PixelatedImage Blog

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This evening I leave for El Salvador and will be there shooting for World Vision until Friday the 30th. I then fly to Malawi, shoot for a week, then fly to Uganda and shoot there for a week before coming home. Gone from November 24 to Dec.16th. Click here to see the insane flight schedule I’m on.

It’s unusual for me not to get internet access at least once every couple days, so feel free to stay in touch with me by email, or by leaving a comment – I’ll be checking in here as frequently as I can.

On the interweb these days, via The Google.

The Travel Photographer wrote: "I chanced upon the glorious travel photography website of David duChemin…"(The Travel Photographer, btw, is an excellent blog by a man who’s seen a ridiculous amount of this planet)

An article in JPG Magazine, by Eniko Lorinczi concludes, "I conclude with the reflections of a photographer whom I admire
profoundly and who roams the roads that I’d like to roam one day.

"Anyone can take a picture of poverty; it’s easy to
focus on the dirt and hurt of the poor. It’s much harder – and much
more needful – to pry under that dirt and reveal the beauty and dignity
of people that, but for their birth into a place and circumstance
different from our own, are just like ourselves. I want my images to
tell the story of those people and to move us beyond pity to justice
and mercy." (David duChemin)

Tim Goodspeed quotes me,

"Travel photography at its heart is about capturing your vision, thoughts, feelings, about the spirit of a place. Before you can tell those things to others in a truthful, compelling way, you must first take the time to feel something true and compelling about a place and you can’t do that thinking about how to force a scene into your viewfinder or comply with the rule of thirds. You have to slow down. You have to listen, hear, touch; engage all your senses. You have to get out of the car, train, rickshaw, and walk. And you have to walk the same paths every day, meet some people, drink some chai, until you come to see a place through your own eyes, feel something about it strongly enough that your photographs speak what you feel, and not what you ought to say" – David duChemin, Travel Photographer

TravelPhotoVideo.com writes, "You just have to look at the absolutely stunning photographs of India by a photographer such as David duChemin.
You will definitely be in awe. These are truly beautiful and amazing
photographs. He must have experienced the true essence of India and its
people to have captured such magic in his photos."

I’m truly flattered and humbled by these references. They’re pinpoints of light for me that tell me I’m on the right track. I’ve never been a fan of self-assessment. It’s important that I like my work, but more important that it resonates with others. So, thanks…

It’s a light blogging day here, sorry. I’ve got shoots and meetings all day

One of today’s shoots is another for redcollar.ca – I’ll post a couple tomorrow.

Over at Lightroom Killer Tips, Matt has posted a video on backing up Lightroom – worth a watch. Link HERE

While on the subject of Lightroom, it seems that’s one of the hiccups if you’re a Mac user wanting to adopt OSX Leopard early. The Lightroom Print module doesn’t seem to work. More info on the new release and its compatibility with Adobe products and others can be found at Terry White’s Tech Blog. Link HERE

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I’m pleased to finally be able to let you all know where my next assignments are. A number of you have been waiting with baited breath for me to have details; now I do.

World Vision – El Salvador – Nov 25-30
World Vision – Malawi – Nov 30 – December 8
World Vision – Uganda – December 8-15

Portfolio Assignment – Tunisia – January 7-22

There’s talk of an assignment in Asia as well, but no details yet.

Click the map to enlarge it. Or use a big magnifying glass. The former works better.

It’s official. And kind of spontaneous. I am travelling with a friend for two weeks of portfolio work in Tunisia this coming January. It’s off-season in Tunisia and we’ll have almost two full weeks to wander this small mediterranean African country sans the madding tourist crowd.

If you’ve ever been to Tunisia and have some must-see sights that are off the beaten path, let me know. Anyone with suggestions that involve seeing StarWars sets will have their lenses smudged for the effort. But other suggestions are welcome.

My wife is in NYC for the weekend: Babe, i booked this for AFTER your birthday this time. See, I’m learning.

Ok, the headline’s misleading. In the spirit of The Shipping News, I should change it to PIXELATEDIMAGE SITE SPARED CATACLYSM.

Episode 85, June 11, of NAPP TV, graciously sent its viewers to the PixelatedImage site. It was homework, an assignment, something you HAD to do or risk getting sent to the back of the class.

So to all you keeners who IMMEDIATELY rushed here, because Scott told you to: 1. Well done, Scott is well-pleased with you. 2. Welcome here.

A personal note to Scott Kelby – well done on the pronunciation of my name. 10 points. Now just say it with more conviction. You can do it! (Dave Cross, my fellow countryman, thanks for coming to the rescue on that one!)

While in India I was introduced to the fine people at India Picture – they said some very nice things about my images, we had a cup of chai and talked, and they now represent me exclusively as my agents in India for stock and editorial licensing. Thanks to Hemant for taking me on and to Matt Brandon for making the introduction. India Picture can be found online at indiapicture.com

Click the map to enlarge it. Or use a big magnifying glass. The former works better.

This is a little premature, but the coming days are a little nutty and I’m unsure I’ll have a chance to post again. If I do, consider it a bonus.

On Wednesday I head to India for the Lumen Dei tour with co-founder and co-leader and exceptional photographer and friend Matt Brandon – we’ll be in Delhi for a few days, Agra briefly, and then Kashmir for the rest of our time. After we see our students off at the end I will be joining my wife in Delhi and flying to Kathmandu for a week.

I return June 17 and look forward to reconnecting with you all then. If I have a chance to update this I will, but consider it unlikely.

In the meantime keep your eyes on Lexar.com – they should be publishing the latest in my Lessons Learned On Assignment series in the coming days. Look for the one about Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda.

See you soon.

As the locations in which I shoot get dustier, and more extreme, and as the means to get there becomes less and less reliable I have finally conceded the need to use something more bombproof than my current North Face Duffel Bag. I’m also finally conceding that the trend to inline wheels and pull-out handles is here to stay and may just save my back.

To this end, and in support of my focus on women and vulnerable children in the developping world, Hardigg Storm Case has just agreed to partner with me as a sponsor. Hardigg Storm Case becomes the fourth industry leader to back my vision and get me into some exceptional gear.

I will review these cases after my upcoming Lumen Dei trip to India and Nepal, but know already from a friend who has one that the quality and build is exceptional, and the price beats out the competition considerably. Check them out here: STORM CASE