Venders From Above: Loes Heerink

Loes Heerink spent hours waiting on bridges to catch venders in Hanoi carrying bundles of colorful goods on their bicycles.  It's a really beautiful perspective and something that caught my eye on the web today.  

Hello, Skater Girl

Hello, Skater Girl is a photo book project by Julian Bleeker that caught my eye recently.  It features a lot of ladies ripping on the half pipe or shredding through something sick in the street.  I used to love to spend hours getting hurt on my skateboard.  My dad even built me a 4 ft half pipe with real metal coping as a kid.  I was nowhere near as good as these ladies, but its awesome to look at.  The photography is brilliant and the whole catalog of different skaters rules.  Check out the kickstarter!

Adirondack Panorama & Weekend Links

Click for full size

I have so many panorama shots from past trips that I forgot about!  This one is from the front of a canoe in the St. Regis Lake in the Adirondack Mountains of New York state.  Cleaning out the old memory in my phone...

Weekend Links:

1.) Cardboard Beer Bottles by Carlsberg
2.) Travel Guides via Design Sponge
3.) Mats Anda Flickr Page
4.) Posture and Health
5.) That Snow Day Look over at 10e
6.) This Crazy Motorcycle build by Cyclewerks
7.) The photo of the Sierra Nevada Red Fox in Yosemite!

Have a great weekend!  

From All Around the Web, Part 2

Trying to get Muffin to sit still in front of the tree...

It's mid week and you've already found the bottom of the internet, I know the feeling!  So here are a few things to get you through the day and hopefully pique your interest.

1. Grownup Tomboys
2. Well Spent Holiday Gift Guide
3. Guggenheim: Six Finalists for Helsinki 
4. O'Harrows Button Downs (W and M) 
5. This house in Norway
6. Swedish Pepparkakor Recipe
7. Nike ACG
8. Peanut Butter Coast's Baja Post
9. My favorite Bike Riding/Camping Site
10. These photos by Talulaah
11. Current Obsession: Peaky Blinders
12. THE Military Duffel by Whipping Post

Mikkel Soya: Photographer, Writer and Adventurer

by Mikkel Soya from "A fat summit attempt"

I love mountain biking.  I love camping.  So does Mikkel Soya and he captures his adventures with some of the best photographs I've ever seen.  I love checking back to see if any new outdoor pursuits were documented, especially this time of year when I need a little more motivation to get out on the mountain.  Check it out!

From All Around the Web

Girard Avenue House. November 15, 2014

1. Check out this kickstarter for Hendo Hoverboards.
2. Ginger McCabe's 1977 XS400 motorcycle 
3. A really great book by Steven Johnson, The Ghost Map
4. This adorable fox photo from Nat Geo
5. In case you missed it, Philae Comet Lander info
6. This Denim shirt/jacket by Ardour
7. Mat's great photo and write up, here
8. This recipe for a sweet treat that does not require baking
9. Living vicariously through Astrid's Mallorca vacation pictures (yay film!)
10. A movie that'll make you want a pint or three.  Love this!
11. Getting cold, but I got the bike out a week ago
12. Hope you're following me on Instagram!

Logcabineer Website

One of my absolute favorite corners of the web, Logcabineer, has recently received quite a facelift.  Though I did enjoy the extremely simple layout of the old site, this is an absolute beautiful update. If you've never been to the site, prepare yourself for some exquisite photography. 

A Photo Featured in Day & Nite Magazine

A cool Canadian publication called Day & Nite Magazine featured one of my photos in their premier issue.  Check it out here in full.  It's from a Sunday afternoon post (here) about making the perfect Old Fashioned. Yummy!

Featured On A Favorite Blog Of Mine

I'm really excited to be featured on Hei-Astrid today for the series "Why do you shoot film"!   Astrid runs a fantastic blog and it's been one of my favorites for a few years now.  I highly suggest heading over to her site and having a look around.  You will not be disappointed. I feel honored to be involved with her project!  Thanks again, Astrid!!

Cabin-Fever in the City

Despite having a little case of cabin-fever here in the city, I'm trying to make the best of it.  I am thankful for a lot of things I can do while living in an urban environment, but I really miss having quick access to prime mountain biking, hiking, and just generally being outside without anyone around.  That's weighing a lot on me, maybe it's because I've been in Philly for five years now.  Or because I was organizing pictures from last Summer(see above).  I think a change is in the air, we shall see...

For now, here's a couple of things I'm enjoying:

-The Dubliners, by James Joyce

-CrossFit Fairmount

-This blog, The Haddis Catch

-Kanelbullar

-Being able to bike to work, everyday

-Finding an ace mechanic to fix my motorcycle

The Stunning Photography at Aqua Obscurans

I probably go through the site Logcabineer in its entirety once every couple of months.  I kid you not, I'll never tire of these still, rustic, awe-inspiring moments captured by camera in the Swedish outdoors.  Then, as if the day couldn't get any better, I stumbled upon (and I don't know how I missed it before) a friend of Logcabineer, Kristoffer, and his amazing Tumblr.  You have to see it for yourself, here.

Thursday Bike Fix

There are a handful of "bike" sites that I consider top notch. Consistently showcasing on point happenings between man and the two wheeled machine.  Always one-upping the world of gadgets and bike goods, but it seems one in particular continuously highlights the beauty within an array of cycling genres, from fixed-mountain-road-bmx.  Prolly is Not Probably has been the go-to for a long time now.  And for the photography fix I head to the sister tumblr: the Norse Photo.  If you haven't been, go.  If you've gone, you know!

Vacation to South Korea | Part II: Seoraksan & Jeju Island

Seoraksan: Top of Ulsanbawi

Jeju Island

Jeju Island: Women Divers

I knew when I hit the Korean peninsula that I wanted to do something different.  Sure, Seoul was an enormous city chalk full of culture, tradition and modernity, but my most vivid experiences are those off the beaten path--well at least for a Western tourist.  So to balance a short trip to the Republic, trips to Seoraksan or Seorak Mountain and a short flight to Jeju Island were in order.  I needed a nature fix in between days spent Seoul.

Seoraksan was a sight.  The precipice of Ulsanbawi, one of the trails we ended up hiking, jutted out into the hazy sky as our Korean 'Rexton' car made it's way to the hotel.  Day one was a hike to Biryong Falls, disappointing falls, but a fun time on the trail.  That evening we grilled beef and pork Korean BBQ-style under a black sky and the singer at the restaurant dedicated a song to the group. Gotta love Elton John dedications.  Day two we made our way up to Ulsanbawi and on wobbly legs made our way down the trail to hop into the cable car for one last look at what the locals call "Dragon's Ridge".  Before we left we hit the tiny sea village of Sokcho and tasted the local fare.  Raw octopus isn't that bad!

Jeju Island greeted us with three straight days of rain/mist/spittle.  Turns out that even fewer people know English on the little island and my Korean vocabulary and phrases were not getting any better. We pushed through it.  Hiked on the Eastern side of the island, ate some fried chicken and walked a lot!

Vacation to South Korea | Part I: Gyeongbokgung

Still not back to normal after 16+ hours of flying back from South Korea but willing to put up a few photos from the trip.  These were taken at Gyeongbokgung in Seoul.  The palace was first constructed in 1395, burned and abandoned for three centuries and reconstructed in 1867 during the Joseon Dynasty.  The details  on the eaves of the buildings were brilliant and vibrant.  The history rich, terrifying and impressive. You can read a little about it here.

Capturing Almanzo

All photographs by Craig Lindner.  Here is a link to his Flickr.

What is Almanzo?  Mens Journal says, "What's the toughest challenge in cycling? For weekend riders looking to test their mettle, it just may be gravel grinding, an emerging style of cycling that's done on unpaved, backcountry roads covered in crushed limestone, granite, flint, or whatever rock happens to be around."

Taking Midwestern gravel road racing to new extremes, 100 miles on gravel roads will really make or break you.  Captured beautifully by Craig Lindner in black and white.

The Philadelphian at Dusk

I've really been making an effort to keep up with my Flickr account...check it out if you'd like.

End of Winter Exploring: Philadelphia, PA

When you become the tour guide of the very city you live in, things can get a bit stressful.  So much to see, so little time.  Then to consider what your tourists want to actually see and do may not be what you usually like to do.

Sometimes these situation can lead to stress and anxiety, but this time, a few months ago, the situation led to an exploration of places I rarely ever set foot near.  And I liked it, hopefully my guests did to.

So I thought to mention some places I like in Philly, and places I would like to go...after the jump:

Traditional Landscapes in China?

Yao Lu

Nope!  ". Lu’s images are easily mistaken for the 10th-century Chinese landscape paintings they imitate: Foggy hill tops are framed in traditional shapes and marked with the distinctive “chop marks” that note the subject and artist."

"A closer look, though, reveals that the landscapes Lu photographs are actually trash heaps, covered with a fine green netting required by the Chinese government."  Full Story

Lately this Winter...

Feeling like I've been hit by a train with this head cold. 

Getting by with a healthy dose of this blog. 

I want to just sit, rest and eat these chocolate scones...

While looking at these photographs all day...

Waiting for this book by Richard Mabey to arrive at the Free Library...

Making your own light box, for cheap

Last weekend I attempted and with mild succcess, built a light box using materials I had in my house and a laundry bag from Ikea.  I went to Ikea to find a white laundry bin/bag, per the suggestion from Johan von Kronow's website.  If you missed the post, I mentioned him earlier on the blog because he made a fantastic Laser-Cut gingerbread house...here.  While Johan suggests his own materials and way to build an affordable light box, I improvised to make mine even cheaper!

I purchased a laundry bin from  Ikea (selecting the model in the picture above becuase the one Johan used was out of stock!).  I knew I had a bunch of white pillowcases at home already.  I had a few desk lamps and edison bulbs hanging out, so I used what I had. 

My first attempt at using the light box, note the differences in the pictures depending on the time of day that they were taken.  These pictures were featured in a previous post called Favorite Winter Accessories:

  


Taken with natural + artificial light during the day

 









Taken with only artificial light in the evening

As you can see the quality decreases in the photo as more artificial light is used. At least this is the case for me taking pictures in a make-shift light box.

Conclusion: This was a fun project that cost less than $10. I know that the quality of the photo depends on using less artificial light (and perhaps my light sources are to blame *note* two other lamps I used were not shown in the top picture). I know I can produce mid-quality photos (see the hat photo) if I take the time to set everything up correctly during the day. I would suggest following the diagram (above), or Johan's instructions to build something like this for yourself. I'm sure there are better ways to do this and I am completely open to suggestions as long as it doesn't involve buying a pre-fab photography light-box!