NG's Iconic Places to Photograph

Ah, National Geographic.  You always know how to tickle my wanderlust.  Today in my email box up popped a regular message from NG (cause I over-subscribe to them, getting emails on just about anything they can dream up to send me), and lo and behold, out pops their Top 10 Iconic Places to Photograph.  I don't think there is a photographer alive who would not drool over any of these places:

• Antarctica
• Venice, Italy
• Machu Picchu, Peru
• Stonehenge, England
• Taj Mahal, India
• Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
• Ta Phram Temple (Angkor Wat), Cambodia
• The Serengeti, Tanzania
• Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

Looking over that list, I would have to pick out my few favorites.  Machu Picchu would be close to the top if not all the way there.  I would love the long trek up to the mountain, and then to stand amongst the ruins and see the immensity of what the Inca achieved there.  Rapa Nui would be another goal, out in the middle of the Pacific, seeing the moai as testaments to the failed culture.  And then there is the beauty of another ruined culture, the great temples of the Angkor kingdom in Cambodia, now swallowed up by the jungle.  And last, but certainly not least, the Serengeti, with its megafauna (and a lot of microfauna as well), through the Ngorongoro crater, the migrations of wildebeast.  (Though, in all honesty, I would prefer to see the Okavango delta in full flood, but let's not quibble).  Such a great list, I couldn't really narrow it lower than those 4, and in truth I'd love to see any of the 10; they are all such amazing adventure and photographic opportunities.  How about you?  Which would be at the top of your list??  Enjoy.

Photographer of Note: Jason Travis

 

  

Jason Travis
"Persona"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasontravis/sets/72157603258446753/with/6982038281/

I stumbled on Jason's series "Persona" over a year ago, and I have been regularly subscribing to his feed to keep up with new entries of this personal project.  The concept is simple enough: looking in our purses, backpacks, satchels (and matchels) to see what we carry around on a daily basis.  It is both intimate (and a little voyeuristic) and very revealing, displaying those essential items to our life: from electronics (phones, ipods) to personal details (make-up, medications, books, accessories).  The series also captures on the "What's in my ____" trend of internet photography posting.  I have been known to indulge in this from time to time as well.  It's a reflection on what we bring with us everyday or on special occasions, and how those objects define who we are.

The images are set up as diptychs, which is a good juxtaposition, having the person in a relaxed, casual pose, and underneath is a neatly organized collection of their belongings.  They are unique, intimate portraits of each person and can be really revealing, whimsical, and fun.  What is in your purse?  What do you consider essential to your day?Enjoy. 

To Plan Worldwide Wanderings

To Plan Worldwide Wanderings
WASH10D-26_pan

August 10, 2010

Taking a break from the nature photography today, to highlight one of my favorite stores ever.  No, this is not REI (though good guess to those who know me, REI is up amid the top of the list).  This is Metsker Maps of Seattle.  This store, which is among a dwindling population of map stores, has such a diversity and abundance of travel-oriented products that you can't help but be impressed.  Travel guides?  Yup.  Map pins?  You betcha.  Topo maps for the Pacific NW?  Why not.  Flags, globes, rare and antique maps, journals, essays... you name it, this place has it.  While this post might seem like a Yelp-ish endorsement, I love the photo, for it shows off the jumbled, dense allocation of things in the store.  The panorama, i discovered this morning, is slightly mis-aligned, and will fix that soon.  But until then, dream of further wanderings, and enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  18 mm

Exposure: 1/13 @ f/3.5   ISO 400

Post-processing: Minor tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4.

New Nikon on the Horizon

I just came across this new notice from B&H Photo, one of my favorite places to browse and purchase camera equipment.  And they have announced the arrival of the stunning new Nikon D800 camera!!  Shoooting a full-frame FX CMOS sensor, packing in 36MP of quality, this camera is a beast.  Possibly my favorite feature is that it will accept either FX (film) or DX (digital-specific) lenses, and adjust the output accordingly (though, in DX mode, it tops out at about 15MP).  That is awesome, as it means Nikon users don't have to go swapping out their lenses (yet again) when they purchase this camera.  It does video as well, which is not as important to me, but still interesting.  Only downside?  The pricetag, which is a whopping $3,000, yet billed as an affordable option against the larger D-line models (with price tags in the $5,000+ range).  Check out the new beauty of the line.  Enjoy.

Gadling's 10 Maps for the Wall

Just a fun little post for Monday, this is a gallery from the travel blog Gadling that has some interesting, artsy maps.  And since I am a huge cartophile myself, I wanted to pass it along to you all.  Enjoy, and here are a few of my favorites. 

Photographs of Phamous Photographers Holding Photographs

I saw this over at Wired Magazine,a great little collection of photographs of photographers holding photographs.  Some of these are iconic images, such as Marilyn Monroe in bed, the towers exploding on 9-11, and Ali standing over Liston.  My three favorites, however, have to be Steve McCurry's portrait of a young girl in Afghanistan in 1984, the funeral procession for a murdered silverback gorilla, and the infamous line of tanks confronting a protester in the 1989 Tienanmen Square uprising in China.  These three are beautiful, haunting pictures that resonate with me especially strongly, and to see these images in the hands of their creators puts a personal perspective on each, seeing the artists who live behind the lens.








McCurry's image of the girl has consistently been thought of as National Geographic's most recognizable and outstanding image, his portraits are wonderful creations that are as beautiful as they are honest.  

The gorilla funeral is so sad, not only as it is a reminder of how few of these animals are left in the world (and highlighting the plight they face against poachers and land encroachment), but it shows how much empathy these animals can inspire in others, and how closely related we are.  

The tanks in Tienanmen Square need no real introduction, it is one of the most famous images of individuals standing up for their rights against oppression and demanding rights, even at the sacrifice of their own lives.

Enjoy the entire gallery at Wired.  

To GPS, or not to GPS?

Kevin McNeal asks an important question on his blog on PhotoCascadia: do photographers have an obligation to disclose (or not to disclose) locations where photographs are taken?  He takes the line that no, exact coordinates need not be provided, for two reasons: 1) These out-of-the-way locations, their exotic nature and obscureness, helps maintain the value of such images, in a very competitive nature photography marketplace, and as such they are assets to be protected; and 2) there is a need to protect such places against hordes of snap-happy folks who could trample delicate ecosystems.

I wanted to share this with the general audience, for I generally agree.  Not that I am a professional photographer (indeed, I do not make any income from my images as of yet), so the financial argument doesn't resonate with me as much as my desire to protect these landscapes.  I would not intentionally try to hide a general location of an image, and those that are posted here on A Wandering Lens do have a Google location posted with them to give viewers an approximate idea of where I was in the world when the shutter clicked.

While it is not to hide these places, for obviously I want to share them with others, but exposing some of these landscapes to potential masses could be very damaging.  I am a fervent believer in leave no trace backcountry exploration, but recognize that merely my passing through an area changes things: my boots might squash plants or insects, animals move based on my presence, I compact the ground as I walk.  And multiply that by hundreds, or thousands, in areas that are not accustomed to such traffic (this is different than the trails of Yosemite or Yellowstone, that are graded for such high-intensity use), and there is a chance for long-standing damage.

But even beyond that, the photographs that I post, and the ones that I have seen throughout the years, are meant to be inspirational.  Maybe I cannot get to the same exact location that I see in a Galen Rowell print, or on McNeal's blog.  But their images inspire me to get out there, explore on my own, and perhaps try to find something different and new.  I still feel that discovering that unique place, that great angle, that perfect time of day, on your own translates into a greater sense of achievement and personal creation, and that is what drives so much of my photography: it is the exploration of new places as much as it is the images I create.  So, I hope you follow by reading, enjoying, reacting, and then exploring on your own to find new places to share with others.  Good shooting.