Sepia or black and white is the original film for photography just as it was for movies. It was in the mid-twentieth century that color photography first became available to the general public. As our world is seen full of vibrant color, why would anyone wish to remove that brilliance from photographs?

This question is unique in that it brings about the answer of identifying when to take a black and white photograph or when to remove color from a photograph using an editing program such as Photoshop.

To simplify is the answer to the above question. This process allows for removal of distracting elements from a photograph, much like blurring the background or enhancing the frame of a photo.

So now we know the why, which has led us to the when, of black-and-white photography, lets look at the three main situations where we might de-saturate (i.e. remove color from) a photo.

# Color Portraits – Taking a photo of someone using color photography reveals a close up to their facial flaws. Things such as skin discolorations and blemishes become a distraction to the viewer and leave them unable to see the true emotions, life and personality of the person in the photo.

# In abstract fine art photography

Color is very noticeable in a photo, and it generally trumps things like patterns or shapes. So another use for black-and-white is when a photographer wants to take a photo that is about a pattern or shapes. This type of photograph comes up most often in what we might call abstract fine art photography, where there really isnt a clear or recognizable subject for the photo.

In addition, photographers of Abstract Fine Art will often increase the contrast of a photo after removing the color. This is commonly done with the assistance of an editing program.

# Monochromatic Photography – In this situation, black and white usually works best.

This final category is something of a catchall. While the main use of black-and-white is to remove something distracting from a photo, its also a good idea to try converting a photo to black-and-white when the photo really has few bright colors anyway. Another way of looking at this is to say that just as color is distracting, a washed-out lack of color is also somewhat distracting.

Many thousands of BT Ireland home and small business customers whose accounts are to be transferred to Vodafone will be tied to Vodaphone under a major agreement unveiled yesterday between the two firms, and will not be able to terminate their existing contracts once the move takes place.

British Telecom has left the home retail telephone and broadband market. Its 84,000 home consumers will soon be part of Vodafone’s fixed-line customer base. Its additional 3,000 BT small business customers will also be transferred to Vodafone’s existing fixed-line service in coming months.

Vodafone’s total fixed-line customer base increases to more than 170,000 customers with this deal, making it the second-biggest player in the Irish telecommunications market after Eircom. Vodafone will also increase to having 15 percent of the country’s fixed-line broadband internet consumers.

The proposed deal which is still subject to approval from the Competition Authority, also includes a multi-million euro commitment from BT to upgrade a further 58 telephone exchanges around the country. In doing so it can ensure that more of the Irish population can access its high-speed internet services.

BT has already unbundled 22 exchanges. BT will sell the wholesale broadband capacity to Vodafone, which will in turn market it to fixed-line customers.

This component of the deal will further impact revenue at Eircom, further challenging the already embattled company. Of BT’s 84,000 home users, about 80pc of them use broadband services that BT sources from Eircom on a wholesale basis. Once the new exchanges are upgraded by BT, the amount of wholesale fixed-line internet services that Vodafone will have to source from Eircom will decline.

The first step in internet dating is creating a profile; you post some photos of yourself, and you list your personal characteristics. You include some interesting facts about yourself and perhaps a funny anecdote or two to show off your sense of humor. And if you’re at all blessed with the gift of the gab, you can probably write a novella about your life while you’re at it.

When that’s complete, you start searching for your dream date. Using the site’s search engine, you fill in the “must haves” and wait while the dating site returns its results. Usually only a few seconds go by until a list of profiles is displayed.

As you read through the profiles looking for clues of his or her personality, there are a few things you need to keep an eye out for. These are character traits that are not particularly flattering. More importantly, they could be relationship deal breakers.

Spitefulness. The occasional sarcastic remark disguised as a joke is amusing. But if your date has nothing but sarcastic and critical things to say about the people in his or her life, think twice. Ask yourself this question; If your date says nothing upbeat and encouraging about anyone else, what is he or she going to say about you?

Prior relationships. Most of us have a serious relationship (or two or three) in our past. If they ended badly, we likely learned something about ourselves in the process. But people who have only horror stories to share about their previous relationships may not have learned a thing about themselves or their past mistakes. Beware of perennial victims before you become one of the “bad guys”.

Inappropriate Anger. Hey we all get angry sometimes, so what’s the big deal? Run of the mill anger isn’t an issue, but inappropriate anger is. People who get angry at anything and everything rarely take responsibility for their own happiness; they’d rather blame others. And sooner or later you’re going to be in the line of fire.

Polar Opposites. It’s true that opposites attract, but some differences are just too great to ignore. Big issues about which you are on opposite sides of the fence like religion, whether or not to have children, and drinking and drugs, are relationship killers. You may have fun in the short term, but long term? Not so much.

Dating and internet dating should be about getting to know someone better. If the person you’re dating exhibits any of the above characteristics, take care. Give some thought as to whether these traits could present big problems down the road, and make your decision accordingly.

It is a safe assumption that everyone on the planet wants to look their very best. Although it may be for drastically different reasons, there is a need for people who look as if they had just had a makeover most of the time. Luckily, there happen to be many different methods for this to happen, regardless of what a person considers to be an area a problematic area for them, and they may choose the procedure known as liposuction.

Will it work for me? For a resounding amount of people, the problem usually seems to be their weight. Many people are simply not pleased with how much they weigh, and liposuction can generally help them out with their discomfort with the extra weight that they may have accumulated. Although, this may be an embarrassing topic for many, it is quite normal, and the procedure generally works in the favor of everyone who decides to choose this approach in combating weight.

In talking about liposuction, many people feel as if it may be a little risky, and they generally wonder if they are the ideal candidate for it. Luckily, everyone can usually have it done, as it is not a very strenuous process. The criterion for the perfect liposuction patient is:

- In good health – Non-smoking – Within twenty five pounds of the target weight – Without any significant health problems – Exercise regularly – Does not have fluctuations in health – Are genuinely realistic about the surgery

It is also noteworthy to state that the person does not require that this is a weight-loss method, which is the common misconception about weight loss. The desiring candidate should know that this is a reshaping process for aesthetic purposes. Other areas for concern are the age of the patient, although it is not absolutely a huge concern, but the elasticity of the skin obviously deteriorates over the course of time.

Other noteworthy mention is the state of the skin when choosing to undergo the liposuction procedure. For instance, those with cellulite and/or stretch marks do not have the same results as people that do not, and may not find that their surgery wasn’t as much as a success than what they had envisioned it to be.

Results After liposuction, the patient will generally feel amazing about the choice that they made, and they will absolutely love the way that they look. The procedure is usually one that does not incur many problematic experiences, and the recovery is something that can be described as one of a breeze. For the person who would like to have this method done to improve the way that they look, it is wise to state that they should talk to their doctor with a more in-depth consideration into what they are about to embark on. Although it is very rewarding, the process may not be for everyone, so proper research about liposuction would most definitely be advisable for those looking to improve their look!