Photo of the Day (5.4.10)

It’s hard not to be drawn in by such a colorful image; but my favorite part of this photo is the story behind it. Photographer Mike Goldstein took the shot while visiting the old temples outside of Bagan, Myanmar. Upon arrival, this young lady started taking him on a tour of the village – showing off the looms, cotton products, etc. Mike explains what happened at the end of the tour on his blog (which is worth checking out by itself):
“At the end of it she asked us for some money and we refused out of principle: she hadn’t asked us if we wanted a tour, she just started towing us around. In retrospect I can’t believe we didn’t just give her a dollar or something, it would have been a lot for her, but it goes to show how money can warp your mind in a place like this. I think we sometimes treat beggars like they’re pets to be trained, and we forget that – hey – how about sharing something we have enough of?”

When traveling, this is a common situation to be put in – so how do you handle it? Share your thoughts in the comments, and if you have a photo you’ve nabbed on an impromptu tour, we want to see it!

Submit to our Flickr pool and it could be the next Photo of the Day.

Photo of the Day (11.10.09)

While I usually prefer photographs that feature subjects at close distance in great detail, I’m fascinated by the aesthetic quality of this photo by Michael Goldstein. Bright winter light and dramatic shadows frame the worn inscriptions well, with the composition anchored by the battered blue door in the center. It’s a unique take on a monument that’s been photographed many times.

The photo was taken at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The Arc de Triomphe was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806, and finished in 1810 as an honor to the Napoleonic Wars. (Additional fun fact: The Arc is so big, that Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane through it in 1919, as part of a parade to commemorate the end of World War I)

If you have some great travel shots you’d like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!