One thing I will always cherish about photography is the way it de-stresses me. It can be used to stabilize emotional and mental health – just like every other art. To follow the steps to learn photography can start from it being a hobby and it is self-taught, however, the passion and creativity for it must come from you.
Being behind the camera teaches one focus, patience and perseverance. But first, are you interested in photography? Do you take great pictures with your phone? Do you love the idea of capturing moments and making people smile?
If your answer is yes!
Then I think you have what it takes to be a good photographer, just keep reading and we’ll show you 6 easy steps on how to learn photography for free online.
1. Enrol yourself in a photography workshop
I facilitated a photography workshop sometime last year, we talked about the basics of photography, did exams and there were a lot of practicals. The workshop was interactive and there were testimonies from people – sharing the things they’ve learnt and how the workshop had helped them.
Check around, there are photography workshops around. Check online, you’ll find them there. Register and join. Sometimes, google gets it done for you, just type “photography workshops near you”.
There is always something around; online or offline.
2. Take Free Online Photography Courses
When I mentioned passion, I meant a strong and energetic will that makes one be in a “doing” state. You are passionate about photography, what then do you do to learn or even advance the skills?
Surf the net and take online courses. There are many resources online as there are sites that are willing to teach you photography for free.
There are sites that you don’t even have to login or actively register for a course, they produce you with relevant articles and “how to” for photography and even post processing.
Online courses are flexible and self-paced, just think of it as scrolling through social media with attention and notes. This is an effective way on learning photography for free online.
3. Watch YouTube videos
I was talking to someone last week and I said, “online is the new world”. You can literally find anything, I repeat- anything you are seeking for online.
Well curated videos draws attention, our brain engage with videos.
As of 2020, there was an estimate of 2.1 billion YouTube users worldwide. The streaming service is particularly popular with younger internet users.
YouTube is a space where you can learn everything you need to know about photography for free online, just make the search and start watching.
It is most likely that you have seen YouTube videos where the onscreen tutor talks about the parts of camera and mastering the art of camera.
Now, you have gotten the knowledge, put it to use.
You have a DSLR (Digital single lens reflex), check for the settings online and how to use it. Master the parts and manipulate the controls.
If you don’t have a DSLR but have a smartphone, maximize the potential of the camera and master the camera settings.
Hands on deck and be practical.
This is another video is a sure bet of you mastering photography with just your mobile phone. But for DSLR it is more professional, watch this video that talks about how the buttons and controls work.
Like a wise person said, “you should understand the parts before you use the whole”.
5. Take a Picture of Everything and Anything
The practicality you are employing after mastering the camera settings has to do with using what you’ve learnt to create a captivating image. Be random or intentional, just take pictures – everything and anything. There is no mastering without practicals.
Theory is useless without practicals. You can search Instagram for photoshoot inspiration.
6. Challenge Yourself
This is fun once you start. The moment you start beating the standards you set for yourself, the more you want to keep challenging yourself.
Create list of things you want to photograph and how you want to photograph them. Make time to try new photography hacks out. Play around with your shutter speed or exposure to bring an image to life.
In my own case, I created a list that included every kind of photo shoot I want to have when the month ends.
That was my own spice. Learn, build and find yours.
Whenever food is mentioned, I know all the food lovers are interested. Are you a lazy food lover or a hardworking food lover? Being lazy is not a crime; you are just conserving energy right? Not to worry, I have come up with 5 snacks you can make for breakfast
There are moments where you will be running late for work, classes, an interview, or something that needs your attention very early in the morning and you have no idea what breakfast to make quickly.
There are lots of easy breakfasts you can make or you can easily grab a granola bar or an apple – your choice. Hold your horses, my Arewa people, in fact, most Nigerians! You probably were ready to say “not so kind” words. Well, you can be at ease because the 5 minutes snack to make for breakfast is not a granola bar or an apple.
There are lots of 5 minutes snacks you can make for breakfast and it is sure to make your stomach full and basically not hungry and ready for the day.
5-Mins Snacks to Make for Breakfast
1. Pancakes
This is a divine 5 minutes snack to make for breakfast. It is yummy and awe-amazing! I know, I used ‘awe’ and ‘amazing to describe it, and I might not be doing any justice to it. It is easy to make and easy to digest too.
All you need is your flour, baking powder, sugar or not, depending on if you have a sweet tooth, butter, milk, and eggs.
How to Prepare Pancakes
Mix your flour and baking powder in a bowl, keep separately. In a different bowl, separate your egg white and yolk. Whisk your egg white or you can use a mixer until it turns so foamy. Keep the mixed egg white separate. Your egg yolk in a bowl and add your warm milk, mix thoroughly, add your melted butter too.
Add your milk, butter, and egg yolk mixture to your flour and baking powder mix before adding your egg white. Mix thoroughly. You can add vanilla extract or chocolate chips, or bananas for a more yummy flavour.
Your non-stick pan should be ready and you add a little bit of butter or a teaspoon to be particular. Put a cup of your pancake mix in the pan and cover in low heat for some seconds and you are done. Just to be sure it’s done, you can insert a toothpick in the pancake and when it comes out neat, you can definitely get ready to put it in your mouth. You can go ahead and serve on a plate. Your choice, if you want a syrup over it, or honey or fruits with butter on the pancake or basically any other thing. Your life, your rules.
2. Grilled Cheese Roll-Ups
This is also one of the snacks to make for breakfast. As the name suggests, they are definitely going to be rolled up and it is super-duper easy to make. All you need are a loaf of bread – preferably sliced bread, and your sliced cheese.
How to Preparare Grilled Cheese Roll-Ups
Remove the brown parts of your sliced bread and get your rolling pin to roll over the bread. After that, you place your sliced cheese on your sliced bread and roll them together, in a rolling mat way. Place on pan with already heated butter in it and leave till it starts turning to a brown roast colour and you are ready to serve.
It can be eaten with different dips or rather a sauce and will be enjoyed with tea or coffee.
3. Super Fluffy Omelet
The ingredients needed are 3 eggs, butter, salt, and pepper.
How to Prepare Super Fluffy Omelet
Separate the egg white and yolk, whisk separately then mix together before putting it in a pan already on low heat for a few seconds before adding butter by raising the egg mixture gently. Cover the lid for 5 minutes before sprinkling salt and pepper. You can sprinkle some other stuff too and your 5 minutes snack you can make for breakfast is ready to be devoured.
4. Egg Sandwich
Ingredients needed here are eggs, butter, mayonnaise, and mustard paste. The main ingredient is sliced bread, which without it, you can’t make a sandwich.
How to Prepare Egg Sandwich
Get your sliced bread and cut off the brownish sides (if you love them, then you can leave them) on your pan. Then, add your butter before adding your eggs – can be 8 eggs. Furthermore, add a little bit of mayonnaise and a teaspoon of mustard paste. The addition of salt to taste and pepper for a little spice is all up to you.
5. Oatmeal
This is an easy healthy 5 minutes snack you can make for breakfast. Ingredients here are also as you desire. You can make different sorts of oatmeal with your oats. Here, all you need is a cup of rolled oats, bananas (mashed), milk (any you prefer), vanilla extract, and honey or sugar.
This is one of the snacks to make for breakfast and is very enjoyable.
How to Prepare Oatmeal
Add everything into your saucepan excluding the honey or sugar. Leave in medium heat, stir until desired consistency. It is ready to serve and it’s better to serve hot. Add honey/sugar and you can also add blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, kiwi, and a lot more to make your 5-minute snack you can make for breakfast a little bit fun.
Conclusion
We are at our limit folks. Though I won’t mind listing all the amazing 5-minute snacks you can make for breakfast but unfortunately, this is my stop. Adios amigos.
Are you a boss or a manager? If yes, do you get disturbed about how to improve productivity in the workplace to enhance your business growth? Clearly yes! The goal of every business is to achieve maximum profit and attain progressive growth. However, the success of a business irrespective of the years of establishment is influenced by its level of productivity.
Nonetheless, productivity is attained by deliberate actions. Being productive in the workplace centres on how employees can carry out their assigned duties effectively. Therefore, in this post, we will discuss 10 practical steps on how to improve productivity in the workplace.
10 Ways to Improve Productivity in the Workplace
1. Build a Healthy Working Relationship
As a boss, the relationship between you and your employees contributes to business productivity. Do you treat your employees harshly? Like nagging, giving disrespectful comments, imposing your will, unnecessary deduction of salary, delay in payments, overburdening them with duties, and more.
If you engage in any of such behaviour you should make amends if truly you seek the progress of your business. In contrast, beopen to suggestions, treat them with respect, communicate effectivelyand be simple.
Remember, the happiness of your employees boosts productivity.
2. Delegate Duties at Workplace
Division of labour makes works easier and faster. Therefore, duties should be divided among employees without bias. To experience high productivity be conscious of how you delegate duties. No employee should be given fewer duties whereas another is overburdened with duties.
Unbalanced delegation of duties disorganizes a business workflow. In addition, division of labour reduces stress.
3. Inculcate Time Management Attitude
Are you time conscious? If yes, how long does it take your employees to finish a task? Effective time management practice enhances productivity. Whereas, spending too much time on a single task decreases productivity. To achieve this, tedious tasks should be carried out first and assigned to more employees for quick accomplishment.
Similarly, working hours should be scheduled with the needful activities. In addition, unnecessary meetings or activities are to be erased from the schedule. There is no need for a staff meeting when the information can be passed across via emails or text messages.
4. Assign Duties Based on Specialization
There is beauty in diversity. Likewise, productivity is achieved as employees function in their field of expertise, they input their best at work. As a boss delegate duties based on their skills, capacity, and strength.
For instance, a customer relations officer won’t perform exceptionally in the office of an accountant. These employees will get into lots of trouble miscalculating. Perhaps, reduce working speed to avoid errors. However, excellence will be achieved when he is placed in the area of his strength.
5. Schedule Time for Seminars and Training
One of the responsibilities of a manager is to ensure that his/her business employees advance in terms of skills and knowledge. Therefore, if you’re curious about how to improve productivity in the workplace you need to work on your employees. Our world is continuously changing, likewise the business world. Hence, the knowledge base used 20 years ago wouldn’t be sufficient to produce maximum productivity in this current age.
In essence, your business needs to grow with the trending skills and knowledge. Therefore, seminars and workshops are useful platforms to achieve this. This provides a medium for your employees to learn profitable skills. Their increased knowledge equals productivity.
6. Provide the Right Tools and Equipment
It’s difficult to achieve a result when there aren’t functioning tools to work with. Similarly, substandard equipment will strain your employees. For instance, an organization computing data manually wouldn’t produce an effective result as a company computing data using an excel spreadsheet application.
Working with the right tools boost speed, reduces stress, and produces maximum output.
7. Reward and Appreciate Your Workers
Employees will always give in their best when appreciated. Therefore, don’t hesitate to commend your staff when you observe their excellent performance and output. It motivates them to do better next time and inspires other staff.
Furthermore, don’t stop at commendation, when staff is due for promotion be quick to give that employee the upgrade. Note that no appreciation decreases productivity.
8. Minimize Distraction at Workplace
Productivity is achieved when there is maximum concentration towards the set goal and assignment. Hence, to see your staff work effectively remove every possible source of distraction.
A low distraction policy should be enacted in your company such as no phone calls during working hours, no excess free time, and no discussion while working. These kinds of policies enhance employees concentration at work
9. Create a Conducive Working Environment
Your company location and environment Influence the input of your employees. A harsh working environment burns out productivity and may affect their health. Therefore, as a manager don’t search far to learn how to improve productivity in the workplace. Simply look within.
Little changes like having a conducive working environment can make a difference and enhance productivity. Your working environment shouldn’t be congested, exposed to any form of pollution, having limited cross-ventilation among others, All these inconveniences hinder the productivity of your staff and your business growth.
10. Set Deadlines
Duties assigned with deadlines are quickly done compared to those without deadlines. This is because the deadline makes employees up and doing. Helps them focus more on the set goals. It’s also an effective time-management principle. A company gets to lose potential clients when they fail to meet up deadlines.
Likewise, a company loses productivity when duties are not done with immediate effect.
Conclusion
The longevity and success of a business are influenced by its productivity. Therefore, how to improve productivity in the workplace will require that you skillfully plan your employees working schedules. However, to experience a smooth workflow one or two goals should be set at a time and achieved before stepping higher to accomplish other goals.
Hence, the application of these methods will enhance your worker’s concentration, make them happy with their job and minimize stress. Furthermore, join the discussion in the comment section by sharing your thoughts.
It’s a beautiful thing to string words into meaningful statements and watch readers feel everyone that you write. It’s only fair that you want to get paid while being awesome at that art and hobby. I am very sure you are reading this because you have questions on how to start freelance writing. You are in the right place and I have tips for you.
How do you get started? Where do you find gigs? What does it mean to be a freelance writer?
Freelance writing is a flexible and interesting side hustle – it is fast becoming a major hustle now though. A freelance writer is a self-employed writer who writes at the comfort of their home.
A Step by Step Guide on How to Become a Freelance Writer
1. Find Your Niche
The fastest way to finding your niche is writing, writing again, and writing. The more you write, the more you find out what kind of things your mind likes to weave into words, and the more you find that space that you own and fully build on it.
For some, it is a trial and error stage and for others, it is a broadway street. Also, your niche doesn’t mean you only write about one thing. You could be a writer with two or more areas of specialization.
Either way, find your niche(s)
2. Create a Portfolio
A portfolio is simply a compilation of your writing(s) all in one space or place. It shows your range as a writer and also points out your organizational skill – which is a skill that every writer should own. Mostly, potential clients want to see samples of your writings so they see how and what you write. It is the access into your writing world. Therefore, it will be a brilliant idea to have it well-arranged.
You can have a portfolio by building a free website like WordPress or Blogspot or check for other ways to do this online.
3. Build Your Social Media Presence
In all honestly, your first job might be from social media. I got mine from social media. It is clearly stated on my social media handles that I am a freelance writer and open to work. Build your social media bio, your employers will find you.
You don’t have to become a social media influencer, but you can engage content online and show your way with words in every post you make. It attracts attention.
4. Create Your Resume
This is what outlines your expertise, experience, and skills as a writer. Prospective clients should see this and want to work with you straight up. Make it as tidy, organized, and professional as it can be.
I got my first writing job without a certificate. Recently, I did online courses and got certified. It boosted my resume and opened up more quality and well-paying opportunities.
After a portfolio, take online courses that will enhance your knowledge of the niche that you’ve chosen for yourself. It shows that you know what you are doing and you are professional about it.
You would want your potential clients to see this.
6. Sign Up on Freelance Sites
You have mastered your art and you have samples to show for it. The next thing to do is to sign up to freelance sites to start getting jobs and offers. Freelance platforms help to connect freelance writers with potential gigs.
Sites like Upwork, Fiverr, Guru, Freelancer, and many others are examples of freelance websites you can sign up with.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to start freelance writing, happy freelancing.
The majority of people especially girls, here in Arewa, in fact, most places, do want long hair. Some are already blessed with it while some are still struggling to achieve that. Let’s not kid ourselves, the long hair lovers, if you want long hair and you are given one opportunity to make that wish come true ASAP, will you really let the opportunity out of your grasp? This could be done with the best natural hair supplements
The first thing that comes to mind is keeping your hair healthy all the time by keeping it clean and nourished. Lack of doing that may be the major roadblock to achieving your dream hair. I know it sucks to keep trying to do something which ends up not working out. Well, one thing to do no matter how cliché you think it sounds is to never give up.
Best natural hair supplements are here to help you through that frustrating phase that makes you want to shave all your hair off. Our hair just like our body also needs food to grow, some of the food we consume contribute a major deal when applied to the hair. It may sound gross I know but trust me, our hair gets really hungry too.
Here comes nothing but in this case some juicy stuff or unbelievable thing which actually works very well as among the best natural hair supplements.
The Best best Natural Hair Supplements You Will Find Very Effective
1. Rice Water
Yeah, the rice water that comes to your mind, that is the one. You can try using it on your hair in different ways. You can either let it get fermented or you boil it on the go. The most recommended is actually the fermented rice water. Disgusting right? Actually, it smells horrible but out of 10, I give it a 10 but there are certain things you can add to it to avoid that discomfort;
Essential oils; the likes of rose oil, lavender oil, etc. It aids in the reduction of that unbearable smell and you can use your magic wand to go on with your hair magic.
Orange peels: They help too, slicing the peels and adding them to your rice water, then leaving it for some time before using it.
2. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is also among the best natural hair supplement which the main thing to do is actually have the plant. Easy right?
Next is the application of the gel that is inside the plant, your choice either to apply it all over the hair at once or by parting the hair into four or even two.
3. Banana
Keep your chill, I know what I wrote, and banana is also among the best natural hair supplements and excellent for usage on hair.
Though it comes with the downside of trying to make it chunk-free, your hair magic is already in progress.
4. Avocado
Yummy but on your hair is another different amazing experience uhm uhm! Don’t let anything stay as a barrier between you and getting that dream girl!
I don’t have to tell you to shampoo your hair after use yeah? Oh well, shampoo your hair after use of any natural hair supplements and it actually depends on how long you are willing to leave it on your hair.
You can experiment on your own by trying different duration or just go for the famous 1 hour tops.
Conclusion
If you are having doubts about using any of these best natural hair supplements, then I guess you can stay with that messed up hair all you want, and not being rude, not trying can be interpreted as stupidity to let go of these awesome gems.
Let me be real with you, there are a ton of best natural hair supplements each with its purpose. It is just waiting for you to knock on the right door and voila! Your wish will be its command.