A quick and first glance at Aperture 3.3 and
how to find all those new features, plus some issues.

Tips and upgrading issues you should watch out for… so lets get started.

It's been some 24 hours since the new release of Aperture 3.3… quiet a chunk to download and if you have not done so make sure you have a good and reliable internet connection. How much improvements do we get and has Aperture 3.3 improved?

In my opinion and at a first glance I like what I have seen so far, but it is way to early for final conclusions until I am done with my test driving…still in progress.

NOTE: I heard some conflicting reports from users that there is some issues between Lion 10.7.4 and Snow Leopard… Aperture 3.3 will NOT run on Snow Leopard, however I could not confirm or test this since I am running Lion, but if this is the case then Apple should have advised on this issue, and for those still running on Snow Leopard it is certainly a blow and they have to upgrade to Lion. (I recommend anyway)

See the screenshots some marked in RED with the new features.

Metadata now called Info, new Auto Enhance button
and added iPhoto Effects



New Mid Contrast Slider in the Highlights and Shadows panel

White Balance panel has now under the color Temperature a new drop down panel
with additional adjustments for Skin tones and Natural Gray.

Beware that some 32-bit Plug-in don't work any more unfortunately Apple did not mention this and you only find out after you upgraded to 3.3 I am not so depending on Plug-ins but for some other folks out there it maybe an issue.

I have for example the DxO Film pack 3 installed (using it for testing purpose only) and this one is not working, everything runs now on 64-bit and until some Plug-ins change from 32-bit to 64-bit they won't work. So be careful here, all support for 32-bit Plug-ins are gone in Aperture 3.3

Upon launch you be prompted to update your Aperture Library to 3.3

You be also prompted to upgrade your Library upon launch and depends on how many images you have, this could take quiet a while, the same applies to the new iPhoto 9.3 too.

New iPhotoLibrary also needs to be upgraded

The User Interface has a new look and the colors are gone for the Smart Albums, Projects etc., etc. this might take some getting use to it, but I had no problems finding things very quick and I was up and running in no time.

All color Icons are gone in the new interface.

Another interesting change is that Aperture 3.3 and iPhoto 9.3 using now a unified photo-library, this really will not affect me so much but can be very useful for some people out there who like to move from iPhoto 9.3 to Aperture 3.3 making the switch a lot easier. For more info and details check out the Apple support document:
Aperture 3.3: Using a unified photo library with iPhoto and Aperture http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5260

Aperture 3.3 and iPhoto 9.3 using now a unified photo-library

I be conducting some training/tutorials at the Power Mac Center starting this month…hands on Aperture 3 and introduce also the new features from Aperture 3.3 plus a lot more on the Digital Darkroom.
For more information contact PMC Power Mac Center AATC facilities at Arnaiz, Makati, Philippines. (final dates/times to be announced shortly on Twitter and Facebook) Power Mac Center Training. Or check with one of their branches through out Metro Manila for details.
GD

Tags: Aperture 3.3, Features, Dx0Filmpack 3, Lion, Software update, Mac OS X Pro Apps, Snow Leopard, 10.7.4, Digital Darkroom, HANDS ON, Aperture 3 training, Philippines, New features, Compatibility, 32-bit, Power Mac Center, Manila, Teak Wood , testing, Power Mac Center, Teaching, Tips, Tips, Tricks, Techniques, Tutorials, unified photo library, User interface, 64-bit, iPhoto 9.3, UI, Inspector, Color Temperature slider, Shadows & Highlights slider

What's New in Aperture 3.3

• New unified photo library for both iPhoto (v 9.3 or later) and Aperture; no import/export required; Faces, Places, slideshows, albums and web sharing work across both applications
• Support for AVCHD video has been added
• Aperture now lets you use camera-generated previews for faster browsing of RAW files immediately after import
• Highlights & Shadows tool has been updated to deliver higher-quality results and work with extended range data
• A new Auto Enhance button has been added to the Adjustments panel
• White Balance tool now includes Skin Tone and Natural Gray modes to simplify color balance
• Auto button has been added to the White Balance tool for one-click color balancing
• Set Desktop command has been added to Share menu so you can set a desktop background from within Aperture
• A new Manual option allows you to drag and drop projects to customize sort order in the Projects view
• New preference allows you to set the background brightness of the full screen browser
• Facebook, Flickr, and MobileMe albums are now displayed as thumbnails in the main window when accounts are selected in the source list
• Minor terminology changes, including "Original" instead of "Master" and "Info" instead of "Metadata"
• Source list includes a new "Recent" section, showing Last Import and recently-viewed projects
• Raw Fine Tuning is no longer displayed in the Adjustments panel by default
• Faces can now be named by dragging them from the Unnamed Faces browser to existing snapshots on the corkboard
• The Faces corkboard now includes a menu that allows you to set the order of face snapshots
• Newly designed monochrome source list and toolbar icons
• Addresses numerous issues related to overall performance and stability

Tags: Digital Darkroom, NEWS, TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY, Tips, testing, camera-generated previews, faster browsing, White Balance tool, Adjustments panel, RAW files, performance, Highlights & Shadows tool, White Balance, Natural Gray , Skin Tone, AVCHD video , Aperture 3.3, What's New, Photo Workshops, iPhoto, editing software, Manila, Philippines, Power Mac Center AATC, Teaching, Power Mac Center, TRAINING, Tutorials, Mac OS X Pro Apps, Apple Aperture, iPhoto 9.3, Software update

Some 18,000 photos later...
An endless Journey through Color and Time.




Performing with a Condom and Phallus in his hands… during the Talo Tshechu
Festival with Dramitse Nga Cham
(sacred Mask dance of Drum and Stick) Bhutan
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

After a 5-week Journey through Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan the editing and culling back of images is complete. (still working a bit on Nepal, had to have a break before I get square eyes)

But the main editing has been complete for quiet some time, thanks to the outstanding performance on my Mac BookPro using Aperture 3.

Ohhhh…I don’t know what I would have done without Aperture…my thoughts drifting back to the old days using Kodachrome film, labeling and sorting through mountains of plastic cases.
Honestly I do miss my Kodachromes but then times have changed, some for the better and some for the worst, it is almost all digital now.
(I do admire some of my good old friends who still shoot with film, but mainly in B/W now)

Tea Plantation worker, Sri Lanka
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

School is out…Sri Lanka
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

I do as much editing with Aperture while still on the road and by the time I get home a lot is done already. (rough and first edit only)

Back home; first I back up all those images (Aperture Libraries) from my portable Lacie Rugged drives to my Lacie Raid system, then some more editing and later upload selected images on to my PhotoShelter site. PhotoShelter; yet another welcome addition in todays digital age for safe keeping, storing and selling your images.
Through out the entire trip Aperture performed just awesome, at times pushing my Mac and Aperture to the limits.

Tip: I strongly recommend that you do all your key wording, captions etc. while on location, it will only take a few extra minutes during or after import but everything is still fresh in your mind.

Oh… I can do this later when I am back home, I am to tiered now…believe me, you never end up doing it or you forgotten all those places. (we’re only talking some 5 to 10 extra minutes here)

I am forcing myself in doing just that, it saves me a lot of time and my NEW images can be up on PhotoShelter or my own site within a few days after my return.

Bathing festival, Kathmandu, Nepal
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

In a village near Bhaktapur, Nepal
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Sadhu preparing his color mix, Nepal
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

I might mention also for those who are located in the Philippines, we have some Aperture 3 classes (Aperture Level Basic and Beyond) scheduled, starting in June through to December at the brand new PMC Power Mac Center AATC facilities at Arnaiz, Makati, Philippines. (final dates/times to be announced shortly on Twitter and Facebook)

You might ask why Aperture? Aperture’s capability is greatly underestimated in particular when it comes to editing huge number of photos. It has a superb and easy to use filing structure, not to mention all those other adjustments, but for large number of photos, I believe it is the best software out there.

Now you might think I am biased when it comes to Aperture; well I have been using it since day one and never looked back and this is not the first time I had to deal with so many photos.

How could I have edited 18,000 or so images in Photoshop in just a few days? No way, I be still working for the next 3 month.

Once you understand the fundamentals of Aperture 3 the rest is easy, exceptional fast and very efficient. Spend some time with it, study the tutorials or enroll in a classroom session with Aperture.

Buddhist Monks at the Trongsa Dzong,(Fort) Bhutan
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Young Boy in the Traditional Village of Sopsokha, Punakha District, Bhutan
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

For all our Expeditions and Adventure Travel GD Photo Workshops through out Asia click this LINK.

You don’t have to be a Pro Photographer to join our Expeditions and Adventure Travel Tours; we cater to all who are interested in Photography.

With Gunther Deichmann and his experienced assistant you get to know different cultures and explore amazing landscapes. Getting you not only to the right locations without wasting time but also at the right hour of the day. For the latest testimonials click here.

We make sure that you get the best possible photographs from these truly amazing destinations.
GD

Just one more…



A very funny Farmer at the Traditional Village of
Sopsokha, Punakha District, Bhutan
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Tags: Tips, Tricks, Nepal , Bhutan, Aperture 3, Cultures & Tradition, Buddhist Ceremony, Condom, Phallus, Talo Tshechu Festival, Apple, MacBook Pro i7, Keywording, Digital Darkroom, Raid systems, Pro Photographer, Adventure Travel Tours, landscapes, classrooms, Philippines, Photo workshop , Manila, AATC Training Center, Apple Training, Power Mac Center, Photoshop, Destination, Editing, editing software, ASIA, Lacie Hard Drives, Tours, TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY, Photo Shelter, Expeditions, TRAINING, Adventure Travel Tours, Kodachrome, Sri Lanka, Techniques, Tutorials, Aperture 3.2.4

The Journey continues through Laos - Cambodia & Myanmar
its beautiful people and true colors.

A question I get ask all the time, and a quote by Imogen Cunningham sums it up nicely.

“ Which of my photographs is my favorite?
The one I’m going to take tomorrow." – Imogen Cunningham




Inle Lake, Myanmar
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com




Laotian Monks looking towards Thailand, it is here where the
Mekong River separates these two Countries, Vientiane, Laos
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

I am always in search for true colors and besides the question above, which is my favorite photograph I also get often ask about my colors. The colors in my images are real and have not been manipulated using editing software.

"I have seen colors which I thought didn't exist, but they do." - Gunther Deichmann

One of many Battambang's Monasteries, Cambodia
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Amazing colors are all around us, finding and seeking the right combination one needs to see; no need to distort something which is already provided by nature or human. It is all out there, in front of us ready for the taking with what ever camera you use, let your eyes guide you, separating colors from the background.

Lets look at the world through our eyes, not through photo-editing tools. But have said that, we almost don't get a choice these days…in the digital age we have to use Computers and editing softwares; I am still looking for a roll of Ektachrome to be processed, that I shot recently in Cambodia. My last roll of film? If I ever get it processed…

Festival time on Inle Lake, Myanmar
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Battambang, Cambodia
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

All my camera settings are pretty much set on default and my images are processed with Aperture 3 using only the RAW Image conversion, color temperature, slightly sharpening, a little contrast and the usual cropping/straightening tools and of course getting rid of sensor dust, that little evil thing in digital photography.

During the film days we didn't have all those tools, you had to do a lot of bracketing and if you missed it then that was-it. Now we have all these options, but I honestly believe in Travel, Nature, Journalism, Geographical Photography etc., we should tell the truth.

Bagan, Myanmar
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com



Mandalay, Myanmar
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Luang Prabang, Laos
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Luang Prabang, Laos
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Moving Nuns - Kyauk Se Monastery, Myanmar
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com



Phnom Kulen, Cambodia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com


Just one more...

Tonle Sap, Cambodia
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Essentially, I have made no changes since the good old Kodachrome film days on how I approach and create images today. My approach and my soul are the same, and this is my philosophy about light and color.
GD

Tags: Kodachrome, Film, Aperture 3.2.1, Colours, Ektachrome, Colors, manipulated, Imogen Cunningham, editing software, RAW Image, sharpening, photo-editing tools

Deja vu…recreating a Photo at the same location…
but 12 years later in Myanmar, the story behind the Photo

I visited Nyaung Shwe also known as Yawnghwe) a town a few kilometers north of Inle Lake in the Shan State of Myanmar for the first time some 12 years ago.
While driving through the town I spotted this amazing Monastery build out of Teakwood during the 19th Century with a Novice Monk standing at the oval shape window.

Oh boy… what a nice image I thought…so I loaded another roll of film in this case Kodachrome Pro 200 ASA and started to shoot. Years have past now and many images have been produced by a variety of Photographers with and without Monks at this Monastery.

I might add that the shot I took 12 years ago was not at all a setup; it just so happens that this Monk was actually standing at the window when I spotted it and this photo was later published many times.
Now 12 years later and during our GD Photo Workshop last October we made a stop at this remarkable Monastery again.

Kodachrome Pro 200 ASA or Digital?
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

I had actually planned this all along to re create the image I took some 12 years ago, but of course there was very little hope that a Monk was standing again at the window. Well…we arrived and sure enough there was NO Monk standing there.

Kodachrome Pro 200 ASA or Digital?
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

OK I thought, let’s recreate the images and I ask politely one of the Novice Monks to stand in about the same position at the window, then I went outside and took the image.

I normally don’t set shots up, but in this case I found it interesting what I could come up with, shooting digital instead of Kodachrome film from the same location but 12 years later.

An interesting exercise and the Monk I had picked was about the same age from what I remembered years ago.
I let you decide which of the two images featured is Digital or Kodachrome 200 film, I might add that the digital image was shot at the same 200 ISO and no Photoshop or other manipulation has been used.

I only used Aperture 3 with the raw conversion, some straightening, a little cropping (the same in the Kodachrome Image) added a little contrast, minor sharpening and adjusted the color temperature to daylight taken in to consideration the overcast sky.

This amazing teakwood monastery has not changed much at all except for the surrounding areas that have now additional more modern looking buildings, other than that it was pretty much the same.
The monastery is over 150 years old and sits on sturdy stilts, a protection for occasional flooding coming from the Inle Lake.

The temple next to the Monastery
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Next to the monastery you can find a small but very amazing temple that is absolutely worth a visit, housing hundreds of little Buddha statues and incredible artwork along the walls.

The temple next to the Monastery
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

So, there you have it 12 years later, little has changed and I hope it will stay like this for many more years to come.
GD

Tags: MYANMAR/BURMA, ASIA, TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY, Nyaung Shwe , Monasteries, Shan State, Inle Lake , Kodachrome, Film, Aperture 3.2.1, Digital

Problems re-installing the original Aperture 3 from the box.

I had recently some people getting in touch with me regarding the re-installation of their Original bought copy of Aperture 3. The serial number was rejected even if the Mac was New or had a completely reformatted Drive and the serial number came from the original Aperture 3 package.

So if you experience any installation issues with Aperture 3 after you have bought a new or moved over to a different Mac then try this:

1. Create a new USER account (you can always delete that one later anyway) and then using your original CD for Aperture 3 and install it here, now the serial number will work.

2. After you have done this you can either keep your newly created account or you can just delete it in the system preference and switch back to your account.

3. Aperture 3 is now installed and the only thing left to do is, perform a software update to Aperture 3.2.1 and you're done, (the update is approx. 675.1 MB)

GD

Tags: Aperture 3.2.1, Software update, User account, Aperture Tips, Apple Mac, Problem solving, Re installing, Tips, Tricks, Techniques, Tutorials

Digital Dark Room and Aperture 3 plus some more
interesting info on the Big Cat the Lion OS X

Hands on…The Digital Dark Room and Aperture 3, we finished yesterday our first session for this week, (three hours per session) now another 2 more to go and a special advanced one at the Power Mac Center on the weekend. All this week we have Aperture 3 action, and 3 more days next week.

The Digital Dark Room with Aperture 3 has been organized in cooperation with Power Mac Center and Filipinas Heritage Library. Special thanks to my Assistant Arj, Mark, Joseph and Jeoffrey from the technical support team at PMC for helping out behind the scene. And of course thanks for the ever so organized Cecille from the Filipinas Heritage Library.

Yesterday afternoon Aperture 3 and the Digital Dark Room at
Power Mac Center Makati, Manila Philippines

We show you the ultimate way of editing your photos with Apple's Aperture 3 software, creating proper back ups, how to add music to your Aperture 3 slideshow using GarageBand plus a lot more. The technical staff from Power Mac Center is also around to help with technical questions and trouble shooting on Apple's latest operating system the OS X Lion.

Very busy for the next few weeks, plus one more advanced course on Aperture 3 in September at PMC, all this before I have to get ready for my GD Photo Workshops to Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.


See below some additional and interesting info on the OS X Lion

There is some good news and bad news, some older Mac's don't support Airdrop so if you installed Lion and can't find the AirDrop Icon then most likely your machine does not support AirDrop. However you can always use DropCopy and that works fine a cool little application, very useful also for your iPhone and iPad (Mobile DropCopy) to transfer files, OK on OS X Lion.


Read below specs by Apple re AirDrop...

OS X Lion: Can I use AirDrop with my computer?
AirDrop is one of the great new features of Lion that provides a really easy way to share files between supported, Wi-Fi enabled Macs, without having to connect through the local Wi-Fi network.
AirDrop will automatically discover all the other Wi-Fi-enabled Macs running AirDrop that are near your computer (this may take a few seconds). To make sure you’re in the Finder, click the desktop (the background area of your screen), or click Finder on the Dock.

Note: If AirDrop isn't listed under the Go menu or doesn't appear in Finder window sidebars, your Mac doesn't support this feature.
Macs that support AirDrop in OS X Lion
If your Mac is the same as, or newer than, the models listed below, then it supports AirDrop.

• MacBook Pro (Late 2008 or newer)*
• MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
• MacBook (Late 2008 or newer)*
• iMac (Early 2009 or newer)
• Mac Mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
• Mac Pro (Early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2010)

Tags: Philippines, Aperture 3, Power Mac Center, Tips, Tricks, Turtles, TRAINING, Techniques, Tutorials, Apple Mac, OS X Lion, Manila

Aperture 3 and OS X Lion, better performance on new and older Mac's.
Some useful tips...

I have been getting some reports that Aperture 3 is performing somewhat sluggish with the new OS X Lion installed particular on older machines.
So I done some additional test driving, using the latest MacBook Pro i7 with Lion installed and pushing Aperture very hard.

Most important if you install OS X Lion on an older Mac perform a new and clean install this will save you a lot of headaches later, remember the good old saying… there are no shortcuts.
But before all of this exciting re-installing of Lion you better have a very good back up of your whole system and files, actually Time Machine done an excellent Job when I did my Lion Installation and I did not loose anything.

Everything was there with the exception of the odd software serial number, but that was easy, just type that in later. It is also a good Idea to have your serial numbers from your previous softwares on hand so you don't have to look for them later. BTW Aperture 3 is one of those that will prompt you to type it in again after installation.

Most problems occur during installations of a new operating system, a little preparation prior install can go a very long way and is time well spend.

In the Preference panel go to General and Energy Saver.

Marked with Red to deactivate the auto switching of the Graphics card



Marked with Red the Restore Windows when quitting and re-opening apps

Yes, at first it seems a bit slow in response but other than that it is running very smooth, of course from past experience I switched of the Graphic Card automatic switching and now also in the System Preference the Restore Windows when quitting and re-opening apps. See the screenshots above.

I also recommend whenever you're doing some serious hard work in Aperture 3, Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5 or other Pro softwares that uses a lot of the Graphic Cards to turn of all other applications unless you have 8 Gig of Ram installed.

The new Lion is actually a super cool cat, but is also very hungry when it comes to Ram…I guess the name LION says it all, a big Cat with a good appetite but ever so majestic and powerful.

Soon I am leaving for my GD Photo Workshops to Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar but prior my departure you can join me this August and the first part of September at Power Mac Center for some serious sessions on Aperture 3 and the Digital Dark Room, in cooperation with the Filipinas Heritage Library and Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3, Makati.

For the dates and schedules please click the LINKS above.

Now do a clean installation of Lion and the let the Cat Roar…my Lion and Aperture 3 running already very cool and smooth.
GD

Just one more… can't help myself

You know this little Apple on the top left hand side, where you find out all these things about your Mac including your serial number, check out the new addition in Lion, I think this is very cool and slick.

Click on the little Apple and you see cool new features.

New slick look with all the info displayed, very nice.

Tags: Aperture 3, OS X Lion, Tips, Tricks, Instalation, Techniques, Tutorials

POWERMAC APPLE CERTIFICATION COURSES &
PROMETRIC EXAMINATIONS NOW @

Power Mac Center becomes the first Apple store in the country to receive an Apple Authorized Training Center (AATC) offering IT Track certification.

Furthermore Power Mac Center offers introduction Seminars and special Courses on Aperture 3, Final Cut, Motion,
iLife '11 (iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand), iWork, Aperture 3 - Photo Workshops, Photoshop CS5, Auto Cad and others.

Power Mac Center’s Classroom at Greenbelt 3 is now an accredited AATC and will begin to offer Apple certified courses to companies, schools, and individuals who wish to learn or expand their knowledge on Apple’s Pro applications.

Moreover, the new AATC is now qualified to offer Apple certification exams for professionals looking to establish their expertise, and better market their skills in the field of digital technology.

With already two accredited Apple Certified Trainers in its Greenbelt store, Power Mac Center continues to consistently train its employees to deliver quality educational services, with the end view of an AATC accreditation for its other flagship stores as well.
This worldwide recognition further raises the level of commitment of all Power Mac Center employees to a truly reliable and outstanding service as demonstrated by the global Apple workforce.

Visit : training.powermaccenter.com for a complete list of courses.

GD Photo Workshops & Power Mac Center

Back-up Your Photos: One of the most important things...
if not, the most important part after every shoot.

Very often overlooked and disregarded...why should I buy another Hard Drive? We spend thousands of Dollars on camera and computer equipment but trying to skip on a backup system, which is very affordable these days.

Well,... until disaster strikes, but then it is to late, years of important travel images, family snap shots and even wedding photos gone for ever.

Join me for simple solutions and a proper back-up of all your Photos...believe me, you sleep a lot better at night, besides it is really not that expensive.

Basic Back-up Solutions for Your Photos with Gunther Deichmann @ Power Mac Center Greenbelt 3, Saturday, JUNE 25, 2011. Session starts at 6:00 PM.
For more info pls. contact Power Mac Center http://powermaccenter.com/services/training/learning_series

GD

"Almost forgotten" & unpublished Kodachrome
Images from Laos.



Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Amazing Laos...Scanned Kodachrome image,
converted to B&W using Aperture 3


GD Photo Workshop to LAOS - CAMBODIA 2011 - Only 3 more spots available

September 24 - 8 October, 2011
Bookings are closing for Laos and Cambodia combination by latest end of June 2011.
Max. of 10 Participants

We can confirm also for 2011 our combination for Laos & Cambodia starting on September 24th to the 7th of October 2011 the final Itinerary and schedules will follow shortly for the above confirmed Workshops on my GD Photo Workshop site.

Again, you can just choose one of the destinations, either Laos or Cambodia or go with the combination and can include also Myanmar/Burma see below the details.

In Laos we spend time in Vientiane and Luang Prabang including traveling up the Mekong River, we have also changed our standard Itinerary in Cambodia, besides visiting Angkor Wat, Tonle Sap and Phnom Kulen, we travel this time to Battambang which is also called the real Cambodia with it's Monasteries and superb French Colonial Buildings, not to mention hidden Temples, some of which are older then Angkor and seldom visited places en route.

For all inquiries and bookings please use this LINK, thank you.
Testimonials from previous participants in Cambodia and India please CLICK THIS LINK.

Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Early morning in Vientiane Laos, the fog like effect (heat haze) is due to
the extreme heat in the month before the onset of the monsoon.




Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

The Hmong - Hill tribes gathering in Luang Prabang



Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Buddhist Monk fixing the Roof at the Monastery in Luang Prabang,Laos

Laos has its own distinct culture. Through Theravada Buddhism it has influences from India and has also influences from China. These influences are reflected throughout Laos in its language as well as in art, literature and the performing arts.
Lao way of life is very much influenced by the Buddhism as can be seen through the way that Lao people live and behave. They are taught to be patient and acceptance people. Buddhism was the only thing that bound people together and taught people to be good people and stay away from doing wrong things in the past when the law enforcement was not in place.

Laos traces its history to the kingdom of Lan Xang (Million Elephants), founded in the 14th century, by a Lao warlord, Fa Ngum, who took over Vientiane with 10,000 Khmer troops. Ngum had been a descendent from a long line of Lao kings, tracking back to Khoun Boulom. He made Theravada Buddhism the state religion and Lan-Xang prospered.

Within 20 years of its formation, the kingdom expanded eastward to Champa and along the Annamite mountains in Vietnam. His ministers, unable to tolerate his ruthlessness, forced him into exile to present day Thai province of Nan in 1373, where he later died. Fa Ngum's eldest son, Oun Heuan, (took the title Samsenthai) came to the throne and reigned for 43 years.

During his reign, Lan Xang became an important trade centre. After his death in 1421, Lan Xang collapsed into warring factions for the next 100 years...more info @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos

Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com

Fantastic culture, tradition and architecture in Luang Prabang,Laos



Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Pak Ou buddhist caves along the Mekong River, near Luang Prabang, Laos
Scanned Kodachrome Image converted to B&W using Aperture 3

GD

Is this the last Fish?
The story behind the image...



Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
"Is this the last Fish?" Manila - Philippines

A recent assignment took me to the Fish port of Manila...I visited the place many years ago and not much had changed over the years...except for the catch!

A lot less fish...amongst them juvenile species like Tuna, etc. not like before, mountains of fish...I started to think if this was just a bad day or the fish stocks getting depleted, but that we can figure out some other time.

Then of a sudden... I slipped, landing almost on my butt...oops...I looked around and there was this squashed fish right behind me...the culprit for me loosing my balance for a moment.

Hmm, this looks interesting, I took a few frames giving me the headline Idea..."Is this the last Fish?', now you might think this is a real fishy tale but it is indeed very true and you better believe me.

It was an interesting night, working only with available light and the Nikon D700 at ISO 400 plus the Nikon 50mm f:1.4 Lens. No Flash... no Photoshop! A few hours later I edited all the images in Aperture 3.1 and uploaded them into my PhotoShelter Archives & Gallery, check out (only 69 Photos) from the evenings take and CLICK this LINK or the Image above.

Besides the smell outside the loading area which was out of this world...WOW!!!. We had an interesting evening, finishing the night off with Hubert and Arj over some cold beers at the Cave Wine Bar.

BTW...my rubber shoes I wore that evening still getting fumigated...
GD

• Fixes an issue that could cause iMovie ’11 to stop responding while scanning the Aperture library for video clips.
• Addresses issues that prevented the Aperture library from appearing in the Media Browser of other applications.

• Resolves an issue that could cause Aperture to quit unexpectedly when a camera was plugged in to your Mac.
• Fixes a issue that in rare cases, could cause image files to be deleted when dragging a folder containing both images and text files from the Finder into Aperture.
• Resolves an issue that could prevent images added to a library using the "Import Folders as Projects and Albums" option from being imported correctly.
• Addresses an issue that caused Aperture to quit unexpectedly if you cancelled an import when using the "Import Folders as Folders and Projects" option, and when the source folder contained one or more non-image files.
• Aperture no longer quits unexpectedly when importing an iPhoto library after having opened the import window with an iPad connected.

• Addresses an issue that could prevent the Aperture First Aid from opening correctly after upgrading a library from 3.0 to 3.1.
• Resolves an issue that could cause Aperture 3.1 to quit unexpectedly while upgrading an Aperture 3.0 library.

• The Noise Reduction adjustment brick now correctly displays Radius and Edge Detail sliders when applied using a Quick Brush.
• Fixes an issue that caused Adjustment Presets applied using a keyboard shortcut to reset existing adjustments on an image.
• Lift & Stamp HUD now correctly displays the word Brushing next to each listed adjustment that has been applied using a brush.

• Aperture now correctly sets the "Photos Viewable by" setting for images published to your Flickr Photo stream.
• Addresses an issue that could cause Aperture to stop responding when deleting a published web album from the source list. 
• Aperture no longer uploads images to Flickr Pro accounts as Web Size when the Size setting in Aperture is Actual Size.
• Fixes an issue that could cause a MobileMe account to be removed from the Aperture source list if the account password was changed at www.me.com.

• Fixes an issue that could cause Aperture to quit unexpectedly when the "Fit Slideshow to Main Soundtrack" button was clicked.

• Fixes an issue that could sometimes cause Aperture on a computer with Mac OS X v10.5.8 Leopard to stop responding while updating a vault stored on a network volume.
• More info @ http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2518
• For more information about the application, please visit www.apple.com/aperture .

The first test results...after the software OS X 10.6.5 update...
a vast improved Aperture 3

These are only my initial findings after installing the OS X 10.6.5 software update using a 15 inch i7 MacBook Pro with 6 Gig of Ram and the Automatic graphics switching turned off in the energy panel.

1. Exported 106 high res. images as JPEG originals including watermarks, in about three (3) plus minutes.

2. Switching between Browser, Split View and Viewer, very nice now.

3. Toggling back and forth to full screen and at the same time editing multiple images in full screen mode is a huge improvement.

4. Using the retouch tool, nice increase in performance, also a lot less lag time. Very cool now.

5. Switching between Libraries and loading time has improved a lot.

6. Using the Lupe; focus on cursor in the Browser mode is now much more liquid.

There you have it, I am sure I find a lot more improvements down the road, but these are my first findings as far Aperture 3 is concerned, so if you have not updated to OS X 10.6.5 yet, then you better do it asap it is in my opinion one of the best OS X software updates for Aperture. I will also check on the improvements in the new iPhoto from iLife '11 later.
GD

• Performance increase of some image-processing

• operations in iPhoto and Aperture.

• improve reliability with Microsoft Exchange servers
• address performance of some image-processing operations in iPhoto
• and Aperture
• address stability and performance of graphics applications and games
• resolve a delay between print jobs
• address a printing issue for some HP printers connected to an AirPort Extreme
• resolve an issue when dragging contacts from Address Book to iCal
• address an issue where dragging an item from a stack causes the Dock to not automatically hide
• resolve an issue with Wikipedia information not displaying correctly in Dictionary
• improve performance of MainStage on certain Mac systems
• resolve spacing issues with OpenType fonts
• improve reliability with some Bluetooth braille displays
• resolve a VoiceOver issue when browsing some web sites with Safari 5

• Performance when opening large libraries
• Performance when exporting heavily-adjusted images
• Importing iPhoto Libraries
• Relinking to referenced images after importing an iPhoto Library
• Importing photos and videos from iPhone or iPad
• Upgrading libraries with images containing Spot & Patch adjustments
• Duplicate detection of audio and video files
• Face detection on RAW+JPEG pairs
• Rendering of thumbnails used in Faces view
• Rendering of images scaled to below 100% in Viewer
• Image quality on straightened images
• Applying Red Eye correction
• Rendering thumbnails when reprocessing masters
• Searching libraries containing a large number of keywords
• Applying photos to GPS track paths
• Export of GPS data when using Export Metadata command
• Handling of color profiles in Print dialog when using Loupe
• Applying and removing slideshow Photo Effects
• Slideshows containing video clips
• Tethered capture
• Library database reliability
• Library repair
• Updating vaults

© Gunther Deichmann - the first image & the start of a very long day,
processed to B&W using Aperture 3

A few images behind the scenes from last weekend's GD Photo Workshop...Intramuros in Manila Philippines and the American Cemetery Memorial Park plus after the shoot Workflow with 10 iMac's Aperture 3 and the cool team from the Power Mac Center.

© Gunther Deichmann - Wow what a group...

As you know I have only recently returned from Cambodia and had committed for this Photo Workshop in Manila...from Cambodia to Manila and soon in Singapore...Oh boy and that is only a week away. The month of October has been crazy!

First of all many thanks to all who participated in our GD Photo Workshop in Manila Philippines last weekend.

© Gunther Deichmann - Part of the group early Saturday morning,
far left; Luis Martin Harder is getting ready

My special and deep thanks go to Luis Martin Harder for his input, commitment and hard work together with the... Word for the World Christian Church and so many others who made this Workshop a real success.

My sincere thanks also to Pastor Raymond for all his kindness and support. To the Power Mac Center with their support team Andrew, Mark and Jeffrey, you have been outstanding and so supportive to make the work flow after the shoot very easy with Aperture 3 and taken some workload of me.

© Gunther Deichmann - Andrew, Mark and Jeffery from
Power Mac Center assisting the participants after the shoot.

It was real fun seeing all those cool images going through Aperture 3 without a glitch, we only did some basic processing but the organization of that many images was so easy using Aperture 3 plus it gave the participants a chance to see how efficient Aperture performs when dealing with large volumes of Photos.

Thanks again to the Power Mac Center Team, their help with this volume of Images certainly made my life a lot easier, I also like to mention Maleng Raysag from the PMC Education Devision who was instrumental in setting this up for us.
In addition the PMC also sponsored some prizes for the best Photos of the day, thanks again for you generosity, oh... before I forget my appriciation also for the cool baseball caps for every participant.

But importantly my thanks to the Participants who really gave all their hardest and performed extremely well...THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH...YOU been so fantastic and super cool.

© Gunther Deichmann - blending in with the color



© Gunther Deichmann - lots of color and fun

We started at 5:30 AM last Saturday and everybody was on time, prior Saturday we had a short two hour briefing on Friday night with all the participants and organizers.
On Saturday morning we wondered around in the old part of Manila and I was on hand with advise and shooting techniques, after the morning session we went back to Makati to the facilities of the Word for the World Christian Church where a room was prepared with some 10 iMac units from the Power Mac Center.

© Gunther Deichmann - Exploring Aperture 3 on an iMac...



GD checking photos on his MacBook Pro...



Serious editing in progress with Aperture 3...

Now everybody had a chance to see Aperture 3 in action and we downloaded our morning take from the memory cards.
I may add that one of the participants was using an Nikon Film Camera (FM2) but we had the film processed the images burned on a CD and then imported those into Aperture.

© Gunther Deichmann - Aperture is making it easy
to select your best shot...

After some well needed lunch I gave a short talk about the morning shoot before we hit the road again for the afternoon session at the American Cemetery Memorial Park, this location proved to be a real challenge for all participants.
We returned around 6:00 PM cleared or Memory cards again and closed the event with some certificate, prizes and more talk on Photography and finished by 9:00 PM, it was a very long day indeed.

© Gunther Deichmann - Hmmm...very interesting at the American
Cemetery Memorial Park, Manila - Philippines

Luis Martin Harder a superb Photographer himself was instrumental in organizing this event, oh boy it did need some organizing with some 37 active participants running around in the field. I like to thank also Carlo who worked together with Luis behind the scene and of course Arj Muñoz my partner and friend who led a helping hand.

Almost done...it is getting late and the last few words.

Please forgive me, If I have forgotten to thank someone, I did appreciate all your help too.

I am sure some of the participants will upload some of their images to Facebook and Flickr, I have already uploaded some additional ones direct from Aperture 3 to my Facebook.

Just one more...& the last shot of the day.



© Gunther Deichmann - American Cemetery Memorial,
Manila Philippines. Processed in Aperture 3

God Bless and hope to see you next time at one of my Photo Workshops abroad or in the Philippines.
GD

The Students Work...GD Photo Workshop
Cambodia Sept. 2010



Click on the image above or on this LINK and go to the Students Work Gallery.

Please NOTE you might have to refresh your Browser if you see Photos
from previous students on India in 2010.

Another great Photo Workshop in Cambodia is behind us and I have uploaded all the students work into the Gallery called "The Students Work".
Some amazing Images have been taken and on purpose I ask the participants to choose six of their favorable ones, I didn't do any editing or enhancing.

Editing is part of Photography and sometimes the hardest part in deciding which images to choose out of thousands taken on a trip, there might be others and I have seen some during the workshop which are equally good or even better then the ones represented here.

What I am trying to say is... everybody did a real great Job creating nice images and coped with the hardship I had sometimes lined up for them.

On another note I might mention that my good friend Dirk Fahrenbach our Video Man on this trip, he took some amazing stills with his little waterproof Olympus Point and Shoot Camera, well it gets to show you it's not always in the equipment you use, however I let you be the Judge once you open the Gallery.

BTW (Dirk is from the Dugong Dive Center in Palawan, and we are planing one of the next GD Photo Workshops at Club Paradise soon)

I am also working on a Video from this Photo Workshop for the first time using of course Aperture 3 and mixing in the footage from Dirk's Sony Video Cam, however due to time constraints at the moment this will not be finished for a while, but I keep you posted.

Thanks again to all the participants, Boat Drivers, my friend and Guide Savuth and of course the Heritage Suites Hotel for their excellent service and hospitality.

Click here for Testimonials from the last and previous Photo Workshops -
For Photos behind the scene CLICK this LINK.

Enough words now...instead enjoy the Images from this very cool group.
GD

Our diet in Cambodia…Pad Thai – Happy Chicken Soup and a good
old Hamburger…today’s images are just as colorful, a total mix…
just from what I heard about the Happy Chicken Soup.

© Gunther Deichmann - Don't YOU LOVE YELLOW!!!
Battambang, Cambodia

I am not sure how to start this post today, still a bit worn out from the last Journey through Cambodia including crossing and circumnavigating the Tonle Sap Lake.
Countless images later, taken by the Photo Workshop participants and myself (some real cool ones I might add) during and after the workshop.

© Gunther Deichmann - Floating Village on the Tonle Sap,
about half way from Siem Reap & Battambang

My reason for been behind my Blog posts is very simple…not enough hours in the day even so we had some good internet connections.

Starting almost everyday at around 4:30 AM and getting to bed never before 11PM,
oh no…no party’s? Wishful thinking… instead editing and importing the days take from the CF Cards to Aperture 3 on my 15 inch MacBook Pro.

© Gunther Deichmann - Phnom Sampeou, Monastery Tea Pot.
This is also the place of the notorious Killing Cave
during the time of Pol Pot.

© Gunther Deichmann - moving...Tourist take shelter
during rain in the temples...great Photo opportunity.

Long hours indeed…and in between we had to eat and sleep too, however I admit we had a little fun during our dinner sessions in some weird and sometimes strange places.

© Gunther Deichmann - Sunrise over the Tonle Sap, on the Siem Reap
side and the start of our 12 hour crossing to Battambang.
Of course the HERITAGE SUITES HOTEL had packed us
some very cool Breakfast for this long Journey.

Pad Thai in Siem Reap to the bizarre Happy Chicken Soup at the Smok’n Pot in Battambang or the first Hamburger with French Fries in three weeks at the FCC (Foreign Correspondence Club) in Phnom Penh.

Note: Some more explanation will follow in due time regarding the Happy Chicken Soup Tony, Arj and Dirk had in Battambang. Unfortunately I missed out on this one, I stayed behind at the Hotel with a small stomach problem… however I did hear them later laughing their heads off.

© Gunther Deichmann - a visit to the Tonle Sap during our Photo Workshop,
the strange red flowers cover the water, I presumed due less rain this season the
flowers have not been washed away, a rare site on the Tonle.

It was indeed a long but very rewarding trip, starting with the annual GD Photo Workshop in Siem Reap, and this time it was also recorded on Video by my good buddy Dirk Fahrenbach.

Editing the Video and mixing it later with some still images in Aperture 3 will take time, so for the meantime let’s contend ourselves with some still images.
Another difficult task, what to choose, even Aperture 3 made my job easy, I am done already with my second edit but have a lot more work ahead of me.

© Gunther Deichmann - the stairs leading to the reclining Buddha on
Mt. Kulen, during pouring rain.

Instead going into long history lessons today I decided to post a mix bag of images from the whole trip, photos behind the scene and the selected images from the participants will also follow in due time.

As a matter of interest I might add that about 75% of the time I used only on Camera Body and one lens namely the Nikon D700 with the 24 to 120mm VR lens attached.

In the coming weeks I be putting together some individual articles with photos from all the destinations we visited including background information on archeology, history and culture.

Next month is also going to be extremely busy with local Photo Workshops and my trip to Singapore for the “One Asia” and “Images of Asia” which starts on the 23rd of October.

© Gunther Deichmann - at the oldest Monastery on the Tonle Sap
...the cheeky one.

If you ask me about the weather…well it was fantastic! From tropical rain, amazing cloud formations, the odd Rainbow and a moonrise over the Mekong River, we had just about everything I could wish for.

© Gunther Deichmann - an elderly Khmer getting ready for a bath at
Cambodia's holiest Mt., Phnom Kulen

I just love this time of the year, seldom a boring day, the weather was absolutely perfect, got drenched by tropical rain at times and minutes later rewarded with a Rainbow on the horizon.
Everything was so fresh with an almost unbelievable green in the countryside producing some extreme contrast…just the way I like it.

© Gunther Deichmann - fantastic skies and the road from
Battambang to Phnom Penh



© Gunther Deichmann - early morning in Battambang, Cambodia

More adventure and photos very soon...
GD

The GD Photo Workshops are supported by the Heritage Suites Hotel &
Heritage Adventures, Siem Reap Cambodia

I shall return to this amazing Country and its wonderful People...
Thank you Cambodia!



© Gunther Deichmann - see you again soon...

Finding time has been a real challenge on this trip...well at least for posting articles on my Blog. Long hours everyday starting most days at 4:30 AM and going strong until way after sunset.
Arj and myself arrived back last night in Siem Reap traveling from Phnom Penh by road, the Tonle Sap has now been completely circumnavigated by road and Boat.


The Heritage Suites Hotel welcomed as again with their friendly staff last night, now I have a few minutes to spare editing some images from yesterdays travel in Aperture 3, which performed just fantastic the whole trip. The Library switching came in so handy on this Journey, just so cool.

Due to time constrains I only posted two image today...but there are so many more to follow in the next few weeks weeding through some over 10th images.
I like to take this opportunity again and thank all participants of this years GD PhotoWorkshop in Cambodia and of course to all the staff at the Heritage Suites Hotel for their exceptional service and over the top accommodation.

© Gunther Deichmann - Buddha bless... Pre Rup Temple

I also report in the coming weeks on the extended travel across the Tonle Sap Lake to Battambang and Phnom Penh then back again to Siem Reap.
It was a fantastic trip with spectacular moody skies, people and cruising across the Tonle Sap and right around it...amazing images and tales to follow.

Signing off from the Round Table at the Heritage Suites Hotel...

The GD Photo Workshops are supported by the Heritage Suites Hotel &
Heritage Adventures, Siem Reap Cambodia

GD

Aperture Event at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center

Today I found the time to report quickly from Bangkok Thailand from the Aperture Event at the Art and Culture Center organized by Apple Hong Kong, Thailand and the Fotofile Group Co. (BTW Fotofile is one of the best Photo supply shops in Asia and also carries Mac products and accessories, located at 5B 40 Room 5th floor, MBK Center Patumwan Bangkok)

I arrived at my Hotel late afternoon the day before the event, I open the door to my room...Wow the view out of the window was just amazing with dark storm clouds and the buildings lit with the setting sun. I need to shoot this, even if I am running a bit late for my meeting.

View through the Hotel Window, Bangkok Thailand

This was just to good to miss even my meeting with the Thai Apple Team was in a few minutes...then the phone rang right in the middle while I was trying to capture that last incredible light of the day.
GD... we are waiting for you downstairs at the Lobby...OK., but please give me a few more minutes I need to finish first this shoot...what shoot?

You should come up here and have a look through my window it is just so amazing I replied...Ok take your time...great thanks.
That was my welcome to Bangkok and the first day of my next Journey...

GD during his presentations

The next day was equally cool, with a great attendance at the Art and Culture Center where I was invited as a guest speaker for Aperture. The event was superbly organized by the Apple Thai Team and Fotofile Group Co. in Bangkok, special thanks to all for making me part of this event, I truly enjoyed it.

Sam Leung during his presentation on Aperture 3

Today I keep it very brief, instead let the photos do the talking, tomorrow we are leaving for Cambodia via the Border Town of Poipet need to be in Siem Reap for the start of my yearly Photo Workshop.

Audience during Sam's presentation



GD and Sam Leung from Apple Hong Kong during the Event



A Happy group after the event



The Bangkok Art and Culture Center

An interesting Journey lies ahead of us...but then who is us? My buddy Arj arrived with me in Bangkok the other day and last night no other then my good old Buddy Dirk from the Dugong Dive Center in Palawan joined us.
My next post will be from the Heritage Suites Hotel in Siem Reap our base for the next 10 days where the Journey continuos...oh BTW, thanks to Arj who took all those shots with my little Leica D-Lux 4 during the event, great job buddy.
GD

Just one more...
through the Hyatt Hotel Window in Bangkok.

Travel Photography Asia, the Journey continues...
September & October is going to be very busy with
Events & Photo Workshops in Asia.

A few more days and I am leaving for Bangkok to be part of an Aperture 3 event as a guest speaker. After the event we hit the road traveling from Bangkok to Siem Reap in Cambodia by car.

Arriving for my GD Photo Workshop, which starts on the 12th of September, planed itinerary for the workshop are the amazing ruins of the Angkor empire, the Tonle Sap Lake and of course Phnom Kulen.

Once we have completed our Photo Workshop in Siem Reap I continue with some of the participants to Batambang an amazing Colonial Town near the Tonle Sap. After a few days of exploring and photography in the Batambang area we hit the road again, direction Phnom Penh following the majestic Tonle Sap Lake all the way.

Our Route...

We spend a few more days in Phnom Penh before some of us fly out, but I continue with my buddy Arj for Siem Reap again by car on the other side of the Tonle Sap before leaving Cambodia and back to Manila.
(see the road map on this post)

© Gunther Deichmann - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

That's it for September; October is going to be equally busy if not more, preparing for a local Photo Workshop organized by my good friend Luis Martin Harder with support from the Power Mac Center for the 8th and 9th of the month with some 30 plus participants over two days.
(more info and a special post on this later)

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

www.OneAsiaFest.com & Images of Asia – 23 to 24 Oct 2010

After that a visit to Singapore for the One Asia Festival – Images of Asia a fantastic event organized by Asian Geographic Magazine with guest speakers, workshops and event judges like Steve McCurry, Michael Yamashita, James Whitlow Delano, Gunther Deichmann, Tay Kay Chin & David Tay and others.
More detailed info very soon.

At the end of the month (29 to the 1st of November) a 4 day Photo Workshop in Palawan organized and co sponsored by Power Mac Center and Club Paradise in Palawan exploring and photographing nature but at the same time understanding the essentials after the shoot.
For more details and bookings please contact the Power Mac Center.

Now I have to pack my Bags and get ready for the road less traveled in Cambodia, please forgive me if my post’s will be a bit thin in the next few weeks. But whenever I get the chance I report from my locations, starting in Bangkok next week, so please stay tuned.

The GD Photo Workshops are supported by the Heritage Suites Hotel &
Heritage Adventures, Siem Reap Cambodia

My special thanks to the Heritage Suites Hotel and Heritage Adventures, for the superb accommodation and service in Siem Reap, our Base again for the GD Photo Workshops in Cambodia.
Thanks also to Shroff International Travel for my always complicated travel & airline arrangements.
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

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

Aperture 3 tip...

The nice thing about Aperture 3 interface is that you have at full screen no clutter or obstruction, viewing your Photos at full screen mode made easy. All panels are floating and they can be called up any time and moved around freely. But if you need even more space and your Info/Adjustment panels gets in the way, then try this:

Click with your cursor on the adjustment you like to make and hold down the shift key the adjustment panel disappears showing you only the slider you're working with at the time. This is very useful if the Adjustment panels gets in the way and you like to view your images at its fullest, it is really that simple.
GD

Showing the floating adjustments panel



After holding down the shift key only the slider is shown,
see red square.

During and in between flights...


Natural light coming from the aircraft window

I am on my way home but still have a few more hours to go, my stop over in Singapore is quiet long so I decided to do an edit in Aperture 3 using Photos from my quick trip to the USA.
All Photos are taken at various airports and inside the aircraft from Manila to Hong Kong, San Francisco, Korea and back to Singapore where I am posting this blog at 4:54 AM, my next flight to Manila is not until 9:00 AM.

Using only available light

Within the next few days and after I catch up with a good sleep I post some cool new Aperture 3 tips but please give me a few days rest first.

See below a Photo Kaleidoscope from all my stops and from inside the aircraft... killing time and taken photos what ever took my fancy, wondering around between Gates, waiting for the next connection using only the iPhone and my little Leica D-Lux 4.

Now I am going to have some early breakfast and wait for my final connection back home.
GD

Mystical Asia QT 2:51min. - Best viewed in Safari Browser
File size: Approx. 18MB - DSL Broadband connection recommended.

I have been flood out the past few days with Photography and Aperture 3 workshops at the Power Mac Center at Greenbelt 3 Makati. Tomorrow I have another session the whole day at the University of the Philippines Diliman sponsored by Power Mac Center Educational Division, all this prior my departure for the US on Tuesday.

But I promised on my last post that I share with you yet another cool Multimedia Demo/Presentation and here it is, "Mystical Asia" a 2.56 min. QT file, using Photos from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Burma (Myanmar) Nepal and Tibet.

I finished this demo only a few days ago, amazing stuff you can create using a MacBook Pro and of course the cool Aperture 3 slideshow with GarageBand and my new "Girlfriend called Motion" from Final Cut Studio.

Endless possibilities...with a touch of Motion your Multimedia demos or presentations can look so different and really come alive.
Now sit back and enjoy "Mystical Asia".

Please note the video is best viewed using your Safari Browser we experienced recently that in Firefox some script codes appear underneath the QT window, the video will still play correctly but it looks a bit strange.
Hopefully this issue is disappear soon.

GD

Cambodia & beyond...last call for reservations

We are getting very close to our final bookings for our GD PhotoWorkshop in Cambodia from the 12 to 18th of September 2010, we have only 3 more spaces available and our bookings will close by July 25th.
For more info please go to:
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/gdphotoworkshop/page1/calendar.html

A complete Course outline is available up on request, please email me and I send you the PDF file, thank you.
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/contact/contact.php
GD

Mystical Cambodia is a Journey into the past...created for my GD Photo Workshops and my love for Cambodia.
Produced with Aperture 3, Motion from Final Cut Studio and GarageBand. The short Video clip at the end was taken with a Nikon D300s long after sunset with very little light left. I created the soundtrack for this project entirely in GarageBand which took about 20 min.
You might noticed that I am using Aperture 3 slideshows with Motion lately, it is just an awesome combination for Multimedia presentations, tutorials or just for fun.

For info on my GD Photo Workshops please click this LINK

Also on: Vimeo & YouTube

GD

Tips, tricks & techniques...
getting more out of your Mac.


My Road set up... 15 inch MacBook Pro i7, 800 fire wire
card reader and two Lacie Rugged hard drives with a triple interface.

In recent months I have seen quiet a few newcomers to Mac or as we like to call them “Switchers” they moved from PC to MAC.
For those who are new to Mac and I am sure for some long time users as well, I like to share some simple shortcuts today making your work on a Mac even more enjoyable.

OK. lets start with Apple’s Snow Leopard 10.6.4

Sharing articles from your Safari Web Browser made easy

Did you know when you're browsing the web in Safari and found an article you like to share with friends or business partners that with a simple click you can send the page without copy and paste via e-mail?
Once in Safari just press Apple (Command Key) and the letter “I” instantly Mail will open up and the article is right there, add the e-mail address and you’re done. Very slick if you like to share articles without copy and paste. (Screenshot below)

Safari & Mail shortcut for sharing articles

The easy way in using Quick Look

I guess most of us know the slick “Quick Look” function on Snow Leopard by highlighting the document or photo icon on your desk top or files located in folders by clicking the right mouse button or going to File and activate Quick Look.
However there is a much faster and slicker way of doing exactly that.

Quick Look, highlighted only one Icon
Note: The Icon for sending your photos direct to your iPhoto Library
add to iPhoto is just above the arrow Icon for Full screen


Highlighted multiple Desk Top Icons, then open in Quick Look

Just highlight the document or what ever you like to look at and press "Spacebar" Wow... so much faster and efficient, I use it a lot for a Quick Look at photos, pdf files with multiple pages or other documents. You can even select multiple photos and within seconds you find what you're looking for, instead open the software which can take time e.g. open Word can take up to 15 seconds depending on the speed of your Machine. This one is a real time saver!

Very useful for screenshots, finding the right one quick, also great for locating Videos or photos you might have uploaded on your desk top and of course reading documents in full screen without open the software is just so much more fun.
There is even an Icon for sending your photos direct to your iPhoto Library.

A Quick look at your Videos

Don't be shy give it a test drive and play around a bit... you find endless possibilities and remember next time you’re looking for this elusive photo, video, document or like to read your pdf pages in full screen, just highlight the Icon press "SPACEBAR" without open the software.

A cool way moving selected Photos from
iPhoto (iLife '09) to your Aperture 3 Library.

Mac is all about drag and drop…very simple and efficient; say you decided to move from iPhoto to Aperture 3 and like to move “not all” but some of your important Photos to the Aperture Library.
Open Aperture 3 go to Import and select in the panel show iPhoto Browser click and your iPhoto Browser will open. Then highlight the photo or multiple ones and drag them into your Aperture 3 Library, (see screenshots) Aperture creates automatically a new Project, the only thing left to do, name the Project…and you're done.

Aperture 3 and Import panel open showing the iPhoto Browser bar.

Aperture 3 behind the open iPhoto Browser panel, it is here where
you select your photos and drag them into your Aperture 3 Library

In this exercise I have selected the Marine Images from my iPhoto Library, see screenshots.
Now you have your selected Photos in your Aperture Library…it is really that simple, very fast, efficient and so integrated.

Underwater Photos from my iPhoto library have now been moved to
my Aperture 3 library, at the same time Aperture created a new Project.

Of course you can also import your whole iPhoto Library if you chose to do so, in my workflow I use iPhoto for private photographs and my low res. images for the Web, using Aperture 3 for my pro and heavy workload.
Utilizing the full integration on the Mac can be so much fun, but it's also faster and more efficient.
GD

The GD Photo Workshops in Asia...
confirmed dates for Sept. & Oct.
Cambodia, Nepal & Philippines.



© Gunther Deichmann - discover the
undiscovered in Cambodia

You find we go beyond the normal tourist locations, experience adventure with a touch of luxury in some of the best destinations in Asia. Discover the undiscovered with your digital camera.
Gunther has many years of experience in Cambodia and Nepal, you explore places seldom visit by others.

Understand light and composition, meet new people and immerse yourself in new cultures, getting the shot right in the first place is the main objective in these workshops. Learn how to see with your eyes and using the camera only as a tool to capture the ultimate image. Photoshop manipulation is not on the agenda.

At the same time master the after the shoot workflow, critique, tips, tricks and techniques, plus securing your Photos with the implementation of a complete back up system during our classroom sessions at the Hotel.

The workshops are for advanced amateurs who want to gain insight into how to make better photographs for editorial, stock sales or for personal satisfaction. A digital SLR camera capable of capturing RAW images is required. Students are encouraged to bring their own laptop.

Students will work in digital formats and for those with experience on Mac Computers Gunther will guide you through the understanding of Aperture. (including the latest version 3.0.3) He will also teach basic editing skills in Photoshop. Gunther is a certified Apple Pro Trainer for Aperture and has years of hands on knowledge using Photoshop as a photography tool.

For more info go to:

GD Photo Workshops

Cambodia, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh
PHOTO WORKSHOP in September 12 - 18, 2010
Final bookings must be made by latest 19th of July


PACKAGE PRICE: US $1,795.00 (airfare not included) for more details please email us at gdeichmann@mac.com

The price is inclusive of the following:

• 7 days and 6 nights stay inclusive of accommodation bed and breakfast at a 5star Boutique Hotel (Siem Reap)

• Ground transportation and guides including visit to the Tonle Sap lake

• Bottled water will be provided throughout the excursions.

• Heritage site permit fees.

• (only 4 more slots available)

Full details and outline of course will be send to you upon request.
Please Note: If you like to take part of the Phnom Penh extension additional fees are applicable, this is in addition to our Siem Reap 7 day Workshop and a great opportunity for those who like to add some extra days and explore/discover Phnom Penh and surrounding areas. Pls. send us an email for more information for the Phnom Penh extension.

7 days Angkor Wat and beyond...explore and discover the hidden Khmer treasures, please book this workshop early it is our most popular one.
Read what students had to say from our previous Photo Workshops in Cambodia & India.

© Gunther Deichmann - ancient Temples
& ritual Cambodia


© Gunther Deichmann - Siem Reap Cambodia

October 14 - 21, 2010 Bookings close by 9th of August.
Only 4 spaces remaining! 
Nepal, Kathmandu
A 7 day Journey into Nepal, final itinerary yet to be finalized, please stay tuned for more info very soon. Shortly we announce the price and upon request we provide you with a detailed Itinerary and Course outline.

© Gunther Deichmann - Sadhu Nepal

© Gunther Deichmann - Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal

Oct. 29 -Nov01, 2010 Bookings close by 31st of August.
PHOTOGRAPHY LESSONS IN PALAWAN: Learn from the Pro. in cooperation with Power Mac Center Manila Philippines.
Four days of fun and learning travel photography..exploring nature's beauty in Palawan
Target: Amateurs and semi-pro (max 8 participants) please book this one early. Peso 12,000 (does not include Hotel and accommodation charges yet)
Philippines only! Course outline soon to be announced.
For registration: workshops@powermaccenter.com

© Gunther Deichmann -perfect camouflaged Monitor Lizard
cooling of in the lagoon on Dimakya Island Palawan, Philippines



© Gunther Deichmann - Flying Fox, - Fruit Bats
on Dimakya Island Palawan, Philippines

Hope to see you on one of our GD Photo Workshops,
GD

Aperture 3 essentials & basic Photography,
using your camera and understanding the
work-flow after the shoot.

July 23-25

Doing it right from the start and avoiding problems later, using your camera and Aperture 3 is really not that complicated.
Switching from iPhoto to Aperture 3 the easy way, organizing all your photos the correct way, create Aperture 3 slideshows, import and edit video (movies) in Aperture 3.
Correct your photos the professional way without the use of Photoshop, export your photos to Facebook with a click of the button...plus tips, tricks and techniques on photography.
This course is for amateurs and semi pros.

Course fee: Peso 8,500.00 per participant for 3 days
1 to 4 PM except on the last day there is an additional 1 hour (1 to 5 PM)

For details: www.powermaccenter.com

For registration: workshops@powermaccenter.com

See a basic course outline below:

Day 1. Short introduction and presentation on basic photography
3:00 hours.
Lecture on your camera and problems you’re facing
How to use your equipment and make the most out off it, hands on and learning the basics.
E.g. basic operation of your camera the a-b-c. tips and tricks.
Short walk around Greenbelt 3 with GD using your camera in the field.
Setting up your computer for Photography and uploading images.
A. The first upload to the computer using Aperture 3 or iPhoto ’09
Basic lessons on digital photography.
Q&A

Day 2.
3 hours
Another short walk in Greenbelt with GD implementing the lessons from day one.
Hands on and advise including some critique after the shoot and upload of images.
B. The digital workflow after the shoot, Aperture 3 or iPhoto more advanced training,
plus backing up your images the correct way.
Q&A

Day 3.
4 hours
Final lessons learned and discussion, plus more tips, tricks and techniques from GD on Photography.
Participants go out alone for about 30 minutes and shoot some simple assignments given by GD.
After they return evaluation and lessons learned, final editing and fine-tuning with Aperture 3 or iPhoto.
What to do with your photos after the final shoot and edit;
integration on the Mac e.g. creating slideshows, presentations with iWork etc,.
Q&A

Soccer fever in Manila, Philippines?

© Gunther Deichmann - from the car window, street vendor
selling soccer balls near Makati. Leica D-Lux 4

Today on my way to Makati this happy street vendor came up to my Taxi window trying to sell me a soccer ball, I can't recall seen a street vendor selling soccer balls. Must be connected to all the action in South Africa at the World Cup.
GD

Manila Day... & Fireworks over Manila Bay..

A quick shot with my small Leica D-Lux 4 from my window,
then into Aperture 3 and it was done, about 5 min. ago.

A little spring-clean the other day revealed an old treasure from some 24 years ago.
Securely tucked away I spotted this old Calendar, which I produced many moons ago for the Northern Territory Tourist Commission in Australia. (the Calendar was a bit creased and crinkled but ok otherwise)
Wow …memories starting to buzz in my head… oh boy, do I remember this one!

24 years later…technology brings an old project back to life; sometimes it is nice to go back in time.
“This is like a 25 year anniversary for me since the project started in 1985.”

To cut a long story short we did some reproduction of this long forgotten marvel and after some cropping and adjusting the pages were ready for an update.

I used Aperture 3.0.3 for the editing and the final slide show, Motion from Final Cut Studio for the intro, and the Soundtrack I created again in GarageBand.

In the good old days we had no computers, everything was shot on Kodachrome 25 ASA with the exception of the moon, and in two other layouts I added the clouds manually via duplicating the film, adding the elements.

All Photos taken on locations in the Northern Territory of Australia…with some places extremely remote and difficult to reach.

At Ayers Rock we used an old fashion pushbike that we had repainted and restored, at the Olga’s the parachute setup looked simple, but the Girl almost drifted away as the wind picked up.

On the first day at Rainbow Valley the Camels didn’t arrive on time, so we had to come back the next day and get the Job done. The dresses for the girls (BTW Identical Twins) in this shot had been specially designed and tailored for this setup.

Devils Marbles…setting up a Hang Glider on these two Rocks proved to be dangerous and a real challenge, crossing our fingers that no wind gust blowing the hang glider of the rocks including our model. To top it off, the ladders we used to get everything on top of these two balancing rocks where about 2 feet to short; solving these problems on location can be quiet a challenge in the outback miles from nowhere.

Then to Palm Valley… the track to Palm Valley is only accessible with a 4WD vehicle, following the usually dry bed of the Finke River. Within the Finke Gorge National Park, is an east-west running valley in the Krichauff Range 123 km (138 km by road) southwest of Alice Springs.

Kings Canyon… a tough climb and a long walk, Kings Canyon is part of the Watarrka National Park in Northern Territory, Australia. Sitting at the western end of the George Gill Range, it is 323 km southwest of Alice Springs and 1,316 km south of Darwin.

Kakadu National Park… getting the Girls into the Kayak at Yellow Waters proved to be exciting but also very stressful, there are plenty of very large Saltwater Crocodiles around. My assistant kept a lookout with binoculars just in case, of course we had a larger boat right next to the Kayak where I was shooting.
BTW…the original color of the Kayak was white, I had it re-painted in red just for this shot.

Another cool location was Katherine Gorge, walking for hours to get to the 7th Gorge. Katherine Gorge is not just one spectacular Gorge but a series of 13 gorges along the Katherine River.

At Fog Dam we transported a complete dinning set into the swamp, another extreme, timing was of the essence here. I also flew in an Aboriginal friend of mine from the island of Bathurst just of the coast of Darwin, and the fish for dinner…that is another story.

The Gove Peninsula was some how difficult, far away at the top end of the Northern Territory, but luck was on our side. A Coast Guard Plane was parked at the airport so
I ask the pilot if he could do a few fly over for us…. which he did.

At the Arnhem Land Escarpment and Twin Falls we used Helicopters due to their remoteness. Getting into the Twin falls proved even difficult by Chopper, bringing the Crew down one by one.

More or less that was it…of course I had a small but very efficient crew; all the Girls locals from the Northern Territory were absolutely great and comfortable in the Australian Outback. Shooting over four-month off and on, covering some enormous distances.

These were the days of film…no computers existed with Photoshop, but then that was the challenge…would I do it again? Of course… any time.
GD

Also on:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TIMEJOURNEY#p/a/u/0/iMIjYGN4OcU

Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/guntherdeichmann

The latest Software update 10.6.4 includes a fix and resolve an issue editing
photos with iPhoto or Aperture 3 in full screen view.

Make sure you have a good connection this one is very big some 641.1 MB

The 10.6.4 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard. It includes Safari 5 and general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including fixes that:

• resolve an issue that causes the keyboard or trackpad to become unresponsive
• resolve an issue that may prevent some Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications from opening
• address issues copying, renaming, or deleting files on SMB file servers
• improve reliability of VPN connections
• resolve a playback issue in DVD Player when using Good Quality deinterlacing
• resolve an issue editing photos with iPhoto or Aperture in full screen view
• improve compatibility with some braille displays

Part 2...endemic wildlife has its home on
Dimakya Island, Palawan Philippines

© Gunther Deichmann - at sunset Fruit Bats from the
second colony take off into the sky.

The endemic wildlife of Palawan is just so amazing…and you don’t have to venture very far to encounter Birds, Anteaters, Porcupines, Deer, Lizards and Turtles you just need a little patience “walk and talk” quietly and you find them on Dimakya Island
Home of Club Paradise.
Note: All images have been processed using Aperture 3 using only RAW file image adjustments and cropping.
No manipulation in Photoshop.

© Gunther Deichmann - my home for four days...Club Paradise,
Palawan Philippines

We all know that the diving is just so amazing in this area, from shipwrecks to an unspoiled immaculate house reef right in front of your cottages. Where Turtles roam and Dugongs feed on the adjourning sea grass beds not to mention all those critters and tropical fish on the reef. A paradise for underwater Photographers.

However as mention before in Part 1, on my recent trip to Palawan I concentrated on the wildlife above the waves where another paradise was waiting for me…

© Gunther Deichmann - The Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis), also known as the Plain-throated Sunbird, is a species of bird in the Nectariniidae family. It is found in a wide range of semi-open habitats in south-east Asia, ranging from Myanmar to the Lesser Sundas and west Philippines

My second and third day on the island was blessed with encounters of Herons, Pigeons, Calamine Deer and of course the ever presence of Flying foxes — or Fruit Bats, but this time from a different colony at the other end of the island. (see the photo above)

© Gunther Deichmann - luck was on my side when I wondered through the Resort, when I spotted these Herons right next to one of the Buildings. Entertaining me for a few moments before they took off in the undergrowth.

Rufous Night-Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus). The Rufous Night-Heron hunts for food during night time. They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, and small mammals. They live near bodies of water such as rivers, streams, marshes, seas and lagoons. They fly at dusk to their feeding ground producing a "kwok" sound.
Rufous Night-Heron can be easily identified if it's young or mature because of its distinct color. The juvenile changes its color from spotted and streaked brown into plain brown with a black cap on top of its head when it becomes an adult.

© Gunther Deichmann - I spotted this CALAMIAN DEER close to the natural lagoon Dimakya Island on my second day, just a minute stroll from my cottage.

CALAMIAN DEER (Axis calamianesis). The Calamian Deer is also known as the "hog deer". The name "hog deer" arises from its habit of crashing through the undergrowth with its head down like a pig, rather than leaping over obstacles as other deer do. Hog deer are heavy-set and compact, standing only about 28" high at the shoulder.

Calamian Deer is an endemic species restricted in the Palawan Faunal Region and is considered endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). They are found in the Calamianes Islands, Northern Palawan. Axis deer in general take readily to water and are said to be good swimmers. They are predominantly grazers, and they eat also fallen flowers and fruits of forest trees.

Of course my stay was way to short to capture all the endemic species like the Scaly Anteater or Pangolin, some of the Owls (I certainly heard them at night) and many other Bird species. I guess I have to make another trip and catch up with some of the other animals that have eluded me on this visit.

I also traveled to Calauit the famous Island with its African introduced species, but my report from this part of Palawan has to wait a bit, lets just concentrate on some of the Philippine endemic wildlife first.

© Gunther Deichmann - this photograph was taken on Calauit Island during my recent visit to Palawan. Deforestation has greatly reduced its numbers and the Philippine Bearcat is on the endangered species list

The Binturong (Arctictis binturong), also known as the Asian Bearcat, the Palawan Bearcat, or simply the Bearcat, is a species of the family Viverridae, which includes the civets and genets.
It is the only member of its genus. The binturong is neither a bear nor a cat, and the real meaning of the original name has been lost, as the local language that gave it that name is now extinct. Its natural habitat is in trees of forest canopy in rainforest.

It is nocturnal and sleeps on branches. It eats primarily fruit, but also has been known to eat eggs, shoots, leaves, and small animals, such as rodents or birds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binturong

© Gunther Deichmann - photo of Palawan Porcupine was taken on Calauit Island during my recent visit to Palawan.

The Philippine Porcupine (Hystrix pumila), or the Indonesian Porcupine or the Palawan Porcupine, is a species of rodent in the Hystricidae family (Old World porcupines). It is endemic to the island of Palawan in the Philippines. Common Name: PALAWAN PORCUPINE Scientific Name: Hystrix pumila Local Name: Durian / Landak
Conservation Status: Apparently stable, but these species are reported to be persecuted by farmers as pests in coconut plantations.A locally common to uncommon species found in primary and secondary forest in the mountains and in the lowlands.

This species also prefer caves, but are commonly found under tree buttresses or in rock crevices.It is an endemic species restricted in the Palawan Faunal Region. It has been recorded in the islands of Busuanga, Calauit, Coron, and on the Mainland at the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and the forested areas of El Nido.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Porcupine

For the 3rd part I share with you some of the cool cloud formations, sunrise & sunsets that occur this time of the year…the onset of the monsoon and my favorite travel time, so please stay tuned for Part 3.

Just one more...
jumping with joy in Paradise.



© Gunther Deichmann - Club Paradise,
Palawan Philippines


Please Note: A Photo Workshop in Paradise - Oct 29-Nov 1

PHOTOGRAPHY LESSONS IN PALAWAN: Learn from the Pro. in conjunction with the Power Mac Center
Four days of fun and learning travel photography..exploring nature's beauty in Palawan
Amateurs and semi-pro (max 8 participants) please book this one early.
For more info pls. contact:

Email: 
workshops@powermaccenter.com
tutorial@powermaccenter.com

2/L Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center Paseo de Roxas Avenue, Makati City, Philippines 
Tel: 7297087
3/L TriNoma, Edsa cor North Ave. Quezon City
Tel: 9013981

For other Workshops in 2010 plus Cambodia and Nepal please go to:
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/gdphotoworkshop/page1/calendar.html

Power Mac Center Redefined...
Party Time in Greenbelt 3 Makati

Open for Business again...but so redefined... the awesome newly renovated Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3 Makati Manila Philippines.

Philippine All-Stars @ Power Mac Center
Greenbelt 3 Makati, Manila

It all started on Thursday the 27th of May 2010, after undergoing some major renovation the past few months PMC open its doors again with a big Bang, attended by celebrities, personalities and Press it was certainly a party to remember not to mention the great food and drinks.
Apple representatives from Singapore attended plus some "Super Heros" where walking the floor. Well, that was day one...the celebration continuous with yesterdays appearance of the famous Philippine All-Stars cool music and lots of fun.
If you need a new Mac, iPod Touch or what ever your heart desires drop in to this truly amazing...awesome new PMC and avail of up to 15% discount which is still available until Sunday. My good friend Luis Harder and Photographer did just that yesterday, walking out of the door with a new iPod Touch for his wife and a cool iMac for his office.
But there is so much more...ongoing Tutorial for GarageBand, Aperture 3 and other Apple applications check out the schedules and dates at PMC.

A cool new Classroom... and the nice redefined 1 on 1 tutorial room are now open...as a matter of fact we have an Aperture 3 Introduction on Sunday the 30th from 6 to...? Lets see, we might just make this one a bit longer, please drop by and join me and find out what Aperture 3 is all about. http://powermaccenter.com/services/training/learning_series

Todays Photos are from the last few days...however I am working on a nice fast slideshow from the event as well and we post this one later, of course it will be created using Aperture 3 and GarageBand, so please stay tuned.

Congratulations to the Staff and Management of the Power Mac Center not only for providing Manila with such a great store but for a super event.
The PMC is certainly redefined!
http://powermaccenter.com/stores
GD

Tags: Philippine All-Stars, Power Mac Center, Makati Manila, Apple Premium Reseller

Aperture 3 Slide show including Motion from
Final Cut Studio & GarageBand.

Incorporating Motion from Final Cut Studio into an Aperture 3 Slide Show is giving us some cool possibilities. I created the Motion Clips with Motion which is part of Final Cut Studio, very nice as an intro and finish for your Aperture Slide shows.
The sound (2 separate tracks) I previously created in GarageBand and had them in my iTunes Library.

Like with everything else on a Mac a perfect integration, when open Motion I had access to all my Photos in my Aperture 3.0.3 Library and could have also used my soundtracks, but in this exercise I added the sound later in Aperture 3.0.3

It was real fun messing around with Motion and creating this short demo, with endless possibilities at your fingertips you can produce a nice and cool looking Multi Media show using Aperture 3, Motion and GarageBand.
GD

Tags: Motion, , Multi Media, Final Cut Pro, Demo, Cambodia, Nepal , Lacie Hard Drives, Photo Workshops, Slide show, Photoshelter, MacBook Pro i7, TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY, Aperture 3.0.3, Movie , Final Cut Studio, Core i7

Photographs - Nepal...
Travel through Culture & Time

Wow it is done…just finished uploading the latest images (high resolution) from Nepal from my recent trip in Feb/March 2010.
Due to other commitments Nepal got a bit delayed, the latest Photos from India have been on my PhotoShelter Archives for some time.

© Gunther Deichmann - Sadhu Kathmandu Nepal Feb./March 2010



© Gunther Deichmann - Sadhus Chest, Kathmandu
Nepal Feb./March 2010

Nepal: Amazing – bizarre – colorful – and ever so strange, but at the same time very beautiful. Check out the selected Images in my PhotoShelter Gallery, of course there are a many more in the archives if you can’t find what you’re looking for in the Gallery just type in the Search box.

© Gunther Deichmann - Kopan Monastery Kathmandu
Nepal Feb./March 2010

© Gunther Deichmann - Kopan Monastery Kathmandu
Nepal Feb./March 2010

Animal Sacrifice – Fossils – People - Buddhist Temples & Monasteries – Monks – Cremations - Hindu Ceremonies & the ever so strange Sadhus from Kathmandu in Nepal “A true Journey through Color, Culture & Time.”
Click this LINK or the Photos and go direct to the latest from Nepal.

© Gunther Deichmann - Hmmm what is the Riot Police doing at
my doorstep?"Little Tibet" Kathmandu Nepal Feb./March 2010



© Gunther Deichmann - Red and Yellow Kathmandu Valley
Nepal Feb./March 2010

Non of the photographs have been manipulated, all photos have been processed using a MacBook Pro i7 and Aperture 3.0.3
The Photos on this Blog post are only a small taste what is stored in my PhotoShelter Archives and Galleries.
GD

Just one more... and then there was light.

© Gunther Deichmann - amazing Sun-rays lasting only a few minutes and then the light
was gone, from the top of the Monkey Temple Kathmandu, Nepal Feb./March 2010

PhotoShelter LINK

Energy Saver Panel

I unchecked also the Automatic Graphics switching (just for this exercise) in the System preference (Energy Saver).
Extreme circumstances…and most of the time we’re not going to push it so hard, but at least I know how long I can work before looking for a power outlet when I am in a tricky situation.
Please note: I can’t be held responsible for the information above, they are based on my own personal tests results and might vary on other units or under different conditions.

Aperture 3.0.3 Tip: Previews...

If you don’t see some of your Previews in the Aperture Browser (black frame) or you have the feeling they playing up…don’t panic just perform this simple exercise:

Move your cursor on the black image field…click the right mouse button on the appearing menu scroll down to Rebuild Previews and click here. (marked with red)
However if the next menu tells you (screenshot) that the previews are already up-to-date just perform the next step and all your missing previews will be back on the screen.

“The preview for the selected item is already up-to-date. To force it to be re-rendered, hold down the option key when choosing this menu item.”
GD

Aperture 3.0.3 & the New MacBook Pro Core i7


© Gunther Deichmann - speed & motion, wild Horses
Northern Territory - Australia

I didn't use any speed test tools but my first impression running Aperture 3 on the new 15 inch MacBook Pro i7 are very good. A very nice performance increase from my previous 2.66 MBP.

We all know Aperture 3.0.3 likes power, this new Machine gives you certainly that extra performance without any doubt... I noticed big improvements during Import and Export in particular the speed increase when changing your Browser View or going up to full screen.

I really pushed it a bit the other day as I kept on toggling back and forth bringing in new Raw Photos on the screen…instantly they kept flashing in front of me.
Going from full screen to 100% Zoom is also extremely fast now, plus working with Brushes and other adjustments tools has improved dramatically.
Switching between Libraries is defiantly much faster there is almost no more waiting time.Very noticeable is also the speed increase when Aperture 3 updates the Library and Previews usually during exiting the software.

It is still too early for my final verdict but from what I have experienced up to now is already very impressive.
The other cool thing I have a lot more space on my hard drive now (comes with a 500Gig drive) great when you don’t like to carry all your external drives with you. 90% of the time I store all my Photos as reference files on external hard drives, but it is nice to know you have this extra space in times when you need it most.

As a matter of fact, a good friend of mine was so impressed that he went out yesterday to buy the new MacBook Pro i7…a hard-core PC user until now, he made the switch from his old PC to a Mac.
Please Note: If you migrating your system from your old Mac to the New one, have your Aperture 3 license handy you will be asked to enter it upon launching the software.
Other than that everything is just so much faster.

I post additional information once I have used the MacBook Pro i7 in the field and completed some more serious editing.
GD

The New MacBook Pro i7 & i5 15 & the 17 inch models are available at all Power Mac Centers in Manila.

Contact:
http://www.powermaccenter.com/index2.php
Email: info@powermaccenter.com

Please stay tuned also for the announcement of the Grand re-opening of the Power Mac Center in Makati Greenbelt 3, an amazing super cool shop that has undergone complete renovation these past few weeks.

2010 © Gunther Deichmann - Journey Through Culture & Time -
Aperture 3 slideshow 2:19 min. Also on YouTube and Vimeo.
Pls. Note: Color might vary at different Screens.

I had a little time on my hands today plus I was in the right mood...so I created this short Slide show presentation in Aperture 3.0.3 using a Video Clip which I had prepared previously and using three different soundtracks.

Everything worked flawless and I encountered no problems at all...as a matter of fact it was pretty straight forward and easy.
I like the Share or Export options in Aperture 3, you can send it almost anywhere never leaving Aperture 3, this is only a short clip but the possibilities are there.

I created the sound tracks (3 different ones) in GarageBand some time ago and had them handy in my iTunes Library.
The Globe at the beginning of the slide show (Movie .mov) I made last week, the original lengths had been some 2.5 minutes. I just dragged the .mov file into my slideshow trimmed it down with the Movie setting in Aperture 3 to approx. 37 sec.added text, images and the three soundtracks...then hit Export and I was done.

This coming week (on Friday the 7th) we have an Aperture 3 launch at the Power Mac Center in TriNoma where you can see the same presentation in high resolution on a large screen. There will also be an introduction to Aperture 3 Q & A plus Raffle & cocktails.
For more information please contact the Power Mac Center @ info@powermaccenter.com
Tel: 470 1917 - 18

May 7 at Power Mac Center TriNoma

Aperture 3 Launch with Talk and Q&A with GD

Program:
6:30 pm Registration
7:30 pm Start of Talk and Q&A
      (Snacks to be served to all participants)
9:00 pm Software tryout with Melvin Tosino and Mark Agarin at 1 on 1 Tutorial Room
       Raffle

GD

Apple Aperture 3 Users...This is the 3rd update since its release.

Aperture 3.0.3: Release notes & also interesting guidelines for upgrading your Aperture library read more and get all the details @ http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2518

Amazing, awesome, colorful and very chaotic
Varanasi…India’s oldest city.
"A True Journey Through Color & Time."

© Gunther Deichmann - performance of Ganges Aarti in the early
evenings at the Riverbank on the Ganges,Varanasi, India 2010

© Gunther Deichmann - Ganges Aarti Ceremony in the early
evenings, Varanasi, India 2010

The last Photos from my recent trip to India are now residing in my PhotoShelter Archives, well… almost all, I am still working my way through the Nepal Photographs. Hopefully I am done with them shortly too, but India is done, thanks to Aperture 3 and a patient wife who let me work without interruption these past few weeks so I can finish my editing.

© Gunther Deichmann - there is a lot of Laundry today...
at the Ganges Riverbank, Varanasi, India 2010

Varanasi also commonly known as Benares or Banaras is a city situated on the banks of the River Ganges in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, regarded as holy by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and probably the oldest of India.

© Gunther Deichmann - hanging the Laundry...
Ganges River Varanasi, India 2010

© Gunther Deichmann - I just love those colors...
Varanasi, India 2010

Varanasi is one of the holiest places in Buddhism too, being one of the four pilgrimage sites said to have been designated by Gautama Buddha himself (the others being Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Lumbini). In the residential neighborhood of Varanasi lies Sarnath, the site of the deer park where Gautama Buddha is said to have given his first sermon about the basic principles of Buddhism.

© Gunther Deichmann - sunrise over the River Ganges
Varanasi, India 2010

© Gunther Deichmann - worshippers bathing in the sacred waters
of the Ganges River, Varanasi, India 2010

Watching the sunrise over the mighty Ganges River and observing the numerous rituals along the riverbank is mesmerizing, where hundreds of worshippers can be seen bathing in the sacred waters. The riverbanks are lined with a chain of stone steps called Ghats, stretching from one end of the city to the other. Ghats are part of the religious landscape of this city.

From Varanasi we traveled by road to Lumbini in Nepal (Buddha’s Birth Place) and then continued to Kathmandu, a fantastic Journey through Culture and Landscapes.
As mention above the Photos from Nepal will be shortly available too in PhotoShelter, another week and I am done with the editing. To view all the photos from Varanasi and others from my recent trip to India please go to my PhotoShelter Gallery & click this LINK.
GD

Just two more...photos from the car window...
along the road from Varanasi to Lumbini in
Nepal, the Birth place of Lord Buddha.

© Gunther Deichmann - Rural area near Varanasi, India 2010



© Gunther Deichmann - waiting for local transport in a
small rural town between Lumbini (Nepal) & Varanasi, India 2010

My PhotoShelter Archives & Galleries: http://www.photoshelter.com/c/gdeichmann


See below excepts from Wikipedia on the Ganges Arati Ceremony in Varanasi.

The purpose of performing arati is the waving of lighted wicks before the deities in a spirit of humility and gratitude, wherein faithful followers become immersed in God's divine form. It symbolises the five elements: 1) space (akash), 2) wind (vayu), 3) light (tej), 4) water (jal), and 5) earth (pruthvi). Communal Aarti is performed in the mandir; however, devotees also perform it in their homes.
To witness the performance of Ganges Aarti in the early evenings is almost a must, provided you can handle the immense crowd of people.
Hindu devotees performing the "Puja" with lighted lamps. The view is very mesmerizing and the ambience is spectacular in the backdrop of the beating of cymbals and bells as well as the incessant chantings. "
Aarti (from the Sanskrit term Aradhana) is a Hindu ritual, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. Aartis also refer to the songs sung in praise of the deity, when offering of lamps is being offered.
Read more @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aarti

A Journey through endless
Colors & Expressions - India & Nepal...



© Gunther Deichmann - "Old Delhi" - New Delhi India
Click on this LINK or the Photo above & go direct to the NEW Photos

Please Note: If you don't see the India and Nepal images you might
have to refresh your Browser, previous Photos where from Cambodia.

Going through some 15,000 photos can be quiet a task even for Aperture 3 but I am almost done now. I have uploaded today only a small selection of Photos (50) under the category "Small Taste of the Latest" from India and Nepal.
I decided to use the theme; "People...Colors & Expression" for this Gallery, other images from Monasteries, People, Religion, Landscapes and way of life, etc., will follow in my PhotoShelter Gallery soon.

All Photos have been processed with Aperture 3.0.2 including exporting and watermarking. This has been a great trip all around from our Photo Workshop experience in India and then to the edge of the Himalayas in Nepal.

I might mention also that both of my Nikons the D700 and D300S performed without a glitch. If you're interested to join me on one of my Photo Workshops Adventure Travel with your Digital Camera, please contact me or check out the Calendar dates for 2010 on my GD PhotoWorkshop site by clicking this LINK.

I hope you enjoy this small selection of Photographs from India and Nepal as I have enjoyed these two very special and amazing places.
GD

The Students Work...
a Journey Through Incredible India

© Gunther Deichmann - Incredible India, Elephant Festival
in Jaipur Rajasthan March 2010

It is done, I have uploaded the work from the students in the Gallery 'The Students Work" a selection of six images each from their recent GD PhotoWorkshop in India Feb./March 2010.

Note: If you don't see the new images right away you might have to refresh your Browser, please enjoy the Photos and refrain from copying them, they are all protected by © copyright to each individual Photographer.

Congratulations to all participants for creating such nice Photos and I am very proud of you all. India had been a tough one from the chaotic streets in Old Delhi to the long Journey in Rajasthan by Mini Bus.

Shooting from early morning until dusk then back to our Hotels for a quick meal and shower, then we started our work on our Computers, uploading the images and working with Aperture 3 (except for two who used Lightroom).
Feel free and read some of the comments in the Testimonials from some of the participants.

Interesting everybody jumped into the cold water and worked with Aperture 3 (installed on our first night at the Hotel in Delhi)which was only released a few days prior our departure for India. No one encountered any problems and everything went real smooth, even our Lightroom Guys where very impressed with Aperture 3.
But now I rather let the images from the students do the talking, everyone done an incredible Job under sometimes very difficult circumstances. Thanks again to all Participants & I hope to see you again one of those days... happy shooting.

Please note: I have also updated my Home Page on my Main Website and changed some Photos from India in the Gallery section.

In due time I am going to replace my Photos in the Galley on my Blog called..."A Small Taste of the Latest" with a new selection of Photos from India and Nepal, currently it is still Cambodia.
My special thanks to Shroff International Travel for making the Journey to India an enjoyable one.

GD

A cool way of switching &
creating a New Library in Aperture 3


© Gunther Deichmann - near the old royal palace in Durban Square
Kathmandu, Nepal Feb 2010...and NO I didn't put the flower there.

I guess most of us have heard by now the new switching capabilities of the Library making work with Aperture 3 (now 3.0.2) so much more efficient.

But did you know Aperture 3.0.2 has also the capability to export your Smart Albums as a new Library, one of the slickest new additions in Aperture 3 but it is seldom mention. Of-course you can also export your whole project as a new Library.

Say you have done your edit and marked your selected photographs with a Flag (another new addition) or you selected them with star rating, keywords etc. (again lots of options)

Then you created a Smart Album and your photos residing now in your Smart Album. (in my case the flagged ones)
You can export this Smart Album including your Masters (consolidate Masters) as a New Library to any destination you might see fit which is super cool.
For this exercise I have chosen my Desktop but you can easily send them to any external Hard Drive.
In my case the benefits are very simple, I can store my edited photos in a different location and whenever I need them just switch Libraries later, easy access plus I keep all my edited photographs together.

Highlight your Smart Album, click right Mouse button and you see the Export option choose Smart Album as New Library and another new panel will appear, see below.

Almost done...the only thing left to do...choose a folder or not, consolidate or not consolidate, previews (small screenshot below )etc. everything is so flexible, it is all up to you and your workflow. Once you have exported your Smart Album to a destination of your choice you have easy access to it.

Please Note: If your Smart Album or Project is very large the export could take some time to complete.

Give it a try... don't worry nothing will be lost. I suggest you create a small Smart Album first, like a "Test Smart Album"and feel your way around, but you better watch out...you might fall in love with it, like I have.

Extremely useful if you’re dealing with Stock Photography and different agencies who might request different sizes or information, which actually happens a lot to me.
Of course the flexibility of Aperture 3 gives you the choice what ever your workflow might be, you can decide what works best for you.

For me…one of the best and coolest new additions in Aperture 3, an excellent time saver and photo management solution.
GD

Customize Aperture 3 the way you see fit,
you have all the options at your fingertips...

© Gunther Deichmann - Muslim Girl,
New Delhi India

Again the web is full of discussions and reports, praise and complains about Aperture but shouldn’t we rather look what has been achieved with the progress in Digital Editing in just a few years.

Aperture…Lightroom and some other software have come a long way; they have improved and made our lives easier. A few years ago we only had Photoshop, but then came Aperture and revolutionized our way of Digital editing and cataloging our photographs.
The questions is not what is better or worst instead we should be grateful that some Companies providing us with new tools to deal with the digital photos we shoot today.
I firmly believe that once you understand your software and its customized to your needs you have less problems.

However constant comparing and experimenting with all those different software’s only confuses you more and you loose sight of what you’re suppose to do…creating photographs and depending less on software.

Aperture for example is well suited and designed for all kinds of Photographers its incredible flexibility allows you to do almost anything, if you into Commercial, Nature Photography or what ever else.
Do we need Faces and Places? Some of us do and some others don’t, at least you have the choice to use it or not.
Can this or that be improved? For sure, it will come in due time like with everything else there is always room for improvement. Lets show some patience and give the engineers and developers some breathing space, the same patience we show in creating these amazing photographs.

© Gunther Deichmann - from the Car (Bus)Window,
Street Vendor on the way to Jaipur, India

Feedback good or bad is always very healthy and that shows in the latest release of Aperture 3, plus two upgrades within a month, hey not bad… someone is listening.

What I don’t understand is the constant bickering about certain things when a new release has just arrived, minor things in most cases and sometimes-easy fixes.
Believe me I get my fare share of it, just like the other day during one of my Seminars when someone ask me why his new Camera does not import the RAW Images into Aperture. After checking his MacBook Pro I found out he missed all the software updates including the new Camera RAW file releases.

I don’t like Faces…well don’t use it. How come Aperture 3 can’t do this? Did you read the Help Menu or the supplied PDF Manual?
Need more help…then check out the excellent Aperture User Network or Mac Create site you find almost any solution for your problems right here. Not to mention the excellent information and cool videos on the Apple Aperture Site.

As an Aperture user (since day one) and Certified Trainer my advice is get used to the software, study it well just like you would your new Camera Manual. (both are of equal importance)
I might never use all of the function of Aperture 3 (some brushes, effects etc.) but then I never used all of these things either in Photoshop years ago. Now I use Photoshop 5% and less then 2% of its tools and features.

The naked truth is…OK. I might sound biased towards Aperture but consider this… I have just shot some 15,000 images in India and Nepal constantly editing on the road. I encountered no major problems and the few glitches that came with the first release of Aperture 3 disappeared with the recent upgrades.
The improved interface, Media Browser and Quick Fixes with its instant view makes Aperture 3 a pleasure to work with.

Like my students who also took thousands of images and installed Aperture 3 straight out of the Box at the beginning of our recent India Workshop encountered also no problems.

Use your software as a tool and don’t use it as a scapegoat, besides your time is better spend creating photographs and studying one software.

As time goes by Apple is for sure going to release upgrades that improves Aperture 3 even further, they are listening and have in my Opinion done a fantastic Job so far.
I dare to think what Aperture 4 might bring us…
Apple is thinking ahead, the build in Video function is already a huge leap forward if you like to use it or not… but it is there, the same goes for Faces and Places.
Lightroom just announced a Video function for their latest version but no editing capabilities, I like the simple video editing in Aperture 3, of-course it is not Final Cut editing but you can produce some pretty good slideshows/presentation on the fly. Perfect for those days when you use your SLR in Video mode, very easy to use and you don't have to be a Rocket scientist to figure it out.

© Gunther Deichmann - Varanasi India

Remember Aperture 3 was just released some 6 weeks ago, have patience, read the Manual or tap into one of the resources I have mention above and you be fine.

Aperture 3 is incredible flexible and so integrated on a Mac that it will suit every type of Photography if you’re a Pro or Serious Amateur. Using all its functions or only the ones you need is totally up to you… customize it the way you see fit, you have all the options at your fingertips.
GD

Behind the Scene in India...the fun images
from our last GD Photo Workshop.

© Gunther Deichmann - Behind the Scene...
Jaipur, Rajasthan India 2010
To view the photos you can also click on the image above.

I just uploaded the images from "Behind the Scene India" into the Gallery all taken during our last GD Photo Workshop February/March 2010. The Image Gallery from the Students work will follow sometime next next week.

The current Gallery "The Students Work" is still active with Cambodia but will be replaced very soon with nice Photos from the participants during our last GD Photo Workshop in India. I am still waiting for a few more images and we're done.

In the meantime enjoy the images Behind the Scene from India; from the streets of New Delhi, the Taj Mahal in Agra and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
Please Note: If you click the LINK and you see Photos from Cambodia you might have to refresh your Browser to view this new and entertaining set of images from India.

As soon I have the students work uploaded I let everybody know, I am very proud of them, they did a great Job and you get to see some excellent images very soon.

Shortly I am going to share with you also some of my images from India and Nepal, in my Gallery "Small Taste of the Latest" and of course a much broader selection will be available on my PhotoShelter Gallery soon too. However I need a bit more time, have to do a lot more fine tuning and editing in Aperture 3 prior publishing those.
Enjoy "Behind the Scene from India...
GD

15000 images later...Aperture 3

© Gunther Deichmann - Hand made paper production,
Kathmandu Nepal, March 2010

Three days after the release of Aperture 3... I left for Nepal and India starting a 4-week journey including my Workshop in Rajasthan these are my honest and first impression of Aperture 3.

I just got back 10 days ago and like to give you now some serious feedback how Aperture 3 performed…straight out of the box.

You might ask, oh… that is a bit risky using this new and not tested latest software for a major trip like this
Not really, I have been using Aperture since day one, made my Hardcover book Journey Through Color & Time using Aperture 1.0 360 pages with tons of images from scanned tiff’s to the very first digital ones.

So when Aperture 3 was released only days prior my departure I felt confident in using the new release without any hesitations.
I installed Aperture 3 almost on my way to the airport, well almost some 48 hours prior my departure, had a quick look and from then on I used Aperture 3 shooting some 15,000 plus images.

© Gunther Deichmann - and there was light...
one of those moments... lasting only few minutes
Kathmandu, Nepal March 2010

Did I encountered some problems? Not really except for one or two glitches which got fixed with a Software update half way through my Journey, I installed that one in New Delhi. (3.0.1) And now only few days ago we received another super update, Aperture 3.0.2

Let me describe some of the new features I used for most of the time during my recent trip, they not only impressed me but made my editing on the road so easy… just awesome, sometimes pushing my MacBook Pro and Aperture 3 to the limit.

• Switching between Library’s is a breeze, now I can have for e.g. a Library for different Countries or what ever I see fit at a click of the button. It was good timing with the new release of Aperture 3, I created a brand new Library for my recent trip (actually two, one for India and one for Nepal) but can always go back to my previous ones at a mouse click. (Note: you might have to reprocess your images if they had been previously processed in Aperture 2, but that is also not a big deal if you choose only one or two photos. If you like them all to be reprocessed then depending on how many images you have this could take some time) For me this is a great new feature when dealing with thousand s of images, less strain on your machine.
• I love the new Import panel with all its options to choose from, including creating a back up already during Import. Check it out and set up your import panel to suit your workflow.
• Seeing your adjustments when you use the all-new Quick Fix in new Preset panel is very cool. Very nice is also the quick adjustments for different light conditions, changing the White Balance to tungsten, flash, fluorescent , etc., very easy now. I used it under some mixed light conditions in Varanasi, India. Also easy access to the adjustment panel right next to the Preset panel. Plus creating your own presets is real awesome…I use my own for sharpening, tailor made now for my Camera models.
• Switching your Machine to 64 Bit at the start improves Apertures performance, the only drawback is that other software might not work and you have to go back to 32 Bit, but soon or later others will follow and make it compatible also for 64 Bit.
• I love the all-new full screen Browser, bringing your editing to another level and speed.
• I also noticed a vast improvement on the RAW conversion, an excellent improvement, less tweaking and time required for image corrections now. A real time saver.
• Due to my type of Photography I don’t use the new build in Faces so much, but the new Places has some real benefits in particular if you have a GPS unit attached to your Camera. On my trip I used my iPhone to record the info and later imported the data into Aperture 3. I guess now I have to get my GPS attachment to avoid this work-around.
• Wow…the "Z" Key, a very cool improvement changing your zoom capabilities from 100% up or down, then hitting Z again to go back to full screen, very nice touch.
• Oh these Curves…gorgeous Curves…now they have been added, something which I missed in previous versions.
• Of course the new color-coding is very handy and useful, I started to use it now during my fine-tuning and more precise editing.
• Very nice touch: More information is displayed above your Metadata panel (this info is only visible when you click on the Metadata Panel), see screenshot below.

• I use the activity Monitor a lot especially during export, again more information is now available.
• During my Photo workshop in India all participants installed Aperture 3 and after a short intro they where all up and running without any major problems…in other words the learning curve or upgrading from Aperture 2 to 3 is relatively easy.
• We had two Lightroom users in our Group, both of them where very impressed, as a matter of fact one of them has switched now to Aperture 3 and the other is following shortly.
• Now, if your SLR has a Video function look no further, Aperture 3 will import all your Videos, with or without sound and you can edit all of that right in Aperture 3 creating awesome slide shows/presentations on the fly without ever leaving Aperture 3. Once finished you have all the export functions at your fingertips. BTW... The new slide show is so slick with a lot more new additions.

I am working on a nice presentation right now and in due time you get to see it on my Blog and You Tube/Vimeo.
To top it off you can also get this magic frame from your Video you might have missed in your still shot, just select New JPEG from frame and you’re done. (see screenshot)

Using for demo purpose a Video still from my iPhone

If you like to change the music you have easy access to your iTunes Library and you can import even previous Movies you have on file into Aperture 3, creating some awesome looking presentations mixing stills with videos. Yes, you have that magic Media Browser at your fingertips in Aperture 3.

Is that all? Oh no there is so much more… like, new Brushes, Chromatic abrasions (our underwater Photographers going to love this one) Flags, more adjustment tools etc., etc. and in due time I introduce them to you too.
I only mention some of the new features I used on my recent trip and of course the others which have always been part of Aperture.

The coolest part about Aperture is that you can customize your workflow the way you like it or the type of Photography you do, Aperture 3 has just become even more flexible.
Shooting a lot of images like I have done on my last trip, Aperture 3 performed just AWESOME!

Tip:
For those of you who have problems remembering some short cuts, here is a tip how you can customize your keyboard to suit you:

For example:
Commands with more than two or three keyboard shortcuts are sometimes difficult to remember e.g. like the Highlight Hot and Cold areas.
The default: Option – Shift – H
I use this one a lot, but on a bad day I sometimes get mixed up with this short cut so I changed it to S
How can you do this? Very easy…go to the top left hand side click Aperture and after that you see the drop down menu, click on Customize, a keyboard will show. (see screenshot) now you can customize your shortcuts like I have done with the Highlight Hot & Cold Areas.

Aperture is very customizable, it all depends on your need and type of Photography.

In my next Post I introduce you to the behind the scene images and a new Gallery with photos from the participants which where taken during our recent GD Photo Workshop in India.
Until soon,
GD

My gratitude & thanks to all participants
for taken part in our recent completed
GD Photo Workshop in India.




© Gunther Deichmann - "The Group shot"

I only got back a few days ago, but today I like to take the opportunity to thank all participants who joined my recent Photo Workshop in India, at the same time I like to thank also our fantastic Driver who took care of us where ever we ventured, he made certain that our Journey was a safe one.
Thanks also to our Guides at different locations from New Delhi to Jaipur in Rajasthan. In the coming weeks when I have received some images from the students I post some of their photos on my GD PhotoWorkshop site but also an Album again from behind the scenes...there are some real funny ones.

Furthermore once I am done with my editing I create another Album from my recent trip to India and Nepal, which you're going to find soon under a "Small Taste of the Latest"... currently featured Cambodia.
My gratitude to Shroff International Travel for a superb Job, organizing this difficult but rewarding Journey, thank you so very much. More info about recommended Hotels and accommodation from India and Nepal will also follow soon.
Please stay tuned for much more in the next few weeks...for other Aperture 3 Seminars & Photo Workshops in 2010 please click this LINK.
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - Mug shots during our encounter in Jaipur with a street
Photographer using a 150 year old Camera



© Gunther Deichmann - Lots of fun on our first day in old Delhi


Just one more...thank you India!



© Gunther Deichmann - Varanasi, India

Kopan Monastery Kathmandu Nepal...



© Gunther Deichmann - large gathering of Buddhist Monks
at the Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu Nepal

The Journey has come to an end...the last Blog post from on the road, but more to come when I am back in the Philippines. And don't forget to check out the Calendar dates on my GD Photo Workshop site, Introduction into Aperture 3 plus some cool Aperture & iLife '09 Seminars at the Power Mac Center Manila.
For questions and special requests, you can call 729-7087 or 88, or email at:
training@powermaccenter.com

Learn and see how Aperture 3 can help your workflow,
"15000 images later...working with Aperture 3 using images from my last Journey"
March 19, 2010 Introduction to the all New Aperture 3
Power Mac Center in TriNoma

Also our GD Photo Workshop in Nepal during October 2010 is filling up fast, only four (4) spots available, please go to the GD PhotoWorkshop site for more info @ October 15 - 22, 2010 (DATES CONFIRMED)
"ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS NOW”

© Gunther Deichmann - eyes that seem to follow you...Kathmandu, Nepal

Now back to my post... Monastery Colors in Nepal,one of my last visits in Kathmandu was at the Kopan Monastery a Tibetan Buddhist monastery near Boudhanath, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal.

© Gunther Deichmann - a Monks office...

I have always been fascinated by Tibetan Buddhism and the Kopan Monastery was high on my list, today I like to share with you a few images...colorful and graphic & no manipulation has been applied in any way using only at times the Quick Fix in Aperture 3.

© Gunther Deichmann - I Love Tibet!

Since I am still on the road I keep the text brief and let the images speak for themselves.
Enjoy the "Monastery Colors"

© Gunther Deichmann - Monks Books



© Gunther Deichmann - gathering of Buddhist Monks
at the Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu Nepal



© Gunther Deichmann - Head gear



© Gunther Deichmann - the yellow table...



© Gunther Deichmann - Tibetan Tea pots and Monks



© Gunther Deichmann - taken notes...



© Gunther Deichmann - blue reflections in oil lamps



© Gunther Deichmann - who open the door?

Just one more...



© Gunther Deichmann - Pashmina Wool from Nepal

Excepts from Wikipedia on Pashmina Wool:
The fiber is also known as pashm (Persian word for Wool) or pashmina (Persian / Hindi word driven from Pashm) for its use in the handmade shawls of Kashmir, India.The woolen shawls find written mention in Indian texts between 3rd century BC and the 11th century AD. However, the founder of the cashmere wool industry is traditionally held to be the 15th century ruler of Kashmir, Zayn-ul-Abidin, who introduced weavers from Turkestan.
In the 18th and early 19thcentury Kashmir (then called Cashmere by the English), had a thriving industry producing shawls from goat down imported from Tibet and Tartary through Ladakh. The down trade was controlled by treaties signed as a result of previous wars.The shawls were introduced into Western Europe when the General in Chief of the French campaign in Egypt (1799-1802) sent one to Paris. The shawl's arrival is said to have created an immediate sensation and plans were put in place to start manufacturing the product in France.
More at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashmere_wool

Until next time...GD

An afternoon at the
Bouddhanath Stupa in Nepal



© Gunther Deichmann - Prayer Flags and Shadows
at the Bouddhanath Stupa in Kathmandu Nepal

The Journey is coming slowly to an end, 6 more days before I am hitting back home, I have not written many Blogs during this Journey one of the major factors been...I have been very tiered spending long hours shooting and some limitation with the internet connection.

© Gunther Deichmann - Cleaning oil lamps at the
at the Bouddhanath Stupa in Kathmandu Nepal

I make up for it once I get back... over 15,000 images by now, Aperture 3 loaded straight out of the Box before my trip performed absolutely flawless all RAW images have been stored on my external Lacie Drives as reference files. I encountered no problems and my editing has become even faster now using the new preset adjustment tools...Quick fixes takes care of most issues.
We arrived in Kathmandu a couple of days ago and went out this afternoon to visit one of the biggest Stupas called Bouddhanath located in Little Tibet, when refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many decided to live around Bouddhanath.
A very special mention I have to give to our our Guide Lil Tapa who has been a book of knowledge together with a great personality and sense of humor, thank you so much Lil! Everything this afternoon reminded me so much of my time in Tibet in 2006 and I sincerely hope for a free Tibet one day.
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - a lone Bird, Prayer Flags and Shadows
at the Bouddhanath Stupa in Kathmandu Nepal



© Gunther Deichmann - inside the Monastery
at the Bouddhanath Stupa in Kathmandu Nepal

See below some excepts from Wikipedia:
Boudhanath (Devnagari: बौद्धनाथ) (also called Bouddhanath, Bodhnath or Baudhanath or the Khāsa Caitya) is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is known as Khāsti by Newars as Bauddha or Bodh-nāth by modern speakers of Nepali.[1] Located about 11 km (7 miles) from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, the stupa's massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal.[2]
The Buddhist stupa of Boudhanath dominates the skyline. The ancient Stupa is one of the largest in the world. The influx of large populations of Tibetan refugees from China has seen the construction of over 50 Tibetan Gompas (Monasteries) around Boudhanath. As of 1979, Boudhanath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Stupa is on the ancient trade route from Tibet which enters the Kathmandu Valley by the village of Sankhu in the northeast corner, passes by Boudnath Stupa to the ancient and smaller stupa of Cā-bahī (often called 'Little Boudnath'). It then turns directly south, heading over the Bagmati river to Patan - thus bypassing the main city of Kathmandu (which was a later foundation).[1] Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many decided to live around Bouddhanath. The Stupa is said to entomb the remains of a Kasyapa sage venerable both to Buddhists and Hindus, for more info go to: Wikepedia

A morning on the Ganges at Varanasi, India



© Gunther Deichmann - Sadhu, Varanasi India

Thanks again to Jamie who has taken the writing burden of me for the moment, our few days in Varanasi have been very interesting to say the least.
Strolling around the Banks of the Ganges yesterday afternoon a very excited Bebet came running over to me...hey GD do you you know who this guy is over there? Oh man it is Steve McCurry! Well, why I am not surprised...Steve does some Photo Workshops in India and has travelled this part of the world a lot.
I said...wow cool and before we know we where standing at the shorelines of the Ganges and having a quick chat with Steve before we departed in different wind direction doing what we all do best creating images.
Thanks to Bebet insistency and before we parted ways we had a quick photo taken of the three of us, indeed a small world even for indian standards.
GD

A brief encounter with Steve Mc Curry, at the banks of the Ganges
River in Varanasi India, March 2010

Gunther Deichmann - Steve McCurry - Bebet Gaudinez,

Tomorrow we 're leaving via land to our next destination Nepal with a stop over at Lumbini, located in Nepal and is considered the birthplace of Gautam Buddha., after Lumbini we continue on to Kathmandu where we spend another 5 days or so.

© Gunther Deichmann - Varanasi view from the Ganges,

BTW...if you have not done so download the latest Version of Aperture 3 (Version 3.01). I am getting close to some 8000 images and Aperture has been performing just fine, no major glitches. FYI...I am working exclusive with Reference files stored on my external Rugged Lacie 360 Gig Hard drive plus I am using an identical hard drive for backup.

See below excerpts on Lumbini from Wikipedia:
Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi district of Nepal, near the Indian border. It is the place where Queen Mayadevi is said to have given birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who as the Buddha Gautama founded the Buddhist tradition. The Buddha lived between roughly 563 and 483 BCE. Lumbini is one of four magnets for pilgrimage that sprang up in places pivotal to the life of the Buddha, the others being at Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Sarnath.

© Gunther Deichmann - Varanasi India



© Gunther Deichmann - early morning bathers Varanasi India

Varanasi: Holy land of spiritual rites and rituals, cultural and religious centre, renowned learning hub, home to 4 universities and centuries old architecture. Up till now, I’d always secretly thought of Varanasi or ‘Benares’ as Florence and Venice put together. Perhaps I was swayed when I read that Mark Twain said: “Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.”
But Varanasi is no Venice. Nowhere else do I feel able to say that that today is yesterday, tomorrow is today, and yesterday will be tomorrow. (GD will say that I’m tending towards the inclinations of becoming a sadhu..). Like many places of worship, Varanasi has given me great insight, but short of turning GD’s photography blog into a book on metaphysical musings, he has kindly asked me only to write of the essence of our experience here so far. (and not with-holding the fact that the tailor is also waiting for me to try on my superbly handmade silk Indian Alibabá pants: in all 10 colors!)
The highlight of our 3-day stay here was centered on the famed River Ganges, which true to its good standing is rich with daily rituals of life and death, myth and legend.

© Gunther Deichmann - colors of Varanasi India

We left the Radisson hotel promptly at 5:30am this morning glad of the chill in the moist air (the afternoon humidity accentuates the acid pong of omnipresent urine) and arrived at the bank of the river in less than 20mins. The driver was not a bit surprised to be battling giant busloads of tourists on the narrow dust-lined streets: We had passed the harmonious phase of the lull before the storm, which we were told was meant to crack at daybreak, when the frenzy of yesterday takes place all over again.
There was already a flurry of activity as we edged towards the bank of the Ganga: sadhus painting their weathered faces into cracked mirrors, flower sellers mulling about while mendicants braced themselves for another day, and shop keepers literally shifting the dust from one place to another with feather-dusters.
A shout and our boat arrived as a sudden scuffle between two boys over a piece of naan bread begun. Most of the out-of-towners like us were here to go boating on the river at sunrise; with the only difference being that GD had specifically requested a motorized vessel instead of the usual row-boat, not that there was any speed to the finish but riding against the current was not going to be easy without technology, even on holy waters.

© Gunther Deichmann - early morning bathers Varanasi India

Taking in the length of the river, GD was unruffled by the bustle (that’s cos he hadn’t had his coffee yet! haha), while Bebet and I prepared our cameras, all of us waiting for first light to awake to a slice of river life and an abundance of prayers. The silence was broken only by the motor’s humming, GD’s occasional observation about the light, Bebet’s anthropological reflections and one particularly curious devotee, sashaying on a lone rock a foot at a time and crooning at the top of his lungs. Kumar our guide, explained that he was praying for himself, for success and good health, to which I thought: fair enough, at least he knew he didn’t have the slightest prayer to make it to Bollywood, if that was remotely on his wish list.

© Gunther Deichmann - cleaning the small temples along the
Ganges in the morning, Varanasi India

© Gunther Deichmann - an early morning head shave in Varanasi India

In no time the sun was up and out. We clicked our cameras like drum beats in symphony to the chattering motor. Throngs of men and women were standing on the steps and bathing in the river, soaping themselves and brushing their teeth just a stone’s throw away from where some others were squat, depositing their breakfast or dinners on the starched soil. Naked children shivered on the banks with frowns on their faces, uncertain whether this was altogether fun or not. The townsfolk scrubbed their laundry in the greenish waters and beat them against the rocks. Women rung out their multi-colored saris and draped them upon the ground. We noticed others crouching higher up on the steps in the distance shaping cow dung into flat patties to sun bake them for later use. Yoga enthusiasts and sadhus sat crossed-legged in meditation upon higher ground.

© Gunther Deichmann - colors of Varanasi India

The sun continued her journey while the people offered their prayers to the morning, cleansing their minds and spirits along the holy river until we arrived back to the ghat where we begun our morning and disembarked. With one backward glance at the blurred hubbub against the sandstone walls I left the river Ganges with one thought: this was yesterday and this is tomorrow.
Jamie

The Incredible Colors of India...



© Gunther Deichmann - Jaipur Rajasthan, India Feb. 2010

We just arrived back in Delhi from Rajasthan and Agra...now I am fighting with the connection and I am very tiered, some of the Photo Workshop participants have to catch the plane back home about right now, they just had enough time for a quick shower in our Hotel.
Hey we're going to miss you guys!
I am leaving with Jamie and Bebet tomorrow afternoon for Varanasi and then overland back to Nepal, another 12 or so days to go before hitting back home.

© Gunther Deichmann - Jaipur Rajasthan, street vendor selling
colorful powder, India Feb. 2010



© Gunther Deichmann - Jaipur Rajasthan, India Feb. 2010

The colors of Incredible India; only a few images today need to do a lot more editing when time permits, but many more to come in due time, plus I put up a nice Gallery when I am back home.

© Gunther Deichmann - Holi Festival Jaipur Rajasthan,
India Feb. 2010

© Gunther Deichmann - Holi Festival...the roads are covered with
colorful powder,Jaipur Rajasthan, India Feb. 2010



© Gunther Deichmann - Jaipur Rajasthan, amazing colors
during the Elephant festival India Feb. 2010

Gunther Deichmann - Jaipur Rajasthan, amazing colors
during the Elephant festival India Feb. 2010

In the next few days I have no internet connection but try my best to stay in touch once I get to Kathmandu in Nepal, until then enjoy the images.
GD

Happy Holi from Jaipur in Rajasthan India...

© Gunther Deichmann - Happy Holi in Jaipur

The GD Photo Workshop Gang or better known now as "Baba G and the Shutter Bugs"... thanks to Tony who took out the copyright on the spot for this new tagline.

© Gunther Deichmann - Happy Holi in Jaipur

© Gunther Deichmann - Bebet is really
in the Mood... our onboard Sadhu.

After spending "2 hours" in the shower and trying to get all those beautiful colors off my body...never mind the clothes I have found the Time to wish everybody a very Happy Holi... India's most colorful Festival...& where everything goes.
The whole Gang... except for two using now Aperture 3, we installed it a few days ago in New Delhi, the performance is great and I had no complaints so far. But now back to Holi...an amazing festival as Jamie will explain below, thanks Jamie that you volunteered to do the main write up tonight...giving me a welcome hand and break.

© Gunther Deichmann - Some of the Gang Members...

Bonfires, twigs, pyres and leaves
Evil spirits burn as Holi proceeds!

With a shake, a nod and cheery Happy Holi! greetings from everyone to anyone who was anyone and ‘no-one’, it would appear that the Indian caste system literally dissolved into a puff of rainbow powdered dyes and colored water today.
Rajasthan was alive with a different spice and we daren’t say we weren’t pre-warned. We were told that on Holi, everything and anything goes. And they weren’t joking either.

Jaipur was vibrating with wild celebrations, drum beats of Indian rock and roll ala Shankar and its stimulating sisterly companions, raving bashes not only of the carnivalesque kind but apparently even veiled beatings and the none too unusual vengeance murders that ‘happen’, but as we were reassured, those only ‘happened in other cities and very rarely in Jaipur so not to worry Ma’am and Sir’. Well homicides or not, I’d secretly pocketed my pepper spray under my white cotton shirtdress, just in case the crowd got a little too piquant for my taste.

© Gunther Deichmann - Jamie is getting her "Make up"
applied by a local



© Gunther Deichmann - the Boys having fun in the streets of Jaipur

The crew was ready and itching to go shoot some color. Truth be told we’d been primed the night before, armed with hair oils, super skin moisturizers, caps, camera “condoms” in all shapes and sizes, throwaway t-shirts, shorts and the lot.

Ok, ok I confess I was the only one with the excessive concern for hair oils, cream based moisturizers, shower caps, disposable cotton underclothes, emergency eye drops, SPF 50 lip balm and goodness knows what else I had stashed in my sling bag. Another one bites the advertising dust! Newspapers (and Tony) had been playing up the dehydrating effects of the dyes on skin and hair, and GI Jane as I may be, I’d certainly had no wish to walk around Incredible India with post-Holi skin lesions or a kerosene scrubbed frizz.

© Gunther Deichmann - Tony is getting his picture taken
by a 150 year old Camera



© Gunther Deichmann - Amazing, old meets new...
the "shutter bugs" & the local street photographer

The glow of the warm afternoon sun didn’t let us down, and neither did Bebet’s smooth cone shaped crown – fondly Pink city’s extremely popular pink duomo of the day! Luis was busy keeping out of trouble while GD, his usual monkey self, got the children squealing around him, unable to decide whether they thought he was funny or scary or both.
I didn’t blame them – a seriously hot magenta, violet and salmon colored faced GD is quite a hair-raising sight! The rest of the crew stayed on track, a yellow-green Joerg staying cool and entertaining the locals with amusing conversation (or was it the other way around) while a blushing red Tony kept the beggars from pulling our clothes and cameras. Hubert was cool as a cucumber sauntering back and forth across the streets, side stepping the cows like a weathered local.

© Gunther Deichmann - 150 years later...but still in use,
the processing is done right on the street.



© Gunther Deichmann - Jamie's turn in front of the
old Plate camera...but please don't move...

And suddenly “150 rupees only, 150 rupees just you look Sir top quality photograph black and white please you look only”. No thank you no thank you no thank you no no no no no and then we stopped. We’d gotten so used to the mendicants following us around for the past 2 hours, pushcarts, trolleys, gypsy children and all across town that literally the replies (as polite as we attempted to remain) just came out of us naturally.

Right on the yellow powdered street hung a few carpets on a stairway which acted as a backdrop in front of (lo and behold) a 150 year-old plate camera, impressive in size as well as quality and sharpness . We later found out that the owner and his brother had inherited it from his ancestors and they have been in the photography business since ‘a very long time Ma’am’. Old meets new!!

Thousands of dollars of equipment strapped to our necks, I found it oxymoronic that for 150 rupees ($3 USD), each of us were as excited as kids on Christmas morn and happy as pie with our old fashioned black and white photos that were washed and developed in a pail of water on the street, ready in less than 10 minutes, and hey, it came with a negative too. Now since the digital age, we haven’t been that pleased with a self-portrait in a long time! What better way to end a picture-perfect day?
Holi Hai!

© Gunther Deichmann - back at the Hotel for some cold
Beers before the "two hour" shower.

Happy Holi...



© Gunther Deichmann - the start of Holi a priest during last nights
Pre Holi event blessing everybody with multi colors.

I am in a bit of a rush today...need to get out in the street again with my students to celebrate the Holi Festival the most colorful of all Indian Festivals in Jaipur Rajasthan India.

© Gunther Deichmann - Holi has started...

So please forgive me if this will be a very short Blog today, we're having a great time and the highlight will be later tonight, yesterday we went crazy at the Elephant festival which was so fantastic. Today we're going to get covered in color from top to bottom and last night we participated at a Temple the pre Holi event, with huge fires lit up all over town.

© Gunther Deichmann - the night before Holi

Sorry have to run now...but so much more later, thanks also to Aperture 3 uploading has been easy and fast, I am already at some 4000 images.

© Gunther Deichmann - it is going to get a lot worst today...

GD

Bizarre - Mysterious - Colorful & so amazing...
Kathmandu Nepal.



© Gunther Deichmann - Buddhist Eyes...
Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 2010

I made it... my first post since I left Manila... I am not going into many details today, I rather let the images speak, only a few today a lot more when my connection is good, lets see and wait. The worst scenario... I have to do it when I get back home after the 16th of March.
Arrived in New Delhi this afternoon after 4 days in Kathmandu Nepal...a little sad that I had to leave but I am going to be back there in about two weeks after my PhotoWorkshop in India.

Contrast!

© Gunther Deichmann - Oh no...I did not set this one up... I was getting ready to take a shot of this unknown Guy with a Nikon taken notes when out of nowhere this Sadhu appeared and stood right next to him. Interesting, it seems that our fellow had to Yawn and our Sadhu had his eyes closed...like trying to put him to sleep. Well, that is sort off my interpretation. Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 2010

Internet connection is Ok now, and I am using the spare time to write this long overdue post before all my students arrive later tonight, tomorrow we're busy exploring the old part of Delhi, the first part of our Indian Journey.
Nepal was very cool (literally it was freezing in the evenings and early morning). A lot more later on some bizarre Animal sacrifice and Cremations along the River... from the colorful living to the colorful dead.

© Gunther Deichmann - Sadhu
Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 2010

A lot more soon from this amazing place in the Himalayas called Nepal, with old tradition of Hindu & Buddhism, as a matter of fact I be visiting the Birth place of Buddha in about 10 days which is just across the border from India in Nepal..."
The Journey Through Color & Time" continuos.

© Gunther Deichmann - Eyes through red...
Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 2010

© Gunther Deichmann - The Wall...
Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 2010

© Gunther Deichmann - Bizarre... the Old & New.
Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 2010

Now a little about Aperture 3 from the road and straight out of the Box pushing it in the past few days, no complains... I can truly say Aperture 3 performed super and I encountered no major problems after some 3000 images in 4 days. A lot more on Aperture 3 on the road later...now I have to concentrate on my students and show them around Incredible India.

© Gunther Deichmann - Sadhus blessing...
Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 2010




© Gunther Deichmann - Sadhu & blue...
Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 2010



© Gunther Deichmann - Coca Cola and Blue...
Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 2010

Just one more...



© Gunther Deichmann - The Spoon...
Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 2010

Once I am back in Manila, I upload a new Photo Gallery with some of the latest images from Nepal & India...please have patience as this could take some time, I have a few more weeks to shoot yet.
Enjoy the first taste from Kathmandu, please stay tuned for a lot more...
GD

A new Journey begins....


© Gunther Deichmann - Incredible India

In a few hours another Journey begins...leaving first for Thailand and Nepal then to India for the start of my GD PhotoWorkshop. Meeting everybody in New Delhi before leaving for Rajasthan to celebrate the Holi Festival. After the Workshop back to Delhi, I then continue my Journey to Varanasi one of the holiest places in India and travel over land back to Nepal.
I try to update my Blogs as much as possible but that depends on the internet connection and if I am not to tired in the evenings.
I am all packed now, Aperture 3 is prepared and ready for the Road show, I am really looking forward to see my students in Delhi very soon for an exciting Photo Workshop in Incredible India.

© Gunther Deichmann - the colors of India...

I guess that is it for the time being, I try to report along the way, but that depends on the connection.
Thanks to the staff from Shroff International Travel for making all the arrangements, specially Arjun & Sheena who have been fantastic.
GD

BTW...did you know that when you start up Aperture 3 it is in 64 Bit? You might noticed the difference if you have 4 or more Gig of Ram installed. However there are some issues when you work with previous installed Plug-ins, but nothing to worry Aperture 3 makes it easy.
Most of the plug-in if not all at the moment work only in 32 Bit and if you like to use them you have to restart Aperture 3, click on the image you like to edit (in my case I use the Noise Ninja Plug-in) click on the right mouse button, a small drop down menu appears and you see edit with Plug-in (32 bit) this will restart you Aperture 3 in 32 bit mode and stays like that until you close Aperture 3. Once you open Aperture 3 again you're back to your 64bit.

In a few days I am leaving for my main trip this year, plus my GD Photo Workshop in India where my lucky students have the opportunity to study and work with Aperture 3 in the field. I try to report from our locations whenever possible, of course like always depending on the Internet connection, speed and availability.
Check out also my Calendar Dates on the GD Photo Workshop site; "Introduction Aperture 3" at Power Mac Centers Manila Philippines, starting March 26.
GD

Another very new cool addition is the Zoom option (Z key) if you press this now say on full screen you have a new small thumbnail window, but now you can zoom in more, not just 100% very cool and so handy. Say you have zoomed in to 150% and like to go back to your 100% just hit the z key and you're back to your starting point of 100%. Personally, I find both of these new addition extremely useful for my particular workflow and I have to praise the engineers for an excellent job by in incorporating it into Aperture 3. Great Job Guys!
GD

My Love affair with Aperture 3 deepened.

Another very cool new feature in Aperture 3 is Presets found when you open the Adjustment panel, not only easy accessible but with a nice preview. Now you can see immediately the effect you might like to apply. Great for quick adjustments, just click on Presets and a menu appears, the only thing left to do move your cursor over the various adjustments options, and every time you move your cursor over a different effect/adjustment a nice size thumbnail appears along side of it, showing you the changes. There is plenty to choose from; all your Black &White and color adjustments are at your fingertips now.
A superb new addition and something I am going to use a lot from now on.
Try it out and I am sure you’re going to be impressed just like me.
GD

Recent visited places from Mindoro Isl., Puerto Galera, City
of Batangas, Makati and Manila shown as Satellite Map

If you're not using a Digital Camera with a GPS function that is Ok. just use your iPhone and whenever you stop or from the Car window take a quick shot. Later import the photos from your iPhone into Aperture 3 activate Places and the rest is easy. I be writing a lot more about this cool addition from the road. Click on the Places icon at the upper right hand side at the toolbar to get you started.

Recent visited places in Makati and Manila shown as Road Map

10 days ago I went to the Island of Mindoro/Puerto Galera and I took some happy snaps with the iPhone, then on the way back I also stopped in Batangas and then back to Manila. Of course there have been some gaps where I didn't stop to get some images but all the rest had been recorded, very accurate I might add, see the attached screenshots. Map options are Satellite - Road or Terrain.
Ok the only "drawback" is that my wife from now on always knows where I am or I have been, ha, ha. but that is fine with me too, nothing to hide.

Recent visited places in Makati and Manila shown as Terrain Map

To activate your Places before they work you have to go first to the Aperture 3 Preferences settings and activate it, then click on the Advanced setting a small drop down menu appears and you see Look up Places, the default setting is on Never just click on the Automatically and you're done.
Again an excellent new addition to Aperture 3 and as you can see I am getting fine tuned for my big trip starting next week.
GD

Tags: Places, , GPS logging, Nepal, ASIA, Google Maps, , Kathmandu, Philippines

© Gunther Deichmann - Pushkar, India 2009

So here we are back into Photography, Aperture 3 is certainly going to make our workflow more easy and more fun, GPS and Places, the new Curves, put back from the Trash, Chromatic Aberrations the list goes on and on.
We have also color coding which some of us find very useful for on the road editing, however I have a slight grin on my face and you might ask why. Very simple, some of our Underwater Photographer recently complained and nagged non stop about updates being to slow from Apple.

Some even went as far and switched to Lightroom, again my magic word is patience...are they going back to Aperture 3 now, it looks that way.
My advise as an Aperture user from day one and as a Certified Trainer, get to know one software real well and stick with it, in due time and it is happening right now changes will happen, remember “Rome was also not build in one day” have patience, good things take time. And The Time is NOW.
Thanks to the Apple Aperture Team for a Job well done!

As for my travel photography, I am more then excited, but then again I need to get those images first. You all know I am leaving very soon and if all goes well I have Aperture 3 running and give it a real good and realistic Road test for some 4 weeks in the field trying to post images with the new Facebook function , Locations via Places, the new video function and for sure I am going to work with the new Curves.

Please stay tuned and I try my very best connection permitting to file real reports from the field, or you might say Aperture 3 straight out of the Box.

The web is totally saturated at the moment, the talk of the Town is Aperture 3, but now I am looking forward to some cool Photography and only then I write more in details about all those new features which certainly sound all very exciting.
For the latest info on Aperture 3 and all the new features pls. go to: http://www.apple.com/aperture/whats-new.html
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - Rajasthan India 2009

Places
Now you can use GPS location data to explore your photos by the places they were taken. Better still, find them on an interactive map.
Organize your library by location, location, location.
If you’re shooting with a GPS-enabled camera, Aperture 3 uses reverse geocoding to convert location coordinates into familiar location names, then displays those locations on the Places map. If you’re using a separate GPS tracking device, the path of your photo journey appears on the map when you import a track log. You can even extract locations from iPhone tracker apps or your iPhone photos. Which means you can instantly find all your Yellowstone photos, for example, without typing the word “Yellowstone.” Photos can be organized by country, state, city, or a point of interest such as Old Faithful or the park visitor center.
Put your photos on the map.
If a photo doesn’t include GPS metadata, simply drag the photo to the spot on the map where you shot it. A pin appears. Then, when you’re searching for photos, use the map’s navigation menu to quickly find the location. When you click the pin, Aperture displays all the photos taken there.
Easy course corrections.
If you need to change the location of your shot, drag the pin on the map across the street or across the country. The GPS data associated with the photo updates automatically, so you know where your photos are at all times.More info @ http://www.apple.com/aperture/whats-new.html

Moving from iPhoto to Aperture 3

You’ve done some great things with iPhoto, and now you’re ready to do more. Aperture 3 is designed to make the move from iPhoto easy and seamless. See how easy it is...http://www.apple.com/aperture/iphoto-to-aperture/

© Gunther Deichmann - Aperture 3 embraces
you with open “arms”...

BTW...now our Underwater Photographer going to love the new Curves Tool and Chromatic Aberration Filters, (and not only our Underwater Photographers) I just hope they had the patience and waited for the all NEW Aperture 3 and if not they might have to switch back to Aperture now. For all New features go to http://www.apple.com/aperture/whats-new.html
GD

Just a few more...
New Auto Buttons
Quickly make exposure adjustments by using the Auto buttons now available in the Exposure, Levels, and Curves adjustment bricks.
Chromatic Aberration Filter
Remove the color fringing that can occur along edges due to optical issues by using the new Chromatic Aberration filter. The adjustments can be brushed in or brushed away as needed to achieve desired results.
Powerful New Curves Tool
Use the new Curves tool to adjust exposure and tweak color. Curve adjustments can be applied to luminance, RGB, or individual color channels. You can set the black, white, and midtone points, as well as place custom points along the curve using a target tool. All Curves adjustments can be brushed in or brushed away as needed to achieve desired results.
Linear or Gamma-Corrected Mode
The Curves tool can operate in two different modes — Linear and Gamma-Corrected — depending on which best suits the image. Linear mode is best when dealing with extended range data and highlights, while Gamma-Corrected mode can be especially helpful when working with shadows.

Range Support in Curves Tool
Because the Curves tool supports the “extended range” data sometimes available in RAW images, you can set the Range control in Curves to Extended in order to see the “out of range” highlight data that you may be able to recover. You can then use controls in the Curves tool to pull blown highlights back in and improve detail in highlight areas. Alternatively, you can set the range to Shadows and focus on the lower-left quadrant of the tone curve to make extremely precise Shadow adjustments.
Quick Brushes
Use the new Quick Brushes pop-up menu in the Adjustments toolbar to gain immediate access to 15 ready-to-use brushes for the most common enhancement tasks. Quick Brushes include Skin Smoothing, Polarize, Intensify Contrast, Tint, and others.

Screenshot from the new and updated Apple Aperture Site.

Only one out of 200 new features:
Advanced Slideshows
Create spectacular multimedia shows with photos, HD video clips, titles, layered soundtracks, and professionally designed themes.



Use familiar iPhoto ’09 slideshow themes. And more.
If you’re moving from iPhoto ’09, the slideshows you created with themes such as Snapshot and Shatter are preserved in all their brilliance. Aperture 3 includes all iPhoto themes and two new themes: Watercolor Panels and Photo Edges. Each theme gives you a professionally designed layout, title treatment, and transitions to create a distinctive backdrop for your photos. Choose a theme, drop in some photos and HD video clips, and produce amazing slideshows in seconds.
Combine photos, audio, and video clips in one show.
If your camera records video, you can import it into your library along with your stills and include it in your slideshow. Just drag a video clip into the slideshow as easily as you add a photo.
Create and edit layered soundtracks.
To personalize your slideshow, just add music from your iTunes library (DRM-free only). Then drop in audio clips stored in your Aperture library — voiceovers, narration, or other sounds recorded on location — for a multilayered soundtrack. If you’re including video in your slideshow, you can add the audio from the video, too.
Tap out the time of your fades and cuts.
Talk about fingertip control. With Aperture 3, you control the pace of your slideshow with the tap of a finger. As you watch the slideshow, press the Return key to determine when each slide begins and ends. As you tap out each slide change, Aperture 3 records your custom timings.
Add titles, borders, and colors.

When using the Classic and Ken Burns themes, you can add titles anywhere in the slideshow in your choice of font, size, and style. Choose borders and background colors. Scale photos. Even control fades and adjust transition times.

Just announced by Apple
Aperture 3

It is finally here Aperture 3, Apple has just announced today Aperture 3, now I am going to be in for some serious test driving shortly, stay tuned for more info as they become available. This is great and very exciting NEWS. Thank You Apple!
But there is so much more...just incredible and if you’re a Mac user then this is it...if you’re not, then you might think about switching now.

Wow…Wow…now that is what I call a super slick Update, just amazing and believe me well worth the wait. So for those of you who made the switch to Lightroom you might have to reconsider. As I have said many time before, all good things take time and when Apple comes up with something they do it real well…like in Photography patience!
In the next few weeks I am going to be busy running around in India and Kathmandu but at the same time I have to do some real test driving with Aperture 3.
Please stay tuned for some real reporting on Aperture 3 in the field and from exotic locations.
GD

Excerpts from MacWorld
The update ($99 for existing Aperture users), which Apple said offers "over 200 new features," includes advanced versions of the Faces and Places features previously seen in iPhoto '09. There's a new image-refinement tool called Brushes, which allows users to paint adjustments directly on to images. And a new Projects feature adds flexibility and I am sure a lot more...


Now just a few Excerpts from the Aperture User Network:

Support for Videos and Audio [Not in Lightroom]
Audio Files [Not in Lightroom]
Chromatic Aberration
Slideshows [Vastly Better than Lightroom]
Flickr and Facebook Albums [Better than Lightroom]
Quick Brushes
Curves and Chromatic Aberration
Adjustment Brushes [Not in Lightroom]
Labels and Flags
Import Features [Some Not In Lightroom/Some Better Than Lightroom]
ILibrary Switching, Syncing and Sharing [Better Than Lightroom]
Import Speed
Lumix users who have been clamoring for RAW file support, today is your day.
The same goes for you, Canon sRAW shooters. You’re supported now.
More and more photographers are working with video these days, and so Aperture now has full support for importing video files. This is a huge change and the support for videos in Aperture 3 is unparalleled in the photographic workspace. Videos can be imported, edited (using trimming features like found on the iPhone) and exported, and they can be used in the newly updated Slideshow tool (which we’ll talk about below). You can grab still images from your video, use them in slideshows and albums, export them in a Library and more.
After many requests from users, Aperture now has full-bore labeling (eight colors to choose from, with customizable titles for the colors) and flagging. Files exported from Aperture maintain their labels in the Finder. And files labeled as flagged/locked int he camera come into Aperture flagged. (That finally gives me something to do with my cameras’s flag button.) more @
http://aperture.maccreate.com/2010/02/09/aperture-3-overview/