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

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

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

“Painted Skies & Oceans”
the Colors of Micronesia.



© Gunther Deichmann - Dramatic Sunset & Rainbow over the Pacific.

A dramatic sunset in the Pacific, the Image above taken between Chuuk (Truk Lagoon) and Pohnpei in Micronesia.

The Federated States of Micronesia is an independent, sovereign nation made up of Pohnpei and three other states; Chuuk, Kosrae, and Yap. Together, the FSM comprises approximately 607 small islands in the Western Pacific spread over almost 1,700 miles (2,700 km) from east to west just above the equator some 2,500 miles (4,000 km) southwest of Hawaii and about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) north of eastern Australia, above Papua New Guinea.

© Gunther Deichmann - Sunset over the famous Truk Lagoon,
a Divers paradise for WWII ship wrecks

Chuuk or better known amongst the Scuba Diving community as Truk Lagoon is a must for Divers who like to explore the amazing WWII wrecks in this Lagoon. A whole Japanese fleet was sunk here during the WWII. Great Visibility and little current makes this a perfect destination for Wreck Divers.

© Gunther Deichmann - A lone Coconut tree at the edge of
Truk Lagoon, Chuuk Micronesia



© Gunther Deichmann - dramatic clouds over the
Palau Rock islands, Micronesia

Palau is also know as one of the best Dive destinations in the world, diving highlights include Blue Corner and the Blue Hole, plus so many others. In 2009 Palau became also the first Shark Sanctuary in the World, one of Natures best kept secret with its amazing bio diversity below and above the waves. Check out Sam’s Tours for all your scuba diving activities in 2010.

© Gunther Deichmann - a small island just in front
of the Palau Pacific Resort




© Gunther Deichmann - typical Pacific sunset, Palau




© Gunther Deichmann - Islands at sunset, Palau Micronesia




© Gunther Deichmann - Coconut trees at the edge of
Truk Lagoon, Chuuk Micronesia



© Gunther Deichmann - aerial view at sunset, Rock Islands Palau



© Gunther Deichmann - view from inside a
cave in the Palau Rock Islands, Palau



© Gunther Deichmann - sunset at the Palau Pacific Resort also known as PPR

Check out the GD PhotoWorkshop site for all the Calendar dates in 2010
including a trip trip to Palau Micronesia in June 2010
Adventure Travel with your Digital Camera!

NEW look for the GD Photo Workshop site in 2010...
Adventure Travel with your Digital Camera.

Screenshot: The NEW Home page

It has been long overdue but this morning at 4AM we had it pretty much licked.
Thanks to my good friend and web guru Arnold for hanging in there with me until the early hours in the morning.
http://www.gdphotoworkshop.com

My old and rusty GD Photo Workshop site is gone and a new one took shape by 4 AM.
Now directly wired to my Blog (press the button GD Photo Workshops) plus on my main site, nicely integrated, ha, ha how I love this word and YES it was all done on a MacBook Pro. No need for many words, it is all self-explanatory.
This one is easier to update and has already all the PhotoWorkshop dates for 2010, India being the first, starting in February and the participants getting very excited already.
A lot of rambling the other day on tech issues, so I keep this one brief plus I have to catch up with some more sleep, so I am not sure on that one either since my good Buddy Dirk from the Dugong Dive Center in Palawan is on the way to me.
Take a moment and check out the NEW site and if you feel up to it join me on one of my Photo Workshops in 2010 or 2011.
Enjoy, I hope you like it.
GD

2010 GD Photo Workshops in Asia

Happy New Year to you all and I hope you can join me on one of my Adventure Travel Photography Workshops in 2010.
We are in the process and updating our GD Photo Workshop website and that should be done shortly, a new look with more information and the Calendar for 2010. In the mean time we make all official announcements on this Blog.
For those of you who live in Manila I am also conducting regular Seminars and Photography related Workshops on Aperture 2, iLife and Pages at Power Mac Center in TriNoma and Greenbelt 3 Makati. (please contact the Power Mac Center for schedules and details)

© Gunther Deichmann - New Power Mac Center, TriNoma

For Bookings and other PhotoWorkshop inquiries please click this LINK for feedback and what previous students had to say CLICK HERE.

© Gunther Deichmann - Rajasthan India 2009

Leaving in late February 2010 our first GD Photo Workshop will take us to India where we celebrate at the same time the magic of “Holi” India’s most colorful festival. Other Photo Workshops been finalized for Palau in Micronesia (Natures best kept secret) an amazing Journey into Myanmar/Burma, Laos and of course once again one of our favorite destination Cambodia later in the year.
In Cambodia we’re not only visiting the famous Angkor Wat and other well known temples but this time we go way beyond... exploring hidden Khmer treasures deep with in the Jungle of Cambodia. For those who like to stay on we extend our stay and travel from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh for an additional 3 to4 days.
We keep our Groups to a minimum of eight (8) participants to give you the very best value and attention. These are field-Photo Workshops, followed by honest critique of your images and process. There are almost daily critiques and informal gatherings, all providing an opportunity to share your work and having fun doing so, stress is not part of the agenda.

© Gunther Deichmann - Laos

Digital photography has changed the way photographers create images, both in terms of the actual work with the camera, and the possibilities that exist in the digital darkroom. Instead of waiting a day or more for film to be processed, the photographer can now relate to the image while still at the location. This presents possibilities for improved exposure and composition, as well as new visual discoveries and insights that arise from seeing the image immediately after it has been exposed. In the digital darkroom, precision adjustments for color and tonal balance, contrast, and sharpness allow for unparalleled creative and technical control.

© Gunther Deichmann - Laos

The workshops are for advanced amateurs and experienced professionals 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 are expected to have basic digital photography skills including image capture, downloading, editing, etc. For those with experience on Mac Computers Gunther will guide you through the understanding of Aperture. He will also teach basic editing skills in Photoshop. Gunther is a certified Apple Pro trainer for Aperture 2 and has years of hands on knowledge using Photoshop as a photography tool.

Work Shop Outline
The program offers a combination of presentation, exploration and discovery. On most days, we will be learning exposure and capture techniques with our digital cameras in the morning & afternoons then using Adobe Photoshop and Aperture for exploring the digital imaging workflow at lunchtimes and in the evenings.
During the workshop we will provide direction to photographers looking to improve their photography as they travel on personal trips, or photograph on assignment. Our primary focus in these work shops is on the technology of shooting digitally and learning to tell the stories of other people's lives. The entire world of the photographer is reviewed as we discuss gaining access, researching places and story ideas, as well as understanding the complete digital workflow.
We will cover using digital cameras, and all of the gear needed to be fully prepared to go out and cover stories while traveling. Daily lectures and discussions will also include how to use strobes and a portable digital darkroom. Throughout the week you will photograph various editorial assignments: picture stories, point pictures and captions writing.

© Gunther Deichmann - Phnom Penh Cambodia Dec. 2009


© Gunther Deichmann - near Phnom Penh Cambodia Dec. 2009

You will photograph for example places in Cambodia and the other destinations while learning from one of the best travel photographers around. Gunther covers all aspects of the shoot: how to solve technical problems, how to work with people, gain access, digital workflow on the road, and how to use a small strobe. You will learn how to research a story, select a destination, prepare a shooting list, edit your pictures and ways to share your work with a larger community.
Gunther will work with students in critique sessions and in the field, sharing his working knowledge and techniques.

© Gunther Deichmann - Palau Micronesia,
No Photoshop used here, this is a natural reflection.

General Workshop Information
A successful workshop begins with advance knowledge and good preparation. Take the time to do a little research on the area(s) you will visit. This document is intended to inform you of what lies ahead and assist you in fully preparing yourself to take maximum advantage of the learning environment workshops with Gunther.
Students will be pushed to photograph not only scenes and environments, but also the people and life for example in Siam Reap and Angkor Wat, Cambodia or India. People that are naturally timid about approaching people will learn techniques and be exposed to ideas and a spirit that will help them go forward with their photographic communication including photographing people.

© Gunther Deichmann - Myanmar/Burma

Students will spend much of their time exploring and photographing the rich daily life for example, the Angkor Wat Ruins and the colors of India.
Gunther will discuss technique, intent, composition, and the creative use of the camera and lens. He will review and critique your portfolio, and works-in-process, discuss careers, getting published and give you an idea of where you are, and what to do next to become better, but most important you will learn how to see things in a different light.
For Gunther’s Bio please click this LINK.

I am pleased to announce the final Dates for our
GD Photo Workshop in India!

February 25 - March 04, 2010

We are currently working on the final Itinerary however our PhotoWorkshop will coincide with one of the most important Festivals in India...lets celebrate "Holi" and the Elephant festival in Jaipur Rajasthan at the same time.
New Delhi and Agra with its magnificent Taj Mahal is also part of our itinerary, more information will be available very soon.

2009 © Gunther Deichmann - Colors of Rajasthan

Please note this PhotoWorkshop is for a limited number of students only; max. 8 participants.
The Workshop is filling up fast, as of today we only have three (3) vacancies left, bookings are only on a first come basis and have to be confirmed by no later than January 10, 2010. I hope you understand that due to the complexity and logistics of this workshop we can't except anymore bookings after January 10.

2009 © Gunther Deichmann - Rajasthan

I hope you can join me on this Journey through Incredible India in 2010. Please stay tuned for more details and info soon on this Blog or you can contact me direct. For additional info and testimonials from previous workshops please go to GD PhotoWorkshops or click this LINK, thank you.

Note: You can also watch a short intro (slide show) on India on YouTube, see my prevous blog post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBdyMR8fq0s&feature=channel
GD

Wake up early in the morning...


© Gunther Deichmann - early morning
on the Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia

A short QT fun movie created with FotoMagico from our last Photo Workshop in Cambodia;
Behind the scene... Giggles... and a little fun with Aperture 2, GarageBand, FotoMagico and final export using Quick Time. The Title...Wake up early in the Morning... came about that all our excursions started around 4 to 5 AM everyday and the Giggles where part of our daily routine... just a fun and great group. The Soundtrack was entirely produced in GarageBand and since we had so much fun I just couldn't help myself in getting this one out...of course I had to add some Giggles...
Now listen to the "Giggle Band" & Wake up early in the Morning just click the LINK below. Plus all the info on FotoMagico below too.

http://www.deichmann-photo.com/page8/page8.html

© Gunther Deichmann - having a bath? Early morning,
the water Village on the Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia

I have mention FotoMagico a few times in my previous Blog post's, but the latest FotoMagico 3 Version 3.0.8 is so cool and for those of you who are not familiar with it I can highly recommend it.
I also introduced it to my students recently in Cambodia and they fell in love with it.
An excellent software easy to use with superb quality, you have all the settings you ever going to need for producing high end slide shows/presentations (including HDTV) or export it to the web.
You can add sound, text plus some cool transitions at your finger tips, great integration on the Mac with access to your
Media Browser for Aperture, iPhoto, iTunes etc. for more info go to:
http://www.boinx.com/fotomagico/overview/
GD

Present on: Options upon opening FotoMagico


The interface, easy and simple to use


Share... plenty to choose from

Power Mac Center Philippines proudly brings you...
Palawan & beyond...
December 3 to 7, 2009

You are cordially invited to a 4 nights 5 days exclusive Photo Workshop at Club Paradise Palawan with Gunther Deichmann, international multi-awarded travel photographer and Apple Pro Certified Aperture Trainer. Registration fees includes airfare and accommodation from Manila to Club Paradise Palawan, all meals (full Board) and full hands on with Aperture 2. Discover & Explore a different Palawan with the master!
Please book early this Workshop is for a limited number of participants only! Testimonials from previous international PhotoWorkshop.

Registration and Inquiries:  workshops@powermaccenter.com      
0919-2051659 & 0917-5228286. More details will be announced very shortly. 

Explore & Discover Coron & Culion Island plus the amazing african
and endemic wildlife on Calauit Island in Northern Palawan.


Paradise is waiting...Club Paradise, Palawan!

For more information and a recent Video on Club Paradise check out the links below:
The Underwater Channel filmed at Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center. a very cool Video from this dream destination in Palawan, Philippines. http://www.theunderwaterchannel.tv/clipinfo/4003142

A great help for the Digital workflow...BurnToDisc



© Gunther Deichmann - Soft drink Bottles are re-used for Motorbike
Gasoline along the Road just outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia 2009

Before we go into all this technical stuff (not so technical anyway...) I like to mention a nice feedback from Richard Cawthra who was part of our recent Photo Workshop in Cambodia; read what he had to say and how the Workshop has helped him.

LINK (testimonials on GD Photo Workshops)

And for those who have missed it from one of my earlier Blogs I like to re-introduce a very cool Aperture 2 plug in BurnToDisc 2 by Blue Room Software, one of the most useful plug-ins for Aperture 2., for me that is.

I tested it also on Snow Leopard recently and it's working just fine, I encountered no glitches or problems. I been using BurnToDisc for a long time and can highly recommended this plug in for Aperture 2.1.4 just fantastic when you're on the road or your Agencies screaming for images!

The Scenario:
My Agency requested some Photos from my recent trip to Cambodia in high resolution on CD or DVD.
Now here comes the easy part…BurnToDisc is part of my workflow after the shoot, the only thing I had to do select the Images I needed for my agency (the selected and adjusted versions).
I had already created a Smart folder with a selection of Photos, now I narrowed it down even further and selected the ones which had been requested, selecting them one by one by holding down the Apple (Command key), after my selection I open BurnToDisc.
Go to File and click on Export, on the fold down menu you see Burn Master to Disc or Burn Version to Disc.
The rest is easy just follow the instructions and you have your Disc burned in no time with the selected..

Screenshot of BurnToDisc Plug in for Aperture 2.1.4 tested on Snow Leopard

Again, no need to open another software this is direct from within Aperture 2, BurnToDisc has many different options to choose from, even burning multiple Discs, it will show you also how much space you have or is available on your Disc once you have selected your images and open the plug-in.

The nice part is when burning versions to a Disc you can chose within the program which file format you would like to use, in my case I needed them in tiff at 8 bits.
You have the same choice, like with all the other export options within Aperture and that is very cool.
Of course you can also use BurnToDisc for all your Master Images, a perfect way of storing your Raw files on a CD/DVD.
GD

Excerpts from the Blue Room Software Website below:
Disc names are automatically generated from user-defined elements such as disc number, image number, burn date and project name.
BurnToDisc operates with Aperture 1.5, it will also take advantage of the more streamlined background export functionality of Aperture 2.0 and later.

* Images can be exported in multiple formats in the same export session
* Images can be scaled to multiple sizes in the same export session
* Image file names can be taken from the Aperture Library, or augmented from export session metadata
* The placement of images on disc can be in any user-defined folder hierarchy
* Folder names can be static or constructed from metadata
* To allow for varying workflow scenarios, any number of named export configurations can be saved, and then later recalled for use

Minimum System Requirements:
* MacOS X 10.4 Tiger or later
* PowerPC G4, G5 or Intel Macintosh
* Aperture 1.5 or later

Recommended System:
* MacOS X 10.5 Leopard
* Aperture 2.0 or later

BurnToDisc 2 is available for purchase for $49.95 (USD). Existing BurnToDisc 1.x customers can upgrade to version 2.0 for only $19.98.
For more info go to: http://prmac.com/release-id-4604.htm

HANDS ON IN CAMBODIA SEPT. 2009

In the field & the workflow after the shoot
with MacBook Pro's using Aperture 2.

Check out these cool images & click this LINK or go to The Students work on the top bar, you can also click on the image above.
I hope you're going to enjoy them as much as I have.


The Photographs by: Jamie Irenaliena Rayer Keet, Joerg Schueler, Luis Martin Harder, Hubert Weber and Richard Cawthra. They selected six images of their choice I didn’t chose or performed any editing. It was my pleasure to guide this cool group through Photography in the field and then using Aperture 2 for the workflow after the shoot. Plus the Journey to some of the amazing places in Cambodia during our GD Photo Workshop "Angkor Wat & beyond... thank you all for being such a warm and happy group, you have been fantastic! Hope to see you in India next year!
GD

Below is my personal thanks to all those people who
made this Photo Workshop a successful one.

I have also uploaded some of the first testimonials, you can read them
at GD Photo Workshops top bar or click the image above or this LINK.

Thank’s to Jamie from Jakarta, Indonesia, Joerg from Shanghai, China, Luis from Manila, Philippines, Richard from HongKong and Hubert also from Manila, Philippines for their participation in my PhotoWorkshop, Angkor Wat & beyond…you have been a fantastic Group, thank you very much for your kind words and friendship, miss you all.
A very special thanks goes out to Didier from Heritage Adventures for the additional insights. (even Didier became for a few days one of my students)
I am also grateful to the Management and staff from the Heritage Suite Hotel who made all of this possible with their smile and hard work, you made our stay just so fantastic, thank you from the bottom of my heart. A very, special mention goes to my good friend and long time Guide Savuth who was beside us all the time not only carrying some equipment but digging out the bogged 4X4 wheel drive at Mt. Kulen too, thanks my friend.
GD

Original file prior using the Monochchrome Mixer in Aperture 2


© Gunther Deichmann - "Muddy Waters" reflection in a muddy water
paddle outside the Ta Prohm Temple, original above changed into a
Black & White image using the Monochrome Mixer in Aperture 2.

Built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, it is at Ta Prohm, where some of the original vegetation has been left un-cleared by archaeologists.

Visiting Cambodia in the off season can be a challenge but it is also very rewarding, amazing shades of greens are found all over the temples and in the country side. Fantastic opportunities for Photographers who search for something different, it is for sure my favorite time to visit these amazing places in the worst time of the year. There are few Tourists around and the landscape is ever changing into amazing colors. But be prepared and take good precaution, it can get very wet and uncomfortable during this time of the year.

And just one more...Green with envy!


© Gunther Deichmann - "when there is water there is also new life!"
A seedling... a new tree. In the Jungle of Mt. Kulen, Cambodia '09

In my next Blog post when the Internet connections have improved... remember we still have Typhoon PARMA hanging around, I post a New Gallery with six images from each participant from the Photo Workshop in Cambodia, it is there preferred choice from the trip, so please stay tuned. They all did a great Job!
In the meantime why dont you check out the images from Behind the scene...just click this LINK.
GD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

__________________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

__________________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Heritage Adventure

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Photographic Journey through
the Cambodian Jungle.


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

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

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

My trusted Guide over many years, Savuth taking a break

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

A long but very rewarding walk...

© Gunther Deichmann - Mt. Kulen Waterfall...

Just one more...

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

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

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


www.heritage-adventures.com

www.heritage-adventures.com

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

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

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

Above images: On the Tonle Sap Cambodia

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

© Joerg Schueler, life on the Tonle Sap


© Hubert Weber, reflections the Tonle Sap


© Luis Martin Harder, the Tonle Sap


© Richard Cawthra,
Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia

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

Great Weather...good Company
& amazing images.

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

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

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

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

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

© Gunther Deichmann - Chambers Pillar, Northern Territory, Australia

Before you start your trip, it is advisable to check with the local Ranger Station in Alice Springs to find out about the road condition. A 4WD is required to negotiate the deep sand drifts and steep jump ups. The unsealed road could even be closed after rain, which is rare, but it rains sometimes even in the desert and roads become impassable.
You should always take precaution when traveling alone in the Outback, make sure you bring enough water with you, also two spare tires are better than one, remember you are far from any civilization. Prior your departure let People/Friends know where you’re going and let them know also when you return.

The main feature of this 340-hectare Reserve is the pillar of sandstone that towers 50 meters above the surrounding plain. Sandstone deposits were laid down in the area 350 millions years ago. Since then, wind and rain have eroded away the softer material, leaving this solitary column of pebbly sandstone.

John MacDouall Stuart, heading north on his earliest attempt to cross Australia, first recorded the pillar in April 1860 and named it after James Chambers, one of his South Australian sponsors.
Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve lies 160km south of Alice Springs, along the Old South Road on a turnoff to the west of Maryvale Station.

© Gunther Deichmann - Perentie (Varanus giganteus) Monitor Lizard

On the way you might encounter the mighty Perentie (Varanus giganteus) Australia’s largest Monitor Lizard running across the sandy track.
Sightings of Dingoes are also quiet common particular in the early morning and late afternoon. DNA analysis shows that the first dingoes arrived in Australia from Asia around 5,000 years ago. The name "dingo" was the word used in a now unspoken aboriginal dialect for these members of the dog family.

© Gunther Deichmann - Australian Dingo photographed from
a Helicopter in the “Top End” of Australia

Cattle farmers successfully mated dingoes with dogs in the 1800s when they found dogs from the British Isles were not tough enough for extreme conditions in Australia. The result was the Australian Cattle Dog - typified by the blue and red-heeler breeds. My first Dog in Australia was actually a Blue Heeler called “Tina”, my constant companion during my outback travel over many years, a fantastic Dog and loyal companion which I will never forget.

© Gunther Deichmann - Chambers Pillar, Northern Territory, Australia.
See more images on Australia go to my PhotoShelter Gallery just click this LINK

Then there is the Bustards the famous Australian Bush Turkey as the Aboriginal people also commonly refer to it, also found in this area, plus numerous smaller Lizards, Snakes and Desert Birds. Just a great trip into the Australian Outback not to far from Alice Springs.
After you set up your Camping area, you can start exploring the prominent features of Chambers Pillar and the surrounding area. At sunrise and sunset, the Pillar glows like a burning ember as the rays of the sun strike its face.
GD

September is approaching fast and so is our Photo Workshop,
Angkor Wat & beyond… Siem Reap Cambodia.


Above: I love the integration on the Mac, pure speed and
efficiency, creating artwork with ease using Pages in iWork ‘09

In a few days I switch gears and getting ready for another exciting trip with students discovering the beauty in this remarkable place with its ancient history and culture.
Once in Cambodia I try my very best to update my Blog and Twitter every 48 hours from our Base at The Heritage Suite Hotel with stories and images from the day’s events, including the best Photograph from each day taken by one of the students.

Packing the gear and final preparation are on my agenda in the next few days, I know my Students getting excited, as for me no explanation is needed… I just love Cambodia where you can always discover something new and exciting.

© Gunther Deichmann - the way of life in the province, transporting a block
Ice on a small Motorbike, from the provicial Town to the Village.
South of Siem Reap Cambodia

I have lined up a few more interesting posts for the next few days before I start my articles on Cambodia in earnest.
GD

MAC CAMPUS ROADSHOW
BY POWER MAC CENTER


ABOVE: using Pages from iWork ‘09

Students from the Computer Science and Photography Department, Teachers and Faculty Members from the Lyceum University attended the Mac Campus Road show. Sponsored by Power Mac Center and organized by Maleng P. Raysag from PMC and the management at Lyceum University.
The Power Mac Center Training Devision had set up an array of iMac’s manned by their staff explaining to Students and Teachers the possibilities on a Mac. I could not help noticing that Photo Booth was a real hit, laughter non stop.

The program of the day included lectures on Integration on the Mac, Photography, Digital workflow using Aperture2 and a basic Photo Competition using what ever Camera was available; Cell phones, Compact Digital Cameras to SLR’s. , etc.
Part of the presentations included how the Mac can help you and how to speed things up using Aperture 2, (Aperture 2 & beyond…) iWork ’09 and iLife ’09 explaining the cool integration. Life made so easy!

The photo Assignment for the day was again Shadows for group “A” and group “B” Space, allotted time for completion 45 minutes.

© Jhonille Villanueva, Donna Dawn Santander-1st
Nikon D40

After the assignment, with the help of Andrew & Mark-Lee from Power Mac Center we uploaded the images into folders and imported them into Aperture 2 for fast processing and judging using the star rating system in Aperture.

© Aaron Basa-2nd
Sony Cyber Shot


© Paulo Caballero, Prince John Risky Arenas-3rd
Cellphone


© Raymark Espeleta, Geneva Panigbatan-4th
Sony Digital Camera

The highest scoring images received prizes sponsored by Power Mac Center.
Another fun Day minus the rain today, being with a cool group of Students, Teachers and Faculty members using only simple Cameras but creating some nice images.
Thanks everybody, I had a great day!
GD

“Light is Photography,
Photography is Light.” GD

It’s raining cat and dogs for the past few days, there is still Color around us, but you have to bring your Camera along. The shot below, taken from the Car Window on the way to a meeting while stuck in a traffic Jam in Manila.

© Gunther Deichmann - Yakal Street Makati 100 yards from
Santis & Cave Werdenberg
a great stop for some light meals and superb Wine.

The image above and other NEW images from the past few days already residing in my PhotoShelter Gallery/Archives. (New Manila, Aug. ‘09, including some interesting once from inside a Church)

__________________________

Now from the Philippines to Cambodia; my GDPhotoWorkshop in September ’09 “Angkor Wat & Beyond” Siem Reap, Cambodia is fast approaching, we’re ready to go in September and bookings are closed now. Just a few images below from one of my earlier trips to Angkor Wat Siem Reap, Cambodia.

© Gunther Deichmann - APSARA traditional Khmer Dancer, Bayon


© Gunther Deichmann - Lingas in the river bed, Phnom Kulen is the holiest
mountain in Cambodia & the river of 1000 Lingas, a powerful sacred site
for Cambodians, even today.

However, I make a major announcement very shortly regarding all my future PhotoWorkshops including more to Cambodia, (this year) but also into Laos and other Exotic destinations in Asia, plus preparations are made for India in 2010.

© Gunther Deichmann - Women Priest at
Bayon Temple Angkor Wat area, Cambodia

© Gunther Deichmann - Buddhist Monk, Siem Reap Cambodia

Please stay tuned for more information very, soon.
GD

Last Fridays Power Mac Center Event, the 15th Anniversary.
& DJ Mark - Lee was in his element using a Bose sound system.
____________________________________________

Some 50 students from the Computer Science Department from the Adamson University attended the Photography Seminar. The program of the day included lectures on Photography, Digital workflow and a basic Photo Competition using what ever Camera was available; Cell phones, Compact Cameras to SLR’s. etc.

Students from the Computer Science Department
from the Adamson University in Manila

After a two our lecture on Photography, Keynote presentations and techniques I divided the students into two groups for two different assignments. Assignment “A” was Shadows and group “B” Space, allotted time for completion 90 minutes.

A real fun Day! What was amazing... the images the students took for the competition, the small Digital point and shoot Cameras and Cell Phones had the highest score.
After the assignment, with the help of Andrew & Mark-Lee from Power Mac Center we uploaded the images into folders and imported them into Aperture 2 for fast processing and judging using the star rating system in Aperture 2.
It proved again how easy it is to work with Aperture 2 making selections and using it for something very different today, after all we had to go through some 200 images fast.
Most of the students came from the Computer Science Dept. but had a high interest in Photography and the three lucky winners received prizes sponsored by Power Mac Center.

First Price went to Yves using a
KODAK EASYSHARE
C813 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA
Yves took this shot pointing his Camera
into a mirror. Corridor at the University.

Was I surprised? No! The best and most creative images came from Cell Phones and small compact Digital Cameras. Proven again, that if you put your mind to it, you can create some very nice images with what you have got. Photography is you and you alone create these images, equipment helps but if you have nothing else... you use what is available.

Second prize: KIMGHI using a cell Phone, interesting
Image, a building reflecting in water on rough concrete
during todays rain.


3rd prize: Sherwin using a SONY DSC-S40
He took this shot during our lunch break at the nearby Mall

Even more amazing, the weather was real bad raining non-stop, difficult for the Group who had the Shadow assignment; of course we considered that during our judging.
I had a lot of fun too, being with a cool group of students using only simple Cameras but creating some nice images.
Thanks everybody for a great day!
GD

Congratulation & Best wishes to the Power Mac Center
on their 15th Anniversary.



Thank You! GD
__________________________________

Plus...Photos & Macs brought to you by
Adamson University, Manila

BE PART OF PHOTOGRAPHY &
MAC LEARNING SESSIONS
Sponsored by Power Mac Center

NEWS RELEASE - EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS
Listen to Mr. GUNTHER DEICHMANN, international acclaimed travel photographer as he shares his exciting works and experience on travel photography. See the latest techniques in making the most out of your pictures...Win exciting prizes and surprises! Join the photo competition at the end of the seminar. Interested participants may bring their digital cameras or cell phone cameras to join... and lastly, learn why Mac is the best computer for schools.
Where:
SD 3/Level, Adamson
Time:
8am-5pm
Schedule:
8am-9am
Registration
9am-11am
Talk by Gunther Deichmann,
11am-12nn
Photo Competition
12nn-1pm
Break
1pm-2pm
Photo Competition Judging
2pm-4pm
Apple Technology - a session on
latest gadgets & Mac products
4pm-5pm

Contact:
Mobile Hotline • 0908 7213422 / 0917 6047980
0918 3427555 / 0922 8647131 / 0910 8897055
Landline • 729 7087 or 88 | 7297128
Email: academy@powermaccenter.com
www.powermaccenter.com

“7000 images later, a Journey Through
Rajasthan, India… Aperture 2 & beyond…”

The Fine Art Prints!


Fine Art Photo Prints from Rajasthan, India at the recent
Photo Exhibit at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila during the Event
- A Taste of India -

I prepared the selected digital images in Aperture 2 using my calibrated Apple Cinema screens getting them ready for delivery on my portable hard drive. Additional adjustments where not necessary, they reproduced absolutely perfect just like the original from the screen.
Further more OneWorkshop guarantees the archival quality prints, they are certified for their fade resistance.

A big enlargement graces the wall at the PMC, Photo Exhibit at the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3, Makati, Philippines some of the images from Rajasthan will be on display from June until the end of July. During this time we have also some Seminars, Workshops & Consultancy on Aperture 2, for more details check with the Power Mac Center.
For questions and special requests, you can call 729-7087 or 88,
or email us at training@powermaccenter.com
http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php

More Photos on display at the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3, if you in the area check out also the Multi Media presentation on the Apple TV set-up.

My advise:
Do not perform major color adjustments on your Laptop, instead work on a good quality & calibrated screen for you final output. You never look back or regret if you invest in a high quality Monitor or Screen they are vital for accurate color renditions and fine-tuning.
Thanks again to Ross Capilli & Rick for an excellent Job.

See below some information on the archival printmaking services:

Masterpiece Giclée
OneWorkshop,Inc. is providing the Visual Arts Community, Photographers, Museum Administrators, Gallery Owners and Art Collectors with digital archival printmaking services, using the Giclee (pronounced “zhi-clay”) Printmaking method.
Giclée Printmaking has opened up a whole new set of creative and economical opportunities for both the artist and artist photographer. We invite you to learn more about these opportunities, so we can show you how you can maximize the value of your art by making reproductions using the most cost-effective means. We use only top quality 7 & 8 color-Archival Inks on a wide selection of Archival Fine Art Papers or Canvas that you may choose from in our studios.
Giclee prints are advantageous to artists who do not find it feasible to mass produce their work, but want to reproduce their art as needed, or on-demand. Once an image is digitally archived, additional reproductions can be made with minimal effort and reasonable cost. Another tremendous advantage of giclee printing is that digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various media, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client.

2241 Ground Floor La Fuerza Plaza II Don Chino Roces Ave corner Sabio St. Makati CityTel (632) 8192074 Telefax (632) 8105094

A Journey Through Rajasthan India...
how to cope with 7000 images after
the shoot, plus the integration on the Mac.


Poster production using Pages from iWork ’09
creating a pdf file for final printing.

June & July ’09 Aperture 2, a Power Mac Center special, Images from India on display through out the Store plus get the chance to win a limited edition Book (available in August ’09) with the images from Rajasthan, India... entirely produced using Aperture 2 plus a lot more.

Photography & Aperture 2 Training/ Free Seminars & WORKSHOPS at the Power Mac Center incorporating Keynote & Pages from iWork 09 ...plus a little GarageBand using the iPhone as a Recorder.

The Seminars: An introduction to Aperture 2 the workflow after the shoot and the things you can do with your selected images using iLife ’09 GarageBand and iWork ’09 working with Pages and Keynote plus a lot more. How to use Aperture when traveling, things to watch out for.
Total integration using the Mac.

The Workshops: Travel Photography and Aperture 2, tips and tricks while on the road plus the integration on the Mac using Pages and Keynote from iWork ’09 the possibilities after the shoot. Tips when you’re on the road using your Mac and Aperture 2.
How to record traditional music when you’re miles from nowhere by just using your iPhone and mixing sound tracks later in GarageBand for your slide shows and Keynote presentations.

Consultation on Aperture 2: Trouble shooting, performance improvement, ideal set-up & storage solutions, choice of Hard Drives, how to back up your images and any other Questions you might have to make your workflow easy using Aperture 2 after the shoot.

For questions and special requests, you can call 729-7087 or 88,
or email us at training@powermaccenter.com
http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php

June 19 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM (seminar)
June 27 - 3:00PM to 5:00PM (workshop)

July 10 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM (seminar)
July 18 - 3:00PM to 5:00PM (workshop) 

FREE Consultation on Aperture @ PowerMac GB3 Store
July 4 , 25 and 31 please check with the Power Mac Center for the Time.

A Journey Through Rajasthan India...
7000 images later.


Created with iWork ’09 using Pages
How I work with Aperture 2 & deal with 7000 images after the shoot, visit my Seminars and Workshops at the Power Mac Center in Makati, Greenbelt 3, see the dates below.

June 19 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM (seminar)
June 27 - 3:00PM to 5:00PM (workshop)

July 10 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM (seminar)
July 18 - 3:00PM to 5:00PM (workshop)
For questions and special requests, you can call 729-7087 or 88, or email us at training@powermaccenter.com
http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php

The Seminars: An introduction to Aperture 2 the workflow after the shoot and the things you can do with your selected images using iLife ’09 GarageBand and iWork ’09 working with Pages and Keynote plus a lot more.
Total integration using the Mac.

The Workshops: Travel Photography and Aperture 2, tips and tricks while on the road plus the integration on the Mac using Pages and Keynote from iWork ’09 the possibilities after the shoot.
How to record on the road by just using your iPhone and creating real sound tracks later in GarageBand for your slide shows and Keynote presentations.

For a change... India in Black & White...
from the Car Window.


© Gunther Deichmann - Bikaner Rajasthan India, April 2009
No fur...the Camel had no fur, Camel hair is used in Rajasthan for carpets
and other materials he must have been just to the “Barber shop”

I just love the Aperture 2 Monochrome Mixer converting Color to Black & White but the subject needs to be right.
I am known for my strong colors and contrast, but occasional I convert images to Black and White due to their nature and subjects.

© Gunther Deichmann - Just Eyes...Bikaner Rajasthan India, April 2009

Aperture 2 makes it very easy and I have explained the process on numerous occasion in my Blogs. I thought I share with you today some images which I felt where perfect for the conversion, again these shots have been taken from The Car Window one of my favorite shooting techniques when traveling.
The Images are taken in the Desert Town of Bikaner in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan India, April 2009.
How I work with Aperture 2 and deal with some 7000 images after the shoot check out my Seminars and Workshops at the Power Mac Center in Makati, Greenbelt 3, see the dates below.

June 19 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM (seminar)
June 27 - 3:00PM to 5:00PM (workshop)

July 10 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM (seminar)
July 18 - 3:00PM to 5:00PM (workshop)

For questions and special requests, you can call 729-7087 or 88, or email us at training@powermaccenter.com

http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php

© Gunther Deichmann - these children where not begging they just walked
up to the car to check me out... Bikaner Rajasthan India, April 2009

Join me on a Journey through Rajasthan using Aperture and the Mac, how to create slideshows, Keynote presentations with sound from GarageBand recorded on an iPhone, prepare and produce Flyers and Posters using Pages
from iWork ’09.
GD

Photography & Aperture 2 plus a Taste of India
during the month of June and July in Manila &
Makati Philippines.


Image above: Taken at the Spice Court Hari Bhawan, Achrol House Jaipur
Thanks to Kuldeep Singh and India Tourism in Rajasthan for a fantastic lunch.
If you pass through Jaipur make sure one of your stops is at the
Spice Court, the food is out of this world.


http://www.incredibleindia.org/

Lets talk about food; Indian cuisine has always been one of my favorites, I like it a bit spicy and exotic and Indian food is just that. You have to try some of those vegetarian dishes; just thinking about gets me hungry. Too spicy? Don’t worry you can always ask the Chefs to keep it mild, but the taste…oh boy.
During my recent visit to India I sampled the real Indian cuisine, now the Hyatt Hotel is bringing you the taste of India to Manila.
At the same time some of my Images from India will also be on display at the Hyatt Hotel during the flavors of authentic Indian cuisine at the Market Café. But that’s not all, we also have some seminars at the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3 during the month of June and July.
For more details contact the PMC at: http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php

Aperture 2 & beyond… 7000 images later, a Journey through Rajasthan, India.
I talk about my experience on the road, the workflow and how to deal with large number of images after the shoot, but most important the things you can do with your images using the integration on the Mac, you be amazed by the possibilities.
Eg. producing a Book using Aperture 2, creating your own flyers and posters using Pages from iWork ’09, making Keynote presentations and using your own sound recordings from your iPhone and mixing it later in GarageBand.

June 19 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM (seminar)
June 27 - 3:00PM to 5:00PM (workshop)

July 10 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM (seminar)
July 18 - 3:00PM to 5:00PM (workshop)

In the meantime you can check out some authentic Indian cuisine at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila, for more info see the Press release from the Hyatt Hotel below:

“A TASTE OF INDIA” AT MARKET CAFÉ
4- 21 June 2009

From 4th to 21st of June, “A Taste of India” brings the diverse and varied flavours of authentic Indian cuisine to Market Café at Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila in the form of popular dishes from north India that will spice up the sumptuous buffet.
The hotel has invited Chef Ashwani Kumar and Chef Chandramani Geeband, two chefs from The Leela Kempinski Hotel and Residences in New Delhi to create an explosion of Indian spices for a truly splendid culinary feast.

Delight in the appealing tastes and textures of Tandoori Chicken, one of the most popular Indian roast chicken delicacies, Paneer Ki Khurchan, Murg Ka Parcha, Subz Ka Palao, Seekh Kebab and more. Find yourself indulging in unlimited Subz Biryani, Navrattan Pulao and luscious mouthwatering desserts, all for the same price as the regular buffet – just PhP1,388 nett per person for lunch and PhP1,518 nett per person for dinner.
Discover the distinct flavours and unique taste of India exclusively at the Market Café at Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila.
“A Taste of India” is supported by Business World, Manila Bulletin, Foreign Post, What’s On Expat, 105.1 Crossover, RJ 100, Magic 89.9 and The Leela Kempinski Hotel and Residences.
For further enquiries or to make a reservation, please call 245 1234.

The Colors of Rajasthan India continuos...


© Gunther Deichmann - “I been watched”
Jodhpur Rajasthan India , April 2009

Since my return from Bangkok and the TDEX show I have been working on my project from India, but a lot more work has to be done, I post some more details during the month of June. To view some selected images from India click this LINK or go to http://www.deichmann-photo.com/india.html

By end of next week you find also the final details on our upcoming GD Photo-Workshop on my
GD Photo-Workshop Site, already booked participants however will receive an email within the next few days with all the information.
We are almost fully booked, so if you’re interested please contact me ASAP, final closing date for bookings will be June 22, 2009.
As mention previously in my Blog, this GD PhotoWorkshop will go beyond Angkor Wat and for the first time we have included the Tonle Sap Lake and some other interesting places seldom visit by Tourists.
“6 nights and 7 days from the 13th until the 19th of September”
Please subscribe to my Blog & stay tuned for the final details shortly...
GD

Cambodia... Siem Reap, Angkor Wat and beyond...
the final GD PhotoWorkshop Dates.

We have finalized and can confirm the Dates for our GD PhotoWorkshop in Cambodia…
Siem Reap…”Angkor Wat and beyond...” besides Angkor Wat and the other nearby Temples which we are going to visit anyway, this time we travel also beyond; to the amazing Phnum Kulen area north of Siem Reap, the Tonle Sap Lake plus other seldom visited Temples and places.

6 nights and 7 days from the 13th until the 19th of September, please make sure and reserve your space now, final bookings have to be made by latest June 15, 2009.
This Workshop is filling up fast already; you can make a non-committed reservation now and reserve your space prior June 2009. For bookings: http://www.deichmann-photo.com/contact/contact.php

Final Workshop cost and all other details will be announced by latest May 31, 2009.
We have also made some changes on the GD PhotoWorkshop site, there you find some very use full and additional information.
http://www.gdphotoworkshop.com/home.html

This workshop will include the Tonle Sap Lake and the Water Village, furthermore we be exploring some ancient Temples/Ruins seldom visited by others except you.
Of course we still visit and shoot at Angkor Wat during Sunrise and Sunset, plus a lot more during this trip.
As you know I am always good for a surprise or two...
Total lengths of the Workshop is from Sunday (exact date to be announced in May) to Saturday (7 nights in a luxury Boutique Hotel) Photography in the field, the workflow and critic after the shoot - class room sessions at the Hotel...but don’t worry we spend more time in the field and get the shot right in the first place.

More details; what to bring, cost per per person, etc., will be available in May, but participants can travel from their Home destination to Siem Reap in Cambodia direct, upon arrival we have made all the necessary arrangements for your transport to the Hotel.
You can contact me @ http://www.deichmann-photo.com/contact/contact.php
GD

“Siem Reap, Angkor Wat & beyond.”

This is only the initial announcement, all other details will be posted upon my return from India towards the end of May.
If you’re interested you can contact me and reserve your space without any obligation for the time being, final bookings have to be made by latest August 15, 2009. With only 8 to 12 max participants I recommend you make your bookings early, just click this LINK: http://www.deichmann-photo.com/contact/contact.php
GD

Integration on the Mac...Photography & Aperture 2,
iLife + an introduction to iWork ’09

Created with iWork ’09 using Pages...

Join me on March 20 - Photography & the Integration of Aperture 2 on a Mac & on March 21- iLife 09 Workshop with iWork ’09.
All sessions will have computer set-ups for your hands-on guided sessions and training starts at 1pm-3pm
Please make your reservations at the Power Mac Center, limited Computer set-ups available, these are additional and special workshops and not necessary listed on the Training Center announcements.
Go to the registration page @ http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php
For questions and special requests,
you can call 729-7087 or 88,
or email us at
training@powermaccenter.com

February 2009, Seminars at the Power Mac Center,
Greenbelt 3, Makati, Manila
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY & APERTURE 2
plus iPhoto and APERTURE 2

For bookings and more information click this LINK or the screenshot above.
For questions and special requests,
you can call 729-7087 or 88,
or email us at
training@powermaccenter.com

Festive mood in Makati, this image was taken during my Coffee break just outside the
Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3, Dec. 29


© Gunther Deichmann - Leica D-Lux 4

I have just completed my last training session in 2008, this time for the staff at the Power Mac Center on December 29, 2008 Makati, Greenbelt 3, Manila.
Please stay tuned for more exciting training schedules in 2009 like: Fundamentals of Mac OS X Leopard, iLife: iTunes, iDVD, iPhoto, iWeb and GarageBand. Simple trouble shooting techniques for your Mac plus iWork: Keynote, Pages and Numbers.
Of course I am going to be around for some more on Aperture 2 and Photography in 2009.
Check this Blog for information or go to http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php for all the details in 2009.
Now I like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and a real fantastic 2009, take good care of YOU and our ENVIRONMENT.
PS. I be posting shortly some new and interesting Tutorials in my Blog section: GD Photo Tutorials
GD

Power Mac Center: Staff training with GD on Aperture 2, Dec.29, 2008


Power Mac Center: Staff training by Junior Tan from Apple Singapore, Dec. 29,2008

Book now for this special 5 hour intensive training, get to
know Aperture 2 & make it work for your Photography.

Aperture 2 and Photography Workshop at the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt Makati November 29 & 30, 1pm to 6pm at GB3 Training Center.
Only a limited number of seats are available for this Workshop, please make your reservations early, thank you.
This workshop is for serious amateur and advance Photographers, for details and early bookings please contact the Power Mac Center.

For questions and special requests,
you can call 729-7087 or 88,
or email us at
training@powermaccenter.com
or go to our website at: http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php
GD

There will be an intense Aperture 2 and Photography Workshop at the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt Makati for November 29 & 30, 1pm to 6pm at GB3 Training Center.
Only a limited number of seats are available for this Workshop, please make your reservations early, thank you.
This workshop is for serious amateur and advance Photographers, for details and early bookings please contact the Power Mac Center.

For questions and special requests,
you can call 729-7087 or 88,
or email us at
training@powermaccenter.com
or go to our website at: http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php
GD

4th Angkor Photography Festival in Cambodia
November 23 - 28, 2008 Siem Reap


© Gunther Deichmann, Angkor Wat, Siam Reap Cambodia 2007
for some recent images on Cambodia click the image or this LINK

The first such event to be organized in Southeast Asia
This festival was created in 2005 and this year, for the fourth time, the temples of Angkor will become a hub that will draw both famous and passionate photographers from around the world.
The Angkor Photography Festival showcases this year outdoor projections by celebrating regional and international photographers in different locations in Siem Reap.

The strong educational goals of the Angkor Photography Festival set it apart from other photography events. During their stay, famous photographers will tutor free workshops for emerging Asian photographers and the festival will also present its outreach programs for vulnerable people...more info @ http://www.photographyforchange.net/
Gunther Deichmann @ http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html

Tags: Angkor Wat Photography Festival, Artworks

Courtesy Photo © Vincent Leterrier -
(see his comments above)

I did ask Vincent Leterrier if we can use the image on our Blog, read his reply below send via the .Mac Web Gallery in Aperture 2…I think I found another fan for the .Mac Web Gallery, it is certainly one of my favorites. Note: Vincent using a 15 inch Mac Book Pro and switched recently from Aperture 1.5 to Aperture 2

Hi Gunther,
Tks for your kind comment on my photos, first time I received a recognition like that from a photographer (I know my family and friends love my pictures, but....;-)
Of course, you can use it on your blog, I'm even honored ! (it sounds so formal, but it's not my intention, just take it in the simplest way !)
Here are the photo, I've add another one that I like too. The girl at the back have a pure model face, and I like the East-Ouest multicultural dimension...
Unfortunately, at this time we did not meet yet, so I was shooting in Jpeg only !!! There is a lack of crisp, but this time is over now... ;-)
BUT, the new Aperture 2.1 functionalities like Recovery and Black point are also working well for Jpegs. So fantastic. And the tool Dodge and Burn also!
Vincent Leterrier
http://gallery.mac.com/vincent.leterrier#100059
__________________________

Thank you Gunther, Hermes and to all the Mac staff – an outstanding job!
Kristina, Rose and I had a fun and informative day. Even an old dinosaur with embarrassingly limited computer skills like myself, found the presentation surprisingly "comfortable", not to mention inspiring! You've won three more converts - at PC's expense! Look forward to more of your workshops - perhaps something on restoration techniques of old negative and slide film?
Well worth the round trip from far away Subic!
Cheers,
Kevin Hamdorf, Photographer
__________________________

Hi Gunther!
Thank you for featuring some of my shots. It means a lot to me and I am deeply touched. :-)
Hope to shoot with you soon! hehehe
Regards,
Sheila Go

© Shiela Go - using the Monochrome Mixer in Aperture 2.1

Tags: Dodge and Burn, Switching from PC to Mac, Monochrome Mixer, Aperture 2.1

A great shot from © Shiela Go - from Group 2,
my caption would be: “Conserve Water”

Remember…this was supposed to happen last week but due to Typhoon Fengshen (Frank) the Aperture 2 and Photography Workshop was moved to last Sunday. We had a record attendance and I like to thank all participants for taken the time being with me at the Power Mac Center for this fun event.

Aperture 2 and Photography at the Makati Power Mac Center Group 1 and 2

Besides the Workshop a lot of other things happen at the same time around the Power Mac Center, customers receiving a cool Tattoo I LOVE Mac, T. -shirts and Camera Straps give away, plus participants from the workshop received their certificate for being part off it. To my surprise some very familiar faces showed up during our first session, John Chua from Ad Photo, Photographer Kevin Hamdorf who drove all the way from Subic Bay with his Daughter and Rose his Graphic Designer, good old Bebet Gaudinez a Lightroom user who attended my Photo Workshop in Cambodia last year and Vincent Leterrier who participated in one of my earlier workshops made his presence felt with some very cool images he shot recently.

A lot of fun at the Power Mac Center, Makati Manila Philippines.
Hey.. do you like my new Tattoo “I LOVE MAC”

All participants had to go out and shoot a number of images which we later imported into Aperture 2, then we did some adjustments, cropping and changing a few into Black & White using the Monochrome Mixer.

Two images from Group 2


top: Shiela Go below: no name. Two more images this time from Group 2 using the
Monochrome Mixer in Aperture 2

Again two Groups starting the first at 1PM until 5PM then from 5PM way past 8PM a long but fun day. Thanks to Honey Machuca from Think Big, of course to the Management and technical staff at the Power Mac Center for providing me with a non stop supply of Coffee and made sure everything went smooth, they did a great job. Thanks also to Mark-Lee Deichmann for some troubleshooting and Hermes Singson for all the images behind the scene. Thanks to Canon Philippines for providing us with an excellent projector.

left: GD with Shiela Go and the technical staff from the Power Mac Center
right: GD and Honey Machuca from Think Big

The Work Shop was a basic introduction into Aperture 2 with all the possibilities after the shoot, demonstrating the total integration on the Mac with short demos on iLife and iWorks...plus a lot more including a short critique session on the images.
Thank you all, and see you again soon,
GD

More Images by Gunther Deichmann @ http://www.deichmann-photo.com/

Tags: Power Mac Center

Aperture 2 Your Best Shots. Made even better.



Photo by Noreen from Group 1 last week Saturday
the day before "Frank" arrived

NEW Date for our Photo Workshop with Aperture 2 at the Power Mac Center, Sunday the 29th of June from:
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

You all know we had to cancel our last Workshop/Seminar due to Typhoon Frank which hit the Philippines very hard last Sunday, our thoughts go out to those who have suffered during this severe storm.

Contact the Power Mac Center in Makati for details @
Phone 7297087-88
http://www.powermaccenter.com/

Editor's Choice 2008: Imaging Software Aperture 2.1

Workflow and image editing are equal partners in this year's applications, led by Apple's powerful Aperture 2.1.

By Jonathan Barkey and Russell Hart / American Photo
June 2008

This year saw the advent of specialized plug-ins for Apple's Aperture 2.1 and nondestructive localized editing in Adobe's upcoming Lightroom 2.0 -- bringing Photoshop-style control of specific image areas to these picture-management powerhouses. Some of their fans just might not need Photoshop anymore!
Apple Aperture 2.1 click the link below and read the complete article.

http://www.popphoto.com/americanphotofeatures/5341/

Typhoon "FRANK" has passed east of Metro Manila early this morning and is now crossing Central Luzon.

At 2:00 a.m. today, the eye of Typhoon "FRANK" was located by radar, satellite and surface data at 30 kms South of Tayabas, Quezon or 90 kms Southeast of Metro Manila (13.9°N 121.5°E) with maximum winds of 120 kph and gustiness of up to 150 kph. It is forecast to move north northwest at 15 kph.

Now We Know...What is Aperture 2...
The Workshop/seminar included the ff.:

A short briefing for the participants before the actual photography, importing the images after the shoot into Aperture 2 using MacBooks, introduction into the basics of Aperture 2 including the versatile interface, tools, tips, how to produce a short slide show with Aperture 2, the integration on a Mac using iLife & iWorks including a demo how to produce a short presentation with Keynote, brief description on Pages and a live/real time demo using the .Mac Web Gallery in Aperture 2, open discussions and photo critique...plus a lot more.

Cool shot by Group 1
Photo by John

Our first two sessions at the Power Mac Center are done, great attendance, great participants and some cool images processed in Aperture 2.
Shooting around Greenbelt and later processing the images in Aperture 2 an introduction into Aperture at the Power Mac Center, the first group from 1pm until 5 pm was lucky with the weather. However the second Group from 5 p.m. until 8 pm had to deal with tropical rain and darkness, a challenge which in my opinion was well executed.

The participants and classroom sessions, the training
facility at the Power Mac Center, Makati, Manila

I like to thank all participants from today, for a job, well done, special thanks to Melvin Tosino, Andrew and E.J. from the Power Mac Centers technical staff who assisted me during these long hours.
Thanks to Mark-Lee Deichmann for helping out and Hermes Singson for shooting behind the scenes, plus to all the staff and Management from
Think Big for a great job.
Next week we show you some more images (including who took them) from these two days with Aperture 2 and Photography at the Power Mac Center.

A well executed shot during the tropical
rain storm by Group 2

What is Aperture?

Photo: Hermes Singson - GD synchronizing the Mac Book Demo units with Aperture 2 for Saturday and Sunday's workshops.We try and report in almost real time from the event over the next few days, so please stay tuned.

Thanks to the technical staff Mark and Melvin from the Power Mac Center in Makati, Manila for their assistance in setting up the the Mac Books for tomorrows Aperture workshop.
Special thanks also to Honey Machuca from THINK BIG for doing a great job in marketing the Event.
There are still some seats available for tomorrow night and a few for Sunday, call the Power Mac Center for more details and reservations.

Book your seat now @
http://www.powermaccenter.com/
Dates: June 21 and 22, 2008
Time: 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm

What is Aperture?

Aperture 2 features incredible tools for managing massive libraries,speed through photo edits,making essential image adjustments and delivering photos online and in print using one simple, integrated workflow.

Aperture Workshop (Free)
learn more about Aperture with Apple-certified trainer
Gunther Deichmann
Dates: June 21 and 22, 2008
Time 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm
Book your seat now @
http://www.powermaccenter.com/

Tags: Power Mac Center, Photography Seminar

Cool images by Luis Martin Harder…
“Unscripted”

All Photos above by Hermes Singson, by the way
Luis is the one in the dark maroon/blue shirt

Congratulation to Luis Martin Harder one of my students from the Cambodian GDPhotoWorkshop last year…he really went out his way and show cased his very first Exhibition on the 13th of May in Manila.
Since Cambodia he has done real well, more than 30 images from Cambodia and the Philippines are on display, very impressive work I might add and I am very proud of him.

A good and mixed crowed attended the opening night at the One Workshop Gallery including other familiar faces like good old Bebet Gaudinez (I am just waiting to see
his Exhibition) and Jasmine Manabat who also attended my PhotoWorkshop last year,
almost like a “little reunion”.

Photographers like Wig Tysman, Tilak Hettig, George Tapan and many other personalities including Henry Bateman Artist/Writer showed up to give Luis the credit he deserves, of course the host Photographer Master printer and Artist Ross Capilli and his wife made sure everybody had enough to drink and eat. Thanks Ross.

Congratulations again to Luis Harder for a great show and super cool images…
You might remember from one of my earlier blogs…he was the one who received the Aperture software, (which was sponsored by the Power Mac Center in Makati) during our Cambodian GDPhotoWorkshop, see the image below in case you have forgotten.
Thanks for inviting me and being part of your show, keep up the good work Luis.
GD

The winning shot, by © Luis Harder, Cambodia 2007

Tags: Exhibition, Manila, Events, Photography, Workshop, Cambodia, Art, Aperture, Power Mac Center

© Gunther Deichmann - aerial view of
the Palau Rock islands after sunset

The Reflection of Excellence continues...

Great NEWS! Soon to arrive...Aperture 2 at Sam's Tours Palau Micronesia...stay tuned for more updates from Sam's Tours Digital Photo Center.
Surviving for our underwater photographers has just become a lot easier in Palau, Aperture 2 is on it's way ready for you to use.
Sam's Tours Digital Photo Center is the only one of it's kind in Palau, Micronesia and in the Pacific, check out my previous blogs or go direct to Sam's Tours DPC site
click this link Sam's Tours DPC.
Watch out for Monday the 3rd of March...a truly amazing story, images and another very cool tip on Aperture 2, but now I take the weekend off,
Cheers until Monday
GD

If you in Manila for the Holiday Season why dont you take the opportunity and drop by the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt Makati, for the last session of the year, an intro into "Photography and the Mac" and for the more advanced a "one on one session on Aperture", for details please contact the Power Mac Center @ training@powermaccenter.com or www.powermaccenter.com
Looking forward to see you. "Happy Holidays" Gunther Deichmann

_____________________________________

Photoshelterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Congratulations to PhotoShelter and their team, the new and exciting PhotoShelter Collection was officially launched on the
12th of November, 2007 in New York!

It all started with Aperture some time ago, PhotoShelter was one of the very first Plugins after the release of Aperture, I did some research and signed up, since then I have never looked back. Like with all new things, they need time to mature before you can see any real benefits, there are potential sales and of-course have the piece of mind that your most important images are stored in a different location, I am very famous for preaching back up, back up and more back ups, remember this is your work and for me, it is my life.

What's PhotoShelter?
Created by photographers in 2005, PhotoShelter has quickly become one of the professional photography industry's most trusted brands. We are a thriving creative community where advanced technology combines with a native understanding of photographers to power the future of photography online.

The PhotoShelter Collection
The newly launched PhotoShelter Collection enables photographers of all levels to benefit from a worldwide image-selling marketplace that returns commercial and creative independence back into the hands of the artist. For commercial photo buyers, The PhotoShelter Collection aims to offer the freshest editorialized collection of imagery online.
Check this link: http://psc.photoshelter.com/
I be explaining and talking a lot more about PhotoShelter in my up coming blogs, the important issue for now my old link to my PhotoShelter Gallery stays the same,
http://www.photoshelter.com/c/gdeichmann and it is here where you always find my latest images.
My new Micro Site is up very soon on The PhotoShelter Collection.
I am informing everyone on all these exciting developments as soon they become available.

Check out the new The PhotoShelter Collection, the site is ready for business and as mention above I advise and provide you with the link to my personal Micro site soon, some of my very special images have been already integrated on this site.

By the way the GDPhotoWorkshop site has now all the latest info on up coming Photo workshops in 2008, for Cambodia everything is in place, Palau and Tibet will follow shortly, just go to the link and make your reservation if you interested. http://www.gdphotoworkshop.com/home.html
Thank you.

We have also up dated our Blog page on the GDPhotoWorkshop site and this one, we made it easier for you now to search and navigate through articles and information, just check below the YouTube Logo and you see the changes. You might have noticed also that Gunther Deichmann's main site and the GDPhotoWorkshop site have now been cross linked, you go to either one of them and you can get to the other direct from the front page.

For Gunther's Bio and main website please go to:
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/

Important NEWS and updates on the GD PhotoWorkshop to Cambodia-Palau-Tibet in 2008.

Please check the blog which I just posted on the PhotoWorkshop site, besides more details on these workshops you find some interesting information on other Photography related issues. Just click the link below, thank you.
http://gdphotoworkshop.com/blog.html


© Gunther Deichmann, Cambodia 2007

© Gunther Deichmann, Palau, Micronesia 2006

© Gunther Deichmann, Tibet 2006
________________________________________________

Bebet at Bayon Temple, during our Cambodian
GDPhoto Workshop, September 2007

Bebet caught by my Cell Phone at the Penguin Cafe
Malate, Manila, October 12, 2007

The winning shot and Aperture

Luis is the one who came up with the winning shot during our recent
GD PhotoWorkshop, in Cambodia, Siam Reap.
Now back in Manila, we made arrangements to meet with Lawrence C Sison from the Power Mac Center to claim his prize, the Apple Aperture Software, for more information on Aperture please click here

I like to thank Lawrence C Sison from the Power Mac Center for all his support and sponsor ship, also my gratitude to Apple Singapore for their support.

We have now started our Gallery with images from the participants, "Best Images" have included a new feedback page and more up dates on other up coming events check it out at:
http://gdphotoworkshop.com

During all workshops we collect more images from the participants and after 12 month choose the top Photos for our grand prizes, however there is always one winner in each workshop at the current location, just like the shot we choose from Luis.

A new and interesting up-date on my main website has just been activated check it out at:
http://www.deichmann-photo.com

Now you find an additional button at the bottom on the left hand side at the Home page "GD New Images”, this new page will be updated every time I return from one of my Workshops or other destinations. Featuring a small selection from each recent trip, all others images are featured on my PhotoShelter site usually about a week after I have returned.
http://www.photoshelter.com/c/gdeichmann

Cheers GD

Luis’s winning shot on the 30-inch screen at the Power Mac Center.
Congratulations to Luis from the Power Mac Center,
Greenbelt, Makati.


The winning shot, by © Luis Harder, Cambodia 2007


From left: Lawrence C Sison, Gunther Deichmann, Luis Harder and
Maleng Raysag at the Power Mac Center, Greenbelt 3, Makati, Philippines

© Gunther Deichmann, Cambodia 2007

As mention in my earlier blog, all the participants have been so great and kind with their comments on my recent workshop in Cambodia, thank you again so much,
I said before you have been a "Great Bunch". Buddha bless you all!

Hi Mr. GD,
Welcome back! Just wanted to say I had the best time in Cambodia. Loved the different sights, sounds, culture, people and food! As the youngest (assuming?) and greenest one among the "great bunch", I have to say I probably learned the most from you and even some of the guys (Kuya Luis was really great with encouraging me). This experience has taught me not to be content on just waiting for the moment but going out and looking for it. Be proud in knowing that you have touched my life by inspiring me through your wisdom.
Thank you,
Jasmin


Hey Gunther,
Good to know you're back.
Haven't thanked you enough for our Cambodia experience as well the friendship you have extended.
Would have loved to stay and extra day to shoot Tonle Sap, well, maybe next time.
Hope to shoot with you again and perhaps a couple of beers in Malate/Penguin.

Later,
Bebet


Dear Gunther,
Welcome back!  I heard from Francis that everyone had a great time with the workshop.  Congratulations. =)

Best Regards,
Lawrence

© Gunther Deichmann
"Shooting in the Rain" - Boy and Pumpkin after the workshop.
No my Nikon didn't get flooded, but I did!

I just arrived back from the Photo Workshop in Cambodia, I am sad, I just love that Country, incredible culture and history, but most of all real nice people.
Please see below some of the testimonials I have received from some of the workshop participants, again thanks to all who participated, you all did great.
GD.

HI Gunther,
 
Thanks a lot friend. You’re not only a great photographer and artist but a real cool companion, friend and mentor. You made our trip to Cambodia very memorable and our experience worth more than sharing to our families and friend. Although I have the tendency to shift to my own world when we hit the road for our photo shoots – I always have in my mind the images in your book and the lessons and insights you have unselfishly shared to us in the class. Having said that, my experience at the Cambodia GDPhotoWorkshop has vastly influenced and enriched my knowledge in photography. Thanks a lot Mr. Gunther Deichmann – you’re the man.
 
Best regards,
Luis Harder
WINGS TECHNOLOGIES ENTERPRISES



Hey Gunther!!!
 How're you doing? Me, I've been showing off my pictures in Cambodia (untouched) and of course they like what they've seen (i mean my wife and kids - hehehe).
 Aren't you back yet. Hope we can get together again. I really learned a lot from our experience and I thank you and Jun for inviting me.
 See you!
 Jojo Ochoa


Hi Gunther,
I can't begin to tell you what an amazing time I had in Cambodia with you & the amazing people we did the course with, History was in the making I think. We have taken some amazing photo's you have taught me so many things I need to look for. Your eye for seeing incredible things which one would not normally see. Not only these things are special to me but you have inspired me even more, plus my friendship to you has grown even more, for this my friend I thank you for the bottom of my heart .
Cambodia itself ! wow I was in awe not stop the wonder the history the amazing temples this feeling I had in side of me was magical, behind every stone was was story to be told ! around every corner, one could not wait to see what was there to be photographed. I know now that my life has changed & I have to be a Photographer more than anything & you taught me light * color is the key.
As for my new friends please could you pass on this mail to the wonderful people that accepted me as a fellow photographer, you were all very special to me & am excited about new adventures together.
All in all I'm complete & extremely happy with everything the monks were wonderful for the icing on the cake & the hotel everyone was fantastic, last but bby no means the least our trusty guide, which I could never pronounce his name, thanks so much.
Mark Cox
Photographer & Adventurer.

Hi GD,
Congratulations for a very successful workshop. I really learned a lot. My only wish is I can go back again. The group is very happy. Very minor suggestions. We all got back without a hitch.

Regards,
Jun Miranda
President
Philippine Center for Creative Imaging
and Co organizer of the GD Photo Workshop

I am writing this blog from Cambodia, the group has left and I stayed behind for a few extra days, I have provided a direct link to my Aperture Web Gallery of images behind the scene. Images of the participants in action, our Hotel and rooms plus a Buddhist blessing right at the Hotel for the whole group on our last day.
I have to say this group or I call them just a great bunch, have been real cool and some of them booking for Tibet already, we are also planning some more Workshops in Cambodia and of course stay at the Heritage Suite Hotel, again my special thanks to the management in particular to Sylvie and Fabrice for arranging a real Buddhist blessing on our last day.
Many thanks to all and see you soon again for some great Photography, Aperture of course made my life easy during the editing and going direct to the Web Gallery without any problems.Stay tuned for updates on the GDPhotoWorkshop site, soon with a Gallery and winning images.
For more images from this last workshop please go to my Aperture Gallery,
just click here.


© Gunther Deichmann, after the Workshop,
the things you see on the road

WOW !!! Direct from the Heritage Hotel in Siam Reap the very first Blog from the GDPhotoWorkShop.
This is only a quick one just to let everybody know, we had a great time and some of the images from the participants turned out just fantastic, my personal thanks to all who attended this workshop in Siam Reap, Cambodia. You all did a great Job, I am proud for having such great talents around me. Well done.
More details will follow once I finished with all the editing and find more time.
This has been a tough one for all, including myself, everyday 5am until 10pm in the evening. Classroom sessions at lunch and in the evening.
Our very first winner for this event is Luis Harder, he hit it right on, the assignment or subject was to come up with an image which had nothing to do with temples, he took the shot below near the Heritage Hotel. Real great well done Luis!
He is now the proud owner of the Apple Aperture Software, sponsored by the Power Mac Center in Makati. I update and inform everybody regarding the whole event, please let me catch my breath first. There are so many stories to tell and some great images to show from the last few days, and once I am back we have our special galley up soon on the GDPhotoWorkShop web site. Also very soon more details from our sponsors and major prizes later.
Many thanks to Apple Singapore for all the other goodies.
A very special thanks to the management and staff from the Heritage Hotel, a real surprise will follow in my next blog, so please stay tuned or subscribe.


The workshop group at Bayon temple, our last day

Our Classroom at the Heritage Hotel

© Luis Harder, our first winning shot

© Gunther Deichmann, Cambodia, 2006

The GDPhotoWorkshop in Angkor Wat, Cambodia is going to be an all out Mac event now, I just found out last night during our preparation meeting at the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging, that everybody is using Mac's.You just took 2,000shots. Now what? Aperture is going to take care of that and I am sure we take more than 2,000 images, with 15 photographers around, you bet.
I meet the participants from the Philippines, USA and Australia, I have to admit a great bunch, we are going to have some fun and shoot some nice images at this fantastic world heritage site.
The usual day will go like this; early morning and I mean early morning excursions to the great sites of Angkor, then we have lunch and some session on our Mac's until 3pm.Our base is the great Heritage Suites Hotel in Siam Reap, check it out @ http://www.heritage.com.kh
Then off again into the field until sunset, dinner and after that a two hour session on computers, critic, and the digital workflow after the shoot with open discussions.
I am trying to post some live blogs, connection permitted and keep everybody informed, some real surprises are waiting for all participants, but it is not a surprise if I let the cat out of the bag now, dont worry everybody will find out soon.
You just have to make sure you stay tuned and subscribe to our blog for all the exciting news from Cambodia @ http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html
GD

© Gunther Deichmann, Cambodia, 2007
Our Workshop to Cambodia, Angkor Wat is now very near, we are off on the 7th of September, fully booked and we are ready to go for some very exciting photography and exploring the great world heritage sites in and around Siam Reap. For those who could not make it, dont worry we are already scheduling another one for Cambodia soon, just keep checking the GDPhotoWorkshop website and under the Calendar you find all the up coming events. The next workshop is going to be in Bali, Indonesia in November, all the details for this one will be on our site shortly. If I have a good connection I be sending out blogs from the Heritage Hotel in Siam Reap our base during the workshop, for more info on the Heritage Hotel please go to: http://www.heritage.com.kh


© Gunther Deichmann, Tibet 2006
By the way I am getting a lot of interest for the workshop next year in Tibet, (July/August 2008), make sure you contact us soon, since this one has only a limited number of participants (10 max), preparations and bookings have to be made early for this one. Again, for more information and details check our website, stay tuned or subscribe to our blog for the latest NEWS and up dates. For Images on Cambodia, Bali, Palau, Micronesia and Tibet please go to:
deichmann-photo.com
Palau, Micronesia is scheduled for April 2008, with a Marine Biologist and underwater photography in one of the best dive destinations in the world.
Our host in Palau Micronesia is Sam's Tours the premier Dive Center in Palau, for more info please go to: http://www.samstours.com
Thank You,
GD

Photos: © Gunther Deichmann

Gunther Deichmann is holding Photo Workshops in Asia and organizing some underwater photo workshops in Palau, Micronesia and in the Philippines. There will be a well known underwater photographer with you and at times a marine biologist on your side to get the image you have dreamed about and of course Gunther will guide to through the after the shoot procedures using Aperture or Photoshop, the complete digital workflow.

These workshops expose you to different cultures, people and see beyond the non-Photographers eye.
Travel, explore and learn how to see things in a different light with Gunther Deichmann.
For the event calendar go to: GDPhotoWorkshop
Gunther has 30 years experience in Asia, which he made his Home. Learn the workflow after the shoot with Aperture and Photoshop. Sort, manage your images, Catalog, edit and do the adjustments.

But most important… develop the skills to take better photos,
or as Gunther refers to images…
… our present, past and future, nobody can take them away from us.

For more information about Gunther Deichmann’s Photo Workshop throughout Asia, go to:
www.gdphotoworkshop.com

More images and Gunther’s Bio on his main web site.@
www.deichmann-photo.com

The destinations for the underwater photography workshops go to:
The Philippine - Micronesia Alliance @ www.alliancediving.com

A travel and after the shoot PhotoWorkshop with Gunther Deichmann, Angkor Wat in Siam Reap,Cambodia. This used to be the largest city in the world around the 12th century, visit with Gunther these ancient monuments and learn how to create better images and re- discover the ancient Culture of Cambodia.

After the shoot you'll experience the sheer Raw power of Aperture. Shoot as many images you like on any given day and mange them afterwards with Aperture, dont worry to much it is not that complicated, Gunther is around and guide you through the whole process. Dont have Aperture? That is ok., Gunther has many years of experience how to deal with images in Photoshop.
For more information and how to book, please go to GDPhotoWorkshop.com
Hurry this workshop is filling up fast!
Visit Gunther's website @ : www.deichmann-photo.com

The GDPhotoworkshop web site is now complete with all the information, cost, dates, FAQ and a lot more...
Please check it out and book your workshop in Cambodia, Bali or Palau.
All Calendar dates are now available including some for 2008.

For all the information just click this link and go to GDPhotoWorkshop, thank you.

© Gunther Deichmann, Cambodia, 2006

Tags: GD PhotoWorkshop