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Recent Posts
- Our Truly Amazing TV Debut: Behind the Scenes
- Holi in Bangladesh Part 2: the Ruined Roll
- Holi in Bangladesh
- Hashing Out Old Dhaka
- The Blog is Back: First Impressions of Dhaka, Bangladesh
- A Few Words About My Father
- The Sky is NOT Always Blue in California
- “Artisans” documentary series – final (?) episode
- Every Day is a Surprise. Also, People are A$$h0Le5. (part 2)
- Every Day is a Surprise. Also, People are A$$h0Le5.
Author Archives: Tom (Admin)
Madagascar’s Mantadia National Park: the Lemurs
Normally when we go on a trip somewhere, we end up with 6-10 really good photos worth sharing, which give an overall impression of the experience. But I have been stalling on this post because the number of close-up lemur … Continue reading
Posted in Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature
Tagged indri, lemur, Madagascar, Mantadia, primate, sifaka
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First Photowalk in Tana
We’ve had a few weeks to settle into the groove here in Antananarivo (pronounce “tananarive” but more frequently shortened to “tana”) and so we figured it was high time we got out and about with our cameras. There is so … Continue reading
Posted in Madagascar, Photowalks
Tagged Antananarivo, church, Madagascar, rice paddy, singing, street photography, sunset
3 Comments
Madagascar: Paying Attention to the Little Things
Walking through the jungle in Madagascar in search of lemurs, it’s easy to overlook the little things…and trample them underfoot. Bugs, tiny plants, lizards. There are upwards of 100,000 species of insects in Madagascar. We didn’t see the long-necked giraffe … Continue reading
Posted in Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature
Tagged Andasibe, ant nest, arachnids, clouded mother of pearl, Corythornis vintsioides, Foudia madagascariensis, Foudia madagascariensis); some sort of sunbird, insects, lined day gecko, Madagascar fody, Madagascar kingfisher, Mantadia, orb spider, phallus indusiatus, phelsuma lineata lineata., pill millipede, Protogoniomorpha anacardii, sphaerotherium, spider, stinkhorn
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(Re)introducing Madagascar: Golden Hour in a Roadside Village
So it was our first “real” weekend (i.e. the first during which we were not stumbling around in a jet-lagged haze) and we decided to head out of town. We decided to return to a destination we had visited on our … Continue reading
24 Hours in Paris
When moving to a new home, as we’ve done every 2-4 years for the last 25, we’ve always traveled with pets. When we were traveling with a 100-lb dog requiring (due to his size) a separate booking on a cargo … Continue reading
…and we’re off – to Madagascar!
When we were posted in Namibia, we took a trip to Madagascar. The thought was, “when will we ever have this opportunity again?” because plane tickets from the U.S. are wicked expensive. How ironic that a few short years later … Continue reading
Posted in Madagascar
Tagged chameleons, Ile Ste Marie, lemurs, Madagascar, motor bike, Nosy Boraha, snorkeling
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Photo Assignment: Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial
Given that a trillion photos were snapped in 2015, the odds of snapping an “original” photo at a tourist attraction or monument/memorial in Washington are ridiculously low, but it’s fun to try and see what you can accomplish. The Vietnam … Continue reading
Posted in Washington DC
Tagged D.C., Memorial, Photography, veterans, Vietnam, Washington
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Testing the Aires 35 V
I found this rangefinder at an estate sale in Virginia. It’s a heavy, solid camera and it came with a second lens, and despite never having heard of its manufacturer, I decided to add it to my collection. Being from … Continue reading
Posted in Vintage cameras
Tagged 35, Aires, antique, basilica, black and white, camera, national arboretum, Photography, Tokyo, V, vintage
3 Comments
Washington’s Cherry Blossoms
The last couple of weeks, the National Capital Region has been all abuzz about the annual return of the cherry blossoms. I blogged about it the last time I was in the area for a few months, back in 2011, … Continue reading
Flying Solo over the Shenandoah
When I first saw footage taken on DJI’s new consumer drone, my response was, “MUST HAVE.” I’m now on my second camera drone, the 3D Robotics Solo, and I’m still in search of the elusive magical footage – soaring over … Continue reading
Posted in Aerial photography/videography
Tagged 3D Robotics, 3DR, aerial, drone, flight, Shenandoah, snow, Solo, video
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Testing the Mansfield Skylark
Funny story about how I ended up with this one. When you bid on high-priced items on eBay, it can be useful to decide the most you intend to pay, and then submit that bid just before bidding closes. There … Continue reading
Testing the 1964 Minolta Minoltina S
There’s not a lot of information on the ‘net about it, but the Minolta Minoltina-S, marketed upon its release in 1964 as the world’s smallest rangefinder with a built-in light meter is a solid little camera with a fast (f/1.8) … Continue reading
Found Film: Safari!
This latest roll of found film is a 35mm roll of (I think) slide film. I say “I think” because I actually developed this some time ago and have been carrying the digital versions only. They were pretty dark and … Continue reading
3DR Solo: Droning in the Snow
I love these camera-toting quadcopters. Partly because it’s just fun to fly stuff around (yes, I’m still about 12 at heart) but mostly because of the new opportunities they offer for photography and videography. After seeing the first few videos … Continue reading
Posted in Aerial photography/videography, Gear
Tagged 3DR, aerial, drone, snow, Solo, test, video
2 Comments
Testing the Minolta SR-T-101
Awhile back, I posted about the Petri 7S, one of two cameras my mother-in-law had passed along to me. This post is on the other camera, a Minolta SR-T-101. This Minolta is an SLR that first appeared on the market … Continue reading
Posted in Life in India, Vintage cameras
Tagged black and white, Chennai, India, Minolta, SLR, SR-T 101, SRT-101, vintage
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Doing My Bit for Science
You never know where your pictures will end up! So far people have been pretty good about asking for permission (as far as I know). About four years ago I was experimenting with macro photography, taking pictures of odd bugs … Continue reading
Posted in Wildlife and Nature
Tagged assassin bug, entomology, Macro Photography, publication, UC riverside
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Rediscovering America: Shenandoah
In a long(er) blog post in October, I wrote about the benefits of a career that takes you all over the world, and highlighted the fact that being away often helps us better appreciate the natural beauty of our own … Continue reading
Posted in Washington DC
Tagged cabin, kayaking, mountains, nature, rafting, relax, Rileyville, river, Shenandoah, snake, turtle, vacation, Washington
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Autumn
We haven’t really seen any real “autumn” to speak of for a number of years, so it has been refreshing to re-experience those surprisingly brisk mornings, doing those runs where the cold air tears at your lungs a little, and … Continue reading
Posted in Washington DC
Tagged analogue, Arlington, autumn, leaves, Ricoh, seasons, Washington
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Remembering Sierra Leone
Today Sierra Leone was officially declared “Ebola-free”, having successfully gone 42 days (two incubation periods) without a new case of Ebola. In neighboring Guinea, where the disease outbreak began, health workers continue to struggle for its eradication, working to save … Continue reading
Rediscovering America: Oregon
The last four years have been given us amazing travel opportunities. The world is full of interesting things to see; wonderful people to meet and get to know; and of course this all translates to great video and photo opportunities. Not … Continue reading
Posted in Home Leave in USA
Tagged coyote creek, Eugene, Fern Ridge, hiking, kayak, McKenzie, mountain bike trail, nature, Oregon, proxy falls, rafting, Takoda's, waldo lake, white water
3 Comments
Washington, DC by Night
Washington, D.C. is an interesting place to photograph, but it goes without saying that it’s completely different from the photography environment we had gotten accustomed to in India. A couple of weeks ago we became aware that there was going … Continue reading
Posted in Other Places, Photography, general
Tagged Columbia, D.C., District, Jefferson, Lincoln, Memorial, Monument, moon, night, Photography, supermoon, Washington
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Stars over Shenandoah
It’s Labor Day weekend in the Shenandoah Valley and it’s packed with tourists escaping to the country to enjoy the fresh air, nature and sunshine. I wonder how many of them noticed the night sky? I used a low … Continue reading
Posted in Photography, general
Tagged long exposure, night, Photography, Shenandoah, start trails, startrails
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Found Film: Kodak Hawkeye Instamatic II
I ordered one of these for a few bucks on eBay because it combined two things I like: old cameras and found film – i.e. an undeveloped 126 cartridge was still inside the camera, according to the seller. The Hawkeye … Continue reading
Posted in Vintage cameras
Tagged 126, camera, cartridge, found film, hawkeye instamatic II, Kodak, lomo, plastic
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Final Chennai Photowalk
I’ve been out of India for over three weeks now, but wanted to finish sharing our experiences of our last few weeks in India before closing out that wonderful chapter in our lives, as documented in the TAZM Pictures blog. We … Continue reading
Posted in Life in India, Photowalks
Tagged Chennai, cow, India, instant, Lomo'Instant, photowalk, street
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The Chennai Photowalk
One of the best things about Chennai, for us, was the “photowalks.” A photowalk is basically just walking around with a camera and seeing what you can photograph. Often these walks are in groups. I discovered photowalks in Chennai, though … Continue reading
Posted in Life in India, Photography, Photowalks
Tagged activities, Chennai, Photography, photowalk, reasons, street, Tirusulam
3 Comments