NPR Does Russia By Rail

It's no secret that I think rail travel is still one of the most romantic and interesting ways to travel over long distances. I'd love to take a cross continental train-trip, stopping in various places along the way, and soaking up the scenery from a comfortable car, while chatting with friends and other passengers.

Someone at NPR obviously agrees with me, as they've sent reporter David Greene and photographer David Gilkey on a 6000 mile odyssey across Russia By Rail. They two Davids started in Moscow and end their journey in Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean, covering the entire length of the famous Trans-Siberian Railway. Along the way, they got the chance to experience modern Russia in all of its glory.

This special report kicked off yesterday and will continue through tomorrow. It features a number of great stories about how Russia's tumultuous history has shaped the country even today, and takes a look at where it is headed now that twenty years have passed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Greene's words introduce us to the Russian people and give us a glimpse of their daily lives, while Gilkey's amazing photographs capture moments in time from their epic journey.

Russia By Rail is equal parts travelogue, investigative reporting, and photo journalism. It all comes together very well, and will likely inspire some thoughts of making the journey for yourself.

Video: Adventure Athletes Answer "Why?"

This week the annual Consumer Electronics Show will take place in Las Vegas, where thousands of new gadgets will be revealed to the public, who will be eager to get their hands on the new technology. At the show, Nikon will introduce their new D4 camera, which, with a reported price tag of $6000, is anything but "consumer" focused. To celebrate the launch of their new toy, and to show what it is capable, of filmmaker Corey Rich used the new camera to create the video below. It features a number of our favorite adventure athletes (Alex Honnold, Rebecca Rusch, Dane Jackson) doing what they do best and explaining why it is they do those things.

It is a beautifully shot 7 minute film, that captures the spirit of adventure in these athletes very well. It'll also have the photographers and videographers amongst us drooling over the D4, which looks like it is capable of some great things.




WHY - Nikon D4 Release Video from Corey Rich on Vimeo.

Video: Backpacking Around The World In Five Minutes

In 2011, Kien Lam spent 343 days traveling around the world, visiting 17 countries in the process. Along the way, he took 6237 photos, and now has compiled them into the five minute timelapse video below. The video now serves as a great reminder of the year that has just passed, and an excellent inspiration for the finding our own adventures in the year ahead. Enjoy!

Climb For Change Launches VIMFF Photo Contest

Climb For Change, a website that serves as a hub for climbers who are undertaking expeditions for charity, is sponsoring the Mountain Photography Competition for the 15th annual Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, which takes place in February of 2012. Submissions are being accepted now through January 15th, with the finalists, which will be selected by a jury of professionals, being put on display at the festival.

The grand prize winner of the competition will earn a two week guided expedition through Northern Pakistan and the "People's Choice" Winner, which is decided by an online vote, will win a Venta SV jacket from Arcteryx.

You'll find more details on the Climb For Change Facebook page, including a submission form and a gallery of entries to the competition so far. Judging from the entries on that page, you'd better bring your A-game, as there are some great photos already in the competition.

This is an opportunity for aspiring photographers to really show their stuff, and get your images displayed at a world-class mountain film festival. Who knows, you may even earn yourself a trip to Pakistan as well.

Time Lapse Landscapes That Will Leave You Breathless

As far as time lapse videos go, the one below is certainly amongst the best that I've seen in awhile. If you've been stuck inside for far too long, this will help you to remember why you want to get back outside and go play in a some wild space.

The video was shot with a Canon 5D2 DSLR in Arizona by filmmaker Dustin Farrell, and is like an interactive postcard on why we should all go visit that state. Very beautiful!

Thans to The Goat for sharing this one.


Landscapes: Volume Two from Dustin Farrell on Vimeo.

Get Your Photos Or Art On To Windows 7

Like me, I know that a lot of you are aspiring photographers who love to take photos of your outdoor and travel adventures. Over the years I've come to appreciate well shot images of some of the amazing places that I've either been to personally or hope to visit in my travels at some point, and many of them end up gracing the screens of my various devices, such as laptops, iPad, smartphone, and so on. Now, you have the opportunity to get some of your best photos on the screens of millions of others, thanks to an open call for art and photography from Microsoft.

The Windows Personalization Gallery already has some amazing images to choose from, and computer users visit the site on a regular basis to find new wallpapers and themes to customize the look of their screens. But with this open call, we all have the potential to share our images with a huge audience. The details are on the submission page, but in a nutshell, all you have to do is e-mail your uncompressed image to winpgal@microsoft.com with your name, e-mail address, website address (if you have one!), and a brief description of your photo. They ask that you submit one image per e-mail, so if you have a dozen to share, you'll need to do 12 e-mails, but other than that, the process is very straight forward. If you do submit multiple images, they may even be combined into a Windows theme of your work. For more information, checkout the FAQ on the program.

For an aspiring photographer, this really is a great opportunity to get your work in a highly visible place and in front of a lot of people. I know when I get the chance, I'm going to pair through some of my travel photos and hopefully find a few good ones to share.

Another Beautiful Time Lapse Video

A few days back we had a beautiful time lapse video shot over the Canary Islands, and now we have a second one, this time from the southern coast of Australia. The images were shot over 31 total hours, spread out over six nights, and were then painstakingly put together in this video over the course of a year and a half.  The end results are simply beautiful.




Ocean Sky from Alex Cherney on Vimeo.

In Search Of The World's Most Poisonous Frog

You think it's easy being a photographer for National Geographic? Sure they get sent to some of the most amazing places on the planet and capture fantastic photographs of those destinations. But did you ever stop to wonder what they have to go through to get those great shots? Check out the video below for a very funny first hand account from photographer Mark Moffett, who traveled to Colombia to find an elusive, and very dangerous tree frog.

Adventure Photographer Corey Rich Shares His Story

I came across this great video earlier today while catching up on the news at the Goat Blog. It profiles adventure photographer Corey Rich, who tells us about his passion for the outdoors and for taking documenting his adventures through photographs. He managed to combine both of those elements into one fantastic profession. I mean, who wouldn't want to be an "adventure photographer," right?

Great video with some nice inspiration for a Wednesday.




Corey Rich Origins of a legend. from Rex Lint on Vimeo.

The Weather Channel To Launch New Photography Show

Fans of photography in extreme places will be pleased to hear that there is a new television show in the works that will cater to their needs. The new program, entitled From the Edge With Peter Lik will debut next week, March 31st, on The Weather Channel of all places.

The show will focus on scenic outdoor photography in places where the weather continues to have a direct impact on shaping the landscape. Amongst the destinations slated to be shown in the first 13 episodes of the show are Hawaii, Alaska, Utah, Death Valley, and more. During those episodes, viewers will watch professional photographer Peter Lik as he works to capture the natural beauty of the landscapes while dealing with a variety of challenges, not the least of which is weather.

Lik's bio is listed on the show's website. As a boy, growing up in Melbourne, Australia, Peter received his first camera as a birthday present at the age of eight. He has been hooked on the art of photography ever since. He has visited some of the most remote places in the U.S., visiting all 50 states, and Australia, and has been awarded the honor of Master of Photography from both the Professional Photographers of America and the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, giving him the distinction of being one of the very few photographers in the world to be recognized with that honor on two continents. He has also earned a fellowship with the British Institute of Professional Photography, the organization's highest level of achievement.

The first episode of From the Edge will air next Tuesday at 8 EDT/7 CDT on The Weather Channel.

Adventures in South Africa

So I've been home from South Africa for nearly a week, and I haven't had much of a chance to share my experiences from while I was there. You'll definitely be hearing a lot more about my time in SA in the days ahead, as I will be writing a number of stories about what I did there. Of course, I visited Kruger National Park, one of the greatest places in the world to spot wild animals, and while we did go on game drives, I wasn't there to go on safari per se. In fact, I was actually there to learn how safari guides are trained and to observe the process of how they are evaluated so that they can take us out into the field in a safe, fun, and educational manner. I spent five days at the Makuleke Camp, operated by Eco-Training, watching potential guides of all ages be put through their paces as they worked towards certification and eventual opportunity to go to work in field in a number of countries across Africa.

Like I said, you'll hear much more about that in the days to come as I start to write stories about the training process. But I'll also share some thoughts on Kruger itself, the amazing creatures that live there, and some of the unbelievable experiences I had there. I'll even share the storyof the Makuleke Tribe, who were forced off their land back in 1969, but had it restored to them in the 90's. Part of that land falls within Kruger, which has made for a unique opportunity for the tribe and an unusual relationship between them, the South African government, and safari companies that operate within that area.

For now, I've put together a photo gallery with a few images from the trip. You can access them by clicking here. They give a bit of insight into what it was like for me there. I hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for much more.

Want To Be A Race Photographer At The Patagonia Expedition Race?

Are you a fan of adventure racing? Fancy yourself a photographer? Ever wanted to visit Patagonia? Then I've got just the opportunity for you. The Wenger Patagonian  Expedition Race takes place February 8-16, 2011 in Chile's Patagonian region, and the organizers of the event are looking to add someone to their official photography team. In fact, they're running a contest to fill the job.

Entry for the contest is now open, and you'll find all the details by clicking here. Simply fill out the from with the standard info, such as name, address, e-mail, etc., and upload three photo samples, and you're in the running. If you're the grand prize winner, you'll get a trip to Chile, including airfare, accommodations, and ground transportation while in Patagonia, where you'll get unprecedented access to the race course so you can document the drama and excitement of this great race.

For the past few years, the Patagonian Expedition Race has been one of the first big events of year on the AR calendar, and 2011 looks to be no different. The race attracts top teams from around the globe, giving them a chance to compete in one of the most spectacular wilderness environments on the planet. Patagonia is a fantastic place to hold a race, and each year it seems to throw new and unexpected wrinkles at the racers. I'm sure 2011 will be no different, except if you're the luck photographer who gets to go, you'll get to see it all first hand.

Good luck!

National Geographic Announces Photo Contest Winners

Each year, National Geographic holds a photography contest that spotlights some of the best images taken over the previous 12 months. The images are usually quite spectacular and worthy of the Nat Geo legacy, not to mention having the ability to make other aspiring photographers, like myself, quite envious.

The 2010 award winners have been announced, and as usual, the photos are fantastic. You can check them all out on the contest page, which can be found by clicking here. There are three galleries to browse through, including Nature, People, and Places, and each of those shows weekly winners as well as the overall winner for the category.

The Grand Prize Winner is shown on the contest's main page. The image was taken by Aaron Lim Boon Teck, who captured an image of a trekking group on the trail in Indonesia, while a volcano erupts in the background. It really is a fantastic shot, with subtle colors and shadows that were shot at just the right time.

The other images are all great as well, and each of them reminds us that not only is it important to have a good eye and technical knowledge of your equipment, but a healthy dose of luck as well. It seems you have to be in just the right spot at the right time to get that perfect photo.