Through the Gadling Lens: the best vacation photos from our Gadling pool

by Karen Walrond on

A few months ago, I wrote a post describing the types of shots that I always try to take when I’m traveling — the kinds of shots which will make a complete album capturing all of the memories and images around my trip. Well, this week, I’ve culled through the Gadling flickr pool to pick some of my favourite images from some of the wonderful photographers out there, and I thought I’d describe what makes these images pretty terrific … in my opinion. Obviously, beauty is subjective, so I’d love to hear your thoughts about the images in the comments — nothing like some great debate to spark some inspiration.
1. Landscapes

I love this amazing shot of Machu Picchu in Peru, taken by magnusvk. Now granted, in a setting like this, it’s probably pretty hard to take a bad shot; still, the balance of colours is amazing, and in particular, I love that it wasn’t taken on a picture-perfect day — the clouds add such interest. In fact, magnusvk described the process he used to capture such a great image:

“Go in the rainy season, get up as early as you can, take the first bus up and just ignore the rain. That’s the only way to have Machu Picchu more or less for yourself for a couple of minutes. The morning mood, as you can see, is beautiful and really does reward all hardship.”

Really great advice, and it’s actually something to keep in mind no matter where you are — early morning shots are often a beautiful way to watch an area waking up to the day.

Above is another stunning scenery example, taken by arex in Yosemite national park. What makes this image so stellar is the contrast: if you notice, the whites at the tops of the snow-capped mountains in the distance are completely white, and the blacks from the shadows of the trees in the still water are totally black. Having these tonal shades throughout the image make the photograph completely striking to the eye — you can almost image the total stillness and quiet that must have been there at the time the photograph was taken. Really breathtaking shot.

2. Iconic images.

Oh, how I love this photo, captured by jrodmanjr — I mean, do I even have to tell you where this image was taken? It is truly the quintessential image of San Francisco. But what I love about it is how it was taken — it’s not just a quick snapshot of a passing cable car. It’s shot from right on the tracks, in silhouette. It’s in black and white, which makes the image so timeless. But, of course, what makes this image so incredibly striking is the way it has been framed and cropped — the long, tall image draws your eyes immediately to the shape of the cable car, and the passengers hanging out of the side. Can’t you just imagine this image blown up to an enormous size — 5 feet by 10 feet, maybe — and hanging in an industrial loft home in San Francisco? Such a great shot.

3. Portraits

As you know, I love a good portrait. But the only thing I love more than a portrait is a portrait with a sense of humour. The happy photo captured by gypsysoul73 above is one such photo — I love the laughter and life of the people in the image juxtaposed with the inanimate statue on the bench they share.

Even more brilliantly, however, is the shot below, taken by PDPhotography:

Fantastic.

The point is, obviously, that some really great portraits can be inspired from the words, art, graffiti, or whatever happens to be around you at the time. About 5 years ago, my husband and I did a whole series of portraits of ourselves imitating each item of art we saw on exhibit in the Art Institute of Chicago — one of my favourite vacation albums to date. I mean, I don’t have any idea of the image above was staged or not, but really, does it matter? It’s a great shot, and thanks to the image I suspect PDPhotography is never going to forget where he was or what was going on at the time he took that photograph. Well done.

And finally, as an idea for a great portrait of the travel companion who is reticent about being photographed, take a look at this fantastic image captured by StrudelMonkey while traveling in Bali:

Isn’t this great? Nothing like an image of sandy feet to really capture the spirit of relaxation on a beach holiday. And I love how you can just make out the word “Bali” on the book being read in this shot. A truly unusual portrait that communicates exactly how restorative a seaside vacation can be.

4. Nighttime

Finally (although we haven’t talked about this in the past), it’s also a great idea to capture a few nighttime shots while you’re traveling. It can be very tempting to reserve all your your photo-taking to the times of day when you’ve got wonderful bright sunshine, but remember of course that many memories occur after the sun goes down.

When you do take your nighttime shots, try taking a few without the flash — it really can help capture the mood of the evening in a way that flash really can’t. Of course, in darkened spaces, you’re probably going to want to hold your image very steady, so be sure you have your portable tripod with you (for some discussion on how to take photographs in dark places, check out the Through the Gadling Lens post of a couple of weeks ago, on how to shoot in caves — the philosophy is the same). And for some inspiration, check out the following:

Remember that sunsets don’t just happen on the beach: ultraclay!, above, shows that you can get some equally stunning sunset shots in the city, as well. A word of caution, however — as much as I love a good photograph shot into the sun, the truth is that shooting into the sunlight can cause some wear on the light sensor in your camera, so shoot this way sparingly.

Cities often come alive at night, and a few images of the streetlights, cars, and illuminated skyscrapers like the one captured by CaptBrando, above, will bring back memories of those times you tripped the light fantastic on your vacation. Just remember to keep your camera very steady as you take your shot.

And finally, of course, be sure to get pictures of the places where you have memorable meals or drinks. The one captured by Geir Halvorsen, above, is particularly great, because of the bartender’s illuminated face — and again, notice that no flash was used in the image. The result is that you feel like you’re actually sitting right next to the photographer as he enjoys his evening.

Fantastic images, and kudos to all the photographers featured in this post — hopefully you received some inspiration from their great images.

Incidentally, please note that Through the Gadling Lens will be moving to Thursday mornings at 11 a.m. EST, starting next Thursday — so this should give you some extra time to come up with any questions you might have that you’d like me to address. As always, send them to karen.walrond@weblogsinc.com, and I’ll do my best to answer them in future posts!

Karen is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. You can see more of her work at her site, Chookooloonks.
And for more Through the Gadling Lens, click here.

Peru To Sue Yale University?

by Kraig Becker on

According to a story posted on AdventureJourney.net, a website dedicated to adventure travel, the country of Peru is suing Yale University, for the return of a number of artifacts taken from the country nearly a century ago when legendary explorer Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in 1911.

At that time, Bingham’s discovery captured the imagination of the world, as photos of the Lost City of the Incas gave an eager audience a glimpse of another time and place. But Bingham didn’t just send photographs back to civilization. He also reportedly brought back more than 40,000 artifacts from the site, most of which made their way back to Yale, where they still reside today.

Now, Peru would like these relics returned, and has entered into litigation to get them back. Thousands of visitors flock to the country each year, in no small part thanks to its rich history, and these artifacts are a direct link to that history and a valuable commodity for the tourist economy there. The items also happen to belong to the Peruvian people, and are symbols of their culture and ancient Inca traditions, which still play a role in modern Peru today.

This isn’t just an issue for Peru either. Other countries, most notably Egypt, have worked hard to recover treasures that were taken from them by imperialist powers in centuries past. Fortunately, many nations are now returning these artifacts to their rightful owners. It remains to be seen if Yale will follow suit.

International Value Destinations

by Kraig Becker on

USAToday has put together an interesting list of 10 great international places to go for a value on your vacation. These places were specifically picked to allow us to get more bang for our buck when traveling abroad this year, something that seems to be on every traveler’s mind at the moment.

The list of locations really does span the globe, and there is something for everyone on the list. Want to head to the beach on your break? Then Bermuda is the recommended spot. Want something a bit more adventurous? Give LIma, Peru a go. And for a destination that is still a bit off the beaten path, they recommend Vietnam, where you can stretch your dollar a long way, without skimping on the amenities.

The list offers up some great ideas for international travel in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Each of the destinations has a link to a local tourism website where you can find more information about where to stay and what to do, and with a little creative planning it seems that you won’t have to skip that international vacation this year after all.

Eggnog: Where does it come from?

by Brenda Yun on

I’ve long been a fan of spiced ‘nog. It’s one of the creamiest, best tastes in the world. For over 300 years, eggnog has been a Christmas staple, and I just had to get to the bottom of the mystery of ‘why’? What I discovered in my research of the origin of eggnog was quite startling. While ‘nog definitely came from Europe circa early 17th century, the term “eggnog” and the etymology of the word is perhaps the more interesting story.

The original eggnog was a mixture of milk, egg, spices, and wine (in parts of Europe like France), beer (in England), or sherry (in Spain). The alcoholic portion of the drink depends on how you interpret the “nog” in the name. That is because “nog” could mean the Old English term for a strong beer, or it could be interpreted from Middle English as “noggin,” the wooden mug that the drink was served in.
It seems quite unusual (and kind of unappetizing) to me that, before it arrived on America’s shores, eggnog was made with wine, beer, or sherry. Americans — the drunks that we are — decided to spike the drink with more concentrated spirits such as rum and brandy. Our first President, George Washington, would make the drink so strong that only the burliest of drinkers could handle it. The term for rum is actually “grog,” but “eggrog” doesn’t sound very good at all, now, does it? (It makes me think of a lumpy, spiked oatmeal — yuck!) Americans also boil their eggnog so as to avoid getting salmonella from the raw egg.

Even more variations of traditional eggnog are popping up around the globe. In Louisiana, they replace the rum with bourbon. In Puerto Rico, they add coconut milk. In Mexico, it’s a hard drink, as it’s mixed with grain alcohol. In Peru, it’s made with “pisco,” a local brandy.

Whatever the form or unique flavor, drinking eggnog is a Christmas tradition because of its warming effect and generally sweet, smooth, and spicy taste which make it a perfect holiday drink.

[Information was gathered from Wikipedia, About.com, and TheKitchenProject.com]

Photo of the Day (12-17-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

It’s not usual that a person’s handiwork makes Photo of the Day two times in one week. This week Lola Akinmade‘s shot of this woman in Peru caught my attention. How could it not? Isn’t that vivid red gorgeous?

I also love the way the purple of the woman’s shawl pops against it and how the other reds are just enough of a difference to be distinct. This is a perfect example of the principles of a color wheel.

If you have your own examples of popping colors, send them our way at Gadling’s Flickr Photo Pool. One or two could be chosen as a Photo of the Day. Just ask Lola.