For entrepreneurs and small business owners, image is everything and finding a way to establish the image that your business needs to thrive and grow doesn’t have to be an expensive proposition.

Traditionally, start-up firms have had two choices when deciding where to “set up shop”: turn a spare bedroom at home into an office or lease commercial office space.

Unfortunately, neither option presents a particularly attractive business case. Although convenient and cost-effective, the home office can be wrought with distractions such as kids and pets and they are not the most conducive place to host important client meetings.

Leasing commercial space can be expensive and often times risky. Not to mention the time and energy required to find a suitable office, negotiate the lease terms, purchase furnishings and equipment, hire office staff and services, etc.

For years, many small businesses wrestled with these challenges. Many are surprised to find that there is another way.

The Best of Both Worlds

A virtual office can be a powerful tool for small businesses that want to limit their start-up costs and establish themselves alongside larger competitors. For a fraction of the cost required to set up and maintain a full-time office, small business owners can use virtual offices to create a more professional image, enhance productivity, and offer service in new markets.

Essentially, a virtual office acts as an extension of the business’ physical presence. While you continue to work at home or at your current office, an assistant at the “virtual” location handles incoming calls answering them in the business’ name, and receives and forwards mail and faxes.

A virtual office gives you a prestigious business address and local phone number, which can make a positive impression on potential clients. For example, The Regus Group, the world’s largest provider of workplace solutions, boasts a worldwide network of more than 1,000 business centers in 450 cities worldwide. All of the centers are located in first-class office buildings like the Chrysler Building, the John Hancock Center, Spear Tower, and the Crescent Center in key business districts, and you could establish a virtual office at any of them.

Virtual offices can also be used as a tool to test and enter new markets. If a market is not as successful as initially planned, the investment and risk exposure is minimal. Consequently if the market is successful, the business has gained an immediate presence in a viable market.

All of these benefits are great, but what happens when your customer asks to visit the office? Some providers such as The Regus Group provide virtual office clients the use of furnished offices or meeting rooms at their virtual office location for a set number of days every month. Regus business centers are full-service facilities with fully furnished private offices, meeting rooms, videoconferencing facilities, and administrative and other services.

The flexibility of the virtual office opens a new realm of possibilities for entrepreneurs seeking to grow their businesses. With no long-term contracts, small firms can be more agile in the marketplace. Free from the high costs and constraints of traditional real estate, the virtual office may be the small business owner’s gateway to growth.

Unfortunately we have all been there. The subject matter is uninspiring and there is absolutely nothing you can do to make it visually stimulating. For me this usually occurs when I have to film an event or other social gathering however I never let it get me down; when this happens I figure I have two choices, I can either let the boring and humdrum win or I can use some of the following tricks and attempt to get some prize winning footage.

POV: Point of View Shot This means shooting the action from the point of view of the subject itself. One of the most memorable POV shots I have ever seen is during the film The Patriot when the cannon ball comes right at the camera and then cuts to a soldier being hit by that same cannon ball. It ignites interest and instantly forces the audience to become part of the action. Utilize POV shots when there is a lot of shots of the same action.

Rack Focus: Rack Focus is when you change your focus between a close subject and a distant subject. You can get some pretty amazing footage using these because it puts the camera man in direct control of the audience. By manually switching the focus of the camera between subjects distant and close you include two totally distinct subjects without cutting or moving the camera. You are forcing your audience to follow the focus since the blurred images are not easily interpreted. This technique adds a professional look to any video.

Crooked Angle: You can get some great shot simply by turning the camera to the side so the ground is no longer parallel with the square of the viewfinder. You will be amazed at how incredible some of these shots can be. A bit of a warning though, try to keep the camera somewhat still as a lot of movement may make your audience sick. Using very slight movement at crooked angles is an easy way to create interest and cast your subjects in a new light.

Track Shot: If you can figure out the logistics track shots is a great way to get a video that will hold peoples interest. A track shot is when you move the camera in a definite path. You can do this shot using a wheelchair or skateboard but it creates some amazing video!

Using these four classic shots will definitely increase the interest of your productions and leave your audience wanting more.

Hope you enjoyed this online photography course about camera shot trickery, and before you leave why not grab this free Digital Photography Report…