Stem Cell Technology = The Next Step In Skin Care

Stem Cell technology has been a hotly contested subject, mainly because of how doctors have obtained the stem cells.  But like all technology and science, there are always people out their that want to do it better, and do it more ethically.  Enter Doctor Nathan Newman, M.D. (world renowned cosmetic surgeon)

Dr. Nathan Newman along with other researchers have developed procedures in their field using Stem Cell’s from Adult fat with some stunning results, so what better thing to do than bring that technology to you and I, thus Jeunesse was born. Like the results from the Stem Cell procedures in cosmetic surgery, They have created a serum that has equally stunning results.

From repairing skin from burns to repairing fine lines and ridding the face of unsightly blemishes, now of course the results may vary, not all bodys are the same, but the feedback from everyone using the skin serum has been overwhelming.  We often wonder why so much attention is put on anti-ageing, but lets face it we are a vain lot not wanting to show the ravages of time, and as much as we would like, nothing unfortunately will stop our ageing process completely, and we know we can do a lot by the way we look after ourselves internally as well as externally to give is a better chance, but why not have another weapon in our arsenal?  Jeunesse make a complete system dedicated to maintaining good external and internal health, from their serum right through to their moisturisers  and vitamins and like I mentioned before the results are pretty amazing look at what an older woman with burns said and see her stunning results.

” I burned my hands and neck while I was cooking. I was at my Daughter-in-law’s house a week later and when she saw the condition of my hands and neck, she quickly convinced me I should apply the Luminesce product. Because this product is so new she thought it would be a good idea to take pictures. I am so impressed – even my friends who I play cards with are asking me what I was using and where can they get some. -Phyllis Cheeseman April 18, 2010 “

For more info on this amazing breakthrough you can view doctor Newman’s conference showing their amazing results here:

http://www.skindoctor.jeunesseglobal.com/media.aspx

Stem Cell technology rocking the skin care world

It is not often that something really catches my eye in the beauty sector, being a male and all, but I must say when I was introduced to Jeunesse i was very impressed to see a product that actually worked.  The Stem Cell based products help to repair skin on a cellular level, as the creators say

“it is a  cellular rejuvenation serum that makes a powerful debut as the first anti-aging product to stimulate your body’s natural ability to replenish, amplify, and heal your skin. This powerful anti-aging serum works around the clock to restore life to your skin while simultaneously setting new industry standards. The cellular rejuvenation serum contains an exclusive patent pending formula that is derived from adult stem cells and contains 200+ key human growth factors that transforms skin by gently replenishing natural levels of proteins like collagen and elastin. Look younger, healthier, and more radiant as LUMINESCE™ cellular rejuvenation serum works magic, helping many people regain their youthful appearance.

If you are interested in something that actually works it is a worthwhile look.

see it here: www.skindoctor.jeunesseglobal.com/Default.aspx

Why retail is in decline in Australia?

Well what a question, everyone has their opinion on this, but I have some ideas of my own, so here goes.

I have been a huge advocate of internet shopping, due to some very high pricing in our stores of late.

My question to start is, with the AU dollar doing so well, and most of what we buy coming from overseas imports, why are retailers not passing on the savings?  I read an article on car pricing and it seems the same has happened there as well, I can not say the same for companies like Harley Davidson who retrospectively reduced prices to consumers based on the strength of our buying power on the US dollar.

Just recently Harvey Norman who was bagging out the internet trade, has just started an online business selling products at bargain, prices, well hello Mr Norman, why can I buy MYOB from MYOB for $730.00 with I year support and in your stores I will pay $890.00 for the same product??

Yes we need to change with the changing times, and internet shopping has it’s benefits, but I have to tell you I have made some large purchases lately that I could not find a better deal on the internet, and for some of them I wouldn’t shop on the internet for these items anyway.  Alarmingly I noticed a huge issue with retail shopping that if taken into consideration and fixed, would bring back people to the shop owners.  What are those things you may ask, well if you are a shop owner, no matter how big you are you need to take note, you need to listen to your consumers.  I will outline now some things I have noticed and concerns I have with the retail industry.

I will start out with a topic I think makes any shop or store owner shudder, it is “SERVICE” I ventured into 5 different shops large and small looking for a suit, yes I had a budget in mind approx $600.00 and I am not easily pleased and am a hard bargainer,  and I have to tell you if I had to give you an average opinion, it would have to be pathetic!!   In most cases no one came to serve me, in Myers (not scared to name and shame) I walked into the cheaper suit section and walked around for about 10 min and no one in sight, when I did spot a store worker they were more engrossed in what they were doing on the computer than helping me, now should I have said “can you help?” absolutely NOT that’s what they are paid for , to provide service.  Then i ventured into the more exclusive suit section, and even then I had browsed for at least a few minutes before getting any attention, you may be thinking that I am harsh in saying a few minutes was too long, however I need to mention that there were no clients and three people standing in an area as big as a lounge room, so yes a few min was too long, a simple “hello, if I can help you let me know” would have sufficed.  After that they were very helpful.

Now small stores do not get off the hook here either,  I walked into a small men’s store labeled all over with SALE “50% OFF”  walked around with no acknowledgement from the single man sitting behind the counter, until I was nearly out the door as he was engrossed n what I would call a private conversation with a mate.

At this point I need to confess, I had earlier walked into a very small suit shop I had frequented about 6 years earlier (Messini, if you are interested), where I purchased a suit on sale from a very vivacious and passionate store owner.

Six years later and the moment I stepped in the door I was greeted with a smile, acknowledgement, and asked how he could be of assistance to me (not the same person I might add).  Did I buy my suit from him?  Yes I did , but not straight away, as the suit was a little outside my budget, so I went looking at the other stores I have just mentioned.  The upshod of my experience was that even though some other stores had cheaper suits that probably would have been sufficient, I felt that I would be better served to go back to where  I had been treated like a valued customer, and that I felt confident that I had purchased what I needed.  Also it took the hassle factor out of it.

Just a side point (and store owners don’t need to go this far) when I finished the transaction, the store owner , an older Arabic/Italian man probably in his 60’s shook my hand an gave me a huge hug as if I had known him for years, to others this may sound funny, but to me that is what business is about, forging relationships with your customers. I now feel very confident that when I go back to buy another suit I will be remembered, and dealt with as a valued customer, and If I am feeling a bit down I can get a free hug (lol) what a shame we live in such a disjointed community.

Service is a part of retail that is sadly lacking, in fact it is pathetic, where is the passion, where is the hunger, were is the tenacity we once saw, I have a strong feeling that it comes down to technology making people impotent at communication, and interaction, store owners large and small need to get back to this time honored tradition of customer service if they want to survive.

In my next article I will look at pricing in a bit more detail, and dispel some myths about overpricing and sales.

Happy shopping….

Is Fashion Stupid? (from a man’s perspective)

Well what a atom bomb of a question, but one that needs to be asked and answered.  If you think of it fashion has been around since man was created, in fact if you read the account God was the first fashion designer   – Genesis 3:21 and for a perfect intellect the clothes were made for a functional purpose “to cover a naked body” .  These days fashion is somewhat of an enigma, as high fashion dictates to our generation what is cool and what is not.

My whole purpose of writing this article is not to debate the functional side of fashion, but the lunacy of designer pricing, stupidity of what people think clothing does for them in regards to their image or self esteem, and how utterly ridiculous said fashion really is and how it makes average people look like clowns.

A BRIEF WARNING:

If you are sensitive to the wave of fashion trends then this may not be something you may be able to stomach, but if you are brave, read on

So where do i start?  I think designer pricing is a great place.  I recently ventured into some designer shops with my wife whilst out on our anniversary, now whilst I like the next person loves to look neat an tidy in clothes that will flatter what good features I have, I do not believe you have to pay the price of a Harley Davidson to do that, but one look at the prices in Chanel , and it became apparent to me that the price for high fashion is just stupid.  We looked at a rather pretty mid rift sized cardigan, now I have to say it looked very pretty but with a price tag of AU$3500.00 I am a little lost for words to find out where the worth is in that? If you can tell me then off you go.

Some will say price of fame , advertising, models and famous people endorsements etc, but I am sorry they are not good enough arguments.

Bonds makes underwear that  famous people endorse and wear, and bonds does some pretty extreme advertising, yet they are no where near the price of Calvin Klien underwear, and in some cases much more comfortable (this is from experience)

Is it because they use superior materials and are hand made buy the best tailors in the world?  Again not good enough arguments.  Take my wife for instance , went to a brilliant couture to have her wedding dress designed and made, we bought the finest Duchess Silk, and the work on this dress was impressive, total cost  $2000.00  remember this is a one off original and a full dress I might add including all the stuff that goes to make it all fit together.

I am sure there could be much discussion on the validity of the prices that are charged, and I am especially one that would rather pay a little more to have something made properly, that will last and is not disadvantaging some minority group set up in a sweat shop somewhere, but at the end of the day, the prices asked by these designer companies is no short of bigotry, only the rich are deserving of fine fashion?   Well I have a wake up call for all you out there that think like this.  All you have to do is refer to the winner of Melbourne Cup Fashion on the field 2009, where the winner who won against some of Australia’s best designers, was donned in a $18.00 dress she bought online for the US.

Now what about the statement ” My Clothes Make me feel special”  mmmmm!!

Well they may make you feel special, but sometimes that special feeling doesn’t relate to how it looks to others.

All women are endowed with beauty, you don’t have to look like Scarlett Johansen, or Rachel Welsh (for you of an older generation) to look stunning. But bad choice in clothing can make you look cheap, and very unappealing.  I am constantly shocked by young and old , in what they get around in, from mid rift tops being worn by overweight teenagers sporting a more than ample muffin top, to those hideous wearers of tights, I am sorry these are meant for people to wear in places where you can not bee seen, unless you have the body for it, and what is it with woman that are visibly larger than normal wearing mini skirts??  Just terrible.

No matter how much you tell yourself that it makes you feel special it just looks down right trashy, and is certainly not appealing, and you might want to note that people are looking at you, not because you look special or stunning, but you just look like an idiot.

SPECIAL NOTE:

In the case of wearing designer clothing and accessories to make you look more beautiful and desirable, I have already established if you choose wisely, you can dress yourself rather economically and still be fashionably appealing,  however there are still people out there that think by wearing designer clothing, people will respect them more and find them more appealing, well I have some news on that score for you as well.  No matter weather you wear $1100.00 Jimmy Choo shoes or $100 pair of Sandler Stilletos for example, if you have cankles (no ankles, in other words tree trunks for legs) you will look pretty much the same, just $1000.00 poorer, and not to mention that no one would really know unless you go around telling everyone which is not an endearing  quality.   So dress for your body shape, don’t be sucked in by ritzy advertising, and send a message to the designers that they make clothes to cover a “naked body”.

Now I am sure you have something to say about all this so I welcome your comments, but remember I am not saying we need to conform to the body image portrayed in models etc, actually quite the opposite, I am saying that we should be happy with the body we have and that all women, and men have features that make them individual and beautiful to others however we should dress appropriately based on those features, and not be sucked into thinking that a current fashion or line of clothing will make us more appealing if we wear it, just because the models look good in it.

What The Hell Is Twitter For?

I am generally a very open minded type of person, but I have just completed a small social experiment of my own in regards to Twitter and I must say I am bitterly disappointed.  I have been a member for over one year now, and I have replied to many tweets from other people, even asked questions on a general topic and it is amazing for you to know how many twitters (people that tweet) actually responded,  well here is is……….ZERO, NONE , NADA, ZIP since i heard all the hype about how great twitter was, i tried it with all good intentions but since then I have now found out or it seems to me that it is a forum for people with nothing better to do than tweet about themselves, about things that only they find interesting, and absolutely mind deadening quotes by the hundreds with no explanation of why they have been tweeted.  I may as well have written a note in a bottle and thrown it into the ocean, in which case I might have a better chance of getting a reply than doing it on twitter.  I would love to know what the purpose people think twitter is for?  I initially imagined that it could serve as an avenue to promote products and services and to create a great network of users and suppliers, but if no one actually responds then what good is it?

I would love to hear anyones thought’s on this as i am absolutely baffled with it all.

Deep Etching – A great skill to have

I have been looking lately at what people have been looking at on my blog, it is amazing the amount of people clicking the link to learn deep etching, but not leaving a comment to commit themselves to learn.  Deep etching is a great skill to have in photoshop, as many photographers today as well as commercial graphic designers use this tool extensively.

I am very willing to teach people, even one on one via skype this valuable tool, and some fun and interesting ways deep etching can be applied.   However how can i do this if you don’t let me know.

Do I want anything for it????   NO I dont, maybe some recognition about being a person wiling to teach advanced photoshop skills for free, or some word of mouth around your friends to check out my blogs.  All you have to do is watch my video’s on creating the Harley Logo Effect and see that I am committed to training, and teaching these valuable skills.

If you want to learn this valuable skill leave a comment and a contact, it also might be good to let me know where you live so I get time correct, as I am in Australia.  If you are worried about the contact stuff, just email me at  sales@achameleon.com I will set up a time and off we go.

Please Note:  As I do not ask money for this i will not pull the wool over your eyes about other stuff you need to know, it is a genuine offer so it is up to you if you are committed or not to learn.

All the Best

Daniel Romaine – Photoshop Trainer

Are you a real photographer?

Many people today rely on graphic post editing with programs like photoshop to make their images more appealing, the fact of the matter is if you cant produce an image raw from a camera that is of a high quality, then you need to go back to basics.

Although I am a big photoshop fan and use it in the commercial world, the truth of the matter is that it is making photographers lazy.

Photography for the purist is about using all our knowledge about lighting, composition and using individual creativity to create beautiful and stunning images that tell a story not only about where we have been but who we are. Photo-shopping has become the norm, and I have seen a plethora of images that are stimulating to look at but I know how they have been created, and know that they are composites or have been edited to the hilt and i soon loose interest.

If you want to take images that will stun your viewer, start looking and studying photographers that didn’t have access to CGI see how they compose, and what time was involved in making sure they had the correct lighting, and the time it took to get the images they finally came to exhibit.

One photographer that has impressed me from many years ago is American Landscape photographer Ansel Adams. His black and white landscape images are true fine art, sure there was a bit of burning and dodging in the dark room, but the composition and lighting is absolutely brilliant, you can check out his images at http://www.anseladams.com

Take time out from in front of your computers and get your hands on a manual, film SLR, medium or large format camera and get back to your real photography roots, if you can’t do that then are you really a photographer or just like every other wanna be with a digital camera and some photoshop skill?

Again don’t get me wrong, I use photoshop every day, and a DSLR, unfortunately due to tight deadlines in the commercial world it is a necessary evil, but i am encouraging the real photographer, the one that loves a good story told by a poignant image to take time out and re-discover why they took up photography in the first place, the great thing about it is film cameras are cheap, and getting hold of one is easy.

Give it a go, and see your images get better.

Happy snapping

P.S.  love to see some results.

DSLR with Video – Nikon D5000

Hi all, i wrote an article a while back on digital cameras with Video capability.

Finally getting a camera shop to give me a go of their DSLR (Nikon D5000) i must say i am disappointed yet relieved, how so?

Well i am disappointed with the D5000, now while the D5000 does take an exceptional image the feel of the camera is very cheap (then again so is the price), also i managed to have a go at the “HD” video capture on the camera, not nice let me tell you, it is clunky, no auto focus, which means that you need to manually focus as you record, now if you are a professional you probably wouldn’t have to much issue with that, but these cameras are not aimed at the professional market so for a novice to use this feature is a nightmare.

So why am i relieved? Well i am now very certain that these features are gimmicks, especially on the D5000, i saw a novice using the video (a friend of myne) and they were just frustrated, asked if they would buy the camera, they said they wouldn’t buy it based on the video, and would opt for the more robust D90 (which has no video function). I have to agree, so coming back to my conclusions, if you want to take video —– BUY A VIDEO CAMERA. Don’t fall for the marketing guys gimmick.

Anyway thats my opinion. Happy snapping

What’s Up With Camera Shops?

Have you ever walked into any shop where you want to drop a few thousand dollars and the shop attendant will not allow you to at least test out what you are buying?

It is amazing in our day and age that you can walk into a large chain camera store and look at something worth in excess of $4000 and they will not even let you touch it, as it is “salable stock” oh derrr!!!!.

Just last week I went to look at a D700 as my D100 is getting a bit tired, and the store (camera house) had one on display, i asked the store attendant if i could feel it in my hand and look at some of its features, he said NO as it would render it a demo. WHAT????? i could not believe it, who in their right mind would part with their hard earned cash especially in the sum of $4500.00 (asking price) without even trying what they will buy, thats like rocking up to a car dealer and buying a car without a test drive.

Camera stores WAKE UP TO YOURSELVES if you cant afford a demo then don’t sell it, as it wastes our time. That store now is less a $4500.00 sale because of this stupid store policy, or an even stupid store attendant.

Like i said in some of my earlier articles, DO NOT BUY IT IF YOU CAN NOT TEST IT. Do not waste you time with stores like this, these are the type of companies that will sell you crap just to move stock. You probably think i am a little ticked off, well i am, our time is valuable not only as professionals but just in general, and none of us has time to run around store after store trying to find someone that will let us test drive what we want to buy.

My suggestion find a professional camera store who has the brains to stock a demo model and give the other franchise crap a miss.

I have had my say on this , and would love to know if anyone out there, has has the same situation occur to them, please leave a comment and let the photographers be heard.

Happy Snapping.

DSLR with Video How Good Is It?

For years we have purchased an exact tool for an exact job, but today it seems that we are hunting down manufacturers to make an all in one product that can produce a high quality result.  Take for instance the mobile phone.  Who ever thought we would want to take a photo with a phone or for that matter take video as well? and even with the production of 5 Mpxl cameras on-board some high end phones,  we still want more.  Far be it for me to say WAKE UP, but unfortunately people in general want smaller, lighter products that can fill their every need, thus the evolution of the  mobile phone come still camera, video camera, internet device etc. etc.. the problem is they are still really poor in their quality. Other than a couple of cutsie type photos of family and some small events, or some teenage prankster trying to make his mark on youtube  these type of devices fall very short of the mark.

So what does this have to do with our very much loved DSLR cameras?  For a few years now some of the lower end manufacturers have attempted to integrate video with their still cameras resulting in slightly better footage than mobile phones, and to be frank most have failed miserably, with a couple of exceptions, for example i purchased for my wife a Sanyo Xact Vision Waterproof Video Camera that records to a memory card, it also can go under water to 1.5mtrs which makes it perfect for our family video, it also has a 6 mpxl still camera also which takes some pretty good pictures , again perfect for the family album, but in all this it is still pretty average.

Welcome to the stage Nikon and a couple of other larger manufacturers.  Nikon and their competitors have now attempted to do what no other manufacturer to this point has done, to produce a high quality DSLR with HD movie feature. But is it needed or for that matter necessary?   I spoke to a very good friend of mine who is a cameraman for the ABC and if anyone would have a clue he would, according to him this technology has been a revolution for journalists who can snap their stills and be able to produce better than mobile phone quality footage for their news companies who use the internet as a driving media for their stories. But like all things the proof is in the eating or seeing in this case.

So how do some of these cameras perform?

lets look at one of them the Nikon D5000, now I have posted a video I found on youtube (which there are plenty of) you can make your own call on what you think the quality is like, however when you weigh it all up , if you want high quality anything, buy the product that  is manufactured for that purpose. I personally do not think the footage is too bad, but it falls far short of footage that can be produced on pro-sumer Video cameras from 5 years ago (in my opinion) in fact my personally bought Xacti Vision which cost around $400.00 produces footage that is every bit as good as the nikon D5000.  Now when it comes to the images that is a different story, the D5000 takes some stunning images, as this is the purpose it was built for, which brings me to think that Nikon has used the HD video as a gimmick.

So for around  $800~$1200 you can purchase the D5000 Body,  which isn’t too bad considering I bought my D100 for $5000 when they first came out.  You get a great still camera that if need be can produce up to 1080p HD video footage, it is not a bad combination but still in my mind bit of a gimmick.  I can see the benefits for it, but for the extra that it cost the likes of nikon and Canon to incorporate this feature, they could have made the D5000 a full image sensor, so the average photographer could have an even better DSLR at an affordable cost (again only my opinion)

I would love to hear your opinions on this so leave a comment.

Happy Snapping.