Photography: November madness… Photo Exhibition in Paris, Aperture 3 tutorials in Hamburg plus a lot more.
Late Autumn... November "Madness" 2012
Late Autumn, Koenigslutter, am Elm,
GermanyCopyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Last November has been very hectic with some private/personal and very exclusive Photography and Aperture 3 tutorials in the Philippines and Germany and of course my Solo Photo Exhibition in Paris, France at the end of the month.
It was in early November; and it all started with a personal Photography trip for a couple of my clients from the US and Thailand in the Mt. Pinatubo Volcano area including some serious Aperture 3 training.
After one week and only one day to spare I left for Germany; here I visited my hometown and then took the train to Hamburg for some scheduled meetings with Magazine editors and yet another private session on Aperture 3.
Right outside my Hotel - Hamburg, Germany Nov. 2012
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Big thanks to my good friend Mojan who made some of my travel arrangements in Germany and traveled all the way from Duesseldorf to Hamburg just to catch up with me.
I also caught up with my good old buddy and exceptional Photo Editor Klaus Plaumann from CEPIC Center of the Picture Industry, had a great dinner together and chatted about the good old days.
iPhone memories, with Klaus Plaumann and Mojan in Hamburg, Germany and Jacques in Paris
After a few days in Hamburg I left for Paris for my solo Photo Exhibition; Les Voyages de Gunther Deichmann, a great event and the Exhibition will run until the end of February 2013.
My sincere thanks to Jacques, Pierre and Sarah from ANA Agency who worked so hard during the last few days prior the opening. Besides making last minute arrangements in the Gallery I got spoiled with good French wine and food during my stay… oh how I miss this already… oh well, my favorite hangout in Manila the Cave Wine Bar in Yakal street is not so far away…
Les Voyages de Gunther Deichmann, Paris France 2012
20 carefully selected and special images from Australia, Myanmar/Burma, Spain, Germany, Philippines, Palau, Cambodia and India.
Collage: Some of the Prints on display and signing the limited
edition prints 1/9
The opening of the Exhibition was great with lots of interesting people attending including Editors from some major French Magazines. I made new friends and connected with some cool people from the photo and publishing industry.
It was during opening night when the Editor from the French Geo Magazine approached and handed me fresh of the press the December 2012 Issue of Geo Histoire featuring a double page spread of one of my images.
Now the evening was complete…
The double page in the December 2012 Issue of Geo Histoire, article on Buddhism
While having breakfast the following morning at my Hotel I received an email that one of my images made the cover of the Asian Geographic Passport Magazine in Singapore, including a 10 page article with my images and text by Carmela Cruz on Micronesia.
This morning news developed later into a nice French lunch with Jacques, at our by now well visited Restaurant near the agency.
Of course with the wine not far off…
Cover of the December 2012 issue of Asian Geographic Passport Magazine Singapore, and a 10 page article on Micronesia. 
Opening spread of 10 page article in Asian Geographic Passport Magazine Dec. 2012
I actually had very little time for photography during the entire trip but I did managed to squeeze in a few images during my stay in Germany and France, and one of them made it into the exhibition, a last minute call after Jacques sternly insisted on it.
GermanyCopyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
A Willow Tree reflecting in a Pond during Autumn, Koenigslutter, Germany, taken only days before the Exhibition and the last call by Jacques to include it.
The Exhibition consists of 18 carefully selected images from Australia, Myanmar/Burma, Spain, Germany, Philippines, Palau, Cambodia and India and will be on display until the end of February at
GALLERY ANA - NOV. 29th 2012 until Feb. 2013, 6 avenue René Coty 75014 Paris, France.
They are available as Limited Edition signed prints 1/9 only; print sizes from 45x67 cm
and 50x70 cm.
Printed in exceptional archival quality, the prints are available also after the exhibition via ANA Agency online order but only 1/9. No more then 9 in total will be printed, the complete selection and pricing will be announced on my website in due time.
Please note that we have already updated my main web site with pdf files from the recent publications and the Paris Exhibition.
Thank You Paris!
It was a hectic November for sure, but I am also happy to be back now with my family, they saw very little of me the past two month.
December is still very busy and on February 19th our Adventure Photo Workshop Tour starts in Myanmar. And right after Myanmar we have our very special exploratory trip to Cambodia for a very small group only.
FYI…Myanmar is fully booked since October and we have only one more spot for Cambodia.(small group for only 5 participants)
But check below for other amazing Journey's in our 2013 Calendar.
For more information, bookings and dates please see our International Adventure, Travel Photo Workshop Tours ASIA Calendar 2013.
GD
Travel Photography: Water is life… traveling during the stormy rainy season can be rewarding for your Photography
Water is life… it’s fury can be devastating
but it can also be tranquil and enchanting.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
The photo above was taken some years ago with my old trusted Minolta X700 film camera in a Hugyfot underwater housing during the hight of Typhoon "Huaning" right at Manila Bay, note the lone person in the background. Make sure you take good care during this Monsoon and Typhoon season!
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Photo above: worshipping the sacred waters of Phnom Kulen.
...two years after Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the West by Pope Leo III in AD 800.
King Jayavarman II ascended to the top of Mahendraparvata (today’s Phnom Kulen), and declared independence from the island of Java. There he proclaimed himself devaraja, heavenly ruler of the ancient Cambodian religion and cult of the “god-king”, and founded the Khmer Empire.
A devout leader, King Jayavarma II soon had the river on the mountain hilltop diverted in order to carve hundreds of lingas into the riverbed, hence its name – river of a thousand lingas. In the event, Mount Kulen was blessed and beatified.
Above text Courtesy of my good friend Jamie Irenaliena Keet from our joint article in the Asian Geographic Magazine "The hidden treasures of Phnom Kulen."
Our bodies are largely made of water, as is much of the food we eat. Without water, we could not exist… it is that simple.
In some countries we worship water and in others parts of the world we take it for granted, it is more precious then anything else on our planet.
Water… the reason for my post today; the Typhoon/rainy season has started with our first tropical storm blowing outside my window.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
The rainy season has arrived…Palawan, Philippines
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Lightning storm over Manila Bay, Philippines
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
The towers of Angkor Wat reflecting in the Water pools
during the wet season, Cambodia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Flood plains of Northern Australia during the wet-season
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Dramatic cloud formation during the monsoon, Palawan Philippines
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Bathing and worship in the Ganges River, Varanasi, India
I captured many "wet" images during my travels, experiencing the good, the bad and the ugly, crossing mighty rivers, wading through flood revenged areas or just sitting along side beautiful and tranquil lagoons watching the sun go down.
Covering many countries, the selected images on this post showcasing water in its fury and tranquility, its direct connection between man and nature.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Unfortunate street children during the
Monsoon season, Philippines
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
During a tropical rain shower children selling sampaguita
flowers to passing cars, Philippines
Teaming with life…whistling Ducks on a Billabong
(fresh water pond) just before the wet season, Northern Australia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Shimmering leafs in a small stream, north Queensland, Australia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
"Merging" with the water, teenagers having fun in the
Phnom Kulen river, Cambodia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Rainforest and waterfall during the wet season in Palau, Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Simply Nature…Phnom Kulen during wet season, Cambodia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Monsoon time in Cambodia 
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Nature and man made… wet season in Cambodia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Fishing… Water the source of life…Laos
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Wet season storm approching in the Pacific, near Chuuk, Micronesia
It is not only freshwater that we need for our survival but also our Oceans that support us with life.
Water is so precious and man has the "intelligence" to protect our oceans and natural resources, so please don't take water for granted; we’re lucky (some nations are not) to be blessed with this amazing liquid we call water.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Aerial view of the Northern Territory Flood Plains
during the wet season, Australia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Enjoying a tropical downpour, Battambang, Cambodia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Simply Nature… water the source of Life, Phnom Kulen, Cambodia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
"Taken shelter" from a tropical rain shower, island of Chuuk, Micronesia
Tip:
If you do go out during these rainy days make sure to pack some water proofing; a raincoat and a "Condom" for your camera and of course a good water proof camera bag.
But most important, take care of yourself and watch out during strong storms and Typhoons… remember Safety first!
GD
Just one more…
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Photo composite; we have to take care of our Planet before it is to late.
Travel Photography: Destination tips, Island Portraits from Chuuk - Pohnpei - Yap & Palau, Micronesia.
It can be fun going back in time & digging through your archives…
I found some cool Island Portraits from Micronesia in the process.
High school student Chuuk, Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
A short break from Asia; traveling back in time to some other amazing places like Chuuk, Pohnpei, Yap and Palau in Micronesia.
While going through my archives the other day I thought hey why not share some images from the past, some taken on Kodachrome Film and others digital.
Traditional Chuukese blowing the shell as a welcome, Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Young girl on a rusty Landing Craft, remnants from the IIWW,
Chuuk or also know as Truk Lagoon, Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
These are some of my favorite Portraits of people in Micronesia from the remote Island of Pohnpei with its mysterious ruins of Nan Madol (also called the Venice of the Pacific) or to Chuuk know better as Truk Lagoon where a whole Japanese fleet was sunk during WWII.
Of course then there is the charming and ever so traditional island of Yap with its still intact culture and tradition, very little has changed here over the years.
Traditional Palauan Girl during a ceremony,
Palau, Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Late afternoon sun on this Palauan Boy near the waters edge
where he is playing, he is holding a large rock then jumping
into the water to dive, the rock is his ballast for easier diving.
Palau Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Palau the magical Islands of the pacific needs no introduction…
a sheer paradise above and below the waves, natures awesome creation and for sure a highlight in the pacific.
I have written articles on all those remote destinations before but when I flipped through my archives the other day I decided to select some portraits of people I encountered during my visits.
Traditional Palauan, Palau Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
See below also some useful information and excerpts from Wikipedia and Palautours.com which by the way has a very nice Photo Gallery on Palau.
Yap Village Chief resting against Yap Money,
Island of Yap Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
A young boy during the Yap day festival, the culture
in Yap is thriving and very much alive
Island of Yap Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Excepts from Wikipedia:
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four continental islands (hence the alternative name of the Yap Islands). The four are very close together and joined within a common coral reef and entirely formed from an uplift of the Philippine Sea Plate.
Yap is notable for its stone money, known as Rai: large shaped, carved disks of up to 4 m (12 ft) in diameter.
Many of them were brought from other islands, as far as New Guinea, but most came in ancient times from Palau. Their value is based on both the stone's size and its history. Historically the Yapese valued the disks because the material looks like quartz, and these were the shiniest objects around. Eventually the stones became legal tender and were even mandatory in some payments.
Women young and old are topless not only during ceremonies and festivals but all year around, you even get greeted at the arrival at the airport by traditional dressed women, for the women being topless is a very normal and cultural part of this island. Island of Yap Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Chuuk — formerly Truk, Ruk, Hogoleu, Torres, Ugulat, and Lugulus — is an island group in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), along with Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap. Chuuk is the most populous of the FSM's states. Geographically, Chuuk is also part of the larger Caroline Islands group. Chuuk means mountain in the Chuukese language and was known mainly as Truk (a mispronunciation of Ruk), until 1990.
It is not known when the islands of Chuuk were first settled, but, based on archaeological evidence, these islands had originally been settled more than 2000 years ago. Based on archaeological evidence, it seems that, after about 200 AD, there was no continuous settlement until about 1300 AD.
Pohnpei "upon (pohn) a stone altar (pei)" (formerly known as Ponape) is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. Palikir, the FSM's capital, is located on Pohnpei Island.
Pohnpei Island is the largest, highest, most populous, and most developed single island in the FSM. The islanders of Pohnpei have a reputation as being the most welcoming of outsiders among residents of the island group.
Pohnpei is also one of the wettest places on earth with annual recorded rainfall exceeding 300 inches (7,600 mm) each year in certain mountainous locations. Pohnpeian historic society was highly structured into five tribes, various clans and sub-clans; each tribe headed by two principal chiefs.
Young girl playing with yellow price tags along
the road on Pohnpei Island, Micronesia
Excerpts from Palautours.com
The magnificent islands of the Republic of Palau, fondly called Belau by its friendly inhabitants, were named by early explorers and have been known to the outside world at one time or another as West Caroline Islands, the Palaos, the New Philippines, Panlog, and the Pelew Islands.
Notwithstanding Palau's intriguing variety of names, in 1696 survivors of two canoes full of seafaring natives from the Micronesian island of Yap told Spanish priests about the islands' existence after they washed up on the shores of Samar Island in the Philippines. What followed were several determined attempts to reach them, but only in 1710 did Capitan Francisco Padilla – in command of the Santissima Trinidad galleon – finally discover and land on the Palau island of Sonsorol, where they were met with open arms by friendly natives.
The Republic of Palau comprises the westernmost group of the West Caroline Islands, an integral part of Micronesia. The country's local language remains Palauan, despite the many foreign influences ranging from Spanish to Japanese, German and English. Palauan is spoken throughout the island, except in the Southwest Islands where inhabitants speak a Yapese dialect.
Palauan is primarily a spoken language, with much confusion on correct spelling in its written form. In many cases words are “Americanized” so they become easier to pronounce. With an approximate 20,000 inhabitants, the islands are sparsely populated.
Within its composition the populace has a rather big “generation” gap. The older generation, mostly raised during the prewar Japanese era still speaks fluent Japanese, while the younger generation, mostly raised under American influence, speaks English.
Families who can afford to do so send their children to the United States mainland or to Hawaii for their education. Many who finish do not return primarily because of more lucrative job opportunities abroad, resulting in a serious shortage of young Palauans to fill pertinent vacancies.
Thus outside workers have to be hired, and they are conspicuously present among the population in the form of a large foreign workforce, mainly Filipinos. In terms of the public versus private sectors, about 45 percent of the population works for the local government, with the balance involved in either the tourism or fishing industries.
Travel Tip:
If you like to visit some of these amazing places and you happen to be at the Duesseldorf Boot Show in January then you have to check out the Booth of Sam's Tours and the Palau Visitors Authority.
Duesseldorf, Germany - Boot Show -
21st - 29th January 2012
Pls. Note: All images have been processed with Aperture 3 and no manipulation.
Check out also the GD Photo Workshop Calendar for 2012 & 2013.
For more info please Click this LINK.
GD
Photography: A nice letter in response to my recent post RIP Photoshop in 2012 & beyond.
RIP Photoshop in 2012 continues…the response.
My last post was suppose to be my last entry for 2011 but then I received this nice letter (unedited) in response to my last post RIP Photoshop in 2012, thank you Dermot for letting me share this with others. Happy New Year!
Hi GD
Loved your blog posting re: Photoshop RIP. Well said.
I’m not a photographer at all, as you well know… not even with a point and shoot..but I am amazed and in awe of beautiful images, especially yours. If I didn’t know you and or had not been with you when you took some of the images I know of…I would have a hard time not assuming that somehow Photoshop played a role. You’re right….there is a time and place for Photoshop….but in order to protect the integrity of and respect for accomplished photographers and their images, the viewer does indeed need to know / deserve to be informed if and when images are manipulated.
I recall the image you took one day with your point and shoot camera while we were sitting having a beer at Riptide overlooking Malakal Harbor, Palau…..the one with the tiki torch by the railing just before sunset. I was there. I saw the sky, I saw the tiki torch, and I saw you shoot the images. But I didn’t see what you saw until you showed me the image moments later…..no Photoshop! Just a trained and sensitive eye by the photographer. I also recall the image you shot ..with the same camera I think..in Singapore when we were sitting outside having dinner by the waterfront..with all the buildings lit up in the background. Same thing..I was there….I saw all that you saw…but not the way you saw it..until I saw your image! There are many more like that….some of the images I watched you take when we were in Siem Reap with Dirk. No flash; No Photoshop; just stunning images that were right before me but that my eyes just could not see……until I was GD’ed!
This has been an odd year for us…we’ve hardly been in touch ….not like before..but it’s also been a year in which I’ve seen the real Gunther ..the passionate photographer Gunther, re-emerge from the demands of the digital clutter that somehow seems to want to over take us and extinguish who we really are. Wish I could have been as successful in making change in 2011 as you were, and for 2012, I will look not just to your amazing images for inspiration but to how successfully you’ve managed to reshape your future by renewing your first passion…..your photography. No Photoshop needed!
Love you my friend and admire your deeply. Here’s wishing you a super successful 2012 and very Happy New Year and hope that we can cross paths and be in touch more often.
Hope to see you in Manila early Jan enroute to BOOT.
Best!
Dermot Keane
How to protect your Photos on the Web? A common question by Photographers…there are many different ways but Aperture 2 provides you with a simple and quick solution to place a Copyright watermark on all Your images.
Some thief’s go through great length and spend time removing even opaque watermarks in Photoshop, there is never a 100% guarantee even with Aperture and its automatic watermarking.
The perfect solution is don’t display your Images on the web…but I think these days are over and we all like our images out there…so how do we protect our images?
© Gunther Deichmann - aerial of Kayakers in Palau Micronesia, barely
visiable and not to distructing from the image an applied watermark
using Aperture 2
Here are some simple Tips to make it harder for these thief’s …
Make sure your images are in gif or jpg low resolution but still good enough to show them in their full glory. Avoid high resolution images, it is an open invitation for thief’s and they slow down your website.
Apply a watermark as described below using Aperture’s settings.
I recommend placing an opaque watermark over the entire image or covering one third of the image, this is much harder to retouch. Don’t place your © COPYRIGHT name and notice on the sides or at the bottom, this can be easily cropped out.
Choose an opaque setting you are comfortable with and is not to distracting from the overall visual. (Opacity settings eg.0.1 to 1.0 all depends a bit on the image, light or dark) With different options available the opaque slider in Aperture 2 is a good start how the watermark is going to look, just try different settings until you satisfied.
Use only your name or create a logo in Photoshop as a layered file,
it is entirely up to you. The screen shot below shows you where to find the Watermark settings in Aperture 2.
You can also deactivate the Watermark any time if you need your images without it.
I provided you a link to “How do I protect my images online” a great article I found recently with some additional options and tutorials to save guard your images from those thief’s.
Go to Preference and choose the export icon, click and a drop down
menu appears. Click on Edit and another menu becomes available.
Now you see all your Watermark options and settings. (red square)
Below: Excerpts from the mention article...
I am setting up an art website. I want to protect my photographs. What’s the code that keeps you from highlighting an image, right clicking an image, copying an image, etc.
Protecting photos is a common request for photographers wanting to put their content up on the Web. You can do this with JavaScript or by watermarking the image. There is no way to use straight HTML to protect your images from downloading. Some ways include:
* no right-click script
This prevents people from downloading the image when they right click on it.
* Shrink wrapping
This hides the image by letting the thief download something other than what they are trying to download.
* Watermarking
This puts information on the image itself, so when they download it, they have your copyright information right on it.
* Flash
Flash makes it more difficult to steal images...
…read more @
http://webdesign.about.com/b/2008/07/25/reader-question-how-do-i
