August 2020 - Publicsocialbookmark

How To Become A Professional Wedding Photographer

Secrets of Wedding Photographers

Wedding photographers are by your side nearly every moment of your wedding day. They’re snapping away at your most intimate moments: your first glance at the person you plan to be with forever, your smile as you’re finally wed, and your initial step onto that dance floor. But how much do you really know about how they work—and why they’re so expensive?

THEY WISH YOU’D ASK FOR THEIR HELP.

Many times, the bride and groom assume the photographers just need 15 minutes for family photos, she says. But those family photos could easily take 30 minutes, because a family member is always missing. “We need to make sure we have enough time, and that we’re not rushed and hectic,”

THEY ALSO WISH YOU ACTUALLY ASKED ABOUT EXPERIENCE

Her perfect question: “How do you deal with XX situation?” Ho explains that since every wedding is unique, you need to find a photographer that’s perfect for you—and asking about experience will help you make that decision. It will also help you understand the reason you’re hiring a professional wedding photographer, rather than someone who just dabbles in photography, for your big day.

AND ABOUT THEIR STYLE.

says couples always ask about his price and his availability. But he loves it when the conversation turns to his overall style and approach, and they get to know him as an artist. “Then we can understand if we’re a good match,” says. “Not a lot of clients go there, and I wish more clients would ask me about my approach.”

FEEL FREE TO ASK WHY THEY CHARGE AS MUCH AS THEY DO

Sure, wedding photographers may charge a few thousand dollars for what seems like eight hours of work. But they also met with you countless times before the wedding. And do you realize how many times you emailed? Then there’s the editing process. Those photographers put many more hours of work into those pictures than you ever imagined. Also, that camera equipment wasn’t free (and it needs to be upgraded every couple of years)

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING VENUE | FROM A PHOTOGRAPHER’S PERSPECTIVE

For most couples, choosing their wedding venue is the FIRST thing they do after deciding on a date for their wedding. This makes total sense! Before you can begin envisioning your wedding day, you have to know where it’s going to take place! While there are tons of factors that affect what kind of venue you choose – guest count, accessibility, local things to do nearby, budget, if you can bring in outside caterers, the getting ready space or indoor & outdoor options, not to mention your vision and the desired vibe for your wedding day – and so much more! The purpose of today’s blog post is to share a few additional things to consider when choosing your wedding venue – from a photographer’s perspective! I’m going to walk you through each portion of a wedding day and discuss how the venue affects lighting and space, and ultimately, your photos of the day!

What to Consider with the Getting Ready Space

If you are hoping to get ready at your wedding venue (instead of at an outside location like your home or a hotel room), then you’ll need to make sure the venue has a getting ready space you can envision yourself and your bridal party in. Take into account the size of your bridal party vs the size of the room. You definitely don’t want a cramped space with hair and make up artists trying to get around, too. If the bride and groom’s rooms are in the same building, you’ll need to exercise a LOT more caution when moving around to make sure you don’t see each other. It’s much easier when the bride and groom have their own separate buildings to get ready in!

offers completely separate buildings for the bride, the groom, the ceremony site, cocktail hour, and the reception! This is ideal! They are spread out throughout their property – so much so that they have golf carts on site to carry people up and down the hill. So there is no need to worry about your groom accidentally seeing you too soon. It also means that the stress of setting up the ceremony space or reception room will be so far away, you won’t hear about any of it and you can relax!

Next, in order to create the well-lit, natural-looking photos you dream of, then I highly recommend getting ready in a room with a lot of WINDOW light. If the venue’s getting ready space is small and without any windows or access to natural light, then you might want to consider getting ready at a different location.

A photographer’s hack: What I have also done before when the getting ready space is a little less than ideal is stage the dress zip-up in a better location! We can move you to another area at the venue with better lighting and/or space and re-enact the “zipping up” and bridal portraits. This is what we did for my bride Jacqueline and her bridal party!

Things Your Wedding Photographer Wants You to Know

Know your own taste.

I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not the photographer for everyone. Shocker, I know. Every photographer has their style, I included, and I don’t alter it from client to client. I know what I like, I know where my gifts lie, and I take care to ensure my portfolio shows you the best of the best of my work. Do you like light and airy? Black and white? Dark and moody? Somewhere in between? Do you prefer candid or posed images? These things matter. Be sure you are a huge fan of the work of the photographer you choose because it’s too late to decide you don’t like the images they create on your wedding day, and especially once they’ve delivered your gallery. Remember, it doesn’t mean you dislike them as a person. It just means their work might not be a great fit for you, and that’s okay.

Your photographer should be one of the first vendors you book.

I’m sure you’ve had hundreds of people tell you your day is going to be over in the blink of an eye – they aren’t wrong – but what many of them don’t know is that photography is a big factor into your wedding day timeline. It affects everything from makeup to cocktail hour to getting ready to family portraits. Why? Well, if you want all of those things documented, I need to know exactly when and where they’re happening and ensure I have plenty of time to photograph them all. Operating without a wedding day timeline, or even worse, not working with your photographer at all, causes unnecessary stress for everyone, especially you. It’s important that we go over your photography hopes and dreams, and any extra special wedding day plans you have, so I can help you create your perfect wedding day timeline. And, I’ll help you stick to it.

Unplug your wedding.

Trying to create the best images from your wedding day becomes more difficult when I have five guests either shooting over my shoulder or edging into the frame just to get their very own image of your wedding day. It’s even more complicated when you begin your walk down the aisle to the view of iPhones and iPads in your face. When you’ve dreamed of your wedding day, what do you want to remember most – the people at your wedding, or images of their phones in front of their faces? (Read more about why to unplug your wedding here.)

Give me the family photo list, but remember – I got this.

I know you are dying to send me every incredible Pinterest image and shot list you’ve found, but I don’t need it. Your wedding, your day is unique to you, and you hired me for my style and experience – not to see how well I can re-create another photographer’s vision. I promise we will create images you will cherish for years to come.

Food is Good.

I need a meal. A hot meal. Not a stuck-in-the-kitchen-handed-a-bag-of-chips-and-a-cold-sandwich meal. I eat what your guests eat, and I eat when your guests eat. I know what you’re thinking, “But, you could be taking pictures during that time!” Well, I could, but I shouldn’t be. Your guests don’t want pictures of them eating any more than you do, so by using the time when you’re guests are enjoying the delicious meal you suggested to enjoy said meal myself, I am better able to jump back into documenting your day when I’ve finished! (Trust me, you don’t want a hangry photographer.)

Ask The Photographers: Do You Need To Visit My Wedding Venue Beforehand?

We know that when it comes to booking your wedding photographer you’ll often have lots of questions, and one of the most frequent ones that we hear is “Do you need to visit my wedding venue beforehand?”. Well, we asked that exact question to our members, and what follows is 35 different photographers’ viewpoints and opinions on whether it’s necessary or not, from all over the world – a really interesting and informative read:

“I can understand that a couple might get some comfort from their photographer either having shot at their venue before, or (if they haven’t shot there before) from their photographer visiting it before the wedding. Like many photographers, though, while I once also liked that comfort of knowing what was ahead of me, now I actually love getting to new venues for the first time, and almost never do a pre-wedding scout. The reasons are twofold

Firstly the practical reason. I can quite easily now do a “virtual scout” – venue websites are usually good for showcasing their best bits, google “<venue> wedding photo” will spit out more photos of weddings from a venue than I’ll want to look at, and even Google Maps on satellite view allows me to get the lay of the land if there are grounds that I might hope to use. That’s all useful where I may have a logistical concern about the venue – will there be a good location for family photos; what is the light like in the ceremony room; is it practical for the couple to get from the ceremony space to the gardens without needing to go via the drinks reception (and if not, how will that impact the timings). Much of that is also addressed by a quick phone call to the wedding coordinator at the venue too, of course. So for the practical stuff (which usually drives the concerns the couple may have if a venue is new to their photographer) you can figure out most things without a visit.

All of that, though, is secondary to the far more important reason – the creative one. I relish photographing a new venue because it’s a new creative experience for me. The novelty of a new venue ALWAYS trumps the familiarity of one I’ve shot at many times. It helps me see the wedding day differently to how I’ve seen other days, but also to how other photographers have seen weddings at that venue before me. I have a thought I express to couples when I might get asked to take a photo like one they’ve seen at their venue, for instance. “We can get that photo, but rather than get you other people’s wedding photos, wouldn’t it be better to get you your own wedding photos?”. And no better way for me to do that than to be seeing a new venue with fresh eyes and finding light and compositions that fit my style.

Finally of course – in the context of documentary photography in particular – the venue is what it is. Similar to the ceremony space, the bride’s family home, or any other location that might be in play on the day. A good photographer will get you good photographs in any location. And if you truly want documentary photographs of your day you really don’t want your photographer arriving with a preconceived set of shots in his or her head based on a previous wedding or a scouting visit where the light was different and the space wasn’t filled with you and your guests.”

Things Photographers Wished All Clients Knew

This post was inspired by one of my favorite Podcasts, Young House Love, a show all about home renovation, on which they did an episode called “This is How You’re Annoying Your Contractor”, interviewing general contractors who gave funny, enlightening, and – despite the somewhat negative connotation of the episode title – actually really helpful insight to make projects go more smoothly.

I asked real photographers in multiple professional circles for their input, and added my own thoughts and feelings on the topics as well. In this article, you’re going to hear me speak very candidly about things that can help your relationship with your photographer go more smoothly (if that’s with me, then Yay! Win for both of us!…but if it’s with someone else, I hope I make a positive impact no matter where you go!).

I hesitated even writing this post, because, well, frankly, who wants to admit to their potential clients that sometimes things aren’t just sunshine and rainbows all the time?

It’s tempting to keep this kind of “behind the scenes” information as our own photographer-water-cooler talk. But then I checked myself and realized that if you’re my type of couple, then you don’t need a bull-honky fantasy story that pretends that everything is always perfect.

Once you find a photographer you trust, trust them. They want you to be happy.

This came from several photographers who iterated some version of

Choosing The Right Home Renovation

Renovation Vs. Building New

When it comes to choosing between renovating your current home or building a new one, there are many things to consider. If you’re looking to downsize and your current home is too big, chances are that renovating won’t solve your problem and you’ll have to look at other options.

If you have a growing family and need more space, you might be able to renovate your current home to make better use of the space you have, or to add an addition. Of course, you also might just want to move on and build something new that’s perfect for you and your family.

One trend we are seeing regularly is that big houses are increasingly becoming a thing of the past. More and more people are instead looking for smaller houses that are easy to look after and don’t cost an arm and a leg to run. Even people with growing families are looking for spaces that use space efficiently, so they don’t have to build the gigantic houses of the past.

However, the choice isn’t always so simple. Maybe you don’t want to move, or perhaps you’re in love with your current neighbourhood. These things and many more are what you should be considering before making any decisions.

When you should consider renovating:

Location, Location, Location- You love your current neighbourhood and would hate to leave. Popular neighbourhoods can be hard to get into. If you don’t want to think about leaving, then renovating might be more suited for you. However, check to make sure there are no available lots in your preferred area for sale first.

Emotionally Attached-You have an emotional attachment to your current home and the thought of moving makes you cringe. If you don’t want to move from your current home and have the money to make changes then renovating is a good option. Just be sure to check with your local municipality to approve your blueprints as you may not be able to change as much as you would’ve hoped for.

Property Value is Rising- The property value in your neighbourhood is rising and depending on how much money you spent initially you could make a bigger return on your investment. Check with a realtor and ask them what the market is like in your area and whether it’s wise for you to sell now or hold on to it a bit longer.

Poor Home Value- Your home is in a prime location but it needs a lot of work compared to the other homes in the area. Building a new home can be expensive so selling your current home for top dollar is important. Renovating your current home can increase its value and will make it easier for you to sell when/if you decide to.

In Love with Character- Most new homes don’t come with all the character that old homes do. If you’re in love with the old charm of your home and can’t imagine yourself living in a modern home, renovating may be a good choice. You can always add charm to any new build, however it can be costly depending on the amount of work.

Short Timeline- Building a new house can take time, especially depending on the time of year and the weather’s cooperation. If you have a short timeline then renovating is probably the best idea. Depending on the amount of work that needs to be done, renovating typically takes less time than building a new home.

Tips on surviving a kitchen renovation project

kitchen remodel can be one of the most rewarding home improvement projects and also the most frustrating to endure. Family life tends to center on the kitchen, and functioning without one disrupts all aspects of life. Tearing out the heart of your home requires a plan of how to survive the weeks to months of construction ahead.

The duration for a kitchen renovation depends on the scope of the project. Is it a simple tear out with the same basic footprint or a major redesign? If it is a basic tear-out, plan on four to six weeks without much access to the kitchen. If it’s a significant renovation, expect at least three months of disorder.

Set up a separate, temporary kitchen.

If at all possible, move your current refrigerator to another room in the house, where you can still access it. Otherwise, get a small college fridge to keep the essentials. A spare microwave is also a critical appliance.

Find a place in your home to eat.

Many families eat meals in the kitchen, so think about how alternate living spaces will serve at mealtimes. We ended up eating most of our meals in the family room, where our temporary kitchen (a fridge and microwave) was set up, but I wish we had better utilized the dining room.

Invest in paper plates and disposable utensils.

You will end up having to wash dishes in a bathroom sink, so it’s best to keep a stockpile of disposable plates and utensil handy. If at all possible, keep a sink hooked up on main level during the construction.

How to assemble the perfect ‘team’ for home renovation

Like most things in life, sometimes “it takes a village” to do a remodeling project right. So the critical first step on your home improvement journey is to assemble just the right team of partners.

For simple repairs or small projects that are just a bit too much for you to do yourself, a good handyman is an invaluable ally. Some homeowners I know have theirs on speed dial.

A well-rounded handyman can do everything from simple repairs, like fixing a leaky faucet, to those projects you’ve been putting off, like building a no-frills deck out back. Smart ones can help solve just about any routine problem around the house. They’ll hang your flat screen, pictures and shelves; replace your shower door, change your air conditioning filter, clean your gutters and power-wash your porch.

Specialty tradesman. Painters, plumbers and electricians are trained and experienced in a single specialty. When you’ve got a job that requires expertise, hire an expert.

Anyone can slap paint on a wall, but a professional painter knows that for those walls to look nice and for the color to last, painting is only half of the job. Pros will prep your walls by patching cracks, caulking holes, sanding and covering imperfections. A painter will know how many coats your walls need and can advise you on colors and paint brands. He’ll do the job quickly, and he won’t make a mess

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DOING A FULL HOME RENOVATION

Renovating may sound so good and exciting but reviving a home is a process that requires a lot of time and money. Realistically, a full home renovation can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. To experience a stress-free home renovation

Plan your renovation.

You can’t start a renovation without a plan. It can be a formal architectural plan or just a set of ideas. The important thing is you have a concrete process for the whole-house renovation.

You can do it by researching or looking for contractors and subcontractors if you do not want to do it yourself.

To help you form out a rough outline, here’s a checklist of some things you should check out.

Roof

Foundation

Windows

Wallpaper

Ceiling

Flooring

Siding

Gutters

Door

Paint

Rooms

Kitchens

Storage

Bathroom

Work out the costs.

Now that you have a plan, it’s time to do your homework. Budgeting the whole cost will help you in maximizing the renovation. Remember to work out the total expenditure requirements/limit. Make sure to check your budget with your contractor regularly

Assess the condition.

Knowing what you need to fix is crucial before starting a home renovation. Invest in a detailed survey from a reputable building surveyor before buying. Discover the true condition of the building to help you in forming an accurate plan in fixing the damages.

Things to consider when renovating your home for a higher resale value

Get an inspector

You want to get an inspector before anything else. You don’t want your basement to be leaking or your home to have structural, heating, electrical or plumbing issues. It’ll all be taken in by the buyer, so when you do market your home, you’ll be able to advertise the fact that it has been inspected. If you don’t make the changes necessary to pass an inspection, a buyer will usually hold it against the seller to negotiate for a lower price.

When to just sell

It’s important to speak with both your real estate agent and contractor to find out the value of your home and which improvements are financially feasible. But you need to be aware of your home’s circumstances. If you’re selling a bungalow near Avenue Road and Wilson Avenue, it’s likely it will ripped down regardless, making any renovations irrelevant.

Home automation

From voice activated smart lighting to a keypad on your door that can be controlled from your phone, there are simple additions that will add value to your home; spending $2,000 on smart home technology can conceivably add $20,000 in perceived value. Because the technology is new, people may view it as expensive and complicated. But once explained, it’s quite easy to use and understand its value in your day-to-day routine.

What’s worth renovating most

Kitchens and bathrooms will allow you to get the most money back in terms of resale value, but they need to be done right. These are areas of the home that feature appliances that are used everyday. A bathroom renovation in Toronto (with its old plumbing), can cost in the mid- $20,000 range, while in York Region you’ll be spending around $15,000 to $20,000. Kitchen renovations start at around $40,000, but could be a bit less expensive if you’re looking to simply change your cabinets. These changes have seen an added resale value of 75 to 100 per cent.

What should you stay away from?

There’s little reason to renovate your basement and living space, or to change the flooring if you’re simply looking to sell your home. These areas usually involve someone’s personal taste. So, they shouldn’t be cheap and cheerful just to sell the home because the buyer will notice.

Things You Should Know When Choosing A Chiropractor

What conditions can chiropractors treat?

Sure chiropractors are well known for effectively treating patients with neck and back pain, headaches, joint pain, but what about other condions like allergies, asthma, menstrual pain, etc. Chiropractors do not treat patients for any condition, but they care for people who have those condions. The primary goal of chiropractic is to permit the patient’s body to function better therefore decreasing their symptoms naturally. It all has to do with subluxation.

Chiropractors have the ability to do something no other primary health care provider does. They locate distortions in the body that can affect your health. These distortions are commonly caused by misplaces spinal vertebrae (spinal bones) and are called subluxations. Subluxations happen from many types of injuries and traumas, poor posture, stress, etc. Subluxations are commonly referred to as a pinch nerve. To make it simple, subluxation is caused when a spinal vertebrae comes out of place putting pressure on a nerve. Most people think that a subluxation (pinched nerve) causes pain, however, most subluxations do not. Subluxations are dangerous because they impinge and interfere with your nerves that connect your brain and spinal cord to your muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, discs, glands, and other internal organs. This can effect how your body functions. If your body has subluxations and is not able to function optimally, you are more likely to become ill or have symptoms. For example, you may have a vertebrae out of position causing nerve pressure that affects nerves going to your stomach. Your digestion may be impaired, your stomach may be “nervous,” you may have ulcers or other conditions, but feel no back or spinal pain even though there nerve pressure from a displaced spinal vertebrae.

Conditions Chiropractors Typically Treat

Chiropractors treat conditions related to your body’s structure. Their goal is to relieve pain and improve function. They don’t prescribe drugs or do surgery. Rather, they adjust or manipulate your spine and other body parts to get them in the right position, or proper alignment. Chiropractic care is based on the idea that when your body is in proper alignment, you have a better chance of healing yourself. Get an overview of some of the more common ailments—not all of which are related to the spine.

Low Back Pain

Low back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek treatment from a chiropractor. Research on spinal manipulation often focuses on low back pain. Some people with low back pain benefit from going to a chiropractor, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Some research suggested people with low back pain got better relief from going to a chiropractor than from going to their family doctor.

Neck Pain

Chiropractors often treat neck pain with neck manipulations. These are also called adjustments. In some cases, these neck adjustments—along with exercises—may work better for neck pain than pain medications. You may want to try a chiropractor if you have had neck pain for a long time that is not due to an injury. This type of neck pain may respond to chiropractic care.

Tension Headaches

Chiropractic adjustment for your neck may help if you have tension headaches. These are a common type of headache that causes pain in the back of your head and neck. Stress and bad posture can cause tension headaches. A chiropractor might adjust your neck and give you some stretching exercises. The chiropractor might also suggest healthy ways to reduce stress and relieve your headaches, including proper posture and body mechanics.

Migraine Headaches

Research has shown that chiropractic spinal manipulations can decrease migraine frequency, decrease pain, and reduce the need for migraine medication. How this occurs is not known. The authors of the study suggest that chiropractic care reduces overall stress, which may, in turn reduce the effect of migraines. Triggers for migraine headaches may include certain foods. Your chiropractor can also give you advice on nutrition and some changes in your diet to help treat migraines and other types of headaches.

Whiplash

Whiplash is a type of neck sprain that often results from a car accident. Whiplash causes pain and stiffness in your neck. Pain may be worse when you try to turn your head. You may even feel dizzy or sick to your stomach. Chiropractic adjustment may help. A chiropractor may have you do exercising and stretching at home, too, and show you how to use heat or ice to reduce muscle spasms and swelling.

Sacroiliac Pain

Your sacroiliac (SI) joint is a big joint at the bottom of your spine. SI joint problems cause a different type of low back pain. You may feel this pain in your buttock or the back of your thigh. Chiropractors treat this type of pain with chiropractic adjustment. The chiropractor might also teach you how to avoid straining your SI joint. And, he or she might give you some exercises to strengthen your core muscles, which are the muscles that support this joint.

Shoulder Pain

You probably think about back and neck pain when you think about chiropractic care. However, a chiropractor might also be able to help you if you have a stiff and painful shoulder. This condition is called frozen shoulder syndrome. People with frozen shoulder may have less pain and more movement after chiropractic care. Your chiropractor will stretch the muscles surrounding your shoulder and show you how to perform more stretches at home.

Knee Pain

Most often, wear and tear on the knee joint causes knee osteoarthritis. This is a very common condition. Chiropractic care might help. Chiropractors sometimes do back adjustments along with knee adjustments. This type of treatment may work better than knee exercises alone. Some people treated with chiropractic adjustment have less pain and better movement after a few weeks of treatment.

Stress and anxiety

Environmental stress includes noise, weather, physical threats, time pressures and performance standards. Body stress includes disease processes, organ malfunction, poor nutrition, poor sleep and physical injury. And emotional stress is more difficult to define, but it encompasses our reactions, in both thought and emotion, to environmental and physical stressors.

Jobs today are increasingly complex as the business world becomes more and more competitive. Physical stresses such as sound, air and water pollution have also grown worse over the last century – especially in the United States – and so have emotional and psychological stresses caused by an increasing awareness of troubles and tragedies around the globe, brought to our attention every hour by the Internet and its 24/7 news cycle.

Many illnesses are caused or worsened by stress, which activates our “fight or flight” reaction. This systemic reaction affects almost every part of the body, as the hypothalamus in the brain stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which causes an increase in heart rate, blood volume and blood pressure, redirecting blood away from our digestive system and extremities.

When prolonged, the long-term effects of this state can be disastrous to good health and cause high blood pressure, muscle tissue damage, diabetes, infertility, damage to the immune system and slowed healing from disease and injury.

Chiropractors work primarily with the spine – the root of the nervous system through which nerve impulses travel between the brain and the rest of the body – and can help the body manage and process this stress in a healthier way.

What Can a Doctor of Chiropractic Do?

Chiropractors can release muscle tension, one effect of chronic stress that leads to nerve irritation and creates uneven pressures on the body’s bony structures, which can cause the spinal column to become misaligned. This, in turn, helps the body return to a more balanced, relaxed state.
Chiropractic adjustments can reduce spinal nerve irritation and improve blood circulation, which can help signal the brain to turn off the “fight or flight” response and begin the healing process.
A doctor of chiropractic can suggest nutritional supplements, like B complex vitamins, to help the body cope with stress.
A chiropractor can also recommend relaxation techniques and discuss posture and environmental changes to help you recover from chronic stress.

New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyer

What Can You Do to Make an Attorney More Likely to Take Your Case?

While you can’t change the underlying facts of your case, you can sometimes take certain steps to make representation more desirable from the attorney’s perspective.

Build Your Case

You can position your case for success by having a complete picture of the nature and extent of your injuries—an official diagnosis from your doctor, for example. In a car accident case, getting a copy of the police report can be a big help. It also helps to organize and gather any potential evidence, like your medical records, contact information of potential witnesses, and a timeline of notable events.

Manage Your Expectations

One of the biggest red flags for an attorney is a client who expects too much. This can make settling a case more difficult or lead to disappointment even after a successful win at trial.

Be reasonable in what you expect from your attorney too. Don’t expect a daily call with a status report, and try not to lose your cool if the lawyer doesn’t return your calls immediately. When something significant happens, the lawyer will let you know.

Be Honest

Litigation attorneys are master lie detectors. So if you’re not telling them everything, or if you’re lying about something, there’s a good chance they’ll know. Why does this matter? Because if they don’t see you as credible, a judge or jury probably won’t either. Your attorney also needs to trust you, as they will be making sworn statements to the court based on what you say. If they’re constantly wondering if you’re lying, they won’t be able to represent you effectively.

See an Attorney ASAP

Generally speaking, it doesn’t help to wait to see an attorney. It’s one thing if you’re waiting to receive a copy of some documents before you have a consultation. It’s different if you’re just procrastinating. If you wait, your attorney will wonder how serious your injuries really are, or how important this case is for you.

Let the Attorney Handle Your Case

This sounds obvious, but there are clients who think they know the law as well as their attorneys do, and they act accordingly. This is one of the biggest pet peeves for attorneys. Think of a driver relying on a vehicle navigation system in an unfamiliar area. You’re like the driver, while your attorney is the navigation system. You’re ultimately in control of the vehicle, but it’s the navigation system that decides the best way to get there. You decided to bring a lawsuit and recover for your injuries, but it’s time to let your attorney decide what court documents to file, what evidence to gather, and how to deal with the other side. That’s what you hired them for, after all.

Why Do Lawyers Turn Down Cases? Hint: It’s Not Personal!

A great deal of lawyers will offer potential clients a free case evaluation or free consultation to get a better picture of the legal issue at hand. An initial consultation, it should be noted, doesn’t qualify an attorney-client relationship. In fact, there are instances where a lawyer will offer his or her time free of charge for a case evaluation and then decide not to take on the case after all. This line of decision-making has nothing to do with “liking” the potential client, even if the client feels they’re being “turned away”; that’s simply not the case (every attorney wants to be able to help as many clients as possible seek justice).

The potential client should understand that their attorney (or potential attorney in the case of a consultation) is not their friend. An attorney is there to provide expert advice and protect the rights of someone who has come to harm at the fault of another. If the lawyer decides not to take on a case, they’ll have credible reasons why they came to that decision. After all, letting a potential client walk out the door means, quite frankly, the attorney stands to lose quite a lot of money. However, it should be made clear that an experienced attorney doesn’t see dollar signs when he or she evaluates a case–they see the victim of a crime and first and foremost, a human being. An experienced attorney will see the justice they can provide a client and their first instinct will always be to fight for those who have come to harm or who have become the victim of someone else’s bad judgement.

Client comes first, compensation comes later

The lawyer who turns down a case because they don’t feel it’s the right fit (or it’s not a case they feel can hold up in court), wouldn’t feel they’ve wasted their time after an evaluation that doesn’t bring in a client–and it would be wrong to consider that they have–because they offered legal advice to someone who may have come to harm or made a potentially bad decision without their expert opinion on the matter. An experienced lawyer is in the business of practicing law for the people, not the profit. While having an established law firm with many successful cases won and millions in compensation awarded is what every lawyer strives for over the course of their career, cash should never come before client.

An attorney who sees profits before people suffering from serious and life-threatening injuries should not be practicing Personal Injury law. Personal Injury law requires a high level of moral ethics and humanity instilled in the attorney. They must remain unbiased and level headed while holding onto their ability empathize with clients over the course of years. Clients who find themselves in the office of an attorney who treats them as a number or who is only interested in getting them out the door with compensation (even though it may not be the maximum amount) should quickly pursue another firm where they are valued.

Credibility, credibility, credibility

There are dozens of reasons why an attorney with a lot of experience will turn down a case, and most of those reasons have nothing to do with dollar signs. After years of practicing law, attorneys become familiar with exactly what will and won’t win a case. That includes client credibility. Let’s break down exactly what “client credibility” is and how it can affect the outcome of a case for the good and the bad.

Lying to your attorney WILL break your case! Don’t kill your case by telling your attorney a story you think he or she wants to hear. Tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Whether or not you have a case after the initial consultation should come second to the fact you told the truth and maintained your composure, rather than create an embellished account of what occurred during and after the accident in the heat of the moment. It’s natural to feel angry, upset, depressed, and emotional after being wrongfully injured by another. However, it’s important to retain a level head and trust that the attorney knows what he or she is doing when it comes to resolving your case as quickly as the legal system allows.

Credibility! When you lie or change your story about what happened during the accident, this puts you and your attorney in a very difficult position. Attorneys must negotiate expertly on behalf of the client when it comes to recovering damages for them. If the story changes, this makes the attorney look like they lack experience even though this is certainly not the case. Plus, lying in court is 100% illegal. Once a client is under oath they are required to tell the entire truth to the judge and jury. Even the plaintiff themselves can face legal consequences if they choose to lie on the stand.

Live like someone is always watching! Social media, the occasional private investigator, the defense hired doctor, even your own attorney are all looking at what you’re doing throughout the course of the case. If you’re using Facebook and Instagram to post videos of yourself dancing, drinking, and partying but claim you’re unable to work due to injuries sustained in an accident, this doesn’t look credible to those involved in the case! In fact, it can destroy the entire case and leave the client with no compensation at all.

Why a Personal Injury Lawyer Might Refuse to Take Your Case

It’s Too Late to Sue

All personal injury cases are subject to lawsuit-filing deadlines set by the statute of limitations. Subject to a few exceptions, if you try to sue after the statutory deadline has passed, your case will get thrown out, and the attorney might face sanctions from the court.

The Lawyer Is Looking for a Particular Type of Case

Personal injury is just one area of practice in the legal profession, and there are subsets, including:

medical malpractice
product liability
industrial accidents, and
toxic torts.

If your case is outside the attorney’s area of expertise, they may pass on representing you. And even if your case falls under the lawyer’s expertise, the lawyer might represent only plaintiffs with a specific type of injury. For example, in a toxic tort case, there could be a long list of potential injuries that could result from exposure to a particular chemical, but the attorney might only take on cases where the plaintiff has suffered a specific type of cancer.

Your Case Will Be Hard to Win

Even if you have significant injuries and liability seems clear, a number of factors could derail your case, including:

your shared fault for the underlying accident
your delay in getting medical treatment for your injuries, and
your (perceived) credibility.

How should I prepare for my first meeting or telephone conversation with a lawyer?

The attorney will ask you questions designed to get the relevant information quickly and to determine if your situation is something the attorney is capable of and interested in handling. The attorney must also first check for conflicts of interest (where the attorney formerly or currently represents interests or individuals potentially involved in your case and therefore might appear biased or unable to fully represent your interests). In addition to the employer’s name, you will also be asked for the names of people involved in your case.

The attorney will want to know what acts you believe harmed you and what reasons were given by the employer to justify the employer’s decisions. The attorney will ask questions to determine whether you can prove that the reasons given are not true. Finally, the attorney needs to know how you were damaged and what you expect to recover. Many clients have unrealistic expectations about their case because of things they read in the papers or were told by others. Each case is different. Proof of events, credibility of witnesses and many other circumstances and variables make each case unique. You and your attorney must focus on your specific case.

While you talk, in addition to getting information, the attorney will evaluate you as a witness and client, in areas such as memory, honesty, appearance, attitude, cooperation, communication skills and many other characteristics. Do not lie or mislead your attorney. Understandably, clients may try to make their case look better than it is by saying that the company always settles its claims or that witnesses will come forward. Attorneys are not impressed with these representations. Please be honest and direct. You and your attorney must have trust and confidence in each other to give you the best chance to resolve your claim.

Go to the initial meeting prepared to show your lawyer not only the injustice of your dismissal but how you think the law was violated. Take supporting documents such as evaluations, witness statements, evidence concerning treatment of others, and medical records. Explain what you think your employer is likely to say in its defense. Prepare a summary of your economic (financial) damages.

Deep Cleaning Before The Holidays

What’s The Difference Between A Deep Clean And A Regular Clean?

Are you ready to hire a professional deep cleaning service? If so, you aren’t alone. The fact is, professional house cleaners bring quite a few benefits to the table.

However, as you hire these services, there are a few things you need to know. One of these things is what the difference is between a deep clean and regular clean. Keep reading to learn all you need to know about these two types of cleaning services.

Regular Cleaning Explained

When you hire professional house cleaners for a “regular cleaning,” this is going to include the things you would do on a weekly basis. A regular clean is designed to help maintain a certain level of cleanliness around your house.

When you invest in a regular clean (which will be what you typically receive) the home cleaner will do some of the following things:

Vacuuming and mopping your floors
Tidying up the house
Cleaning the bathrooms – toilet, bath, mirror, sink, etc.
Cleaning the kitchen – wiping surfaces, outside of appliances, taking out trash, etc.

These cleaning tasks typically don’t take that long to complete; however, they are essential to help keep your home free from dust, dirt and other debris.

Deep Cleaning Explained

Now that you know what a regular cleaning entails, it’s time to discuss a deep clean. Deep cleaning is something you are likely going to need to invest in when you first hire a cleaning service. While deep cleaning is more expensive than regular cleaning, it also only needs to be done every six months, or so.

A deep cleaning service will remove the deep dirt and grime in your home. It will cover the areas that aren’t typically covered in a regular cleaning service.

Some of the services provided when you hire a home cleaning service for a deep clean include:

Remove scale and soap scum from shower heads, taps, kitchen tiles, bathroom tiles, etc.
Clean behind appliances such as the oven, washing machine and cut through the grime that often builds up
Deep and complete dusting including the baseboards and doors in all rooms
Washing the home’s interior windows
Cleaning patio doors and window frames
Cleaning the interior of the oven and glass door

As you can see, a deep cleaning is much more thorough than a regular cleaning service. This is the main reason that you pay more when you hire the professionals. It also takes longer to complete.

How to Clean Your Oven With Lemons

Fill a medium-sized, oven-proof mixing bowl with water. Cut two lemons in half and place them in the bowl.
Heat your oven to 250 degrees.
Once heated, place the mixing bowl inside on one of the racks. Leave for one hour.
After an hour, turn off the oven, open the door and let it cool slightly.
While the oven is still warm (but cool enough that you could safely touch the inside without getting burned), put on gloves, take a damp cloth and wipe down all surfaces, including the back, sides, bottom, top, door, corners and crevices. If needed, use a wet scouring pumice, microfiber sponge or other abrasive tool to target any extra sticky spots. Be sure to wipe thoroughly so that you remove all grease and grime.
You’re done!

How to Clean Walls with Different Paint Finishes

The first thing you should consider when washing painted walls is the finish. (If needed, reference our handy guide to paint finishes.) Whether the finish is glossy or flat will determine how scrubbing will affect the look of the wall.

Flat, Satin, and Eggshell Finishes

Duller paint finishes are less durable when it comes to cleaning. Do not use harsh chemicals or degreasers when cleaning flat paint walls. When washing with a sponge, be sure not to scrub too hard. The sponge should be wrung out almost completely before putting it to the walls.

Glossy or Semigloss Finishes

Because these paints are highly durable, they’re most commonly used in high-traffic areas like the kitchen and bathroom. It’s OK to use a mild degreaser on glossy kitchen backsplashes or vanity doors. Although glossy and semigloss paint is durable, it will still scratch, so always use a soft sponge when cleaning walls.

How Often Should You Deep Clean Your Home?

If it wasn’t hard enough keeping on top of the general housekeeping chores, then you may not want to know how often you should be deep cleaning the rest of your home.

As households become busier year-on-year, experts believe we’re rapidly losing the fight against allergens and grime.

Kitchen

Microwave: every week. Food splatters and left over moisture can become a breeding ground for germs. Giving your microwave and the turntable a thorough clean every week should remove those otherwise missed splashes.

Refrigerator: every month. Food spills, leaky meat wrappers and rotting vegetables (hello salad drawer!) can lead to serious bacterial contamination. Removing all your food and wiping down all the shelves and drawers with an antibacterial wash shall not only prevent bacteria spreading, but also help you keep on top of expired foods.

Oven: If your oven starts to smell of previously cooked food or smoke, it’s time to deep clean the oven. In-between cleans you can use a damp rag to remove spills and splashes.

Bathroom

Bathtubs and showers: every week. Offering a warm and moist environment, bathtubs and showers are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and fungus that cause skin infections.

Toilet: every week. Most households can manage by wiping over the cistern, buttons and toilet seat with an antibacterial agent; deep clean the toilet weekly with a cleaner and toilet brush to remove stains and mineral deposits.

Showerheads: once a year. Removing the showerhead and soaking it in a descaling product will help remove internal mineral build-up and return the showerhead to its former glory.

Bathmats: every week. Like the tub, a fabric bathmat can act like a juicy spongy breeding ground for bacteria and fungus. Use a sanitising wash to remove any harmful bugs and try to hang the mat in full-sun to dry.

Bedrooms

Pillows: every quarter. You spend about a third of your life in bed, so it makes sense to regularly cleanse your pillows from trapped dead skin, oil, sweat, allergens, dust mites and their eggs.

Mattresses: every six months. Like pillows, the mattress can soak up and trap body fluids, dead skin, allergens, dust mites and even bed bugs in its fibres. To keep your bed smelling sweet, get the mattress professionally steam cleaned every six months.

Duvets and blankets: every six months. Check if your local launderette offers extra large washing machines that are perfectly sized for large duvets and blankets.

How to Clean Walls with Latex Paint

The best way to wash walls painted with latex paint is to use warm water and a nonabrasive all-purpose cleaner. Dip a clean sponge in the water, then wring it dry. Gently rub the wall. Pay special attention to areas that get touched often, such as around doorknobs and light switches. Rinse with a second sponge and clear water. Take care not to wet areas around outlets, light switches, telephone jacks, and other electrical connections. If scrubbing those spots is necessary, turn off electricity at the circuit breaker box.

For stubborn spots, such as fingerprints, newspaper smudges, or scuffs, make a paste of baking soda and water and rub the area with a nonabrasive pad. If cleaner (or white vinegar and water) doesn’t remove the grime or stain on painted woodwork, wipe the woodwork with a rag dampened with rubbing alcohol.

Pest Exterminator

Silverfish Life Cycle

Life Cycle Stages

The silverfish process from egg to adult usually takes about four months. They are hemimetabolis insects, which means they develop through three stages:

Egg
Nymph
Adult

Reproduction

While silverfish do not reproduce through direct fertilization of the eggs, they do perform a mating dance.

The insects touch their antennae together.
The female flees.
The male and female reunite. They stand side by side while the male vibrates his tail.
Males then deposit small packets of sperm into the female ovipositors.

Eggs

Depending upon climate conditions and species, eggs may take between 19 to 60 days to hatch. Humid conditions are preferable, though silverfish can thrive in almost any environment.

Female silverfish produce one to three eggs per day, or clusters of two to twenty. The pests deposit eggs in cracks around the inside of a home or attic, making them difficult to find. Unlike some other insects, silverfish can produce eggs all year.

Nymph

When they emerge from the egg, silverfish nymphs are miniature versions of the adults. They go through a number of molts during development, and continue to molt throughout their lives. Some species may undergo more than 50 molts.

Adults

Typically, silverfish become adults in about three or four months. In cool climates, it may take up to two years to develop into a mature adult.

Encounters & Concerns

The surrounding environment has a major influence on silverfish development and how long silverfish live. In ideal environments of high temperatures and humidly, these insects can live for about three years.

What do silverfish look like?

Silverfish range from 1/4” to 1” in length. Their bodies consist of a head, abdomen, six legs, two compound eyes, two long antennae, and three appendages that resemble tails. The body of the silverfish is flat and narrow and tapers down from the head in the shape of a carrot. It is covered in shiny, silver-grey scales. Two of the tail-like appendages, called cerci, point to the sides of the body, with the filament (or middle appendage) between them pointing backward. Silverfish do not have wings; they move by using their legs in a wiggling motion that resembles a swimming fish. Silverfish can run quickly on horizontal surfaces but are not as fast when moving vertically. However, they are able to jump up to a foot in the air.

Silverfish grow from egg to nymph to adult. The female lays up to three white, oval-shaped eggs in a crack or crevice. When the eggs hatch — which can vary from a period of three to six weeks depending on temperature — pale nymphs emerge. These nymphs continue to grow into adulthood, molting as they do and developing scales that are dark, shiny, and silver-colored. The normal lifespan of a silverfish is between two and eight years. Silverfish reproduce at all times of the year, with the female laying about 100 eggs over the course of her lifetime.

What are the risks of a silverfish infestation?

Because they are adept at hiding, silverfish can grow in numbers before being discovered, resulting in a significant infestation. These pests do not bite or directly cause harm to humans or pets, but they are destructive to your home. Silverfish can contaminate foods and eat through fabrics, paper, or other items.

Silverfish eat mold, so their presence may also indicate a mold issue in your home. They are also a preferred food of spiders, centipedes, and other insects, so silverfish in your home may attract these pests.

When are They Active?

You and the silverfish likely have very different schedules, so you may not run into them too frequently unless you wake up in the middle of the night.

A common silverfish encounter usually occurs when someone walks into their bathroom at night and turns on their light to find a silverfish in their bathtub. This is somewhat of a prison for silverfish because they struggle to climb out of bathtubs due to their lack of extra appendages. They are poor climbers, but exceptional runners.

Silverfish are very quick, and can outrun the majority of their predators. Seeing a silverfish run in your home is a very unsettling sight that is sure to send shivers up your spine.

They will often scurry off into dark and secluded places. Silverfish are nocturnal, so they prefer to stay hidden during the brighter hours of the day, and will likely only come out when your lights are off.

The perfect conditions for silverfish are dark environments with temperatures around 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, although they can survive in temperatures above 50 degrees.

Silverfish thrive in moist conditions, so they are often found in parts of your home that may be harboring excess moisture. They are often found in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, garages, cabinets, or near leaks.

Sign of a Silverfish Infestation

Keep an eye out for feeding marks, although they may be irregular whether they are holes, notches along an edge, or surface etchings. Yellow stains, scales and/or feces (tiny black pepper-like pellets) may also be seen on infested materials.

These pests can typically be found in humid, moist areas of the home including basements, attics and bathrooms. People have noticed silverfish when they come down on ceiling soffits and/or drop from skylights and canister light fixtures in the ceiling, likely entering through shake roofs.

What is the Best Way to Kill Silverfish?

There are numerous ways to kill silverfish, including the use of boric acid and diatomaceous earth. Silverfish can be captured and killed using glasses wrapped in masking tape and filled with sugar water as bait. Another way to get rid of silverfish is to spray a mixture of bleach and water in the areas where they live or points where they access a home. The best way to control silverfish is to make one’s home inhospitable to these insects.

Boric acid is an effective means of silverfish extermination, though it’s a low-grade toxin. Children and pets must be kept away from areas in which boric acid is used. The powder should be sprinkled where silverfish have been noticed. Particular attention should be paid to areas where silverfish like to hide, such as under sinks and in cracks and crevices. More boric acid can be sprinkled every two weeks as needed to kill silverfish.