Photo of the day – St. Peter’s and a puddle

by Meg Nesterov on

When taking travel photos, we spend a lot of time looking for the right background. Whether it’s capturing a candid portrait or framing the perfect landscape, it’s not always easy to convey a beautiful scene in a photograph. Flickr user John Overmeyer used a humble puddle of rain to elevate this night shot of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Of course, flawless composition, lighting, and luck didn’t hurt, but it all comes together for a beautifully romantic shot that makes the puddle look like a grand river.

Show off your perfect travel shots by adding them to the Gadling Flickr pool. We may choose yours for a future Photo of the Day.

Video of the Day: From Nordhordland with Love

by Mike Barish on

Quick, tell us everything that you know about Nordhordland. Of course, you know it’s a region of western Norway. Don’t know much else? Well, apparently it’s the perfect place for a super villian to establish is base of operations. Why? Well, proximity to the sea, ample power sources and a vast supply of educated labor make are just a few of the reasons that Nordhordland would be a great place to build a doomsday device. Of course, its low crime rate might throw a wrench in that evil machine. Regardless, this is one of the most creative promotional videos we’ve ever seen. Well played, Nordhordland.

Photo of the day – Fez cafe

by Alex Robertson Textor on

This black and white image of breakfast at a cafe in Fez was snapped by Flickr user clee130. For anyone who has spent time in Morocco, this is a familiar scene: an outdoor cafe full of men conversing together over slowly savored drinks or nibbles. Ourika, the cafe’s name, refers to both a valley and river in Morocco. The Ourika River flows from a source in Toubkal National Park into the Tensift River just east of Marrakech.

Submit your best images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week, we pick our favorites from that pool to be published on Gadling at Photos of the Day.

Photo of the day – Under the Glow dome

by Meg Nesterov on

Today’s Photo of the Day is from the Dutch city of Eindhoven, where the GLOW festival of light is going on now through Saturday. Eindhoven is the hometown of electronics company Philips, made a multinational brand by Anton Philips who is the subject of the sculpture here. Each year, the town hosts a forum of light-based art and architecture installations, performances and events; in 2011, the theme is illusion and reality. Mr. Philips is standing under a dome of 30,000 lights, over 80 feet high, illuminating the entire square outside the main train station. Flickr user toffiloff captured a great perspective, making the sculpture and light installation even more impressive.

Send us your favorite festival photos for a future Photo of the Day by adding them to the Gadling Flickr pool.

Video of the Day: Bus stops, passengers tumble

by Mike Barish on

Whether part of your commute or part of your travels, buses are often a convenient (and affordable) way to get from Point A to Point B. The downside of buses (other than frequent stops) is the lack of space. The seats are cramped, there’s little room for your belongings and the movement of the bus jostles things around. For all of those reasons, many people covet the middle seat in the back row of many buses. It has no seats in front of it, so you have ample space for your luggage. The aisle provides seemingly infinite legroom. What could possibly go wrong in the middle seat of the back row? Well, the bus could stop short and you could be hurled halfway down the aisle and left on your back with your shirt flung up. But what are the odds of that happening?