Unexpected Perspectives
Every few months I take a run at my photo collection; delete, tag, organize, etc. This time through I stumbled across a few shots that I had taken with the intention of making a panoramic out of but haven't yet.
I researched how to stitch them together (hint: it's easy, there's a 1-click photo merging function in Photoshop) and made a few.
Click the pictures for the full-scale version.
Grand Canyon
I took this sequence on the South Kaibab Trail near Skeleton Point. The trail is currently hugging the cliff face on the left side of the picture. I am descending towards the river. My destination is the narrow band of trees at the bottom of the canyon (running perpendicular to the Colorado River) surround Bright Angel Creek and Phantom Ranch.
Half way down the canyon lies the Tonto Plateau, which you see in the photo above as the flat expanse of land separating the upper and lower canyons.
The following panoramic is taken from Lookout Point which lies on the Tonteau Plateau.
Lookout Point
I loved Lookout Point. You can see the Colorado river stretching along the bottom of the Canyon. Opposite is the North side.
Mont Blanc
This shot was taken after my climbing partner Marc and I had completed climbing the Aretes Des Cosmiques, which runs along the top of the ridgeline at the bottom right of the photo.
You can see Mont-Blanc du Tacul, with Mont-Maudit behind, and further back still the Mont-Blanc. We climbed the three in progression two days prior via the Three Mount Traverse Route.
In the center is the view towards Italy. Following the ascending ridgeline towards the right you see the Rochefort Ridge. Traversing the ridge was my favourite route on the trip.
At the far left you can see a observation deck.
Cortina d'Ampezzo
One of the largest panos I found (15,000 px wide!). I don't recall what route we were on when I shot this. Cortina d'Ampezzo lies in the valley in the center of the shot.
Against the wall
Getting a bit of airtime in Italy. Climbing the Via Feratta in Cortina d'Ampezzo, 2010
The Walk
Koh Samet, Thailand.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. -- Lao Tzu
Dynamite
I throw my hands up in the air sometimes
Saying ay-o
Gotta let go
I wanna celebrate and live my life
Saying ay-o
Baby, let's go
Shockingly Decent Panoramic Photos
The best camera you have is the one you have on you, and many times I've wished that camera shot panoramas. I carry my iPhone most places with me and although I'd never argue it's a serious photographer's camera, in a pinch it can whip up some pretty decent wide shots using Pano by Debacle Software.
A few nights ago I shot this after doing some yoga in the park.
And a few nights prior, this one:
It's pretty straightforward, you have to roughly line-up the photos as you take them shot by shot. It leaves a tracer image on the screen to assist. When done, it saves to your photo album, all stitched together.
It's simple, but it's pretty slick!
What motivates you?
I've been going through a process lately of goal setting, figuring out what I'd like to accomplish and then setting out a plan to execute on it. In addition, I've also been paying more attention to identifying underlying factors: why do I desire x/y/x?
This video does an entertaining job of explaining motivating factors, and I tend to agree with the theory: For menial tasks, if-then rewards are effective. ie: make 10% more widgets and get a $100 bonus. However, if the task requires even the most trivial of cognitive abilities, if-then rewards are not only ineffective, but destructive.
Complex and creative functions on the other hand, require a separate set of motivators: Purpose, autonomy and mastery.
The video primarily focuses on job/career motivations, and I believe the theory is applicable to most meaningful areas of life, like relationships, personal growth, etc.
Have a peek at the video and ask yourself: What motivates me?