Photography is light... light is Photography.

Festival of Lights, Berlin


The site is in German and English

Fancy some real night photography, then this article in English and German may be just right for you. I have received this interesting info from my brother Bernd in Berlin, Germany.
Berlin lights up during the month of October, the next light show is in 2008, if it happens and you travel in Europe why dont you swing by Berlin, watch the show and if you feel up to it try your skills on some real night photography. There is also a photo competition, check out the website for all the details, see the provided links. or click on the image above, the site in in English and German. Thanks a lot Bernd for sharing this with us, cool shots.
GD

Photo Courtesy © 2007 Bernd Deichmann - Berliner Dom

The Festival

Also this year, the FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS™ turned Berlin into a sparkling metropolis with a firework of illuminations and events for two weeks from 16 to 28 October. World-famous historical landmarks and spots in Berlin, e.g. the Brandenburg Gate, the TV or radio tower, was staged impressively by means of light, events, projections and fireworks. Complementary to the festival there were numerous cultural events dealing with the subject “light”.
The City Foundation Berlin, the Union Investment Real Estate AG, the light artist Andreas Boehlke and the festival director Birgit Zander with her agency Zander & Partner Event-Marketing are the initiators and organisers of the festival.

The lights of the festival are extinct for this year, but next year they will enchant Berlin again in the last weeks of October (from 14 to 26 October).

Visit Berlin! Enjoy this unique festival!

Here you can find the best hotels and low priced rooms.
www.visitBerlin.de

Festival of Lights site:
http://www.city-stiftung-berlin.eu/index.php

Gunther Deichmann's website::
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/

Photo Courtesy © 2007 Bernd Deichmann - Oberbaumbrücke

Das Festival

Mit einem Feuerwerk an Illuminationen und Veranstaltungen verwandelte das FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS™ auch 2007 wieder die deutsche Hauptstadt zwei Wochen lang in eine einzigartige Glitzermetropole. Weltberühmte historische Wahrzeichen und Orte Berlins, wie das Brandenburger Tor, der Funkturm, der Berliner Dom und der Fernsehturm, wurden spektakulär mit Licht, Events, Projektionen und Feuerwerk in Szene gesetzt. Begleitet wurde das Festival von zahlreichen Kunst- und Kulturveranstaltungen rund um das Thema Licht.

Initiatoren und Organisatoren des Festivals sind die City Stiftung Berlin, die Union Investment Real Estate AG, der Licht-Desginer Andreas Boehlke sowie Festivalorganisatorin Birgit Zander mit ihrer Agentur Zander & Partner Event-Marketing.

Für dieses Jahr sind die Festivallichter erloschen, aber im nächsten Jahr werden sie wieder in den beiden letzten Oktoberwochen vom 14. bis 26. Oktober Berlin von Neuem verzaubern.

Besuchen Sie Berlin! Erleben Sie dieses einmalige Festival!

Die besten Hotels, die günstigsten Zimmer finden Sie hier.

A very happy New Year - prost Neujahr - bonne année - onnellista uutta vuotta - gelukkig Nieuwjaar - ath bhliain faoi mhaise - selamat tahun baru - godt nytt år - szczliwego nowego roku - feliz ano novo - gott nytt år manigong bagong taon - sawatdii pimaï - kung hé fat tsoi - xin nian kuai le / xin nian hao - godt nytår - eutichismenos o kainourgios chronos - felice anno nuovo, buon anno - S novim godom - sreno novo leto - Cung Chúc Tân Xuân
yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun


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© Gunther Deichmann, Palau... pearls of the pacific

Just picked up this Blog from our friends at Fins Magazine.

Photography Workshop in Palau

Join FiNS Magazine Associate Editors Gunther Deichmann and Tony Wu from 22 to 27 April 2008 for a fun-filled, action-packed and unique photography workshop in the Micronesian paradise of Palau.
This special event will be hosted by Sam’s Tours, and will include opportunities to learn about both topside and underwater photography.
Palau is world-renowned for its spectacular scenery both above and below the waves, so there’ll be no shortage of subjects to pick from, and both Gunther and Tony will diligently devote all their attention to addressing your questions. :-)

More details on the workshop to come shortly. In the meantime, email Dermot Keane of Sam’s Tours for booking information.

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Religions must serve humanity, not the other way around.
Mother planet is showing us the red warning light. Be careful, she is saying. To take care of the planet is to take care of our own house.
The Dalai Lama



Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year
from Gunther and family.
Welcome to 2008


A very happy New Year - prost Neujahr - bonne année - onnellista uutta vuotta - gelukkig Nieuwjaar - ath bhliain faoi mhaise - selamat tahun baru - godt nytt år - szczliwego nowego roku - feliz ano novo - gott nytt år manigong bagong taon - sawatdii pimaï - kung hé fat tsoi -
xin nian kuai le / xin nian hao - godt nytår - eutichismenos o kainourgios chronos - felice anno nuovo, buon anno - S novim godom - sreno novo leto - Cung Chúc Tân Xuân yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun



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I have been using this technique since day one, sorry that I have not mentioned this before, I guess I am so used to it, if you ever have been to one of my workshops then you know, I do explain this in details, for those who don't, then read the full story from David Schloss.

David Schloss from Aperture User Professional Network (AUPN) has beaten me to it, thanks David and I have to admit, this is one of the better and useful Aperture tips in a long time. Straight to the point and no blah, blah.
Thanks for sharing.
There is also another interesting one on the new Nikon D3, good reading.

Making good use of projects on the road
( posted by David Schloss on Yesterday, 03:09 PM )

We talk a lot in our Road Tour classes about the workflow needed to keep a Library on a desktop and a laptop system up to date, but truth be told, I rarely bother with any of that.

When I'm traveling for a shoot, I usually don't need to have my existing Library file with me—it would be easy to take it with me, all my images are referenced and so my whole Library is relatively small—because images in previous shoots rarely have bearing on my current shoots... more also on the new Nikon D3 very interesting report for all your Nikon fans.

This is great for all your travel photographers, go and check it out @ http://www.apertureprofessional.com/

From 30,000 feet above (my last Blog)to 100 feet below or more...
the ugly things I have to shoot sometimes.

We are again at the end of the year, wow how fast this one past... but then not as fast then the disappearance of our animal species.

The species extinction rate has increased to one species a day.
Lets make the coming years more greener and protect our environment.
Think!
Mother planet is showing us the red warning light. Be careful, she is saying.
To take care of the planet is to take care of our own house.
Dalai Lama

Confiscated shark fins... eating the soup...yuk...
when the slurping stops... the killing will too.


Embryo shark... mother and child got killed... for?
Nothing!

An endangered animal or plant is a species that is considered in immediate danger of becoming extinct. Its population is very small and it needs active protection to survive. In many countries, hunting of endangered animals is not allowed. Neither is importation of their meat, fur, tusks, blubber, or other products.

Extinction has happened throughout history, but in modern times the rate has increased dramatically. There is a link between the increase in the extinction rate and the growth in human population. The worldwide human population was 1 billion in 1600, 1.5 billion 100 years ago, and is over 6 billion today. At the same time, the species extinction rate has increased to one species a day. If this continues, it will cause a dramatic drop in the diversity of life on our planet, which will most certainly have serious effects.
If you have any interesting images related to the environment or stories to tell, please let me know and I try to incorporate these in my Blogs, thank you.

For other recent related environmental issues, please click these links below:

http://marinebio.org/Oceans/History/

http://www.samstours.com/blog/

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The things you can shoot from 30000 feet...
taken photos through an aircraft window.


For many of us it is this time a year when we go on vacation and for others it is a lot of hard work.
If you one of the lucky ones and fly home to your family or take your vacation try and get a good window seat on the plane, avoid the middle section since the wings can get in your way.

I took the images below on my way back from Europe and on my way to Tibet. I had a “clean window” and the weather was great.
The two shots below have been taken from a commercial Jetliner, I guess at about 30000 feet, one near the Russian/Polish border (I did ask the stewardess where we where at that time) and the other one on my way to Lhasa from Chengdu in China. (this one was not as high, approaching Lhasa)
Remember when you try this, you have to make sure to press the lens right onto the window, have your auto focus switched off and you might have to move around a bit to avoid glare, use a fast shutter speed and whola, you be amazed how things look on a good day from these heights.
If you don’t have this magic window seat, you can always ask politely for somebody to move for a few minutes to give you the nice view.
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - Aerial from about 30000 feet,
near the Russian and Polish border, Feb. 2005


© Gunther Deichmann - Aerial near Lhasa Tibet, August 2006
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450 Million Years ago... A Fossil.
450 Million Years later... Aperture!



© Concept/Photography Gunther Deichmann - meet the fossils.

Maybe my background in Paleontology has something to do with it, I really dont know, but now and then they keep coming back to me... the old days, when roaming the quarries for fossils.
Looking for fossils during my teenage years and even up to now I keep an eye out for them when traveling in remote places. Recently announced, we fired up our new commercial photography website and under the category Ad's & Campaign's there you find a fossil (Ammonite) been used in one of the Ad's see below. Click here for the commercial web site.

Today I like to talk about a giant Trilobite which had been recently discovered, oh boy this one is a real whopper, see below the complete story, a bit from the past and you might ask what have fossils in common with photography? Actually not that much, but gauging the images below and above, maybe they do have something in common, hence the old and antique (not fossilized yet) camera.
We used one of my Ammonites before in an Ad for light switches and now the Trilobite from my old collection is in Aperture, commercial photography and fossils, read the story which I have picked up from the BBC below, "million of years ago," very interesting dont you think.
GD


© Gunther Deichmnn - The Ad from before and now the Trilobite
from my old collection.



Giant trilobite discovered
Trilobite Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
About twice the size of the previous record holder
By BBC News Online science editor Dr David Whitehouse

The largest trilobite yet discovered has been identified by Canadian palaeontologists.

Trilobites were very widely distributed, the creature, which dates from 445 million years ago, measures 72 centimetres in length. This is about twice the size of the previous record holder.
Trilobites are an extinct group of sea-dwelling arthropods (animals with an outer skeleton and jointed body and limbs) that are distantly related to crabs, scorpions and beetles. They are probably the most common fossils of the Paleozoic Era (about 545-250 million years ago) and scientists use them to help date different layers of rock. "A trilobite of this size really is an amazing discovery," said Dr Graham Young, a member of the team that discovered it.

Both images courtesy of the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature

The specimen is an example of a previously unknown species, and was found by researchers studying ancient tropical coasts, of the Late Ordovician and Early Silurian geological periods (458-408 million years ago), in Manitoba, Canada. Trilobite Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
The team found the specimen just outside their intended search area, when the fossil was unearthed, most of its segmented exoskeleton was missing and only the rear most portion of the tail shield was present.
Scientists realised just what a monster they had when they started to clean up the specimen. The fossil is now on display in the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature in Winnipeg.
Most trilobites are between 3 and 10 cm (1 - 4 inches) in length. The creatures evolved quickly and were widely distributed, making them useful tools to compare the ages of rock strata in different parts of the world.

Colder climates
"There is nothing familiar about this particular specimen! It is an important and amazing find," says Manitoba Museum's Dr Bob Elias.
Trilobite Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
The fossil is now on display to the public Dr Graham Young said: "We have found a very unusual specimen that illustrates some of the diversity and weirdness of ancient life. A trilobite of this size really is an amazing discovery."

In July 1998, a team of scientists set out for northern Manitoba hoping to find fossils similar to those uncovered by previous digs, like the 43-cm (17-inch) long trilobite excavated in the area a decade before. The team struck lucky just outside their original search area. The trilobite's size contradicts the idea that larger animals are more commonly associated with colder climates.

Although northern Manitoba is now sub-arctic, hundreds of millions of years ago it would have been submerged in salty seawater located on the equator.

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© Gunther Deichmann, Banyan Tree Resort and Spa, Phuket, Thailand

It must have something to do with the month of November, last year the launch of my book Journey Through Color and Time, and the complete update of the main website. This year again in November I like to announce due to frequently requests our new commercial photography website, representing some of my commercial work over the past few years.
Please visit this new site for photography, concepts, design, advertising, media representation and websites. Creativity is our strengths and we thrive on new and exciting Ideas, creating something from nothing.

Yes, this is very different indeed!

Our new site @
http://web.mac.com/gdimages/gdimages/Home.html

The NEW Site - Home Page


Print Ad's and Ad Campaign - International photography & brochures
for more please visit the site, thank you.

More Important up dates!
We made also a few changes on my main site, now with direct links to this commercial site, the stock images have all been re directed to my PhotoShelter site at:
http://www.photoshelter.com/c/gdeichmann

For a very exclusive selection of my images you can now visit my
PhotoShelter Collection Micro site @
http://psc.photoshelter.com/user/gd2551
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20+ Simple, Useful, Clever, Fun Ways to Get Better Photos

PopPhoto.com the online home of Popular Photography & imaging and American Photo, they have just published a small article/tip of mine on photography plus a lot more. Read the whole story and many tips from other pro Photographers,
20+ Simple, Useful, Clever, Fun Ways to Get Better Photos

A Tips & Tricks Special! Pros, readers, and Pop Photo editors share their secrets for taking your photography beyond the ordinary.

By PopPhoto Staff
December 2007

When it comes to great photo tips, we find them everywhere. In our daily shooting. In interviews with pros. In our e-mails from you, our readers.
On the web. In books. And, of course, on our blog, Pop Photo Flash. Here are some of the best we've come across lately.

10) Reflection on You.
When pro Gunther Deichmann (www.deichmann-photo.com) makes portraits in areas where the subjects might be shy, such as a remote village in Tibet,
he doesn't use large, intimidating reflectors.... click here to read the whole story.

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© Gunther Deichmann, November 2007

A true "repair" story about the real lens
and how to fix it.

What is the most important lens for a photographer? The Eye.
Yes, you have heard right, it is our very own Eye that is more important than any other optical piece of glass.
We are only to eager roaming the camera shops to purchase a new lens for our camera and without any hesitation pull out the credit card and smile at the newly purchased piece of glass, wow now I can take even better images. Are you sure?

But when it comes to our own lens the Eye and it needs work done or even surgery, we all say WOW that is expensive, we try to cut corners and save money, working on discounts etc., etc….

Why? I guess it is human nature, taking it all for granted, I mean our Eyes.
The old saying goes …”through the lens of …” I be live it should say “through the eyes of …”, I have mention this many times before, it is the eyes which see the subject first and not the lens, without the eyes and of course our soul we cant create this magic image in the first place, Right.

I guess it is in all of us, like children with a new toy having just bought that new Camera, Lens or the latest software, how can we make adjustments or even looking at our images on the Computer if our eyes have a problem.

But now I get to the point: I recently discovered that I had a blurry vision on my right eye (lucky not my shooting eye) I got concerned and rushed for a check up.
Sure enough I had Cataract on my right eye, oh boy, I thought what next….?
I done some research and got a few opinions, well the end result was surgery, hey that was yesterday and now I am typing this Blog, now that is pretty cool and my keyboard looks so clear now.

Without going into to many details my vision is fantastic again, with the camera and on the Computer and I mean real fantastic, OK I have to take some medication for a week or so, have one or two more check ups but that is about it, technology is out there and it is real good, not that cheap but for the first time in my life I bought the very best lens and I can see my old friends again clearly, he he.

The surgery took only 20 minutes and was absolutely painless and I mean painless,
Cataract is a different procedure than eye correction with laser, please read below some more details.
So there you have it, before you go shopping for a new lens, get your eyes checked and if you need to go through the Cataract Surgery don’t complain about the cost, (some of my lenses are a lot more expensive) remember Your Eyes are your biggest assets and not only in Photography.
The procedures will not necessary eliminate the use of eyeglasses, in my case I still need them for reading but the rest of my vision is back to normal or even better.

Remember one of my very first sentences in this article:
The old saying goes …”through the lens of …” I believe it should say “through the eyes of …”, maybe some of the writers on photography should be rephrasing the old saying, it is not the camera or the lens, it is You and Your Eyes, the hardware and software are only tools and not the creator, the painter uses his brush and Canvas as a tool, he or us photographers have to see it first before we can record it.
Personally I like to see more articles written which are related to our Eyes, vision and the procedure in fixing some of the more common problems.
Oh , I almost forgot, thanks to Doctor Espiritu for taken good care of my most important lens.
GD

What is a Cataract?

The transparent human lens, like the lens of a camera, focuses light rays onto the retina (camera “film"). A cataract is any opacity or discoloration of the normally clear lens that interferes with light transmission through the eye. It can be compared to a window that is frosted, steamed or yellowed.

There are many misconceptions about cataracts. It is not a film over the eye nor is it caused by overusing the eyes. It is not a cancer and does not spread from one eye to the other. It does not cause irreversible blindness.

What causes Cataracts? How does one get them?

Most cataracts develop as part of the aging process. Everybody will eventually develop cataracts if people lived long enough. The pace of progression varies from individual to individual and is influenced by environmental factors such as long term exposure to UV rays. Other causes of cataract include certain medical conditions like diabetes, or intake of certain drugs like to steroids. There are congenital and juvenile cataracts. Infections, inflammations and injuries can likewise cause cataracts.

When is the best time for surgery? Do I have to wait for my cataracts to “ripen”?

Different people have different visual needs. The mere presence of a cataract does not automatically mean it requires surgical intervention. Surgery should only be done when patient lifestyles are altered because of the decline in vision related to the cataract. For example, one cannot see well enough to cook, read, drive, work or watch television despite the best prescription eyeglass or contact lenses possible. Once the cataract is significant enough to interfere with one’s activities, regardless whether it is already “ripe” or not, then one may be a candidate for cataract surgery. With the advent of modern day techniques of cataract surgery, more and more cataracts are being operated on in their early stages.
For more information please go to: www.eyecenter.com.ph
For images by Gunther Deichmann please click this link :
www.deichmann-photo.com

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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/

© Gunther Deichmann, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 1992

Sometimes when you go through your old images you come across some amazing things, the other day I went trough my files from 1992 looking at Cambodia, it was at that time that Pol Pot had just been outsted and the UN arrived the same day I did.
I was on an assignment for Animan magazine to cover the Mekong River, Phnom Penh was one of the stops, it was just like the “Wild West” back then, guns everywhere, Angkor Wat was still off limits due to the heavily mined area and many other places, shooting in Phnom Penh proved to be quiet something during that time.

One morning near our Hotel I saw this busted large water pipe, flooding the entire area with muddy brown water, a few minutes later some young boys appeared and jumped right into the muddy “current”, having real fun on this hot and humid day in Phnom Penh.

The original image was taken in color, (not much color anyway since everything was muddy and brown) so when I came across it the other day, I imported the scanned tiff file into Aperture and converted it into a cool looking B/W. As mentioned in one of my earlier Blog post I love contrast and strong colors, however once in a while or on these rare occasions the
B/W looks just as good.
Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate good B/W in particular from the famous Master Ansel Adams, but personally I shoot color 99%.

So there you have it, a rare 1% from GD.

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Important Photo Workshop updates and information.

© Gunther Deichmann, Palau, Micronesia
the Pearls of the Pacific

© Gunther Deichmann, Tibet 2006,
more images on Tibet at:
www.deichmann-photo.com

I just like to remind everyone that we are taking bookings NOW for the workshops in Cambodia (February) and Palau (April)at Sam's Tours please make sure you book early there are only limited vacancies available, which brings me to the workshop in Tibet (July/August) if you interested in joining this one please advise us by no later than April due the complex travel arrangements, we post all the final details by end of January, however you can fill out the booking form provided on the GDPhotoWorkshop site without any obligations now, this will secure you a place for Tibet. The cost for the Cambodian workshop is approximately the same as the one we have conducted earlier in September 2007, you can use this as a good guide, again you can do some pre-bookings now, we will be using the same Hotel, The Heritage Suite Hotel in Siam Reap.
All the details for the workshop in Palau will be posted by latest December 2007.
Due to a major international conference on environmental issues and poor bookings unfortunately we had to cancel the Bali Workshop, sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused.

For Information from my last trip to Palau, Micronesia please go to my Blog at: http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html

© Gunther Deichmann, Stock Photography

All future workshops include from now on the use and implementation of external image storage, using Aperture and PhotoShelter, keep your images away from home and safe without spending a lot of money, the future is here with companies like PhotoShelter and others, but more on this subject later, other subjects include marketing and selling of your images and creating cool looking websites with your own Blog and Podcast.
For example... I have returned from Palau only four days ago, but have edited, corrected (very little) prepared the images for shipping to my client and uploaded all the latest images, nearly done, on my PhotoShelter archive, oh I forgot, had an Aperture Web Gallery up and running right after the day I got back, not bad if you consider I had to go through 1500 different images, inclusive of captioning and keywords which I guess takes up most of the time.

© Gunther Deichmann, Palau, Micronesia
I found myself one night at the Palau Basketball court,
supporting the team of Sam's Tours, "The Sharks"
This little girl was running in circles on the matt next to
the court, by the way the Sharks won the Game that night.


© Gunther Deichmann, Palau, Micronesia
the Pearls of the Pacific,sunset at the
Palau Pacific Resort


© Gunther Deichmann, Aperture the software
for professional Photographers

In travel photography keywords are a lot more difficult to apply, well Aperture makes it easy, but it is not like in a studio environment, in travel photography there are so many different subjects and situations almost every shot is different, but you need keywords if you want to sell them later, this is a necessary evil if you like it or not, In any case it is a lot easier now with Aperture, before It would have taken me a week or more to go through all of this pile, not to mention the mounting and getting sore eyes from the light-box, besides they do help you a lot in finding things in a hurry, when ever you looking for that particular shot.
Like to know how to create some cool looking slide shows and Keynote presentations, well I can run that by you too, check out the most recent Podcast
created in GarageBand please click this link.

Cheers GD

© Gunther Deichmann, Palau at dusk

I just arrived back from Palau Micronesia, and so many things happen during my visit, Sam's Tours Grand Opening and 17th Anniversary, all new facilities are fully operational now, read the blog post from Dermot Keane the General Manager at: http://www.alliancediving.com/blog/
The Survivor TV show shooting their latest episode as we speak, of course they are very secret about everything, then the Discovery Channel shooting at the same time a new story on the Bone Detectives and to top it all an international Canoe Race competition "The Micronesia Cup" was held at the same time, participants from Guam, Singapore, Palau,Japan, Australia, Patagonia and many others competing in this race, talking about a buzzing Palau.

I had the chance of buzzing around in the Helicopter, thanks to Matt from Palau Helicopters, Matt is a good old Australian and a fantastic Pilot, it was just like the good old days from Down Under when I was chasing Cattle in the outback.
After one of the Helicopter rides, Matt and myself met up with my friend Dermot from Sam's Tours at the Palau Pacific Resort for a beer at sunset, a great way of finishing the day, see the image above, for more new images from my recent trip to Palau please go to my Aperture web gallery just click here.

© Gunther Deichmann, Cuttlefish Sepia sp. - Alien afternoon...

Hi everybody... I am leaving this afternoon for a short one week trip to Palau to be with my friends and client at Sam's Tours, they are celebrating the Grand Opening for the completely renovated Sam's Tours premisses, the big party is on the 26 of October and I give you a full report with images once I am back next week, but now I have to run hence this Alien afternoon.... so much to do and no time left.
Until soon,
Cheers Gunther

The i-mag Photography Magazine was very quick and published in their current issue a nice article from our GDPhotoWorshop in Siam Reap, Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
The images are from the workshop participants and text by Jun Miranda, including the image from Luis Harder, who won the Apple Aperture software, with his photo of the little boy, the bike against the brown wall. If you like to read the whole story you can download it as a pdf file here located under Publications/Spreads
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/publications.html
For more information or if you like to view some of the images in our Gallery from the participants, please click this link:
http://gdphotoworkshop.com/


The great sunrise shot was taken by no other then Bebet Gaudinez,
the group photo is by my good friend and guide Savuth.

© Gunther Deichmann, Santorini, Greece 2005

You all know how much I love color and contrast! I am very much of a color person, however when you return from a trip like Cambodia, or be more specific Siam Reap and Angkor Wat, you start to think when you look at your images.
All my editing and adjustments are done using Aperture, and after my last trip during the final editing, I thought well, some of these ancient temples and ruins lead themselves more to Black and White.
With Aperture you can try and find the right combination very easy.
OK here we go:
Once you have your Raw files imported you just highlight the image you think could look good in BW, then you go to the adjustment panel click on the one with the + sign and now another panel opens up which contains the Monochrome Mixer, click on that one and there you go BW, but it gets a lot better than this, you have the options just like in the old days with film to experiment with different filters like red, orange, yellow, green and blue, every-time you click on one of these filters the image is changing, now it is up to you what you like best, there are so many more other adjustments you can choose from, this is just a quick way for you to see if the image looks better in Black and White, maybe you like Sepia, it is in the same adjustment panel, again the choice is yours.

I am a color Photographer but I found that some of the images from these ancient ruins look real great if not better in BW, so if you using Aperture give it a try and see what happens, it is so easy but the best part is if you dont like the changes you made your original is all out there in its colorful glory, Aperture never touches your Original. Last but not least, if you like to compare the two images, BW with the color one, then just hit the letter "M" on your keyboard, toggle on and of and see the difference. Please see below some images from the last trip, converted into Black and White, for more images (sorry all in color) please go to my website at: www.deichmann-photo.com
Until next time,
GD

I have marked the area with a red circle and the little marked red + is where
you find all your BW tools, top right hand side on the Adjustment panel.






© Gunther Deichmann, all BW images above, Cambodia 2007

It happen last night, after I finished at the Power Mac Center in Makati with another seminar on Photography and Aperture, I met up with Bebet Gaudinez one of the participants from the Cambodia Workshop. We had some beers at the Havana and from there we went to the artist hangout the Penguin Cafe in Malate.
We had spend some time together in Cambodia during our Photo Workshop but never realized that we had so much in common, Bebet is the first Filipino I met and I know who plays the Australian Dideridoo, and knows one of my favorite bands Yothu Yindi from Downunder, Bebet actually played in the Band who performed during this years Australian Day at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, I attended the function but had no Idea who was playing the Dideridoo, now I know.
What a small world!
We had a great time, listening to some cool sounds at the Penguin Cafe and chatted about Photography, Music, Cambodia and Tibet all night, we also talked about getting together for a Jam session soon, his friend who plays the flute, Bebet on the Dideridoo and myself on the Mac mixing and recording on GarageBand, I am really looking forward to this one, that is going to be one hell of a session. These guys are very good, let's see what we can came up with, I am sure we do a cool podcast after. I like to thank Bebet for all the drinks, food and entertainment, I had a real great and relaxing evening, thank you so much.
Music and Photography... how well they go together, I cant be with out it, and after last night I guess I am not the only one, Bebet will join me next year in July/August on my photo workshop to Tibet, lets see if he gets the chance to play the big Horns the Monks are playing during festival time at 3800 meters.
GD
Click this link for information on the GDPhotoWorkshop More information on Gunther Deichmann please go to: www.deichmann-photo.com

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

© Gunther Deichmann

A digital experience in Palau Micronesia... very soon.

Here is a very interesting article from my good friend and supporter Tony Wu (Fins Magazine), for our underwater photographers cool info from Tony, please read on below and check out the link for the whole story. By the way, Tony one of the top underwater photographers around these days will be part of my workshop in Palau Micronesia in April 2008, so keep April free around the 22nd., we announce the exact dates later on the GDPhotoWorkshop website under the Calendar section, this will happen very soon, the workshop is at Sam's Tours a member of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance and the premier dive center in Palau, for this one we have also Ethan Daniels onboard, an underwater photographer and Marine Biologist, so stay tuned and check this and my other blog for the final announcement, thank you.
Dont miss out on this one! You get the best above and below.

Other links related to the workshop in Palau:
GDPhotoWorkshop main site: http://gdphotoworkshop.com
Gunther Deichmann Blog: http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html
Tony Wu website: http://www.tony-wu.com
Sam's Tours Palau: http://www.samstours.com
The Divers Choice: http://www.alliancediving.com


© Tony Wu

Going digital definitely has a lot of merits. Immediate feedback, being able to shoot more than 36 frames at a time, being able to make duplicate/ back-up copies immediately, and having the ability to edit work on-the-spot rank at the top of my list.
Nothing in life, however, comes for free.
If there’s been one major drawback of going digital for me, it has to be the fact that in addition to being a good photographer, you’ve got to become a software and image-processing expert too. Back in the film days, basically a slide was either good or bad. I kept the good ones, threw away the bad ones. End of story.
Over the past few years, with the switch to digital format, I’ve had to experiment with all sorts of software…some good, some bad…and I think I’ve finally begun to reach the point where I have a workflow that I’m comfortable with. Before I spell out the software I use, please read on at: http://www.tonywublog.com/20071009/digital-workflow.html

Hi everybody, if you interested then please join me at the Power Mac Center at Greenbelt 3, Makati, for an intro into Aperture and some Photography,
please see the dates/Calendar for October below, hope to see you there. You can contact the Power Mac Center at: http://www.powermaccenter.com/training
or email: training@powermaccenter.com
GD

This was posted recently by the Popular Photography Magazine and you might find some useful information and tips here, just a few, enjoy.

Shortcuts From The Pros
Professional photographers share their tips and tricks for faster, easier, and better photos.

By PopPhoto Staff
August 2007

Quick Changes

Stop fumbling with rear lenscaps. Gaffer-tape two of them together, back-to-back. This way, when you change lenses, you can take one in your hand and the other off your camera body, connect the two together, and then twist the new lens off the double cap and put it on the body.
Mike Peters
www.mikepeters.com

You need to shoot a portrait on the road, and want to bounce your fill flash—but you’re outdoors or don’t have a reflector? Always bring along a plain white T-shirt. Put on the shirt, and point the strobe of the camera directly into your body—it’s a great way of creating a nice soft bounce. You can also use it as a reflector for natural light.
Gunther Deichmann
www.deichmann-photo.com

For information on Gunther Deichmann
GDPhotoworkshop please click here.


Which memory card is full and which is empty? Mark your memory cards in numerical order. Always start a shoot with card number 1, then 2, etc. It keeps you from having to plug them into the camera to see their status.
Alan Farkas
www.alanfarkas.com

Get your proper exposure in aperture-priority mode using your camera’s spotmeter, then switch to manual-exposure mode. Manual doesn’t get fooled by highlights and shadows. And if you need to use fill flash, you can stay in manual but still use the TTL auto mode on the flash.
Roger Duncan
www.rogerduncanphoto.com
Always Prepared

If the AF switches on your autofocus lenses are too easy to switch off while going in and out of the bag (as my Canon USM lenses are), gaffer-tape the AF switch to stay on all of the time.
Mike Peters

Notice how gaffer tape always seems to be back in the car, at home, or in the studio when you need it? Wrap a long piece around a tripod leg so you’ll always have it handy.
Alan Farkas

Keep your cable switch taped to your camera for easy finding and quick plug-in. Tim Fitzharris
www.timfitzharris.com
Improvisation on Location

For shooting on the beach, I cut an X into three tennis balls, insert each leg of my tripod into them, and duct-tape them on. This prevents the legs from sinking into the sand and stabilizes the tripod.
Paul Kline
www.paulkline.com

When I take photos of people in their environments, using a softbox with a strobe for the sitter, I will often drag [slow down] the shutter to balance the ambient light in the room for a natural look. I carry 200-watt household bulbs in my kit to replace the usual 60-watt bulbs most people use in their lamps, to boost the ambient light, lessen the time the shutter has to be dragged, and reduce the chance of blur.
Allison Leach
www.allisonleach.com

Need a lighting setup right now? Get a bunch of cheap hardware store floodlamps and daylightquality bulbs (40 to 100 watts for some variety in power). They clamp to anything and make for flexible lighting that’s inexpensive but pro-looking.
Roger Duncan

Just received this interesting information from no other than our good old Walter Ty, thanks Walter.
For more stories related to Angkor Wat and Siam Reap in Cambodia please go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7015647.stm

The Images from the workshop participants during our last trip in Cambodia you find at: http://gdphotoworkshop.com/images.html

© Gunther Deichmann, Cambodia 2007
Selected images by GD

Cambodia bid to protect treasures

By Guy De Launey
BBC News, Siem Reap
Statues with no heads in Angkor Wat
Looting is evident even at protected Angkor Wat Cambodia has invited international law enforcement agencies to help protect the country's ancient temples.
US homeland security and FBI agents are among those who may be advising the new national heritage police force. They are hoping to put an end to the rampant looting that has seen many monuments stripped of their statues. Peace has not been kind to many of Cambodia's ancient monuments. As decades of conflict ended in the 1990s, looting accelerated dramatically. The local authorities and the United Nations' cultural organisation, Unesco, moved quickly to protect the world-famous Angkor Wat and its surrounding temples.
But more remote sites were left to their fate.

Stolen-to-order
US agents and local officers have been meeting in Siem Reap to discuss ways of protecting what is left. US special agent Ann Hurst said their experience of dealing with stolen artefacts from Iraq will be crucial.
"We can provide training in how to prevent these types of violations. There were stolen paintings and stolen coins being taken out of Iraq and smuggled in to the US," she said.
"What we did in those cases was prosecute the people who smuggled the goods in - and the people who accepted the goods in the US." Many Cambodian items have been stolen to order for private collectors.
Others have turned up at international auction houses, so expertise in intercepting illicit shipments is badly needed. Technical assistance in detection and policing will also bolster the thinly-stretched and poorly-funded local forces.
For Cambodia, stopping the looting is partly a matter of pride - the towers of Angkor adorn the national flag - but as tourism grows, so does the economic importance of preserving ancient treasures.

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, 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

As you know, I just arrived back from Cambodia, two days of catching up with some email back log, and then straight into the Celebrate the Sea Festival in Manila Philippines, this major international event was hosted for the first time in the Philippines. I had been ask to be on the jury panel, spending hours and hours last Friday to select the very best videos.

Steve White, Editor of Action Asia Magazine, Emory Kristof
and Gunther Deichmann
Emory created the designs of the camera system
which found the Titanic and a real nice guy.

David Doubilet signing one of his Books.

Many international speakers and guests joined this festival just to name a few: David Doubilet National Geographic Photographer, Daniel Mercier Founder of the Antibes World Festival of Underwater Pictures, Emory Kristof Underwater Discoverer, Emory created the designs of the camera system which found the Titanic. He led photographic surveys of the 6th-century wreck San Diego in the Philippines in 1993., Amos Nachoum Underwater photographer Amos Nachoum has led National Geographic expedition teams with Dr. Eugenie Clark, Dr. Sylvia Earle and astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Bryan Dias the Pacific Program Manager for the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), an NGO based in San Francisco dedicated to protecting the health of coral reefs by integrating ecosystem management,sustainable tourism, and community partnerships.
Mathieu Meur Singapore: www.mathieumeur.com : Mathieu co-authored “An Essential Guide to Digital Underwater Photography” and as well as the Advanced edition with Michael Aw. Michael Aw Director, OceanNEnvironment, Ocean Geographic www.michaelaw.com: Michael is the founding director of OceanNEnvironment, a charity organization whose mission is to promote preservation of coral reefs and endangered marine animals.
Amos Nachoum had a problem with his Mac Book Pro Charger, but one phone call to the Power Mac Center solved his problem and he was up and running again, then I talked to Music Composer Eric Bettens from Belgium about his fantastic underwater sounds and music created using Logic Pro, a great event with some very interesting people, for more information on Celebrate the Sea please go to the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance Blog, click here.

Now I need a few days rest and catch up with some more paperwork, I did receive however another very nice email from one more participant from the Cambodian workshop please see below, these guys just dont stop, thanks again for everything. For the latest on the Cambodian workshop please go to my Blog please click here.
Cheers GD


Hi, Gunther,

You must be back yourself from one of the most fascinating trips we have experienced. Anli and I finally understand how the place can draw you back again and again. It's ancient ruins stand amongst us, reminding us that life passes us by, leaving behind only what each one of us has contributed while we pass this earth.

We return with the promise to be more in touch with our spiritual selves, to enjoy life every moment knowing that life is here and now. We enjoyed your lead and remember all that you have taught us.

We loved the company, the hotel and the camaraderie shared. Hope to see you soon.

Best regards,

Anli and Eleanor

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.
For more images, go to my Aperture Gallery, just click here.


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

APERTURE Designed for professional photographers.
http://www.apple.com/aperture

A quick time saving tip for Our Aperture Users who will join me on our photo workshop to Cambodia.
You dont have to wait until we get there, not at all, take a few minutes and set up your Aperture Library now, before the Journey begins.
You all know we are going to Cambodia; just create a project now with the name Cambodia and create some Albums within, e.g.. landscapes, temples, people, traditional, personal etc., etc. and when you ready for importing each day you are all set to go. Another quick tip is to prepare some presets e.g.. your name with Copyright, Country; e.g.. Cambodia, location like Angkor Wat, Siam Reap, Monks, Temples etc.,etc. this want take long at all, just a few minutes before the trip, you can also prepare some common keywords the same way, you be amazed how much time you save later and have more time after the shoot for a relaxing beer or two. For those who are not familiar with these set ups dont worry I be there to guide you trough it, ok only one beer for you.
GD
The GDPhotoWorkShop is supported and sponsored by the following:




Apple Singapore, The Power Mac Center, Makati, Manila, Heritage Suites Hotel, Siam Reap, Cambodia, Sam's Tours Palau, Micronesia, The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance and the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging.
For other photo workshops in Bali, Indonesia, Palau, Micronesia and Tibet please go to the events Calendar at:
http://gdphotoworkshop.com

Well, time has come, we are all set for our Cambodian Workshop, a few more days and then I try to report from Siam Reap, Angkor Wat, provided I get a good connection. We are leaving this coming Friday and our first shoot is on Saturday early morning, all the participants are very excited about this trip, including myself, even I have been there many times, but there are always some great and new opportunities In Siam Reap, a Photographers paradise.
The shooting is our top priority but seeing all the images later in Aperture on our Computer is going to be really exciting, as mention I try my best to do some blogs direct from the location, however our Gallery with the best images will be up on the GDPhotoWorkshop site up on my return.
Of course I am also looking forward to see my old friends and my guide Savuth again who is guiding us through this unique place, and having the Heritage Hotel as our base is just fantastic.
Thanks to our supporters/sponsors: Apple Singapore, the Power Mac Center in Makati, Manila, Sam's Tours Palau and the Heritage Hotel in Siam Reap we make this Gallery very interesting and a challenge for our participants, we have a lot of surprises in stall for the best images but more on these later.
My gratitude to Jun Miranda from the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging for all his support and hard work.
Reporting soon from Angkor Wat, Siam Reap, Cambodia,
All the details for Bali, Palau and Tibet workshops will be posted on the GDPhotoWorkshop site up on my return, Tibet is becoming very popular you can make some temporary reservation on the reservation page now, just to make sure, of course this is non committal.
Cheers Gunther or GD

To celebrate the World Photography day on the 19th of August the Asian Photography Magazine launched a special issue, I am proud to be part of this years event.
An old image comes to life again.
Asian Photography which is distributed through out India and south east Asia featured my image from 1983, no other than the Cover of Time Magazine,
this is in particular very appropriate as we experience all over the world environmental weather abnormalities. The image was taken during a very bad drought during 1983 in Australia.To read the small story I have provided a download as pdf on my website under Publications/Spreads go to:
www.deichmann-photo.com
(to see the actual cover of Time just click on the same page on Covers.)

Big thanks to Jun Miranda from the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging, for organizing and making the GDPhotoWorkshop possible.
If your interest is Photography, if you an amateur or a pro, learn how to design, work with photoshop, or you like to become an expert on Aperture then you have to check out the great courses offered by the Center. For all the info please go to: http://www.pcci.com.ph/

The only one of its kind in the Philippines, if you like to know more about Photography than this is the place!

The workshop to Cambodia is now fully booked! Details of the current Cambodian Workshops are below posted by the PCCI.
For all future GDPhotoWorkshops in cooperation with the PCCI please check on the Calendar at the GDPhotoWorkshop website, up coming workshops are Bali in November, early next year Cambodia, Palau in April (with a marine Biologist and photography, this one is great for our underwater photographers) and Tibet in July/August 2008 please book very early for this one, limited number of participants only and due to the location we have to prepare well in advance.

Very soon we have all the details on the Calendar at the GDPhotoWorkshop website, other announcements will be made by the PCCI, we are looking forward to have you on one of our workshops. To view some of the images from these destinations please go to: www.deichmann-photo.com
Thank you GD.

in cooperation with

GDPHOTOWORKSHOP

invites you to

Cambodia

A Photo Safari/Travel Photography Workshop

September 7-11, 2007

by Gunther Deichmann

This workshop is open to all serious amateur and professional photographers who want to explore Cambodia’s Angkor Wat while learning the complexity of travel photography.

This four-day workshop will focus on Angkor Wat of Cambodia. While it will cover the place, its people and culture, the course will also be a learning experience from one of the best travel photographers—Gunther Deichmann. He will cover all aspects of shoot: solving technical problems, working with the locals, gaining access to certain places, the digital workflow, etc. He will also discuss what makes a successful travel photography. In addition, he will also lecture on post-production workflow and techniques using Apple Aperture. Aside being a well-respected travel photographer, he is also an Apple Certified Instructor in Aperture.

The workshop will be preceeded by a cocktail at PCCI, two weeks before departure, to brief the participants and to give them the opportunity to know one another. The evenings of the workshop will be spent in sharing, critiquing of the day’s shoots and planning of the next.

At the end of the course, each participant will receive a Certificate of Completion from both PCCI and GDPHOTOWORKSHOP and a copy of Gunther’s book, Journey Through Colour and Time. Their photos will also be exhibited in the Participant’s Gallery in the GDPHOTOWORKSHOP website. Exhibited photos will automatically be entered in the Cambodia Photo Contest to be displayed at the PCCI Gallery. Winning photos will win major prizes like free trip (including accommodation) to Cambodia for two.

The total package price is US$1,625 (or peso equivalent) which includes airfare transportation from Manila-Siam Reap-Manila; 4 night-/5 day-accommodation at the 5-star Heritage Suites Hotel, breakfast, ground transportation and guides; Angkor Wat Heritage site permit fee and visa fee for Camboida; lectures at the Heritage Suite Hotel conference room; and a signed copy of Gunther Deichmann’s book Journey Through Colour and Time. For details, please visit www.gdphotoworkshop.com.

Gunther Deichmann is one of Austral-Asia’s most accomplished travel photographers. Of German birth and a paleontologist by vocation, Deichmann settled in Australia when we was 21 years old where he got exposed to the beauty of the country. This led him to his current preoccupation, photography. His photographic opus appeared in different magazines such as the cover of Time Magazine (USA), Bulletin (Australia), Der Spiegel (Germany), Bunte (cover), National Magazine (South Africa), National Geographic, New York Times (USA), Sued Deutsche Zeitung (Germany), Grand Reportage (France), VSD (France), GEO (France), Terre Savage (France), and Figaro (France), and in other major book productions such as The Racing Game, National Geographic, Time-Life, Reader’s Digest, BBC (London). He recently published his own book entitled Journey Through Colour and Time— a 30-year collection of photographs on Australia, Europe, Asia, and Micronesia. For more information on this multi-talented and multi-awarded photographer, visit www.deichmann-photo.com.

Call PCCI now at (2) 759-3087 or send us an email at registration@pcci.com.ph. Limited to only twelve participants.

© 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.
Thank You,
GD

The fossils have been brought to my attention again by no other than Walter Ty, my constant supplier of Interesting news, again thank you Walter, we do appreciate this. For the interesting story on fossil sea spiders please go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6948161.stm

Before you read the whole story on the provided link, here is some information referring to the two images below, as you all know my background is Paleontology.
Image on the left: I have found this Ammonite some 40 odd years ago digging for Fossils near the German Town of Goslar, it is dated back to the Jurassic period some 160 million years ago.
The image on the right is a close relative of the Ammonite, the Nautilus that I photographed in Palau about four years ago; it is the surviving member from this cephalopod family.
If you ever have the urge to go “back in time” talk to Dermot Keane or Sam Scott from Sam’s Tours in Palau, they can make arrangement for a Nautilus dive, to bring you closer to one of the few and true living fossils. Contact Sam’s Tours at: www.samstours.com


Left: An Ammonite, 160 million years ago.
Right: 4 years ago in Palau, at the "Big Drop off",
a Nautilus, the "living fossil."
Photos: © Gunther Deichmann

Hi everybody, in particular to all the participants who will join me on our Cambodian Photo Workshop, I have just received this very interesting information
from my "information friend" Walter Ty, thank you Walter, for bringing this to my attention, please read on below to view the maps and other info go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6945574.stm


Photos: © Gunther Deichmann

Map reveals ancient urban sprawl Angkor Wat
The researchers disovered at least 74 new temples

In pictures: Angkor Wat
The great medieval temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia was once at the centre of a sprawling urban settlement, according to a new, detailed map of the area.
Using Nasa satellites, an international team have discovered at least 74 new temples and complex irrigation systems.
The map, published in the journal PNAS, extends the known settlement by 1000 sq km, about the size of Los Angeles.
Analysis also lends weight to the theory that Angkor's residents were architects of the city's demise.
"The large-scale city engineered its own downfall by disrupting its local environment by expanding continuously into the surrounding forests," said Damian Evans of the University of Sydney and one of the authors of the paper and map.

Urban complex
Working with researchers from Australia, Cambodia and France, the map was produced from ground surveys, airborne photography, and ground-sensing radar from Nasa's AIRSAR satellite.
Cambodia map
"The radar can sense differences in plant growth and moisture content that result from topographical variations of less than a meter," Mr Evans said.
The data allowed the researchers to peer through the vegetation that now shrouds the World Heritage site.
It suggests that the medieval settlement surrounding Angkor, the one-time capital of the Khmer empire which flourished between the ninth and 14th centuries, was at least three times larger than previously thought.
The team believes it could have covered 3,000 sq km (1,150 sq miles), the largest pre-industrial complex of its kind.
Its nearest rival is Tikal, a Mayan city in Guatemala, which covers between 100 and 150 sq km (40-60 sq miles).
The detailed survey also allowed the researchers to map at least 74 new temples as well as more than 1,000 manmade ponds.

Water works
They also discovered that the city's water supply probably relied on a single complex channel that extended 20 to 25km out from Angkor city.
Radar allowed the team to peer beneath the vegetation

The researchers say that the system, until now thought to be purely decorative and ceremonial, was probably used to support farming, in particular intensive rice agriculture.
In all, the newly mapped terrain could have supported half a million people, the researchers believe.
The new analysis of the irrigation system also sheds light on the civilization's collapse in the 14th century.
"We saw signs that embankments had been breached and of ad hoc repairs to bridges and dams, suggesting that the system became unmanageable over time," Mr Evans told the AFP news agency.
In addition, deforestation, over population, topsoil erosion could have contributed to the population's sudden disappearance.

"Angkor was extensive enough, and the agricultural exploitation intensive enough, to have created a number of very serious environmental problems," he said.

For all the GDPhotoWorkshop information please click here.

Please see the training schedule at the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3, Makati, Manila There will be a session on Photography and the web and a short introduction on Aperture.
The importance today how to expose and get your work out there via the web using Aperture, iPhoto and iWeb.

The GDPhotoWorkshop in Cambodia is almost fully booked,
we have only 4 more vacancies, if you interested to join and participate in
this unique Photo Workshop, please make your reservations by no later than
the 31st of July, we cant except any more bookings after this date.
For all the information on the Workshops please click this link.

More info on Gunther Deichmann please click here.

Photo © Gunther Deichmann, Angkor Wat, Cambodia 2006

Available NOW! First week of August 2007.

Dive guidebooks, on PUERTO GALERA, PHILIPPINES & PALAU, MICRONESIA.
You can now order online @ http://www.alliancediving.com/book-orders.html


“ PUERTO GALERA & VERDE ISLAND ”
Dive Sites of the Philippines (Revised 3rd Edition)
Re-edited, more pages, more images and updated.

Photography by Gunther Deichmann
and Text by Frank Doyle

• 136 pages including cover
• Full colour throughout
• Laminated Soft cover for Durability
• Size: 15.3cm x 21.7cm (Folded)

• Price: US$ 17.95
• Additional: $7.00 for international delivery via
Registered mail. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.
(For volume discount, please contact us)


“ PALAU ” Dive Sites, History & Culture"
(Revised 2nd Edition)
Completely re-written, more pages, more images including new
spectacular aerial photos. By Photographer Gunther Deichmann,
Kevin Davidson & Ethan Daniels (Marine Biologist)

• Available in English
• 160 pages including cover
• Full color throughout
• Laminated Soft cover for Durability
• Size: 15.3cm x 21.7cm (Folded)

• Price: US$ 24.95/Book (English)
• Additional: $5.00 for international delivery via registered mail.
Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.
(For volume discount, please contact us)



“ PALAU BOOKLET ” – A photo guide through Palau, Micronesia.
Featuring some of the best images on Palau by Gunther Deichmann world-renowned photographer.

• In 4 Languages: English, Japanese, Korean &
Chinese (Mandarin)
• 60 pages including cover
• Perfect Binding & Smyth Sewing
• Hard Bound Cover with Matt lamination for Durability
• Size: 13.01cm x 13.01cm (Folded)
• Price: US$ 11.95/booklet
• Additional: $5.00 for international delivery via registered mail.
Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.
(For volume discount, please contact us)


For information on Gunther Deichmann's coffee-table book (360 pages hardbound)
"Journey Through Color and Time" an art book featuring more than 20 countries
showcasing Gunther’s best photography over 30 years.
Now available online:
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/orders.html

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

CAMBODIA
A Photo Safari/Course on Travel Photography

The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), in cooperation with GDPHOTOWORKSHOP, invites you to a photo safari/travel photography workshop on one of the most popular destinations in Asia: Cambodia. To be conducted from September 7-11, 2007, this workshop is opened to all serious amateur and professional photographers who want to explore Cambodia’s Angkor Wat while learning the complexity of travel photography.

This four-day workshop will focus on Angkor Wat of Cambodia. While it will cover the place, its people and culture, the course will also be a learning experience from one of the best travel photographers—Gunther Deichmann. He will cover all aspects of shoot: solving technical problems, working with the locals, gaining access to certain places, the digital workflow, etc. He will also discuss what makes a successful travel photography. In addition, he will also lecture on post-production workflow and techniques using Apple Aperture. Aside being a well-respected travel photographer, he is also an Apple Certified Instructor in Aperture.

The workshop will be preceeded by a cocktail at PCCI, two weeks before departure, to brief the participants and to give them the opportunity to know one another.  The evenings of the workshop will be spent in sharing, critiquing of the day’s shoots and planning of the next. 

At the end of the course, each participant will receive a Certificate of Completion from both PCCI and GDPHOTOWORKSHOP and a copy of Gunther’s book, Journey Through Colour and Time. Their photos will also be exhibited in the Participant’s Gallery in the GDPHOTOWORKSHOP website. Exhibited photos will automatically be entered in the Cambodia Photo Contest to be displayed at the PCCI Gallery. Winning photos will win major prizes like free trip (including accommodation) to Cambodia for two. 

The total package price is US$1,650 (or peso equivalent) which includes airfare transportation from Manila-Siam Reap-Manila; 4 night-/5 day-accommodation at the 5-star Heritage Suites Hotel, breakfast, ground transportation and guides; Angkor Wat Heritage site permit fee and visa fee for Camboida; lectures at the Heritage Suite Hotel conference room; and a signed copy of Gunther Deichmann’s book Journey Through Colour and Time. For details, please visit www.gdphotoworkshop.com.
 
Gunther Deichmann is one of Austral-Asia’s most accomplished travel photographers. Of German birth and a paleontologist by vocation, Deichmann settled in Australia when we was 21 years old where he got exposed to the beauty of the country. This led him to his current preoccupation, photography. His photographic opus appeared in different magazines such as the cover of Time Magazine (USA), Bulletin (Australia), Der Spiegel (Germany), Bunte (cover), National Magazine (South Africa), National Geographic, New York Times (USA), Sued Deutsche Zeitung (Germany), Grand Reportage (France), VSD (France), GEO (France), Terre Savage (France), and Figaro (France), and  in other major book productions such as The Racing Game, National Geographic, Time-Life, Reader’s Digest, BBC (London). He recently published his own book entitled Journey Through Colour and Time— a 30-year collection of photographs on Austrialia, Europe, Asia, and Micronesia. For more information on this multi-talented and multi-awarded photographer, visit www.deichmann-photo.com.

Photo © Gunther Deichmann,
Tonle Sap, Cambodia 2006

Thanks to the committee and all the members of the Camera Club of the Philippines for inviting me to give a short presentation on Cambodia.
Many thanks for food and drinks, the monthly meeting of the Camera Club was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati, Manila, Philippines.
A very nice evening and I run into some very old friends again, I had not seen for a long time.
The Camera Club of the Philippines is the longest established one in the Philippines with over 150 members, comprising out of Hobby and Pro Photographers.
Special thanks to Jun Miranda from the PCCI (Philippine Center for Creative Imaging) for organizing this presentation on Cambodia.
I just used the Aperture slide show with some pre set music, created earlier in GarageBand.

For more images on Cambodia and other destinations, please go to: http://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.

Thanks to the Fins team, for their blog for my new website and GDPhotoWorkshop,
you guys are so nice and so very cool.
Cheers and thanks,
Gunther

Fins Magazine Blog, today the 02-06-2007
Gunther Deichmann Photo Workshops

We are proud to announce that the GDPhotoWorkshop website is now up and running to provide you with all the information for the upcoming workshops in Manila, Cambodia and Bali. The information on the workshop in Cambodia is soon available including cost and other details. So stay tuned and subscribe to our blog. For more information on the workshops please click this link:

GDPhotoWorkshop

Still fixing a few things, but almost there, you can now browse the site and check it out.