Source: Laptop Magazine, October 2008 issue
If you’re above a certain age (I am), there was a time you groused about cell phones and how people used to yack on them in public. Maybe you even swore you would never get one (I did). But now — if you’re like 84% of your fellow citizens — you have eaten those words and long since forgotten about it. And the phone you carry probably has a fair-to-middlin’ camera on it — and maybe even a primitive video camera.
And here’s an important implication for you: In a world where just about everybody is carries a color camera everywhere they go, there is simply no excuse anymore for the dingy black-and-white printed newsletters and bullet-point-only PowerPoint presentations I still see everywhere I go. You should be taking pictures every time you go out into the field — so you have plenty to choose from next time you need one.
Even if you’re not, the polluters and developers are.
It is as easy to learn basic image cropping and placement skills as it is to use Microsoft Word or email. In 2008, it’s a necessary skill, not a luxury. So invest some effort and keep up with the times.
P.S. My favorite photo editing tool is called SnagIt. It’s super easy to use and you can get a free trial by clicking here.
Subscribe via RSS
Fan Our Facebook Page
Connect on LinkedIn
Speaking of PowerPoint presentations, I highly (and lovingly!) recommend reading “Presentation Zen” by Garr Williams. I read it before I even read “PowerPoint for Dummies”, before I knew how to create a PPT. “Zen” describes a whole new way to think about a slide show. I was able to assemble two visually-powerful, highly-engaging and memorable presentations for college, using photos I’d either gotten permission to use from the Web or taken myself.
Think big — think wide, deep, and broad. And (like Eric says) think in TECHNICOLOR!