Photos from South America

This week I’m finally getting some photos online from my South America trip.

Buenos Aires was my first destination and it’s an awesome city.  I really liked the vibe of the city: friendly people, good food, abundant cafes, good parks, different neighborhoods with unique feels.  It’s everything you’d want in a city.

I spent a few days in Buenos Aires before taking off for Patagonia.  I stayed in the Solar Soler hotel in the Palermo neighborhood.  It was a really nice little hotel that I booked online before the trip (I always like to have my first night’s hotel booked before a trip).  After returning from Patagonia I again stayed with the Solar Soler folks but this time in their apartment which was cheaper and actually a little closer to a subway station.

The Palermo neighborhood reminded me a bit of the Mission/SOMA districts here in San Francisco in that it’s a pretty mixed neighborhood with expensive shops and restaurants and new development alongside older residences and light industry.  I liked having it as a base from which to explore the city (though this district puts you at one end of all of the areas you’d want to visit and not in the middle).

The Subway system was really convenient for me and a great way to get around town.  I’d just pick a destination and take the subway there (or close to there) and then walk from then on.  That’s essentially how I spent my days.

Nights were pretty mellow since I was on my own but I definitely enjoyed the food and atmosphere of the late-eating crowds (restaurants are easily still crowded at 1am on any day of the week).

I’ve sorted through and chosen just a few of the photos that remind me of the city and that I hope best convey what I saw while I was there.

I’ve split out a subset of photos that I’ll post next, which are from the San Telmo neighborhood.

Umair Haque and constructive capitalism

I have long been disappointed in capitalism’s drive towards growth for growth’s sake.  I’ve usually referred to it as ‘unbridled capitalism’ as I’ve seen it as companies run amok with no regard for the long-term impact of their actions.

Now I’m not against capitalism.  I just feel like some control is a good thing.  Take banking for instance.  In my opinion, the financial collapse is a good example of what can happen when companies (or industries) are left to their own devices.  Can anyone really still argue that what AIG was offering was not insurance and therefore didn’t need some kind of oversight?  How much have we given that company?

I’m not exactly schooled in this however, and so I’m not particularly eloquent on the subject.  That’s why I especially like the comments and writings of Umair Haque.  I was recommended his blog by a former co-worker and I’ve been really drawn to Umair’s viewpoint, and his ability to express it, ever since.  He tends to talk less about regulation and more about companies and how they should behave in their own best interest.  And I totally believe that there is a benefit to this kind of thinking that most companies would realize if not for their near-sightedness (or desire/need to satisfy the short-term financial statements).  It is for these reasons that I believe some regulation is needed.

Here’s a fairly typical blog posting of his discussing the idea: The Scale Every Business Needs Now

For a more comprehensive look at what he calls constructive capitalism, check out these links that he provides.

South America video

I’m finally getting around to my photos from my trip to South America and this time I decided to do things a little differently.

After our trip to Africa in 2008, I not only posted photos online but I also put together a little video of the trip.  Using iMovie on the Mac, I  combined photos, videos and some songs from an African choir I downloaded from iTunes.  That video turned out to be pretty long, so I never posted it online.

While in Buenos Aires, I was so taken by the rhythm of the city, and the fact that music was everywhere, I decided I wanted to do a video presentation to accompany the photos.  I recorded videos of street performances thinking that I would use those as the soundtrack but the microphone on the G10 didn’t do such a great job of capturing the music – at least, not the way I was shooting with it (not really standing with the mic pointed reliably at the source).  And then I came upon this tango orchestra performing during the San Telmo markets on Sunday.  They had the audience captivated and I couldn’t resist purchasing one of their CDs. It’s their music I used for the soundtrack.  If you’re ever in Buenos Aires (and I would highly recommend it) be sure to check out Orquesta Tipica El Afronte.  They play regularly in town, though not on days that I was able to see them in a proper venue.

This video contains images taken during my trip including photos from Buenos Aires, El Calafate, Colonia Del Sacramento, Torres Del Paine, and Los Glaciars National Parks.

I will post the individual photographs soon as well as a few blog posts about the trip.  In the mean time, I hope you enjoy the video.  By the way, the little 4-arrow button on the bottom right of the video will blow this out to full-screen, definitely the way to watch (if you ask me 🙂 )

As before, I used iMovie to put this together.  It’s a pretty decent product and the ’09 version fixed some of the little issues I had with the previous version.  This still turned out a little longer than I’d like – next time I’ll make it even shorter.

The photos and videos are taken using either the NIkon D300 or the Canon G10.  All of the videos are from the Canon and it’s obvious that the quality of the videos is not as good as that of the stills.  I’m really looking forward to getting an SLR with video capabilities but that’s not a purchase I’ll be making soon.

What podcasts do you listen to?

I’ve had a few recent conversations (online and off) about podcasts.  I’m a big fan of the format since unlike more visual mediums like text or video they’re perfect for when you’re on the go: in cars, trains, walking, etc.,).  This got me to thinking that I really should get around to writing down the list that I have on my iTunes.

I have a couple of basic categories:

News/Current events, etc.,

  • Fresh Air – Great interviews.  I usually listen to each episode though I’ll sometimes skip some of the entertainment personalities.
  • Commonwealth Club of California – interesting speakers, though not as reliably great as some other podcasts, I appreciate the format and the many of the guests.  I’ll usually skip over at least 1/3 of these if not more

Entertainment

  • NPRs This American Life – Ira Glass’ great audio production of interesting non-fiction (mostly) stories.
  • WNYCs Radio Lab – dumbing down science so that anyone can enjoy it, layered with elaborate audio production
  • The Sound of Young America – enjoyable pop culture interviews by America’s radio sweetheart right out of his LA apartment
  • NPRs Car Talk – click and clack every week.  I don’t often listen to these but they’re good to have on the ipod when you’re in the mood
  • SFMOMA Artcasts – This I have to enhance my museum membership but the postings are sporadic and only occasionally useful/interesting

Photography related

  • Jeff Curto’s Camera Position – Early episodes discussed why certain decisions were made while composing images.  Lately this has become less frequent and more about the overall process of defining ones approach to photography projects
  • LensWork – thoughts about the creative aspect of image making.  Usually short, and so easily digestible when you’re almost at your destination but just need a few more minutes.
  • Martin Bailey Photography – A Brit in Japan who works in technology by day but photography on the side.  His technical descriptions are easy for anyone to digest, I enjoy this one for the embedded images and the inspiration it provides to just go out and shoot and follow through with your projects.
  • Nikonians The Image Doctors – usually gear talk focused on Nikons but sometime other topics as well.
  • Lightroom for Digital Photographers – short tutorials on Lightroom features
  • Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips – short tutorials on Lightroom features
  • Photoshop for Digital Photographers – short tutorials on Photoshop features

So that’s the list on my computer (most of which get sync’d to my ipod/iphone.  Speaking of which – one aspect of the iphone I love?  The 2x setting.  Some of these podcasts (Nikonians, Lenswork, Martin Bailey) are easily consumed at twice the normal speed allowing me to pack in more listening.  Others (Terry Gross, Ira Glass) I prefer to listen to in real time.

I’m curious to hear what others are listening to as I’m always on the look out for good content.

Sometimes it’s the small things

They say don’t sweat the small stuff.  And that’s pretty true.

But at the same time, sometimes the small things (in a positive way) can make a difference.  Just as you should not let the small annoyances bring you down, you should let the small things pick you up.

Like changing the batteries in the car remote.

Wow.  What a difference!

Happy new year.

Produce or Consume

It is so easy these days to consume information – there’s of course the older mediums of books and newspapers; as well as movies, radio and tv; and now the newer internet-enabled delivery of this type of content – blogs instead of magazines, podcasts instead of talk radio, youtube instead of movies (or streaming feature length films instead of heading to the video store or theater), digital cable with the hundreds of channels instead of a few over-the-air.

But as the access to consume this content has gotten easier, so too has the access to produce it.  Digital cameras, still or video (although the differentiators between those devises are disappearing more and more every day) along with FaceBook or other sharing sites make it possible for anyone to easily publish imagery to share.  Sharing written content is even easier to do (though that doesn’t speak to the need to have something meaningful to say..)

And so I often find myself sitting down to watch tv, read something on the computer, etc., wondering whether I shouldn’t spend more time contributing.  As I read blog posts or view photos that others have created, I wonder whether I shouldn’t be spending that time creating my own work to share, rather than simply consuming others’ work.  Which is not to say that there’s not value in consuming what others have created – there’s a lot to be learned out there – it’s more just a recognition that at some point, you’ve consumed enough and it’s time to give back.

I guess these thoughts are stronger now, as I’ve got this backlog of photos that I want to get around to posting, as well as a few thoughts that I’ve been stirring around with writing about.  That plus the ‘season of giving’ and all makes me think about what it means to give instead of take.

But it’s more than that – I also think about what FaceBook or Twitter means to me – and what I like about those services – and inevitably it comes down to people who take the time to produce – whether it’s thoughts, photos, videos – or even sharing a link to a funny or topical piece that someone else has created – it’s when others are generating content for me to consume, that’s when I appreciate those services.  Which inspires me to be one of the people who creates value in those communities, rather than one who just checks in and reads what others have produced for them.

This past month as I’ve been preoccupied with lots of other ‘off-line’ activities I haven’t produced much and I’ve found myself consuming more.  But as I’ve said, I’ve got a backlog that I hope to share in the coming weeks.  If only I could get through all of my podcast listening and blog reading..