Another Paris Cafe

Paris cafes are an escape from the real world. Some there may go into the intellectual world, others a fantasy word, and yet still others into a world of the here and now.

Paris cafes are as varied as butterflies. If you look hard enough, many of them (like the one) are almost perfect in symmetry.

Some are casual, catering to the young or young at heart. Others are elegant, transporting sophistication to the masses.

Whether you go there to gulp expresso or to just sip from a glass of chilled water, the experience is ingrained in your memory for almost forever.

Working in Cambodia

Man on motorbike scanned from 35 mm negative.

Nothing like a trailer on the back of a motorbike. When it comes to moving stuff around, people in Asia are creative.

I've seen motorbikes piled with packages that were tied around the back with rope. I've seen a whole family--mother, father and kid--on one motorbike.

Scenes like this are what makes trips abroad worthwhile.

f/4 vs f/22 Waterfall Photo

The waterfall shot at f/4 in Av mode (1/400 sec shutter speed)


The waterfall shot at f/22 in Av mode (1/15 sec shutter speed)

On a walk today past a wash in the desert, I found a small waterfall. I wanted to test an old lens I had found on my Canon 5D camera. The lens is a Sigma Aspherical IF 28-105mm. I originally used it on my Canon Rebel film camera a long time ago. Above you'll see the results. Not bad for a lens that cost

Eames Rocker

Mid-century modern furniture is hot now. The Eames molded plastic rocker came out in 1948. It was also called the RAR (rocking armchair rod). It went out of production in the 1970s, but made a comeback during this decade. This chair (an original made in the 1950s) was made with fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Today's models are made from molded polypropylene.

The design of the chair includes a shell with a deep seat pocket, armrests and a high backrest. The Eames wire base is set atop two runners for a smooth rocking motion.

Mao Memorabilia

These Mao soldiers are for sale everywhere in the Dongtai Lu Antiques Market in Shanghai. They photograph rather well.

Just in case if you wondered who Mao is--he's the dictator who, in 1949, decalared the birth of the People's Republic of China.

China has been communist ever since.

5 Facts about Lunar Eclipses

A lunar eclipse on Feb. 20, 2008

On Feb. 20, 2008 there was a full lunar eclipse. I was able to photograph it when it was in the partial stage. I was surprised that the moon changed color even when the eclipse was partial. The photograph above was taken at 300 mm. The shutter was open .6 seconds.

1. A lunar eclipse is when the moon goes past the earth's shadow.
2. A lunar eclipse can only happen during a full moon.
3. A lunar eclipse will turn the moon orange.
4. Some type of lunar eclipse--full or partial--happens 2 to 4 times a year.
5. A lunar eclipse happens when the earth falls between the sun and moon.

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Snakes in the Market

Snakes are to Marrakech as poodles in Paris. Sound strange? The snakes here are tamed and seem to be friends with their charmers.

Snake charmers in Morocco handle the snakes as part of seemingly dangerous acts. Many snake charmers wonder to different towns to show off their serpants. The snake handler holds a snake so it is out biting range. Sometimes the snakes' fangs or venom glands, are removed to make a bite harmless.

Dalmation's Making a Comeback

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Remember when everyone was getting a dalmation after the movie 101 Dalmations came out. That was quite a long time ago. Most of those dalmations have probably passed on.

USA Today has recently announced that the Bud’s Clydesdale-Dalmation Ad (see below) was the most-watched commercial during the Super Bowl.

Will we see a new wave of dalmation adopting? Maybe. How often do you see a horse anddalmation give each other a high-five (watch the video below)?

And, since this is a travel story, we hope you can visit Ft. Mitchell, KY on April, 29 for a fundraiser that benefits the Dalmation Club of America.

Get more info here.

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John McCain Spoof

Could he be called a divisive figure? He's got the right hoppin' mad and the left thinks he's a hag. In reality, though, he's an Arizona cyclone, who offers up a 100-year-long war with Iraq.

His claim to live to eternity is generational--he's got his 90-something mother by his side.

Not to mention, his insertion of "my friend" into his "morning-in-America" oratory, the words add a folksy commentary about another time and another place. He's not in the here-and-now.

It's John McCain, the man who loves to be not liked.

Circus Circus

Now that I've written about Cher coming to Las Vegas, I give you my favorite place to go where the entertainment is cheap and the slots are good--Circus, Circus Casino.

Here you'll find the men on the flying trapeze above you as you let the slots swallow your money. Here's how I approach this place in terms of not gambling all my money away. I walk in and look up (that's where the men and women on the flying trapeze are). I walk slowly to the nickel machines and drop one in. Then I sit for a moment and look up while the men swinging above somersault over and over again, then catch the hands of the person flying in front of them. I put another nickel in the slot. After that dime, I walk around some more and stop at the quarter machines. I put a quarter in then I sit getting a different view of the circus act above. After a few moments I put 3 quarters in, hoping I'll win 10. Regardless of whether i win or not, I then walk around some more, repeating what I've done thus far. In total, I'll spend about $5 gambling and have gotten about 30 minutes of the circus in.

Cher's Seventh Life

Just when you thought she was deep in retirement you find that she's coming back, her seventh life if you will. It was announced early this morning that Cher's gonna come back. Yeah, that's right; she's coming to Caesars Palace in May for a 200 show run.

Three more years of Cher. She's 61 now and isn't 60 the new 40?

In honor of the Cher announcement; the Digital Traveler is future tripping into a world of 2050; long after Cher's gone, a time when the new Cher Hotel and Casino has opened.

Check out the Vegas skyline above. There she is, like a cat in the night, towering above the Vegas skyline.

When is Blur Good in a Photograph

One of the rules of photography is not to have blur in the foreground. The above photo does. I've broken the rule. Since background blur is usually what you want in a photo, it's the most common blur photographers want to achieve.

Wherever the blur is in your photographs (there's usually some somewhere in them) let it have a purpose.

Here's some good reasons to have blur:

1. In the background when a clear object is in the foreground. This makes the object appear if it's popping out.
2. In the foreground when it makes a subtle pathway to a clear subject/object.
3. To show speed. In this case the blur will be trailing an subject/object.
4. To show something turning/spinning. Someone's head turning around while the shutter on a camera is open for a bit.
5. To light variations as result of an image taken with multiple exposures. For example, to get the feeling of what the eye would see when walking in New York City's Times Square.

A Reality Check for Huckabee and Me

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this picture was Mike Huckabee. After all, he's the candidate who's closest to Jesus.

I like to think that Jesus is over my shoulder watching me and caring for me. I'm glad that I'm able to think that and express it here.

So what's photography got to do with Jesus? My dream is to photograph him. That, like Mike Huckabee's chances to become president seems like it would have to take a miracle.

Like, if Jesus comes back would I have the chance?

In reality, as much as it may disappoint us, miracles like these are about as likely lightening striking someone on a clear day.

Heath Ledger Movie Marquee

Yesterday was the funeral for Heath Ledger, the 28-year-old star of Brokeback Mountain (2005). As I was searching through my photo collection I came up with this 2005 photograph of the Wilshire movie theater marquee.

Right there in the middle of busy LA was a marquee that announced in bold blue letters, "BIG, SWEEPING AND RAPTUROUS LOVE STORY!" Pretty amazing text for a love story about two men.

There's some pretty interesting blips about Ledger on the Huffingtonpost.com.

Ledger was really talented. You just wonder how the role in Brokeback Mountain affected him. The subject of gay cowboys is not your everyday movie theme.

Seems like many of the really big stars get their start in projects that revolve around gay characters/themes.

Hotel du Louvre

The Hotel du Louvre is in Paris. I never stayed there, but often wonder what it would be like to.

It's a boutique hotel stands that looks out at the Louvre Museum, the Opera Garnier, the Comédie Française and the Place du Palais Royal.

Inside the lobby there's a chandelier and sweeping staircase.The décor was inspired by the original Napoleon III style. The public and guest rooms are of contemporary design. There are 8 meeting rooms and a range of 177 bedrooms and suites.

The Defender Bar inside the hotel is a popular spot that draws an eclectic crowd.

The hotel is only steps away from the Louvre Museum.

Save the Camera Stores

Borders and Barnes and Noble have wiped out many indie bookstores. The same thing has happened with camera stores.

It isn't so much that chain camera stores like Ritz Camera do the indies in. They're just not that big.

What really kills the indie camera shops are the Best Buys, Office Depots and Walmarts of the world. They sell much of what the indies carry.

There used to be a camera store in Palm Springs called the Camera Exchange.

Sadly, that store is gone now.

Just in case if you're looking for an indie camera shop, there are quite a few links here.

Ansel Adams - 400 Photographs Review

The book, Ansel Adams--400 Photographs edited by Andrea G. Stillman is a testament to one of the finest twentieth century photographers in the world, covers the photographer not with just a few dozen images, but with hundreds.

Did you know that Ansel Adams wanted to be a concert pianist? These types details about the artist are written about in the book, a masterpiece divided into 5 parts in chronological order.

There are rare early images that Ansel took with his father in the first part of the book. The book includes the period of "straight photography," a time when Adams moved away from the popular pictorial photography, where people likened their images to paintings. There are other parts about national parks and conservation. Blogcritics has reviewed the book and writes: "I think that Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs is an absolute must have for anyone that enjoys Ansel Adams, art work, photography, or just wants to get lost into the world of images."

The above picture is a photograph of mine (I'm Matt Bamberg, the writer and photographer of this blog). Please don't compare it to Adams' work. Thanks!

Rainbow on the Ground

Last Sunday in Southern California was a freak day of numerous rainbows--double rainbows, rainbows on the ground, full rainbows across the sky.

For more about my great photography day, go to my blog entry on wize.com.

Double Rainbow in Palm Springs

Winds, storms and rainbows came to the California desert today. I've never seen so many rainbows in one place in my life. There were even rainbows hugging the ground. These two rainbows are just off Highway 10 just inside the Palm Springs city limits.

What's a Yucca?

Where did the name "yucca" come from? Not far from Palm Springs is the Yucca Valley, a high desert area of the Mojave.

The yucca name comes from two sub species of Joshua trees (the trees you see in the picture above), the plant scientists call the Yucca brevifolia.

The Mormons named the tree after the biblical character, Joshua. The branches of the tree reminded them of Joshua praying and pointing to heaven.

You can find Joshua (or yucca) trees between 2,000 and 6,000 feet. Some grow to 40 feet.

How's That for Some Red?

Red in photography is always fun. If you can isolate the color so that the object/subject stands alone all the better. Red is hot, fire, mystery, blood, love, and all those powerful things that make up life. This particular red has a slight orange bent, making it even hotter than plain red. It almost glows when compared with the wet building and street. Red also take to light better. It's a good thing to photograph on a cloudy day.

What is Fill Light?

Image before using fill light slider in Photoshop CS3



Image after sliding fill light slider to a higher number.

Have you ever taken a picture with the sun behind you only to find it filled with dark shadow? Well, now, with Photoshop CS3 when you take your pictures in Raw format, you can lighten the foreground.

Look at the above pictures. The red line is where you slide the fill light slider to the right to lighten your foreground. As you can see, it did a pretty good job lightening the foreground at the same time as leaving the background alone.

When you try to lighten when your image is already put into Photoshop you have to play around with selection tools to get the background to stay the same. And, that's a pain.

By the way, the fill option in Camera Raw is new in Photoshop CS3