True Americana
Mason Jars filled with lemonade, cowboys walking the street, children scrambling to hug Smoky the Bear, and a rodeo to cap it all off. A photographer’s paradise…;)
How I photographed the Taj Mahal
Last week was a crazy week. I was heading to Michigan with a carload of four dogs when I got word from Shutterstock that I won their safari contest. I was thrilled, to say the least, but I’m not sure the dogs understood what all the whooping and hollering was about. Then, the following day, [...]
Shutterstock Winner..Wow, it’s me!
Ok…I’m a little giddy right now and I’m sporting a smile ear to ear. Why you ask? Well, I just found out that I won Shutterstock’s 2010 Photo Safari Contest. Wow…did you hear that? That’s right…someone is going to AFRICA! I’m blown away because I truly didn’t expect to win. Heck, I almost missed out [...]
Kushti Wrestling
Kushti Wrestling from John Batdorff II on Vimeo. A little background: I’ve been asked several times why I wanted to go to India. Well, I’m here to tell you one of the major draws was “wrestling.” Yep, you heard me right, “wrestling.” Not images of the Taj Mahal, but instead images of traditional Indian [...]
Jaipur Family Portrait
I had a wonderful time in India (can’t wait to go back), and I don’t know if it’s my crazy addiction to strong coffee or just missing the ability to eat whatever I want without worries of getting “Delhi Belly”, but I must admit it feels good to be back. In the coming days I [...]
May 2010 Desktop Calendar
I apologize for the delay in the calendar, but I’ve had a very busy schedule and time just seems to pass so quickly here in India. I hope you enjoy the boats of Varanasi.
Varanasi–A portrait
A quick post….I’m currently in Agra and just had a wonderful day photographing the Taj Mahal. I promise to get a new desktop calendar up shortly but I’ve been very busy and found myself taking a nap for the first time in two years, (I’m getting old) but I wanted to share with you a portrait from Varanasi.
Varanasi
Power outages are very common in Varanasi throughout the day, and especially during the summer. One such blackout took place this evening while we were walking through the narrow maze of corridors in the city.
Kumbh Mela Festival Day 2
There are many rituals that can be observed at the Kumbh Mela. My previous post, found HERE, showed a gentleman washing his past sins (karma) away in the Ganga river. Another very common ritual, besides bathing and prayers, is the lightening of oil lamps in memory of loved ones. The lighting of the oil lamps [...]
Kumbh Mela Festival Day One
It’s been a crazy trip, but we’ve arrived safe and sound in Delhi. I don’t enjoy long distance flights, and I thought the 15 hour flight was going to be an issue, but a mixture of Dramamine and Air Supply… ended up being “Sweet Dreams” for this flying phobe. The next morning we woke up [...]
India Bound
India Bound! Wish me luck, and go to my blog to guess what cheesy music I’ll be listening to on the plane…
What Spring Brings–Winners
What Spring Brings winners are Sabrina Henry (1st Place) and Laurie Higby-Fletcher (2nd Place). Make sure to head on over to the blog and read a little bit more about the images..
Heber Vega Q.10 interview with me
I want to give a big, sincere thanks to Heber Vega for interviewing me for his latest installment of Q.10. Anyway, I told Heber I had the best…and I truly mean the best… group of readers, many of whom I consider friends – so please do me a favor and check out the interview.
To be a tourist
I’m currently writing this from the comfy seat of an Amtrak train making its way to Washington DC for my very first visit to our Nation’s Capitol. I’m hoping the weather turns out to be a little better than what I experienced in NYC. Regardless of being wet, I had a great time photographing Central Park, The [...]
From NYC
Just a quick update: I’m in NYC for one more day and then heading to Washington DC. Central Park has been a wonderful photographic experience. I look forward to many more in DC.
Your Dream Shoot
Based on the last poll it looks like most people like to look at landscape photography and this week we’re asking you what your dream shoot would be.
Crazy Flying Monkeys….
Lens selection can be difficult. Not all my lenses get the same love on each trip. Typically, I travel with my 16-35mm, 24-70 and my 70-200mm. But, on this trip my 70-200mm saw all the action!
When in Vermont…
Kajsa here for the Sunday post. I’ve been in the Green Mountain State for the past week visiting family and friends and loving every moment of it.
Getting into the groove….
Whenever I travel the first day out with the camera can be the worst. It’s not uncommon for me to take a few days to warm up to my surroundings. To unthaw I typically try to focus my first day of shooting at public events or parks.
Mexico
I’ve been in Mexico for a couple of days now, and it’s taken me a bit to get in the groove of things, but I’m starting to relax and enjoy myself. And the winners of the super cool lens cloths are…
To My Travel Bud…
Leaving family behind when traveling can be rough. Here’s how I deal with it from the road….
Travel prep: India
John mentioned a few weeks back that he’s planning on taking a trip to India this Spring. Here’s the preliminary list of things to do, in no particular order…
GIMP- Free image editing software
I wouldn’t say GIMP is an Adobe Photoshop killer by a long shot, but it’s definitely an alternative for those looking to do more than just crop their images. Not to mention you can’t beat the price – FREE.
John is an award winning landscape and travel photographer who splits his time between Chicago and Montana. His work has been featured in National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole. John loves the outdoors and traveling, and sharing his images with others.