Behind the Scene from Cambodia...

Photos of everybody by everybody from our recent GD PhotoWorkshop
in Cambodia.

© Gunther Deichmann - Wet season at Preah Khan,
Angkor Wat Cambodia 2009

It has been an incredible week, just back from Cambodia and right into the floods and sadness of Manila, not to mention the World News from Palau on the Worlds first Shark Sanctuary. I have uploaded the behind the scene Photos from our recent Journey and Cambodian PhotoWorkshop adventure on this Blog. The best of six images from the participants will be uploaded also shortly but today it is behind the scenes, the funny part of our Photo Workshop.

© Gunther Deichmann - Sunrise at Mt. Kulen,
Cambodia 2009

View the gallery and click this LINK or choose Behind the Scene GDPWS Cambodia 2009. Once open click on the thumb nails to view larger images

Many thanks to all my students, you have been an incredible Group, listening, learning but you also made me laugh non stop. Thank you all very much for your attitude and friendship. It has been a great trip and hopefully I see some of you in India next year, details be announce soon on this Blog. March/April are the tentative month.
GD

Dermot Keane Founder of the Palau Shark Sanctuary and
President Toribiong a few hours ago at the Palau International Airport.

Sam Scott from Sam’s Tours, Ron Leidich from Planet Blue, Scotty from the Palau Conservation Society are only a few whom I have known personally. Believing in something and taken it to the finishing line is not always easy, of course President Toribiong did the last sprint and announced the first Shark Sanctuary in the World at the United Nations in New York on the 25th of September 2009. I am sure it was not easy for him either to take this stance, but he did and that is fantastic.
My involvement with the Shark Sanctuary goes way back, as a matter of fact many moons ago, but that is not important now, what is important that this tiny Nation in the Pacific set an example for the rest of the World and I sincerely hope that others will follow.

A warm welcome to the President of Palau
at the International Airport a few hours ago.

Congratulations again to the President of Palau and all those others who have worked so hard behind the scene in achieving this amazing Goal, I am proud of you all.
See below the just released (only a few hours ago) Press Release from Dermot Keane from the Shark Sanctuary in Palau.

For Immediate Release:
KOROR, PALAU, 9/28/2009, 7:45 p.m.

Palau President H.E. Johnson Toribiong arrived home moments ago to a hero’s welcome at Koror International Airport, Palau. The founder of Palau Shark Sanctuary, Dermot Keane, Managing Director of Palau dive shop Sam’s Tours, was on hand to greet the President and thanked him for declaring Palau a Shark Sanctuary.
 
The large welcome committee included grateful members of the Palauan community who greeted President Toribiong with flower leis and loud applause upon his arrival. Palauans are understandably proud of their President who declared Palau as a Shark Sanctuary during his recent address to the United Nations, General Assembly, on Friday, September 25, 2009.

Despite his long journey from Washington D.C. to Palau, the President was clearly moved by the warm reception and graciously thanked everyone for showing up to welcome him. Palau Shark Sanctuary once again thanks and admires President Toribiong for his landmark declaration of Palau as a Shark Sanctuary.

Palau Shark Sanctuary was founded in 2001 with a goal of securing a declaration by Palau that the waters of their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are a Shark Sanctuary.
For more information visit: www.sharksanctuary.com   or  www.sharksanctuary.blogspot.com

© Gunther Deichmann - Buddhist Nun at Preah Khan,
Angkor Siem Reap Cambodia Sept.'09

"I hope she is praying for good weather."
Please take a few moments and think about those people who
are stranded and their homes are underwater or lost.

It is raining Cat and Dogs in Manila, the worst I have seen in a very long time, then yesterday Palau in the Limelight with an extraordinary achievement declaring at the UN in New York the Worlds first Shark Sanctuary, a little update on Snow Leopard, Aperture 2.1.4 & slowly drifting back to my recent Photo Workshop in Cambodia.

© Gunther Deichmann - Novice Monk at the Monastery near
Angkor Wat, nice Weather and a smiling face. Cambodia Sept. 2009

Wow what a mix today… a Kaleidoscope of recent events.
But then it is raining or should I say pouring non-stop, nobody dares to go outside into the flooded streets of Manila including myself. A friend of mine tried to visit me today, but no way... he couldn’t get out of his Hotel...

Manila is flooded, period! The only way to commute today is by Boat !

I just made it home last night…& now we lost power too...nice to have a Mac BookPro with a fully charged Battery and what better way to recap the past few days in a few sentences on today’s Blog, the only question is when do I get this post uploaded, your guess is as good then mine...

© Gunther Deichmann - this Butterfly landed right in front of me,
getting salt from the stones inside Preah Khan,
Siem Reap, Cambodia Sept. 2009

Lets start with Snow Leopard and the things I discovered during my recent trip to Cambodia.
Encountered a small problem in Aperture 2.1.4 whereas the Original images took time to appear after they had been modified, the version showed up but the Original Raw file took some time to show.
That small problem has now gone away after I upgraded to the latest Version of Snow Leopard 10.6.1 upon my return from Cambodia.
Everything else worked just flawless and I encountered no other glitches with SL and Aperture 2.1.4 dealing with over 3000 plus images on location. ,

I also notice that there is no more Software update via the Desktop, (Download Only) now you have to go direct into the system, which is fine, but if you have a slow connection or get interrupted that could cause a problem. Why Apple has removed this I don’t know, maybe it is a Copyright/Piracy issue, who knows!

Otherwise I am extremely happy with Snow Leopard, fast and efficient a great operating system and definitely worth every cent, as a matter of fact, great value for US$ 29.95. BTW the battery life on my new MacBook Pro is just awesome. Some of my students in Cambodia also used for the first time SL and encountered no problems either.

© Gunther Deichmann - reflections of the Sure Prot Angkor Thom Ruins
at Sunset,directly opposite the Elephant Terraces,
Siem Reap, Cambodia Sept. 2009

Back from Cambodia only a couple of days, I had already a session at the Power Mac Center on iWork ’09 with Keynote and Pages.

__________________________________________________________

Then the NEWS came in from Palau, the first World Shark Sanctuary declared by the President of Palau at the United Nations in New York last Friday. This small Island Nation in the Pacific has shown the rest of the world how to stop the killing of our Sharks, congratulations again to Palau and I am proud to be associated with the Shark Sanctuary in Palau.
http://www.palautours.com/blog.html

Contact the Palau Shark Sanctuary:
http://www.sharksanctuary.com/contact-us.html
email : sharksanctuary@gmail.com
Tel:      + 680-488-1062
Cell:    +  680-775-1062
Palau is GMT + 9 hours / same time zone as Japan.

For more Images on Palau please visit my Photo Shelter Galleries & follow the LINKS below:

1.General:  http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/gdeichmann/gallery/Palau-Micronesia-Tribal-Aerial-Waterfall-Animals-Landscape-People-Islands-Tourism-Jellyfish/G0000C.NjlJIRAik/

2. Aerials: http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/gdeichmann/gallery/1-Palau-Micronesia-Aerials-Jan-2008-largest-collection-of-aerial-Photography-on-Palau/G00000jBlBEacoyY/

3. Aerials 2: http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/gdeichmann/gallery/2-Palau-Micronesia-Aerials-2nd-Gallery-largest-collection-of-Aerials-on-Palau/G0000EnEkvDHJjo8/

__________________________________________________________

Now back to Cambodia, my sincere thanks to all participants from my last Photo Workshop “Angkor Wat & beyond…” you have been a great group and made my job so much easier, thanks again to you all, I will remember the friendship we shared and for sure the non-stop giggles, thanks to you all I had a great time too.

To the staff and management from the Heritage Suite Hotel in Siem Reap our appreciations for an outstanding job & their incredible hospitality during our stay. Thank you all!

A very special mention and thanks goes to Didier Faraud from the Heritage Adventures for showing us some additional places rarely visited by others. A real adventure... on foot, by 4x4 wheel drive and Ox Cart, thanks a lot Didier.

I have been asked already for more images on Cambodia, please have a little patience I am going to upload the students Gallery asap. But one thing for sure, I was impressed with their images and dedication to Photography, they did an outstanding job not only in the field but after the shoot too using Aperture 2 for the workflow.
More images from the students and myself very soon...so please stay tuned.
GD

The tiny Nation of Palau has taken the first step...

No more... © Gunther Deichmann - Archive Image published as the Photo of the week in Stern Magazine and other world wide publication last year. Today Palau declared the first World Shark Sanctuary at the United Nations.

The Image above that made headlines around the world, but NOT from Palau. The tiny Micronesian Nation setting an example for the rest of the world. My respect and congratulation to President Johnson Toribiong and the Government of Palau for taken this unprecedented step in the conservation of our endangered sharks.
I sincerely hope that other Nation will follow and stop this cruel and inhumane killing of our Sharks, I am very proud to be associated with Palau and its conservation policies.
Check out the Palau Shark Sanctuary Website at: http://www.sharksanctuary.com/index.html
GD

Breaking News and a breakthrough in Conservation
from Palau Micronesia! Palau Does Care!


© Gunther Deichmann - aerial over the famous 70 islands in Palau, for more
images on Palau please visit my PhotoShelter Gallery at:
Gallery 1 Gallery 2 aerials Gallery 3 aerials

Palau President Toribiong has announced only a few hours ago at the UN in New York that Palau is the first WORLD SHARK SANCTUARY ! This is a milestone in the conservation and preservation of Sharks in Palau, setting an example for the rest of the World. More information and updates as they become available soon.

The original message:
Just been advised that Palau President Johnson Toribiong will announce in 30 minutes at the UN Conference in New York that Palau is the first WORLD SHARK SANCTUARY !!!!!!!!!!! 

© Gunther Deichmann - aerial over the famous 70 islands in Palau, for more
images on Palau please visit my PhotoShelter Gallery at: Marine Life

Excerpts from the announcement by President Johnson Toribiong;
As many as 100 million sharks are killed each year around the world."These creatures are being slaughtered and are perhaps at the brink of extinction unless we take positive action to protect them," said President Toribiong.
Other related LINKS:

http://www.palautours.com/

http://www.palautours.com/blog.html

http://www.sharksanctuary.com/index.html

http://sharksanctuary.blogspot.com/

The last two days in Cambodia...
I will remember them for sure.


Drying the gear...did it help? Not really!

My last day in Cambodia was less eventful than the day before when my Camera bag dropped into the Rice Paddy from the Ox Cart, one Camera body and one lens has to go for a major repair Job to Nikon in Singapore. (I am glad I always bring a back up... second Camera boddy and lens)Today my last day...a little less exciting, we only got bogged with our 4X4 Wheel drive in black mud....ha, ha a slight reminder of my good old Australian Days in the outback. Jamie is lending a hand and whipping up the text from the past two days, see below. Now I have to do some packing, get some rest and take my dirty mud coverd laundry back to Manila.

© Jamie Irenaliena Rayer Keet - push.........

A very special thank you again to Didier Faraud from the Heritage Adventure who really went out of his way to show us some places where "almost" no man had gone before. As a matter of fact the minefields in this area had only been cleared last year, some very special images will follow once I am back in Manila. Of course Aperture 2 made it possible again to go through 3000 plus images very quickly and efficiently.
As for me...I will definitely return to this truly amazing place, discovering more places "where almost no man has gone before." GD

© Jamie Irenaliena Rayer Keet - the Ox Cart adventure...

Here is Jamie's story...
Going wireless in the jungle isn’t such a bad idea. The last two searches I hastily punched into my Blackberry were “How to remove leeches”, and “Images of undetonated explosive devices, aka mines”. All told, the former is a slightly complicated task of examining and gently dislodging, while the latter come in a selection of shapes and sizes. The ones featured in the Siem Reap Mine museum were of the communist grey colored, circular variety. What do leeches and mines have in common? Upon encountering either, do not Freak Out. Easier said than done.
The photo workshop was over and we were taking a short break from the hectic week. Ever brimming with wild ideas, Didier had planned an easy afternoon trip out to explore a temple in the woods.
After an hour’s drive on bumpy roads in the 4x4, we arrived at a hut. Five pairs of eyes stared back at us as we climbed out into the afternoon sun and Didier launched into a conversation in Khmer with a local. In a few minutes our next ride appeared.

© Jamie Irenaliena Rayer Keet - hey...you just lost your bag...

Travelling by ox cart is not entirely an uncomfortable experience, but by the time you arrive at your supposed destination, you would’ve probably had your wits bounced out of you. Not to mention the possibility of having your camera bag floating in a rice paddy. We were too busy keeping balance, pointing DSLRs at the farmers and getting our perfect shots. No one took any notice of the weathered local on the opposite ox cart frantically waving his stick, pointing towards some obscure spot behind us and yelling in Khmer. By the time we turned and noticed a big black object sinking in muddy waters, it was a little too late. Nonetheless, Didier dashed the 100m and waded back with the dripping pack. It was GD’s camera bag fully loaded. There was nothing to be done but to check the damage later.
After the temple we headed to a camera repair shop. One of the lenses was flooded and stubbornly refused to let out the water. “No can do” said the shopkeeper. Unfazed, Didier suddenly had a better idea and he started to shake the lens in all directions. While Didier was attempting to salvage the drowning lens, GD had found new distraction. A robed monk was sitting at the computer screen in the shop, and GD was trying to get a shot of him sat paradoxically under a flat screen TV with a Jackie Chan movie flashing above him. Didier got as much water as he could out of the lens, GD got his shot of the monk, and we headed back to the fort.
On the way back in the jeep, I plugged in another online search: “How not to freak out”.
Jamie Irenaliena Rayer Keet :)

Heritage Adventure

© Jamie Irenaliena Rayer Keet - Angkor Wat color converted into
B&W using the Monochrome Mixer in Aperture 2.

Looking down at my soiled boots and algae stained shorts, I gingerly brushed the sand out of my greasy limp ponytail. “Well I think I’m perfectly unsanitary enough, thank you very much,” I threw back bemusedly at him before laying down upon the 14th Century laterite stones of the incredible Preah Khan temple in Siem Reap. I was trying for yet another shot at my elusive subject, which happened to be an enormous silk cotton tree growing on the top of a 900 yr old temple in serious disrepair, and dirt was the last thing on my mind. Hanging around GD gives one oodles of ideas, and most of them leave you craving for a bath at the end of the day.

Indeed GD had promised an intense 6 day, 5 night photography course in Cambodia, but he sure hadn’t warned us that learning was going to be so much fun. Our outdoor photography classroom included stunning ancient temple ruins, polychromatic floating villages, lush tropical jungles, waterfalls, caves, local food huts, bar counters, and last but not least the infamous ‘round table’ where all of us eagerly gathered for our highly animated photo editing sessions on Aperture 2.

The group was utterly fantastic, relaxed and mutually supportive throughout. In fact, we hovered along a fine line between taking serious photographs and turning each other into hilarious nutty fruitcakes. We simply laughed as much as we learned. And believe me, we were rolling in the aisles.

© Jamie Irenaliena Rayer Keet - Angkor Wat APSARA Dancer at
Angkor Wat, Siem Reap Cambodia.

What amazed me most was that in less than a week in the field with GD, my photographic vision had changed dramatically. Comparing the shots I had taken from the first day to the fifth, I could see a significant difference in my subject composition, understanding of calculated exposure and improved editing skills. “The goal is that by the end of the week, you’re going to look at things differently,” GD promised at the outset.

And whether that left us mud caked or not, he was right.
Jamie Irenaliena Rayer Keet :)

We are proud to be associated with the Heritage Suite Hotel in Siem Reap

A Photographic Journey through
the Cambodian Jungle.


© Gunther Deichmann - an "Elephant" in the Jungle of Phnom Kulen

We left the Heritage Suite Hotel at 4:30 AM yesterday…the last day of our Photo Workshop for Kulen to the river of a thousand Lingas and the Kulen Waterfall.

Hard at work...trying to get the right angle and catching the light.

My trusted Guide over many years, Savuth taking a break

But the highlight of the day was a very special trip in the afternoon deep into the Jungle to a seldom visited place that can only be reached by 4X4 wheel drive and then another hour on foot.
A lot more images from this destination will follow in the coming weeks…believe me this place is absolutely amazing.
I am still catching up with some sleep, long hours everyday the past week, but fun and very rewarding for all in the Group.

A long but very rewarding walk...

© Gunther Deichmann - Mt. Kulen Waterfall...

Just one more...

Now, where did he come from? A new Student?
Luis Harder and an unexpected fan, at the River of the thousand Lingas.

As mentioned above some amazing images will follow later, but today I like to share with you Photos from the Participants in action during this trip in the Jungle.
GD

Special thanks again to Didier from Heritage
Adventures for making this trip possiable.


www.heritage-adventures.com

www.heritage-adventures.com

Due to some difficulties the past few days with our internet connection and early morning hour Photography trips I keep this Blog brief and rather let the images do the talking...

Aperture 2 & MacBook's Pro at the
Heritage Suite Hotel, Siem Reap
The Workflow after the shoot!

We are into our fourth day and I am extremely impressed with the Images from my students, as a matter of fact they have really outdone themselves, not only in the field but everybody has reached a very good level and expertise on Aperture 2...the workflow after the shoot.
Special thanks to Didier Faraud from the Heritage Adventure who is organizing some very special trips for us and of course the Management from the Heritage Suite Hotel in Siem Reap, who has provided us with and excellent service throughout the week.

Above images: On the Tonle Sap Cambodia

I the next couple of weeks I be reporting in more details from the whole trip and put up a special Gallery with images from all the Participants...today is only a small appetizer from this morning.

© Joerg Schueler, life on the Tonle Sap


© Hubert Weber, reflections the Tonle Sap


© Luis Martin Harder, the Tonle Sap


© Richard Cawthra,
Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia

Tomorrow is another 4:30 AM start, so I sign off now, but a lot more from Cambodia and our Photo Workshop soon.
GD

Great Weather...good Company
& amazing images.

© Gunther Deichmann - my first shot at the Monastery near the Hotel
last Friday 11th of September

Sorry for the long silence but I did have some problems with the connection the past few days. With a bit of luck it will get better in the next few days.
My students took some amazing Photographs since the start of the workshop two days ago, a very cool selection will follow shortly.

© Gunther Deichmann - the Group working with available
light at Preah Khan Temple

A great bunch and amazingly all using MacBooks Pro's with Aperture 2 loaded except for on using Lightroom on his Mac.
Tomorrow we start at 4:45 for our sunrise session, but this time not at Angkor Wat, I keep you in suspense again, the Heritage Suite Hotel Management has organized are real cool trip. Hence the reason I have to keep it very brief now, need some sleep and a good rest.

More in the next few days...
G, night from Siem Reap Cambodia,
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - on the way to my meeting,
Manila Bay, Philippines
The colorful lights on the right hand side are from lamps
lining up along Roxas Boulevard, Manila Bay.

On the way this cool sunset happen right in front of me, of course I had my little companion the Leica D-Lux 4 with me and took some Photographs before I continued.
Later that evening on the way home, after some wine with my good friends Luis Harder & Ross Capilli I spotted this interesting lamp outside a Restaurant with a cool reflection behind it.

© Gunther Deichmann - on my way home, lights in Malate...
Manila Philippines

Both images have been processed in Aperture 2.1.4 using Snow Leopard now.
Remember…never leave home with out a Camera…small or big, you never know!
Reporting soon from Siem Reap & Angkor Wat in Cambodia, interesting articles from the River with a thousand Lingas and the Tonle Sap Lake plus a lot more…
GD

Composite Image: © Gunther Deichmann - Speed and much more efficient...
running Aperture 2.1.4 on Snow Leopard...a cool New Cat!

1. Opening Aperture, much faster now with Snow Leopard

2. Going to full screen mode, no more delay, it is instantly

3.Selecting multiple images in editing mode and then going to full screen, very fast now.

4. Retouch Tools & Spot Patch Tools have improved by 100% almost no more delay when retouching using clone or repair tools, this is a very big improvement.

5. Opening from within Aperture an External editor like Photoshop CS3 is super fast now

6. Opening Mail from within Aperture also super fast improvement by at least X2

7. I exported some 28 high res Raw images in one go as Versions to full jpg size, wow, that went real fast, again a huge improvement.

8. I also experienced the same during import using a fire wire 800 Card reader, nice speed increase.

9.There had been some delays before on some commands in particular the Cloning and Repair but that has disappeared now.

10. I tried also the slide show with some 50 plus Raw images, almost no delay very cool.

11. Edit with: Dodge & Burn, very fast opening with the use of the Tools, super fast on saving and closing.

12. Hitting the Z key (zoom) wow again, it is instant; the bit sluggish Navigation before is now very smooth, the same applies for the Loupe much faster and so much more responsive on all settings.

Aperture 2.1.4 performs very impressive on Snow Leopard, a significant speed increase and overall smooth performance. I think Aperture was ahead of its time and was just waiting for the New Cat…. Snow Leopard is made for Aperture 2.1.4 the perfect combination. Not to mention the increase of disk space after installation of the S.L.very cool. (see my comments from my previous Blog Post)

Run like you never run before… Aperture 2.1.4 is doing just that; everything is just so much more liquid and responsive.
I only used Raw and very large Tiff files, really pushing it, editing has picked up another 100%.
So, if you’re using Aperture 2.1.4 go ahead and install Snow Leopard, find out why I love Aperture even more now, feel and experience the difference.
GD

Please note the above information is based on my personal test only, and I can’t be held liable if you experience different results or performances.

© Gunther Deichmann - Jumping with Joy...
Snow Leopard is available at Power Mac Center

1. Aperture 2.1.4 works fast...a lot faster then before and everything else is working cool, no problems so far...smooth as silk. Aperture 2.1.4 was released a few hours after the availability of Snow Leopard last Friday.
For those who have not upgraded via the software update I recommend to do this prior installing Snow Leopard.


2. I learned the hard way on Rapid Weaver, but not a big issue, for those who use RW make sure you install Rapid Weaver 4.3 prior installing Snow Leopard you can get the upgrade for free if you have a licensed copy, just click the LINK below.
Once installed you should be up and running, I tried it before but no luck, I restarted my MacBook Pro and installed the upgrade. Well, lets see if this Blog is coming out OK., if not you can't read my assessment, so I am crossing my fingers now, but so far so good.
(RapidWeaver 4.3 Release Candidate 1 is now available!)
Download the file and install, don't worry if you cant find your license number, like with everything on the Mac it is straight forward.

3. A Quick spin with FotoMagico 3.05 so far no issues, all seems to be working OK. but again make sure you have the latest update.

4. Awesome... the New Quick Time even if you don't have the Pro Version super slick, I just love it, Video editing has just become a lot easier...5 stars from me.

5. I have picked up some 28Gigs of Hard drive space, nice if you dealing with large images and you forgot your external drive when on the Road...super cool.

6. It goes without saying Safari is humming very fast and nice, even Firefox is running a lot faster now, not to mention Mail and all those other cool things under the Hood.

7. Installation was a breeze and I encountered no problems at all, this is a new Super Cat with a lot more under the hood, more info in due time...have to run a few more laps.

8. Then there is, which I like a lot Restore from the Rubbish "Put Back" it is called, good thinking...

9. A text auto flow, I think that came from Aperture, ha, ha, for Mail and Text edit.

10. Last but not least for today, you have a great "New machine" for US$ 29.95

As you all know I am leaving for Cambodia shortly and put the Snow Leopard through its paces on location. Was I worried to install Snow Leopard prior my departure? Not at all. However, please do a thorough check on the compatibility of other 3rd party software you might have installed, updates for many becoming available daily now.

BTW...Time Machine is working fine too. Even the Spellcheck and a few other things I have noticed are much more refined and easy to use. Maybe my imagination, but I dont think so!

Don't panic if opening of your software takes bit of time, this is only for the first time around, Snow Leopard has to update all your existing files like Mail, Aperture etc.,etc. but after that you fly & there is so much more!
GD