One for the Road: Shaolin – Temple of Zen

by Kelly Amabile on

Although this book is not about a particular travel experience, it reveals an intimate look at the culture of a place that most do not see firsthand. Justin Guariglia has been studying and photographing the martial-arts monks at Shaolin Temple in Henan Province for the past eight years. He was the first photographer to get permission to photograph the monks inside the temple, and his new book, Shaolin: Temple of Zen, allows all of us an insider’s view of the stunning mastery that these warrior monks have perfected over the centuries.

These guarded monks belong to a Chinese Buddhist sect dedicated to preserving a form of kung fu known as the “vehicle of Zen.” Guariglia, a National Geographic photographer, received the blessing of the main abbot, and earned the trust and full collaboration of the Shaolin monks for his project. The result is a fascinating and valuable record of the Shaolin art forms and the individuals who consider themselves the keepers of these traditions.

The book includes an introduction by “American Shaolin” Matthew Polly and has a beautifully designed companion website. According to the Aperture Foundation website, it looks like several exhibits of the photographs are scheduled for 2008, in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

One for the Road: Around the World – The Grand Tour in Photo Albums

by Kelly Amabile on

Long before the birth of travel blogs, online trip journals or digital cameras, there were photo albums and paper scrapbooks. Remember those? Sure you do, and of course, plenty of folks still use these traditional forms to chronicle and capture their travels. But today’s Moleskines and Kodak Photogallery albums are modern day versions of an artistic journaling phenomenon that dates back to the invention of photography.

A new book from Princeton Architectural Press traces the history of the travel photo album with an impressive collection of snapshots, postcards and passenger lists that capture the stories of early voyages. Around the World – The Grand Tour in Photo Albums includes amateur photos, diary entries, ship menus and newspaper clippings that transport readers back to the dawn of world travel. Read author Barbara Levine’s Confessions of an Armchair Traveler essay to learn more about how travel tales were chronicled at the turn of the twentieth century. And pick up a copy of this book to be whisked away on a vintage journey full of classic travel ephemera.

Photos from Afghanistan

by Grant Martin on

Earlier this week I wrote a brief article on dangerous places to travel and places that I wouldn’t go, even if I had a free ticket. Afghanistan was on the top of my list of places that I’d like to see, although no time in the near future. While I’ll concede that it is a dangerous place and should be considered neither as an off-the-beaten path nor a hipster destination, I do believe that the country has a wealth of intrinsic beauty and that one day I hope it will be better accessible to us Westerners.

To that effect, a friend of mine formerly working in Afghanistan has just published photos from his time there. They are a beautiful side to a country fraught with turmoil and despair, and seeing them has helped me put my own personal issues aside, if perhaps only temporarily.

Take a look.

%Gallery-9128%

How to take Better Cell Phone Photographs by National Geographic

by Neil Woodburn on

It was only a matter of time before camera phones warranted their own photography books.

First generation camera phones produced horrific photos but improvements have come rapidly and now it’s actually quite difficult to tell the difference between a photograph taken by a regular camera and one shot by a cell phone.

Almost.

Cell phone cameras still need a little extra help to produce a quality image and that’s the idea behind The Camera Phone Book: How to Shoot like a Pro.

The fact that National Geographic has produced this book lends an incredible amount of legitimacy to the cell phone camera. National Geographic has always been the poster child of quality photography and by endorsing what was once a joke amongst serious photographers they have elevated the cell phone camera to a level never thought possible. In fact, the forward of the book claims that it is the “first of its kind to treat these units as genuine cameras instead of novelties.”

But, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Not only does the book provide tips on capturing that perfect cell phone photograph, but it also includes 44 examples of how National Geographic photographers have managed to do so.

World’s Largest Ice Caves

by Neil Woodburn on

Ice caves are very different from normal caves. They have a strange feeling about them, as though they are not from this planet, and one has just temporarily stepped into their world when spelunking their depths.

There are many ice caves throughout the world, but the Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves in Austria are some of the largest known to man. They are located within the Tennengebirge Mountains near Salzburg and stretch for a remarkable 40 kilometers. Only a portion of the labyrinth is open to tourists but it’s enough to get a taste of what the remaining network is like: a truly mesmerizing palate of Mother Nature’s handicraft.

For a photographic journey through these amazing caves, click on the link below and delve into the icy realms of Eisriesenwelt–the World of Ice Giants.