Through the Classroom Window
"The Shy One"

© Gunther Deichmann - A student from the Public High School in Chuuk Micronesia, 2008.
From the article "The Forgotten Ones."

© Gunther Deichmann - Chuuk Micronesia,
High School Grounds

It is not known when the islands of Chuuk were first settled, but, based on archaeological evidence, these islands had originally been settled more than 2000 years ago. It is also not known with certainty where the original inhabitants came from. Based on archaeological evidence, it seems that, after about 200 AD, there was no continuous settlement until about 1300 AD.

More at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuuk

Map of Chuuk: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_Chuuk_Islands1.png

© Gunther Deichmann - a Chuukese blowing the Shell as a welcome sign - the language of Chuuk belongs to the enormous Malayo-Polynesian family, one of the major branches of the Austronesian language phylum.

Chuuk is also with its vast, shallow, beautiful lagoon a Mecca for wreck divers. A major shipwreck site from WWII, Truk Lagoon is unquestionably the world's best shipwreck diving destination. Here, more than 50 hulks have been transformed into ship-reefs, holding the very best of the undersea world and maritime history at one site.

GD

Simple, but yet seldom mention new edition in Aperture 3

Why do we need Focus Points? What have the engineers been thinking when they included this? I believe it is a cool new edition for beginners in Photography, an easy way on checking your focus after the shoot. I use it a lot during my training sessions explaining where the focus was during the actual shot, a cool teaching feature.

Focus Points
Hover over the Focus Points button in the Camera Info pane to see the focus points used by your camera to auto focus the image. You can also click the button to turn the display of focus points on or off.

The focus is on the red square

Large Caption Metadata View
Switch to the Large Caption view when entering captions. In this view, Aperture increases the size of the field and font, making caption writing easier.

Halo Reduction
This is a great one… at times we come across these ugly purple and blue fringes produced by certain lenses. Now we can get rid of those by using the simple Halo Reduction brush, see the screenshot below.
Use Halo Reduction to remove blue and purple fringes sometimes produced with certain lenses on overexposed areas. Simply paint over the halos to remove unwanted fringing. The brush can be used to eliminate difficult halos when Chromatic Aberration alone cannot completely remove them.

Keyboard Zooming
The last one for today is the Keyboard Zooming, very simple... but we forget it sometimes.
Use Command-Plus and Command-Minus on the keyboard to zoom images at predefined increments.
GD

“Images of Asia – 23-24 October 2010 – Suntec, Singapore”

I like to thank the organizers of "CELEBRATING THE IMAGES OF ASIA" for their invitation and making me part of this great event in Singapore. I am one of the Guest Speakers during the event and conduct also some 90min. Photography Workshops on both days.

A detailed guide using Apple Aperture 3 software to get more from your photographs, plus the important essentials and workflow after the shoot including tips on backing up your files in the field using Aperture 3 software.
Photography today... are we manipulating to much? Plus an introduction in using Multimedia presentations.

• Excerpts from the website: Images of Asia – 23 to 24 Oct 2010

A colorful Time Machine... Simplicity, Light & True Colors
of Boracay Philippines… from 1993 until 2008.



© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 2008, true colors and
atmosphere of Boracay, Philippines

Sometimes we repeat ourselves, like the other day when I was looking for images in my PhotoShelter Archives and Galleries and I came across the ones from Borobudur and Yogyakarta in Indonesia. (previous post)
A coincident for sure…but it happen again yesterday when searching for particular images for an article on Cambodia.

I stumbled across the Philippines Boracay folder and out of curiosity I had a quick look, but then decided to share some of those photos with you, again a nice mix of film and digital. Time Machine as the name suggest's means going back in time... hence the reason the first photos on this post are the most recent ones, followed by the old-timers.

© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 2008, colors, simplicity & light



© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 2008, "The Mask"... simplicity.

© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 2005, when I woke up in the morning...before brushing my teeth and going to the bathroom I spotted these cloth pegs on the Balcony...the rest you can see above...color, light & simplicity!

I might add that non of the Photos have been altered in Photoshop, well in 1993 Photoshop??? The Digital images have been processed using Aperture using minor adjustments only. Again an interesting mix between film and digital, besides light and color don't change, it is only the equipment and our way of processing today.

So, easy on Photoshop, filters etc.,...believe me, Mother Nature has the best light & colors we could ever ask for and that is a real blessing.

© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 2003, colors & light with my
very first simple point and shoot Digital Camera, a Canon G2.



© Gunther Deichmann - "The Colors of Boracay"
& simplicity... film - Fuji Velvia 50 ASA
FM2 Nikon with a 20mm lens - 2002

© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 1993, simplicity & colors on Kodachrome film
from the hill top with my then X700 Minolta using a 600mm Minolta lens.

Soon, very soon I stop digging in my Archives and share with you new images from Cambodia, so please stay tuned, I be reporting direct from our GD Photo Workshop base in Siem Reap at the Heritage Suites Hotel.
My special thanks to Shroff International Travel for all those complicated and ever changing travel arrangements in and out of Cambodia. Love you Guys!
GD

BOROBUDUR & YOGYAKARTA

© Gunther Deichmann - Borobudur Kodachrome 25

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.
It is the source of all true art and science.” - Einstein

It was during the good old Kodachrome days when I visited Borobudur in Indonesia.

While searching for some images the other day it all came back to me…the good old days! Well the days aren’t so bad either now, but my memory started to flash in front of me again.

No Photoshop and very BIG Computers them days… film was it, period.

During my visit to Borobudur I observed the sun and thought it be so nice if I could get the sun to break just through the openings of the stupas…so I waited.

Patience paid of and I managed to squeeze in just a few frames, bracketing the exposure as much as possible and then? Ha, ha NO LCD screen either.

© Gunther Deichmann - Borobudur
Kodachrome 25

I had to wait a few weeks before I got back to Australia, send the film for processing to Melbourne since Kodak was the only Lab who could process Kodachrome at that time.

After the boxes of slides arrived I looked with excitement for those images from Borobudur, once I found them amongst all those others my grin was brighter then the light table…remember no Computer…well only those super large ones which nobody could afford.
In short, this is the story about the image above. (first one)

I am actually planning a Photo Workshop to Yogyakarta, Borobudur and the near by Volcano. If you interested please let me know, this one promise to be very cool and affordable, I post the dates (2011) once I finalized the details, so please stay tuned. I guess this time around it will be all digital.

© Gunther Deichmann - Batik in Yogyakarta, Kodachrome 25

Now I am looking forward to yet another amazing ancient structure this time in Siem Reap, Angkor Wat and surrounding areas. Our Photo Workshop starts by September 12 and includes Phnom Kulen and the mighty Tonle Sap Lake.

Maybe Mr. Einstein visited these places too, who knows but he certainly has a point.

GD


Below some excepts from Wikipedia…for more go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobudur

Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.
A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.
Borobudur is the biggest Buddhist temple in the ninth century measuring 123 x 123 meters. It was completed centuries before Angkor Wat in Kamboja.
All relief panels in Borobudur temple reflect Buddha's teachings. For the reason, this temple functions as educating medium for those who want to learn Buddhism.
The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage.
Borobudur a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Jogjakarta City (also Jogja, Yogya, Jogjakarta) is a city in the Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. It is renowned as a center of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows.

PHOTOiNEWS.COM

We are proud to announce the launching of a Web Photo Gallery – PHOTOiNEWS - Beta Version exclusive for Mac users, in cooperation with Websync Intl.Co and Gunther Deichmann.

This site will cater for selected Semi Pro and Pro Photographers who are using Apple computers.

We include a forum and individual Gallery’s to all members and of course participants from the GD Photo Workshops. Tips, tricks and techniques on Photography, Software tools, hardware accessories and other related issues.

Our objective is to showcase the very best Photos from our members and expose them to a broader international market without being lost in Cyberspace plus providing interesting articles and discussions.

This is not a Flick’r or Multiply site! We are exclusive and showcasing only the very best Photos from our members.

In addition previous and future participants of the GD Photo Workshops have a free membership subscription automatically.
You have your own account password and username of course, upload your images, change your themes and many more exciting features.

THE BETA VERSION should be fully operational by September 4, 2010, please stay tuned for more details very soon.
GD

The Road less traveled...


© Gunther Deichmann - On Mekong River Cambodia 1992
shot with Kodachrome 25 ASA

I just finished the Itinerary for the Journey after our Photo Workshop in Siem Reap Cambodia, and for those who would like to join, please contact me for more details as this trip is only for a very limited number of participants.

Traveling by road and stops I have selected including a couple days in Batambang with it's amazing Colonial architecture, along the majestic Tonle Sap Lake traveling south to Phnom Penh.

© Gunther Deichmann - Cambodia 2009
Rickshaw in Phnom Penh

© Gunther Deichmann - Cambodia 2009
By Ox Cart if weather permitting to the remote temple of
Bantey Ampoeu (part of our Siem Reap Workshop)


© Gunther Deichmann - Cambodia 2009
The remote temple of Bantey Ampoeu (part of our Siem Reap Workshop)

Cambodia & other Photo Workshops please click this LINK

GD

My Tribute to Kodachrome...

I am glad it is Steve McCurry who has taken the last roll of Kodachrome on the road for its final Journey, who else could do it better justice then him. Kodak gave the last roll ever produced to McCurry. Read the article on the last roll of Kodachrome

Of course there where so many others who loved, treasured and created some amazing images with this extraordinary film, legends like Ernst Haas, Pete Turner and Eric Meola used it all.

© Gunther Deichmann - Bathurst Island NT Australia 1980



© Gunther Deichmann - Outback Cattle Muster Tennant Creek
N.T. Australia1983


© Gunther Deichmann - Tennant Creek N.T. Australia 1983

© Gunther Deichmann - Thorny Devil near Alice Springs
N.T. Australia1983

I can't remember how many rolls I have shot prior the digital age, thousands I guess and the slides which are still with me look as good then ever. I used Kodachrome exclusively in Australia and in many other parts of the world, on my Magazine assignment covering the Mekong River in 1992 I carried no less than 300 rolls with me.

© Gunther Deichmann - APSARA Dancer Phnom Penh,
Cambodia 1992


© Gunther Deichmann - Outback Railway station, Australia 1982


© Gunther Deichmann - Spain 1991

Sydney Australia 1995


© Gunther Deichmann - Paris France 1991 shot with
Kodachrome Tungsten film 40 ASA

Would I shoot Kodachrome again if I had the chance? The answer is yes...I just love this "canvas." Unforgiving... but so true to its saturation, performance and stability, in my opinion it was the best film ever made.
The images on this post are all shot on Kodachrome 25 ASA except for the photo of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, here I used the hard to get Kodachrome Tungsten film at 40 ASA.
GD

See below some quotes; you find a lot more tips, information and other quotes in the article.


"Don’t dwell on it if you miss a great shot."
There are always plenty more opportunities around the corner."


"Sometimes it is better to take home a memory than the Photo.
Let the images come to you, instead of chasing the images."


"Focus on your use of light and the composition.
Use your LCD preview as little as possible;
review your images at the end of the day."

GD

Join me on one of my Photo Workshops in Asia, for more information and dates please go to
GD Photo Workshops and click this LINK.