Designer Tom showed up today with a grocery bag full of stuff for me to take to Tanzania. Ten thousand thank you’s to him and his church for putting this bag together. I will pass the bag to Dr. Sam when I arrive.
Archive for the ‘Getting Ready’ Category
More amazement
Friday, November 9th, 2007On Directing Film
Thursday, November 8th, 2007
I have started or should I say continued thinking about the stories that I will be photographing and filming in Tanzania. I really have no script for this trip, other than I know that I will be photographing a lot of orphanages. I often fear that it all might become to fragmented, but then again fragmentation can become a rhythm of miniature master pieces.
Years ago Andrew suggested me reading this book “On Directing Film” at the time I had put together a short film that missed target badly and I was in search of repair. I pick the book up today for the first time in a few years and started flipping threw it realizing that it was time to revisit this book and ideas and that the theory of directing film is similar to that of still photo’s.
To simplify, It all comes down to the story line, the feeling and editing.
Weather Check
Monday, November 5th, 2007
This weeks weather
Days away from leaving on my trip, and I think it is a good time to take a look at the weather. It looks like a lot of 8’s
I think I have a warm trip to come, in my reading there was a remark that it sometimes takes a week to get used to the heat. I will let you know!
Why a cage becomes a home.
Friday, November 2nd, 2007
As part of my trip, I will be leaving behind two Olympus camera’s and teaching kids how to use them. The program is designed so they will create images that a EPIC Change will turn into cards that they will sell online.
Understanding a camera is the easy part, understanding the photography is the hard part. I have asked a few freinds to help me with this issue and I have got a fantastic minuter of different answers. The reality is they are all correct.
I need to let go and see what happens. To much plaining is too much.
Illustrate feeling
And the best images ask questions, like why is that rabbit in a cage and the cage is not catching the rabbit.
(a few years back, a rabbit started eating our garden. I went on a full attach to get that rabbit. Months later of failed catchings it snowed, the rabbit was able to eat the bird seed and use the cage as shelter.)
Oh, the list’s I could list
Saturday, October 27th, 2007I seem to have so many list right now and everthing is living in a pile in my office.
Tomorrows is the day that I turn that pile into something understandable. That and I compare it to other list that I have found on the web.
Fellow photographer and traveler to parts of Africa, Steve Simon has posed this great list of things that he is taking on his next trip… Take a look at what he brought.
BTW this is also a test of the blogging camrea that I am take with me… Let see what that image looks like…
No Dennis… It has not been bad
Saturday, October 13th, 2007
The copywriter at the office has asked me, more times than I can count if the medications for the trip where costly. For the most part no, if I was going for more than two weeks they may add up, but for the most part my copays took care of everything.
I think my issue is going to be finding the fatty meal that I need to take with the Malarone.
it’s all about the glass
Thursday, October 11th, 2007
A few days ago I stop by the local camera (the Camera Corner) store to pickup an extra lens cap for my Nikon. Carl has been a great help the last 6 months with some small projects so I fingered I would buy the lens cap from him. He was looking at my camera and exclaimed something to the effect, “great camera and very nice lens, but why are you destroying your image quality with the cheap UV lens filter”.
He was right I did have a cheap filter on the lens, but I never of it down grading my image quality, I always thought of the lens and never beyond it.
Good lens = good photo
Good lens, poor filter = ok photo
So, I left his shop with a new Rodenstock filter and a little wiser.
Stuck in the arm
Thursday, October 4th, 2007
Well, today was the day to go to the Travel Clinic and get my shots. I went to the clinic in Danvers and meet with Kathleen Tremblay R.N., F.N.P.-C. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is going on this type of trip, the whole crew there was fantastic and went over all possible issues and options that I have for medications and shots.
After five shots my arms feels like lead weights, but it is one more thing to check off the list.
Lisa also came back from Barn & Noble with this great book from Lonely Plane “Healthy Travel Africa”. So, It but be the be safe day on the road to TZA.
Lets Go Solar
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007 
Well, yesterday was a fantastic day when it can to new power solutions for my trip. My ASI rep from (Source 4) Ken stopped by with a small solar bag that Gemline has donated for my trip. I am ecstatic about this because my camera batteries will charge with this setup nicely.
He also had 3 crank flashlights for me to take with me. One of them has a USB power out on it and during my quick tests I was able to start charging my ipod from the crank…