fantastic world travel: May 2011

Brandon Stanton: Humans of New York

Here's a really great project!

As many of us who follow photography and photojournalism remember, and still frequently refer to, The New York Times' series of One In 8 Million were superb multimedia visual narratives about interesting New Yorkers...and photographer Brandon Stanton has followed with his compelling Humans of New York; portraits of New Yorkers of all stripes, shapes and background.

Brandon's goal is to gather 10,000 street portraits and plot them on an interactive map. More than 2000 portraits have been gathered so far, and even include stories about some of the fascinating people photographed.

One of the stories I especially liked was the one about The Poet. I have seen this guy a few times...and saw his sign.

Ah, if only these stories were also captured by using a handheld sound recorder!!! The audio could then be added to the portraits, and we'd be in incredible multimedia paradise!

According to Brandon Stanton's biography, he has had a colorful background. He currently lives in New York, where he’s on a mission to find every interesting person in the city, and take their photograph.

Week 21 Travel Metrics

Please find the latest Travel Metrics for week 21 at this link

Many thanks,

Posted by Matt Kala, Industry Analyst.

Gone Fishin'

Have a good Memorial Day!

Alexander Martirosov: Venice & Its Carnavale

Alexander Martirosov is a photographer from St. Petersburg, Russia, and specializes in portraiture, fashion and fine art photography. He recently staged two exhibitions, opened his own studio, formed a team of associates, and became a finalist in several competitions held under the auspices of the International Federation of Photographic Art, FIAP.

Alexander's background is in fashion retail, and he is the founder and owner of one of the largest retail chains of Italian fashion shoes in St. Petersburg. Previously, he graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Technology, majoring in Radiation Processes in Nuclear Energy. You'll agree that his luminous photographs of masked characters at the Venice's Carnavale betray his fashion background and affinity...they could be featured in all the major international fashion glossies.

The Venice Carnavale is the most internationally known festival celebrated in Venice, Italy, as well as being one of the oldest. This congregation of masked people began in the 15th century, but the tradition can be traced back to the beginning of the 14th Century.

Ysl Lipsticks for Spring/Summer

When you have younger daughters, the first thing you notice is that your lipstick often disappears :-) because they like to play and move around with it. You will update your lipstick more often than you thought, which I have experienced.

Here are my lipsticks updated for summer in pink and coral shades: YsL Rouge Pur 49, YsL Rouge Pur Couture 26, YsL Rouge Pur Couture 24, and Ysl Rouge Pur 52.

Have a great weekend, everyone!!xoxo...Hanh :)

Angkor Photo Workshops 2011

Now in its 7th year, the free 2011 Angkor Photo Workshops is now officially accepting applications from all young Asian photographers.

To get started, photographers can download and read through the application guidelines and the application form below:

The guidelines and form contains all the information needed on how to apply for this year’s workshops. However for clarifications and or questions, the Angkor Photo Workshops can be contacted email at angkorworkshop [at] gmail.com .

The workshop will be held from November 17 – 23, 2011 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. As per the previous years’ workshops, 30 participants will be selected from amongst the applications received. The deadline to submit the application is July 15, 2011.

Since its inception in 2005, more than 180 young photographers from all over Asia have been selected to participate in the annual free Angkor Photo Workshops. Conducted by renowned international photographers who volunteer their time, the Angkor Photo Workshops provide participants with firsthand training, invaluable exposure and a chance to perfect their art.

Over the years, the workshop has highlighted emerging talent from the region, and many previous participants go on to embark on successful photography careers both regionally and internationally.

I'll be there!!

Romania -- Radauti synagogue restoration moving forward

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

Edgar Hauster posts on his blog that the renovation of the synagogue in Radauti is moving ahead -- the restoration of the facade is nearing completion.... he has posted a picture of the exterior of the building, taken a few days ago. According to Hauster, the work is being carried out with funding from the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities, as well as from the town itself.

Radauti synagogue restored. Photo: Edgar Hauster, http://hauster.blogspot.com/

Romania -- Dorin Fraenkel 1945-2011

September 2009. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn today of the sudden death of Dorin Fraenkel, in Radauti. Dorin, who was 66, apparently suffered a heart attack on Wednesday. The writer Edgar Hauster spent a couple of days with him this past week and says there was no indication that he was unwell.

Dorin was a kind and charming man, and the repository of a wealth of knowledge about Radauti, its Jews and its Jewish history. He helped many people delve into family history and Jewish genealogy and knew the ins and outs of dusty research.....I met him in 2009, when I traveled to Radauti with three of my cousins -- he took us to the town archives and pored over old record books to find information about our ancestors.

It is only now, after the news of his death, that I have found out that he was a accomplished musician, who wrote music and played the piano; according to YouTube he uploaded this piece not long after our visit to Radauti. May his soul be bound up in the bond of life.

Lola Akinmade Åkerström : A GeoTraveler

Photo © Lola Akinmade Åkerström _All Rights Reserved

Since today is the (un)official start of the summer season in the United States with an exodus of people towards vacation destinations for the long Memorial Weekend, I thought I'd feature a renowned travel expert on The Travel Photographer blog.

Lola Akinmade Åkerström does everything; she's a photographer, a writer, an editor, a photojournalist and worked for NGOs. She has won countless awards for her photography and travel writing from the National Geographic magazine to major newspapers. In her photography, she specializes in travel photography and is known to be a food photographer as well, especially if in exotic locales.

I chose to feature Lola's exquisite image of a pensive Egyptian overlooking the Nile for this post. She has many more, and although her imagery is not grouped by country...she classified her work in groups instead.

For those who are on their way for the long week end, let's go let's go let's go!

Paul Levrier: Mekong Delta

I've posted the work of Paul Levrier before on The Travel Photographer's blog, but he just alerted me that his website Visions of Indochina had been updated, and now included large sized images...and he was right. His portfolio is certainly large sized, making it easier and more enjoyable to appreciate.

Having said that, I especially liked his must-see new section On Assignments which features his work from Can Tho, the largest town in Vietnam's Delta, where his intent was to record life on the Mekong river and its famed floating markets. He used a wide angle on a number of his shots, and with the extra large size he chose for his images, they appear almost life-like.

Reading Paul's notes on his accompanying blog, he tells us that while tourists usually visit the Cai Rang market, the largest on the Mekong, he headed instead to Nga Bay, but found that the local authorities had closed and pushed the vendors further up river to a rural location called Cho Noi...which was difficult to get to, and was consequently free of foreign sightseers.

I traveled to Can Tho in 2003 (eons ago, it now seems) photographing for a NGO, and unfortunately had no time to photograph the floating markets. After seeing Paul's images, this is high on my to-do list.

Poland -- Home of WW2-era Warsaw Zoo director who sheltered Jews to become a museum

by Ruth Ellen Gruber

The two-story home where the Warsaw Zoo’s director Jan Żabiński and his wife Antonina sheltered about 300 Jews and others from the Nazis during World War II is to become a small museum dedicated to the couple and their heroism.

According to a report on Polish radio, the museum will be opened in the fall.

The Zabinskis were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among Nations in 1965.

Zabinski was allowed to enter the Warsaw Ghetto as a municipal official. There he connected with people he knew and, according to testimony on the Yad Vashem web site, helped get Jews "over to Aryan side, provided them with indispensable personal documents, looked for accommodations, and when necessary hid them at his villa or on the zoo’s grounds.”

With the Zabinskis' help, many Jews found temporary shelter in the zoo’s abandoned animal cells, until, the web site puts it, "they were able to relocate to permanent places of refuge elsewhere." In addition, the couple, aided by their son, sheltered nearly a dozen Jews in their two-story private home on the zoo's grounds.

According to the Polish radio report, when Nazis officials visited, Antonina Zabinska would play a certain piece of music on the family piano to warn Jews in the house that they should hide.

The Yad Vashem web site describes Zabinski as an active member of the Polish underground Armia Krajowa (Home Army), who

participated in the Polish uprising in Warsaw of August and September 1944. Upon its suppression, he was taken as a prisoner to Germany. His wife continued his work, looking after the needs of some of the Jews left behind in the ruins of the city. Jan wrote in his own testimony explaining his motives: “I do not belong to any party, and no party program was my guide during the occupation... I am a Pole – a democrat. My deeds were and are a consequence of a certain psychological composition, a result of progressive-humanistic upbringing, which I received at home as well as in Kreczmar High School. Many times I wished to analyze the causes for dislike for Jews and I could not find any, besides artificially formed ones.”

The Zabinskis' story was recounted in the 2007 book by Diane Ackerman, "The Zookeeper's Wife."

Publishers Weekly wrote:

Using Antonina's diaries, other contemporary sources and her own research in Poland, Ackerman takes us into the Warsaw ghetto and the 1943 Jewish uprising and also describes the Poles' revolt against the Nazi occupiers in 1944. She introduces us to such varied figures as Lutz Heck, the duplicitous head of the Berlin zoo; Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, spiritual head of the ghetto; and the leaders of Zegota, the Polish organization that rescued Jews. Ackerman reveals other rescuers, like Dr. Mada Walter, who helped many Jews pass, giving lessons on how to appear Aryan and not attract notice. Ackerman's writing is viscerally evocative, as in her description of the effects of the German bombing of the zoo area: ...the sky broke open and whistling fire hurtled down, cages exploded, moats rained upward, iron bars squealed as they wrenched apart.

Traduzioni Su Misura da Tanslia

Cerchi un agenzia di traduzione con servizi professionali e tariffe anche 50% minori per traduzione di testi informali? Translia è quella che stavi cercando. Quà trovi migliore qualità senza -attenzione!- nè tariffe minime nè quantità minima di parole da tradurre. Qualunquè sia il tuo testo, piccolo o grande, basta che inserisci il tuo file nel sistema per ottenere il preventivo immediato. La garanzia di diritti d'autore offerta dall'agenzia ti assicura anche che nessuno può coppiare il tuo file, che puoi controllare l'andamento della traduzione e che la traduzione sarà fatta nello stesso formato che hai caricato.

Translia ha diversi servizi di traduzione che ti danno possibilità di scegliere una tariffa adatta alle tue esigenze: non devi pagare altissima qualità per un testo informale, puoi avere una traduzione fatta da due o più professionisti per un testo non troppo impegnativo a tariffa ridotte di 25% ed, infine, se hai un testo molto importante puoi essere sicuro che ottieni qualità insuperabile grazie all lavoro di diversi migliori traduttori.

Tutti servizi offerti sono traduzioni professionali che saranno eseguite nel tempo prestabilito con la garanzia Soddisfatti o Rimborsati. E se non sei ancora il cliente di Translia, il tuo primo preventivo includerà un buono sconto di benvenuto. I professionisti di Translia sono sicuri che apprezzerai il loro lavoro e diventerai un cliente fisso.

Ukraine -- Jewish Travel Web Site and Tours, etc

Fortresslike 16th century synagogue building in Sharhorod, Ukraine. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

People are always asking me for advice on "traveling Jewish" in Ukraine -- arranging trips and tours, finding places, accommodation, information, etc.

A new (or newish) web site and organization, "JUkraine" may now be the answer.

I just came across the web site -- jukraine.com -- and it looks at if it will be very helpful.

I hope so! Ukraine is a huge country, rich with fascinating Jewish heritage sites and also home (in some places) to active Jewish communities. To date, my chapter on Ukraine in Jewish Heritage Travel is one of the only Jewish guides to the country -- but it only minimally scratches the surface.

Poland -- Politics and Shake-ups at the Jewish History Museum in Warsaw.....

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

The Forward runs a fascinating piece about the shake-up at the top of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw that saw the forced resignation of longtime director Jerzy Halbersztadt, one of the creators of the institution.

The museum -- nearly 20 years in development -- is now scheduled to open in 2013. Its building is largely complete, but work is still going on regarding the exhibits and installations. The Forward notes that Halberszadt's departure under pressure "is provoking concern about the future of the ambitious project, which aims to preserve a legacy of 1,000 years of Jewish life in Poland."

Jerzy Halbersztadt, the museum’s project director since its conception in 1996, announced his resignation at an April 22 press conference after months of indecision by Poland’s Ministry of Culture about renewing his five-year contract. Halbersztadt’s contract had lapsed five months earlier.

Since Halbersztadt’s announcement, the museum has been run by his former deputy, Agnieszka Rudzińska, while the institution’s trustees search for a successor.

Halbersztadt’s unexpected departure came about as a result of repeated clashes with the Ministry of Culture over what he regarded as inadequate funding for the museum’s day-to-day operations. But in a March statement to the press, Culture and National Heritage Minister Bogdan Zdrojewski said that Halbersztadt was unable to cooperate with others and that he believed it was time for the project to have a new director.

Halbersztadt told the Forward that after his most recent contract lapsed, “They reduced my authority as director. I was unable to make any strategic financial decisions and even a [lost my] right to contract staff.”

Read more: http://forward.com/articles/138075/#ixzz1NNOS0vpM

Spring Breeze

It has been windy lately, a lot of rain, thunder, hail, tornado warning...It's spring in Dallas. It seems more severe this year. Scary? Excited?? You could tell that it was so windy and about to rain in these pictures below.

This Proenza Schouler dress from this spring 2011 collection is so beautiful. Actually, the whole collection is stunning. I've got so many compliments whenever I wear it, and so many people thought it has a twist of Chanel. This look is feminine and romantic. With the delicate fabric and amazing details, I can see it took hours and patience to make this dress. That's incredible.

These Christian Louboutin daffodil pumps are so marvelous. They are a special gift for my birthday from my special friend who is just so kind, sweetheart, and generous. She left them at my front door and left a text to my mobile phone to surprise me. What a wonderful surprise! Thank you so much to my special friend for this lovely surprise gift!

Wishing you all a wonderful day!!!xo...Hanh :)

Carolyn Beller: Oaxaca

I wager that readers of The Travel Photographer blog will agree with me that this third in a row pure travel photography post is a home run!

Carolyn Beller started her photography work in earnest as recently as 2006 with an established background in art, interior design and pottery, as well as in teaching art.

Her biography tells us that she took up photography when realizing that it would serve to document the lives and culture of various indigenous people she came in contact with when she worked on pottery projects. She traveled to Nepal, India, Burma, and Rwanda.

Carolyn attended workshops with Alex and Rebecca Webb, David Alan Harvey, Jay Maisel, Nevada Wier, Catherine Karnow and Jim Richardson. Some of those names I obviously recognize and others I don't...but I thought her wonderful photograph of young boys and their shadows in her Oaxaca gallery has much of Alan Harvey's and Webb's influence in it.

After seeing Carolyn's photographs made on the Staten Island ferry, that's a project I ought to take on as well. Staten Island is part of New York City, isn't it? If so, I consider it my purview as much as Chinatown and Washington Square Park are.

Poland -- Krakow's Night of the Synagogues program

Here's the program (in Polish) for the Night of the Synagogues in Krakow, June 4:

For more information, click HERE

Jochem Gugelot: Iran

This is the second day in a row that I feature pure travel photography to The Travel Photographer blog...this time it's the work of Jochem Gugelot whose biography tells us that he lives in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and who's a freelance graphic designer and photographer.

The graphic influence is very much at play in Joachem's work. First of all, his galleries (what he calls photo series) are displayed in a very large size, which is what I've advocated for a few years now. When I am sent website galleries by photographers, I can't describe how much more receptive to featuring them when they consist of large images....to my eye, 1000x667 pixels ought to be the norm...but Joachem's are much larger than that. I view the site using a Chrome browser on a monitor of 1920x1080, and it's stunning.

Jocahem features his work from Iran, the Seychelles and the Maldives as well as a delightful photo series of the Himalayan Kingdoms. You'll also notice he's partial to low angles as well as photographing from above the scene. gallery of the Himalayan Kingdoms, which include Sikkim (and Darjeeling).

Out of all his series, I particularly like his work of Iran...a country long demonized by the US for no reason, and one that hasn't been sufficiently featured on my blog. You'll see a number of landscape photographs with a few street scenes. Jochem also included frames of Istanbul and Dubai in the gallery.

Ania Blazejewska: People of Ladakh

To start the week on a pure travel photography note, here's the work of Ania Blazejewska. She is a freelance travel photographer based in Poznan, Poland. Having graduated with a degree in political science, her embrace of travel and photography led her to Asia and northern Africa.

Her work was recognized in various Polish and international photo contests, and her freelance photos and articles were featured in a number of Polish-language travel portals. She has photographed in Cuba, India, Ladakh, Laos, Oman, Morocco, Srl Lanka and Nepal...to mention just a few.

Many of her travel photography is of people, and photographed in portrait mode...in vertical format. I chose her Ladakh gallery to feature here, but don't leave her website until you've explored her many other galleries. One that I particularly liked as well is her Living As A Burmese Monk photo essay.

Incidentally, Ania is one of the many photographers who uses PhotoShelter for her website and galleries.

If you want to learn how to sell your prints, PhotoShelter has issued a free downloadable PDF guide to help you out.

Yellow and Black

When I saw this Rick Owens leather corset top at Rick Owens boutique in Paris, I fell in love with it right away. It's versatile piece and great for all seasons.

Vintage clutch. The cuff bracelet was a gift.

Wearing: Rick Owens Lilies halter top, Rick Owens leather corset top, J-brand jeans, Yigal scarf, and Louis Vuitton sunglasses.

Have a wonderful day ahead to you all!! xo...Hanh!

The Leica File: The Chinese Flutist

Despite the imminent threat of the Rapture yesterday, I trotted along to one of my favorite New York City haunts, and happily found it teeming with Chinatown residents who were enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. This time I took my Elmarit 28mm and the Voigtlander Nokton 40mm for the M9, as well as my digital recorder....and I was rewarded.

There were three competing Chinese traditional sing-along bands, and I spent time with two of them. Despite their rather severe expressions, the elderly Chinese who populate Columbus park to listen to the music during the week-ends are extremely cordial, and laugh easily when a "gweilo" such as I takes interest in their culture. I had a number of conversations with Chinese men who, despite a halting English, were happy to see me taking photographs. As always, the card-playing, mah jongg and chess brigades were in force...some tables reserved for women players, who seemed to take the games more seriously than the men.

You may notice that the above photograph (click to enlarge) of the Chinese flutist is at an angle...this is because it's originally a vertical. I seldom shoot verticals, but I wanted to get that particular angle. And, yes, I toned a little bit.

Another thing...well, actually two things. The first is that I tried out the E-Clypse MAG 1.25x 34 from match Technical Services. It magnifies the Leica viewfinder image by 25%, and has a silicon rubber eyecup. The manufacturer claims that it increases the focusing accuracy by 25%, by magnifying the focusing patch. Let me say first that it's extremely well made, and fits the M9's viewfinder thread perfectly. It does magnify the focusing patch (I can't tell if it's 25% or not) but it's not the holy grail either...so while it makes focusing a tad easier, it'll still have to be gotten used to.

As for the second thing: Asim Rafiqui, a friend and damn good photojournalist (and Leica user) reminded me of the principle of zone focusing to resolve my difficulties. It had been stored in a dusty cobwebbed part of my brain, as I had never used it (the principle, not my brain). So I tested it once or twice while walking on Broadway...it works, but still needs refining.

I am on the right path. And since the Rapture has not happened, I have the time to practice. Phew.

Krakow -- "Night of the Synagogues" coming up

An exhibition in High Synagogue. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

The night of June 4 will be the "Night of the Synagogues" in Krakow, according to the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. All seven historic synagogues in the old Jewish quarter, Kazimierz -- the gothic Old Synagogue, the Remuh Synagogue, the High Synagogue, the Kupa Synagogue, the Izaak Synagogue, the Popper synagogue and the Tempel synagogue -- will remain open and will feature concerts, performances and other events.

According to the article, "Instead of klezmer bands in the Tempel synagogue you can listen to contemporary Israeli rock music." There will be a Dj in the Old Synagogue and also various art workshops.

The full schedule of events will be available Monday.

Alex Webb/Rebecca Webb: Violet Isle

Few people interested in photography don't know who Alex Webb is, so I'll keep this introduction brief.

He began working as a professional photojournalist in 1974, and joined Magnum Photos as an associate member in 1976, and a full member in 1979. He photographed extensively in the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and in Turkey. His photographs have appeared in such publications as The New York Times Magazine, Life, Geo, Stern, and National Geographic, and has published many books.

Rebecca Norris-Webb is an international photographer and poet.

Violet Isle is featured by Magnum In Motion, and showcases Alex’s exploration of the streets of Cuba and Rebecca’s discovery of unique and sometimes mysterious animals. While the photography styles of this husband-wife team is distinctly different, they decided decided to weave their images together to create a multi-layered portrait Cuba.

While you watch the audio slideshow, you'll see this combination of the two styles...the typical street scenes, color saturated with lots of shadows, reflections, sun-drenched walls...and more ethereally, many caged birds, a metaphor for Cubans. The soulful soundtrack is Silencio by the Buena Vista Social Club.

Would I have preferred to hear a soundtrack of ambient audio and music recorded in the streets of Havana instead? Yes, of course...no question about it. That being said, anything by the Buena Vista Social Club is great.

Nick Riley: The Witch Doctor Of Tanzania

"For issues of love and business, property and health, people in Tanzania will visit a witch doctor. The job description appears to vary significantly between individuals. Some can help to find lost property, others specialise in healing the unwell, others still in raising curses on those that have wronged you."

My readers will immediately know that this photography essay is one that The Travel Photographer's blog relishes in featuring.

But first things first. Nick Riley is a UK photographer, currently working in Tanzania. His work has featured extensively in the press, including BBC Wildlife magazine, where he won photograph of the month. In June 2010 he was shortlisted for Photographer Of The Year. He worked on projects for clients across the public and corporate sectors, including the NHS and Diageo, but his passion is for documentary and wildlife photography.

The Witch Doctor is a multi-gallery photo essay, arranged in a blog format. Nick was allowed to photograph during the healing sessions conducted by a witch doctor in a poor suburb of Dar Es Salaam. In a tiny room filled with incense, and lined with various shells, leaves, carvings, coins, jars and packets of various powders. It was there that the witch doctor started her magic.

These are extremely atmospheric photographs, and are very well composed despite the difficult circumstances. Short of being there, I would have loved to hear the ambient sound from these sessions! Beautiful and rich colors...And do take the time to explore the other entries in Nick's blog. Well worth it.

It should be mentioned that although Islam orthodoxy frowns on witch doctors and other sorcery for exorcism, other sects less strict tolerate (and even encourage) such traditional ways to rid those afflicted with jinns and evil spirits.

What's your video strategy?

81% of internet users in the UK watch online videos.

On average, each user watches 173 videos every month.

Not only are people watching loads of videos, they are searching for videos related to travel information. As such, many travel brands have adopted YouTube as an engaging communication platform to speak with their audience. For example, Air New Zealand has been really great at keeping their YouTube brand channel fresh and fun, and in doing so have generated over 6 million views of their videos and more than 1 million visits to their brand channel.

No matter what you've chosen as your video strategy, we'll show you 10 steps to doing the basics brilliantly. Please check out our slideshow below:

Your Brand on YouTube

View more presentations from YouTube UK

Posted by Cristy Aragon, YouTube & Display Sales Manager, UK.

The Leica File: The TV Watcher

Walking on 14th Street in Manhattan, I noticed this man watching the news on a television in a store window. He was transfixed by whatever he was watching, oblivious of the morning's light drizzle. He had placed his shopping bag (with the umbrella) on the ground and was motionless for a little while. Click on it for a larger image.

This particular street is interesting for street photographers because one witnesses different cross sections of the city's inhabitants as one walks from one avenue to the next. The most interesting are the spots next to the subway entrances, and around the Salvation Army's headquarters.

I'm still struggling with the manual focusing on the M9. I'ts getting much better, or I should say, I'm getting better at it...and that's the only thing that needs to be worked on and improve.

To that end, I decided to try the E-Clypse MAG 1.25x from matchTechnical Services, which claims that it magnifies the viewfinder image by 25%, and increases the focusing accuracy of your Leica 25%, by magnifying the focusing patch. This is the same outfit that manufactures the Thumbs Up EP-1 that I bought recently, and which I really like a lot.

I shall report as soon as I receive it and test it. I hope it does help my focusing.

Week 20 Travel Metrics

Please find the latest installment of our Travel Metrics at this link:

Week 20 Travel Metrics.

Many thanks,

Matt Kala, Industry Analyst.

Cruise is the Perfect Way to Travel

Cruise is an excellent choise for a vacation and Cruise Deals are available online today.One of the leading cruise specialists is Crusie 1st, specialist in Mediterranean, Caribbean and World cruises. The site of Crusie 1st is very easy to use and that is why you can find your destination or the deals that meet your needs just from the first gaze. Infact, the most important news and last updates you can see in the central part of the page.and some of most interesting offers are under this central slide show.

Crusie 1st chooses of the most Cheap Cruises that suit any budget so that every person can allow this great vacation option. Once on board, you have a real relax so as you wish it. It's because you do not think about anything else except entertainment organized your way. On a cruise ship, you can swim in a pool or climb a special wall, you can read a book among thousands titles in the library or make your jogging excercises. There are many night life possibilities and -what will bewitch you- absolutely fantastic cuisine that you can enjoy on any ship of any cruise line.

A vacation on a cruise ship is the best for exploring the marvels of the world without packing and unpacking every day, without changing trains, airplains and busses. Just relax and walk in an other town or country every day. Isn't it your dream about a perfect way to travel?

Lithuania -- Jewish cemetery site (with map)

Old Jewish Cemetery, Valbanikas, Lithuania. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

I've just come across this web site about Jewish cemeteries in Lithuania -- which includes a map of all known cemetery locations, photographs from some cemeteries, and reports on efforts to clean some of them up and restore damaged gravestones. The epitaphs on a number of stones are also translated.

I visited a number of Jewish cemeteries in Lithuania in 2006, when I was updating Jewish Heritage Travel -- and most were in rather poor, neglected condition. The tombstones themselves were much less ornately carved than in other countries, such as Poland, Romania, and Ukraine.

I have already posted on this blog about my experience visiting the ruined Jewish cemetery in Kalvarija, where my great-grandfather came from -- and about efforts to repair the cemetery and read the gravestones there.

Jewish cemetery in Kalvarija, 2006. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

One of the most interesting (and well maintained) Jewish cemeteries I saw in Lithuania was the old Jewish cemetery in Valbanikas, a village that also has two disused masonry synagogue buildings. Some of the gravestones exhibited carving, and the cemetery was also one of the few that I found actually signposted from the road.

Carved gravestone in Valbanikas. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Signpost to Old Jewish Cemetery. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Status: Travel Photographer's The Oracles Of Kerala™

Since announcing it via my newsletter a few days ago, I've received an unusually large number of applications to join The Oracles of Kerala Photo Expedition/Workshop™, scheduled for March 2012, and which will revolve around producing photo essays and multimedia stories of two of Kerala's most unusual religious and ancient festivals, as well as its ancient dance-drama and Vedic chanting tradition.

The workshop is limited to 7 participants, and having received a larger number of applicants than expected meant I had to base my choice on a combination of factors; preference was given to photographers who have joined my earlier photo~workshops aka the "repeaters", then to those applicants who had been wait-listed on one or more of my earlier photo workshops, and lastly on the style of their photography and interest in learning multimedia.

I regret turning away anyone.

It would be certainly be easier for me to enlarge the number of participants on my trips, and accept as many applicants as possible, but I'm not that kind of travel photography expedition leader.

Pete Muller: The Cattle Keepers of Southern Sudan

I wasn't planning to feature the work of Pete Muller today (the sequence of my posts are often pre-decided a week in advance), but seeing his terrific work The Violent Cattle Keepers of Southern Sudan on the wonderful Time Lightbox blog convinced me otherwise, and I rejigged the sequence.

Pete writes that these cattle keepers are members of the Dinka Rek sub-tribe, who describe themselves as a “brigade.” In this remote area of southern Sudan, there are no signs of the army or the police, and no government as such. Consequently, these men form a militia to protect themselves from marauders of other equally well-armed pastoralist groups in the area.

The moment I saw the first photograph in Pete Muller's slideshow, I thought "oh, Jehad Nga's chiaroscuro style!", and true enough, Pete graciously ends his write up by giving credit to Nga for inspiring the aesthetic of these photos. A statement that reflects well as to Pete's character.

Pete Muller is a photographer and multimedia reporter based in Juba, Sudan. He uses images, words, audio & video to tell under reported stories. He maintains an excellent blog which also features many of these portraits.

A really excellent photographer.

Festivals -- At least 30 on my list of Jewish culture/arts/music etc festivals in Europe

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

I just added a few more events, bringing the number on my list of this year's Jewish culture/music/film/books/arts etc festivals around Europe to 30 -- and I know there are a lot more going on that I have not (yet) included. (Or which had already taken place before I got around to compiling the list...)

Everyone by now knows about the big Jewish culture festival in Krakow -- the oldest and largest festival, taking place at the end of June/beginning of July. But all around Europe you can find other varied events, big and small -- from the OyOyOy festival in northern Italy, to Bankito in Hungary to Yiddish Summer Weimar in Germany to UniJazz in the Czech Republic to the Life Festival at Oswiecim, Poland (the town where the Auschwitz camp is located), to Ethno Fusion in the courtyard of the synagogue in Belgrade.

The variety is great -- and so is the range of locations and festival focus. From book fairs highlighting local publishers to film festivals to klezmer and other Jewish music fests, to arts, to grand mash-ups, such as in Krakow, that feature a range of events, concerts, guided tours, targeted workshops and so on.

Locations range from big cities, to former (or present) Jewish quarters and neighborhoods, to villages to the countryside.

Hanna Bernhard Chameleon Pin

I took these pictures of the Hanna Bernhard chameleon pin sometime long ago when the kids and I decorated our spring garden. I really like the way this shade of green and fuchsia colors combine. The chameleon was hiding so well with these flowers. I haven't had a chance to style this pin yet, although I'm happy to use it as decoration around the house. Yes, Hanna Bernhard design is very inspirational and one of the kind.

Have a lovely day ahead to you all! xo...Hanh :)

POV: Leroy's Visa Pour L'Image Says....

From The British Journal of Photography:

Jean-François Leroy, Visa Pour l'Image's director, believes it's essential to remind "people of the important role photojournalists play in keeping us informed," which, he says, will be reflected in this year's edition of the world's largest photojournalism festival.

"But don't expect to see projects on Tahrir Square. I've never received that many CDs about one particular event. I know that square by heart now. I could draw you a plan from memory. I've seen it all: Tahrir during the day, Tahrir at night, Tahrir and the dogs, Tahrir in the morning, Tahrir in the evening. So what? What's the point? What's the story?"

- Jean-François Leroy, Visa Pour l'Image's director

What's the story, he asks. What's the story in Tahrir??????

After guffawing at that er...statement, what can I say other than some people are visionaries, and others are myopic, provincial and silly...and past their useful shelf life?

In contrast, take a look at NOOR Images current involvement in Cairo, where Stanley Green and others are leading a photojournalism workshop.

Olivier Laurent of The British Journal of Photography conducted the interview, and has written this response (which I quote in its entirety for fairness) on my Facebook page:

" I conducted the interview with Jean-François Leroy, and in case things are not clear enough, Leroy did say that he would not show Tahrir Square-related stories (i.e. reportages that only focus on the events at Tahrir Square) because they lack incredible context over the entire Middle-East revolution movement. Instead, he chose to show Yuri Kozyrev's work, which includes images shot in Tahrir Square but put into a wider context thanks to the images he shot in Bahrain, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, etc. To react to some of the comments here, I don't think he uttered "une connerie"** (I wish there were a perfect english equivalent to this word). In my opinion, he's quite right. I'm not saying that there hasn't been meaningful work coming out of Tahrir Square, but have these photographers submitted their work to Visa? A lot of the images I've seen coming out of that square were repetitive (in some cases, shot by three or four photographers at the exact same time) and lacked that overarching meaning - the true impact of this revolution on the Egyptian people. There's nothing wrong with a photographer parachuting in Cairo for such a story (and it's much needed to bring attention to the story) but at the end of the day, I find it more enriching when I look at these events through the lens of a photographer that truly understood these events. Laura El-Tantawy springs to mind, for example...

One clarification though, we're talking, in this case, of the exhibitions presented at Visa. There's no doubt that countless of images from Tahrir Square will be shown during the evening projections there."

** To keep things succinct and brief, I still think it was "une connerie", and an unfortunate one at that. It will be up to the attendees of the Visa Pour l'Image event as to whether ignoring a seminal and historical uprising in the Middle East (notwithstanding Yuri Kozyrev's wider work) was another "connerie", or not.

fantastic world travel