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.

Serene Cave

Serene Cave

THAI10D-32

November 23, 2010

On the outskirts of Khao Yai National Park, in Thailand, there is a certain cave under a monastery.  This cave was a refuge for Buddhist priests for centuries, as they would go down into the depths to be removed from the influences of daily life, to sit and meditate in the dark and reflect upon the teachings of the Buddha.  We were able to visit this cave and wander through the caverns for a short while.  The final room was this, where a 8-10' tall statue of the Buddha sat in lotus position, with an opening to the outside world above and to the side.  I like how this image has a luminous quality to it (the only lighting used was that which came from the open sinkhole) and how the Buddha, with his patina'd background, seems to be singularly lit by the light from above.  Enjoy. 

 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20 mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 10 mm

Exposure: 12 sec   f/16 ISO 400

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

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.