Human Resource Planning in a Healthcare Organisation

Human Resource Planning in a Healthcare Organisation Analyse the business factors that underpin human resource planning in a healthcare organization Human resource planning refers to the series of steps or actions in analysing and identifying the need for human resources or employees of the organization to meet the company’s goals and objectives. It aims to provide for the future staffing needs of the company and to make certain the use of employees to the greatest degree. Having an efficient and effective human resource planning will result in organization’s stability and sustainability. There are several business factors that underpin human resource planning. These factors dictate the need to plan human resources by considering the influence of the internal and external factors. Some of these business factors include business growth, decline, change, and competition; impact of technology and labour market competition and employee development. Business growth Business growth is the process of improving some measure of an enterprise’s success. Business growth can be achieved either by boosting the top line or revenue of the business with greater product sales or service income, or by increasing the bottom line or profitability of the operation by minimizing costs. Business growth also means expansion in business that causes increased spending and increased business opportunities. As the company expands, so do their HR operations to meet the complex needs of a growing workforce. The HR manager should consider factors such as hiring new employees or training existing employees to meet the demands of its increasing clients. With this, HR management needs to prioritise the departments or units where more staff are needed, do a job analysis, and draw job specifications that will help them in recruiting the right person on the job. Business decline Business decline refers also to a downturn in an organization which is characterized by decreased in profits or clients. When this happens, management compensate by trying to reduce cost which may include cessation in hiring or reducing work hours of the employee. During this stage, planning and implementing workforce reductions and reallocations is also possible. Business change Organization change occurs when business strategies or major sections of an organization are altered. It can create the need for the HR department to focus on staffing issues such as hiring and terminating employees, training of staffs, or changing job specifications which may result from a change in job functions. Business change can also create confusion, resulting the need for HR management to enhance communication by conducting group meetings to keep employees informed about what to expect during the change process. Competition Every businesses face competition so human resource planning will need to ensure that the company stays ahead of other competitors. This forces the management to expand and hire more staff in order to withstand competition and remain competitive in a particular field. Impact of technology The impact of technology innovations has shaped human resource management. Softwares used in HR management is useful in managing and maintaining employee information such as payroll, benefits, hours worked, performance appraisals, and training and development participations. These applications can help the management to be more productive, effective, and error-free. Technology advancements may also increase or decrease the demand for employees in certain industries or profession. For example, human resource management may plan to hire staff who are knowledgeable in computers or they may also reduce staff because what can be done usually by two persons can now be done by one with the help of technology. Furthermore, technology can assist HR in the recruitment process through online recruitment, video interviews, and social media. Labour market competition As the organization plans its future workforce needs, so do other organizations in the same field or industry. This then will result to labour market competition. It is imperative for HR management to do human resource plans such as taking aggressive actions in recruitment or giving incentives to attract more qualified and talented applicants. Having the right people with the right knowledge and skills in the appropriate positions is very important and the lack of it will result to dissatisfaction from clients that may cripple the organization. Employee development As the business continues to evolve, it requires a skilled and knowledgeable workforce composing of employees and staffs who are flexible, motivated, and focused. It is one of the main responsibilities of the HR manager to develop the staff through encouragement, coaching, and conducting training and development activities that match the employee’s career objectives and goals. Analyse the human resource requirements and factors that underpin human resource planning in a healthcare organization. Identifying internal personnel requirements Human resource planning identify the workforce required to perform organizational activities. First, HR managers do assessment which includes job analysis and inventory of the workers and skills available within the organization. Then they need to determine the future needs for human resource in terms of quantity and quality. Then HR department needs to do a matching process to bring demand and supply in an equilibrium so that shortages and over staffing position will be solved. In case of shortages, HR department needs to train staff within the organization or hire new ones. On the other hand, in case of over staffing HR management may also need to reduce the level of existing employment. Internal and external factors in matching personnel to organisational requirements Human resource planning in healthcare organizations involves looking at the current workforce skills and motivation strategy and comparing them with what is needed in the future. To do this the organization has to consider both the internal and external factors in matching personnel to organisational requirements. Internal factors includes skills requirements and workforce profiles. Skills requirements means assessing the skills of the existing staff or employees to build up a profile of the training, experience and qualifications that employees have. Workforce profiles means that the manager observes and monitors the types of employee working for the organization. These observations include details such as age, gender, ethnicity and availability. External factors includes supply of labour. Supply of labour refers to the number of workers willing and able to work in a particular job. The supply of labour is dependent on in unemployment and the type of skills that are needed by employ ers. Government policies Policies of the government like labour policy, industrial policy, and policy towards reserving certain jobs for different communities affect HR planning. The organization needs to comply with these legislations or policies to avoid penalties or possibly closure of the healthcare facilities. HR department should plan to avoid this dilemma by ensuring the compliance of the organizations. Labour market competition As the aging population or healthcare facilities increases in different countries, there is a high demand for healthcare workers. This causes shortages in the skilled profession such as nurses and doctors which then resulted in tight labour market competition. HR department needs to devise a creative recruitment strategy to attract and retain qualified healthcare professionals. One effective recruiting strategy lies on how the healthcare employer profiles itself on job postings. Hospitals or healthcare facilities known for their quality healthcare services and advancements appeal to most applicants. Another strategy is giving out incentives or sign-in bonuses to qualified applicants. References: What is business growth? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/business-growth.html What is organization change? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/organization-change.html The impact of human resource technology in a changing workforce environment. Cleveland Human Resources | Examiner.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/the-impact-of-human-resource-technology-a-changing-workforce-environment

Context of Indigenous health Essay

Historical context and social determinants of Indigenous health There is a clear relationship between the social disadvantages experienced by Indigenous people and their current health status [1]. These social disadvantages, directly related to dispossession and characterised by poverty and powerlessness, are reflected in measures of education, employment, and income. Before presenting the key indicators of Indigenous health status, it is important, therefore, to provide a brief summary of the context within which these indicators should be considered. The historical context of Indigenous health Indigenous peoples generally enjoyed better health in 1788 than most people living in Europe [2][3][4][5][6]. They did not suffer from smallpox, measles, influenza, tuberculosis, scarlet fever, venereal syphilis and gonorrhoea, diseases that were common in 18th century Europe. Indigenous people probably suffered from hepatitis B, some bacterial infections (including a non-venereal form of syphilis and yaws) and some intestinal parasites. Trauma is likely to have been a major cause of death, and anaemia, arthritis, periodontal disease, and tooth attrition are known to have occurred. The impact of these diseases at a population level was relatively small compared with the effects of the diseases that affected 18th century Europe. All of this changed after 1788 with the arrival of introduced illness, initially smallpox and sexually transmissible infections (gonorrhoea and venereal syphilis), and later tuberculosis, influenza, measles, scarlet fever, and whooping cough [3][4][7][8]. These diseases, particularly smallpox, caused considerable loss of life among Indigenous populations, but the impacts were not restricted to the immediate victims. The epidemic also affected the fabric of Indigenous societies through depopulation and social disruption. The impact of introduced diseases was almost certainly the major cause of death for Indigenous people, but direct conflict and occupation of Indigenous homelands also contributed substantially to Indigenous mortality [7][9][10]. The initial responses of Indigenous people to the arrival of the First Fleet were apparently quite peaceful. It didn’t take long, however, before conflict started to occur – initially over access to fish stocks and then over access to other resources as non-Indigenous people started to plant crops and introduce livestock. This pattern of conflict was almost certainly widespread as non-Indigenous people spread across the country. Conflict escalated in many places, in some instances resulting in overt massacres of Indigenous people. The 1838 massacre at Myall Creek (near Inverell, NSW) is the most infamous [11], but less well-known massacres occurred across Australia [10]. As Bruce Elder notes, as ‘painful and shameful as they are’, the massacres ‘should be as much a part of Australian history as the First Fleet, the explorers, the gold rushes and the bushrangers’ ([10], p. vi). Prior to 1788, Indigenous people were able to define their own sense of being through control over all aspects of their lives, including ceremonies, spiritual practices, medicine, social relationships, management of land, law, and economic activities [12][13][14]. In addition to the impacts of introduced diseases and conflict, the spread of non-Indigenous peoples undermined the ability of Indigenous people to lead healthy lives by devaluing their culture, destroying their traditional food base, separating families, and dispossessing whole communities [3][4][7]. This loss of autonomy undermined social vitality, which, in turn, affected the capacity to meet challenges, including health challenges; a cycle of dispossession, demoralisation, and poor health was established. These impacts on Indigenous populations eventually forced colonial authorities to try to ‘protect’ remaining Indigenous peoples. This pressure led to the establishment of Aboriginal ‘protection’ boards, the first established in Vic by the Aboriginal Protection Act of 1869 [15]. A similar Act established the NSW Aborigines Protection Board in 1883, with the other colonies also enacting legislation to ‘protect’ Indigenous populations within their boundaries. The ‘protection’ provided under the provisions of the various Acts imposed enormous restrictions on the lives of many Indigenous people. These restrictions meant that, as late as 1961, in eastern Australia ‘nearly one-third of all Australians recorded as being of Aboriginal descent lived in settlements’ ([16], p. 4). The provisions of the Acts were also used to justify the forced separation of Indigenous children from their families ‘by compulsion, duress or undue influence’ ([15], p. 2). The National Inquiry into the separation of the children concluded that ‘between one-in-three and one-in-ten Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities in the period from approximately 1910 until 1970’ ([15], p. 31). It was the 1960s, at the earliest, when the various ‘protection’ Acts were either repealed or became inoperative. The importance of contemporary social determinants and cultural concepts of Indigenous health The health disadvantages experienced by Indigenous people can be considered historical in origin [14], but perpetuation of the disadvantages owes much to contemporary structural and social factors, embodied in what have been termed the ‘social determinants’ of health [1][17][18]. In broad terms, economic opportunity, physical infrastructure, and social conditions influence the health of individuals, communities, and societies as a whole. These factors are specifically manifest in measures such as education, employment, income, housing, access to services, social networks, connection with land, racism, and incarceration. On all these measures, Indigenous people suffer substantial disadvantage. For many Indigenous people, the ongoing effects of ‘protection’ and the forced separation of children from their families compound other social disadvantages. It is also important in considering Indigenous health to understand how Indigenous people themselves conceptualise health. There was no separate term in Indigenous languages for health as it is understood in western society [19]. The traditional Indigenous perspective of health is holistic. It encompasses everything important in a person’s life, including land, environment, physical body, community, relationships, and law. Health is the social, emotional, and cultural wellbeing of the whole community and the concept is therefore linked to the sense of being Indigenous. This conceptualisation of health has much in common with the social determinants model and has crucial implications for the simple application of biomedically-derived concepts as a means of improving Indigenous health. The reductionist, biomedical approach is undoubtedly useful in identifying and reducing disease in individuals, but its limitations in addressing population-wide health disadvantages, such as those experienced by Indigenous people, must be recognised. Indicators of Indigenous social disadvantage. The key measures in these areas for Indigenous people nationally include: Education According to 2011 Australian Census [20]: 92% of 5 year-old Indigenous children were attending an educational institution 1. 6% of the Indigenous population had not attended school compared with 0. 9% of the non-Indigenous population 29% of Indigenous people reported year 10 as their highest year of school completion; 25% had completed year 12, compared with 52% of non-Indigenous people 26% of Indigenous people reported having a post-school qualification, compared with 49% of non-Indigenous people 4. 6% of Indigenous people had attained a bachelor degree or higher, compared with 20% of non-Indigenous people. An ABS school report [21] revealed, in 2011: the apparent retention rate for Indigenous students from year 7/8 to year 10 was 99%, from year 7/8 to year 12 it was 49% for non-Indigenous students, the apparent retention rate from year 7/8 to year 10 was 101%; and from year 7/8 to year 12 it was 81%. The 2011 national report on schooling in Australia [22] showed: 76% of Indigenous students in year 3 and 66% in year 5 were at or above the national minimum standard for reading, compared with 95% and 93% respectively of all Australian students 80% of year 3 Indigenous students and 69% of year 5 Indigenous students were at or above the national minimum standard for persuasive writing, compared with 96% of all year 3 students and 94% of all year 5 students 72% of year 3 Indigenous students and 69% of year 5. Indigenous students were at or above the national minimum standard for spelling, compared with 94% of all year 3 students and 93% of all year 5 students 71% of year 3 Indigenous students and 65% of year 5 Indigenous students were at or above the national minimum standard for grammar and punctuation, compared with 94% of all year 3 students and 94% of all year 5 students 84% of Indigenous students in year 3 and 75% in year 5 were at or above the national minimum standard for numeracy, compared with 96% and 96% respectively of all Australian students. Employment According to the 2011 Australian Census [20]: 42% of Indigenous people aged 15 years or older were employed and 17% were unemployed. In comparison, 61% of non-Indigenous people aged 15 years or older were employed and 5% were unemployed the most common occupation classification of employed Indigenous people was ‘labourer’ (18%) followed by ‘community and personal service workers’ (17%). The most common occupation classification of employed non-Indigenous people was ‘professional’ (22%). Income According to the 2011 Australian Census [20]: the mean equivalised gross household income for Indigenous persons was around $475 per week – approximately 59% of that for non-Indigenous persons (around $800). Indigenous population Based on information collected as a part of the 2011 Census of Population and Housing, the ABS has estimated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population at 669,736 people at 30 June 2011 [23]. The estimated population for NSW was the highest (208,364 Indigenous people), followed by Qld (188,892), WA (88,277), and the NT (68,901) (Table 1). The NT has the highest proportion of Indigenous people among its population (29. 8%) and Vic the lowest (0. 9%). Table 1: Estimated Indigenous population, by jurisdiction, Australia, 30 June 2011 JurisdictionIndigenous population (number)Proportion of Australian Indigenous population (%)Proportion of jurisdiction population (%) Source: ABS, 2012 [23] Notes: Preliminary estimates are subject to revision; population projections are expected to be finalised by 2014 Australian population includes Jervis Bay Territory, the Cocos (Keeling). Islands, and Christmas Island Proportions of jurisdiction population have used total population figures estimated from demographic information for June 2011 NSW208,36431. 12. 9 Vic47,3277. 10. 9 Qld188,89228. 24. 2 WA88,27713. 23. 8 SA37,3925. 62. 3 Tas24,1553. 64. 7 ACT6,1670. 91. 7 NT68,90110. 329. 8. Australia669,736100. 03. 0 There was a 21% increase in the number of Indigenous people counted in the 2011 Census compared with the 2006 Census2 [24]. The largest increases were in the ACT (34%), Vic (26%), NSW (25%) and Qld (22%). For all jurisdictions, the 55 years and over age-group showed the largest relative increase. There are two ‘structural’ reasons contributing to the growth of the Indigenous population: the slightly higher fertility rates of Indigenous women compared with the rates of other Australian women (see ‘Births and pregnancy outcome’); and the significant numbers of Indigenous babies born to Indigenous fathers and non-Indigenous mothers. Two other factors are considered likely to have contributed to the increase in people identifying as Indigenous: changes in enumeration processes (i. e. more Indigenous people are being captured during the census process); and changes in identification (i. e. people who did not previously identify as Indigenous in the census have changed their response). Based on the 2011 Census, around 33% of Indigenous people lived in a capital city [25]. Detailed information about the geographic distribution of the Indigenous population for 2011 is not yet available, but figures from the 2006 Census indicated that the majority of Indigenous people lived in cities and towns [26]. Slightly more than one-half of the Indigenous population lived in areas classified as ‘major cities’ or ‘inner regional’ areas, compared with almost nine-tenths of the non-Indigenous population. (As well as these two classifications of ‘remoteness’ in terms of access to goods and services and opportunities for social interaction, the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) has four other categories: ‘outer regional’, ‘remote’, ‘very remote’, and ‘migratory’ [27]. ) Almost one-quarter of Indigenous people lived in areas classified as ‘remote’ or ‘very remote’ in relation to having ‘very little access to goods, services and opportunities for social interaction’ ([28], p. 3). Less than 2% of non-Indigenous people lived in ‘remote’ or ‘very remote’ areas [26]. In terms of specific geographical areas, more than one-half (53%) of all Indigenous people counted in the 2011 Census lived in nine of the 57 Indigenous regions (based largely on the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) regions) [25]. The three largest regions were in eastern Australia (Brisbane, NSW Central and the North Coast, and Sydney-Wollongong), which accounted for 29% of the total Indigenous population. According to the 2011 Census, around 90% of Indigenous people are Aboriginal, 6% are Torres Strait Islanders, and 4% people identified as being of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent [25]. Around 63% of Torres Strait Islander people3 lived in Qld; NSW was the only other state with a large number of Torres Strait Islander people. The Indigenous population is much younger overall than the non-Indigenous population (Figure 1) [23]. According to estimates from the 2011 Census, at June 2011 about 36% Indigenous people were aged less than 15 years, compared with 18% of non-Indigenous people. About 3. 4% of Indigenous people were aged 65 years or over, compared with 14% of non-Indigenous people. Figure 1. Population pyramid of Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, 30 June 2011 Population pyramid of indigenous and non-indigenous populations, 2011 Source: ABS, 2012 [23] References Carson B, Dunbar T, Chenhall RD, Bailie R, eds. (2007) Social determinants of Indigenous health. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin Jackson LR, Ward JE (1999) Aboriginal health: why is reconciliation necessary?. Medical Journal of Australia; 170(9): 437-440 Butlin NG (1993) Economics and the dreamtime : a hypothetical history. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press Campbell J (2002) Invisible invaders: smallpox and other diseases in Aboriginal Australia 1780-1880. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press Webb S (2009) Palaeopathology of Aboriginal Australians: health and disease across a hunter-gatherer continent. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Anderson W (2007). The colonial medicine of settler states: comparing histories of Indigenous health. Health and History; 9(2): 144-154 Butlin NG (1983) Our original aggression : Aboriginal populations of southeastern Australia, 1788-1850. Sydney: Allen & Unwin Thomson N (1991) Tuberculosis among Aborigines. In: Proust AJ, ed. History of tuberculosis in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Canberra, ACT: Brolga Press: 61-67 Reynolds H (1982) The other side of the frontier: Aboriginal resistance to the European invasion of Australia. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin Books Elder B (2003) Blood on the wattle: massacres and maltreatment of Aboriginal Australians since 1788. 3rd ed. Frenchs Forest, N. S. W: New Holland Harrison B (1978) The Myall Creek massacre. In: McBryde I, ed. Records of times past : ethnohistorical essays on the culture and ecology of the New England tribes. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies: 17-51 Howitt R (2001) Rethinking resource management : justice, sustainability and Indigenous peoples. London: Routledge Hunter E (1993) Aboriginal health and history: power and prejudice in remote Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Saggers S, Gray D (1991) Aboriginal health and society: the traditional and contemporary Aboriginal struggle for better health. North Sydney: Allen and Unwin National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families (1997) Bringing them home: report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families. Retrieved 17 November 2011 from http://www. humanrights. gov. au/pdf/social_justice/bringing_them_home_report. pdf Long JPM (1970) Aboriginal settlements: a survey of institutional communities in eastern Australia. Canberra: Australian National University Press Marmot M (2004) The status syndrome: how social standing affects our health and longevity. New York: Holt Paperbacks Wilkinson R, Marmot M (2003) Social determinants of health: the solid facts. Denmark: World Health Organization National Aboriginal Health Strategy Working Party (1989) A national Aboriginal health strategy. Canberra: Department of Aboriginal Affairs Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012) Census of population and housing: characteristics of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2011. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Schools, Australia, 2010. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (2011) National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy: achievement in reading, persuasive writing, language conventions and numeracy: national report for 2011. Sydney: Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012) Australian demographic statistics, March quarter 2012. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics Yap M, Biddle N (2012) Indigenous fertility and family formation: CAEPR Indigenous population project: 2011 census papers. Canberra: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012) Census of population and housing – counts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2011. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010) Population characteristics.

Mouse-Like Rodents Myomorpha

Mouse-like rodents (Myomorpha) are a group of rodents that includes rats, mice, voles, hamsters, lemmings, dormice, harvest mice, muskrats, and gerbils. There are about 1,400 species of mouse-like rodents alive today, making them the most diverse (in terms of a number of species) group of all living rodents. Members of this group differ from other rodents in the arrangement of their jaw muscles and the structure of their molar teeth. The medial masseter muscle of the jaw in mouse-like rodents follows a rather bizarre route through the eye socket of the animal. No other mammal has a similarly configured medial masseter muscle. The unique arrangement of the jaw muscles in  mouse-like rodents provides them with powerful gnawing capabilities—a valuable trait considering their diet which includes an assortment of  tough plant materials. Mouse-like rodents eat a variety  of foods including berries, nuts, fruit, seeds, shoots, buds, flowers, and grains. Although many mouse-like rodents are herbivorous, others are also  granivorous or omnivorous. Mouse-like rodents have a pair of ever-growing incisors (in their upper and lower jaws) and three molars (also known as cheek teeth) on either half of both their upper and lower jaws. They have no canine teeth (there is a space instead called a diastema) and they have no premolars. Key Characteristics The key characteristics of mouse-like rodents include: The unique arrangement of the  jaw muscles used for chewingThe unique structure of the molar teethJaw structure and musculature well-suited for gnawingA single pair of incisors and three cheek teeth on each side of the jaw (upper and lower) Classification Mouse-like rodents are divided into the following taxonomic groups: Dormice (Myoxidae) - There are about 29 species of dormice alive today. Members of this group include African dormice, garden dormice, mouse-tailed dormice, and giant dormice. Dormice are small rodents with fur-covered tails. Most species are nocturnal and arboreal. Dormice have a keen sense of hearing and are agile climbers.Jumping mice and relatives (Dipodidae) - There are about 50 species of jumping mice and their relatives alive today. Members of this group include jerboas, jumping mice, and birch mice.  Jumping mice and their relatives are small- to medium-sized rodents. They are skilled jumpers that move by taking hops or leaps. Many species have long legs and feet, as well as a long tail that serves as a counter-balance to their movements.Pocket gophers (Geomyidae) - There are about 39 species of pocket gophers alive today. Members of this group are burrowing rodents that are best known for their tendencies to stash away large quantities of food supplies. Pocket gophers are the most avid  hoarders of all of the mouse-like rodents and stock up on foods such as roots, tubers, stems and other plant material that provide them with food throughout the winter (pocket gophers do not hibernate).Pocket mice and kangaroo rats (Heteromyidae) - There are about 59 species of pocket mice and kangaroo rats alive today. Members of this group include spiny pocket mice, kangaroo mice, and kangaroo rats. Pocket mice and kangaroo rats are burrowing rodents that inhabit the deserts, scrublands, and grasslands throughout western North America. Pocket mice and kangaroo rats gather seeds and plant material in their cheek pouches and store the food in their burrow for the winter months.Rats, mice, and relatives (Muridae) - There are about 1,300 species of rats, mice, and their relatives alive today. Members of this group include hamsters, mice, rats, voles, lemmings, dormice, harvest mice, muskrats, and gerbils. Rats, mice, and their relatives are small rodents that inhabit Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia that are prolific breeders that produce large litters several times each year. Source Hickman C, Roberts L, Keen S, Larson A, lAnson H, Eisenhour D.  Integrated Principles of Zoology.  14th ed. Boston MA: McGraw-Hill; 2006. 910 p.

Mineral Photos - How to Take Great Photos of Minerals

Do you want to take great pictures of your mineral specimens? Here are some tips and tricks to help your mineral photos turn out looking wonderful. Mineral Photography Tips Know your camera.You can take wonderful pictures of mineral specimens using a disposable camera or cell phone; you can take terrible photos using a high-end SLR. If you know what works in terms of distance and lighting for the camera you are using then youll have a much better chance of taking a great shot.Be accurate.If you are taking a photo of a mineral out in the field, then take the picture of the mineral where you found it rather than moving it to a pretty location.Take multiple pictures.If youre in the field, approach your specimen from different angles and take a variety of shots. Do the same back home. Taking ten shots of the exact same angle, background, and lighting is less likely to give you a great photo than taking several different photos.Make the mineral the center of attention.If possible, make it the only object in the photo. Other objects will detract from your specimen and may cast nasty shadows on your mineral.Choose your background wisely.I take the majority of my pictures on a white plastic cutting board because it doesnt cast reflections back toward the camera and because I can apply light behind the mineral. White is great for specimens with good contrast, but it doesnt work as well for light-colored minerals. Those minerals may do better with a gray background. Be careful using a very dark background because some cameras will take a picture that washes the detail out of your specimen. Experiment with different background to see what works best.Experiment with lighting.You are going to get different pictures in sunlight than you will under fluorescent or incandescent lights. The angle of the light makes a big difference. The intensity of the light matters. Look criticially at your photo to see if it has distracting shadows or whether it flattens out any three-dimensional structure of your mineral specimen. Also, keep in mind some minerals are fluorescent. What happens in you add black light to your specimen?Process your image, with care .Pretty much every device that takes pictures can process them. Crop your images and consider correcting them if the color balance is off. You might want to adject the brightness, contrast, or gamma, but try not to go beyond that. You might be able to process your image to make it prettier, but dont sacrifice beauty for accuracy.To Label or Not To Label?If you are going to include a label with your mineral, you can photograph a (neat, preferably printed) label along with your mineral. Otherwise, you can overlay a label on your picture using photo editing software. If you are using a digital camera and arent labeling your specimen right away, its a good idea to give your photo a meaningful name (like cordundum rather than the default filename, which is probably the date).Indicate ScaleYou may wish to include a ruler or coin with your specimen to indicate scale. Otherwise, when you describe your image you might want to indicate the size of your mineral.Try the ScannerIf you dont have a camera, you may be able to get a good picture of a mineral specimen by scanning it with a digital scanner. In some cases a scanner can produce a nice image.Take NotesIts a good idea to jot down what works and what fails miserably. This is especially helpful if you are taking a large sequence of pictures and making a lot of changes.