450 Million Years ago... A Fossil.
450 Million Years later... Aperture!



© Concept/Photography Gunther Deichmann - meet the fossils.

Maybe my background in Paleontology has something to do with it, I really dont know, but now and then they keep coming back to me... the old days, when roaming the quarries for fossils.
Looking for fossils during my teenage years and even up to now I keep an eye out for them when traveling in remote places. Recently announced, we fired up our new commercial photography website and under the category Ad's & Campaign's there you find a fossil (Ammonite) been used in one of the Ad's see below. Click here for the commercial web site.

Today I like to talk about a giant Trilobite which had been recently discovered, oh boy this one is a real whopper, see below the complete story, a bit from the past and you might ask what have fossils in common with photography? Actually not that much, but gauging the images below and above, maybe they do have something in common, hence the old and antique (not fossilized yet) camera.
We used one of my Ammonites before in an Ad for light switches and now the Trilobite from my old collection is in Aperture, commercial photography and fossils, read the story which I have picked up from the BBC below, "million of years ago," very interesting dont you think.
GD


© Gunther Deichmnn - The Ad from before and now the Trilobite
from my old collection.



Giant trilobite discovered
Trilobite Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
About twice the size of the previous record holder
By BBC News Online science editor Dr David Whitehouse

The largest trilobite yet discovered has been identified by Canadian palaeontologists.

Trilobites were very widely distributed, the creature, which dates from 445 million years ago, measures 72 centimetres in length. This is about twice the size of the previous record holder.
Trilobites are an extinct group of sea-dwelling arthropods (animals with an outer skeleton and jointed body and limbs) that are distantly related to crabs, scorpions and beetles. They are probably the most common fossils of the Paleozoic Era (about 545-250 million years ago) and scientists use them to help date different layers of rock. "A trilobite of this size really is an amazing discovery," said Dr Graham Young, a member of the team that discovered it.

Both images courtesy of the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature

The specimen is an example of a previously unknown species, and was found by researchers studying ancient tropical coasts, of the Late Ordovician and Early Silurian geological periods (458-408 million years ago), in Manitoba, Canada. Trilobite Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
The team found the specimen just outside their intended search area, when the fossil was unearthed, most of its segmented exoskeleton was missing and only the rear most portion of the tail shield was present.
Scientists realised just what a monster they had when they started to clean up the specimen. The fossil is now on display in the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature in Winnipeg.
Most trilobites are between 3 and 10 cm (1 - 4 inches) in length. The creatures evolved quickly and were widely distributed, making them useful tools to compare the ages of rock strata in different parts of the world.

Colder climates
"There is nothing familiar about this particular specimen! It is an important and amazing find," says Manitoba Museum's Dr Bob Elias.
Trilobite Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
The fossil is now on display to the public Dr Graham Young said: "We have found a very unusual specimen that illustrates some of the diversity and weirdness of ancient life. A trilobite of this size really is an amazing discovery."

In July 1998, a team of scientists set out for northern Manitoba hoping to find fossils similar to those uncovered by previous digs, like the 43-cm (17-inch) long trilobite excavated in the area a decade before. The team struck lucky just outside their original search area. The trilobite's size contradicts the idea that larger animals are more commonly associated with colder climates.

Although northern Manitoba is now sub-arctic, hundreds of millions of years ago it would have been submerged in salty seawater located on the equator.

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© Gunther Deichmann, Banyan Tree Resort and Spa, Phuket, Thailand

It must have something to do with the month of November, last year the launch of my book Journey Through Color and Time, and the complete update of the main website. This year again in November I like to announce due to frequently requests our new commercial photography website, representing some of my commercial work over the past few years.
Please visit this new site for photography, concepts, design, advertising, media representation and websites. Creativity is our strengths and we thrive on new and exciting Ideas, creating something from nothing.

Yes, this is very different indeed!

Our new site @
http://web.mac.com/gdimages/gdimages/Home.html

The NEW Site - Home Page


Print Ad's and Ad Campaign - International photography & brochures
for more please visit the site, thank you.

More Important up dates!
We made also a few changes on my main site, now with direct links to this commercial site, the stock images have all been re directed to my PhotoShelter site at:
http://www.photoshelter.com/c/gdeichmann

For a very exclusive selection of my images you can now visit my
PhotoShelter Collection Micro site @
http://psc.photoshelter.com/user/gd2551
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20+ Simple, Useful, Clever, Fun Ways to Get Better Photos

PopPhoto.com the online home of Popular Photography & imaging and American Photo, they have just published a small article/tip of mine on photography plus a lot more. Read the whole story and many tips from other pro Photographers,
20+ Simple, Useful, Clever, Fun Ways to Get Better Photos

A Tips & Tricks Special! Pros, readers, and Pop Photo editors share their secrets for taking your photography beyond the ordinary.

By PopPhoto Staff
December 2007

When it comes to great photo tips, we find them everywhere. In our daily shooting. In interviews with pros. In our e-mails from you, our readers.
On the web. In books. And, of course, on our blog, Pop Photo Flash. Here are some of the best we've come across lately.

10) Reflection on You.
When pro Gunther Deichmann (www.deichmann-photo.com) makes portraits in areas where the subjects might be shy, such as a remote village in Tibet,
he doesn't use large, intimidating reflectors.... click here to read the whole story.

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© Gunther Deichmann, November 2007

A true "repair" story about the real lens
and how to fix it.

What is the most important lens for a photographer? The Eye.
Yes, you have heard right, it is our very own Eye that is more important than any other optical piece of glass.
We are only to eager roaming the camera shops to purchase a new lens for our camera and without any hesitation pull out the credit card and smile at the newly purchased piece of glass, wow now I can take even better images. Are you sure?

But when it comes to our own lens the Eye and it needs work done or even surgery, we all say WOW that is expensive, we try to cut corners and save money, working on discounts etc., etc….

Why? I guess it is human nature, taking it all for granted, I mean our Eyes.
The old saying goes …”through the lens of …” I be live it should say “through the eyes of …”, I have mention this many times before, it is the eyes which see the subject first and not the lens, without the eyes and of course our soul we cant create this magic image in the first place, Right.

I guess it is in all of us, like children with a new toy having just bought that new Camera, Lens or the latest software, how can we make adjustments or even looking at our images on the Computer if our eyes have a problem.

But now I get to the point: I recently discovered that I had a blurry vision on my right eye (lucky not my shooting eye) I got concerned and rushed for a check up.
Sure enough I had Cataract on my right eye, oh boy, I thought what next….?
I done some research and got a few opinions, well the end result was surgery, hey that was yesterday and now I am typing this Blog, now that is pretty cool and my keyboard looks so clear now.

Without going into to many details my vision is fantastic again, with the camera and on the Computer and I mean real fantastic, OK I have to take some medication for a week or so, have one or two more check ups but that is about it, technology is out there and it is real good, not that cheap but for the first time in my life I bought the very best lens and I can see my old friends again clearly, he he.

The surgery took only 20 minutes and was absolutely painless and I mean painless,
Cataract is a different procedure than eye correction with laser, please read below some more details.
So there you have it, before you go shopping for a new lens, get your eyes checked and if you need to go through the Cataract Surgery don’t complain about the cost, (some of my lenses are a lot more expensive) remember Your Eyes are your biggest assets and not only in Photography.
The procedures will not necessary eliminate the use of eyeglasses, in my case I still need them for reading but the rest of my vision is back to normal or even better.

Remember one of my very first sentences in this article:
The old saying goes …”through the lens of …” I believe it should say “through the eyes of …”, maybe some of the writers on photography should be rephrasing the old saying, it is not the camera or the lens, it is You and Your Eyes, the hardware and software are only tools and not the creator, the painter uses his brush and Canvas as a tool, he or us photographers have to see it first before we can record it.
Personally I like to see more articles written which are related to our Eyes, vision and the procedure in fixing some of the more common problems.
Oh , I almost forgot, thanks to Doctor Espiritu for taken good care of my most important lens.
GD

What is a Cataract?

The transparent human lens, like the lens of a camera, focuses light rays onto the retina (camera “film"). A cataract is any opacity or discoloration of the normally clear lens that interferes with light transmission through the eye. It can be compared to a window that is frosted, steamed or yellowed.

There are many misconceptions about cataracts. It is not a film over the eye nor is it caused by overusing the eyes. It is not a cancer and does not spread from one eye to the other. It does not cause irreversible blindness.

What causes Cataracts? How does one get them?

Most cataracts develop as part of the aging process. Everybody will eventually develop cataracts if people lived long enough. The pace of progression varies from individual to individual and is influenced by environmental factors such as long term exposure to UV rays. Other causes of cataract include certain medical conditions like diabetes, or intake of certain drugs like to steroids. There are congenital and juvenile cataracts. Infections, inflammations and injuries can likewise cause cataracts.

When is the best time for surgery? Do I have to wait for my cataracts to “ripen”?

Different people have different visual needs. The mere presence of a cataract does not automatically mean it requires surgical intervention. Surgery should only be done when patient lifestyles are altered because of the decline in vision related to the cataract. For example, one cannot see well enough to cook, read, drive, work or watch television despite the best prescription eyeglass or contact lenses possible. Once the cataract is significant enough to interfere with one’s activities, regardless whether it is already “ripe” or not, then one may be a candidate for cataract surgery. With the advent of modern day techniques of cataract surgery, more and more cataracts are being operated on in their early stages.
For more information please go to: www.eyecenter.com.ph
For images by Gunther Deichmann please click this link :
www.deichmann-photo.com

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The GDPhotoWorkshop site has now all the latest info on up coming Photo workshops in 2008, for Cambodia everything is in place, Palau and Tibet will follow shortly, just go to the link and make your reservation if you interested. http://www.gdphotoworkshop.com/home.html
Thank you.

We have also up dated our Blog page on the GDPhotoWorkshop site and this one, we made it easier for you now to search and navigate through articles and information, just check below the YouTube Logo and you see the changes. You might have noticed also that Gunther Deichmann's main site and the GDPhotoWorkshop site have now been cross linked, you go to either one of them and you can get to the other direct from the front page.


For Gunther's Bio and main website please go to:
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/

© Gunther Deichmann, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 1992

Sometimes when you go through your old images you come across some amazing things, the other day I went trough my files from 1992 looking at Cambodia, it was at that time that Pol Pot had just been outsted and the UN arrived the same day I did.
I was on an assignment for Animan magazine to cover the Mekong River, Phnom Penh was one of the stops, it was just like the “Wild West” back then, guns everywhere, Angkor Wat was still off limits due to the heavily mined area and many other places, shooting in Phnom Penh proved to be quiet something during that time.

One morning near our Hotel I saw this busted large water pipe, flooding the entire area with muddy brown water, a few minutes later some young boys appeared and jumped right into the muddy “current”, having real fun on this hot and humid day in Phnom Penh.

The original image was taken in color, (not much color anyway since everything was muddy and brown) so when I came across it the other day, I imported the scanned tiff file into Aperture and converted it into a cool looking B/W. As mentioned in one of my earlier Blog post I love contrast and strong colors, however once in a while or on these rare occasions the
B/W looks just as good.
Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate good B/W in particular from the famous Master Ansel Adams, but personally I shoot color 99%.

So there you have it, a rare 1% from GD.

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Important Photo Workshop updates and information.

© Gunther Deichmann, Palau, Micronesia
the Pearls of the Pacific

© Gunther Deichmann, Tibet 2006,
more images on Tibet at:
www.deichmann-photo.com

I just like to remind everyone that we are taking bookings NOW for the workshops in Cambodia (February) and Palau (April)at Sam's Tours please make sure you book early there are only limited vacancies available, which brings me to the workshop in Tibet (July/August) if you interested in joining this one please advise us by no later than April due the complex travel arrangements, we post all the final details by end of January, however you can fill out the booking form provided on the GDPhotoWorkshop site without any obligations now, this will secure you a place for Tibet. The cost for the Cambodian workshop is approximately the same as the one we have conducted earlier in September 2007, you can use this as a good guide, again you can do some pre-bookings now, we will be using the same Hotel, The Heritage Suite Hotel in Siam Reap.
All the details for the workshop in Palau will be posted by latest December 2007.
Due to a major international conference on environmental issues and poor bookings unfortunately we had to cancel the Bali Workshop, sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused.

For Information from my last trip to Palau, Micronesia please go to my Blog at: http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html

© Gunther Deichmann, Stock Photography

All future workshops include from now on the use and implementation of external image storage, using Aperture and PhotoShelter, keep your images away from home and safe without spending a lot of money, the future is here with companies like PhotoShelter and others, but more on this subject later, other subjects include marketing and selling of your images and creating cool looking websites with your own Blog and Podcast.
For example... I have returned from Palau only four days ago, but have edited, corrected (very little) prepared the images for shipping to my client and uploaded all the latest images, nearly done, on my PhotoShelter archive, oh I forgot, had an Aperture Web Gallery up and running right after the day I got back, not bad if you consider I had to go through 1500 different images, inclusive of captioning and keywords which I guess takes up most of the time.

© Gunther Deichmann, Palau, Micronesia
I found myself one night at the Palau Basketball court,
supporting the team of Sam's Tours, "The Sharks"
This little girl was running in circles on the matt next to
the court, by the way the Sharks won the Game that night.


© Gunther Deichmann, Palau, Micronesia
the Pearls of the Pacific,sunset at the
Palau Pacific Resort


© Gunther Deichmann, Aperture the software
for professional Photographers

In travel photography keywords are a lot more difficult to apply, well Aperture makes it easy, but it is not like in a studio environment, in travel photography there are so many different subjects and situations almost every shot is different, but you need keywords if you want to sell them later, this is a necessary evil if you like it or not, In any case it is a lot easier now with Aperture, before It would have taken me a week or more to go through all of this pile, not to mention the mounting and getting sore eyes from the light-box, besides they do help you a lot in finding things in a hurry, when ever you looking for that particular shot.
Like to know how to create some cool looking slide shows and Keynote presentations, well I can run that by you too, check out the most recent Podcast
created in GarageBand please click this link.

Cheers GD

© Gunther Deichmann, Palau at dusk

I just arrived back from Palau Micronesia, and so many things happen during my visit, Sam's Tours Grand Opening and 17th Anniversary, all new facilities are fully operational now, read the blog post from Dermot Keane the General Manager at: http://www.alliancediving.com/blog/
The Survivor TV show shooting their latest episode as we speak, of course they are very secret about everything, then the Discovery Channel shooting at the same time a new story on the Bone Detectives and to top it all an international Canoe Race competition "The Micronesia Cup" was held at the same time, participants from Guam, Singapore, Palau,Japan, Australia, Patagonia and many others competing in this race, talking about a buzzing Palau.

I had the chance of buzzing around in the Helicopter, thanks to Matt from Palau Helicopters, Matt is a good old Australian and a fantastic Pilot, it was just like the good old days from Down Under when I was chasing Cattle in the outback.
After one of the Helicopter rides, Matt and myself met up with my friend Dermot from Sam's Tours at the Palau Pacific Resort for a beer at sunset, a great way of finishing the day, see the image above, for more new images from my recent trip to Palau please go to my Aperture web gallery just click here.