Photo of the Day (10.3.10)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Tired of the same old ho-hum travel photos? Try tipping your camera on its side. Flickr user borderfilms (Doug) offers us this wonderful example from Chiapas, Mexico of how a little camera tip can add much needed visual intrigue to your own shots. I particularly enjoy the way the brightly colored red, yellow and white flags all converge around a single point on the cathedral’s facade. It looks like some kind of colonial laser gun, shooting beams of color and movement into the brilliant blue sky beyond.

Have any great travel photos you’d like to share with the world? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

“Extreme Exposure” photography exhibit to open in Los Angeles

by Kraig Becker on

A new group photography exhibit is set to open at the Annenberg Space in Los Angeles this October that will spotlight the work of five artists who specialize in shooting environmental, wildlife, and climate imagery. The exhibition is entitled “Extreme Exposures” and will feature visually stunning photographs from some of the most remote and demanding environments on the planet. Many of these photos were captured after spending weeks in the field enduring subzero temperatures, battling active volcanoes, dodging dangerous wildlife, and other harrowing conditions.

The five photographers on display will each have their own theme. For instance, Clyde Butcher’s exhibit is entitled “Swamplands” and demonstrates an interesting display of light and shadows. Michael “Nick” Nichols’ “Lush Jungle” highlights amazing wildlife, such as tigers and gorillas, captured in their natural habitats. Paul Nicklen’s images evoke thoughts of alien landscapes in his photos from the Earth’s icy polar regions, while Donna and Stephen James O’Meara’s fiery images are from erupting volcanoes and flowing lava. All of the photographers share a common goal of drawing attention to environmental threats to the planet.

Visitors to the Annenberg Space for the exhibit will be treated to an amazing print display of these photographs which will be hanging in the gallery, but those displays will also be enhanced further by a digital film presentation too. That presentation will offer hundreds of more images from these talented photographers, as well as in depth profiles of each of the artists, and insights into the adventures they had while capturing their images.

The exhibit will open on October 23, 2010 and run through April 24, 2011.

[Photo courtesy: Paul Nicklen/Annenberg Space]

Win $10,000 in the 2010 National Geographic Photo Contest

by Kraig Becker on

National Geographic has launched their 2010 Photography Contest, giving one lucky shutterbug the chance to take home a prize that includes $10,000 in cash and a trip to Washington DC to attend the annual National Geographic Photography Seminar in January, 2011. But that’s not all, as the winning photograph will also be published in an upcoming issue of National Geographic magazine, which is a dream come true for many amateur and professional photographers.

Entries are being accepted in the categories of People, Places, and Nature, and all submissions must be in a digital format and uploaded from the contest’s homepage. You can enter as many photos as you would like, but there is an entry fee of $15 per image. The contest ends on November 30, 2010, so get to work on sorting through those photos.

In a few weeks time, the best submissions to date will begin to appear in web galleries online, and we’ll all be allowed to browse them and vote for our favorites. Some of the best entries will also be made into wallpapers that can be used as desktop backgrounds and some will be converted into online jigsaw puzzles as well.

For an idea of what you’re up against in this contest, check out a gallery of the best entries from last year by clicking here and then see who the overall winners were by clicking here. After perusing those galleries, I can see I have my work cut out for me.

Photo of the day (9.23.10)

by Meg Nesterov on


Some photos beg more questions than they answer. Flickr user Marisoleta snapped this statue in Nagasaki, Japan, and the caption notes that the figure is Kannon atop a turtle-shaped temple, surrounded by little children. Kannon is the Japanese Buddhist goddess of compassion, which may account for the children, but what about the turtle? She is also known as a protector of seamen, which could also extend to sea turtles. Fun fact: camera company Canon is named for the goddess as well. The temple also includes a Foucault’s pendulum, one of the largest in the world, to demonstate the rotation of the earth and a bell that chimes daily to commemorate the atomic bomb explosion.

Capture an interesting shrine on your travels, or any giant turtles? Submit to the Gadling Flickr Pool and it could be our next Photo of the Day.

Outside Magazine offers photography workshop in Santa Fe

by Kraig Becker on

This October, Outside Magazine will give amateur and professional shutterbugs the chance to hone their skills by working with some of the best photographers in the business today. The iconic adventure mag is hosting a 4-day long workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico that promises to blend classroom instruction, in depth discussion, and real world application with a sharp focus on improving your photographic skills.

While a number of Outside editors and creative directors will be on hand for the event, the real stars of the show are the professional photographers they have lined up to share their insights. Joining the Outside staff members will be Jimmy Chin, who specializes in adventure and expedition photography, Robert Maxwell, who is considered one of the best portrait photographers in the world, and Kurt Markus, who is a versatile, all-around shooter who covers everything from fashion to cultural images.

Beginning on October 19th, and continuing through the 23rd, the workshop will offer everything from hands-on sessions with Jimmy, Robert, and Kurt, to in-the-field shooting assignments for the attendees to complete. There will be lectures, round table discussions, and breakout groups to focus on how to best optimize your digital workflow. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit local Santa Fe art galleries and share their portfolios with evening image presentations, while bonding with one another over three shared meals per day.

The workshop is limited to just 45 seats, so if you’re interested, you’ll want to apply as soon as possible. For more information and to register, click here. The cost for the event is $1850.