Through the Gadling Lens: Great online resources for photographers

by Karen Walrond on

Before I really got into photography, I used to believe that really fabulous photographs only resulted from really expensive camera and processing equipment. While this might have been true twenty years ago, the truth is that great photography can pretty much come from any type of camera, with any sort of post-camera processing. And the beauty of owning a camera in this part of the twenty-first century means that there are all sorts of online resources to maximize what your camera can do. So this week, I thought I’d spend some time pointing out a few resources online that can help result in some of the best travel shots of your life.
1. Sign up for Photojojo. If you haven’t heard of Photojojo yet, run, do not walk, to their site here. This free e-newsletter service (or, if you’d prefer, you can add their feed to your reader) will send you some of the coolest photography tips to be had on the web. The advice can range from the funky (like how to make your own 3D camera for $15 or less), to the fun (how to make your own photographic perpetual calendar) to the positively practical (how to eliminate sensor dust from your camera). And did I mention it’s free?

2. Picnik. I have a real-life friend, Jenny, whose flickr stream I avidly follow. She is the Queen of the post-camera processing. The other day, she was at my house, and I mentioned to her that I couldn’t get over how amazing her processing was.

“Thanks,” she said, quietly.

“Seriously, Jenny, did you take a Photoshop class or something?” I pressed.

“No, I don’t use Photoshop, actually. I use Picnik.”

I almost choked on my mimosa.

“I’m sorry,” I said, once I’d regained my composure. “You’re telling me that you process those photos with free software?”

“Yup, I do it all online. It’s a lot of fun.”

I couldn’t believe it. Until that moment, I had been a complete Photoshop snob, because it never occurred to me that you could get really dazzling photos with anything but. But Jenny’s photos, like this one:

and this one:

and this one:

and, dear God, this one:

…made a true believer out of me.

3. Photo.net. Say you have a burning question about photography: like, you’re thinking of upgrading your camera, and you don’t know which brand to go with. Or, the shutter on your D100 is sticking, and you don’t know what’s causing it. Or you’re just dying to know the definition of “bokeh,” and you don’t know any shutterbugs within shouting distance. Well, look no further than Photo.net — this community website likely has every answer you could possibly want (and some you probably don’t). There’s a photo gallery to provide tons of inspiration, forums with every type of photography topic you could possibly imagine, and even a way to upload and exhibit your favourite photos to receive critiques from other avid photographers. And again, it’s free!

4. Digital Photography Review. Speaking of being in the market for cameras, once you’ve started to narrow down the brands you’re interested in looking at, do not buy your camera until you’ve stopped by Digital Photography Review. This great independent site does side-by-side comparisons of every camera you can think of, from point-and-shoots to digital SLRs. The site even shows images taken with various cameras so that you can compare quality. While I still maintain that you should never buy a camera (particularly a digital SLR) before actually going to a camera store and taking one for a spin, this is a great site to educate yourself with the kinds of questions you’re going to want to ask the salesperson while you’re there.

5. Blogs, blogs and more blogs. As you can probably imagine, there are tons of blogs out there that can provide inspiration, both in the form of concrete information and/or fantastic imagery. The following are some of my favourites — both for simple how-to’s and merely eye-candy. For those photoblogs which are primarily about imagery, don’t be afraid to e-mail the photoblogger directly for advice: most photobloggers are only too happy to oblige.

  • DIYPhotography.net: This blog is a great resource for do-it-yourself projects to help enhance your photography — and while much of it is about studio lighting, there’s a lot on helping create different effects for your camera, and a recent favourite: how to stablize your camera while taking a photograph in a driving car.
  • OnTakingPictures: This is the personal blog of portrait photographer Bill Wadman — full of beautiful portraits, but also his musings on the business photography, as well as some technical advice. A great read.
  • Moodaholic: This beautiful photoblog is strictly imagery, and the images taken of various landscapes are positively breathtaking. The shots are always crisp, but the post-camera processing is what lends to the amazing mood of all images. Click on the comments to see how each image was shot.
  • Mad Media Studios: Another great photoblog, primarily landscapes and portraits. This blog, however, is a great example of the kind of art that can be made with post-camera processing. While extreme photo processing isn’t my style, I can appreciate a photographer who can take it to an artistic level, and this photographer does just that. Beautiful.
  • Modern Day Gilligan: Joshua Yetman is a commercial photographer who lives in the island of Grenada, with the dream job of photographing amazing yachts, beautiful resorts, and breathtaking seriously. His outtakes often appear on his photoblog, and if these images don’t inspire you to hop the next flight to the tropics to test your photographic chops, nothing will.
  • One Day Files: a daily photoblog by Japanese photographer Hitoshi, it is a shining example of how to make the ordinary moment extraordinary. Capturing shots like these while traveling will do wonders for ensuring that the moments and moods that surrounded the time of the shot are remembered. True inspiration here.

And speaking of emailing photographers for advice: if you have any questions or comments, as always, please leave them below, or e-mail me directly at karen DOT walrond AT weblogsinc DOT com. I’ll be happy to address them in upcoming posts. And if you have any favourite online resources that weren’t mentioned in this post, please feel free to mention them in the comments section, below — I’m always looking for more great reads.

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.

Tuesday Travel Trivia (Week 14)

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Welcome back to Tuesday Travel Trivia, the game for people who love the answers and questions on Jeopardy but can’t stand Alex Trebek. “Big ups” to last week’s winner Craig Howat, who impressed me (and the trivia gods) with a flawless 10 out of 10 performance.

Now here’s your chance to win fame, fortune, and loads of trivia groupies. Answer the following ten questions in the Comments, and come back next week for the answers. Good luck!

  1. What 1980 movie contains the following classic exchange: “Can you fly this plane and land it?” “Surely you can’t be serious!” “I am serious– and don’t call me Shirley.”
  2. What country is the world’s most populous democracy?
  3. There are cities named “Tripoli” in at least four countries. Name two of them.
  4. The fifth-largest banking center in the world, this group of islands in the Caribbean is home to more registered businesses than people.
  5. How many countries in the world end with the suffix “stan,” meaning “land”?
  6. What is geographically unique about the Russian territory called Kaliningrad?
  7. Michelangelo’s statue of David is located in a museum in what Italian city?
  8. The name of one African country contains in the middle of it (not at the beginning or end) the complete name of another African country. What are the two countries?
  9. True or false: The world’s 100 tallest mountains are all located in Asia.
  10. What American author wrote The Innocents Abroad, the story of his journey aboard a retired Civil War ship, the USS Quaker City?

Check out last week’s answers below the fold…

  1. Let’s start out with an aviation-related physics analogy: Lift is to gravity, as thrust is to _______. Answer: Drag
  2. Which world capital is northernmost: Berlin, Germany; Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia; or Ottawa, Canada? Answer: Berlin
  3. Table Mountain, a popular destination for rock climbers, hikers, and cavers, is an important landmark in what large African city? Answer: Cape Town
  4. Which of these cities is located on Australia’s western coast: Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, or Brisbane? Answer: Perth
  5. What’s the name of the heroic pilot who landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River last week? Answer: Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger
  6. Who hosts the Travel Channel’s globe-trotting, gross-out travel show Bizarre Foods? Answer: Andrew Zimmern
  7. What three countries, located in the northeast part of South America, are the continent’s smallest? Answer: Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname
  8. There’s only one country in the world where women are still not permitted to drive. What is it? Answer: Saudi Arabia (surprise!)
  9. The subtitle of what 2002 book is “An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-term World Travel”? Answer: Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding
  10. True or false: There is a town called Springfield in every state in the United States. Answer: False

Plane Answers: Inflight medical emergencies, tips for pilots and fifty years of jet transcons

by Kent Wien on

Welcome to Gadling’s feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

John asks about medical emergencies:

What do you do in case of medical emergency during mid flight? If for example, a person has too much anxiety and can’t calm themselves down, or has a medical issue like heart attack, etc. What do you do in those cases and have you ever experienced those personally?

This is, by far, our most common type of emergency. As soon as we’re alerted to any passenger medical situation, the pilots will determine if it’s serious enough to arrange for a phone patch through our dispatch to a network of doctors the airline pays to be available 24/7 that help us determine if a diversion is necessary. The final call always lies with the captain, though.

At the same time, the flight attendant may make an announcement looking for any medical doctors, nurses or EMT’s on board. If we’re unable to get a hold of a doctor on call or a medical professional on board, or if the problem is serious enough, we’ll immediately divert into the nearest suitable airport.

I’ve had a few near medical diversions, but after consulting with physicians, we continued on to our destination where paramedics will met us. The cases I’ve been involved with have usually been anxiety related.

And on a lighter note, Cassandra asks:

Hi Kent! Galley Gossip triggered a memory from back in 1987 the day before Thanksgiving. I was flying home from college in Tampa, Florida to NY for the holiday and while the reason is hazy, our stewardess had mentioned that it was the captain’s birthday that day.
Another woman next to me came up with the idea to make the captain a birthday card…out of the air-sick bag.

She whipped out crayons and color pens she had on her and we proceeded to make an actual card by opening up the side and the bottom. We colored and designed the entire bag on both sides and put our names and our seat locations and gave it to him as we left the plane wishing him a happy birthday. It took nearly the 2 1/2 hour trip time to finish it.

So, based on that, has any passengers ever given you any sort of impulsive gift or cards for birthday, holiday, good flight, etc?

Cassandra, I think that’d be a great trend to start – of course, I might be biased. But what a nice gesture you two made.

My only gift was years ago when I was flying a small commuter between Long Island, NY and Atlantic City, the co-pilot and I once received a $20 tip each.

We had been flying ten to fifteen high stakes gamblers at a time back and forth for months. They would often talk about their $10,000+ losses, while we were living just below the New York state poverty level at the time. The tip was much appreciated, and I found out later that the generous passenger was the founder of Butler Aviation, a full service FBO that provides fuel and maintenance to corporate aircraft around the country. So obviously, he was aware of our plight.

Of course, kids often give us their works of art, which usually involve an airplane with smiling faces in the windows. I take those home to share with my 6 year-old daughter, who’s become somewhat of an art critic, specializing in that genre.

And then there was the time last year when two flight attendants scrounged up a cake in London and managed to carry it with them to present to me on the flight home. They even dared to sing happy birthday, for which I shall now repay them by posting the video here.

Something tells me there might not be anyone brave enough to sing on my next birthday!

50 Years of Jet Transcontinental Flying

I always enjoy hearing about the earlier days of flying from some of our most senior flight attendants. But I may have found the most authoritative source on ’50s airline life yet.

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the first jet transcontinental flight. American Airlines introduced their Boeing 707 Flagship Jet that was now capable of the 2,400 mile flight non-stop, and Argie Hoskins was one of the flight attendants chosen to make that first trip which cut hours from the piston-engine flights connecting Los Angeles to New York.

She includes some videos about the flight, and gives a rundown of the passenger manifest and some of her training experiences and flying mishaps that happened prior to that history making flight.
Take a look at her enjoyable blog American Airlines Stewardess and step back to a time when flight attendants were asked to memorize the names of all the passengers aboard a 50 seat Convair staffed with just one ‘stewardess.’ She also has a bunch of pictures from the same era that modern day flight attendants would really appreciate.

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Monday’s Plane Answers. Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along with him at work.

Beef brain tacos and Haggis – eating the foods that scare you

by Jeremy Kressmann on

The past week has been an interesting one for me, food-wise. Last Monday I had a chance to sample a Mexican “beef brain” taco (de cabeza) and this weekend I found myself unexpectedly eating a plate of Haggis. You know – the Scottish dish made with a stomach-churning mixture of sheep’s lungs, heart and liver mixed with spices and boiled in the casing of a sheep stomach? Yeah, that Haggis.

While I would never go so far as to describe myself as the next Andrew Zimmern or Anthony Bourdain, I have become significantly more adventurous in my eating habits in the past five years. It’s perhaps an inevitable consequence for any frequent traveler. The more time you spend abroad, the easier it becomes to adjust to the rhythm of life and customs of places unlike your home. But even for many self-proclaimed “adventurous” travelers like myself, certain foods are the equivalent of a culinary no-fly zone. Phrases like “It’s unsafe” or “I might gag if I eat that” are often provided as rationalizations.

While I can empathize with these excuses, I think all of us (barring dietary restrictions) should try every food at least once. A lot of what we fear about certain foods is mental – a perception we’ve gained from anecdotes and popular culture that’s often not grounded in reality. More often than not you’ll find yourself enjoying the supposedly forbidden food, wondering what had you all worked up in the first place. And if you don’t like it? So what…the worst that happens is you spit it out and have a fun story to tell your friends.

Take Haggis – a food that has become the punchline to a bad joke. When I tried it recently, I found the taste and texture to be fantastic. It was like eating a spicy version of ground beef – I had myself wondering what all the fuss was about. And those beef brain tacos? I wasn’t a big fan – the meat was relatively tasteless and I found them to be too chewy. But you know what? I’m happy I tried both of them. Even if I don’t plan to snack on Haggis and beef brains every day, I’ve gained a newfound appreciation of each of these unique cultures – and that to me makes it worthwhile.

Budget Travel: Boulder, Colorado

by Aaron Hotfelder on

If there’s any city in the US that you could compare to Amsterdam, Boulder might be it. Located about forty-five minutes from Denver, Colorado, Boulder is widely known as a hippie hang-out and boasts some of the most liberal laws in the country. But like Amsterdam, there’s more to Boulder than it’s tie-dyed, dreadlocked image.

Fantastic outdoor activities like hiking, rock-climbing, bicycling, and white-water rafting lie within easy reach of the city, which is situated at the foot of the unique Flatiron rock formations (see below).

Boulder is also home to the main campus of the University of Colorado, which ensures that there’s never a shortage of cultural activities. A Shakespeare festival is held on the college’s campus each summer, and the Pearl Street Mall (below), a four-block pedestrian walkway in downtown Boulder, is home to street musicians and artists of all kinds, as well as some great local bookstores. The Boulder Farmers Market takes place on 13th Street between Canyon and Arapahoe on Wednesdays and Saturdays between May and October; don’t miss it.

Also located on 13th Street, the gorgeous Boulder Teahouse, a gift from Boulder’s sister city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, is also well worth a visit. From 1987-1990, the ceilings, tables, and columns of the teahouse were all hand-painted or hand-carved in Dushanbe, and they were then flown to Boulder where they were eventually assembled. (Boulder, for its part, opened an internet cafe in Dushanbe, albeit 20 years late.)

Sounds great, right? But can it fit your budget? Of course it can!

If you plan on visiting Boulder during the summer, my advice to you is simple: rent an apartment on Craigslist. Thousands of students abandon their apartments during summer break, and many of them would be glad to rent them out for a week or two for even a nominal fee. Couchsurfing is another great (cheap) option, and there appear to be plenty of available hosts. For something more upscale, try the historic Hotel Boulderado. Built in 1909 and with the original Victorian interior, the hotel is simply stunning.

Boulder’s vibe is youthful but not immature, artistic but not pretentious. It’s a great destination for anything from a family vacation to a solo camp-out– and best of all, it doesn’t have to break your budget.