Compost

Things have been pretty quiet at The Traveling Photographer lately. Thanks to the current state of the economy, there's just not much travel going on. The thought of trying to get a large amount of professional camera gear through European customs after recent events is also rather discouraging. Here at The Traveling Photographer, we have quite a different take on the term "pants on fire".

We've decided to use this time to give some thought on the direction of this work and the best way to distribute and encourage the use of these photographs. Here's a few things that we're doing:

• HubisPhoto.com is gone. Thanks to everyone for pointing out the broken link. The new site is WaltHubis.com, where we will have a merchant site soon for purchasing big prints of these photographs (those of you who have visited the world headquarters of The Traveling Photographer at the Matoobis chalet know what we're talking about).


• All of the photography that was on the HubisPhoto site is now available for anyone to use at Flickr. All of that photography - and much more - is available for commercial or personal use for free. We've tried to use the least restrictive licensing method possible, and pictures are beginning to show up in some very interesting places.


• There will be a few new Squidoo lenses for Markgräflerland Dreams (Badenweiler and the joys of the Black Forest) and another having to do with German schnapps. We're working on these now (especially the schnapps research).


• Planning some photo trips - this year we plan to be in San Francisco, Texas, Italy, and Germany. We're also looking at good opportunities locally.

We're taking some time to take a new approach to this work and make it more meaningful and useful for our readers. Stay tuned....

Texas Hill Country

South Dakota

Toadstool Park

Carhenge

Sandhills

Ogallala

East of Eaton

Skies

Northern Wyoming

I visited Dubois, Wyoming a few years ago, but it has taken this long to figure out what to write about this experience. There is a real dichotomy about this place that is difficult to capture in words. This is where photography can take the place of words and present those differences in a way that speaks beyond words to unveil the more subtle nuances of the situation. The photo above is a traditional sweat lodge in Ethete, Wyoming.

There is an active arts and educational community in the lands of the northern Arapaho near Fort Washakie and Ethete. There is also special effort to develop new ways of teaching the Arapaho language. The photo above was taken in Arapahoe, Wyoming.

This is the land of ranchers, but even here, the arts are an important part of daily life.

Colorado

Sometimes travel can be limited to only a few miles, but the results can still be satisfying. Studying the familiar from a new view point or in some new light, can provide the same experience as seeing something completely new for the first time. The thrill of discovery in the common - even mundane - that surrounds us is elusive, but worth the effort. Some describe a fierce discipline of paying attention to the world around us, not only for the better photograph or the better poem, but for the better life. That, after all, is the wellspring of all our creative endeavors.

Freiburg im Breisgau

I was in Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany for a relaxed weekend between Nice and Berlin. This has always been one of my favorite cities in all of Europe. It's a university town that is dominated by the 14th century Gothic cathedral in the center of the city. Evenings were warm and long, and best enjoyed at one of the many restaurants that surround the church courtyard.

Every day of the week (except Sunday) there is a large market that occurs in the area surrounding the cathedral. This is a great place to photograph and eat well all at the same time. Our favorite here is Hotel Oberkirch for both accommodations and for the outstanding restaurant.

Nice

I'm in Nice, France for a few days. It's hot here with the usual crowds of tourists from all over the world - I'm not sure how I manage to be in southern Europe during the hottest and most crowded season. The people are friendly and the food is good, especially the bouillabaisse and other Provençal specialties.

And then there’s the fundamental issue around photographing people: do I ask before I shoot them? I tend to think yes, but then the results seem posed. Otherwise, I might get a good shot, but I might upset my subject and miss the chance for a more extended interaction.

Northern New Mexico

We drove though the Chama valley of Northern New Mexico and then through Abiquiu on a brilliant June day. We followed the high road from Taos to Santa Fe, stopping along the way at a variety of small towns including Chimayo and Truchas. This area is always astonishing in the graphic difference in wealth between the Santa Fe area and the small mountain towns.

London

We visited London for a week in April. It was springtime here and the gardens were in full bloom. London, as always, is an expensive place to visit and the weakness of the dollar made the situation even worse. Nevertheless, London remians a great place to visit thanks to the ease of getting around this huge city and the many cultural and historical sights.

The food in London was outstanding. The most notable meal we had was at St. John near the Smithfield market. We decided to vist here after seeing Anthony Bourdain's show that visited this restaurant.

Belgium

The cool weather rain of the western part of Belgium came as a real relief from the heat and humidity of Rome. The beaches were cool and breezy and the city centers had a relaxed and orderly intensity.