| | | |  |  | | December 19, 2007 | | |  |  |  | |
WORLD IN FOCUS PHOTO CONTEST
| | 1. This Year's Winners | |  Mark Unrau, the first-prize winner in our World in Focus photo contest, snapped this image on the train that runs from Beijing, China, to Lhasa, Tibet. The rail line—one of the world's highest railroad routes—had been completed just a month earlier. Many Tibetans feel the train is bad for their people and culture, but the Chinese have hailed it as a major technological achievement and said it will promote tourism. Unrau wanted to document the controversial new train, and took the photograph early in his 26-hour journey. "The woman was sitting in front of me for the duration of the ride," says the photographer, "and was glued to the window staring out at the expansive scenery." So that his subject wouldn't feel uncomfortable, Unrau angled the camera toward the window rather than pointing it directly at her. "That is why she's tucked way into the corner of the image," he explains. Click here to see the rest of this year's contest winners.
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ONE ON ONE
| | 2. Photographer Justin Guariglia | | The Shaolin Temple in central China, recognized as the birthplace of both Zen Buddhism and the martial arts, doesn't give up its secrets easily. American photographer Justin Guariglia made repeated visits over five years just to get permission to photograph the monks who live there. "Tourists don't see the real monks, only students dressed up to look like monks," says Guariglia, who also covered China for the New York Times. But with Zen-like patience, Guariglia slowly gained trust, then access. For the three years that followed, he documented the monks' lives behind closed gates for a picture book. Shaolin: Temple of Zen was published in October 2007 by Aperture. In this One on One interview with Traveler Editor-in-Chief Keith Bellows, Guariglia discusses the challenges in getting the pictures and, more broadly, the need for China to stop destroying its own heritage in the name of economic progress. Click here to watch One on One. |
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PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
| | 3. Words of Wisdom from Our Experts | | "Creativity is unpredictable, but craftsmanship is the essence of the art," says David Alan Harvey, who drapes his celebrated photographs of Cuba and Brazil in seductive, defining light. "The secret is to work the edges of the day. You have to push the envelope on light, particularly if you're working in color. Shoot at dawn and continue in late afternoon, into sunset's warm tones, and even half an hour beyond, to capture subtle flickering firelight. Experiment with exposure and film speed to make the most of available light." Click here for more photo tips from our experts. |
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PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
| | 4. Surf the Right Sites | | The Web has become an infinite photo gallery where we can show our best shots without stepping anywhere near a printer or photo lab. Increasingly, cyberspace is also where photographers go to learn technique and stay current. But browsers beware. "A lot of the advice and opinions you get on the Internet is just plain off," says photographer Bob Krist. "Anyone can put up a slick-looking website. I want to take my advice from someone who's making a living making pictures." With that in mind, Traveler asked some two dozen photographers—mostly professionals—to reveal their favorite hangouts in cyberspace. "To improve my own photography," says Will van Overbeek, photographer and photo instructor, "I look at other photographers' photos and treat them like a puzzle. I ask myself, how was that done? Then I figure it out." Click here to start surfing our photographers' favorite sites. |
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THE REAL DEAL
| | Six-Day Ireland Sites and Cities Tour From $739 per Person | | Take in the best of Ireland, including the karst limestone region of County Clare, Dublin, the Old Jameson Distillery, and more on Sceptre's escorted six-day tour. The package includes round-trip airfare, lodging for two nights at the Galway Days Hotel and two nights at the Temple Bar Hotel (County Dublin), a full Irish breakfast daily, one hotel dinner at the Galway Days Hotel, an Irish driver and guide, and sightseeing via deluxe motorcoach. Rates begin at $739 per person with departures from New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Fares from $798 to $869 from other U.S. gateway cities. Departure dates are available from January 24 through March 11, 2009. For more information and reservations call 800 221 0924 or visit their website. |
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|  | | "Mischievous and anti-heroic, [Ed Ruscha] pointed his camera at 26 gas stations on Route 66 between Oklahoma City and Los Angeles for his first book, which he called "a collection of 'readymades,'" in reference to Dada artist Marcel Duchamp's elevation to art status of banal found objects."
—Anne Hoy from the book The Book of Photography | |
Click here to buy the book.
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