Life Is Good - Arthur Meyerson

One of the great photographers of our time - Arthur Meyerson - discusses his art, his creativity and a life in balance - including the quote "Life Is Good."  His color photographs are inspiring (at least to this photographer) - simple but memorable.  Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZWNwqkat4o

Is It Safe To Travel?

One of the questions I am asked whenever I travel outside of the US, Canada or Western Europe is: "are you sure its safe to go there?"  It was asked of me just before leaving for Turkey which, coincidentally, was just after the Oklahoma City bombing.  It was recently asked of me before we headed to Puerto Vallarta for a pre-Christmas trip - the Mexican drug wars were the big news story.  On the other hand, when the earthquake hits your home, or the tsunami strikes or the tornado sets down in your yard or the hurricane roars through, it might not be safe at home either.

Should you exercise caution while traveling?  Of course.  The US State Department website (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html) posts travel alerts that may frighten you - its their job to point out potential problems.  But its good to balance those alerts with other points of view.  One site worth checking is: http://safety.worldnomads.com/.  World Nomads specializes in travel insurance for folks taking longer than usual journeys in places throughout the world. Their site offers lots of advice on a variety of safety topics, as well as a question and answer forum. 

Would I travel to a Mexico border town right now?  No.  How about Somalia?  NO.  And probably the same for Afghanistan and good portions of Iraq.  But using common sense, some street smarts and armed not with a gun but with good current information, I feel that travel to almost anyplace else can be a safe and enlightening experience.  Journey On!

Distinctive Portfolio

A distinctive photographic vision is the key to success in photography.  The works of Ansel Adams, for instance, are readily obvious, even though the photographs were, for the most part, taken in places where countless thousands of other photographers have also practiced their craft.

Lois Greenfield also has such a distinctive vision.   One of her specialties is dance, a subject that vacation and travel photographers run into from time to time at a festival or street fair. Many are in sharp focus, while others use motion to convey action - one of my personal favorite techniques. Her photography of Sham Mosher, the 1st one in her "Airborne" portfolio, is one of my favorites.  And her entire portfolio is worth a gander for multiple examples of shape and design as key factors in dance and motion photography.  http://www.loisgreenfield.com/galleries/airborne/index.html

Journey On!

I've been writing this blog for nearly two years now.  Looking back over 88 postings I've made so far, the topics range from pure travel to pure photography to a mix of the two and, finally, to what's important in life.  It has all been part of my life's journey as a photographer, workshop leader, environmental consultant and a social being.  Today I changed the heading of the blog to "Journey On! Photography, Vacations and Life." The new title is more indicative of what has been posted and where I'm personally headed in my creative life. 

Workshops will still be listed, as will upcoming gallery shows.  And I will try on a more regular basis to discuss the nuances of vacation photography which I think is one of the more challenging genres out there given how wide ranging it is.  And I'll post, as I did earlier today, articles and musings on the importance of an integrated life where the creative arts, world culture and one's personal interests intermix. 

I hope you continue to enjoy the Journey!

A Good Read

Came across an interesting blog post this morning covering the pleasures of buying a book.  Its not really about travel or photography, though its set in Madrid; rather it's about indulging in what's important to you.  It also brings to mind running out of reading material while traveling and finding a bookstore with at least a limited English language section and buying a book regardless of price.  For a good read is important to me while traveling, even if I don't finish it until well after I reach home. 

http://www.travelblogexchange.com/profiles/blogs/one-morning-at-petras