I urge Sydneysiders to view the world’s best photojournalism from last year at the free State Library of NSW exhibition “World Press Photo”. An incredible collection of award-winning photos are on display from 8 May 2008 – 5 June 2008.

“Dissident general Laurent Nkunda poses at his headquarters in North Kivu, a province particularly affected by unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” credit: Cédric Gerbehaye, Belgium, Agence Vu.

The first free elections in Congo in four decades, held in 2006, did not put an end to violence and instability in the country. With no clear winner in the presidential vote, opposing sides continued to clash. The process of integrating rebel militia into the national army remained delicate.

Many of the photos I saw had themes of war, violence, death and destruction. They reminded me of lyrics from the Crowded House song “Don’t Dream It’s Over”:

In the paper today, Tales of war and of waste. But you turn right over to the TV page

As the lyrics say it’s all to easy to pretend that bad things don’t happen in the world. For now we can rely on courageous photo-journalists going into battle zones and other areas documenting human suffering and struggles and revealing them to the world.

However in the future as the news industry and media become more rationalised and profit driven will there be enough funding and interest in providing high quality coverage of serious subjects? We can only hope ….

Gary Knight of the 2008 jury: “In walking through the exhibition the viewer accepts a responsibility handed on by the photographers and the jury to learn”

“You are encouraged to pay attention to the captions and follow them up with thought and further research”

“We hope that after looking at these pictures, viewers will understand a little better how the world works and our place in it. The collection does not mark the end of a process but a new beginning”

“Much of the work you will see in the exhibition represents the world in a way that many of us are unaccustomed to seeing it; in a way that throws down a challenge to the public to re-engage with the media.”

“It is also a challenge to those of us in the media who may find these essays uncomfortably unorthodox. The future has arrived”

World Press Photo is an independent non-profit organisation, founded in the Netherlands in 1955. Its main aim is to support and promote internationally the work of professional press photographers.

Over the years, World Press Photo has evolved into an independent platform for photojournalism and the free exchange of information.

In order to realise its objectives, World Press Photo organises the world’s largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest.

The prize-winning photographs are assembled into this travelling exhibition, which is visited by over a 2 million people in 50 countries every year. The yearbook presenting all prize-winning entries is published annually in several languages.

Learn more about the World Press Photo organisation

The State Library of NSW has many great exhibitions which are free to view

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Download a free 1024×768 resolution desktop wallpaper photo of a Man Walking at Sunset - 80 Mile Beach, Western Australia.

In late 2003 I travelled up the West Australian Coast from Perth to Broome. Along the way I stopped for a day and night at the deserted 80 Mile Beach.

Eighty Mile Beach is located almost half way between the West Australian towns of Broome and Port Hedland. As the name suggests, the beach is 80 miles in length (140 km). A remote caravan park on the beach some 10km from the Great Northern Highway is a great place to relax for a few days away from mobile phone coverage

Because the beach is so flat and smooth, after high tide has receded the wet sand reflects the setting sun for quite a distance away from the breaking waves along which the man in the photo is walking.

Download Instructions

1. Click on the preview photo
2. When the full size photo is displayed from the Picasa web album - click on Download Photo in the right-hand side menu and Save

Man Walking at Sunset - 80 Mile Beach, Western Australia

• Camera: Nikon 110s
• Wallpaper format: JPG 496 Kb in size
• Original Photo: Film negative

• F stop: unknown
• Exposure time: unknown
• ISO: 400 Fuji Superia film

• Metering & Focusing: Centre weighted
• Focal Length: unknown
• Original Resolution: 35mm film
• Optical Image Stabilisation: Not available
• Tripod Used: No

Every month I’ll publish a new 1024×768 resolution Free Desktop Wallpaper for your computer from the archives of photos I’ve taken, subscribe to my RSS feed to make sure you get the next one.

Other photos I’ve taken can be viewed at my Google Picasa Web Photo Album

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My Fox Glacier Helihike departed from the chartered helicopter helipad at 0945 & returned at 1300. It was the highlight of my trip to NZ South Island and I will remember it forever.

At several $100/person Yes it is expensive but it was definitely worth the cost unlike the money I wasted on the Tranz scenic TranzAlpine train - New Zealand

Apparently 50% of helihikes are cancelled and there were only 3 days of good weather in the past 60 days so I was very lucky that the weather was perfect with blue skies and no wind during my fox glacier heli hike

We saw ice of all shades from dirty black to pure white and glowing blue as our guide used his axe to cut a path for us in the constantly shifting glacial ice. There were also deep crevasses, ice caves, snow arches, snow tunnels and much more… I wish I could have stayed the whole day.

I was the only person on the tour with a polarising filter on my camera, and judging by the harsh light bouncing off the ice which forced everyone to wear sunglasses it ensured my photos were much better than without the filter.

Bird watchers will be interested to know that I saw many Kea (NZ alpine parrots) around Fox Glacier Township and I was able to get quite close to take photos

For more details about the various options from the low cost Fox Glacier Terminal Face Walk to the ultimate mountaineering adventure visit the Fox Glacier Guide’s website

Download a free 1024×768 resolution desktop wallpaper photo taken by me as I was flying over Fox Glacier, South Island, New Zealand

View some of the photos I took during my Fox Glacier heli-hike in my Picasa gallery

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GUEST ARTICLE: There are many well known spots in the state of Colorado which the typical tourist may be familiar with such as Rocky Mountain National Park or the Garden of the Gods.

The tour buses and guide books are full of ways to get there. The real beauty of the mountains, I believe is tucked away deeper, in hard to reach places. I live in one of those places.

The town of Leadville is about 2 1/2 hours driving (weather pending) distance from Denver. It is easy enough to catch a bus from Denver to Copper Mountain Ski Resort but the remaining distance is best travelled by car.

Hitch-hiking is still popular and reasonably safe but at this altitude (3,000 m/10,000 ft) the winter months of freezing temperatures can extend for 9 months out of the year and you would be wise to dress appropriately while waiting on the roadside. For best results, I recommend a rental car (preferably with four wheel drive in the winter).

The beauty of this location is the unpopulated heart of the Rocky Mountains. Surrounding the town on all sides are the tallest peaks in the State. There aren’t any polished hotels or shopping malls. There isn’t a Walmart or McDonald’s in sight.

There is only hiking, biking, skiing and nearby white water kayaking/rafting and climbing to name just a few outdoor pursuits. The town itself is a bit run down and impoverished which keeps the rich developers away. It is a unique place for those who know.

The best place to meet quality people and pick their brains about hikes where you seldom see another human are at a handful of quiet businesses. The outdoor clothing company where workers toil at sewing machines just behind the counter called Melanzana. There is a bike shop, Cycles of Life, and a coffee shop, Provin’ Grounds, and the Tennessee Pass Cafe, all good places to meet outdoorsy folks.

Beware the bars particularly if you are female. The harsh weather and lack of shopping malls limits the mountains to an abundant supply of men. While this may seem favourable to women there is a saying in Alaska that I believe applies here too…. “while the odds are good (for a woman), the goods are odd as well”

The Forest Service has an office in the south of town and it’s is a great place to get maps and straight forward advice. There is a cheap backpacking lodge, the Leadville Hostel and my friends own the Leadville Inn bed & breakfast where you can bring your dogs and stay the night.

Ask folks about the Mineral Belt Trail that loops the town. It’s good for cross country skiing or biking and has awesome views of the surrounding peaks. Turquoise Lake (PDF) has a similar trail and offers great views but can get busy in the summer months.

Some favourite hikes of mine are Windsor Lake, a steep uphill 1 hour jaunt to a wilderness area with postcard photo quality shots in every direction. Twin Lakes has tons of trails and the best fall foliage I’ve seen which are easily accessible by car. Mayflower Gulch in nearby Summit County is another popular and stunning hike/ski. Chaulk Falls is spectacularly frozen in the winter and gorgeous in the spring.

The headwater for the Arkansas River is here and the fly fishing is excellent and so is the rafting/kayaking. For beginners, book a rafting trip down Brown’s Canyon. For those without small kids and seeking adventure try the “Numbers” section (my personal favorite in a kayak).

For those that like intense thrills get to the Pine Creek section that starts in the town of Granite. The Arkansas River’s crystal blue water has a bit for everyone but make sure you’re here for it’s short season between late May and mid-August as it’s dam controlled and the tap is shut off early.

The local Leadville airport is the highest elevation field in North America and offers scenic flights and flight training. The strong winds and heavy snows can be limiting but the views from above are worth the wait.

The altitude here is worth mentioning twice. At 3,000m/10,000ft a person can easily experience altitude sickness. It strikes indiscriminately, whether healthy or not, young or old. If you’ve never walked around at these heights you can become light headed, easily winded, have difficulty sleeping and experience nausea.

I recommend you exercise and drink lots of water and avoid caffeine and alcohol before and during your trip. With more than 300 days of sunshine in Colorado, it’s worth the efforts!

These suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many more hidden spots in this State but I’m not willing to give them all away. Enjoy the exploration and don’t forget your camera.

This travel diary has been written by Backwoods Ben. Ben is a very busy man. When he’s not exploring the wilderness around his hometown in Colorado he’s working in an ambulance crew at the local hospital on 24 hr shifts, participating in his local search and rescue team or taking lessons to eventually get a commercial pilots license!

You can visit Ben’s stumbleupon.com profile and view more of his photos around the Leadville Area and Mosquito Pass to the east of Leadville at Ben’s Flickr photo gallery

If you’ve travelled somewhere off the beaten track, can write well and have good quality photos I encourage you to contact me and I’ll consider publishing your travel diary here including generous attribution and links back to your website as thanks for your contribution

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GUEST ARTICLE: Want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas? Then head off on a day trip towards Rachel, Nevada.

If you like interesting road trips with an odd twist to them, take US Highway 93 North out of Los Angeles and head out to Rachel, Nevada where they filmed part of the movie ‘Independence Day’.

Just remember to fill your gas (petrol) tank on the way out and then fill it coming back (otherwise you will be running on empty). Ash Springs 60 miles south of Rachel is the closest gas station .., there aren’t any other Gas Stations for miles.

Just when you think you are out there in the middle of the desert all alone with miles and miles of nothing to look at you’ll start seeing pockets of lush grass and trees … next thing you know you are passing Lake Pahranagat, a natural spring with a walkway along the spring you can walk along.

People fish here etc because it’s really nice and relaxing. It’s odd to see a spring out here with the contrast of the desert in the background. You can just sit out here and enjoy the quiet or take a lunch and sit at the picnic tables enjoying the scenery.

Keeping on driving North on US Highway 93 and take a left on Nevada Highway 375 (the “Extraterrestrial Highway”). As you head into Rachel, you’ll notice signs on the sides of the road telling you to keep an eye out for free ranging bulls… Where they come from I don’t know?!

Welcome to Rachel Nevada (by goforchris on Flickr)

Once you get to Rachel, don’t expect a jumping metropolis. It is a very small town and a small population of about 90 people… all the buildings are mobile homes but it is fun all the same…

There you’ll find the the Diner Little A’Le’Inn. The burgers here were delicious and worth just heading out there for a burger in the desert. In the diner you can sit at the tables there or sit at the long counter and enjoy your burger.

You can buy souvenirs in here of UFO’s (not that anyone has seen one), Area 51 or the town of Rachel. As you walk into the diner you see an Alien in the window.

There is a plaque outside given from the movie studio for thanking the town for letting them shoot the movie Independence Day here and UFO Parking Spots on top of a light pole.

If you want to meet a few of the locals - just head over to the row of mailboxes which is where people will congregate and talk whilst getting their mail.

If you are daring you can go down to Area 51, there is apparently security on the hills watching ‘tourists’ to make sure they don’t cross the fence line into government property and ‘apparently’ if you are caught you are given a fine - if you do damage to that property you apparently can go to prison for a year… I find it somewhat amusing… but we chickened out on being that daring…

I hope you enjoyed this little journey to the desert outside of Vegas.

Related Information

• Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
• Wildlife photos - Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge
• Official home page of Rachel, Nevada
• Little A’Le’Inn - Rachel, Nevada

This article has been written by FlissandMike. Fliss is an Australian expat who lives in Florida with her husband Mike. They enjoy Geo-caching and visiting places in the USA which are off the beaten track.

If you’ve travelled somewhere off the beaten track, can write well and have good quality photos I encourage you to contact me and I’ll consider publishing your travel diary here including generous attribution and links back to your website as thanks for your contribution

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Download a free desktop wallpaper photo of a cute baby green frog sitting on the finger of Guest Photographer Cameron J Galipo.

I was looking at the best of 2007 photo submissions from a group of Australian photographers when I saw this photo from Cameron and it completely blew me away with its mixture of monochrome human hands and the tiny green and yellow frog with its head slightly tilted to the side looking right at you out of the screen.

Download Instructions

1. Click on the preview photo
2. When the full size photo is displayed in Flickr - click on the “All sizes” button above the photo to see the full 1280×1024 resolution JPG

credit: cameronjgalipo

• Camera: Sony DSC-W30
• Wallpaper format: JPG 119 Kb in size
• Original Photo: JPG 1.64 MB in size

• F stop: 2.8
• Exposure time: 1/40th second
• ISO: 80

• Metering & Focusing: Multi-segment
• Focal Length: 38 mm
• Original Resolution: 5.95 Megapixels (2816 x 2112)
• Optical Image Stabilisation: No
• Tripod Used: No

Every month I’ll publish a new Free Desktop Wallpaper for your computer by a Guest Photographer or from the archives of photos I’ve taken, subscribe to my RSS feed to make sure you get the next one.

Other photos I’ve taken can be viewed at my Google Picasa Web Photo Album

Other photos by Cameron J Galipo can be seen at his Flickr Profile.

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