Motion Designer and Music Producer Cee-Roo has beautifully captured the lush sound and landscape of Kenya in his short film "Feel The Sounds of Kenya." Shot on a Panasonic GH4 (stabilized by a Zhiyun Crane 2) with sound via the Zoom H6, the immersive experience makes you feel like you're standing in the room with the Kenyan people, living life alongside them.
See more from Cee-Roo here.
Boasting touch screen controls, fast-tracking eye autofocus, a new full-frame 24.2 megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor and dual SD-card slots, the new Sony a7 III may just be the best camera for travel enthusiasts.
At only $2,000 for a body-only model, Sony has jam-packed its supposed "entry-level" full frame mirrorless camera with most of the bells and whistles found on higher end models like the a9 or a7R III that start at $3,200. Chief among them is the ability to shoot Ultra HD video in 4k at up to 30fps and 120fps images at 1080p for those buttery smooth slow motion shots. All of this comes wrapped in a small, mirrorless body, perfect for fitting in a suitcase or carry-on.
The best thing about the new a7 III is that Sony has rethought the battery. One of my chief complaints about my Sony a7R II is that the battery dies way too quickly. With the new NP-FZ100 batteries for the a7 III, Sony has dramatically increased capacity to 710 shots per battery life, more than enough for a long day out sightseeing.
You can preorder now for an early April release date. Also, skip the kit lens version and go body only and pair it with a nice 50mm prime to start, you'll be happy you did.
I recently finished reading David Sax's fascinating book The Revenge of Analog and it really got me thinking about the way that I consume. Over the past few years I've come to doubt my constant push into digital culture. I've proudly been an early adopter on many occasions without asking myself, "does this actually make my life better?"
As an almost exclusively digital photographer, sometimes I feel like I skipped a step in the process. Sure I had old film cameras when I was a kid but I never learned anything beyond point and shoot. There's an art in composing an image without knowing what it will look like until the developing process. It forces you to really know the concepts of exposure, film speed, focus and depth of field. Many digital cameras do the work for you. It's certainly helpful, but is it robbing you of the experience, the wonder of not knowing?
My friend Danny reintroduced me to film photography as we walked the streets of Seattle a few years ago. His Leica was definitely a lavish way to dip my toes into the art form. I was honestly petrified as I looked through the viewfinder because each time I hit that button, I was committed to whatever image I had captured. It was exhilarating.
Today I carry around a Fujifilm X-T20 with a simple 27mm pancake lens. It's digital but it looks like an old film camera and you can turn off the back screen forcing you to look through the viewfinder and not look at images right after they've been taken. It's a semi-compromise in a ever quickening digital world. The functionality of digital exposures coupled with the slow method of not looking at every picture immediately after it's taken. I have also put every setting to fully manual, forcing me to rely on my eyes and hands to focus, set shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
There's a satisfaction that comes with analog technology that you don't always get with digital. Take listening to a vinyl record. This past Christmas, my lovely wife bought me my first turntable and included was a copy of Glen Hansard's Didn't He Ramble. As I sat and basked in the songs, I realized something. I hadn't listened to one of my favorite albums all the way through, probably since the day it was released. Amazing songs like "Paying My Way" and "Stay The Road" were routinely skipped over in iTunes playlists. The act of listening to the record on vinyl made me slow down and appreciate the complete album as art.
Does that mean I'm giving up on my iTunes and AppleMusic playlists? Off course not, but maybe I need to work on trying to bridge the digital and analog divide. Why not make album playlists and listen to the content as the artist originally intended.
There's nothing wrong with digital technology as long as it actually brings value to your life and doesn't serve as a distraction from the world around you. In this fast paced world we live in, slowing down a little bit is probably a good thing. Take the time to appreciate the things in your life that take time, effort and craft. You never know what might actually spark a new interest.
Some people make travel films. Others make travel documentaries that really dig into what the sensation of being in a new place feels like. Not only do you get to see the sights, you feel the mood, as if earth was crunching beneath your very own feet. Memories of Tokyo by filmmaker Miguel Santana is one of the latter.
Produced in conjunction with Carrie from wishwishwish.net, be prepared to be immersed in Japanese culture. Carrie's simple voice-over really helps the viewer dive into the footage and experience the world.
Shot on a Canon 5D Mk III using Magic Lantern RAW with a Canon 50mm 1.2L and a Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS, Santana manages to convey the otherworldly feel that Tokyo can give to westerners.
I've long been fascinated by Japanese culture, the reverence of nature and ancestry and how fast everything seems to move in the city. By using natural sound to highlight the soft, subtle soundtrack, Santana creates a sensory experience that brings Japanese capital to life.
It's no secret. London is an expensive city. Like, really expensive. But that doesn't mean you can't travel there on the cheap. Here's five tips to experience London without breaking the bank.
London is a town of many museums and the larger, more famous ones boast of having no entrance fee. Just simply walk in and enjoy some of the greatest works of art and design the world has to offer. There is a suggested donation price to which I always drop a few pounds in, but this isn't necessary if you're on a tight budget. Great options for non-museum goers are the Victoria & Albert Museum, which offers more design and culture focused exhibits, and the Imperial War Museum. For art lovers, the National Gallery and the Tate Modern are must sees.
Hotels in London can be rather pricey, especially considering that even the costlier ones can be small and cramped. To keep a few quid in your pocket, opt for a rental service like Airbnb and get a room or a flat in a part of town you'd like to explore. At a hotel you pay for the convenience of being near major attractions, which tends to keep you in more expensive touristy areas. By using a rental service you can find a neighborhood location that offers cheaper eats, less crowded transportation hubs and a sense of how real Londoners live.
The new Visitor Oyster Card offers a cheaper alternative to buying a Day Travelcard. By capping how much you spend each day at £6.60, you spend roughly half of what you would on a Day Travelcard (£12.30.) You can apply online and have it shipped to your house before your trip, ready to use as soon as you step off the plane! Make sure to order your card in advance to get the lowest prices!!
Okay, this is going to sound lame, but I'm in love with the simple little British sandwich shops that are pretty much ubiquitous in the capital. Whether it's a M&S or Pret a Manger, little sandwich shops offer a quick pick me up and a pretty cheap food option in an expensive city. Instead of eating in, grab your sandwich to go and sit in front of a museum or attraction for prime people watching. By avoiding the cafes at tourist attractions, you can save a lot of cash.
Kim and I have stuck to carryon travel for a while so we never really have room for a lot of souvenirs. On our latest trip we followed some suggestions from Ashlea at a A Globe Well Travelled and took pictures of thing we would have otherwise bought. Not only do we have great memories of some pretty awesome stuff, we don't have to find a place for said stuff in the house. It's like winning twice! London is packed full of souvenir shops, most of which are the exact same touristy stuff. So next time you're in London, skip the standard souvenirs by taking a picture of yourself gawking at them. Not only will you have less to carry, you can save your hard earned money for more adventures or for one big splurge souvenir at the end.
