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Doctors Surgery Receptionist – Job Description
1. Always let the phone ring for a good five minutes before you answer it – With a bit of luck, the caller will either get fed up and hang up or think there is a fault on the line and give up altogether.
2. When you do finally answer the phone, ask the caller if they would mind holding the line and then put them on hold before they have time to answer you – Forget the fact that they have probably been ringing and hearing an engaged tone for the past hour, this will give you a chance to finish telling your workmates what you watched on TV last night as well as letting you finish your cup of tea.
3. When answering the phone use your most impatient voice possible – This lets the caller know that you are highly important and they should only be taking up your precious time if they are on deaths door.
4. Ask the caller if it is urgent – The caller will be silently saying to you in their head 'if it was urgent I would be down A & E you jobs worth'. You won't hear this though and are thinking to yourself, if it isn't urgent then why on earth are you disturbing me.
5. Ask the caller what the problem is – The caller will be silently saying in their head 'none of your damn business you nosey cow' but you won't hear this and will think that being a doctors receptionist gives you the god given right to know everyone's business.
6. If you have established that it isn't an emergency, tell the caller that the next appointment will be exactly two months, three weeks and four days from now – It may seem like a long wait to them but you hope that by giving them such a ridiculous appointment time, their problem will vanish and they won't need to waste your time anymore.
7. If you have established it is an emergency, tell the caller they will need an emergency appointment with the doctor in a tone like you are a headmistress telling off a school child – Hopefully they will feel so ashamed that they have taken up your precious time that they will think twice before ringing next time.
8. If the caller happens to ring early enough to get a 'book on the day' appointment, be as inflexible as possible – They may want a time that is convenient given that they may have other children or other commitments but you will stick to your guns and only offer them one possible time. Refuse to budge on that time until a fellow receptionist takes that time slot for another patient and then offer them the next one on the list.
9. When a patient visits the surgery and appears in front of your glass window do not under any circumstances open it straight away – It is essential that you make them wait whilst you finish your conversation with your colleague next to you. Your discussion about what you had for dinner last night is far more important.
10. Never ever smile or use a friendly tone – Never break this rule as if you do people might actually want to come back again!
Disclaimer – All views expressed here are based on my own personal experience of 'not very helpful' doctors surgery receptionists. If you are a doctors surgery receptionist and happen to be lovely, please don't take offence and also, please can you apply for a job at my local surgery 🙂
If you enjoyed reading this post, don't forget to like my facebook page and follow me on twitter. You can also subscribe to My boys and Me to receive all my future posts!


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Using SS 2.4.9 with blog module.
Site has multiple languages (6) , blog module exists on all languages but is written only in English. Using the batch action to duplicate and publish English pages to the other languages. This results in a larger database then needed, because the blogentry's are only in English, but exist 6 times per blogEntry..
in the BlogHolder.ss i would like to target only the English blogentry's so i can shrink the database a bit. This has not been succesfull, any idea's?
In the template using:
<% control getTranslation(en_US) %> results in a page load, with the template, text: sorry no blogenrty's found...
when i create a function that collects the blogentry's i get an error: nginx 502 bad gateway, also see: http://paste2.org/p/2606235

subset: commoncrawl


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With the news the youview has now possibly been delayed until the end of 2012 (Youview delay)
I kind of feel humax needs to cut its losses and look to bring a new box to market. As a 9200 owner who has been holding out for youview it's just looks like the delay is now too long and with the advent of the new freeview capabilities that current humax boxes do not support (eg.iptv like connecttv).
The Uk seems to have backed itself into a corner while the rest of Europe is now following the HbbTV standard.
In the words of Lord Sugar himself....it's a bloody shambles


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"Hidden in a canyon with rushing waterfalls, steep inclines, and mountains that breach the stratus, lies a small farm that tends to the finest tea plants in Taiwan. There, the constantly dew drenched fields reach over 2600 Meters elevation and give birth to the most plump and coveted tea leaves in the world!
Down the road to the West lies the Shei-Pa National Forest Foothills and the home of the treasured land-locked Masu Salmon."
"This area is Paradise!"
Choose your tea or tea-ware click on the pictures
Tea from Taiwan
Tea from China
Tea from Japan
Teapots from Taiwan
Teapots from China
Teapots from Japan


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Lavatory Remodeling
For those of you visiting for the first time, or if you happen to missed
For those of you visiting for the first time, or if you happen to missed the actual exterior renovation because it progressed on the weblog, I thought it would helpful to summarize it all in one put up and include the entire sources for these of you who may wish to tackle this project. Whether or not you're planning a kitchen rework or wanting so as to add an addition to your private home, the Daniels Design and Remodeling team is ready to help! We'll assist you to discover the new sinks, countertops, and loo fixtures that can complement your funds and elegance.
An prolonged stroll utilizing a giant field dwelling remodeling store will start potentialities enormously. When designing the kitchen remodeling inside Bergen Area On the internet companies using a Common contractor, concepts think about the disposable place you've got got then purchase creative.
Large remodeling jobs that require multiple ability units, proper process, and the fitting connections to maintain costs to a minimal are essential components to consider. During my dwelling remodeling it was a very nice shock to work with Rise Above and Bret Buckner who transformed my master bath.
Ambient lighting: Flush-mounted ceiling fixtures, wall sconces, and track lights create general lighting in your kitchen. These two factors are why remodeling returns such a high worth at time of re-sale. Our Remodeling and tile firm presents customized tile design, tile set up, and tile restore.
For instance, if your own home was built in the 1970's and equally has not been up to date since then, replacing outdated type wall paper, fixture, home equipment, flooring, furniture, and ceilings can make a house rather more trendy and cozy to live in. In addition to including comfort and a classy look, remodeling also can enhance the worth of your own home.www^kitchenclothesline^com


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Giachetta Name Meaning & Origin
Related Names:
Looking for the perfect name? Try the Name MatchMaker to find the perfect baby name for you!
US Popularity of Giachetta Over Time
Sister & Brother Names
Know a Giachetta? What are her siblings named?
Name Lists Featuring Giachetta
Contribute your knowledge to the name Giachetta
- Comments and insights on the name Giachetta
- Personal experiences with the name Giachetta
- Nicknames for Giachetta
Gia (Ja)
Giach (Jack)
Giachi (Jackie)
Chetta (Ketta)
- Meanings and history of the name Giachetta
Italian name that coresponds to the French/English name Jacqueline (Jacklyn, Jacquelyn, ect.). It comes from the boy's name Giacomo, the Italian form of Iacomus, which is a late Latin form of Jacob and gave us the name James. The meaning of Giachetta (and all the other names mentioned) is "supplanter" (one who takes the place of another) or "seizing by the heel" or possible, "May God protect." These meanings come from the Biblical story of Jacob, who came from the womb grasping at his twin's heel and took his brother's place as the rightful recipient of Isaac's inheritance.
- Famous real-life people named Giachetta
- Giachetta in song, story & screen


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How did we get to the end of July already? Seriously! I have no idea where the time has gone. Being lucky enough to have the summer off, I should have plenty of it! I know time is like more space in a house, the more you have it, the more you simply fill it. More time doesn't automatically equate feeling satisfied with how you filled it. What have you done with your warm weather so far?
More Time Doesn't Equate Feeling Satisfed
I know I said this in the opening but this is a big point. Not a complaint but I felt like it was worth spending a LITTLE time on this. For those of you just tuning in, I had been debating on taking some time off. I was deadlocked in indecision whether to actively not renew my contract, when organizational changes naturally lapsed my contract at the end of June. So I figured, when will THAT crazy convenient timing ever happen again?! So it resolved my decision to take a summer sabbatical.
All Use Of Time Is Not Equal
Now that we're all caught up, let's get back to time. Thinking back on conversations, contemplation and blog posts, time has been on my mind a lot. I know most of us feel pressed for time, but that's not quite what I mean. There's a mortality thread to my thoughts, having enough time to do everything in life. Being surprised that the day is over before my wish list is finished. Even when I have a whole day to plan and do as I'd like. Some days, I feel like I've gotten more done with a few hours in the evening when I was working.
So what gives? Well this is a two part answer.
The more obvious is that not all use of time is equal. Quality over quantity… That type of thing. If you don't have a plan, your time will pass either way. I did have a plan for my time. Like seeing family. The first week was spent seeing a whole lot of family in a short time; like micros bursts of quality time with many family members. It was great! I spent some time writing blog articles and going to the garden almost every morning. A lot of time though the past two weeks was wiled away napping or zoning out.
What happened to all the baking, extra blogging, painting and leather work?
Want Versus Need
The other part of the equation here is what you think you want versus what you NEED. I have been thinking of taking a sabbatical for months now, to decompress, slow down, de-stress. Catch up on sleep! My plan for my time was purposefully loose but I had failed to take into account what originally drove my wish for a sabbatical. Thankfully my brain and body did not. For once I wasn't stubborn and went with it. I napped. I lingered in the garden. I rocked out to music. Zoned out on netflix.
Two weeks later, I'm finding myself breathing in and relaxed in a way I can't remember the last time I did. My thoughts started to drift towards what I want next, I'm waking up with energy and some ambition for small plans.
So what I've learned so far, have a plan with your time. When you seemingly consistently miss the mark with what you wanted, consider whether there is something you need. And not just what you want.
If I'm Not What I Do, Then Who Am I?
Not a total surprise, there has been some discomfort with having all this time. We dedicate so much time to our careers, even if it's our passion or we enjoy it, it's easy to lose our identity without it. Even if your career is your calling/passion, I think it's a good exercise to take a break and remind yourself you're a sum of your parts. Not lose sight of the whole picture. That type of thing.
It's healthy to get some perspective and see all the parts that make up who you are.
- It makes you a more interesting person. Gives you more things to talk about.
- Builds confidence. Remembering all those other skills, personality traits and other facets gives a boost to self esteem. Be amazed by who you are again without growing pains!
- Gives you an opportunity to grow. When you get a confidence boost seeing all that you are, it gives you the drive and courage to stretch yourself further. Gives you a glimpse of clarity that you can accomplish more.
Learning To Lean Into A Sabbatical
It's taken a few weeks but I'm learning to lean into this summer sabbatical. What I mean by that is that I've discovered it can be really hard to do what's best for you even if you have no obstacles. This may seem a bit over the top as being able to take a sabbatical is often a novelty.
For me, it's been difficult to turn down interviews or queries for job opportunities from old colleagues. It's a good problem to have, no argument there. I've been surprised the emotions this brought up
- Stress at turning down potential job opportunities. What if I can't find one when I do want to work?
- Greed and selfishness. There are some that want nothing more than to get a job offer. Who am I to turn down an opportunity? Other's have to work, what makes me special?
Clearly I overthink things. And while these concerns seem somewhat trivial — this is a good problem and nothing life threatening after all, I'm willing to bet if we generalize, this is a common struggle: having a healthy balance of putting your needs first and saying no. When was the last time you did something you'd rather not do to please someone else?
This is a work in progress. I'm working on learning to be kinder to myself and self care.
What have I done the past few weeks and what's next?
As I've mentioned, there's been awesome catch ups with family, gardening, writing, napping and general relaxation. As part of leaning into the sabbatical, I've decided to fully commit to getting the most out of my sabbatical. Including rest when needed.
There's some traveling planned — more on that another time! Painting in parks, visiting friends, occasional writing in cafes or with a pint and making a leather a gardening tool belt of sorts.
Share your thoughts or stories in the comments!


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Located in Lumberton, N.C., Southeastern Health is a non-profit, comprehensive health care system offering a number of services through its affiliated divisions. Southeastern Health is licensed for 452-beds and includes Southeastern Regional Medical Center (SRMC), a DNV GL – Healthcare accredited hospital which offers a combination of acute care, intensive care and psychiatric services. SRMC is licensed for 292 general acute care beds and 33 psychiatric beds with a 45-bed emergency department.
- Number of Beds: 292
- EMR: Epic
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Click here for more information on Southeastern Regional Medical Center.


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The complete Guide to Panax Ginseng Research
Ginseng manufacturers claim time and time again to be one of the best natural remedies for some of the most common ailments.
But how does the research really stack up against this seemingly simple plant?
In this complete guide to Panax Ginseng you'll learn:
Why do I need to fill out the information requested?
We will always keep your personal information safe. We ask for your information in exchange for a valuable resource in order to improve your learning experience by personalising the information we send to you. We may send information to you that we think may be of interest to you by email or other means. You can read more about our privacy policy here.
Is this really free?
Absolutely. Just sharing some free knowledge that we hope you'll find useful. Keep us in mind next time you think about buying Panax Ginseng in its most potent form, straight from the source!


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Two years ago, I reached out to Amy Stevens Seal, a Mormon dating coach and founder of The LDS Matchmaker, to see if she would agree to be interviewed about the gender imbalance in Mormon dating. According to a Trinity College study, above-average apostasy rates among Mormon men have left the LDS church with a 3:2 ratio of marriage-age women to men within the state of Utah. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that at one Salt Lake City singles ward (singles wards are churches for LDS singles), the membership rolls had 429 women versus only 264 men. Mormon blogs are filled with pained discussions about the unfair dating numbers. And a marriage survey published by LDS-oriented Meridian Magazine included this comment: "I think that there will be a fast growing number of unmarried Mormon women, due to the huge imbalanced gender ratio. Most YSA wards are 2:1 or even 3:1 women."
Seal declined to speak with me—her prerogative, of course—but her publicist did connect me with Tristen Ure Hunt, another Mormon matchmaker. Hunt was forthcoming, honest and eloquent when discussing the lopsided gender ratios and how they were wreaking havoc in the Mormon dating world.
Now, two years later, Seal is suddenly eager to talk about Mormon gender ratios herself—and about DATE-ONOMICS. In her blog on the LDS Matchmaker website, Seal writes—incorrectly—that my career "revolves around writing books that will sell." A smidgen of research on her part would have revealed that DATE-ONOMICS is my first book and that my actual career revolves writing about the stock market, real estate, and energy for Fortune and other magazines. Then again, as Seal herself points out, some experts can't help but gin up false information in order to bolster their arguments.
Seal goes on to imply that my interest in this topic was "negatively slanted towards the [LDS] Church." She bemoaned that that I found "other sources willing to validate his data and 'prove' his points." Here's the rub. For all of Seal's outrage, she failed to muster a single statistic contradicting the gender-ratio data in the book. In fact, she conceded the demographic reality: "At social events and wards for LDS singles, the gender ratio is noticed and lamented by many women seeking to find an eternal companion." Indeed, Seal doesn't deny the gender-ratio-related challenges faced by single Mormon women—she just thinks women can overcome them (if they hire the right matchmaker, presumably). "Since when did anything good come with an 'even' playing field?" Seal asks. "Honestly, what worthy goal or pursuit in life has come easy?"
Look, I may be a statistics geek, but I can still embrace serendipity and romance and the possibility of fate intervening and bringing two people together against tough odds. Nevertheless, it seems self-serving for Seal dismiss those tough odds as irrelevant. Giving people hope is appropriate. But false hope? That strikes me as cruel.


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At most joints, there is a redundancy of muscle function. For any given movement, there are a wide range of possible solutions to the problem of how force is shared among muscle synergists. A better understanding of how force is shared among muscle synergists can provide insight into the mechanics and control of movement. We examined force sharing in the gastrocnemius of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), using strain gauges bonded to bony tendons. Force was measured separately in the lateral (LG) and medial (MG) heads of the gastrocnemius, to evaluate force sharing. We also used inverse dynamics to determine the total force required during swing phase. To determine whether the pattern of force sharing varied depending on the mechanical task, we used running speed (1 to 3.5 m s–1) and limb loading (30 and 60 g added tarsometatarsal mass) to vary the force required at the intertarsal joint. We found that the distribution of force between these two heads varied depending on the phase of the stride cycle. During stance, force was shared in near equal amounts between the two heads and this distribution was unaffected by changes in running speed or limb load. During swing phase, however, there was no force sharing. Force was produced only in the lateral head, and this force was not significantly different from the total force required, as calculated from inverse dynamics. Thus, the LG produced all of the force required for limb extension during swing. This change in the pattern of force sharing between stance and swing supports the theory that force sharing between muscle synergists is task-dependent.
Any walker or runner must develop muscular force at each of its limb joints to overcome inertia and resist gravity. The joint moment resulting from these muscle forces can be measured relatively easily using standard biomechanical techniques (Bresler and Frankel, 1950; Robertson and Winter, 1980). It is difficult, however, to determine the relative contribution of individual muscles to a given joint moment (Raikova, 1992; Zajac and Gordon, 1989). The difficulty results from the fact that multiple muscles are capable of contributing to most joint actions. For example, in humans eight different muscles are capable of contributing to extensor moments at the ankle. The redundancy of function of muscle synergists means that there are many different possible solutions to the problem of how force is distributed among individual muscles during movement (Loeb, 1985; Prilutsky, 2000; Raikova, 1992). Our understanding of how muscle synergists share force has important implications for models of locomotor energetics (Roberts et al., 1998a; Roberts et al., 1998b), mechanics (Alexander, 1974; Biewener et al., 1981; Thorpe et al., 1998) and motor control (Higginson et al., 2006; Prilutsky, 2000).
Several different models have been developed to predict the distribution of force among muscle synergists during movement (reviewed in Crowninshield and Brand, 1981; Herzog and Leonard, 1991; Herzog, 1996). One of the simplest models predicts that force is distributed among muscles according to their capacity to develop force, as measured by their physiological cross-sectional area (Crowninshield, 1978). More complex models have been developed to incorporate the dynamic behavior of muscles during locomotion and the influence of muscle properties on the capacity of each synergist to develop force (Pedotti et al., 1978), or to include the effect of muscle fiber type and fatique susceptibility of different muscle heads on force distribution (Dul et al., 1984). Empirical measurements of force production in muscle synergists (Akima et al., 2002; Biewener and Baudinette, 1995; Biewener and Corning, 2001; Fagg et al., 2002; Herzog and Leonard, 1991; Kaya et al., 2003; Stokes and Gardner-Morse, 2001) do not consistently support any of these models. This lack of consistent agreement between empirical measurements and theoretical predictions has led several researchers to suggest there may not be one model of force sharing for all musculoskeletal tasks. Instead, it has been suggested that force distribution may be task-dependent (Loeb, 1985; Prilutsky, 2000; Raikova, 1992).
We investigated how force is shared between two heads of the gastrocnemius muscle in wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo). This system is particularly well suited to investigate the action of synergistic muscles. The lateral (LG) and medial (MG) heads of the gastrocnemius muscle have independent origins, but share a common tendon of insertion that acts to extend the intertarsal (ankle) joint. The distal tendons of the LG and MG are separate before merging at approximately the point of transition from bony to soft tendon. Thus, we could bond strain gauges to the separate bony tendons of the LG and MG to measure force output from each head independently. The LG has an action during stance and swing phase, producing small forces during rapid muscle length changes during swing, and high forces during small length changes during stance (Roberts et al., 1997). Measurements of force production in the MG allowed us to determine how it shares force production with the LG during both the stance and swing phase of locomotion. We also used inverse dynamics to calculate the total force required during swing, to determine the relative fraction of the total force required supplied by each muscle head.
To determine whether force sharing varies with whole muscle force output, we measured muscle force output across a range of walking and running speeds, and with weights added to the limbs. We anticipated that stance phase force would increase with speed, because increased running speed is associated with increased ground reaction forces, and previous energetic studies showed energy use increased in these two muscles with speed in guinea fowl (Ellerby et al., 2005). We also expected muscle force would increase in both heads with speed during swing, because decreased duration of swing time should require more rapid accelerations and decelerations of the swinging limb. Increases in the mass that must be accelerated should also increase the force required, thus we predicted that the addition of limb weights would also increase the force produced during swing in both muscles.
Animals, muscles instrumented and training protocol
Six adult female Eastern wild turkeys Meleagris gallopavo L. were obtained from a breeder (Reedsport, OR, USA) and housed in an outdoor enclosure at Oregon State University. A diet of Game Bird Flight Conditioner (Purina-Mills, Inc., St Louis, MO, USA) and water were provided ad libitum. The mean body mass of the birds was 4.2±1.0 kg (± s.d.). The mean mass of the lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscle was 21.6±4.5 g (± s.d.), and the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle was 30.7±7.1 g (± s.d.).
The avian gastrocnemius consists of three heads in most species (George and Berger, 1966; Baumel, 1993). The MG is the largest of the three heads, with two sites of origin: a fleshy one on the proximomedial portion of tibiotarsus and the second on the patellar tendon. The MG inserts via a common tendon with the lateral head on the proximal end of the tarsometarsus. In turkeys, as in several other genera of birds, the tendons for the medial and lateral heads are separate (Hudson et al., 1959) and only join just before the tendon crosses the intertarsal joint. Here, we refer to the intertarsal joint as the ankle for ease of reference. The lateral head is the next largest and originates from a short tendon attached to the external condyle of the femur. The intermediate head is by far the smallest of the three heads. It has a fleshy origin on the internal condyle of the femur and inserts via a tendon onto the medial head about a third of the way down the tibiotarsus. A comprehensive anatomical description of these muscles is given by several other authors (Ellerby and Marsh, 2006; Gangl et al., 2004; Gatesy, 1999; Hudson et al., 1959).
The gastrocnemius acts to extend the ankle, but its action at the knee is more complex. The lateral head acts as a knee flexor (Ellerby et al., 2005; Gatesy, 1999; Smith et al., 2007). The medial head appears to have little action at the knee, with the possible exception of a small extensor moment developed by the small portion of the muscle originating on the patellar tendon (Ellerby and Marsh, 2006; Smith et al., 2007). We measured a moment arm of zero at the knee when the MG was only detached from its point of insertion. The action of the intermediate head may be knee flexion and ankle extension, but in order to perform this action it needs to act through the medial head it inserts on.
The training protocol used was similar to that used by Gabaldon and coworkers (Gabaldon et al., 2004). Turkeys ran on a level treadmill for 10–20 min day–1, 4–5 days a week, for about 4–6 weeks. Speeds were varied over the course of a training session. Animals were also trained over the course of 3–5 weeks to run with weights added to their limbs. On separate days, turkeys were subjected to one of three limb-loading regimes: unloaded, 30 g or 60 g weights. The 30 or 60 g weights were attached to the limbs just proximal to the tarsometatarsal–phalangeal joint. At the end of training all birds could run at 2 m s–1 for 20 min. All training and research was conducted in accordance with Oregon State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and federal and institutional guidelines.
Animals were induced and maintained on inhaled isoflurane anesthesia with a sterile environment maintained throughout all surgical procedures. Strain gauges (Type FLK-1-11, Tokyo Sokki Kenkyujo Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan) were attached to both the superficial and deep aspect of the calcified tendon for both the lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscle after the tendons were scraped and degreased with chloroform. The strain gauge wires were routed subcutaneously from each muscle to a small skin incision near the middle of the synsacrum. The incision was closed and small electrical connectors (Microtech, Inc., Boothwyn, PA, USA) were secured to the skin with 3-0 silk suture. Animals were given an injection of buprenorphine and allowed to recover from surgery for 24–48 h before treadmill running experiments.
Running experiments
Gastrocnemius muscle forces were measured as the birds ran with and without limb weights on a level treadmill. The birds were first run without limb weights over a range of speeds, from 1 to 3.5 m s–1. For limb-loading experiments, 30 or 60 g lead weights were secured with tape to the limb segment just proximal to the tarsometatarsal–phalangeal joint. Ten seconds of data were collected for each run. Birds remained on the treadmill at slow walking speeds between speed changes and were allowed to rest on a stopped treadmill as needed. Force signals were collected at 4000 Hz with a Macintosh G3 computer using a 12-bit A/D converter (PCI-MIO-16-1, National Instruments, Austin, TX, USA) controlled by the software program IGOR Pro (WaveMetrics, Inc., Lake Oswego, OR, USA). The tendon strain signals were amplified using a strain gauge conditioner (model 2120, Vishay Measurements Group, Raleigh, NC, USA) before being collected by the computer. Data were synchronized with 2-D high-speed video, which was recorded at 250 frames s–1 (Redlake Imaging MotionScope 1000S, Morgan Hill, CA, USA) in the sagittal plane. To ensure that there were no changes in strain gauge signals or running behavior over the course of the experiment, we compared force measurements taken at 2 m s–1 at the beginning of the experiment with measurements taken at the same speed at the completion of the experiment.
The timing of footfall and the positions of the ankle and metatarsal–phalangeal joint were determined directly from video recordings. The video recorded from the Redlake camera was transferred to a computer through NIH ObjectImage software. This transferred video was then digitized using a custom program (written by Ty Hedrick, DLT Data Viewer 2, http://www.unc.edu/~thedrick/) operating in MatLab 7.0 (The Mathworks, Inc.). All of the digitized coordinates for each bird were converted from pixels to m by determining the pixel distance between the ankle and tarsometatarsal–phalangeal joints and comparing this to the known distance in m. This conversion was done for each sequence from a single frame during movement. After this conversion a smoothing spline (smoothing factor 1, s.d. 0.001–0.003 m) was fit to the data using the software IGOR Pro (Wavemetrics, Inc.) to remove random noise. This smoothed data was used to locate the limb segment and also to calculate the segment angles. Segment angles were differentiated twice to obtain joint angular accelerations.
Inverse dynamics
Two-dimensional sagittal plane inverse dynamics was used to determine the moment required at the ankle joint during swing phase (Bresler and Frankel, 1950; Robertson and Winter, 1980). The joint moment was expressed by the following equation: (1) where Mp is the moment at the proximal joint (ankle joint), I0 is the moment of inertia of the combined tarsometatarsus and phalanges about the center of mass, α is the angular acceleration of the tarsometatarsus and phalanges, ms is the mass of the tarsometatarsus and foot limb segment, ax is the acceleration of the center of mass in the x direction (fore–aft), rx is the distance from the ankle to the center of mass in the y direction (vertical), ay is the acceleration of the center of mass in the y direction (vertical), g is the gravitational constant, and ry is the distance from the ankle to the center of mass in the x direction (fore–aft).
The mass, position of the center of mass and inertia of the tarsometatarsus and phalanges were determined empirically. The tarsometatarsus and phalanges limb segment was severed from the rest of the limb at the ankle joint in a frozen limb. The segment was weighed, and the position of the center of mass (COM) was determined by balancing the segment on a plastic straight edge (Fedak et al., 1982). For the segments measured in this study the average position of the COM was 7.78±0.54 cm (mean ± s.d.) from the ankle joint for six birds. Average segment mass was 52.37±14.29 g (mean ± s.d.).
The moment of inertia about the tarsometatarsus and phalanges limb segment center of mass was determined by measuring the natural period of oscillation of the segment. The segment was mounted near its proximal end to a stiff steel rod that provided a pivot. The segment was released at a small angle from vertical to swing in an arc in the sagittal plane. The time of five swings was recorded. This procedure was repeated five times for the limb segment, and also for the limb segment with weights attached in the same location as during running measurements. The average of all five trials was used to calculate the average period of swing for each bird's tarsometatarsus and phalanges limb segement. This period was used to calculate the moment of inertia (I) about the pivot point in kg m2 using the following equation derived from the basic mechanics of a physical pendulum: (2) where t is the period of one swing (s), ms is the mass of the limb segment (in kg), d is the distance from the segment center of mass to the point of rotation, and g is the gravitational constant (m s–2). The moment of inertia about the centre of mass (I0) of the segment was calculated using the parallel axis theorem: (3)
Muscle moment arm
Inverse dynamics measurements of joint moment were used to calculate the force that would be required from the gastrocnemius muscle to produce the motion observed during swing. The required muscle force was calculated from the joint moment (Eqn 1) divided by the LG muscle moment arm.
The moment arm of the gastrocnemius muscle about the ankle joint was determined post-mortem by the tendon travel method (Lutz and Rome, 1996). The apparatus and technique used to relate muscle length change to joint angle were modified versions of those used by Lutz and Rome (Lutz and Rome, 1996). Joint angles were measured with a goniometer and the displacements of the tendon were measured with a ruler. The moment arm (r) of a muscle about a given joint was calculated as: (4) where Δl is the length change of the muscle (in m) andΔθ is the joint angle change (in rad). The slope of a regression line fit to a plot of muscle length change vs joint angle determined the moment arm of the gastrocnemius muscle about the knee and ankle joint. Moment arm measurements using this technique corroborated earlier measurements using a different technique (Roberts et al., 1998a).
In situ calibration of muscle force
Tendon strains measured using strain gauges were calibrated to muscle force in situ at the end of running experiments according to techniques described by Gabaldon and coworkers (Gabaldon et al., 2004). The procedure involved electrically stimulating the muscle via the sciatic nerve while simultaneously measuring whole muscle force and tendon strain. The slope of a regression line fit to the linear portion of the tendon strain and muscle force data, between muscle forces of 0 and 200 N, was used to calibrate tendon strain to muscle force. The birds were kept under deep anesthesia with isoflurane gas during the experiments and body temperature was maintained at 38–40°C.
Muscle cross-sectional area
Muscle fiber length, angle of pennation and muscle mass were measured post-mortem from excised muscle to determine the cross-sectional area of the lateral and medial head of the gastrocnemius muscles. Fiber length was measured with a pair of calipers between the beginning of a fiber at the origin of the muscle and its insertion onto the muscle's superficial aponeurosis. The pennation angle was determined on longitudinally bisected muscles with a goniometer. Physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) was calculated as: (5) where mm is the mass of the muscle, θ is the angle of pennation, l is the fiber length, and ρ is the density of muscle (Gans, 1982; Powell et al., 1984).
Force variables
The simple repeatable pattern of the ankle joint moment allowed the force required from the gastrocnemius for joint extension to be characterized by three variables: maximum force, time to maximum force and impulse. These three variables were determined from inverse dynamics during swing only and are referred to as the required maximum force for extension (Fm,r), required impulse for extension (Ir), and time to required maximum force (Tm,r). All three variables were used to compare muscular forces required and muscular forces produced for joint extension during swing, since the possibility of a timing difference between required and produced force could exist. The muscular force variables are referred to as: maximum force produced (Fm,LG or Fm,MG), impulse produced (ILG or IMG), and time to maximum force produced (Tm,LG or Tm,MG). We used the same variables to describe force production during stance in the lateral and medial head of the gastrocnemius with the addition of a variable for the time to the end of force production (Te,LG or Te,MG).
Balanced data sets suitable for analysis of variance (ANOVA) were obtained for six birds for joint forces, five birds for muscle forces from the lateral head of the gastrocnemius, and four birds for the muscle forces from the medial head of the gastrocnemius. Some descriptive statistics are provided for trials at speeds where all birds did not perform. All ANOVAs were restricted to speeds of 1 m s–1, 1.5 m s–1 and 2 m s–1 and three weighting conditions, 0 g, 30 g and 60 g, where all birds did perform. The measurements used in all ANOVAs were from 4 strides per individual per speed per weight. A three-way mixed model ANOVA, for which speed (N=3) and weight (N=3) were fixed factors and individual (N=4, 5 or 6) was a random factor, were performed in the statistics program SPSS version 14.0. Multiple observations per individual were accounted for by calculating the F-ratio for the main effect of speed as the mean square for speed divided by the mean square for the speed× individual interaction term (Zar, 1999). Similarly, the F-ratio for the main effect of weight was the mean square for slope divided by the mean square for weight× individual interaction term. The F-ratio for the interaction effect of weight and speed was the mean square for weight × speed divided by the mean square for the speed × weight × individual interaction. The criterion for statistical significance was P<0.05. A priori power analysis showed these statistical tests with N=6 have a power of 0.90 or greater.
The minimal detectable difference in peak force with limb loading, δ, was calculated as: (6) [from p. 263 (Zar, 1999)] where k′ is the number of limb-loading conditions, s2 is the mean square remainder term from the ANOVA table of our predicted changes with limb-loading, ϕ is from the power curves in Zar (Zar, 1999) and n′ is the degrees of freedom of the remainder term. For our mixed-model (type III) ANOVA the following numbers were used in the power tables v1=2 and v2=20, α=0.05, and power=0.90.
All comparisons of force measurements were made in a series of t-tests. Paired t-tests were used to compare the required forces (Fm,r, Ir, Tm,r) to the muscular force produced by the lateral (Fm,LG, ILG, Tm,LG) and medial (Fm,MG, IMG, Tm,MG) head of the gastrocnemius within the same stride.
The amount of force sharing between the two heads of the gastrocnemius was determined with reduced major axis regressions (RMA). Independent RMA regressions were run for peak force production and impulse during swing and stance using the computer program RMA (Bohanak and van der Linde, 2004). The data for these regressions were taken from the four strides for each speed and weight condition in the three birds we had simultaneous measurements of force in the lateral and medial head. t-tests were used to test whether the slope was different from predicted values of 1 and 1.12 for optimizations models where force is shared equally or in proportion to physiological cross-sectional area (reviewed in Crowninshield and Brand, 1981; Herzog and Leonard, 1991; Herzog, 1996). For our system a ratio of 1.12 may also support the minimum fatigue optimization model (Dul et al., 1984), since there is no difference in fiber type distribution between the LG and MG in other terrestrial birds (Patak and Baldwin, 1993).
Measured and predicted results are presented as the mean ± 1 standard error (s.e.m.). Unless stated otherwise, the mean values for each speed and weight combination presented for descriptive purposes were calculated so each individual was weighted equally. Depending on the particular speed and weight, mean values were from different numbers of individuals (Ni).
The time spent to swing the limb was significantly affected by both locomotor speed and limb weight. Swing duration decreased as speed increased (P<0.01; Table 1; Fig. 1). With the addition of limb weights, swing duration increased (P<0.01; Table 1) for all, but the slowest speed (Fig. 1). Stride duration similarly decreased significantly with increases in locomotory speed (P<0.001; Table 1) and increased significantly with increased weight (P<0.01; Table 1). Duty factor increased significantly with increased speed (P>0.001; Table 1), and ranged from 0.70±0.02 at 1 m s–1 to 0.53±0.02 at 3.5 m s–1. However, duty factor did not change with added weight (P>0.05; Table 1).
Ankle joint moments and forces
The force that would be required from the gastrocnemius to produce the measured joint moment (Fm,r) was calculated from the measured joint moment (from inverse dyanamics) and the muscle moment arm. The force (Fm,r) and impulse (Ir) required significantly increased with speed (P<0.005; Table 2), but did not change (P>0.15; Table 2) with the addition of limb weights within a given speed (Fig. 2). The time to peak required force (Tm,r) did not change with running speed, but did increase with added mass (P<0.013; Table 2).
Muscle forces
The lateral head of the gastrocnemius produced all of the extensor force required during swing phase for all speed and weighting conditions. The magnitudes of all three variables characterizing force production (Fm,LG, ILG, Tm,LG) in the lateral head were not significantly different from the magnitudes of the same three variables characterizing the force required for extension (Fm,r, Ir, Tm,r) at any speed or weight condition (P>0.31, Fig. 2). The MG did not contribute significantly to force production during swing. Both measurements of force produced in the medial head (Fm,MG and IMG) were less than the Fm,r and Ir (Fig. 3) and not significantly different from zero (P<0.05).
Although the lateral head of the gastrocnemius was the sole producer of force during swing, force was shared between the two gastrocnemius heads during stance. In both muscles, the maximum force produced during stance increased significantly across speed (P<0.02; Table 3; Fig. 4). However, the impulse produced did not change in either head across speed (P>0.54; Table 3). The time to maximum force occurs later in stance for both heads with speed (P<0.01; Table 3; Fig. 4), while only the lateral head produced force for a longer duration with increases in speed (P<0.01; Table 3).
Contrary to expectations, force production in lateral head of the gastrocnemius was not significantly affected by the addition of weights (P>0.05).
To evaluate force sharing, we performed a reduced major axis (RMA) regression of MG peak force against LG peak force and MG average force against LG average force. Regressions were performed separately for stance and swing phase forces. The data for the reduced major axis regressions were pooled from each speed and weight condition. A slope of 1.0 for swing or stance would indicate equal force production in the two heads of the muscle. Alternatively a slope of 1.12 would indicate that force was produced in proportion to the cross-sectional area of the two heads of the muscle. The slope of the RMA regression for peak force values measured during swing was significant but low (P<0.05, slope=–0.04, R2=0.04, Fig. 5B). Similarly, the RMA regression for average force produced during swing has a significant slope, but is also less than 1 or 1.12 (P<0.05, slope=0.15, R2=0.09). Thus, the lateral and medial head do not share force production equally or in proportion to their cross-sectional areas during swing. In stance phase, RMA regressions of MG vs LG maximum force has a significant slope (P<0.05, slope=0.99, R2=0.73, Fig. 5A). This slope is significantly (P<0.05) less than 1.12, but not different from 1. Similarly, the slope of the RMA regression for average force production during stance is significantly less than 1.12 (P<0.05, slope=0.88, R2=0.77), but not different from 1. Therefore force is shared equally between the MG and LG during the stance phase of locomotion.
Force sharing in the medial and lateral gastrocnemius
Contrary to our expectation that the lateral and medial heads of the gastrocnemius would share force equally, we found that the degree of force sharing varied with the phase of the stride cycle. During swing phase, the LG produced all of the force required to extend the distal limb segment. Force sharing during stance was as predicted, with approximately equal force production in the two heads of the gastrocnemius. The fact that force sharing is variable between two heads of the same muscle within a single stride challenges simple rules for how force is shared between muscle synergists.
Several models have been proposed to predict the distribution of force among muscle synergists. Pedotti and coworkers (Pedotti et al., 1978) proposed that the distribution of force between synergists at a joint was a function of each muscle's capacity for force production, which was in turn a function of each muscle's contractile properties and instantaneous velocity and length. Dul and coworkers (Dul et al., 1984) proposed that a muscle's susceptibility to fatigue was an important factor in determining force sharing among synergists, so that muscles with a higher percentage of oxidative fibers will bear a greater fraction of the total force required from synergists. A rigorous test of these models requires information about contractile properties, length, velocity during contraction and fiber type of the muscles. This information is not available from our study. However, both of these models predict that some degree of force sharing should occur between muscle synergists during force development. We find that the LG and MG in turkeys share force during stance, but force during swing is developed exclusively by the LG. These results indicate that force sharing, even within a single locomotor cycle, can be quite flexible.
One of the simplest models of muscle force sharing is that force is distributed among muscle synergists at a joint in proportion to each muscle's cross-sectional area (Crowninshield, 1978). This model is supported by some measurements of muscle forces, but often it is not. Force buckle measurements for the medial and lateral gastrocnemius of ducks showed that nearly equal stresses were developed during terrestrial locomotion, but during swimming the stress in the LG was approximately twice that of the MG (Biewener and Corning, 2001). Hopping wallabies develop similar stresses in their lateral gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles, but slightly lower values in the flexor digitorum longus (Biewener and Buadinette, 1995). Perhaps the best-known example of unequal force sharing among muscle synergists comes from force buckle measurements of forces during locomotion in the cat soleus and medial head of the gastrocnemius (Hodgson, 1983; Kaya et al., 2003; Walmsley et al., 1978; Whiting et al., 1984), soleus and gastrocnemius (Prilutsky et al., 1994), and soleus, gastrocnemius and plantaris (Herzog and Leonard, 1991; Herzog et al., 1993; Herzog et al., 1994; Prilutsky et al., 1996; Prilutsky et al., 1997). The soleus produces relatively high forces at slow walking speeds, while the gastrocnemius produces low forces at low speeds. With increases in speed, the force output of the gastrocnemius increases steadily while there is little change in the force output of the soleus. Thus, the degree of force sharing between these two muscles is speed dependent. It is generally accepted that this pattern reflects the more postural role of the slow-fibered soleus relative to the faster fibered gastrocnemius.
During the stance phase, the force output of the medial and lateral heads of the gastrocnemius in locomoting turkeys is shared equally. The cross-sectional area of the MG is 12% larger than the LG. Therefore, similar stress models of force sharing predict the MG should produce 1.12 or more times the force of the LG (reviewed in Herzog and Leonard, 1991). The slopes of the reduced major axis regressions for maximum force and average force during stance are close to, but significantly below 1.12, so our data do not strictly support any of these models. It is also unlikely that our data support the minimum fatigue model of force sharing (Dul et al., 1984), since the fiber type composition of these two heads is most likely similar. The medial and lateral gastrocnemius of another bird that moves on the ground, the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), are both composed primarily of fast glycolytic and fast oxidative glycolytic muscle fibers (Patak and Baldwin, 1993). Our preliminary analyses of turkey (data not shown) confirm this fiber type composition. However, our force data in the LG and MG do show equal sharing of force between the synergists.
Our results for force production during swing phase show no sharing of force between the two heads of the gastrocnemius. The MG does not appear to contribute any of the force required during swing; the force developed in the medial head is not different from zero. Our observation that the force developed in the LG is equal to the force required at the ankle joint, as measured by inverse dynamics, indicates that it is likely that there is no force sharing among any of the muscles capable of extending the ankle joint during swing phase. Swing phase forces are produced exclusively by the lateral head of the gastrocnemius. These results challenge current models of force sharing, because all models predict some amount of force sharing among synergists. The pattern of force production in the turkey MG and LG also indicate that the pattern of motor recruitment can vary between muscles even within a single locomotor cycle.
The difference in force production between the MG and LG during swing may be related to their differing functions at the knee. The heads share a common insertion but their origins are different. As a result, only the LG has an action as a flexor at the knee (Ellerby and Marsh, 2006). The period of rapid extension at the ankle during late swing corresponds to a period of rapid extension at the knee. Thus, it is possible that some of the power for ankle extension during swing is transferred from knee extensors via the biarticular LG. It has been proposed that energy transfer via biarticular muscles can improve locomotor economy (Aleshinsky, 1986). The fact that the LG is capable of transferring power and the MG is not may explain, in part, the observation that the LG is the sole source of muscle force at the ankle during swing.
Changes in required muscular force with speed and added mass
We expected both increases in speed and increases in effective limb mass to result in increases in muscle force. Stance phase peak force increased with speed in both muscles. Swing phase peak force in the LG increased with running speed, as swing duration decreased and higher forces had to be developed to accelerate the foot more rapidly. These increases in force are consistent with previous measurements of increased work to swing the limbs with increased speed (Cavagna and Kaneko, 1977; Fedak et al., 1982; Marsh et al., 2006; Steudel, 1990b).
Contrary to expectations, increases in effective limb mass by the addition of weights did not result in a significant increase in force. Both the force required to swing the limb, as measured by inverse dynamics, and the force developed by the LG, did not change significantly with added limb weights. This is surprising because, given equivalent accelerations, an increase in the moment of inertia of the limb segment should result in a proportional increase in the moment required at the joint. Other studies have demonstrated an increase in segment mechanical power (Marsh et al., 2006; Martin, 1985; Martin and Cavanagh, 1990; Royer and Martin, 2005), and metabolic cost (Bhambhani et al., 1989; Ellerby and Marsh, 2006; Martin, 1985; Soule and Goldman, 1969; Steudel, 1990a; Wickler et al., 2004) with limb loading, consistent with an increase in demand for muscle force and power.
The observation that the required muscle force did not change with limb loading is surprising. The expected change in required muscle force can be calculated by substituting values for weighted limbs into the inverse dynamics data obtained during unloaded running. The addition of 60 g weights to the tarsometatarsus–foot limb segment increases the limb segment's moment of inertia of 73.18±14.10% from the unweighted condition. This increase in the moment of inertia of the tarsometarsus–foot limb segment would increase the peak moment required at the ankle by 80%, if there were no changes in kinematics from the weighted to unweighted condition. If this force were provided by the gastrocnemius, it would translate to an increase from the 14.02±2.24 N measured in the unloaded condition to 25.65±4.54 N required for the loaded condition. A power analysis indicates that our statistical analysis is capable of resolving a 53% change in required muscle force, thus this expected change in required muscle force is well within our ability to detect statistically. Thus, it seems that significant alterations in the kinematics of swing are important for reducing the peak muscular forces required during limb-loaded conditions.
Two kinematic changes with limb loading help compensate for increases in limb mass and inertia with limb loading, and reduce the peak muscular force required. First, the duration of swing increases significantly (P<0.01) with the addition of limb weights. Other studies have also shown an increase in swing duration (Marsh et al., 2006; Royer and Martin, 2005) or total stride duration (Martin, 1985; Ropret et al., 1998; Royer and Martin, 2005; Steudel, 1990a) with limb loading. Second, the angular excursion significantly (P<0.05) decreases a small amount (from 0.82±0.17 to 0.73±0.12 rad) with the addition of limb weights. The smaller angular excursion combined with the longer duration of swing act together to decrease the angular acceleration of the limb segment with added limb weight. This reduction in acceleration likely explains the lack of a significant increase in the joint moment that would otherwise be expected with the addition of external weights.
The two heads of the gastrocnemius share force differently during stance and swing phase. Across a wide range of speed and loading conditions, the LG and MG produce approximately the same force during stance, while the LG alone produces the force required during swing. The very different patterns of force sharing between heads of a single muscle and within a single stride suggest the force sharing among muscle synergists may be task-dependent and quite variable.
- ax, ay
- acceleration of the center of mass in the x, y direction
- center of mass
- d
- distance from the segment center of mass to the point of rotation
- Fm,LG, Fm,MG
- maximum force produced by the LG, MG
- Fm,r
- required maximum force
- g
- acceleration due to gravity
- moment of inertia of the combined tarsometatarsus and phalanges about the pivot point, center of mass
- impulse produced by the LG, MG
- Ir
- required impulse
- k′
- number of limb-loading conditions
- l
- muscle fiber length
- lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle
- medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle
- mm, ms
- mass of the muscle, tarsometatarsus and foot limb segment
- Mp
- moment at the proximal joint
- n′
- number of individuals
- Ni
- number of individuals
- physiological cross-sectional area
- r
- moment arm of muscle about a given joint
- reduced major axis
- rx, ry
- distance from the ankle to the center of mass in the x, y direction
- s2
- mean square remainder term
- t
- time
- Te,LG, Te,MG
- time to the end of force production
- Tm,LG, Tm,MG
- time to maximum force produced in the LG, MG
- Tm,r
- time to required maximum force
- α
- angular acceleration of the tarsometatarsus and phalanges
- δ
- minimal detectable difference with limb-loading
- Δl
- change in muscle length
- Δθ
- change in joint angle
- θ
- angle of pennation
- ρ
- density of muscle
- ϕ
- desired power level
The authors thank Tonia Hsieh, Graham Askew, and an anonymous reviewer for comments on a previous version of this manuscript. This work was supported by NIH grant AR46499 to T.J.R.
- © The Company of Biologists Limited 2008


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Do you think a wonderful career comes to you? How did you find your career?
Is passion really a requirement for a wonderful career? What does a wonderful career entail? And for people who have found their wonderful career, how did they find it? Was it through trial and error or through hard work?


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Supplements for Your Dog
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Ask Anything – How Do Assistants Take It To The Next Level
Former Art Buyers and current photography consultants Amanda Sosa Stone and Suzanne Sease have agreed to take anonymous questions from photographers and not only give their expert advice but put it out to a wide range of photographers, reps and art buyers to gather a variety of opinions. The goal with this column is to solicit honest questions and answers through anonymity.
I have been assisting fashion photographers in NYC for about 5 years now and feel more than ready to move on to the next phase of the game. I have tried to put together a print portfolio in the past an always end up getting frustrated and scraping it halfway through. What do editors want to see? If I put in complete series, the book becomes way to thick. When I try to edit down each series it feel scattered to me and doesn't make sense. Should a portfolio show the range of a photographer or a consistent vision? How many pages are too many? Does showing commissioned work matter more than personal? Is a homemade portfolio out of the question?
I shoot all the time and know the work is good but I just can't seem to grasp the next step…
Amanda and Suzanne: We are excited about this question, because it's been an ongoing question for decades and I think it's crucial to have an open mind and know that each individual has to create their own visual voice and take the advice of potential buyers and mold it to represent your vision.
ART PRODUCER #1 This is a tough one to answer as general response. I think it's a little different for everyone. For sure have someone else take a look at what is included. A photographer is always more attached to the work than anyone and everything holds meaning. Someone outside of that should take a look to make sure that everything included has relevance. Though I will say, usually less is more. Most art producers or editors just don't have the time to sift through large books of work and if too much is included, may skim over some great pieces instead of really looking at the detail. Specifically show the type of work that relates to the type of assignments in which you are wanting to get. A homemade portfolio (for me) is not out of the question and can give me some insight into your creativity, just make sure that it doesn't look thrown together and still reflects your overall brand. I also like to see a little bit of personal work. It tells me a little about you as a person and what it may be like working with you. As well, it shows me what you're passionate about and what you like to shoot. But for sure focus on commissioned work.
ART PRODUCER #2 There is no magic number of pieces to show, nor is there a magic formula for what to show. The answer is: Show enough work to prove to the viewer that you are capable of handling a particular project. In some cases, it may mean showing 20 pieces. In others, only a handful.
This will vary not only by the body of work the photographer has in their repertoire, but by the scope of the project and by the type of client. Clients working at a local level may expect a more broad body of work than a national client, which is usually pinpoint specific in what they are looking for.
ART PRODUCER # 3 Being on both sides of the portfolio gives me a unique perspective on this. The most important thing is to show a cohesive style with aesthetic and technical repeatability. My first portfolios where scattered in terms of style and technical approaches. This was a direct result of being a freelance assistant working with a wide range of fashion photographers. Once instructed to keep things simple, I got back to my roots of graphic design and complied a book of 10-15 portraits all done in the same style and utilizing a very simple lighting scheme. It worked and got me noticed. The next step was to build on that style, introduce new subject matter, but keeping things cohesive and simple, putting the attention on what I wanted viewers to see.
Once you have a large, strong body of cohesive work, you can begin to tailor the portfolio on a case by case basis. I've asked photographers to show me that they've shot the type of product my client needs advertised. My clients are literal people.
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER: When putting together a portfolio, I try to convey a personal vision, not the best images in my library. I view my personal vision as a fingerprint and its the only thing I can offer that I'm 100% sure I'm the best at. If you try to put work in your book you think an art buyer wants to see, it will automatically become lost in the flood of similar images.
To Summarize: The viewer has a specific need to fill. You might be able to fill that need or not, but you should not focus on what you THINK they want to see, but show them what makes you, YOU. Stated perfectly: "personal vision as a fingerprint" – use your portfolio to make a mark on that person and their visual memory. You want to be brain googled, meaning you are the first to pop up in your potential client's mind for a specific project…the real goal of a printed portfolio.
As a side note – when showing commissioned work that does not always mean you have to show the tears, it means show the work you captured for that specific project (this usually helps clients understand your production value and how well you take art direction).
Call To Action: Research Print portfolio options and get one printed:
Some examples to consider:
Paper options:
(consider using double sided paper – http://www.moabpaper.com/entrada.aspx – which you can purchase directly from http://www.lost-luggage.com/store/paper.php – which is pre-scored) or from http://www.rexart.com/case_envy.html
Printer to consider: Lincoln Miller at pushdot studio www.pushdotstudio.com
Portfolios: www.lost-luggage.com
Custom book binders:
Brooke – fantastic Book binder: http://dwellerbythestream.wordpress.com
Nicole Andersen – www.nabookarts.com
Scott Mullenberg – www.mullenbergdesigns.com
Also there are perfect bound book options out there…
If you want more insight from Amanda and Suzanne you can contact them directly (here and here) or tune in once a week or so for more of "Ask Anything." Amanda and Suzanne review your comments for 2 days, and then they are off researching next week's question.
There Are 27 Comments On This Article.
I've never done the assisting thing but just recently redid my print portfolio as I too was wanting to take things to the next level. After struggling with image selection, I decided that professional help was the best solution for me. Hiring a consultant (Suzanne Sease) helped take the emotion out of the image selection and offered a different perspective I couldn't have got on my own. I cannot say enough good things about the process. She did an incredible job of helping me build a memorable portfolio that effectively conveys MY style/vision. I've barely had a chance to share it and the results have already been amazing. I'm much more confident and clients are taking notice. I also highly recommend Scott Mullenberg and Lincoln Miller. Both are outstanding at what they do.
@Mike Tittel, Thanks so much for the nicest post. It helps when working with great talent. Here's to the future- and it is looking great!!!
Are Blub books as portfolios acceptable? I had a couple made last year to take around to some agencies and the times when I was actually able to get face time, a positive comment was usually given regarding the book itself. But for some reason I feel like portfolio blurb book isn't going to be taken seriously. But at $85 per portfolio, it's hard not to want to make another one.
@narayan, The number thing to look at is how a book makes you feel. If you don't feel confident in that as an option, than it will show. We think a blurb book is a great option when a budget is limited. If we had our choice and no limitations we will always vote for the BIG ENCHILADA and go for the custom screw-post portfolio. But we have many clients who have made Blurb books and have had lots of success with it. We also have clients who use a traditional portfolio and then they use an iPad or a Blurb book to show the most recent work (since reprinting a book can be very expensive).
This may be getting off topic, but I'll blame Narayan!
I need to update my book. It's been a long time and there are options now that were not available, or that good, before. I'm torn between an on-demand printed book (Blurb etc.) and a portfolio of real laser prints.
What's the preference these days? There's a big price difference between the two.
@Andrew Ptak, What is your REAL budget? Are you going to take it out and show people or let it sit on your shelf and wait to get called in (which doesn't happen often anymore). Be honest with yourself and figure out what type of time and money you have to invest in it and then ask how much energy will you invest in the book once it is in your hands.
@Amanda & Suzanne, Thanks for the reply. I'm not trying to cheap out on this – really.
I would have never thought of an on-demand printed book, but I've seen some really nice ones and they have design and layout options not available with a traditional book of prints. Hence my question.
There's no reason to pay an arm and a leg for a book if you don't have to and I could get four or five "Blurb type" books for the cost of a traditional portfolio of prints – and the books could be out to more places then.
I'm an old guy, but frankly I'm a bit stunned that people still want to see printed material, even when there's a good chance the work will be used electronically. However, my opinion doesn't matter. I'd just like to know if there's a preference these days. Thanks.
@Andrew Ptak, We would offer out the following information: The beautiful printed portfolio can be a show stopper but you need to get it out there to make it worth your time and money.In a presentation to a client, a printed portfolio is needed. If you can't get one printed in time, make sure you have a PDF of your portfolio (Agency Access offers to their members a PDF portfolio for a great fee). The iPad is making an impact on viewers and it can be considered less than printing a book. So while books are not being called in as much, you should be prepared in case it is.
I, like Mike, have recently worked with Suzanne on a portfolio edit as well as complete re-branding and marketing campaign.
I can tell you that a lot of times we photographers get VERY attached to images which in their own right, might be great photos, but for the AB or potential client, they may not send the right message. I learned very quickly how a cohesive portfolio is put together, that it needs a "story" of sorts and and needs to show a consistent vision and style.
Sometimes it's that outside eye that can see the mile high view when you're stuck at ground level and very much "in the mess" as I called it.
After working through this recent port edit, I feel much more in tune with how to group, divide and present the images. As I shoot new images, I will be able to update, refresh and replace in each port with confidence now knowing that I've got a solid framework to work with :)
@Rick Lohre, Thanks for your lovely comments. And with Mike working with talented photographers does make the process and journey a pleasure!!! Here is to the future for you and Julie!!!
I worked with Leslie Burns and cannot imagine trying to build a portfolio without some sort of external help. In hindsight that is. Sometimes you kinda know what your style is in your subconscious but you need to make sure others are receiving that vision the way you are putting it out. Leslie gave me some really great things to think about that I hadn't considered before.
@Shane, Yes, Leslie is AWESOME!! It is great to know she is out here in the consulting world as well as she knows her stuff!!
I enjoyed this post as we're finishing up our custom portfolios. We worked with Amanda and Brooke (Dweller By The Stream) and can't imagine getting through this process without both of their expertise.
I'm in the process of putting my first book together. I'm using fashion as a vehicle. I've gotten so much great advise, from Art Dept and you guys, but I still don't know what to do with my book. I have some good clues, and I'm going to follow those, but I think it would be nice to know who fashion photographers are supposed to meet. Where are these mythical art buyers/producers ? Haha
I recently made the transition from assistant to photographer and I can't stress enough how important it was for me to get outside help with the editing of my book. I was emotionally attached to certain images that weren't necessarily going to make my work stronger. It's not an easy thing to wrap your head around as everything is subjective. By hiring someone to edit for me I was able to distance myself from my work and I felt like I had one more person on my team. This has resulted in a greater amount of confidence while shopping my work around.
I have used Lost Luggage and A & I for books to show my personal work in the past, both are great options and with just a handful to maybe 20 prints the A& I option is not that expensive.
Lots of great advice on the book and resources out there affordable if you don't have a big budget. And you can make it very personal, with the needed help of others.
Good post! I agree with some other comments about editing your own work and finding YOUR style…not just what you think the editor/buyer wants. Amanda helped me narrow down my site from multiple categories to just a couple and from about 200 images to 30 or so. Funny how much sense it made after she did it…but without the help, it was just a mess that I couldn't seem to sift through.
This has been helpful. However, once you get that book, and a pimped out website, and a general marketing plan: what does one do without a rep? Most of "us" (assistants) don't really know what "next" is. We (generally) work with people who have multi-year relationships in place or reps whom we aren't ready for. How can we REALLY step it up? and who are we stepping to?
Have a look at these books. Very helpful advice in them. One thing I've learned ever since my corporate days is the value of reading and research.
These books are GREAT tools to moving your business forward, figuring out who is who, and all the rest of becoming a successful commercial photographer.
Best of luck and wish you well in moving forward!
@Rick Lohre,
Thanks for the links!
I won't lie, I heard most of what was mentioned in this post many times and somehow I still do not get it. Being a photographer specialized in Editorial and Music related portraiture (and live music!), I feel my book will only reflect part of who I am. Cause at the end of the day, it's not the only thing I do.
How does one show the full spectrum of one's skills while still keeping this cohesion you guys mention, this body of work?
I often assist a few very talented photographers, and I tried more than once to have them look at my portfolio to give me leads on what I should do. But more often than not I get a "I don't know, there is no rule". So is there?
And if I was to get professional help (I'm in the uk), how would I go about finding the right person for me?
Thanks for the blog, it's a goldmine of information!
@Romain Kedochim,
You might take a look at The Association of Photographer in the UK for suggestions. http://www.the-aop.org/
Hi Suzanne, Hi Amanda,
Thanks for writing to this question. It something that gets asked of my frequently, and something that as you have pointed out, is very difficult to generalize. It is an incredibly difficult transition for people to make, and I feel for all the assistants out there who struggle with this.
This is what I tell people:
-You need a consistent vision, it must be cohesive.
-This vision needs to be carried out in a competent way so that buyers are assured that you can repeat it on demand.
-Your vision needs to be relevant. If you are really into some obscure niche, like underwater caves or something, that is great, but not so relevant.
-Your vision needs to be honest. If people think you are faking it, or that it does not come from your heart, it won't be believed. The ADs want your heart and soul into their job, and if you are not fully committed to your vision, there is someone else out there who is.
Personally, I never book a big job without my printed portfolio being called in. I wish that was not the case, as they are a real pain to make, but that is the reality.
The order of the book, and the selection of the images is something I work on with my agent. I agree with what everyone has said on this point, it is essential to get someone else to help in the editing. Hopefully that person is very smart and is informed about what is happening in the market.
This is what I do for a portfolio:
The portfolio is about 100-120 images, printed double sided on Inkpress Duo 300GSM 11×17. I use an Epson 4800 printer on 8 pass. The prints are then trimmed, 3 hole punched and sprayed with a fixative. The binders to the books are made by Richard at Portfolio Creative Design. I have 4 of them, down from 60 10 years ago. Thank god for that. We redo the books about twice a year, and it completely consumes my studio for 2 weeks each time I do it.
I hope this is helpful,
Best wishes,
@David Harry Stewart,
I assisted you once in Topanga. Your advise back then was really helpful. Thank you!
@Jonathan Waiter, Hi Jonathan, How are you? I just went to your site. Wow, fantastic work! Love what you are doing. Briliant. What are you looking at these days? What are your influences?
@David Harry Stewart,
Thank you David:)
Honestly, I look at everything, but I don't really feel influenced by much. I'm much more inwardly focused. I look at allot of stuff, but much of what I do is a reaction to what I don't like. For example, I am very critical of truths portrayed in photography. Photography has the pretension of saying: look, this was reality. This is, of course, is extremely false and unreliable. So in my work, I am always sort of playing with that, –but in my own way. And darkness is like a super cliche thing these days. The references are ridiculous and almost comedy now. I think we've become totally desensitized by movies and media. It now takes a very sophisticated vision to see what is now relatively dark. I've always felt specially tuned to emotional aesthetics and darkness has always fascinated me more than lightness. So thats the basics ;)
I'm doing ok, building books for new faces, but I need to find the mythical art producers. I'm just now putting together my first book. I don't really know what to do with it. Who to talk to ect…


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When readers hear about book cancellations or changes made to creative teams by publishing companies the question of why these changes are made almost always comes up. While more often than not changes made to a book are made for financial reasons, there are times where creators will leave a book because of creative differences. Thing is, the stories about those creative difference are rarely (if ever) divulged for fear of being blacklisted by the publisher.
It's no wonder; really; at the end of the day writers want to be paid for their craft, and with so few publishers and such a tough industry to survive in, often one has to swallow their pride in order to keep food on the table.
Writer John Rozum, however, is one of the brave few to openly discuss a negative experience he had writing at DC Comics. Back in September Rozum first signed on to write Static Shock for DC comics as part of the launch of the "New 52." His initial thought was to reintroduce the character to fans as a very cool, powerful and prominent hero -- but he quickly discovered that the goals he had for Static were likely never to come into fruition. Rozum recently discussed his departure from Static Shock in response to a blog post made by a fan of the series titled 'Not Shocked, By Danny Donovan' Below is a response from Rozum regarding his experience.== TEASER ==
I went into Static Shock with a lot of high hopes. Among them was showing that Static wasn't simply an A-list character, but one of the most powerful in the DCnU. I really wanted this series to be fun and exciting and to bring the same degree of creativity to it that I put into Xombi balanced with making Virgil's personal life at least as engaging as his superhero life. I also saw Static Shock as an excellent gateway through which to pull the rest of the Milestone characters into the DCnU.
I quickly learned that none of these plans were going to see fruition. I wound up being shunted to the sidelines as the writer while Scott McDaniel's "high concept" criminal syndicate made up of Power Rangers and a big monosyllabic thug took center stage and Harvey's ideas of the 2 Sharon's and slicing off Static's arm were implemented as desperate means of trying to draw attention to the book.
I tried my best to keep it from being a total turd, but as I said, I was completely sidelined. My main contributions were the Pale Man character, Guillotina, naming the school after Dwayne McDuffie, and including Hardware, along with random lines of dialogue. I decided it was unethical to stick with a title that a) I thought was garbage b) that people were buying because of my involvement, due to Xombi, when really I had nothing to do with it c) because I wasn't being utilized on the title.
Frankly, Static deserved a lot better.
Rozum got into more detail about what really happened on STATIC SHOCK in a recent blog post. A decision he made after a publisher other than DC Comics refused to work with him because of his work on STATIC SHOCK. Check it out below.
Initially, I had never intended to openly discuss the reasons why I chose to leave Static Shock. My reasons were my own, and I felt that after expressing them to the powers that be at DC Comics and after discussing them with Bob Harras that the situation was resolved amicably and that there was no reason to say anything further than acknowledging that I had indeed left the series. However, since the announcement that Static Shock would cease publication with issue #8 ( I was only involved with issues 1-4) there's been a lot of online chatter about why the series failed, and I've received a lot of angry email blaming me for wrecking the series, the character, and the opportunity for an African-American character to take center stage at one of the big publishing companies. I've had people announce that due to the low quality of comic that they would no longer buy anything that had my name on it. I've had an editor at a publisher other than DC say they weren't interested in having me write for them because they thought Static Shock was a poor comic book series.
To say I was disappointed with how things turned out is an understatement. From the first issue on, I was essentially benched by Harvey Richards and artist/writer Scott McDaniel. All of my ideas and suggestions were met with disdain, and Scott McDaniel lectured me on how my method for writing was wrong because it wasn't what the Robert McKee screenwriting book he read told him was the way to do things. The man who'd never written anything was suddenly more expert than me and the editor was agreeing with him. Scott had also never read a Static comic book, nor seen the cartoon series, yet was telling me that my dialogue didn't sound true to the character and would "fix it."
The issue here is not about whether Rozum can write, as those who have read his work on XOMBI already know; it's about how much creative liberty a creator should be entitled to when it comes to a property. If he is writing a book, he should be allowed to, well, write. Right? What do you think? Check out Rozum's full blog here for the full story.
Source: Robot 6


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PR Newswire
WARRENDALE, Pa., July 8, 2011
WARRENDALE, Pa., July 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During a tour of Talisman Energy's regional headquarters, Lt. Governor Jim Cawley today pointed to how the Marcellus Shale natural gas production industry is creating jobs, even in communities where drilling is not taking place.
"Natural gas is already providing thousands of jobs for Pennsylvania. You can see it right here in suburban Pittsburgh," Cawley said. "Producers may not be drilling here in Warrendale, but jobs are being created here and across the state."
Cawley said the natural gas industry and related businesses generated more than 72,000 new hires in Pennsylvania over the last 18 months alone. These are family-sustaining jobs; paying on average nearly $70,000.
Canadian-based Talisman invested $1 billion in Pennsylvania in 2010, including establishing its 50,000-square-foot American headquarters in Warrendale. The company employs more than 200 people, including geologists, landsmen, regulatory and legal experts, among others.
Talisman plans to invest more than $1 billion in PA again this year, including expanding their headquarters and employing another 50 people.
"To those who say Marcellus Shale is not benefiting Pennsylvania, I say come to Warrendale and see it for yourself," Cawley said.
Cawley heads the Governor's Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, which has been working to develop policy recommendations for natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. The commission's final meeting is July 15, and its final report is due to the Governor by July 22.
For more information, visit www.pa.gov.
Media contact: Chad Saylor, 717-787-3300
SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Lieutenant Governor


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An Aussie raised by kangaroos now has their jumping abilities. Seriously. And it's not a terrible story.
But that's not the important part. The real story here is that Peter Parker is supposed to have the flu while he's out being Spidey, and Aunt May comes to care for him. He's left a dummy out of webbing in the bed to fool her, but May's no dummy. She sees it and faints. Peter returns and finds her passed out and is filled with guilt.
He doesn't stop being Spidey, though, I guess because the guilt of not preventing Uncle Ben's death is greater than the guilt of almost causing his Aunt's.
Creators: Stan Lee, John Romita Sr. (breakdowns), John Buscema (finishes)
Grade: C+


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Because the industry is so varied and diverse, there is a vast array of career opportunities across the construction sector from operative level to apprentice to professional roles.
Entry into the construction sector is possible at all levels. Traineeships, apprenticeships and degree programmes all offer entry pathways.
The construction industry is thriving once again. Construction graduates and apprentices are in big demand so it is the perfect time to be considering a career in the industry in Ireland.
CIF is recognised as the representative body and voice of the construction industry and provide an online platform for young people considering apprenticeships in the construction sector.
Donal Kane began his plumbing apprenticeship at the age of 17. Since then he has progresed through the ranks to become Construction Site Supervisor. Donal has completed several related courses including a night course Diploma in Building Services, Welding and Health & Safety.
What were the main 'career decision' milestones in your life so far?
Describe a typical day?
What are the main tasks and responsibilities?
What are the main challenges?
What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
What is your education to date?
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?
What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?
What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?
What advice would you give to someone considering this job?
What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?
Have you undertaken, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job?
What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?


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Oakland, Berkeley, And East Bay News, Events, Restaurants, Music, & Arts
Clinic, a quartet from Liverpool, claims to be an experimental band, but their mash-up of punk, metal, folk-rock, psychedelia, and '50s R&B won't sound unfamiliar to anyone with a knowledge of 20th-century pop music. How much you like them will depend on your tolerance for arty poses, oblique lyrics, asymmetrical song structures, and your familiarity with the 13th Floor Elevators, John Cage, and Velvet Underground.
"Free Not Free" accents the smooth pop of a '60s Burt Bacharach ballad with incomprehensible lyrics and nasty, feedback-drenched guitar accents that set your teeth on edge. "Shopping Bag" is garage-band psychobilly with a jittery beat; "Mary and Eddie" an acoustic delta blues as sung by an Edwardian troubadour backed by foghorns and rippling free-form electric guitars; while "Emotions" is a triplet-happy, neo-classical doo-wop ballad accented by incomprehensible grinding guitar stabs. The album closes with "Coda," a strange, plodding noise fest with a cryptic spoken rant about the Bristol Charter, a document that exempted the city of Bristol from paying certain taxes.
The musicians of Clinic obviously have the chops to play anything they choose, but the arrangements are puzzling and self-conscious, as if they're intent on keeping listeners off balance and uncomfortable. You have to give the band credit for trying to come up with a new way to present genres that are often stale and formulaic, but in the end it's attention to the craft of songwriting that separates great bands from the also-rans. Clinic is certainly trippy, but they leave you scratching your head more often than tapping your foot. (Domino)
Contact the author of this piece, send a letter to the editor, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
News - October 26, 4:00 AM


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