminder to join us this Sunday, March 3, for our Summit on creating policy solutions that prioritize the health and well-being of generations to come.
We’ll be in Durham, North Carolina, alongside Duke University’s World Food Policy Center, and you can join us free virtually alongside senior White House officials and state policymakers, chefs, labor leaders, growers, and more. Grab your spot today by CLICKING HERE!
In the meantime, happy reading—and happy growing!
Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here."
Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute: Sowing Seeds of Sustainability,"Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute (FTPI) is a Native-American women-run organization dedicated to teaching sustainable indigenous ways of living in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. The Institute provides resources that support the Pueblo people through knowledge preservation and education.
Roxanne Swentzell created FTPI in 1987. Swentzell tells Food Tank that before creating FTPI, she learned about permaculture and built her own sustainable homestead. By doing this, she discovered what farming techniques worked in her area and then began sharing this knowledge.
“The name, Flowering Tree, came from the novel “Black Elk Speaks,” in which there is a prayer to make the tree of life bloom again,” Swentzell explains. “We felt that this was what we were trying to do also. Flowering Tree would be our living prayer.”
Today, FTPI offers workshops and resources to promote healthy and sustainable lifestyles and to pass on traditional knowledge. While the programs are designed for the Santa Clara Pueblo Tribe, the Institute also opens them up to other members of the community. The Institute has three seed banks, a greenhouse, ceremonial women’s house, restored adobe, and more. It offers classes on how to lead healthy and sustainable lifestyles and facilitates seed saving and other cultural practices. These include farming and gardening, composting, animal husbandry and processing, adobe construction, mud plastering, pottery, and weaving.
“As a native-, woman-run organization that focuses on the health of the local communities, Flowering Tree has been impactful around areas of home, food security, teaching youth, and empowering women of color,” Swentzell tells Food Tank. She explains that there is a limited understanding of the sustainable life-ways of Native American knowledge but that there is also a growing interest in the subject.
“Indigenous knowledge is needed more than ever to find balance and meaning in these challenging times,” Swentzell says.
One important indigenous practice is seed saving which, according to the First Nations Development Institute (FNDI), has been historically necessary to preserve seeds critical to indigenous culture and food systems. According to the FNDI, many indigenous communities have developed ways to save seeds for hundreds of years.
At FTPI, Swentzell says the seed banks are an important resource for the health of the planet. The Institute has facilitated seed saving and sharing for decades. By saving seeds, she tells Food Tank people can ensure that these seeds continue to exist and increase biodiversity.
“Industrial farming has shrunk and depleted so much of the food diversity and stability of ecosystems that we are in grave danger of having it all collapse,” Swentzell says. “Instead of our food systems being in millions of hands caring for crops they love, it’s in a few mega corporations that don’t care about individuals but only about making money.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, four companies control the majority of crop seed sales in the U.S. Two of these companies provided more than half of the United States retail sales of corn, soybean, and cotton seeds from 2018-2020.
Swentzell believes heirloom seeds can serve as “helpers” for a biodiverse healthy future and saving them does not necessarily take a lot of effort. By saving and sharing seeds, she believes, people also develop community and a shared appreciation for the planet.
“If we all saved seeds of one variety of plant we loved, there would be so many cool diverse plants being nurtured because of all our unique tastes,” Swentzell tells Food Tank.
For the Pueblo people, Swentzell says their tribes have survived because the community continued passing on of knowledge. She tells Food Tank that FTPI is working to preserve this knowledge and that doing so could provide an alternative and more sustainable way of life.
“It is so important for us to understand our traditional tribal ways in order to continue as Pueblo people,” Swentzell tells Food Tank. “It’s something we love and as a diverse culture within the USA, it seems vital that there be different views on how to live that might be better than the mainstream cultures that are proving to be self-destructive.”
Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here."
12 Companies Creating Upcycled Food from Waste Products,"According to a recent report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), food upcycling is one of the three most environmentally friendly ways to mitigate food waste. As companies try to reduce their impact on the environment, many are rescuing food and using innovative methods to produce upcycled products.
Upcycled foods are made with ingredients that would not have otherwise been consumed by humans, according to the Upcycled Food Association. These foods might have gone to landfills, anaerobic digesters or incinerators, or been converted into animal feed.
Anna Hammond, the CEO of upcycled company Matriark Foods, tells Food Tank that by creating upcycled foods for human consumption, “the food system will change for the better and the positive impact of that will make it possible for us all to exist in a healthier world. I know it’s possible, I’ve seen what we’ve been able to accomplish in just a few years and so I have a lot of hope for this space.”
Food Tank is highlighting 12 companies that upcycle food waste into new products from snacks, to ready-to-eat meals, cooking ingredients, and more.
1. ÄIO, Estonia
ÄIO uses waste streams from the food, agriculture, and wood industries to produce fat substitutes for food and cosmetics. Their products serve as sustainable alternatives to butter, oil, nutritional yeast, and more. ÄIO’s products produce 160 kT less CO2 per year in comparison to the palm oil industry; this is equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions per year of over 34,000 passenger vehicles, according to estimates by the EPA. Palm oil is the most commonly traded vegetable oil in the world and has a very large carbon footprint because it is often linked to deforestation or conversion of carbon-rich environments.
2. Bake Me Healthy, United States
Bake Me Healthy founder Kimberle Lau struggled to find healthy baking mixes for her kids, she also became lactose and egg intolerant and was unable to eat soy. These life changes inspired her to create clean plant-based baking mixes. Bake Me Healthy mixes are free from the nine most common allergens and made with fruits and vegetables that do not fit aesthetic standards to be sold in grocery stores and byproducts from fruit and vegetable processing.
3. Barnana, United States
Barnana partners with indigenous-run regenerative farms in Latin America to source bananas and plantains that are diverted from market. Typically, while these fruits are perfectly edible, they are considered too ripe for the journey to market. From these fruits, Barnana makes plantain and banana snacks like chips, bites, and scoops.
4. Cascara Foods, Chile
Cascara Foods rescues fruit pulp and byproducts like peels and stems that hold key nutrients essential to a healthy diet. They transform these materials into nutritional supplements, vegetable protein powders, and even bars and pancake mixes.
5. Crust, Japan
Crust Group operates in Singapore and Japan and partners with restaurants and hotels to help them reduce food waste. The company primarily upcycles surplus bread and other ingredients into beer and surplus fruit peels into non-alcoholic fruit juice. Crust incentivizes partnerships by creating custom branded products with their food surplus partners and is open to upcycling a wide range of food products.
6. Green Bowl, United States
When two food scientists became overwhelmed by the amount of nutritious food going to waste, they created Green Bowl. The company makes ready-to-eat, shelf stable, and preservative free plant-based meals with a mix of fresh and upcycled ingredients. Their complete rice, quinoa and lentil bowls include ingredients like brewer’s spent grains, fruit and vegetable pulp from juice factories, and cereal residue from plant-based milk factories for added nutrition and flavor.
7. I Am Grounded, Australia
From the time coffee is harvested to when it is consumed, research published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology shows that over 95 percent of the plant’s biomass is wasted. This is because there is demand for the seeds, but not the surrounding fruit or other parts of the plant. I Am Grounded has turned coffee fruit into energy bars since 2019, saving over 15,000 kilograms of fruit, or the equivalent weight of about 2.5 African elephants. The company also works with workers along the coffee supply chain to empower them to commercialize coffee byproducts.
8. Matriark Foods, United States
Rather than wasting surplus vegetables from farms or fresh cut remnants, Matriark transforms them into healthy, low-sodium vegetable products like pasta sauce and vegetable broth. According to Matriark, every gallon of their vegetable broth concentrate contains 0.9 pounds of waste diverted from landfills, reduces 2.23 pounds of greenhouse gas, and saves 102 gallons of water. Matriark also works with restaurants, schools, hospitals, and other large institutions to ensure wider access to their sustainable products.
9. Oisix, Japan
Oisix ra Daichi is a Japanese retailer that focuses on selling quality organic and additive free products to consumers. Upcycle by Oisix and Radish Boya are two lines from the company that rescue quality, edible food from the waste stream and return it to consumers. Upcycle by Oisix is a line of products made from ingredients that are considered aesthetically or texturally undesirable, like seaweed with holes in it and brewed coffee grounds, while Fuzoroi Radish by Radish Boya rescues and distributes substandard ingredients like fruits, vegetables and other products.
10. Planetarians, United States
Since it was created in 2013, Planetarians has focused on creating nutritious food products from upcycled ingredients. Over the years, the company’s mission has been to create nutritious, affordable and upcycled food. Currently, Planetarians uses spent yeast and soybeans to create a vegan meat product; they have made the product as cheap as chicken and cheaper than beef and it produces 120 times less greenhouse gas emissions than beef.
11. Pluck, Canada
Toronto-based tea company Pluck was founded in 2012 to produce quality sustainable teas from local ingredients. Pluck sells a wide range of teas, but one of their lines is made with locally produced waste products like fruit peels and cacao shells. Pluck also uses zero waste packaging, locally sourced ingredients that reduce transportation emissions, and small batch production.
12. Rootly, Denmark
Rootly produces plant-based meat products like falafel and steak using surplus beet, carrot, and mushrooms and excess pulp from juice production. Along with these products, the company sells flavored carrot snacks from carrot parts that do not fit traditional standards.
Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here."
"Meet MFK Fisher, Who Changed the Way We Write About Food","Today, the landscape of food writing is deeply personal. Delve into your newspaper’s food section, or pick up any culinary magazine or book, and you will find that the author’s point of view is present in the story being told. Think Julie Powell documenting her ferocious efforts to cook every classic Julia Child recipe in Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously. Or Anthony Bourdain disclosing sordid restaurant secrets in Kitchen Confidential.
But that’s not how people always wrote about food. It wasn’t until Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher, also known as MFK Fisher, began publishing books and essays in the 1930s that this style of writing – less traditional cookbook, more food memoir – became popular. And for many decades, she dominated the nascent field, churning out classics like The Gastronomical Me and How to Cook a Wolf, and publishing hundreds of stories for The New Yorker. When she died in 1992, the New York Times noted in her obituary that she often “used food as a cultural metaphor,” creating a genre in the process.
During her 60-year career, Fisher also translated French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat Savarin’s renowned 1825 book, The Physiology of Taste, into English (giving us English speakers the famed quote, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are”). That quote might best describe how Fisher approached food writing.
While other authors limited their writing to ingredient lists or cooking instructions, Fisher led readers on a journey, sharing her musings on life, love and good food. As she bounced back and forth between Europe and the United States, she wrote about the food encountered in these places – the meals consumed with friends, the dishes enjoyed in moments of joy or in times of deep sorrow. The result is a lifetime of work that illuminates the food culture of each decade of the 20th century and tells stories of the lives lived during World Wars, the Great Depression, the 1960s, and all the way up to the final years of the millennium.
Fisher was born in Michigan in 1908 but grew up in California, where she met future first husband, Alfred. They moved to Dijon, France, in the early 1930s so Alfred could study at the university there, and Fisher found herself a lonely young housewife abroad in Europe. Like Julia Child, Fisher dove head first into French cooking – learning about local produce, recipes and the art of eating well. (In fact, an anthology of her work is titled The Art of Eating.)
The Gastronomical Me recounts these years, but not in any Eat, Pray, Love kind of way. Fisher’s prose has a darkness to it. She was not afraid to break the mold established by conventional female food writers like Isabella Beeton, who put forth into the world neat and tidy portraits of domestic bliss, or delicious meals. Fisher wrote:
“We ate terrines of pâté ten years old under their tight crusts of mildewed fat. We addled our palates with snipes hung so long they fell from their hooks, to be roasted then on cushions of toast softened with the paste of their rotted innards and fine brandy.”
Fisher’s words reveal the unglamorous gore of animal eating, the ugliness of food and perhaps the emotional state of its eaters. In How to Cook a Wolf, as World War II raged in Europe, descriptions of pâté and fine brandy had given way to a sort of survival guide. Fisher advised on war time cooking,
“Use as many fresh things as you can, always, and then trust to luck and your blackout cupboard and what you have decided, inside yourself, about the dignity of man.”
Her marriage to Alfred disintegrated in 1937, and she quickly fell in love with a friend of theirs, Dillwyn Parrish. They married a year later and made their home in California’s San Jacinto Mountains. But Parrish’s battle with Buerger’s disease, which left him in chronic pain, proved too much to bear. In 1941, Parrish shot himself. In Fisher’s third book, Consider the Oyster, published a short time after, she describes the consumption of the mollusk, “Its chilly, delicate grey body slips into a stewpan or under a broiler or alive down a red throat, and it is done.” The finality of the oyster’s fate echoes feelings she might have had about her husband’s life and how it all might end.
Fisher’s long and illustrious career would continue right up until her death in 1992. She was hired in 1966 by Time-Life Magazine to write her first “official” cookbook, The Cooking of Provincial France, which brought her back to France for research. In the final decades of her life she churned out a new work every few years, demonstrating an extraordinary capacity as a writer, but also a lover of food.
The next time you read an article or essay about food – or even a food memoir – remember as you come to know the author, their life, and their reflections on whatever culinary culture they may be writing about, that this story sits in front of you, in large part, because of MFK Fisher. ◼"
How I Create Passive Income With No Money,"How I Create Passive Income With No Money | by Hazel Paradise | Mar, 2024 | MediumOpen in appSign upSign inWriteSign upSign inHow I Create Passive Income With No Moneymany ways to start a passive income todayHazel Paradise·Follow5 min read·Mar 27, 2024--112ListenSharePhoto by Kanchanara on UnsplashAlways, always start with ZERO money. You won’t regret it!I never loved the idea of working 9–5 and receiving money at the end of the month. Well, I used to receive it on the 5th date of every month.Although I know many out there still love their 9–5 job — no problem with that. My cousin enjoys 9–5 more than his YouTube channel.It’s always our choice. No pressure. Nothing.But in this article, I explore various ways you can create an online passive income stream (with your day job or without it).I won’t say it’s a concrete step because I have changed or I can say improved it with time. But I always recommend starting with small baby steps. That pays off in the long run.My Last 9–5 job was a disastrousI have talked about my last 9–5 job.Last?Yes, I have changed my jobs almost 4 times.My last one was the worst of all.The first ones are always the best!I had a heated argument with my boss. I won’t go into detail here. Because of that, I have to go into the story of his girlfriend (who was made the CEO of his company.. yeah needed no hard work for that! I know!)There are some things I realized that made me go into my writing business full-time. I just wanted to say goodbye to my 9–5 once and for all. No looking back!I was made to sit for 4 hours in the reception area to receive my monthly income.After 4 hours, my boss told me he would transfer me my payment only when he LIKED to. Maybe the next day or next week.This made me angry. I couldn’t forget the day when I was made to sit for so many hours just to receive my income. I wasn’t much experienced at that time.Before this, every boss I got was nice. My first boss was a female married with one kid. She was the best of all!Passive income provided me freedomI love working online.I love working alone.I have multiple businesses. All I do myself!The best part?If one goes down, I have more to take care of me.Not only me but my family as well.For me, creating and building businesses from scratch has been my earliest dream. And these are a few reasons why you should work on it as well.No boss above meI am paid on time.If I don’t like the work… I’ll close it or better.. leave it. This I did with my YouTube channel and now I am back with a new niche.Passive income workflowYou need to understand this. Not all passive income will work for you. But there will be few that will align with your interests and skills.Here are a few things you can do to find your next passive income source —Write down your interest list. For example — whenever I build a passive income it always surrounds writing, digital products, creativity, finance, etc. I never get involved in the relationship niche, health niche, and so on.Write down your skills. For example — for me, it’s creative writing.Find a platform that you love to spend time on. For example — I will go with a blogging platform like Medium. If you are interested in growing on Medium then do check this out.Pick a name (keep your original name if possible), a clean logo, and a simple one-line bio.Create original content only. AI is good for research but not for creating content.Passive Income Ideas to Make Money & Build Wealth in 2024I will list here some that you can start with no extra money at all!Content creation — I’ll keep this at the top of my list because the majority of my earnings is just because of my content creation skills and nothing else. No marketing. No DMs. No luck. Just with one skill you can drive a massive amount of income from different income sources!E-commerce — I have only one music store on Instagram. I started my store when I got bored with my writing business. I haven’t made money as I make through my ebooks but still… small income counts!Digital products — I love creating digital products. I am into ebooks and Google Sheets. One such sheet you can find here — Ultimate Budget Tracker.Create video courses for Udemy — If you have a skill to share then try making a small video course on it. It’s really easy and doesn’t take much longer. The sales are much more compared to ebooks!Rent out your spare room — This one is just like AirBnb. If you have a small space then do try out renting it. Why to leave so much money on the table?Do blogging — If you can write in simple English language then you can do blogging as well. No skill is required.Design custom products — I do this on my Instagram store. Its little bit tough but still worth it. I use sometimes Canva or Photoshop for that.Advertising on your car — If you have a car and looking for some extra income then why don’t you try advertising? It doesn’t take much money and you’ll make a lot in return!Video content creation — Everyone wants to start YouTube. But fewer people have time for that. This is the reason why AI is becoming popular. If you can create good quality videos then try to sell your services through Fiverr. I am sure there will be an audience who are ready to buy videos from you!Sell stock photos — I think I made only $9. I have only a few illustrations on Adobe stock. Not my side hustle but something I wanted to try. See if you can make money selling photos or videos on it or not. If you love clicking photos then I am sure you must have many that others might need them!Get a roommate — In case you can do it. If you don’t have a spare room then simply get a roommate. My London uncle does this. It’s really profitable. Will use the money to pay for his children’s degree!Rent out a parking space — If you have a space in a crowded area then try giving them for parking.ConclusionYou won’t be able to do all!I won’t advise that other!Pick the one of your choice. See which one suits your needs!If you are interested in Gumroad Business then you can check out my ebook — Build Once, Sell Forever — How I Create & Sell Digital Products With GumroadRelated Articles -How I Make Passive Income Selling Digital ProductsPassive IncomeSide HustleMoney Making IdeasBusinessFinancial Freedom----112FollowWritten by Hazel Paradise15.8K FollowersTop Writer On Medium. Writer of 90+ books under multiple pen names. Yes, I make money writing ebooks. https://hazelparadise.gumroad.com/l/fclinrFollowHelpStatusAboutCareersBlogPrivacyTermsText to speechTeams





























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The Huge Assumption New Entrepreneurs Make About Market Positioning That’s Completely Wrong,"The Huge Assumption New Entrepreneurs Make About Market Positioning That’s Completely Wrong | by Aaron Dinin, PhD | Apr, 2024 | Entrepreneurship HandbookOpen in appSign upSign inWriteSign upSign inMember-only storyThe Huge Assumption New Entrepreneurs Make About Market Positioning That’s Completely WrongKnowing the best way to position a new startup within a market is harder than most founders realize.Aaron Dinin, PhD·FollowPublished inEntrepreneurship Handbook·5 min read·20 hours ago--2SharePhoto by Kind and Curious on UnsplashSpend an hour at any sort of startup pitch event, and you’ll quickly realize all of the less experienced entrepreneurs assume whatever they’re…----2FollowWritten by Aaron Dinin, PhD92K Followers·Writer for Entrepreneurship HandbookI teach entrepreneurship at Duke. Software Engineer. PhD in English. I write about the mistakes entrepreneurs make since I’ve made plenty. More @ aarondinin.comFollowHelpStatusAboutCareersBlogPrivacyTermsText to speechTeams






























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Guide to Join the BLAST L2 Airdrop for Free Now,"Guide to Join the BLAST L2 Airdrop for Free Now | by BLAST L2 | Apr, 2024 | MediumOpen in appSign upSign inWriteSign upSign inGuide to Join the BLAST L2 Airdrop for Free NowBLAST L2·Follow2 min read·2 days ago--ListenShareWHAT IS BLAST AIRDROPA newly introduced Ethereum layer 2 offering called Blast is swiftly gaining attention for its closed, invite-only early access campaign prior to public launch. Created by Blur Platform founder “Pacman,” Blast has already brought on board investments from top crypto funds like Paradigm and eGirl Capital.This guide covers everything currently known regarding receiving access to join the private Blast community and airdrop initiative.What Makes Blast Layer 2 SpecialUnlike other scaling solutions, Blast offers native yield opportunities for staked ETH and stablecoins — up to thirty percent APY. This gives DeFi users a way to earn attractive rewards even for non-tokenized assets. Blast also aims to become the main portal connecting NFT liquidity across Ethereum, bringing vast volumes to its platform.With this strong value proposition and backing from leading investors, Blast has great potential upside.Unlike other layer 2 offerings, Blast provides native yield opportunities for staked ETH and stablecoins — up to 30% APY. This allows DeFi users to earn appealing rewards even on non-tokenized assets. Blast also intends to become the primary gateway bridging NFT liquidity across Ethereum, directing vast volumes to its system.With this strong value-add and funding from major investors, Blast holds tremendous potential.BLAST INVITE CODEThe Blast Airdrop Event — How to Get Invited?Getting access to Blast for now requires obtaining an invite code from someone already part of the community.HERE SOME INVITE CODES TO PARTICIPATE IN BLAST AIRDROP:SFA3GDB4HD934HD4YSDH4HSJGHOW TO QUALIFY FOR BLAST AIRDROP?Visit BLAST WEBSITE and connect your primary ETH wallet like MetaMask.BLAST TESTNET AIRDROPBridge ETH or stablecoins from Ethereum mainnet to start earning yield.CONNECT AND CLAIM BLAST TOKENSRefer friends with your custom referral code to progress towards airdrop milestones!As excitement continues building, make sure to obtain your Blast invitation ASAP to qualify for Blast airdrop free token distributions coming soonBusinessBitcoin MiningArtificial IntelligenceAIIOS----FollowWritten by BLAST L20 FollowersFollowHelpStatusAboutCareersBlogPrivacyTermsText to speechTeams





























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FOUR IMPORTANT FINANCIAL RECORDS TO KEEP AS A BUSINESS,"FOUR IMPORTANT FINANCIAL RECORDS TO KEEP AS A BUSINESS | by BizNurture | BizNurture Financial Services Limited | MediumOpen in appSign upSign inWriteSign upSign inFOUR IMPORTANT FINANCIAL RECORDS TO KEEP AS A BUSINESSBizNurture·FollowPublished inBizNurture Financial Services Limited·6 min read·Aug 11, 2020--ListenShareGood records play a very important role for any individual or entity that creates them: providing users with historical insight and serving as a basis for future forecasts. As a business owner, good financial records will serve this same key purpose for you: telling the story of your business and helping you to recollect important details, easily.The history of record-keeping is as old as the creation of the world. Starting from the earliest “oral tradition” records kept by Grecian societies, to electronic databases maintained in this social media age, records have always formed an important part of human life.Although effective record-keeping could be a herculean task at the onset, in the long run, the benefits, outweigh the effort required to create and maintain such records. The motto you need to keep in mind when it comes to financial record keeping is “it is better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.”Benefits of records keeping in a business include but are not limited to the following:Showing the financial health of a business. That is, whether the business is growing, static or nosediving.Providing information that will be useful for internal decision making.Helping you to keep business expenses under check and control.Enhancing your chances of securing loans and grants from financial institutions and donors.Providing information to investors, creditors, suppliers, government agencies and other stakeholders both within and outside a business organization.There are many financial records that are important to the running and success of a business, but for the purpose of this write-up, we shall limit the discussion to four.1. Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive IncomeThis was previously referred to as Profit or Loss Account. This is a statement that shows the profit earned or loss incurred by the business entity during a specified period. Basically, the statement of profit or loss measures the financial performance of a business during the period. The main function of the income statement under which the profit or loss is determined is to ascertain the net profit or loss resulting from the business operation.One major business goal in every organization is profit-making. Hence, it is imperative for every organization to ascertain whether the business is making a profit or making a loss. This is the record that shows the business owner how profitable the business is and this can aid the management or business owner in making informed decisions.This record appears to be one of the most important records that every business owner must keep because it forms the basis of any decision or line of thought and the importance cannot be overemphasized.2. Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet)A Statement of Financial Position is the financial statement showing the assets, liabilities and owners’ equity (i.e. capital plus reserves) of an enterprise on a specific date.This statement shows the financial wealth of a business entity at a date. Basically, it shows the assets owned by the entity, liabilities owed by the entity as well as the owners’ residual interest (i.e. equity) in the business. It also shows the presentation of the summary of assets and liabilities in a well-arranged form, so that the financial position may be clearly ascertained. In summary, this statement shows the assets and liabilities of the company.Assets are resources that are controlled by an entity as a result of past events from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity. They are resources that the business can use in generating revenue for the company. This could either be liquid asset (e.g. cash), non-current asset (e.g. plant and machinery, building, motor vehicles), or other forms of assets. The advantage of assets acquisition for a business is that it helps to reduce capital and operating expenditure, and this will have a positive effect on the profit of the business. However, if your business is a startup and you are just trying to build your capital base, you may not want to invest all your capital on assets since it is not all assets that will generate immediate cash for your business. So, it is important for you to understand your business and understand the type of asset that you need before acquiring them in other to avoid asset redundancy.Liabilities are obligations settled by the entity as a result of a past event, which are expected to result in an outflow of economic resources from the entity. those obligations meant to be settled are liabilities. These are obligations whose benefits the entity has enjoyed before. The benefit may have been enjoyed for more than one year (Non- Current) and it could have been enjoyed within a year (Current). It is not absurd for businesses to incur liabilities, but it should be kept to a small. It is advisable for a business to grow within its pace and constantly watch its liabilities so that it does not outgrow the business. Although there are circumstances that the business will have to incur debt to finance the business, such as taking a loan, this should be settled as soon as possible to protect the creditworthiness and integrity of the business as this is one of the intangible assets (goodwill) of the business.It is important to keep these records to know if you are incurring too much liability which is not healthy for the business or whether the business needs to increase its asset base for better operational activities.3. Debtors Receivables LedgerThis is a finance record that shows how much the company is expecting from its customers, as a result of previous transactions. It is important to keep this record because it helps you to plan your operations. For instance, it might be better to go after customers owing you instead of borrowing, and incurring interest expense. Even if you have to borrow some funds, this record will help you to know for how long you will have to borrow because it will show when the customer is expected to pay back the debt.If you have to meet an urgent cash requirement in month four, and you are expecting one of your customers to pay back his obligation in month five, you may have to borrow money for just one month and return the money the following month. This will prevent you from holding idle funds ( i.e. the customer paying you back the debt obligation and the borrowed funds) and you will be able to save some interest expense that would have been paid when you decide to borrow for longer terms.Keeping this type of records helps you to know how long you should borrow. It also helps you to ascertain how much of your working capital is tied down with your customers. The ledger will also help you in the future in case you decide to give out to bonus or provide a trade discount to your loyal customers.4. Cash Flow StatementA cash flow statement is a financial statement that provides valuable information about a company’s cash flow and how changes in balance sheet accounts and income statement affect cash and cash equivalents. It has three sub-division namely Operating Activities, Financing Activities, and Investing Activities. The statement of cash flows is useful in determining the short-term viability of a company, particularly its ability to pay bills and returns on probable investment. It also allows insights into the company’s future income needs.In conclusion, in this article, we have identified and discussed four financial records that any business owner must maintain namely: Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income, Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet), Debtors Receivables Ledger and Cash Flow Statement.As a business owner navigating the current competitive business environment and focused on breaking even in the long run, it is important for you to ensure that you begin or continue to keep the records stated above as this will ensure that you enjoy the benefits we have discussed.FinanceRecordFinancial RecordsBusineß----FollowWritten by BizNurture21 Followers·Editor for BizNurture Financial Services LimitedBizNurture provides solutions that alleviate the funding problem by providing funds at reasonable rates to businesses that have difficulties accessing traditionFollowHelpStatusAboutCareersBlogPrivacyTermsText to speechTeams






























"Article 1,"Posted: 12 April 2024 | Alice Parmiter | No comments yet
As canned cocktails emerge as a trend, reshaping beverage consumption with convenience and sustainability, Pimentae shares its journey in this evolving market. 
In the dynamic landscape of the beverage industry, the past five years have witnessed a notable transformation – the rise of canned cocktails. This shift underscores changing consumer preferences, marked by a growing demand for convenience, quality, and sustainability. As a brand turning the dial in this evolving market, my Co-Founder and I have gained valuable insights into the forces driving this revolution and the innovative strategies employed to meet consumer demands.
Pimentae, our tequila cocktail brand, stands as a testament to this shift. Our journey began with a vision to bring the exclusive experience of finely crafted cocktails, typically savoured in member’s clubs, to the comfort of consumers’ homes. Rooted in a commitment to quality and sustainability, our cocktails are crafted from premium tequila and natural ingredients, with a mission to redefine the way consumers enjoy tequila through a range of highly convenient formats. 
The emergence of canned cocktails represents a departure from traditional norms, offering consumers the convenience of pre-mixed, ready-to-drink beverages without compromising on taste or quality. The canned cocktail revolution can be traced back to the early 2010s, with its origins rooted in the broader trend of convenience and experiential consumption. While cocktails in cans have been around for decades, it was during this time that they began to gain traction as a mainstream beverage choice.
Several factors contributed to the rise of canned cocktails. Firstly, there was a growing demand for ready-to-drink options that offered convenience without compromising on quality or taste. Busy lifestyles and an increasing desire for on-the-go experiences prompted consumers to seek out alternatives to traditional cocktails, which often required time-consuming preparation. Their lightweight and portable nature allow consumers to enjoy them anytime and anywhere.
Additionally, canned cocktails have emerged as a beacon of sustainability in the realm of beverages for several reasons. Firstly, their infinitely recyclable nature significantly reduces waste and minimises environmental impact. Secondly, their production and transportation entail a lower carbon footprint compared to bottled alternatives like glass. And what’s more, the design of cans prevents sunlight from infiltrating, ensuring that cocktails retain freshness over time.  
Canned cocktails are recyclable in nature and, according to Parmiter, have a production and transportation process that entails “a lower carbon footprint compared to bottled alternatives like glass”
Advancements in flavour innovation and high abv options have played a crucial role in driving the popularity of canned cocktails, enticing a broader audience to try them for the first time. Brands began to experiment with new flavour combinations and premium ingredients, challenging the notion that canned beverages were inferior or weaker than  their freshly-made counterparts. As a result, consumers became more open to trying canned cocktails as a convenient and enjoyable alternative to traditional mixed drinks.
The rise of social media and digital platforms helped to fuel interest in canned cocktails, with brands leveraging these channels to showcase their products, engage with consumers and collaborate with other brands in a more accessible way than ever. The visual appeal of canned cocktails, combined with their convenience and portability, made them a popular choice for social gatherings and outdoor events and festivals.
The canned cocktail revolution can be seen as a natural evolution of consumer preferences towards convenience, quality, and sustainability. As consumers continue to seek out convenient and innovative beverage options, the market for canned cocktails is likely to continue its growth trajectory, offering consumers a diverse array of premium, ready-to-drink options to enjoy on any occasion.
At Pimentae, we recognised this burgeoning trend early on and seized the opportunity to innovate within the space. Our ‘Pocket of Paradise’ collection, featuring cocktails like the Spicy Margarita, Tommy’s Margarita and Cucumber Margarita, embodies our commitment to crafting cocktails that offer quality, captivate the senses and provide the convenience consumers crave.
Behind the scenes, the innovation process is a collaborative effort that spans flavour development, ingredient sourcing, and packaging design. Drawing on our expertise and industry insights, we curate each element to ensure it resonates with consumer preferences and stands out in a crowded market. From the selection of premium spirits to the incorporation of natural flavourings and botanicals, every decision is guided by our dedication to quality and authenticity.
As consumer palates become more discerning, there is a growing appetite for unique and more sophisticated flavours in cocktails. This presents an opportunity for brands like Pimentae to experiment with bold flavours and redefine the boundaries of traditional cocktail offerings. Our bestselling Spicy Margarita is the prime example of this. Crafting the perfect chilli extract that offered a delicate balance – delivering depth of flavour with just the right amount of heat, without overpowering the palate. Incorporating a blend of Jalapeno and Scotch Bonnet extracts, this cocktail has garnered widespread acclaim, even among those who typically say they dislike spice. 
Parmiter shares Pimentae has adapted to evolving consumer preferences, as there is now a “growing appetite for unique and more sophisticated flavours in cocktails” Photo Credit: Pimentae
In an age where Instagram-worthy moments reign supreme, consumers are constantly on the lookout for products that not only taste good but also look aesthetically pleasing. Canned cocktails, with their sleek packaging and vibrant branding, have become the perfect accessory for social gatherings and virtual happy hours, allowing consumers to elevate their drinking experiences while sharing them with friends and followers online. Pimentae’s can range is wrapped in bespoke, hand-painted artwork that tells the story of the brand and the cocktails, consumers want more than just a cocktail, they want experience, feeling and brands that align to their values. 
It’s also worth recognising the broader industry trends that have contributed to this phenomenon. Over the past five years, we’ve witnessed a cultural shift towards experiential consumption, consumers crave experiences that engage their senses and evoke emotion. At Pimentae, we place a strong emphasis on listening to our customers and gathering feedback to ensure that our products resonate with their needs and desires. Whether it’s introducing new flavours, improving packaging design, or enhancing sustainability initiatives, we are committed to continuously innovating and adapting to meet the changing demands of our consumer. By staying attuned to their preferences and values, we can build a stronger community and deliver experiences that exceed their expectations.
Bacardi: Heritage in every sip

As the market for canned cocktails continues to evolve, it’s essential for brands to remain agile and responsive to changing consumer preferences. This means not only staying ahead of emerging trends but also fostering meaningful connection through authentic storytelling and community engagement. At Pimentae, we understand the importance of building trust and loyalty among our customers, which is why we place a strong emphasis on transparency, sustainability, and community. By aligning our brand values with those of our consumers, we can forge deeper connections and create lasting impact in the market.
The canned cocktail revolution represents more than just a shift in beverage trends – it’s a reflection of changing consumer lifestyles, cultural influences, and sophistication in quality and flavour. As brands like ours continue to innovate and adapt, the future of the market holds endless possibilities, offering consumers a diverse array of premium, ready-to-drink options to suit their tastes and preferences. As we raise our glasses to the next chapter of the canned cocktail revolution, we’re excited to be a part of the opportunities for discovery across such a flourishing market.
Alice Parmiter is the Co Founder of Pimentae. A London girl with a passion for art & travel. Alice spent 3 years at ASOS, specialising in Digital Media across 30 markets and has developed a holistic skillset in Customer Insights, Affiliate Marketing, SEO & Paid Media.An admiration for brands that creatively spark imagination, paired with her love for Mexico and appreciation for the Tequila craft is what inspired this exciting chapter. She believes it’s time to ignite curiosity through products that challenge tradition.
Beverages, retail, Supermarket, Sustainability, The consumer, Trade & Economy
Pimentae Drinks
UK & Ireland
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Article 2,"Posted: 11 April 2024 | John Simpson | No comments yet
In this article, AI’s potential in bolstering food safety is explored, including how it can be used to help detect contamination before it becomes a foodborne illness. 
The journey towards integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into food safety practices marks a pivotal evolution in how the food industry manages hygiene and safety protocols. Historically, data on food safety is vast but very fragmented.
It is often collected through traditional methods that create a lag in providing real-time insights that are necessary for proactive decision-making. However, with the steady implementation of digital transformation programmes across the food production sector, the landscape is shifting. With the increasing adoption of innovative hygiene inspection solutions that incorporate immediate data capture at the point of testing, we are starting to see a tangible pathway to access real time analytics to transform food safety culture from reactive to proactive.
In this article, we will explore how technology, and the current trend of AI and machine learning, has the ability to redefine cleanliness standards across food production and retail sectors.
Traditional hygiene testing practices in the food industry, such as microbiological culturing, ATP testing, and chemical indicators, do not typically give immediate results and require specialised equipment or training.
In the scenario of a typical food contamination event, where a batch of products is found to be contaminated with Salmonella, the discovery triggers a cascade of reactive steps. This can include a public recall of the affected products, extensive media announcements to warn consumers, and a costly shutdown of production lines for deep cleaning and investigation. This approach not only incurs significant financial loss but can also damage a brand’s reputation and impact  consumer trust.
By embracing AI and machine learning to make sense of extensive data sets in food safety, we can now trace contamination sources, predict hygiene failures, and even anticipate disruptions within the supply chain.
Yet, as we navigate this promising horizon, we encounter the critical need to balance innovation with data sensitivity. To bring stakeholders to the table robust encryption, stringent data access controls, and continuous security monitoring are critical to future success.
Connected data is an important step to predictive analytics and our industry must remain unwavering in our commitment to data privacy, regulation compliance, and the ethical use of technology.
Much like the advancements seen in healthcare where AI has been instrumental in advancing treatments and predicting outbreaks, the transformative potential in food safety is underscored by its ability to leverage anonymized data for predictive analytics.

By applying similar principles, AI models in the food industry have the ability to forecast potential contamination and food safety breaches, enabling businesses to shift from a reactive to a proactive stance. By bringing together and analysing comprehensive data sets within one system, AI can detect sporadic contamination patterns and identify contamination harbourage points such as machine seals.
Going further, this predictive insight can then be anonymously shared with the food industry to mitigate the same issue occurring for other businesses. These insights can further be refined by correlating with seasonal changes or shift times as more data is analysed, enabling predictions of specific bacterial presence, such as Listeria monocytogenes in winter or Salmonella in summer.
As AI continues to evolve, its role in enhancing traceability and transparency becomes increasingly critical, offering the ability to quickly trace back sources of contamination, thereby not only safeguarding public health but also protecting brand reputation.
The application of AI can also extend beyond prediction by playing a crucial role in optimising the supply chain for enhanced efficiency and safety. Through real-time monitoring and risk assessment, AI technologies offer a panoramic view of the supply chain, identifying bottlenecks and potential contamination sources before they become issues.
This level of traceability and transparency was previously unattainable, marking a significant leap towards ensuring the integrity of food from farm to table. Such advancements not only facilitate quicker responses to contamination events but also contribute to a more sustainable and ethical food production system, reflecting a growing consumer demand for transparency.
Despite the promising prospects of AI in food safety, there are challenges to its implementation, ranging from data privacy concerns to the need for a robust technological infrastructure. Ethical considerations also loom large, especially regarding how data is collected, shared, and used.
However, by adopting stringent data privacy standards and focusing on the development of ethical AI, the food industry can navigate these challenges. The establishment of a legal framework and shared platforms for data exchange, as seen in initiatives by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), points towards a collaborative approach in overcoming these obstacles.
Further industry research completed by the European Parliamentary Research Service suggests building a robust infrastructure that supports AI integration can be key to unlocking its full potential, paving the way for a future where food safety and quality are significantly enhanced through technology.
The successful implementation of AI in food safety will require the industry to communicate and educate the workforce on the approaches and methods involved in utilising AI data, and acting on its recommendations.
To allow the use of AI to expand effectively into the food industry, companies will need to communicate to their staff how to use new AI tools to enhance their day-to-day practises, rather than be seen as a nuisance. AI tools can help to empower staff at every level of a company, with managers being able to rapidly report and monitor sites, as well as sample collectors having the ability to rapidly act on any issues observed from their testing. Behavioural change is challenging, so there is a pressing need to hire professionals with expertise in data analytics, AI programming and system integration who can ensure that new data systems are implemented in a well communicated fashion, and meets all regulatory requirements.
Recognising the meticulous nature of the food industry, we believe a measured exploration of the potential benefits of AI can provide a clear route to adoption. A phased approach can enable enterprises to understand the benefits of AI while managing brand and reputational concerns.
Central to this journey is addressing data privacy considerations through solid security measures and ethical data practices, ensuring that the adoption of AI enhances consumer trust rather than undermining it. Additionally, cultivating a skilled workforce adept in AI and data analytics, coupled with navigating regulatory landscapes, will be pivotal in overcoming implementation barriers.
Looking ahead, we envision a food industry that not only embraces AI for its operational benefits but also sees it as a catalyst for building a more transparent, safe, and efficient food supply chain. This future is not just about leveraging technology for the sake of innovation but about fostering a human culture of safety and quality that benefits all stakeholders through producers, consumers, and regulators alike. By approaching AI adoption with an open mind and a commitment to collaboration and continuous improvement, we can pave the way for a food industry that is not only more resilient to safety challenges but also more responsive to the evolving demands of a global consumer base.
The more heterogeneous data that can be incorporated into AI models, from a range of sources including all sizes and types of food producers, restaurants and commercial kitchens through to regulators, the sharper an AI model can be in informing the entire food industry in predicting food safety trends and providing the most efficient routes to proactive food safety.
New technology often fails to roll out when it is poorly understood by the user. AI must be seen and demonstrated to enhance a manager’s work process, empowering a safety auditor in their reporting and aiding a cleaner in proactively responding to a detected risk. When setting out on our mission to make contamination visible through a simple colour change technology test, making hygiene accessible to all levels of the food sector has been a central tenet of our vision. By working with industry partners combining simple and quick hygiene testing with cloud data solutions we firmly believe that AI can be used as a powerful tool to ensure the highest standards of food safety and quality, today and in the years to come.
To find out more about the impact of AI in the food sector, listen to New Food’s two part podcast series on the applications of AI here.
Dr John Simpson is the CTO and co-founder of FreshCheck Hygiene Verification, founded in 2015 during his Ph.D at Imperial College London in Chemical Biology. He leads the company’s product development team, leveraging innovative colour-change technology and data driven services, enhancing safety and efficiency to make contamination visible in food production and wider markets.
Data & Automation, Food Safety
Fresh Check
UK & Ireland
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Article 3,"Posted: 9 April 2024 | Clive Black | No comments yet
Here, Clive Black explains how post-pandemic upheaval coupled with soaring energy and food prices is reshaping UK supermarkets, favouring private labels over proprietary brands.
By Dr Clive Black is Vice Chairman of Shore Capital Markets
Following the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, war in Europe produced another negative externality that would have a quite material impact upon the mix of products sold in the UK supermarkets as well as where they would be bought.
The steep rise in energy and food costs that reflected an amalgam of interconnected processes drove up Office for National Statistics (ONS) CPI to levels not seen for a couple of generations (Q1 2023 food inflation was 19 percent) and with it the steepest rise in interest rates that we have ever seen, the latter accreting from a foolhardy 0.1 percent to the present 5.25 percent.
That inflationary pressure compressed living standards in the UK as even with pretty full employment, the movement in wages lagged that of prices, which had notable implications for the British grocery market and wider food system. Understandably, volumes, the number of items placed in a basket, nudged down whilst mix, the value of what goes into a trolley also negatively adjusted. Additionally, the drive for value led to unnatural traffic into the discount channel, where Aldi became the number three player by market share.
The mix point merits a little more investigation, because in trading down it was not just a case of folks switching out of, for example, fresh and chilled into ambient and frozen lines, the latter offering longer shelf-life, so less wastage, but also tending to be at lower unit prices. Rather, it also delivered one of the most notable switches in participation between private label (PL) and proprietary brands (PBs) that has ever been witnessed in such a short period of time.
Again, referencing NIQ data shared with in a presentation by Mike Watkins for Shore Capital in July 2023, the analytics house records that there was roughly a five percent or 500 basis point switch between PL/PB participation between 2021-2023 in the UK, favouring the former so taking it to c54 percent of the whole UK market. Accordingly, for brand owners, where most lost share, some notably did not it should be said, this sort of value and volume switch will take a long time to re-coup if it takes place at all.
UK retail sales rise by 6.5 percent

In the old days, we think back to the likes of 2006, when there was an inflationary spike, PBs would pass through case price rises and then seek to more aggressively promote for a period to offer value and maintain share. However, the rise of the German grocery discount chains in the UK, to number three and number five current market positions, plus the likes of B&M and Home Bargains activities in the PB arena, meant that in the 2020s the value-based superstores (e.g., Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury and Tesco) would not be so supplier led like they were in the past.
Indeed, with proprietary in-house data analytics and loyalty schemes, Tesco and Sainsbury in particular introduced materially different, more focused and self-benefiting promotional processes through Clubcard and Nectar Prices, respectively, which has helped them to gain share since the pandemic ended whilst not opening new space. All this poses a challenge to PB owners, especially those who have not smelt the coffee beans of the British shopper, so probably permanently ceding share to PL.
Going forward, those PB owners may do well to be closer to the shopper because if brand share is only going to be dependent upon promotional strategies then more will be lost. All of which means that more fundamental questions need to be considered around the true components, values, deliverables and marketing of a brand. In this respect, innovation, therefore, in all its facets is going to be the critical process to future share direction, assuming that everyday operational disciplines (customer relations, service levels and so forth) are fulfilled.
It is likely to be a long haul back for proprietary brands…
Dr Clive Black is Vice Chairman of Shore Capital Markets. Clive joined Shore Capital in 2003. After a Ph.D at Queen’s University of Belfast he was Head of Food Policy at the NFU, a strategic planner for Lord Haskins at Northern Foods plc before joining Charterhouse Tilney where he was a No.1 rated consumer analyst, becoming Head of Pan-European retail research at ING. He has been highly ranked in Thomson Extel surveys for many years.
Food Security, retail, Supermarket, The consumer
NIQ, Shore Capital
UK & Ireland
Mike Watkins
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Article 4,"Supported by:
Published: 5 April 2024
The human ability to see colour undoubtedly serves a purpose. In this informative eBook from Givaudan, colour is put under the microscope as we consider the ways in which it impacts the food and beverage experience.
Embark on a vibrant journey with Givaudan‘s latest eBook, which unravels the captivating role of colour in the world of food and beverages.
Colour contributes significantly to the pleasurable and emotional experience of eating and drinking alongside other visual cues such as size, shape, packaging and labelling. However, it also serves as a gateway for perceiving, identifying and making decisions about food products.
In this informative digital book, you will discover how hues guide us in choosing the perfect food sources, discerning ripeness and even detecting potential hazards. You will also delve deeper into the connection between colour and flavour intensity, uncover the language of emotions woven within shades and explore the myriad ways in which colour enriches our culinary experiences.
Download the eBook today to find out more about:
This useful tool is packed with illuminating case studies and scientific insights from Givaudan. Begin your colourful exploration into food and beverages by downloading today!
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Article 5,"Posted: 5 April 2024 | Anthony Warner | No comments yet
Here Anthony Warner discusses how the plant-based market is contending with economic pressures and Homepride’s adaptations in a premium-heavy sector. 
By Anthony Warner, Development Chef
I am a development chef by trade, and I worked for many years developing recipes for large cooking sauce brands. For decades, the biggest selling cooking sauce in the UK was the Homepride tinned Curry Sauce, a product that made the company I worked for a huge amount of money. It was widely seen as old fashioned, inauthentic, cheap and poor quality, but consistently outperformed every other cooking sauce on the market.
The funny thing was, every other Indian cooking sauce brand wanted to think of itself as premium, and all of them ended up fighting over a small segment of the market, offering authentic flavours, premium indulgence, and a restaurant experience at home. Whereas Homepride quietly provided a simple, cheap, family friendly product that people could rely on, and went about its business largely unchallenged by other brands.
I saw a similar thing happen during the explosion of vegan meat brands between 2019 and 2021. Dozens of shiny new players, some backed by food giants, others by venture capitalists, all with exciting new products and big marketing spends. And seemingly all of them were fighting at the premium end of the market, looking for a piece of the big spending millennials, interested in ethical consumerism from a funky lifestyle brand.
Fast forward to 2023 and the on-rushing cost of living crisis was to plough straight into the super-premium plant-based market, leaving casualties strewn all over the tracks. Stretched consumers abandoned plant-based brands at the same time as costs were spiralling, putting many brands and manufacturers out of business. I cannot help thinking that if any of those brands had built themselves around offering consumers value, a cost-of-living crisis would have been their chance to shine. What we needed was a plant-based Homepride. What we got were a dozen wannabe Teslas.
On the surface, there seems to be very little reason why plant-based should not be offering better value than meat. After all, most of the ingredients in plant-based meat products are similar to the constituents of animal feed. Can it really be cheaper and more efficient to feed soya to a pig and make a sausage out of that pig’s meat, than to make a sausage directly out of soya?
Our latest report set out to explore the reasons behind the price premium that plant-based seems to command and found a complex picture. The issue is not entirely down to the high margin expectations of highly leveraged vegan start-ups. Although soya protein is indeed cheaper than meat, the cost of turning that protein into something delicious and functional is what makes plant-based command a price premium.
Our analysis shows that flavours, gelling agents, emulsifiers and colours add considerable costs. And perhaps even more significant, the complexity of plant-based formulations, with so many additional steps and processes, creates huge wastage and inefficiency. Making a beef burger involves little more than mixing some meat with a seasoning pack and forming into shapes, whereas a plant-based equivalent often requires four or five steps, all of which take time and produce waste.
Add to that the low volumes and short chilled shelf lives, and plant-based ends up being far more expensive to get on shelf. These inefficiencies left plant-based producers extremely vulnerable once the cost-of-living crisis started to bite, forcing them to cut already tight margins to chase volume, or have rates of sale drop so low that they risk being delisted. The fact that almost all of the new plant-based meat brands were premium options cannot have helped, as consumers were never likely to shop the fixture in search of value. It was a disaster that could have, and probably should have, been predicted.
Of course, the existence of a Homepride for plant-based meat is predicated on it being possible to offer value plant-based burgers and sausages that are high enough in quality. Even at the value end of a market, families demand delicious options and will turn their backs if brands don’t deliver. And although this challenge is difficult, our report shows that it is possible. There are various approaches at the ingredient level that can help manufacturers take significant costs out of formulations.
Optimising the use of flavourings is a key approach, as flavour can drive as much as 40 percent of the ingredient cost of many plant-based products. Switching to less processed protein concentrates, rather than expensive protein isolates is another way of taking out considerable cost and will also reduce the carbon impact of recipes. New methods of achieving meat-like structures are increasingly available, many of which are cleaner label and cheaper than conventional methylcellulose-based approaches. And finding ways of optimising the use of side streams from protein extraction is increasingly important, with the potential to dramatically bring down the cost of formulations.
Plant-based needs some concerted, incremental product development activity to bring down the cost of recipes, increasing profitability and most importantly, offering consumers some value options. If delicious plant-based burgers and nuggets are available that are comparable in price to meat, or preferably cheaper, then I have no doubt there would be considerable switching. Most consumers buy processed meat products in spite of the fact they are made from animals, not because of it. Provide something better that they can afford, and a lot of the barriers will come down.
Whilst many commenters consider the future of plant-based to be about precision fermentation and cellular agriculture, I think what it really needs is some boring, old-fashioned cost reduction. That might not generate as much investment cash as promising lab-grown meat by 2030, but it will probably have a much bigger impact on the food people eat.
Anthony Warner is a Development Chef and Food Science Writer, working at the intersection of academia and food manufacturing. He works with the New Food Innovation consulting group, supporting companies to make healthier, more sustainable food products. He has published the award winning Angry Chef trilogy of books exploring the health and sustainability of global food systems.
Ingredients, retail
Europe, UK & Ireland
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Article 6,"Posted: 4 April 2024 | Professor Chris Elliott | No comments yet
In this article, Professor Chris Elliott examines the ramifications of UK’s Net Zero farming policies on food security, amid concerns of impending shortages and environmental impacts. 
By Professor Chris Elliott 
I attended a lecture recently on the topic of food and farming in the UK in relation to the Net Zero objective. It was an insightful and thought-provoking lecture and I learnt some new aspects and challenges that climate change in particular will bring to meeting the target.  
However, the lecture and many other sources of information and personal knowledge did leave me with the feeling that if the UK Government’s Net Zero farming policies continue on the course they are on, without any meaningful policies on food security, the UK faces a very worrying future in terms of having enough food for the growing population. 
I’m not talking about 10 or 20 years in the future but in a much shorter timeframe. In fact, already been told by food industry insiders that there are projections we could have up to a 50 percent shortage in some fresh produce before the end of the year.  
It appears to me that Net Zero in the UK agriculture system may be obtainable but the unintended consequences will be far reaching in terms of driving food insecurity and overall detrimental to our planetary health. I went on to discus this view after the lecture with a number of senior representatives of the food and farming community that I respect very much and was met with a degree of despondency that I have rarely come across before.  
To put it frankly, the UK food and farming policy in terms of Net Zero has been driven by dogma and not science and, in my belief, without common sense. Many commentators, including myself have described Defra as being unfit for purpose government department, not the hard working civil servants within it but some of the scientific advice from within based mainly on ideology and a raft of Secretaries of State who know little or care less about national food security. I’ve tried to summarise the government’s Net Zero policy in terms of farming from my perspective. It is: 
So where does the sound science and common sense around having a sustainable UK food system lie? I read an excellent article by the science writer, author and farmer Matt Ridley written for the  Science for Sustainable Agriculture organisation Science For Sustainable Agriculture. In this piece he points out that Defra Ministers are failing to heed their own scientific advice and the substantial body of scientific evidence which supports a very different approach to protecting biodiversity than the Environmental Land Management (ELM) as they are introducing across the country. 
In a piece published in The Times, Ridley quotes one of the UK’s famous farmers, Jeremy Clarkson, writing ‘Why would the British government decide to reduce a farmer’s income and introduce mass starvation? Clarkson’s stance is comparable to my summary, defined by the phrase “the operation went well but the patient died”. 
There is a lot of content in Ridley’s article that I believe should be part of a national debate about how our nation should feed itself in the future. Some I’m very much in favour or and some less so. However, the overarching theme of developing what’s urgently needed through good science and innovation is key.           
My favourite academic in the UK, Professor Sir John Curtice, informs us that the Labour Party have a 99 percent chance of forming the next government. Surely it is time we heard what their policies will be in terms of ensuring the nation has a resilient, environmentally sustainable and affordable food system. I do not exaggerate when I say we are looking at a national emergency that will need decisive action driven by what’s best for our country and our planet. 
Environment, Regulation & Legislation, Supply chain, Sustainability
UK & Ireland
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Article 7,"Posted: 27 March 2024 | Melvin Jay | No comments yet
Melvin Jay unveils The Sustainable Bottling Co., presenting aluminum bottles as eco-conscious substitutes for plastic and how this can transform beverage packaging practices.
By Melvin Jay, Founder of GUNNA Drinks, The Sustainable Bottling Co. and Water Almighty.
On the back of a £1 million investment, the Founder of anti-plastic campaigning soda brand GUNNA Drinks, Melvin Jay has launched The Sustainable Bottling Co., a brand new aluminium bottling facility near Leicester. The 8,000 sq ft site is the first in the UK and Europe with the capabilities to bottle drinks in aluminium beyond water and, as well as bottling GUNNA’s own lemonades, will also offer white-label aluminium bottling to the broader industry.
This move aligns with the booming aluminium bottle market in the US, as seen via brands such as PepsiCo’s Proud Source Water. Jay has also announced the launch of a completely new water brand, Water Almighty – the first aluminium bottled, functional water in the UK, set to take on the scourge of plastic bottles on our shelves; this latest move from the business is set to capitalise on its new capabilities.
Melvin Jay, founder of GUNNA Drinks, The Sustainable Bottling Co. and Water Almighty (MJ): Plastic bottles are a major culprit when it comes to single-use plastic waste. It is estimated that an average of 35.8 million plastic bottles are used every day in the UK, with only 19.8 million recycled.1 According to research by Greenpeace, less than 10 percent of the plastic that goes into recycling in the UK is recycled, while the majority is either incinerated, goes to landfills, or is shipped off abroad.2
Around 70 percent of soft drinks are bottled in damaging single-use plastic (SUP). In contrast, aluminium is infinitely recyclable, meaning that comparably, The Sustainable Bottling Co.’s offering has very strong environmental credentials.
In the USA, the market for water in aluminium bottles has grown rapidly to over $1 billion in the last few years (Source: Future Market Insights), with Proud Source Water leading the way, reaching revenues of over $300m in less than six years. The UK market for water in this bottle format is similarly set to explode, and The Sustainable Bottling Co. hopes to encourage this.
 
MJ: The Sustainable Bottling Co. will be able to produce bottles from 330ml to 750ml. The offering of an aluminium bottle versus the standard 330ml can that many drinks are currently packaged in also has exciting implications as it can house more liquid and mimics the footprint of a plastic bottle on the shelf. The 470ml bottle has the same on-shelf footprint as damaging single-use plastic water bottles, so offers an easy, planet-friendly switch.
The Sustainable Bottling Co. is a newly opened aluminium bottling facility near Leicester, England that has scope to produce bottles from 330ml to 750ml
This means it is also an easy like-for-like switch in terms of size and stock capacity and streamlines the industry transition away from plastic. The bottles, distinguished by their resealable caps, offer consumers the advantages of being able to refill and reuse or recycle, setting them apart from cans and providing a convenient on-the-go and sustainable option.
 
MJ: Sustainability concerns play a pivotal role in shaping the evolution of packaging within the category, primarily driven by increased consumer awareness and growing concerns regarding the environmental impact of traditional plastic bottles. Consumers are increasingly aware of the climate implications of such packaging, with more than 70% of water currently sold in plastic bottles. The urgency to address these concerns is evident, as over 8 in 10 consumers, according to a survey by The Guardian, are actively striving to diminish their plastic waste. Remarkably, half of the respondents would be willing to pay more for products packaged in more eco-friendly materials, showing an incredibly strong market demand for sustainable alternatives. This collective consumer sentiment is putting pressure on brands to adopt packaging solutions that align with these expectations, encouraging a shift towards more environmentally friendly options within the bottle market.
A world wrapped in food packaging

Aluminium demonstrates noteworthy recyclability and keeps its properties through endless recycling cycles without weakening. When recycling a single aluminium can or bottle, suppliers can save  95 percent of the energy typically used in the initial manufacturing process and remove the need for any new materials to be mined or transported.3 Also, there is a significantly higher likelihood that aluminium bottles will be collected and recycled, preventing their contribution to landfills or oceans. Their durability helps them to withstand impact and rough handling, rendering them well-suited for repeated use. Meanwhile, in comparison to their plastic or glass counterparts, the production of aluminium bottles consumes less energy and resources. Aluminium also boasts a higher recycling rate and is widely accepted in recycling facilities globally. These attributes highlight the advantages of aluminium’s sustainability credentials as well as its usability.
 
MJ: The team and I at The Sustainable Bottling Co. have invested heavily in this new planet-friendly packaging and although this comes at a premium, costing around 10 percent more than other formats, research resoundingly shows consumers are prepared to pay more to avoid plastic. Our offering will make it easier than ever before for brands to switch to an aluminium bottled format in place of the hugely damaging single-use plastic that is all too common. 
Aluminium bottles possess a sleek, contemporary aesthetic that resonates with environmentally conscious consumers seeking style and sustainability. The smooth exterior serves as a perfect backdrop for innovative branding and captivating designs, ensuring they stand out on shelves in retail and out-of-home outlets. 
 
From a personal and professional perspective, I’m a passionate advocate of sustainability, and it’s something that’s been at the heart of the GUNNA Drinks brand for the last six years. So, it’s incredibly exciting to launch The Sustainable Bottling Co. and offer the industry access to significantly more planet-friendly bottling. We believe aluminium bottles are the future. We’ve put significant investment in place to bring this vision to life, and we know that sustainable packaging is something that brands, retailers and shoppers are all actively looking for. There are far-reaching needs across the FMCG industry for aluminium bottling, and we can’t wait to start fulfilling these and helping to reduce the drinks sector’s reliance on harmful single-use plastic bottles. The potential environmental ramifications here are huge, and we’re excited to be able to make responsibly sourced and sustainable packaging more accessible.
[1]  https://www.recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item/plastic-bottles
[2] https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/plastic-recycling-export-incineration/
[3] https://www.recyclenow.com/how-to-recycle/can-recycling
Melvin Jay is the Founder of GUNNA Drinks, The Sustainable Bottling Co. and Water Almighty.
Beverages, Packaging & Labelling, Sustainability
GUNNA Drinks, The Sustainable Bottling Co.
UK & Ireland
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Article 8,"Posted: 22 March 2024 | Duncan Goose | No comments yet
This World Water Day, Duncan Goose reflects on ‘Leveraging Water for Peace’ amid global challenges and explores the journey of One Water which has impacted five million lives through purpose-driven initiatives. 
By Duncan Goose – Founder, One Water & The One Foundation
In December 1992, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/47/193, after which time 22 March was declared World Water Day. Every year has a theme, to highlight a specific issue related to water challenges around the world.
This year’s theme is ‘Leveraging Water for Peace’. I wonder what springs to mind when you read those words. For me personally, this week I sat with a paper on my desk asking us to fund a critical set of water projects in Gaza. The need there, is chronic.
Over the last 20 years we’ve seen some pretty desperate situations around the world. I have been witness to people walking 20 kilometres to seek out a water source, for people to die along the way, only to find the water sources contaminated and risk getting cholera.
In January of this year, the House of Commons declared that The Horn of Africa is experiencing its longest drought in 40 years. Compounded by high food prices and political instability, this has led to 36.4 million people suffering from hunger across the region, and 21.7 million requiring food assistance.
Google the words ‘Flood List’ and you’ll get a global span of the current impacts of Climate Change – from here in the UK to flooding in France, to Malawi and Sumatra. Despite always focussing on longer term projects, it’s like we’re running triage sometimes. There is either too little water, too much, or it’s unclean. And it’s not getting any easier.
From my first experience of being caught in the middle of a Category 5 hurricane which killed over 10,000 people and did over $6 billion of damage, removing infrastructure, food and water supplies and being sat under Chinooks as they flew in aid, I knew I wanted to do something to help others.
And that led to the creation of the bottled water brand, One. So called because, when I started it, there were one billion people in the world without access to clean water and whilst it would be impossible to change that many lives, we thought that if we could change one person’s life, one day at a time, that would be a good definition of success.
And so it became. Slowly at first, but as more distribution for One was secured, the more money we were able to donate to fund clean water projects, and the more lives we started to change.
And today, with partners like the Co-Op, World Duty Free, Starbucks, Holland & Barrett, we’ve now helped to change the lives of five million people.
Five million people who, hopefully, live more stable, more peaceful, more beneficial lives because they are not having to walk hours to collect water or risk becoming ill from water-borne diseases like cholera. For many communities, they now have piped water networks which seems like something of a technology jump having been previously faced with collecting water from rivers or open water sources.
But, for me, it wasn’t just about creating a brand which helped to provide clean water, it was about creating a brand and a business which stood for something. When I started One, the ‘purpose’ movement was really in its infancy and CSR was a word that people used, but weren’t sure what it was. Today, it’s ‘SBTi’s, net zero, carbon neutral, cradle to cradle’ that are probably the latest incarnation of ‘what’s coming at you’ to make people listen a little harder to conversations.
So we quietly set out to make changes. Using recycled plastics in our bottles long before it became the norm and sucking up the price premium for doing so; becoming carbon neutral to scope three before people started banging that drum loudly; becoming a signatory to the UN Global Compact; and becoming one of the first, and a founding B Corporation in the UK. No one really had a clue what it was at the time, but some passionate people convinced other passionate people to start a new movement and now it’s going from strength to strength. 
Like all of these things, it’s sometimes not a compliance/regulatory/marketing advantage decision, but a personal choice of what leaders decide to do with their organisations. What they decide to encourage their teams to explore, to challenge and debate – and we’ve had a lot of debates.
We have a range of products that includes 100 percent recycled PET plastic bottles, cans made from 51 percent recycled aluminium, Tetra Pak cartons, glass bottles made from 50 percent recycled glass and a pre-filled and refillable, 100 percent recyclable aluminium bottle.  Each has its role to play in the category and each has its pros and cons – and having spoken at sustainability conferences, rarely can anyone tell me which is the best solution or why.  But we have our own views and are happy to share them.
So this World Water Day, whether you’ve ever bought One water, or been a partner of ours, I want to say thank you to all those people who have made a difference to the lives of five million people, helping them get access to one of life’s most fundamental needs. Water. Their lives have been made better because of you.
And if you debate in your own business how you can leverage what you do for peace, a better world, climate change, humanity, or just to change a life, I would say this – just start. Who knows, in a few years you might have found it’s changed the lives of millions.
Duncan Goose is the Founder of One Water & The One Foundation. He is a marketing executive who returned from a two-year motorcycle adventure around the world, started One Water with the aim of raise enough funds to change one person’s life. Almost 20 years on donations from the sale of One Water have helped The One Foundation fund crucial programmes in the most water-stressed areas of the world, focusing on Rwanda, Ghana, Kenya and Malawi.
Environment, Water
One Water
Europe, UK & Ireland
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Article 1,"Are you new to VideoProc Converter AI and wondering about its capabilities? This versatile media-processing software has now evolved to include a suite of AI-powered tools that can take your files to the next level. 
And in this comprehensive review, we’ll provide you with an in-depth look at this powerful program, exploring how you can leverage each feature to craft captivating visuals like never before. 
VideoProc Converter AI is a robust all-in-one media-processing software that offers more than just the ability to convert, compress, record, download, edit, and repair media files. It also features a suite of advanced AI tools – such as Super Resolution, Frame Interpolation, and Stabilization – which use artificial intelligence to upscale old, SD, and low-quality videos or images by up to 400% to 4K/8K/10K, to convert low-FPS to high-FPS videos for smoother motions, and to enhance video stability and visual appeal. 
Here are the program’s core features:
Below, we are going to take a closer look at each aspect so you can understand how these tools can contribute to your media processing and enhancement. 
VideoProc Converter AI features an easy-to-navigate interface. On the home page, you can find seven panels. The top row is dedicated to AI functions (Super Resolution, Frame Interpolation, and Stabilization), while the remaining four modules handle classic media processing (Video Converter, DVD, Downloader, and Recorder).
The AI image enhancer feature in VideoProc Converter leverages Super Resolution to upscale AI art as well as old and low-quality images by up to 4x (to 4K/8K/10K). You can effortlessly change resolution, enhance quality, remove noise, sharpen focus, and even fix compressed, blurry, or defocused images. Here is a more detailed analysis:
Harnessing advanced artificial intelligence, VideoProc Converter AI can seamlessly upscale images by 200%, 300%, or even 400%. Unlike traditional upscaling methods relying on mathematical algorithms that often result in pixelation and loss of detail, this software uses cutting-edge AI-based neural network technology to boost low-quality images to 4K/8K/10K while preserving intricate details and textures. Whether you’re working with a treasured family Christmas photo, a precious newborn snapshot, or AI-generated artwork, VideoProc Converter AI can breathe new life into the images with remarkable ease. 
VideoProc Converter AI also excels at removing noise from your images and reconstructing crisp, clean visuals. Whether you’re dealing with noisy low-light photography shots or trying to restore old and degraded photographs, this feature has you covered. Imagine capturing the breathtaking beauty of a starry night sky or the twinkling lights of a city skyline – only to be met with unwanted noise and graininess. Thanks to this AI feature, you can effortlessly remove that annoying noise to reveal the true clarity and detail of your images.
The AI image enhancer can also improve the definition of edges in images, bringing out the finest details and textures. This is particularly valuable for portrait photography, where capturing the intricate details of a subject’s facial features, eyes, and hair can be the difference between a good shot and a truly captivating one. With the AI image enhancer, you can meticulously sharpen these delicate details to reveal a level of depth and realism that was previously hidden. 
When it comes to enhancing video, VideoProc Converter AI sets the bar high with its cutting-edge AI Super Resolution. The AI video enhancer can upscale your videos to stunning 4K resolution, enhance video motion, fix shaky clips, and improve blurry, grainy, or pixelated videos. Tailored to a variety of content types – from real-life and live-action videos to animated and AI-generated visuals – VideoProc Converter AI can give your videos a visually striking makeover and ensure a flawless output that retains every detail without any artifacts. Here is a more detailed breakdown: 
VideoProc Converter can upscale videos by 200%, 300%, or 400%. It can enlarge 360p videos to HD/4k while keeping as many details as possible, and it can adeptly handle video content featuring complex pictures, excessive elements, text, details, vivid colors, and high-motion content, including media with high-speed sports footage, high frame rates, etc. 
The AI video upscaler does more than just refine your self-shot videos, animations, and AI art; it can also bring your archival footage to life. Whether you need to enhance vintage home movie videos, DV footage, old YouTube videos, DVDs, or low-resolution recordings from Super 8 film, VideoProc Converter can upscale them all to be enjoyed on larger screens with unparalleled visual quality. 
If your videos are suffering from quality issues due to low resolution, encoding, compression, poor lighting, or shaking, VideoProc Converter AI has you covered. The program can easily enhance blurry, grainy, or pixelated videos into crystal-clear masterpieces. This cleanup works on various types of videos and is particularly great for rejuvenating digitized old films.  
VideoProc Converter AI uses artificial intelligence to significantly enhance and sharpen video. The AI sharpening feature identifies edges and details in the footage, then selectively increases contrast along these edges while preserving adjoining regions. This brings out crisper definition and clarity in a natural-looking way. The algorithm is trained on vast datasets to sharpen video from diverse sources, including AI-generated video. It helps restore realism, visual pop, and vibrancy to make the video come alive with life-like sharpness and resolution. 
The AI Frame Interpolation in VideoProc Converter AI uses advanced AI-interpolation technology to intelligently insert new frames between existing ones. This innovative approach elevates frame rates from 30/60 FPS to an impressive 120/240/480 FPS and beyond, delivering smooth motion. This makes it easy for users to create stunning and cinematic-quality slow-motion content for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and beyond. 
The AI video stabilization feature in VideoProc Converter AI is especially useful for rugged outdoor action cams like GoPros and drones when filming shaky extreme sports like mountain biking. Its advanced AI stabilization algorithm is specially tuned to smooth bumpy footage from these devices, whether chest-mounted on trails or positioned on full-suspension handlebars. Users can select from multiple stabilization modes, presets, border colors, crop types, and crop ratios to eliminate unwanted camera shake and achieve the desired results. 
The built-in media screen-and-webcam recorder is another great VideoProc Convert AI feature. It allows you to capture entire or partial desktop/iOS screens with a voiceover, record from a webcam, or record both simultaneously in picture-in-picture mode. 
You can also change your background with the chroma key function, and you can crop, draw, and highlight any content and add outlines, texts, arrows, images, and more to your live recordings. This is particularly useful for YouTubers who need to record gaming footage while also incorporating webcam commentary.
VideoProc Converter AI also comes with a robust DVD digitizer that can rip all types of DVDs (whether old or new with copy protections); copy full titles to MKV, VIDEO_TS folders, and ISO image files; and convert them into more than 370 formats such as MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV, and more for easy sharing, archiving, and editing. The tool ensures that the quality of the ripped or copied content is maintained, providing users with lossless video and audio output. It also offers the ability to edit video length, expedite processing, and segment chapters in one seamless process.
Equipped with a top-notch downloading engine, VideoProc Converter enables you to losslessly download video streams, live videos, video playlists, channels, and audio from YouTube, Facebook, Dailymotion, and Twitch along with other 1000+ UGC sites. Not only can you fetch the desired media files – up to 999+ at the same time! – from online sites without watermarks or ads, but you can also bypass format incompatibility issues with customized resolutions, formats, and quality (8K/4K/HD/SD) to play the saved videos on any computer. 
Featuring a robust video conversion engine and a 370+ format library, VideoProc Converter AI can address all your transcoding needs and (batch) convert media to MP4, MKV, AVI, and other formats without jeopardizing image quality. It can even automate the conversion process with presets for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Xbox, etc. This makes it an ideal solution for those struggling to play GoPro, DJI, iPhone, or camera videos on mobile devices or watch DVD movies on a PC or Mac.
VideoProc Converter offers an extensive range of editing tools to enhance your videos. The program lets you cut, merge, rotate, and crop; you can also add subtitles, watermarks, effects, filters, and more. What’s more, VideoProc’s software provides features to correct lens distortion, create GIFs, capture screenshots, extract images from videos, synchronize audio and video outputs, adjust playback speed and audio volume, and even convert 3D videos into 2D formats for viewing on 2D screens. 
Equipped with a max-quality compression engine, VideoProc Converter AI allows you to effortlessly reduce video file sizes by up to 90% without compromising quality. You can compress video in seconds by either entering the target file size or dragging the compression ratio slider. 
In addition, VideoProc Converter AI offers six other regular and advanced compress methods to minimize video file sizes, including increasing GOP, lowering bitrate and frame rate, downscaling the resolution, converting to a more aggressive codec, etc. These features ensure optimal control and adaptability for all your video compression needs.
VideoProc Converter AI comes with a free trial. However, for those ready to buy, the three pricing plans cater to different needs, making the software a competitively priced option compared to other all-in-one AI video processing tools on the market now:
Note: The program is now available for a holiday deal, and users can score the complete set of AI features and media tools for a mere $29.95 for a single lifetime use (originally $45.95!) and $39.95 for multiple lifetime licenses (originally $57.95!). 
Below, we will provide you with a general walk-through on how to make the most out of VideoProc Converter AI:
First, download (for free!), install, and launch VideoProc Converter AI on your computer. 
Next, on the home page, you can find seven panels, each dedicated to a specific task for processing your video. Here’s a breakdown of the functionality offered by each of these panels:
Let’s use image upscaling as an example. Say you want to upscale this image:
Here’s how you would proceed:
VideoProc Converter AI is an extremely powerful and versatile all-in-one AI-generative media solution that can enhance and process old and low-quality footage like never before through its cutting-edge AI toolkit. It comes highly recommended for users of all levels. And with its holiday offer – a savings of 60% off the regular price – you can unlock a full suite of AI features at merely $29.95 for lifetime use to craft polished videos in minutes.
Once you become a lifetime VideoProc user, you will enjoy lifetime updates for free!
Digiarty is a paid partner of dPS.
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Article 2,"In landscape photography, avoid photographing toward the sun. 
It’s one of the most common tips you’ll hear from seasoned landscape photographers. In fact, it’s a tip that I’ve previously shared, myself! 
Now, avoiding strong backlighting is a well-known tip for a reason. When you point your camera into the sun, you’ll be faced with very difficult lighting conditions, and you risk losing details in the highlights and the shadows (or both at the same time!). Expert landscape photographers know this, and they know the dynamic range that their sensors are capable of capturing, which is why you often hear the above advice.
That said, the importance of avoiding strong backlight might not be as relevant today as it was several years ago. Today’s sensors and post-processing opportunities are much more forgiving, and what once was a bad idea can now be an opportunity.
In this article, I’ll show you how photographing toward the sun can enhance the atmosphere and add an extra dimension to your landscape images. And I’ll share my best tips so you can include the sun in your shots with amazing results! 
I’m sure many of you are ready to jump straight into the comment section right now and tell me how much of a bad idea it is to shoot towards the sun. But give me a minute to explain why it’s something you might want to consider doing with your landscape photography.
The greatest benefit of adding the sun to the frame is that it adds depth to the resulting shot. 
Take this next image as an example. As you can clearly see, the sun is present, and the shot is incredibly three-dimensional:
But if you remove the sun, the photo becomes flat and much less interesting:
Sure, you could process the sunless image to add some three-dimensionality and drama, but the result wouldn’t be the same. Without the sun, the image is flat; with the sun included, the image comes to life and drags you into it.
Including the sun can also be beneficial from a compositional perspective. In the example above, the bright sun serves as a focal point. The viewer’s eye is naturally guided along the cliffs and up toward the sun in the background. 
Here, it’s important to keep in mind that our eyes are naturally attracted to the brighter parts of an image. So if you include the sun in the frame, and you ensure that it’s positioned in a background area where the viewer’s eye can rest, it’ll do a great job of drawing the eye from foreground to background. 
(Of course, whether this looks good depends on where you place the sun. You must think of the sun as a compositional element and position it accordingly, the same way you’d position a mountain, a picturesque cabin, an interesting tree, and so on.)
One final benefit of shooting toward the sun is that you often get beautiful shadows moving from background to foreground. These can serve as additional leading lines that help guide the viewer’s eye and add an even greater sense of depth.
Hopefully, you now agree with me that the sun can sometimes enhance your landscape images.
However, there’s one thing I need to make clear: including the sun in your images won’t always be beneficial. There are certain conditions or methods you should take advantage of for this to work. Here are some tips to help you out:
While there are exceptions to this advice, the best landscape images generally come when the sun is low on the horizon. The sun then creates a soft glow and gives a nicely balanced light, plus it often turns the sky into a breathtaking canvas of color:
Additionally, when the sun is low in the sky, the landscape features a more limited tonal range, making it easier to capture backlit shots.
On the other hand, during midday – when the sun is positioned higher in the sky – the light is harsh and less pleasing to the eyes. This is something you generally want to avoid in landscape photography!
I’ll start by saying this: There’s no one single correct spot to place the sun within your image. Sometimes it’s beneficial to place it in the center, while other times it’s better to place it on the side.
This is where trial and error, as well as experience, come into play.
For the image above, I chose to place the sun at the very edge of the frame. Partly obscured by the clouds, it doesn’t attract too much attention; instead, the viewer is drawn to the beautiful light hitting the landscape while subtly guided from the foreground to the distant background.
If you are familiar with semi-advanced post-processing techniques, you might be aware of a processing style called light bleed. This is a technique that involves heavy dodging and enhancing/creating a light source that diffuses through the image, and it’s used by a lot of landscape photography professionals to create an ethereal effect.
However, by placing the sun at the corner or edge of your frame, you can actually produce the light-bleed style in-camera.
Other times, however, you want to place the sun in the center of the image. For the image below, placing the sun in the center added a light source that your eyes naturally go toward. Had I instead placed the sun to the side, this image would have been less balanced.
In my opinion, one of the best ways of including the sun in your landscape photos is to partly obscure it. You can do this by waiting for the sun to get low in the sky, then position your camera so the sun is peeking out from behind a tree, a mountain, etc.
When you combine a partially obscured sun with a narrow aperture such as f/8 or f/11, you can achieve a beautiful sunstar or sunburst:
Since the sun is so much brighter than the surrounding landscape, it can be hard to capture a well-exposed image when including it in the frame. But by using a graduated neutral density filter, you can darken the sky in your image while leaving the foreground untouched – resulting in a well-balanced image even with the sun in the frame.
Unfortunately, working with graduated ND filters is not always ideal. Since the transition between darkened and transparent parts of the filter is a straight line, it can create unwanted darkening effects if you’re photographing a scene where something is projecting above the horizon.
Graduated ND filters are better to use when the horizon is flat, such as in the image below:
So what do you do when faced with a high-contrast backlit landscape that isn’t amenable to photographing with a graduated ND filter? That’s where my next tip comes in handy:
Another more flexible method of capturing well-balanced images with the sun included is to bracket multiple exposures and blend them in a photo editor. This is the better choice when the sun is at the highest position in the sky, as the contrast is even greater – or when you can’t effectively place a graduated ND filter over the horizon.
To create this next image, I actually captured three files: one exposed for the landscape, one exposed for the sky, and one even darker to balance out the brightest parts.
Then I blended them in post-processing to produce a final shot with good detail in both the land and the sky!
Hopefully, I’ve been able to convince you that shooting toward the sun isn’t a complete no-no. And if you use the tips I shared, you’ll be well on your way to capturing some stunning backlit landscape photos, too.
Photographing into the sun can be tough, but the rewards can be great, so give it a try and see what you think!
Now over to you:
Have you captured any images that are shot toward the sun for your landscape photography? Share them in the comments below! I’d love to see them.
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Article 3,"This article was updated in April 2024 with contributions from Simon Ringsmuth and Andrew S. Gibson.
Sometimes, you can find ways of taking amazing pictures without spending much money at all, and one of the best examples of this is a technique called fire spinning, sometimes also known as steel wool photography.
Capturing amazing steel wool photos usually involves just a couple of basic items – available at any hardware store and grocery market – and a little creativity. Once you understand the simple process, you can create breathtaking, even otherworldly, images. This technique is accessible to anyone willing to experiment after the sun sets, from beginners to professionals. And the results are always a unique blend of fire and motion that can transform literally any space into a scene of dramatic beauty.
In this article, I share my approach to amazing steel wool images, along with plenty of example photos so you know what to expect.
Let’s dive right in!
At its core, steel wool photography is an exciting blend of light, motion, and creativity. It starts with something as mundane as steel wool – the kind you might find in a kitchen or workshop. When this wool is lit and spun rapidly, it becomes a source of glowing sparks that you can capture with your camera.
The key to successfully capturing this display is in your camera settings. A long exposure, often 10 seconds or more, ensures that your camera records the sparks as bright trails against the dark background.
The results of steel wool photography are nothing short of breathtaking. But as I discuss in the next section, safety is crucial. Do this in a safe area away from anything flammable, and have water or a fire extinguisher ready. Wearing protective clothing is also a good idea. When done safely, steel wool photography produces breathtaking images, capturing the dynamic movement of light in the dark.
Before I go into detail about what it takes to create an image like this, I need to make it abundantly clear that fire spinning is dangerous, not only to yourself, but the area around you, and even your camera equipment. Please follow these safety precautions:
The images you see in this article were all taken at night on a deserted beach where nothing else could start burning, and my camera was far enough away from the subject to avoid any wayward flying sparks or smoldering embers.
You may already have some of the items necessary for a fire-spinning photo, but if not, you can easily find everything you need for only a few dollars. You can add additional things such as multiple chains and whisks to create different effects and styles, but for a basic fire spinning shoot you can start with the following trinkets:
Other items necessary for the shoot include:
Once you have all the things you need, preparing for your photos is fairly simple. Stuff a wad of steel wool into the whisk (fluff it up a bit so it gets some air), attach the whisk to the chain, and you’re all set. Fine steel wool is better (I used grade 00 for these images) because it will burn easier, and send more sparks flying around during your shoot. 
The basic idea involves lighting the steel wool, which will cause it to smolder, then spinning it around in the air, which will cause sparks to shoot off in every direction.
While the steel wool won’t exactly burn like a piece of paper, twirling it in the air will cause sparks to fly all around. By using a long exposure on your camera, you can capture an incredibly dynamic image not unlike something you might see during a fireworks display at an Independence Day celebration.
After your chain, whisk, and steel wool are ready, you will need to find a location and decide how to frame your shot, which is why it can be handy to have a friend help you out. You can do steel wool photos by yourself, but it really helps to be able to direct someone else who’s doing the spinning so you can get everything positioned exactly how you want in the shot. 
It helps to draw some lines in the sand or dirt so your helper knows precisely where to stand, and depending on how dark it is, you may need to use your flashlight to help get everything positioned just right.
The rest of the process is fairly simple, but it will probably take a great deal of trial and error to get the shots you want. Set your camera and tripod low on the ground, several meters away from your friend, and have them shine a flashlight on their body so you can lock focus (either use autofocus to lock, then switch it to manual – or try back button focusing). 
Large apertures should be avoided since you want a very wide depth of field, and you won’t need to worry about gathering enough light because the sparks will be plenty bright to show up even with small apertures. Use a long exposure time of 20 or 30 seconds, and a low ISO of 100 or 200.
When you are ready to take the shot, have your friend hold the lighter under the steel wool until it starts glowing. That’s your cue to press the shutter button, then just stand back while your friend spins the chain and the sparks start flying. One trick is to use your camera’s 2-second self-timer so your friend has a bit of time to light the steel wool on fire before the actual exposure begins.
Once you get the hang of the basics the rest is all about finding a technique that works, to get the shots you want. You can try lots of variations to get different photos such as:
With a little practice, you can get some astounding results, and it’s always good to shoot in RAW so you can tweak the colors, and pull some details from the shadows later on if you want. If you search online for “fire spinning photos” (or steel wool spinning) you will find thousands of images, using all sorts of variations on this basic technique. I realize it’s somewhat cliché to say this, but the possibilities really are endless.
If you shoot while there’s still a little light left, the sky will have a nice deep blue color. Some people use this technique at night and combine it with painting with light (using either torchlight or portable flash) to build up an image or to capture star trails.
Well, there you have it: 
The simple, step-by-step process for capturing beautiful steel wool photos. 
As you can hopefully see, getting solid results doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does take some perseverance and experimentation!
Ultimately, fire spinning is another form of painting with light, as the light from the burning steel wool illuminates the landscape in a new and interesting way.
Have fun!
Now over to you:
Do you plan to try steel wool photography? Do you have any tips or images to share? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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Article 4,"When it comes to making people look their best in corporate headshot photography, you should certainly start with lighting, exposure, and composition. However, even if you’re on top of your headshot photography game, there are plenty of small adjustments you can make in the editing process that’ll make your photos (and your clients!) look far more professional. 
To start, it’s important to recognize that, on the day of the shoot, a lot of things will be out of your control. This is true whether you’re a complete newbie – or a seasoned pro.
Take a booking I had recently. It was scheduled for a Friday afternoon, and it happened to follow a full week of annual strategy meetings. All the head honchos were dead tired, and looking good for photos was the last thing on their to-do list. After a week of deciding the future of their company, a lot of them looked a little….less than fresh. Dehydration, bags under the eyes, and coffee-stained teeth were starting to appear – because we’re human and that’s what happens. And although I knew that soft light would help, I also knew that cameras are rather unforgiving of the sleep-deprived.
This is an extreme example, but there are always minor aesthetic problems that you’ll face as a headshot photographer. Fortunately, in every case, post-processing can come to the rescue. It’ll make you feel better about your photos, and it’ll make your subjects feel better about themselves. Although most of my corporate headshot clients know that post-production doesn’t mean they’ll end up as Heidi Klum, they do appreciate just a smidge of help once the photos are loaded up.
Corporate touch-ups are about making the subject look as fresh as can be. However, a post-processing workflow doesn’t need to take hours. I like to keep my post-processing efficient, effective, and easy – so I can get the photos off my computer and onto my clients’ desks as quickly as possible. Below, I explain how I edit my corporate headshots in Lightroom, using the streamlined workflow I’ve developed over the years. Specifically, I explain how you can take an unprocessed photo like this:
And, with a bit of editing, get a result like this:
(Note: While I certainly recommend Lightroom for your own post-processing needs, you can easily recreate my headshot editing workflow in Photoshop, Capture One, ON1 Photo RAW, and more.)
The workflow I’m about to show you will suit a variety of corporate clients. But I’m going to use a single example photo from a professional photoshoot I did a few years back; that way, you can see my approach in action.
Let’s start with the shot straight out of camera:
This particular company wanted to feature their employees in their native work environment, so the office became the background, which eliminated the need to bring a backdrop. I lit the subject with window light, an octabox, and a reflector, and I shot the image with a 50mm lens. 
(Normally, I’d grab my 85mm for corporate work, but we were out of town and didn’t have our full complement of gear with us. The 50mm did the job just fine, however!)
As soon as I pull up an image in Lightroom, I start by considering some simple adjustments:
Cropping, lens corrections, exposure, and white balance.
Not all of these adjustments are needed in every case, but it’s always worth thinking about each one before moving on. Here, I need to crop the reflector out of the frame, as it’s intruding on the left-hand side. If you look carefully at the vertical lines on the right-hand side, you’ll notice some barrel distortion caused by my lens (the wall is curving slightly inward). Fortunately, this is easy to fix by checking the Enable Profile Corrections box in Lightroom’s Lens Corrections panel.
I’m happy with the white balance in this image, but I do want to boost the exposure – the unedited file is a little dark – while also dropping the Highlights slider to prevent the brightest parts of the image from getting out of hand.
After making those adjustments, here’s how the headshot looks:
Hopefully, you’ll agree with me that it’s much improved. Those minor tweaks refined the composition while making the scene feel tonally balanced. However, there’s still more work to be done: 
Local adjustments are targeted to a specific part of the image, and while you can spend hours carefully retouching your subjects’ features, the changes I make are subtle. 
In truth, the best way to get some of these effects is to have the client get a great night’s rest and stay hydrated, but as I said at the beginning of this article, that’s mostly out of your control. And again, these adjustments aren’t meant to turn anyone into an airbrushed masterpiece; they’re designed to give your corporate clients a small boost.
Before we dive in, let’s review some local adjustment keyword shortcuts to help you speed things up:
Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, here are the local adjustments I make to my corporate headshots (and in this order, too):
This helps clear up pores and deals with any blemishes. These are the settings I add to my Adjustment Brush in Lightroom:
I brush over the subject’s entire face with the exception of the eyes, eyebrows, and lips. Since I like to use a green mask overlay, when I’m finished, my subject’s face is fully Hulkified:
As mentioned in the previous section, you can change the color of the mask overlay by tapping Shift+O. These days, red is the default, but I use green as it’s nice and easy to see. 
If you make a mistake while softening the skin and go over any of the areas you don’t want to target, just use the Alt key to turn the Brush into an eraser, then paint the mask away.
I use this edit to soften any shadows created by wrinkles and smile lines, Here are the settings I apply with my Brush:
Note that I keep the Brush small and soft as I paint across any lines on the person’s face:
Let’s look at the before and after of what we have so far (focusing on the local adjustments):
 You’ll see that the skin is more even throughout, and the deep shadows of the lines are reduced and softened (but not removed completely). Remember, the goal is to freshen, not to make the subject look like a plastic doll.
Next up, let’s get those eyes popping a little more. This is easy to overdo, so be judicious.
Slight adjustments to your subject’s eyes will make them look more lifelike and animated. I like to start by brightening up the entire eye with these Brush settings:
As you can see, I’ve applied the mask to both eyes, taking care to cover the whites, the irises, and the pupils:
Once I’ve brightened up the eyes more generally, I like to focus on just the colorful part of the eye: the iris. I’ll generally add a bit of positive exposure and a touch of saturation, as well as a few other minor adjustments to help the irises stand out:
Let’s check back in with another before-and-after comparison:
It’s subtle, but there’s just enough pop around the eyes without it being overdone.
It’s time to make your subject’s dentist proud! This is another adjustment you’ll need to be careful not to overdo, and the specifics will depend on your subject’s teeth, but here’s what generally works for me:
I carefully paint over the enamel while avoiding the lips and gums:
Now for the final touch, where I give a bit of definition to the hair and eyelashes. Here are the settings I like to apply:
I’ll paint over my subject’s hair and eyelashes, and I’m careful not to accidentally enhance their skin – though I don’t worry too much about brushing every single bit of hair:
That’s pretty much all I do to enhance my corporate headshots! Let’s take a final look at the before-and-after images after I’ve made my local adjustments:
And here’s the photo that was delivered to the client:
All of these changes are delicate. When done right, they’re almost imperceptible. 
Remember: Retouching your corporate headshots doesn’t need to be an hours-long endeavor. Your clients don’t need to be on the cover of Vogue – they need a no-fuss photo that’s LinkedIn-ready and that shows them at their best.
With the small edits I shared above, you can ensure that your headshot clients are satisfied by your work, and keep your portfolio looking polished!
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Article 5,"HDR techniques are a great way to maintain plenty of detail in both the highlights and shadows of your photos, especially when dealing with high-contrast scenes (e.g., a landscape at sunset). 
However, once you’ve captured several bracketed files in the field, you’ll need to merge them in post-processing. 
Now, there are a lot of plugins that you can use with Lightroom to create high-quality HDR photos, but the truth is that Lightroom’s own HDR Merge feature does an excellent job. With HDR Merge, you can create HDR files right within Lightroom, and you won’t have to pay for any plugins or extras. 
In this article, I’ll explain why I recommend Lightroom’s HDR Merge feature for blending your files, and I’ll share my step-by-step process for getting a great final image (using several of my own HDR landscape photoshoots as examples).
Let’s dive right in!
If you talk to other photographers who use HDR techniques, you might find that everyone has different software preferences. Some use Photoshop, others swear by Luminar Neo’s HDR Merge extension, and still others rely on dedicated HDR programs like Photomatix Pro. 
But while all of the above options can certainly get the job done, there are several advantages to using Lightroom for your HDR conversions:
Working with Lightroom’s built-in HDR tool is extremely easy – so even if you’re not an experienced photo editor, you shouldn’t run into any problems! Just follow these instructions:
Start in Grid View in the Library module, and select the images you want to merge. Alternatively, you can select the images in the Develop module Filmstrip.
Right-click on your selected images, then select Photo Merge>HDR. (You can also choose Photo>Photo Merge>HDR in the main menu.)
The HDR Merge Preview window should open, and you’ll see Lightroom’s preview of the HDR image. Note that it may take some time for the preview to load, especially if you’ve selected a lot of images for merging. 
You may be surprised to see that there aren’t many settings to adjust. This is deliberate – the aim is to let Lightroom produce a natural-looking HDR image, which you can then process in the Develop module to achieve your desired look. But you do have a few options:
The Auto Align and Auto Settings boxes will be ticked by default, and the Deghost Amount will be set to None. (If you change the settings, Lightroom remembers your last inputs, so always make sure you’re using the right settings before continuing!)
What do these HDR Merge settings do? 
Auto Align is useful if the camera moved between exposures, which generally happens when handholding. If this box is checked, Lightroom will work to line up your different images so the blended file looks natural.
And Auto Settings performs a similar function to the Auto settings in the Basic Panel of the Develop module. 
I find HDR Merge works best with the Auto Align and Auto Settings boxes ticked (see below). There’s also the option to change the Deghost Amount – here, the goal is to prevent any artifacts (such as lines or blur) caused by subject movement between frames. If your scene was completely still, just leave the setting at None; however, if there was movement from shot to shot, such as a tree waving in the wind or a person trotting across the landscape, you can set the Deghost Amount to Low, Medium, or High. 
You can’t zoom in to 100% in the HDR Merge Preview window, so you may only become aware of ghosting once you move on to the Develop module and zoom in to 1:1. If you notice ghosting at that stage, you can always go back and reprocess the images. And you can tick the Show Deghost Overlay box to reveal the areas where Lightroom has detected ghosting.
(How do you know which Deghost Amount is best? Honestly, you’ll just need to use trial and error – it’s different for each set of images.) 
Once you’re done tweaking the settings, go ahead and click the Merge button at the bottom. Lightroom will save the merged image as a DNG file with the suffix -HDR appended to the file name. It’ll also take you back to the module where you started. From there, you can edit the image as normal in the Develop module.
This is the result of my HDR merge. I used two photos, bracketed one stop apart. That’s not a lot of bracketing, but it was a cloudy day and what I wanted was a photo that captured detail in both the landscape and the sky. On a sunny day, the light is higher contrast, so you generally need to use images bracketed further apart.
Your HDR file should be treated as a starting point in your processing. It’s a new RAW file that you can then edit in the Develop module to achieve the desired effect. 
In my case, I thought the merged photo was too light, so I darkened it in the Develop module. I also made some tonal adjustments and increased the Clarity. Here’s the same image, but after those edits have been applied:
The screenshot below shows a comparison between the HDR image (right) and the same photo taken without any exposure compensation (left). As you can see, merging two exposures has allowed me to capture the details in the gray clouds. 
Note: If after merging your files, you think the image has too much of an HDR feel, you can use the Basic Panel sliders or local adjustments to alter the tonal values. For example, you can increase Shadows or the Blacks setting to add contrast, so you don’t have the “unnatural detail in every shadow” effect typical of overdone HDR.
Here’s another example, this time with photos taken in the sun that have a much greater brightness range. The two photos were taken at +1 and -1 stops, respectively:
This is the result that Lightroom gave after the HDR merge process:
And this is how it looks after editing in the Develop module:
The differences are subtle; I just made the image a little darker and moved the Highlights slider to zero to bring out as much detail in the clouds as possible.
So far, I’ve shown you how Lightroom’s HDR Merge handles files that encompass moderate tonal ranges. But what if the scene has a huge tonal range, forcing you to created three or more bracketed images? 
This next example involves three photos with a total of seven stops difference in exposure. You probably won’t need to make the exposure differences that drastic in your everyday shooting, but it’s always interesting to try.
Here’s the result:
The water looks different in each version of the photo, so I set the Deghost Amount to High. Note that the deghosted area (shown in red below) covers all of the water – when I compare the three original images, I can see that Lightroom has used the water from the first photo in the sequence, avoiding the ghosting that would be caused by merging three photos with a different level of water in each shot.
Let me share one more example sequence, just so you can see how Lightroom handles another high-contrast scene. First, we have four separate images covering a wide tonal range:
And here’s the final shot after applying HDR Merge and doing a bit of editing:
If you’re not sure where to find the newly created HDR file, set Sort to File Name in the Grid View, and it will appear next to the first image in the sequence (but make sure you are in the folder of originals, not inside a collection).
It’s best to carry out the HDR Merge process with files that haven’t yet been edited in the Develop module, as Lightroom only retains some of your adjusted settings in the final file. 
These are taken from one of your images and applied to the HDR file. They are listed below (all other settings are returned to their default):
Lightroom also requires access to the original photo files. It can’t create an HDR image from Smart Previews alone.
Hopefully, you can now see just how powerful HDR Merge is – and why you don’t need to spend extra money on a dedicated HDR program. 
The best way to get familiar with HDR Merge is to head into Lightroom and play around. Run a few merges using the process I shared above, and when you’re done, do a bit of editing to get the best possible results.
Now over to you:
Have you tried Lightroom’s HDR merge tool? If so, what do you think? Is it a worthwhile addition to Lightroom’s toolkit, or do you prefer a different solution? Please let us know in the comments below.
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Article 6,"For years, photographers have debated whether to shoot in RAW or JPEG. (Well, maybe “debate” is the wrong word. Usually, it’s a matter of more experienced photographers encouraging beginners to start shooting in RAW and stop shooting in JPEG.)
There isn’t much question that RAW files are technically superior. They come with plenty of benefits: greater dynamic range, more color information, and an adjustable white balance, to name just three.
However, these benefits can only really be appreciated when post-processing files. So for photographers who don’t wish to edit their files, the advantages of RAW photography don’t really apply, and certain RAW drawbacks – such as the need to process each file before it can be shared or printed – don’t seem worth it.
Usually, this RAW vs JPEG question gets presented as an either/or proposition. You’re told that you have to decide to shoot in RAW or in JPEG, looking at the pros and cons of both file formats. 
But if you could have the advantages of both formats, wouldn’t that be the way to go? Wouldn’t you want the editing flexibility of RAW files, combined with the instant shareability of JPEGs? Is that even possible?
It is, in fact! 
Take a look at your camera’s Quality or Image Quality setting in the menu. Most cameras will allow you to put that setting on both RAW and JPEG. This is known as RAW+JPEG shooting, where your camera captures a RAW file and a JPEG file each time you press the shutter button. In using RAW+JPEG, aren’t you getting the best of both worlds?
Let’s take a look. But first, let’s review the advantages of RAW files versus JPEGs.
When you take a picture, your camera is actually taking the data that it receives from the image sensor and creating a file. In the early days of digital, a group of experts got together and agreed on a file format everyone could use. It is called “JPEG,” and it stands for “Joint Photographic Experts Group.” 
The idea is that everyone could use the same format, and thus it would be easy to share. And you know what? It worked out pretty well. JPEGs are more or less ubiquitous. If you pick up your camera and start shooting, you’ll generally be creating JPEGs. It is the default of virtually every dedicated camera. And because internet browser developers consistently built JPEG support into their software, it is also the format of virtually every picture you see online.
But when your camera creates a JPEG, a few things happen. The first is that the camera compresses the picture data so the file size is smaller. A JPEG will only use about a quarter of the data that your camera captures, and as a result, a large chunk of data is discarded. Some of that is color data, which is done by reducing the number of available colors (there are still a lot of colors available in JPEGs, though). Where you’ll see the biggest impact is in the highlights and shadows, where some detail may be lost.
In addition, when a JPEG is created, your camera will add some processing to the picture. The camera manufacturers know that you want your pictures coming out of the camera looking sharp and colorful. Therefore, they add some effects – like sharpness, contrast, and saturation – as the JPEG file is rendered. The benefit is that your pictures generally do look a little better, but the downside is that you aren’t in control of the process, and sometimes your camera’s processing doesn’t match what you’re after.
And that brings us to RAW files.
In most cameras, you can go into the menu and change the file format to “RAW.” No, there isn’t really some sort of universal file format called RAW. Rather, each camera has its own way of bundling the data that it receives from the image sensor when you take the picture to create its own proprietary file (NEF for Nikon, CRW or CR2 for Canon, RAF for Fuji, etc.). The resulting file is called “RAW.”
You might already perceive an issue here: Since RAW files aren’t the same format, they aren’t easily shareable. In addition, RAW files are huge, typically 3-4 times the size of JPEGs.
So why does nearly everyone recommend shooting RAW, then? Because they contain more information. Remember how JPEGs discard data to create smaller files? RAW files preserve all of that data. That means you keep all the color data, and you preserve everything you can in the way of highlight and shadow detail.
In addition, whereas the camera adds processing when it creates JPEGs, that doesn’t happen when you create RAW files. That means you are in control of the process. You can add any level of sharpness, contrast, saturation, etc., that you want (assuming you have access to a RAW processing program, of course). The camera isn’t making those decisions for you.
Sure, RAW files are bigger, but they are way better. And you can always create a JPEG from your RAW file later, which you can use to share your photo online once you’ve finished editing.
So RAW files are the way to go, right? You’re preserving all that color data, not to mention the highlight and shadow detail. And you are in full control of the processing of your picture. That’s got to be worth it, right?
Generally, that’s true: RAW files are worth creating. But what about if you are not going to process your photos at all? Wouldn’t it make sense to then shoot in JPEG, since it is the file that looks best coming out of the camera? Or what if you need to share the photo right away, and you don’t have time to do any editing?
That’s why I encourage you to shoot both RAW and JPEG files! Your camera will likely have a setting allowing you to do both – so that every time you take a picture, the camera creates a RAW file and a JPEG. That would allow you to have all the advantages of both file types. 
How might that benefit you? Here are the advantages to RAW+JPEG shooting:
But wait a second, you might think. Surely these JPEG advantages are fairly minor, especially if you plan to edit your images regardless. Why bother with all that? Why not just shoot in RAW?
Yes, the JPEG advantages are minor, but at the same time, what is the cost? Virtually nothing. Over time, data has gotten cheaper and cheaper. Adding a JPEG costs virtually nothing. Memory cards these days hold hundreds or even thousands of pictures, and they are now pretty cheap. You can now get a 64 GB card for about $35. You can get hard drives that store terabytes of data for under $200. These prices continue to drop. Compared to RAW files, JPEGs take up a tiny amount of space. So while I agree that adding the JPEG doesn’t have a huge benefit for most shooters, it also doesn’t have much of a downside.
There is one other aspect I haven’t mentioned, however, and that is speed. Remember that your camera has to write all the data to your card. If you are taking a few pictures at a time (or one at a time), this will not be a factor. But if you are shooting sports or wildlife with a serious need for maximum frames per second, then there will be an additional cost. The time to write the additional file will slow you down a little bit. In that context, I could definitely imagine foregoing the extra file and choosing to only shoot in RAW. But for most of us, this won’t apply.
At the same time, there are some photographers who will think to themselves, “Well, I don’t process my pictures, so I might as well just shoot JPEGs to get the best-looking file I can straight out of the camera.” 
To those who don’t process their pictures, I would first say, “You definitely should do some processing!” You don’t need to make dramatic changes or make your images look surreal, but you can do wonders with some little tweaks.
In any case, just because you don’t do any processing of your pictures now doesn’t mean you won’t ever process your pictures. In a year or two, you might change your mind. When that happens, you don’t want to be kicking yourself for not having obtained the best files possible. No, you don’t need to shoot only in RAW – that would be inconvenient for someone who doesn’t plan to edit – but RAW+JPEG is an ideal approach.
I have been shooting RAW+JPEG for several years now. Do I actually use the JPEGs? Almost never. I always edit the RAW files and usually don’t touch the JPEGs. 
As mentioned, however, the JPEGs don’t cost me anything, so I am sticking with this setting. Plus, there have been a few times when I was on the road and wanted to send photos straight from my camera, so having the JPEG on hand did turn out to be useful.
That’s how it works for me. But the decision on the type of files you want to create is up to you. So what do you think? Is shooting RAW+JPEG the best of both worlds? Or is it a waste of space? Let me know in the comments below!
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Article 7,"Some photographers enjoy portraiture, where they can capture the essence of a person; others enjoy photographing action at a football game, or birds soaring through the air, or the intimate gaze shared by a newlywed couple.
Me? I like to shrink things.
I’m talking about tilt-shift photography, a genre that seems to have gained in popularity over the last handful of years. It’s all about taking a photograph of a real-world scene and making it look like a miniature scene. Highly detailed miniatures have always fascinated me, so tilt-shift photography was a natural draw. The White House? Shrink it. Piccadilly Circus? Make it Lilliput Lane! 
What’s not to love?
Below, I’ve shared all the basics of tilt-shift photography. That way, you can learn how to create a miniature effect just like mine – either in-camera or with post-processing. 
Let’s dive right in! 
Tilt-shift photography involves applying a miniaturization effect to the image, which makes the scene look like a toy model:
As you can see in the example above, the tilt-shift effect relies on both foreground and background blurring to create the illusion of a small world.
Now, tilt-shift photography can be done in two broad ways:
I recommend the post-processing route, but it’s worth mentioning that you don’t even need to own Photoshop (or any editing program) to make a tilt-shift photo. Tiltshiftmaker.com has a free service that lets you create the effect with an uploaded photo. And if you want a bit more control, you can always use Fotor’s online tilt-shift feature. 
Like anything in photography, the tilt-shift effect can be done, but can it be done well? That’s the question. You can’t use any random photo – instead, you must choose the right kind of image. And once a candidate photo is picked, the tilt-shift post-processing procedure must also be done correctly.
So what constitutes a good photo for a tilt-shift treatment? Here’s what I’ve discovered:
Now, if you don’t have any aerial images in your portfolio, or you simply don’t enjoy shooting aerials, can you still do tilt-shift photography? Yes, absolutely! But I recommend getting as high off the ground as possible, even if it just means shooting at eye level. And for the most convincing effects, you’ll definitely need to experiment with different subjects and scenes. 
One quick tip: Make sure you get far back from the objects in your scene so that everything feels far away from your lens. That way, even if you’re not shooting from above, your shot will have a clear sense of scale!
Once you’ve selected an image, then the tilt-shift treatment can begin. I use Photoshop, and while I won’t go into too much depth here, I’ll give you a brief overview of the process. 
First, you’ll want to determine your point of interest. This is the most important part of the shot – it’s where the viewer will look when they encounter the image. My recommendation is to ensure your point of interest is eye-catching from the get-go: a shiny building, a soaring church spire, etc.
Next, you’ll want to duplicate your background layer (that way, you can always work on the copied layer – and if you mess up, or you want to start over, you can just make a new copy of the background layer and try again).
Make sure your duplicate layer is selected, then choose Filter>Blur Gallery>Tilt-Shift.
The Tilt-Shift dialog will appear, and you should click on the central circle and drag it to your point of interest to ensure the effect radiates from the right spot.
You can also adjust the blur intensity by dragging the Blur slider on the right-hand side, and you can drag the different tool guidelines to make the blur encroach on your point of interest more (or less) tightly.
When you like the effect, go ahead and click OK.
Next, I like to apply a Hue/Saturation adjustment (Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation), where I boost the Master Saturation slider to around +30. 
Sometimes, I’ll also boost the saturation of select colors – basically, the colors that I want to pop, such as the greens of the grass and trees, the reds of bright cars, etc. (In miniature models, colors tend to be very bold and saturated, hence this step.)
Finally, using the Curves tool (Image>Adjustments>Curves), I’ll enhance the contrast of the image. Here, I generally just boost the right-hand side of the curve, thereby intensifying the light parts of the image while leaving the shadows relatively detailed.
And that’s pretty much it! You can always play around with additional adjustments, but the above workflow should get you a convincing tilt-shift photo.
If you’ve made it this far, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that tilt-shift photography can be a ton of fun!
It’s also a great way to turn relatively straightforward images into something much more compelling, without investing in expensive gear. 
Like I said, not every image is a good candidate for tilt-shift photography, but it’s definitely worth playing around to see what you can create! Don’t just follow my advice; instead, experiment with all sorts of images. Maybe you’ll hit upon a new kind of photo that works great with the tilt-shift effect.
Of course, we’d love to see the images you create – so be sure to share your favorite tilt-shift shots in the comments below!
Patrick Ashley is the founder and chief blogger of Tiltshiftable, a blog dedicated to informing and teaching others about the technique of tilt-shift photography.
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Article 8,"This article was updated in March 2024 with contributions from Megan Kennedy and Jaymes Dempsey.
Vignettes are a great way to add a bit of extra oomph to your images. They help keep the viewer focused on the main subject – while de-emphasizing the edges of the frame. 
Many photographers, myself included, regularly apply vignettes to their images. But while many programs (such as Lightroom) include a straightforward vignetting tool, creating a vignette in Photoshop is a bit more complicated.
Fortunately, Photoshop is a very sophisticated program, and there is not just one, but a handful of methods for adding vignettes to your files. 
In this article, I’ll share three of my favorite ways to apply the effect. By the time you’re finished reading, you’ll be able to apply a vignette to any digital photograph quickly and easily, and you’ll even be able to customize the shape and intensity as needed.
Let’s get started!
In photography, a vignette is any shadowy darkness that appears around the periphery of an image. Here’s a very extreme example:
Here’s a much more subtle, realistic example:
Now, vignetting can occur for several reasons.
For instance, optical vignetting is caused by the physics of wide-aperture lenses. Less light reaches the edges of the camera sensor, and as a result, you get a darkening effect at the edge of the frame. Many post-processing programs offer optical modules designed to counteract specific vignetting effects created by specific lenses – but that’s a topic for another article!
The type of vignetting we’re interested in is artificial vignetting – where you create vignetting yourself using a program such as Photoshop.
As I mentioned above, Photoshop isn’t the only program you can use to create a vignette. In fact, Photoshop is unusual in that it doesn’t include an obvious, easy-to-access vignetting tool. But adding a vignette is still pretty simple, as I’ll explain below.
Vignetting can be a contentious topic in photographic circles. Some photographers love vignettes, while others loathe them. 
But as photography has evolved, applying artificial vignettes in Photoshop has become a useful compositional device. Vignettes are an enduring photographic technique that can add to the gravitas of an image by creating a sense of atmosphere, age, or depth.
Personally, I think a restrained vignette can add to an image, especially if the composition includes a main subject toward the center of the shot. If the vignette is present but not immediately obvious to the viewer, it can subtly yet effectively emphasize specific parts of your photo. 
The key word, however, is “subtle.” As soon as the vignette becomes perceptible to the viewer, it detracts from the image. So have fun creating your vignette – but don’t go overboard!
There are quite a few ways to create a vignette in Photoshop, each offering various levels of customizability. Today, I’m going to cover the three that I recommend the most. 
These methods are simple, easy to apply, and will do a great job of creating a customizable vignette effect.
If you’re looking for a quick way to create a vignette, then this method is a perfect choice. 
To start off, open your image in Photoshop. I’m going to use this lavender photo, which has already been processed but doesn’t yet feature a vignette:
In Photoshop, it’s best to edit your files non-destructively; that way, you can go back and adjust your original file if required. 
Standard Photoshop adjustments are destructive by default – but you can avoid editing the original file thanks to the power of layers.
So right-click on the Background layer in the Layers panel, then select Duplicate Layer. 
In the pop-up window, rename the layer “Vignette.”
With the Vignette layer still selected, click Filter in the Photoshop menu. Then select Lens Correction. 
A new Lens Correction window will open. Click the Custom tab on the right-hand panel. Under the Vignette heading, adjust the Amount and Midpoint sliders until you’re happy with the vignette effect. 
Then click OK. 
If the image looks a little dull after applying the vignette, you can give it a contrast boost with a Curves adjustment layer. You can also adjust the intensity of the colors with a Vibrance adjustment layer. Make edits until you’re satisfied, then call it a day!
This second method is a little more complex than the Lens Correction method; however, it’s also more flexible. I like to use it when I want to create more sophisticated vignetting effects.
Here’s how it works:
With your file open in Photoshop, the first thing to check is that the foreground color swatch is set to black. 
To revert to the Photoshop default of a black foreground and a white background, press the D key.
Next, choose Layer in the main menu, then select New Fill Layer>Gradient. Click OK on the first pop-up window that appears. 
A second pop-up will appear: the Gradient Fill settings window. Make sure to tick the Reverse box (otherwise, your vignette will be inside-out, with the center of the image dark, and the edges of the image untouched by the effect). 
By default, the Gradient Fill Style will be set to Linear. Change this to Radial – that way, Photoshop knows to create the gradient in a circle, rather than a line. 
At this point, you should see a vignette applied to your image, but it’ll be extremely intense. You can boost the Scale percentage to alter the strength of the vignette (smaller numbers correspond to a more intense gradient). I usually enter a value around 300% to 350%. 
Click OK.
Once you’ve applied the Gradient fill layer, your image may look a little dark and flat. To blend the gradient effect more carefully, make sure the Gradient fill layer is selected, then reduce the opacity of the layer via the Opacity slider. 
Each image will be different, but I usually reduce the opacity of the Gradient Fill layer to around the 50% mark. Here’s my example image with reduced opacity:
To further blend the Gradient fill layer with the underlying image, you can also work with Photoshop blending modes. Just click on the blend mode dropdown menu and see what works best for your image. 
Finally, if your image is still feeling a little flat, make some adjustments with a Curves adjustment layer to boost the contrast.
Photoshop’s Shape tool has endless uses – including adding a vignette to a photograph. 
Specifically, by working with an ellipse shape, you can easily create a versatile vignette. Here’s how:
First, make sure your foreground color is set to black. 
Then, with your image open in Photoshop, select an ellipse from the Shape Tool menu on the far left Photoshop toolbar. Check to make sure that the Fill swatch located toward the top of the screen in the Shape menu is set to solid black (if it’s not, then double-click and adjust the Fill color).
Once the color is set, drag the ellipse outline over your image to form an oval shape. When you release the mouse button, the shape will automatically fill with black. 
With your Ellipse layer selected, click on the Properties window and select the Subtract front shape icon located under the Pathfinder heading (see below). The shape will reverse, creating a black border around a now-transparent ellipse. 
Make sure the Ellipse layer is selected, then refer back to the Properties menu. 
This time, click the Masks icon; it looks like a gray circle on a dark background (see below). The Masks menu allows you to adjust the Density and Feather of the Ellipse layer. I usually leave the Density at 100%, but I push the Feather adjustment to its upper limits (which softens the vignette effect).
To increase the subtlety of the vignette, you can adjust the opacity of the Ellipse layer. Experimenting with different blending modes is another effective way to adjust the impact of the artificial vignette. 
And feel free to alter the dimensions of the vignette with the Transform options or tweak the contrast and saturation with adjustment layers.
Once you’re done, you should have a vignette like this:
As you can see, applying vignettes to your photos in Photoshop doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it’s really very simple! And it’s fairly customizable, too – which means you can spend plenty of time playing around with the strength, feathering, and position of your vignette effect.
So open some of your favorite images in Photoshop. See how they look with vignettes. 
As long as you keep it subtle, I’m guessing you’ll get a great result!
A vignette is a darkening around the periphery of a photograph. It occurs for various reasons in many photographic circumstances.
There are several ways to create a vignette in Photoshop. The methods listed in this article are simple and effective ways to apply a vignette aesthetic.
Unfortunately, Photoshop doesn’t offer a vignette tool. However, you can easily create a vignette with the Shape tool, a Gradient fill layer, or a Lens Corrections filter.
The easiest way to remove vignetting in post-production is to open the image in Photoshop and – with the image layer selected – click Filter>Lens Correction. The Lens Correction window will present various options for reducing unwanted vignetting.
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Article 9,"Even if you’ve never heard of the Orton Effect, I can guarantee you’ve seen the technique used at some point. The Orton Effect was developed in the darkroom, but it successfully made its way into the brave new world of digital image processing – and now, decades later, it’s regularly used by photographers to give their images a subtle glow.
Creating an Orton Effect in Photoshop is a fairly simple process, and once you understand the basics, you’ll have no problem adding it to your editing workflow. Below, I explain my simple, step-by-step process for adding a customizable Orton Effect to an image, and I also offer a few tips for implementing the Orton glow along the way.
Let’s dive right in!
The Orton Effect is essentially a method for producing soft, pictorial-style images – but it goes so much farther than a simple soft-focus look. 
(Where did the effect get its name? The inventor, who came up with the approach in the 1980s, was named Michael Orton!)
The original method involved capturing at least two frames (and often more) of transparency film. You would photograph your subject in focus – and then you would take a second frame, still of the same subject, but this time the subject would be deliberately out of focus and the image would be slightly overexposed. You would then sandwich the frames together to produce what Orton himself called a “painterly” photograph.
As I said, the Orton Effect was originally applied in the darkroom, but thanks to the power of Photoshop, we can easily recreate the effect. As with most things in Photoshop, there are numerous ways to achieve a similar result. However, the method I share below not only produces the Orton Effect from a RAW file, but it also works very quickly, plus it gives you powerful control over the resulting look.
Now that you know what the Orton Effect is and how it works, let’s walk through my favorite way achieve the look in Photoshop, starting with:
You can create the Orton Effect with a straight-out-of-camera JPEG, but I always like to start with a RAW file and apply some basic edits in Lightroom. That way, you can ensure that your image is looking its best before you send it over to Photoshop.
Note that the Orton Effect can be applied to any image, but you’ll generally want to make sure that the approach fits the subject matter. In other words, when choosing a photo to use, ask yourself: Would a soft, pictorial look suit this photo? Or would it look strange?
I like to use Orton on my nature images, especially breathtaking landscapes and close-up shots of plants, where the effect can enhance the sky and/or any shallow depth of field effects. However, I wouldn’t be alone in suggesting that the Orton glow looks a bit odd when applied to a gritty street photograph or a tack-sharp product photo filled with lots of fine detail.
Here’s the example image that I’ll use for this Orton Effect tutorial:
The next part is important – don’t skip it! Right-click on the photo, then select: Edit In>Open as Smart Object in Photoshop:
Converting the image to a Smart Object is a crucial step in this process. Yes, it will increase the file size, but it comes with so many benefits that it shouldn’t be avoided. (What are these benefits? I’ll explain more in a second!)
Once the image loads as a Smart Object in Photoshop, you can begin replicating the Orton technique. 
The first thing you need to do is copy the base layer (i.e., your original image). But don’t simply duplicate the layer; instead, right-click on the base layer and select New Smart Object via Copy:
(In other words, you should make sure that your duplicate layer is also a Smart Object.)
Going back to the darkroom process, think of this second layer as your frame of unfocused transparency film. This layer will add not only the necessary blur but also the slight overexposure.
Also – and this goes back to why you converted your photo to a Smart Object to begin with – you can now manipulate all the edits you applied in Lightroom while you’re working in Photoshop. It’s all done in Adobe Camera RAW. Just double-click the image to bring up the ACR panel, and make adjustments as needed.
This allows you to stay completely flexible while you apply the next steps of the Orton Effect!
Make sure the new copy of your Smart Object layer is selected, because that’s where you’ll apply the blur effect.
Simply select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur in the main menu:
You’ll see the Gaussian Blur dialog box, and you can tweak the blur Radius slider as needed. 
(The optimal Radius setting depends on your image size and the degree of blurring you want to achieve. Larger-sized images from high-megapixel cameras generally require a larger radius to create a noticeable result.)
Once the image is blurred, hit OK. Then head over to the Layers panel and set the Blending Mode to Screen. 
Not only will this help merge the painterly blur layer with the original image, but it’ll also brighten the result. Talk about two birds with one stone! You can always adjust the opacity of the upper layer until it reaches the desired effect.
Pat yourself on the back – you just made your very own Orton Effect image! But you don’t have to (and probably shouldn’t) stop there. At this point in the process, I like to make adjustments to my settings that refine the Effect further, and I encourage you to do the same.
For instance, you can make additional adjustments to the opacity of the layer to soften the effect. You can also use a Brush to selectively remove the effect from areas of the image (you’ll need to use a layer mask for this; simply apply it to the upper layer, make sure the mask is white, then paint in black where you don’t want the glow to appear). 
Also, don’t forget: Since the image is a Smart Object, all the adjustments in the Camera Raw editor are still at your disposal. All you have to do is double-click the image thumbnail in the Layers panel, and the ACR window will reappear!
In just a few steps, we went from this:
To this:
And if you want to watch me apply the effect step-by-step, here’s a video walkthrough of the process:

The Orton Effect is a super cool editing technique that’s rooted in the golden days of film and darkroom processing. Today, we have digital wizardry at our disposal that can get the same results – so use the technique I shared to start making your own dreamy images!
It’s easy, fun, and unlike in the darkroom, mistakes cost nothing. Happy Ortoning!
Now over to you:
When will you use the Orton Effect to enhance your images? Share your thoughts – and your Orton examples! – in the comments below.
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Article 10,"Polarizing filters are an essential tool for landscape photographers, but here’s the truth: 
Sometimes, using a polarizer is a bad idea.
I said it! Yes, not using a polarizing filter for landscape shooting could be considered sacrilegious in some circles, and indeed, I myself have written ad nauseam about the importance of this simple yet powerful photographer’s tool.
However, today I’m going to selectively contradict myself. Because while a circular polarizing filter can hugely improve your photographs in most outdoor photography situations, there are times when leaving that piece of glass off the lens can actually give better results.
Below, I list all the times I believe that it’s better to avoid using a polarizing filter, and I include example photos to help you better understand how a polarizer will negatively affect your images in those specific scenarios. 
So if you’re ready to learn all about the times you should keep your polarizer packed away, let’s get started!
A polarizer reduces reflected light before it enters your lens. It doesn’t completely eliminate all reflected light; instead, it targets polarized light, which is created when a light source bounces off certain materials.
Note that circular polarizers are designed for flexibility. These filters include two pieces of glass, and by rotating the front element, you can engage or disengage the polarizing effect.
Now, a polarizer is useful when shooting reflective surfaces such as water, glass, shiny cars, and wet rocks; by putting a polarizer over your lens, you can cut down on reflections to highlight colors and details underneath. Landscape photographers constantly use polarizers to shoot fall foliage (to reduce reflections on the waxy leaf surfaces) and waterfalls (to reduce reflections on wet rocks), while cityscape and product photographers sometimes like to rely on these filters to avoid extreme reflections on cars and buildings. 
Most of the time, you want to control those reflective surfaces and reduce the glare of reflected light to let the colors and details underneath shine through. But what if you like that super wet look and glare on certain surfaces? What if you think it enhances your photos? 
In those cases, you’ll want to leave your circular polarizer in your camera bag. Let me give you some examples where I felt that not using a polarizer actually made for a better image.
For the image above, I decided to remove my polarizer, and here’s why:
The reflected light on the wet rocks in the foreground had a distinct red color, which I loved. The rocks were a beautiful deep red that matched the water and the bright sky, and by working without a polarizer, I was able to maintain that harmony throughout the image. 
Using a polarizer would have reduced the beautiful red reflected light, resulting in a less dramatic image.
So if you’re faced with a scenario where you appreciate the color of the reflected light, don’t be afraid to take that polarizer off. Reflections can add beautiful color to an image, and that’s not something you want to miss out on!
Since wet elements tend to produce contrast and desaturate colors, photographers generally use circular polarizers when faced with waterfalls, seascapes, etc. But wet objects can look good in certain situations – sometimes, the wet reflections create pops of brightness that enhance the resulting image.
For instance, look at the long-exposure image above. If you check out the wet rocks, especially those in the bottom left-hand corner and the wall jutting out in the midground, you’ll notice some bright highlights. A polarizer would reduce contrast in these areas to help the real color of the rocks shine through – but I quite liked the way the highlights caused a soft glare from reflected sunlight.
So even though the highlights didn’t really have any dramatic color, I still felt that the wet look made for a better image, so I opted not to use the polarizer.
When the sun has gone down and it’s starting to get dark, there’s little point in using a polarizer. Polarizers only cut down on reflected light, and when the light is dim, reflections are pretty subtle. 
Plus, using a polarizer in low light will force you to use a longer shutter speed; circular polarizers block out a couple of stops of light, which can make a big difference when you’re working in dim conditions.
The shot above features a waterfall at Silver Falls State Park. It was a long exposure in very dim light, taken inside a canyon that had no direct sunlight at the time. The only wet surfaces that could cause glare were the leaves in the foreground, and the light was so dim that there was no glare at all.
Therefore, I opted to leave my polarizer off my lens.
If you read the last section carefully, you probably know what I’m going to say here. 
Polarizers only help when dealing with reflected light, and when you’re photographing at night, there won’t be a whole lot of reflected light to handle. 
Additionally, when you’re photographing at night, you want to get as much light as possible into your lens. A polarizer is going to reduce the amount of light and force you to use a longer shutter speed or a higher ISO setting. 
So if you’re shooting in the dark, do yourself a favor and remove the polarizer. 
When capturing the full moon shot above, the polarizer would only have served to slow down my shutter speed, so I kept it stowed away in my bag.
Sometimes, you come across a scene with reflections in the water, and they look beautiful. One option is to ditch your polarizer and shoot with a bare lens. 
But let’s say you like the look of your image with the polarizer on. Your colors are nicely saturated and all of the glare has been reduced from the surfaces, but you’re annoyed to see that the lovely reflections in the water have either vanished or diminished.
What do you do?
The simple answer is to take two shots – one with the polarizer engaged and another without the polarizer. Then you can blend the two exposures in Photoshop and take the best elements from each. 
For the shot above, I really enjoyed the look of the reflected waterfall in the pool, so I took two shots with different polarizer settings and then combined them.
I’m sure I’ll be corrected by our more well-educated readers, but from a polarizer’s standpoint, a rainbow is reflected light. 
Regardless, if your polarizer is engaged, the rainbow will perform a disappearing act in your photo. 
Disengage or remove the polarizer and – presto! – the rainbow will be back in your photograph.
In other words, if you want to photograph a rainbow successfully, where all the colors are as vivid as possible, take that polarizer off. 
Note: If you want to reduce reflections in other parts of the shot, you can always use the technique I mentioned above, where you capture two shots – one polarized and one unpolarized – and blend the files together.
As I mentioned at the start of this article, a polarizer is a key landscape photography tool. 
In fact, if I leave the house and forget my polarizers, I’ll actually turn around and drive home; they’re that important. 
At the same time, I urge you to learn when conditions call for the removal of your polarizer, and to confidently unscrew that polarizer when the time is right.
And I hope this article helps you identify those golden moments so that you can get the best possible shots!
(Of course, if you’re unsure whether to shoot with or without a polarizer in a specific scenario, you can always capture multiple shots, then decide which one you prefer when you’re back at home.)
Now over to you:
Do you use a polarizing filter? How often? Are there times when you prefer to go without it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Article 11,"As a photographer who regularly travels, one of my biggest quests isn’t the search for the perfect shot – it’s the search for the perfect camera bag. If you’ve ever purchased a camera bag (or two, or ten), then I’m guessing you know what I’m talking about. 
With every bag or backpack I’ve ever owned, the internal dividers never seem to fit my gear perfectly. They create compartments that are either too small to hold my lenses or so large that my lenses constantly shift around. The result tends to be a lot of wasted space in the bag, gear that’s not totally secure, and gut-wrenching decisions over which lenses to leave behind.
Now, I do have a lot of gear; when I travel, I generally like to carry a full-frame camera body, a flash, a set of 4×5 glass filters, a 14-24mm lens, a 16-35mm lens, a 24-120mm lens, an 80-400mm lens, a 105mm macro lens, and a 24mm f/1.4 lens. (Yes, I know there are redundancies, but each lens has a clear purpose!)
Depending on the type of photography you like to do, you may not carry quite so much. However, a poorly packed camera bag is still a problem you can – and likely will – face.
So what’s the solution? Below, I explain my approach to optimizing my camera bag space – and I offer a step-by-step process for packing your camera bag more effectively.
When I was first trying to figure out how to pack my camera bag effectively, I thought the solution might be to get rid of the dividers, as they seemed to be causing most (or all?) of my problems.
Of course, I couldn’t just remove the dividers and let my gear roll around. I needed a way to pad my equipment – bags get swung around, put down, picked up, and banged into. The gear moves inside it, and without that padding, it’ll eventually suffer damage. 
One option I tried for padding my precious cameras and lenses was wraps. There are several brands that make wraps specifically for camera gear; these come in varying sizes to fit different pieces of equipment. Here’s one of my camera bags – a ThinkTank Airport model – with the dividers completely removed and the wraps added:
The problem was, however, that when I went to rewrap my cameras and lenses, it took too much time. If you’re a photographer who uses just one or two main lenses, you don’t often switch equipment, and/or you work in a slower-paced environment, maybe it could work, but it wasn’t right for me. Plus, I didn’t love the wraps I tried, so I eventually went back to the dividers.
A few years went by, and I begrudgingly continued to use my dividers. But I recently took a few trips where I just couldn’t get the dividers configured properly, and I had to choose something to leave behind. Usually, it meant going without a lens I thought I wouldn’t need – yet in the end, I always ended up wishing I had brought the lens along. As you can probably imagine, this sucked. 
Eventually, I’d had enough. I went to my local camera store, and I considered the problem again. This time, I found myself staring at neoprene lens pouches. Neoprene pouches provide padding and come in various sizes to fit each lens in my kit, but they’re not too snug, and they’re not overly large, either. 
I played around with the pouches, and I found that I could position lenses and cameras in the bag against each other. The neoprene is generally 4-5mm thick, so two pouches side by side have about as much thickness as the velcro dividers and therefore provide adequate support. 
So I purchased enough neoprene pouches, and I pulled all of the velcro dividers out of my backpack. From there, I found I could fit everything pretty nicely, including my 80-400mm lens.
However, I did notice that, after wearing the backpack while hiking, my gear didn’t always hold its position – the items tended to settle to the bottom, which made it difficult to find things when I opened it. I put on my problem-solving hat, went back to the drawing board, and I finally settled on a hybrid solution that works extremely well. 
At the bottom of the backpack, I place my 80-400mm lens with no pouch. Then I add a full-width divider, which runs across the length of the backpack to protect the 80-400mm lens.
Next, I add three lenses in neoprene pouches. Above that, I add a second full-width divider, which leaves me with a large compartment for my remaining lenses (in neoprene pouches), as well as my filters and some smaller accessories like lens cloths. On one side of the large compartment, I use a smaller velcro divider to house my camera.
Here’s the entire setup in action:
I recognize that you likely don’t have the same gear as I do. But I think this general approach – where you use some, but not all, of your camera bag’s dividers, and you place any neighboring lenses in neoprene pouches – can work for a whole lot of people. 
If you think my approach could benefit you, here’s how I recommend you configure and pack your camera bags:
Using this method to pack your entire gear bag is pretty easy. Here’s the four-step process:
By the way: I purchased a silver Sharpie marker and some stencils from a craft store to label the outside of each pouch for easy identification. This can be helpful when you need to quickly find a specific lens and you don’t want to waste time peeking in different pouches.
This approach to packing my camera bag has made a huge difference, and I highly recommend you try it for yourself. 
Even with all my gear essentials, I find that I can fit more into the camera bag if needed, simply because I’m not limited to what the dividers will allow me to do. It’s still not the ever-elusive “perfect camera bag” that every photographer I know is searching for, but for me, it is just a bit closer. 
What do you think? What is your ideal camera bag? Have you come up with any other inventive solutions to this issue? Do share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Article 12,"To capture stunning wildlife photos, you must adjust your angle until you’re shooting at the animal’s eye level. (Yes, there are a few exceptions – such as when you’re capturing environmental scenes that include wildlife – but generally speaking, eye-level photos are best.)
When an animal is close to the ground, however, shooting at eye level can be tricky. If you’ve ever gotten down low to photograph a bird or small mammal from the dirt, you’ll know what I mean: It’s awkward to support yourself, your camera, and your telephoto lens – while also trying to keep your gear from getting dirty or wet.
One solution is to use a tripod. Most tripods allow you to get quite low by opening the legs out as wide as possible, and some actually open out fully so that the tripod sits flush to the ground. But while this setup will get the job done, it can be pretty awkward to handle, especially if you’re trying to pan with your subject or if you have to follow your subject around.
That’s where a ground pod comes in. It’s flexible, it’s effective, and it’s easy to make at home. Sure, you can purchase dedicated ground pods from camera manufacturers, but there’s not any real need; I use a DIY ground pod that I created using household materials, and it cost me far less than I would pay for a ground pod from B&H. 
In this article, I share my step-by-step process for creating a DIY ground pod – so that with a few dollars and a little bit of effort, you can capture low-angle wildlife photography without worrying about your gear.
A ground pod is a plate/tray with upturned edges that keeps your camera both stable and mobile when you’re shooting in the dirt, mud, or sand. 
You can attach your camera to the center of the pod, or – for more flexibility – you can screw your tripod head onto the ground pod, then attach your camera to the head. It’ll support your camera just a few inches from the ground, thus offering some protection from water splashes or sand/mud while also allowing easy movement in all directions.
Now, the benefit of a ground pod is that it lets you capture low-angle photos of wildlife without getting the bottom of your camera or lens covered in grime. But as the photographer, you’ll still get plenty dirty! The pod won’t protect you from the muck, only your camera setup; that’s part of the fun of wildlife photography!
I wanted a ground pod that would allow me to capture low-angle wildlife shots, but when I looked for commercially available options, I was disappointed to see that they cost around $100 USD. Therefore, I decided to make my own!
I’m certainly not the first person to do this, but I wanted to share how it is done to illustrate how easy it is to make your own low-level camera support.
As I said above, materials for a DIY ground pod shouldn’t cost you much at all. You will need:
The construction of the pod is very simple:
And that is it!  Simple.
Just make sure that the pan actually supports your camera and lens without toppling over before putting it to use. If you chose a wide enough pan, this should not be a problem, but test your camera with all your wildlife photography lenses to be safe.
Well, there you have it! When on a beach, in a field, or shooting in snow, you will find that using a ground pod for support makes getting down low a lot easier, and it’ll let you worry less about your camera gear remaining free from sand, mud, and water. 
The pan is also far lighter than most tripods – meaning you can carry less weight when out on your next wildlife shoot.
If you already own a suitable tripod head, this project shouldn’t cost much more than the price of a cheap frying pan, and it’s a great way of supporting your camera at ground level for those powerful and intimate wildlife portraits.
(Thanks to Rob Cain for taking the picture of my gear on the completed ground pod, above!)
If you have any tips for creating a ground pod, or any advice for using one successfully, share them in the comments below!
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Article 13,"As a photographer, choosing the best cloud storage isn’t as simple as picking the cheapest option, but it’s not too complicated, either. There are plenty of great choices available, and at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you find a storage package that works for you and suits your needs. 
Some photographers require terabytes of storage that offer instant access everywhere, while others have far more modest needs. However, a few options stand out among the rest (and there are a few options I think you’d do best to avoid, as well). 
Until recently, cloud storage for photography was more of a luxury than a necessity. Digital images were shot only with pricey DSLRs or dedicated pocket cameras, stored on desktop computers, backed up to external hard drives, and emailed or posted on social media for sharing with others. Cloud storage was expensive, slow, and burdensome to set up and manage – and often designed for IT professionals and not photographers.
But modern photography, as the saying goes, requires modern solutions. Cloud storage is now well within reach of even the most casual photographer, and it can also meet the needs of demanding professionals. In fact, there are plenty of cloud storage options available to photographers, and they’re capable of suiting a variety of workflows and storage requirements. 
Price, speed, and storage capacity are still worth considering, but they’re not the barrier to entry they used to be. Now it’s not a matter of deciding whether cloud storage is right for you (it probably is!). Instead, the question is which cloud storage is best for you, and thankfully, there are a lot of great options.
While it might seem like a bit of a cop out or an overly simple answer, I really do think that the best cloud storage for iPhone photographers is Apple’s iCloud service. iCloud automatically backs up all the photos on your iPhone and makes them available across all your other Apple devices (including iPads, iMacs, and Macbooks). 
Your edits also sync across devices, so if you crop a photo on your iPhone, it will appear cropped everywhere else, too. Photos stored in iCloud can be shared with others, and you have the option of storing originals in iCloud while keeping small thumbnails on your iPhone. It’s a great way to free up space on your phone, and it’ll also keep down your costs, since you won’t need to spend hundreds of extra dollars on a phone with more internal storage.
All iPhone users get 5 GB of iCloud storage for free. This is hardly enough to store more than a handful of photos and videos, and it almost certainly won’t meet your needs if you also need to back up essential iPhone data and documents. 
Fortunately, the price of iCloud storage is quite reasonable: the lowest-tier option costs just 99 cents/month and gives you 50 GB of cloud storage, while the next tier (and the one I recommend for most people) offers 200 GB of storage for $2.99/month.
iCloud pros:
iCloud cons:
In the same vein as my iCloud recommendation above, the best cloud storage for Android photographers is Google One. It’s inexpensive, easy to use, and integrates seamlessly with Google Photos, one of the most widely used photography platforms in the world. 
Anyone with a Google account gets 15 GB of storage for free, though while this is more free storage than iCloud offers, it’s pretty limited once you start filling it up with high-resolution photos and videos. It’s also a little frustrating that the free 15 GB version locks users out of some of Google’s photo-editing tools, such as Magic Eraser and Portrait Blur. 
Fortunately, additional storage is only $2/month for 100 GB. (Once that is exhausted, the next available option is significantly more expensive at $10/month for 2 TB.)
Google One is easy to recommend for Android users because, like its iCloud counterpart on iPhones, it’s incredibly easy to use. Much of its operation, such as backing up your photos to the cloud, happens automatically without any intervention from the user. Plus, Google Photos does a great job of organizing your images, tagging people, finding objects, and letting you share pictures and videos as needed.
Google One pros:
Google One cons:
Photographers who rely on DSLR and mirrorless cameras generally have different needs compared to their mobile-based counterparts. In other words, if you shoot with a more traditional camera and need to store, organize, and back up thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of high-resolution images and RAW files, you’re going to need something different than iCloud or Google One. Dropbox is the best choice – not just for its price and storage options, but also for certain features that make it uniquely suited to address the needs of DSLR and mirrorless photographers.
Dropbox is easy to recommend because it does one thing exceedingly well: it offers fast, reliable, highly customizable cloud storage and syncs across all your devices, which is perfect for DSLR and mirrorless shooters. Dropbox has also been around for well over a decade and, as one of the major players in the cloud storage market, is not going anywhere anytime soon; you know your images will be stored securely for years to come. 
The $10/month plan gives you 2 TB of storage, similar to iCloud and Google One, but Dropbox works incredibly well on laptops, desktops, and both Android and iOS devices. It has no trouble syncing loads of images at high speeds, including RAW files, and allows you to organize your photos however you want.
Dropbox pros:
Dropbox cons:
If you rely on your camera gear to pay the bills, and you have a vast collection of client images you need to store and manage, you’ll want to pay for a cloud storage option that can keep up with your workflow. SmugMug is the best option for professionals because it doesn’t just offer great cloud storage; it also boasts client galleries and e-commerce options for selling images. It’s not cheap, but it’s well worth the price if your livelihood depends on your cameras and the files they produce.
SmugMug is not designed for amateurs and hobbyists, and there is no free plan. All SmugMug packages, which start at $120/year, are intended for professional photographers and include unlimited photo storage as well as tools to create galleries and websites that effectively showcase your images. The $246/year plan has tools for selling images, watermarking your photos, and delivering files to clients. 
While casual shooters can certainly use SmugMug’s services, they would do better to choose one of the other options on this list. But for professionals, SmugMug has everything required for a complete cloud-storage, client-gallery, and e-commerce solution, and it’s easy to recommend.
SmugMug pros:
SmugMug cons:
Now, if you enjoy photography and want advanced editing tools to enhance your creativity, but you don’t quite make a living from taking pictures, then I encourage you to subscribe to Adobe’s Lightroom (1 TB) plan. 
The $10/month option offers 1 TB of cloud storage while also including access to Lightroom, the gold standard in digital asset management and editing. It’s the perfect solution for people who want to move beyond Apple Photos or Google Photos, and it’s easy to recommend because it includes enough storage for tens of thousands of images as well as advanced sharing options. It even includes a full suite of educational tools.
Lightroom automatically uploads your images to the cloud – whether you use a mobile phone, DSLR, mirrorless model, or any other camera. It syncs your images across all your devices, and it lets you create beautiful custom galleries that you can share online with friends, family, and anyone else. The mobile Lightroom app is incredibly easy to use and offers advanced editing features like masking and color grading, plus it can be accessed on tablets as well as desktops or even just a web browser. 
Finally, this plan gives users five custom websites through the easy-to-use Adobe Portfolio platform, which is an excellent way to create a publicly-viewable showcase for your images. While the 1 TB plan doesn’t include quite as much storage as other services do for the same price, it’s more than enough for most hobbyist and amateur photographers, and it includes all the software you need to edit, organize, and share your photos, too.
Adobe Lightroom pros:
Adobe Lightroom cons:
Many photographers don’t need the editing tools, sharing options, and additional features that come with other software on this list. Instead, they require rock-solid solutions for simple image backup and recovery. This type of cloud storage typically operates in the background, quietly humming along while backing up everything on your computer (or only certain folders, depending on what you prefer). 
When disaster strikes and you lose hundreds of thousands of photos, you need a backup option to recover them quickly. There are many great options – such as iDrive, CrashPlan, and Carbonite – but the one I recommend for photographers is Backblaze.
While it’s not the cheapest option for cloud storage backup, Backblaze isn’t the most expensive. I think it strikes a nice balance between price and features, especially compared to its peers. Backblaze’s $99/year plan will back up all your images with no limit or cap in terms of overall storage, which makes it ideal for photographers, especially those who shoot in RAW. 
Trust and reliability are also factors here; anyone can make big promises, but the proof is in the pudding. Backblaze has been in business for over 15 years and has built a reputation for trust, security, and reliability during that time. It isn’t a flash-in-the-pan, here-today-gone-tomorrow kind of operation, and you can trust the company to have your photos when you need them.
Backblaze pros:
Backblaze cons:
Not sure if any of my recommendations suit your needs? That’s okay! Here are a few more storage options to consider:
Amazon Photos: This a good choice if you already pay for Amazon Prime and need a cloud storage option but aren’t ready to commit to another service. It backs up all your images automatically, including RAW files, and allows you to access them from the web or through a mobile app. While Amazon Photos works fine, it’s just not as full-featured as the other options on this list, and I’ve found it to be slow, buggy, and downright frustrating at times. Still, it’s worth considering even as just a simple off-site backup option, especially if you’re already paying for Amazon Prime.
Personal cloud services: Companies like Synology have been making big inroads into what is basically your own personal cloud service, usually in the form of a small box that sits near your cable modem or router. These NAS (Networked Attached Storage) options won’t save your photos if your house burns down, but they do let you access your images from anywhere and often include mobile apps and sharing functionality. Personal cloud services don’t require subscriptions since you manage the device and the storage on it, and if you run out of space, you can just add another hard drive or SSD. The learning curve is a little steep, so I don’t recommend them for beginners, but these tools are a good option for photographers who don’t mind a high upfront cost and are willing to do a bit of work to manage things on their own.
One-time-purchase services: There are plenty of subscription-based cloud storage options for photographers, but there are also services that promise essentially the same thing but for a one-time fee. This can sound appealing, but I never recommend such a route. It costs money to maintain servers, develop software, fix software vulnerabilities, and adapt to rapidly changing technologies. Subscription fees offer a way for companies to do all of this, so I would not recommend trusting your photos or other data to any company that claims to do the same for a one-time price.
The best cloud storage for photographers is a bit subjective, but the options on this list will work great if you fall into one of the categories described above. 
And if you still aren’t exactly sure what cloud storage will meet your exact needs, just remember that any cloud storage is better than none at all. Try one of the options here, or ask around to see what other photographers prefer. Most cloud storage platforms have trial periods, and even if you sign up for one and don’t like it, you can always cancel and switch to another one. 
Finally, if you have a storage service you like, share it in the comments below!
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Article 14,"Looking for the perfect creative photography accessories to spice up your photos? You’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I share my favorite fun photography tools, all of which practically guarantee creative images. I’m talking about filters, lighting accessories, toys, and more to take your images to the next level. 
(You’ll also find a few more basic items on this list, some of which you may already own – but I make sure to explain precisely how you can use each tool in a new way to capture unique, beautiful, and artistic images.)
So if you’re ready to discover the coolest photography accessories on the planet, then let’s get to it!
Strobes are a great piece of creative photography equipment. Yes, they’re a little intimidating to learn, so beginners often eschew strobes in favor of natural light – but if you can master the strobe, you can revolutionize your photography.
Here are a few techniques you’ll need a strobe for:
By the way, don’t just buy a single on-camera flash and call it a day. Instead, invest in radio triggers and receivers so you can do off-camera flash photography with multiple strobes. And experiment with modifiers like snoots, umbrellas, softboxes, and color gels for even more artistic flexibility!
If you’re not sure what strobe to buy, a Yongnuo YN560 IV speedlight is a great beginner pick – not only is it reasonably high-quality, but it’s also very inexpensive, so you can purchase a few without breaking the bank!
There are lots of ways you can create beautiful light paintings, but the LED light stick is a game-changer for this genre. It’s such a cool photography accessory that, as soon as you try it, you’ll be hooked.
LED light-stick photography pretty much always involves using lengthy shutter speeds, so a tripod will be required. You can use your light stick to create abstract light paintings, like this:
The great thing about some light sticks is that they’re fully programmable. You can input the exact light you want to paint and whether it will feature colors, stripes, pictures, or patterns. 
What light stick should you buy? The Aputure MT Pro is a great choice for beginners – not only does it offer plenty of color and brightness settings, but it’s also pixel-mappable! It’s on the smaller side, but it should definitely be enough for all sorts of creative photography.
Yes, a tripod is a basic photography accessory, and maybe it doesn’t seem that fun. But I have to mention it, because without a tripod, you’ll fail to pull off many of the techniques on this list – and with a tripod, your creative photography will explode with awesomeness.
Let’s look at some of the techniques a tripod will allow you to try:
Here’s a photo that combines digital blending and long exposure techniques:
Quick tip: Avoid getting a cheap tripod that has unsteady legs, and instead invest in a heavier, sturdier tripod. If you’re traveling and need a light backpack, you can compromise a little. You’ll still want a strong tripod, and preferably a hook on the central tripod pole so you can add more weight once the tripod is set up.
If you don’t already own a tripod, then I do have a quick recommendation for you: the Benro Roadtrip Pro is sturdy, lightweight, and even comes with a ballhead so you can get started shooting right away. Plus, at $250 USD, it’s a steal!
The lensball is quite possibly the most fun photography accessory on this list, because it lets you take wild shots that are otherwise impossible. It’s quite cheap, too, and it’s simple – just a crystal ball that you place in front of your lens:
But lensballs are insanely versatile, and here are just a few of the techniques you can try:
You can find a variety of different lensballs to choose from on Amazon, but our recommendation is the Lensball Pro, which is high quality and cheap!
Is there a need for filters when post-processing is so powerful? The answer to that is certainly “Yes,” especially if you wish to spend lots of time photographing (as opposed to post-processing on the computer). Plus, there are some filters that just can’t be replicated by editing software.
Filters can be used for the following forms of creative photography:
Like the lensball, the prism refracts light – but it offers a completely different effect.
For one, you can redirect the light to create interesting doubling effects. And you can also use a prism to project a rainbow onto a surface (maybe even someone’s face!). Really, it’s all about experimentation, so grab a prism, hold it in front of your lens, and go wild!
Here’s an example of the prism’s interesting double-exposure effect:
Pretty much any standard prism will work for this; just pick one (or more!) off Amazon to get started. (Note that different prism shapes and sizes will give different effects, so I encourage you to test out a few different models.)
You might also consider fractal filters, which offer all sorts of cool, fun, prismatic results (especially for portrait photography). This set is a great buy, and it’ll give you three different filters to play around with!
Steel wool allows you to light paint, but with an urban industrial twist.
You can use the wool to create lots of flying metal sparks, which will light paint across your photo as they hurtle through the air. This is a really fun technique to try out, but you need to be careful; you’re creating thousands of red-hot metal shards, and each has the potential to start a fire. You’ll need to exercise lots of caution when taking this type of photo. Be sure to avoid locations that could start a forest fire.
Steel wool can also be used for portrait photography – but ensure the safety of those involved in your photoshoot by thinking through all eventualities, ensuring the portrait subject stays far away from the sparks, and by making sure water is on hand, just in case.
What’s another fun photography tool you can hold in front of your lens? The metal tube! The diameter of the tube will affect the result you get, but it’s pretty typical to use a copper pipe (you can get one in the plumbing section of your local hardware store).
The idea is to photograph through the tube, which creates a “ring of fire” within your photo. This ring of fire is actually flare, and you can use it to frame something or someone in your scene.
Portrait photographers use umbrellas all the time as props, and for good reason: they look great, plus they’re often full of color.
There are several different ways you might use an umbrella with a model. If you’re photographing your subject’s whole body, the umbrella will take up a small part of the frame. Alternatively, you can use the umbrella as a background, with the model’s head and shoulders featuring in the photo.
Personally, I’d recommend rainbow-colored umbrellas, traditional paper umbrellas, or transparent umbrellas. 
(Pro tip: Transparent umbrellas can be held by your subject, but they can also be positioned in front of the lens, with the spokes acting as a frame for your main subject!)
Is water really a creative photography tool? Absolutely!
I recommend you carry water with you at all times, which you can use for all sorts of interesting effects. For instance, if you find a cool building, you can create a small puddle on the ground, then photograph the reflection. Note that the puddle doesn’t need to be large; a good wide-angle lens can make the most of a tiny splash of water.
Water has other uses, as well! Here are a few ideas to try out:
Hopefully, now that you’ve finished this article, you’re feeling inspired – and you’re ready to grab some cool photography accessories!
So go out and purchase your tools. Then have fun capturing unique photos!
Now over to you:
Do you have any creative photography tools you recommend? Which of the items on this list is your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Article 1,"It's the unofficial theme of this issue, but I'll bet your answer is different from mine, or anyone else's. And that's the whole point: These days it's all personal. Let me explain...
First of all, right now there are practically no rules. This issue, which showcases some of the best ways American women are rocking their clothes (and their attitudes) now, features minis and maxis, beat-up farm work boots and supersophisticated city boots, outfits a CEO could wear to her IPO and ones you could smash a guitar in. This new fashion freedom is a good, good thing. To quote SNL's Kate McKinnon, ""you do you, boo.""
With former Secretary of State Clinton at our shoot: It was fascinating to catch her in a relaxed moment.
Next, there's nothing more stylish than a powerful woman. At Glamour we're into leaders who do their best—and I'm so proud that we were able to sit down with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to hear her surprising take on what women face in the workplace today. Whether you lean left or right, whether you lean in or back, we can all learn from what she calls these ""hard-earned lessons."" That's another thing that's stylish: Admitting we're all works in progress.
The glamour of real life: Emma Stone's jacket-and-dress combo? Nice.
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Article 2,"Behind every editor is a dad who liked to give advice. Here's the best I heard growing up.
Me with my father, David Leive
What are the most memorable bits of advice your father ever shared with you? When, in anticipation of Father's Day, June 15, I asked the Glamour staff that question, I heard it all. Relationship counsel! Work strategies! Driving instructions! (So many driving instructions.) Ashley Edwards Walker's father, Chip Edwards, used to leave financial articles on her pillow with his favorite parts highlighted. (""I really should have listened,"" she says now.) Talley Sue Hohlfeld's dad, William Hohlfeld, wisely told her: ""If he doesn't like you the way you are, I don't know why you'd want to date him."" (She decided she didn't—and married another, better guy instead.)
And me? My father doled out plenty of wisdom, from ""If you're not early, you're late"" (true) to ""Everyone likes to talk about their kids"" (said when I was 22 and worried about what to say at a Very Grown-Up Work Dinner—and also true). But his best advice was that I knew best. When, in my twenties, I was whipsawed by indecision over a career choice that would determine my future, my father patiently heard me out over long phone calls; when that failed, he traveled to meet me, twice, at a random Thai restaurant halfway between our homes 228 miles apart—and then told me to make up my own mind. He never said these words, but the message was clear: Sometimes the best advice is that you don't need anyone else's.
Now it's your turn. Tweet or Instagram me the most memorable tip your father (or father figure—yes, stepdads, uncles, and fathers-in-law count) ever gave you. Then thank him for sharing his counsel...and making you believe in your own.
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Article 3,"Senator Kirsten Gillibrand isn't just a political superstar and rumored one-day presidential candidate—she's your career counselor! Glamour's Cindi Leive gets her success secrets here.
Senator Gillibrand, right, in her congressional office with Leive. Note the artwork by her kids on the wall.
I love the art in Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office. There are stick-figure families by her kids—""I love Mom"" scrawled across them—and, just inches away, a John James Audubon painting of a falcon in ""attack pose."" But being both fierce and family-oriented is Sen. Gillibrand's thing. In the five years since the 47-year-old Democrat took Hillary Clinton's seat representing New York in the U.S. Senate, she's championed laws supporting women and children, gaining rabid fans and ruffling feathers.(She also helped end the military's ""don't ask, don't tell"" policy.) So what can women of all political persuasions learn about confidence—and work-life balance—from her? I went to the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., to find out.
Cindi Leive: So here we are in your office. Every profile of you mentions your sons, Henry and Theo [ages five and 10, respectively], waiting in here while you cast a vote.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: Henry's typically here between 3:00 and 5:00 P.M. Yesterday he didn't want to go to his tae kwon do class; he asked to come here!
CL: You arranged to cast your vote from the Senate chamber doorway so you could hold Henry's hand [while he waited outside]. Was that hard to get the OK for?
KG: It took months. But it was necessary. [Laughs.] Henry's only five, so he gets into trouble if he's not supervised.
CL: Have other senators taken advantage?
KG: No. Most of them have wives who take care of the children. I do not have a wife. I have a wonderful husband, but he works in New York City during the week.
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Article 4,"More women are job-hunting than ever. If you're one of them, you'll want to know these winning tactics!
Anyone out there interviewing for a job anytime soon—or hoping to? If so, consider this reassuring truth: As someone who's met with hundreds of applicants over the years, I can tell you that the person sitting across from you doesn't want to see you fail—she wants to see you succeed. (Then she can stop interviewing and get back to work!) So what shows me exactly how awesome you are? These six things:
You've done your homework.
Unless I call you out of the blue on a Tuesday afternoon and tell you I want to see you in 10 minutes (which I would never do—you need a half hour to find a dress!), there's no excuse, in this digital age, for not walking into my or any prospective boss's office well-versed in what the company's up to. Google, sniff around, call friends. Your interviewer lives and breathes her company; when you're in her office, you should too.
You're into something.
This may sound awful, but I don't care much where you went to college. What I do care about? That you have passions, professional and otherwise, that make you a real, 3-D human. I personally like hiring people who have started things—a surf club, a networking group, a gardening blog, anything that shows me you'll roll up your sleeves for something you care about. Glamour's executive editor Wendy Naugle has a thing for people who have played sports: ""It shows they can work well on a team and have some inner drive,"" she says. The point? Show your interviewer who you are.
You look pulled together.
I recently interviewed a candidate during one of New York City's epic 2014 snowstorms. It was a hellish, mascara-smearing kind of day, so I would have forgiven my job applicant five minutes' lateness and a wet head of hair. And yet there she was, 15 minutes early, perfectly dry, and in heels. I don't know at what ungodly hour she'd had to leave home, or what bathroom she'd cleaned up in, but her message was clear: She was a pro, and she wanted the job. Which she got. And about clothes: They matter. No borderline-casual outfits, no tube tops (seen it, I swear), no tiny minis! Do you really want your interviewer's takeaway to be ""She had excellent waxing skills""?
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Article 5,"1939: The year that brought us Glamour—and the New York World's Fair. Here I am on the grounds.
Three quarters of a century ago, at a desk probably not too different from my own (fine, it was cleaner), an editor-in-chief named Alice Thompson sat down and wrote the following: ""What is glamour? [It] starts with the external self...but includes the development of your individuality, warmth, and intelligence."" She approved the cover of her magazine (movie star Ann Sheridan), the cover price (15 cents!), the fashion trends (snug jackets and eyelet blouses), and even the first-ever Glamour Dos & Don'ts (including ""DO bag a snood for your down hair-comb""—which is possibly my favorite sentence ever about anything). And with that, Glamour was born.
There have been five editors-in-chief between Mrs. Thompson and me, and yes, the issue you hold in your hands is not exactly the same magazine she brought into the world: For one thing, your copy might be on an iPad, and for another, you're not wearing a snood reading it. (Wait: You're not, right?) These days our editors are less into fashion rules and more into fashion rebels—and street style, and experimenting, and all the other freedoms our white-gloved predecessors didn't have. But there has been a consistent theme running through Glamour's seven-plus decades: that real style is a combination of good clothes and great attitude—and that you don't need to be a movie star or an heiress to get either. After all, as a 1941 Glamour put it, ""You are the American women of today.... Glamour's function [is] to help you solve in every way the complex business of living.""
2014: me with anniversary cover girl Taylor Swift
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Article 6,"She left Afghanistan as a first lieutenant—and came home to her Florida desk job as a woman haunted by her experience. Let Lauren Kay Johnson, the winner of Glamour's ninth annual personal essay contest, tell you her story.
Editor's note: We've gotten tons of feedback on this story. For more from Lauren Kay Johnson, read her blog, UNcamouflaged.
Three years after coming home, ""healing is a process I am still going through,"" says Johnson.
The waiting room is meant to be comfortable. Cushioned chairs line the walls. Gossip magazines cover a coffee table in a glossy patchwork. Air conditioning provides welcome relief from Florida's summer heat. But when I walk through the door of the Air Force base's mental health clinic, I am anything but comfortable.
There's been talk of changing the name to behavioral health clinic because of the belief that people with ""mental health"" issues don't belong on the front lines. A glance around confirms the stigma. There are five other airmen here, all with downcast eyes. I've never felt so exposed while wearing camouflage. You can't be anonymous with a name tag. Or an officer's rank. The silver lieutenant bars on my collar are supposed to mean I'm self-sufficient. Composed. Competent. Being here is as good as admitting I'm not.
The young airman behind the Plexiglas-fronted welcome desk checks me in for my appointment, typing anxiously at a computer, then squeezes a stack of paperwork through a hole in the window (who am I—Hannibal Lecter?). It's an eight-page ""intake questionnaire,"" designed ""to help your provider obtain a comprehensive picture of you in an effort to develop a treatment plan that will best suit your needs.""
Treatment. Because I'm sick. Because there's something wrong with me that needs to be fixed. I take a seat closest to the door—in case I change my mind—and begin with question 1.
*Describe the primary concern that brought you here today.*I hesitate, trying to find a brief way to summarize the last year of my life. I scriblle ""depression, anxiety."" I can always expand later. After all, that's what this therapy thing is about, right?
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Article 7,"At just 16, Chloë Grace Moretz has already headlined a Scorsese flick (Hugo), battled Alec Baldwin on 30 Rock, and kicked ass in, duh, Kick-Ass and its sequel. Next up: starring in the reboot of the horror classic Carrie. But first she's sharing her style secrets with Glamour.
GLAMOUR: You've been getting a lot of recognition for your red-carpet looks. Feeling any pressure?
CHLOË GRACE MORETZ: Fashion is my break. To go away to Paris and talk about clothes, that's like my princess time.
GLAMOUR: But you don't dress like a princess.
CGM: I'm young, so I can play around. I'm lucky designers dress me, so I'm able to wear really, really, really crazy stuff! But there are brands that say, ""We can't dress you until you're 20."" People who buy their clothes don't want to see a $50,000 dress on a 16-year-old!
GLAMOUR: Have you started playing with your makeup too?
CGM: I do, but I'm terrified. I've seen so many disastrous things! I've only recently been going like, ""OK, guys, let's try some blue in there or some green."" I'm trying to figure out what looks good on me.
GLAMOUR: Who's your Hollywood inspiration?
CGM: I'm wearing a lot of all black. I really love Winona Ryder—her look in the time right after* Mermaids* and Heathers, that first year of Johnny Depp and her. They were the best couple ever—they're like Romeo and Juliet! —Jade Chang
For more on Chloe, check out the video below!
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Article 8,"September cover girl Jennifer Aniston shares the 10 fashion and beauty items she swears by.
Anything by Tom Ford: ""I go to him for fashion help,"" says Aniston, who wears his ""Jennifer"" sunnies, above, and has the featured handbag in two colors. Tom Ford sunglasses ($380, Tom Ford, bloomingdales.com) and bag ($2,850,Tom Ford, bergdorfgoodman.com).
Justin's playlists: ""He puts great music together, everything from the seventies to the nineties to now.""
Cargos: ""When I commit to something, I commit,"" she says. (Current/Elliott pants, $238, anthropologie.com).
Natural pink lips: ""I love By Terry glosses,"" Aniston says. (By Terry Gloss Terrybly Shine in Diamond Dream and Honeymoon Kiss, $44 each, beauty.com).
Face scrub: ""This one's my favorite!"" (Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily scrub, $7, at drugstore.com).
Comfy boots: ""My go-to boot now comes in a wedge, and it's fantastic."" (Stuart Weitzman, $598, neimanmarcus.com).
Long scarves: ""I like them because I can also wear them as a sarong,"" she says. (Louis Vuitton, $875, select Louis vuitton stores, 866-884-8866).
Her own scent (of course): ""It smells different on every friend, which is what I love."" (Jennifer Aniston eau de parfum, $55 for 1.7 oz., sephora.com).
A hair mask: ""I use this once a week,"" Aniston says. (Living Proof Restore Mask, $42, ulta.com).
A delicate necklace: ""Jennifer Meyer gave me this hand for my birthday."" (Jennifer Meyer necklace, $3,250, select Barneys New York stores, 888-822-7639).
Peonies: ""They're the flowers I like sending to my girlfriends.""
For more from the September issue—see pictures from the cover shoot and read an excerpt from the interview—download the digital issue now.
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Article 9,"You probably first knew British model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley from the pages of the Victoria's Secret catalogue or as the former face of Burberry Body. But two years ago, she put aside her Angel wings, joined the cast of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and launched her movie career. Now 26, she'll costar in next year's Mad Max: Fury Road and is taking stunt tips from her long-term boyfriend, action star Jason Statham—all while dominating street-style blogs.
GLAMOUR: You've had amazing success as a model. Was it scary to make the leap into acting?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: I was petrified! It all happened so fast: I got a phone call. I had an audition. Three weeks later I was on set. I felt like I'd won the lottery.
GLAMOUR: Your boyfriend is 45—a bit older than you. What's the best thing about dating an older man?
RHW: His knowledge and strength are really inspiring and attractive, and that can come with a man who's had a bit of time. We have a connection that has nothing to do with age. Work comes and goes, but if you have someone at home who thinks you're the greatest person in the world, that keeps you going.
GLAMOUR: Has he given you any action-hero tips?
RHW: He does get very protective. But I'm a bit of an action girl myself. I grew upon a farm. I am all about getting down and dirty!
GLAMOUR: So, modeling, movies—what's next?
RHW: Ten years from now, I'd like to be sitting at the helm of a business or producing TV shows. Women like Jo Malone and Donna Karan really inspire me because of what they've built. I think there's always that assumption that
*you can't be beautiful and smart and nice. All that negativity's just noise.You deal with it and get on. *GLAMOUR: Let's talk about our cover shoot. You look like you had a blast!
RHW: The lads are like puppies—they're adorable! They've all got this
little sparkle in their eye, and they're all just gorgeous. White, white eyes. Shiny, shiny teeth.
GLAMOUR: Can you name them all?
RHW: Let's see...Liam, Niall, Harry, Louis, and Zayn. [Pumps her fist.] Yes!
—Laurie Sandell
More One Direction and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley:
See pictures from the cover shoot and read the excerpts from the interview.
To read the full interview and see all the photos from our cover shoot, download the digital edition now (it's packed with exclusive app-only individual pics of all the guys!), or pick up a copy on newsstands July 9.
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Article 10,"The extremely self-assured Miss Monáe follows nobody (not even on Twitter!). One of CoverGirl's newest faces spills her tricks here.
GLAMOUR: We're so inspired by the way you put yourself together. Let's discuss your ridiculously cool signature look, starting with that tux...
Janelle Monae: Thank you! I have a great body, I really do. But I want to be taken seriously as an artist, and wearing anything that shows it off will be a distraction from the music. That's how my signature uniform, my tuxedo, came about. It's classic and timeless. You'll see me in black, white, and a pop of color on my lips. That pop adds a little magic.
GLAMOUR: Love that confidence. Is there anything about your appearance that you had to learn to like?
__JM:__My hair. Growing up, my mom put relaxer on it. When I was 18, I grew it out and wore it natural, and I haven't turned back. Then I figured out my style by experimenting. I wanted a look I could walk into a dinner party with and also wear to rock out onstage.
GLAMOUR: Is it true you do your hair yourself?
JM: I do! I don't want anyone on shoots or video sets to know how to re-create it. I want the next generation of girls to feel empowered to cultivate their own style and know that they don't have to be conformists. My style is The Monáe. Figure out yours.
GLAMOUR: Your skin is legitimately phenomenal. What's your secret?
JM: I won't sit here and say I've never had a pimple, but I try to have a really great diet, you know, lots of vegetables and fish. And I think stress plays a huge part too. I'm a believer that the more I'm giving, the happier I am, and the more beautiful my exterior will be.
What do you think of Janelle Monáe. Are you a fan of hers?
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Article 11,"If you've ever wanted to work in fashion, media, or publishing, check out this new video where Glamour's smart, stylish, and experienced fashion editors share their best tips on landing a job.
Keep an eye out for Slaves to Fashion's own Tracey Lomrantz Lester, ladies!
Have you ever thought about working in the fashion industry? What do you make of our editor's advice?
Stay tuned for more How'd You Get That Fashion Job? videos, coming soon, and be sure to read these insider secrets from six fashion-industry superstars.
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Article 12,"In case you haven't noticed, there's a whole lot of Victoria Beckham happening on Glamour.com today. She's not just our September cover star - she guest edited the entire issue. We've got scoop from her interview, a brief history of her life in hairstyles, and a whole bunch of gorgeous stills from her cover-shoot (one is even shoppable!). Here's another VB exclusive you just can't miss: a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the issue, in video form!
Here, Victoria talks about the editing process and why she loves fashion. Our Editor-in-Chief, Cindi Leive, also appears in the video and - FYI - she's rockin' a pretty amazing Valentino lace dress. Now, watch and enjoy!
What do you think of Victoria as Glamour's guest editor? Are you as big a fan as we are?
Be sure to check out Victoria's Editor's Note for more insight and commentary from our uber-stylish cover star!
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Article 13,"If you followed our #makingsept feed on Twitter and Pinterest, you already know that the uber-stylish Victoria Beckham is our September cover star. Guess what else? She's also the issue's guest editor! Here's a sneak peek at her cover -- she's wearing a very on-trend tiara, you guys!
Keep your eye on the mailbox and your local newsstand to pick up our big fashion issue - guest edited by Victoria herself! - and visit Glamour.com tomorrow for some exclusive previews, including Victoria's cover shoot photos, a mini movie on the making of the issue, an excerpt from her interview, a recap of her best red carpet looks, and more!
In the meantime, dolls, I need to know: What do you think of our big fashion issue cover? Are you excited to crack this baby open, or what?
*Update! You now have an all-access pass to Victoria's Editor's Letter and a sneak peek at her interview. Be sure to shop her cover look and click through the super-chic cover-shoot pics!
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Article 14,"Wearing a bustier can, understandably, be intimidating. When things go well, a bustier can give you a total diva look—think Lady Gaga and Beyonce. But when things go wrong? Flesh belts and unsupported cleavage worthy of a Glamour Don't! Rest assured, though, there's nothing to be afraid of. A well-fitted bustier worn with a great a pair of jeans is an effortlessly stylish look anyone can pull off!
Kristen Stewart wearing a Bottega Veneta bustier and Current/Elliot jeans on our November cover proved that a laid back approach to wearing a bustier makes the look much more doable and super-cute.
Kristen's look was so inspiring, several of you eagerly contacted us, as the magazine hit newsstands, to find out how to get the affordable alternatives we also featured in the issue.
If you're looking to give this look a try too, go for simply-shaped bustiers in soft fabrics like cotton and a relaxed fit jean. For a more polish version opt for luxe fabrics or embellishments on the top and tailored denim or trouser on the bottom.
So are you ready for jeans and a bustier? (Yes, Please!) Check out these options below - strapless bra included!
More Forever 21...
Is a bustier wardrobe worthy or not so much?
Tell us what you're coveting in this month's issue!

Photo: Matthias Vriens-McGrath
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Article 15,"For our September issue the fashion team explored the American West, highlighting rustic, Native American-inspired patterns from Proenza Schouler, Suno, Thakoon and more. While they loved layering up these cool, colorful looks, there was one specific item they knew readers couldn't wait to get their hands on!
Readers showed a penchant for the Western trend back in August when we featured an amazing Southwestern tote in a Honolulu street style shot. Many women wrote to us about it and one reader actually tracked down the woman on Facebook in order to ask her where she got the bag!
Turns out, it was from a mass market store we all know and love: Aldo. Unfortunately, the bag is out of season but, for you gals who agree that this piece is a must-have, Aldo's got a fab version in their current season lineup I want to show you.
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Article 16,"Obsessed with Kardashian style? You know what we're talking about—va-va-voom hair, glam makeup, curve-hugging clothes. Well, now's the chance to get the full Kardashian experience: If you're in the NYC area TOMORROW, Wednesday October 5, come to our casting to be considered for a chance to model in an upcoming Kardashian-style fashion shoot for Glamour!
-The casting will be held at the DASH store at 119 Spring St between Mercer & Greene. Come on over!
-It will take place from 11:30am-12:30pm ET TOMORROW (10/5) at DASH. The casting ends promptly at 12:30. Due to attendance volume, not all attendees may be seen or considered for the photo shoot.
-If you are asked to participate in the photo shoot, you MUST attend your fitting on Thursday, October 6 between 11am and 2pm in NYC.
-You must also be available from 9am-6pm on Sunday, October 9 for the photo shoot in NYC.
-If you are not available for those two days, you will not be considered for the casting.
-Transportation will NOT be provided.
-Please note that Kim, Khloe and Kourtney will NOT be in attendance at the casting.
Good luck and we can't wait to see you tomorrow!
The number of models selected to participate in the photo shoot, if any, is at Glamour's sole discretion. Models will not be compensated, and there is no guarantee that any model's photo will appear in the magazine.**
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Article 17,"This fall, clothes are all about standing out. Follow my lead and embrace this bold head-to-toe look.
I was drawn to this photo from Glamour's archives, shot by Diane and Allan Arbus for the September 1949 issue, because it epitomizes elegance; the allover red look, accessorized with a gold necklace and brown accents, exudes the sophistication so synonymous with the 1950s.
But it also looks right in 2011 (see Brioni's runway collection, below). If you don't want to go all out in a single hue, opt for bold color in one piece, like a simple A-line skirt. Even classic red heels will do! Add ""you"" flair - a boxy purse here or a chain-link bauble there. Any way you style it, refined or with a little spunk, being red-hot is very on-trend.
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