Vision is Better III by David du Chemin

Over the past few years David du Chemin has become known for his photography in various locations across the globe. With a number of books and eBooks to his credit as well as a popular blog, he’s also earned a reputation as one of the great thinkers in modern photography. Vision is Better 3, the just released eBook, brings together a series of essays and thoughts in both visual and textual form. Compiled from blog posts, as well as a couple of previously unpublished pieces of writing, the almost 150 pages in the book will inspire you and spark your creativity. You may have read some of the essays before but they are the type of writing that you can come back to again and again, always taking something fresh from each reading. It’s not the kind of book you can skim your way through, rather, it’s the kind of book that you want to brew a fresh pot of coffee and slowly make your way through. There’s a lot to digest, and that’s just the writing.

Visually, the eBook is superb. Just looking at the photographs alone is a feast for the eyes as you move across continents, with landscapes, portraits and slices of life beautifully presented. Below are a couple of my favorite images from the book.

In keeping with the Craft & Vision policy, there are some discounts if you get in quick (before May 26th).

Get Vision is Better 3 as a single edition for US$5 here.

Or get the Vision is Better bundle containing this and the previous 2 editions here for US$10.

Looking down on Zhongzheng Bridge

Been busy the past couple of weeks preparing to move house so haven’t had many opportunities to photograph anything new. The move is now complete other than some unpacking so was able to run up to the rooftop just before some heavy rain rolled through Taipei. Here are a few of the first shots from the new place, looking across the river toward downtown Taipei. Looking forward to exploring the alleys and small lanes around the new place and seeing what photographic goodness they contain.

Bookended by Taipei’s two tallest buildings.

Taipei 101 in the distance.

Roof garden

Mmm, cookies.

Over the weekend I learned that I’d been included in a list of the top 100 travel photographers in the world. While it certainly is an honor to be included alongside the likes of some very talented photographers, it got me thinking. How do you actually classify something like that? There are probably thousands of exceptionally talented photographers working in the travel arena, both as professionals and hobbyists. Is it really possible to choose 100 and say they are better than others? Isn’t creativity too subjective for this kind of exercise? Looking through the list and one thing stands out. Names such as Steve McCurry, Michael Freeman, Michael Yamashita, David du Chemin, Mitchell Kaneshkovich and Gavin Gough (to name a few) don’t appear. How is it possible to have a top travel photographers list without Steve McCurry?

I guess as humans we like things nicely ordered and neatly ranked. It tries to fit our linear world but for everyone that lands on the list, someone equally deserving misses out. Perhaps, instead of calling it “The Top 100 Travel Photographers in the World for 2013″ it would be better called “100 of the Top Travel Photographers in the World for 2013″. A little less definitive but probably a little more accurate.

Rukai 魯凱族, Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Culture Park, Sandimen, Pingtung County, Taiwan by Rich Matheson

A couple of friends and collaborators are involved in a new travel startup in Taiwan. Below is the press release.

‘LIFE OF TAIWAN’ WEBSITE LAUNCHES

On February 24, Taiwanese people around the world celebrated when Ang Lee, who was born in Taiwan 58 years ago, won a second Best Director Oscar, this time for Life of Pi.

Now, on May 7, 2013, comes a new website introducing the scenery, cultures, history and cuisines of Taiwan. Life of Taiwan (http://www.lifeoftaiwan.com) has more than 150 pages of information about the East Asian island.

“International arrivals have been growing for the past decade, and we think Taiwan’s tourism industry will enjoy a big lift thanks to the success of Life of Pi, which was made right here in Taiwan” said Mark Sinclair, founder and CEO of Formosa Services, the Taiwan-based startup behind Life of Taiwan.

“We’re providing high-end tailor made tours targeting professionals and their families. There is no safer place to travel than Taiwan and as everyone who has been here knows, the Taiwanese are a very special people.”

The website covers everything from Taiwan’s aboriginal tribes and their festivals to the island’s diverse and vibrant religious culture. Gourmands can read about Taiwan’s tastiest foods, while outdoors types will discover that Taiwan has more than enough mountains, rivers and dive sites to keep them busy, plus hot springs where tired muscles can be soaked at the end of a tiring day. And if they’re not already aware of Taiwan’s treasures, birdwatchers and other kinds of ecotourist will find the website’s description of Taiwan’s spectacular natural diversity engrossing.

The website is gorgeously illustrated with photos taken by Michelin and Asian Geographic photographer Rich J. Matheson. Rich specializes in images of religious events and Taiwan’s aboriginal groups; his work can be seen at http://www.thetaiwanphotographer.com

The text was written by Steven Crook, author of three books about the island – Keeping Up With The War God (2001), Dos and Don’ts in Taiwan (2010) and Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide (2010). Steven is currently updating his Bradt guide for publication in spring 2014. Links to many of his published articles can be found at http://crooksteven.blogspot.com

For further information feel free to contact us on contact@lifeoftaiwan.com or call +886 6 2088173.

Streaks of light over Kathmandu’s Durbar Square

I’m currently in the process of a massive edit and portfolio consultation which sees me staring at a computer screen for days on end selecting images from my library. Couple that with moving house next week and all the work that entails, and I’ve not really had many opportunities to go out and shoot recently. While going through my back catalog I came across this image from Durbar Square in Kathmandu and processed it using one of David du Chemin’s presets from the recent Craft & Vision preset release (today is the last day for discounts). It’s a bit over the top but fun nonetheless.

Craft & Vision LR4 Presets by Dave Delnea and David du Chemin

Using presets in Lightroom can be a real timesaver as you move through the develop process. Whether you use a one-click and it’s done approach, or you use them as the basis for further processing work, incorporating presets into your workflow offers you an easier way to reach your final goal. The folks at Craft & Vision have something really special for you this month – not one but two different releases both of which include a series of presets and a PDF guide to using them. They are available as a bundled package for $18 ($16 if you act before May 6th with the code PRESET2) or separately for $10 each. David du Chemin offers up 36 presets, and Dave Delnea chimes in with a massive 46, making a total of 82 presets. Rather than ramble on and talk too much about them, I’m just going to show you a few results when using them. The photos that follow give you a before and after – the first as it looked on import into Lightroom, and the second after applying a preset. No further processing was done, however I will note that I normally tweak presets a little each time I use them. In these intances however, what the one-click option gave me looks pretty good. If you want to read more,click here to view more details.

Cambodia Smile (unprocessed).

Cambodian Smile (Dave Delnea’s Backlight Vertical Right preset)

Bones (unprocessed)

Bones (David du Chemin’s Midtome Lift + Vignette + Clarity preset)

Beng Mealea western entrance (unprocessed)

Beng Mealea western entrance (David du Chemin’s Punchy Sunset .66 grad preset)

Waterfall (unprocessed)

Waterfall (Dave Delnea’s Washed tropics look 2 preset)

I’ve favored the more subtle presets and started off with well-exposed images so some of the changes are only slight, and of you’re not viewing this on a properly calibrated monitor you may not get the full effect. For those of you who like more dramatic processing, there are a number of presets included that will satisfy you. David du Chemin also has a series of black and white presets in his collection.

As previously mentioned they come as individual packs ($10 each) or as a bundle ($18). If you use the code PRESET2 you can get the bundle for $16 up until the end of the day on May 6th. Click here for the bundle.

Should you want them separately click here for the du Chemin pack and click here for the Delnea pack.

A bit of black and white for this month’s desktop calendar. Reaching back into the archives for this image, shot in the Baguashan area of Taiwan. As always, large and small links are below.

Small Calendar
Large Calendar

Village life. (Craig Ferguson)

One of the coolest places I’ve been as a travel photographer are the floating villages of Chong Khneas and Kompong Phluk on the Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia. Stilt houses rise out of the water and villagers use simple wooden row boats to get about. Even something as simple as visiting the neighbors can require the use of a boat. I’ve been diving into my back catalog searching out a few older images for some upcoming work and decided that these photographs deserved a fresh look.

Life on the water. (Craig Ferguson)

The busy village and its main waterway. (Craig Ferguson)

Young Cambodian village children. (Craig Ferguson)

Kids at play in Cambodia. (Craig Ferguson)

Strawberry ice cream on a bed of strawberries.

Summer is trying to get a look in here in Taiwan and the freezer sections of convenience stores and supermarkets are once again filling up with ice cream. A bed of strawberries and a few scoops on top makes for a fun morning’s photography.