Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Travel Tips: Documenting: Postscript

"Documenting" is interesting. Many people try to show a lot of things online. However, many people confuse about "facts" and "thoughts."

Some for facts & imaginations:


Here is a very boring photo. I think many people don't feel anything for this. However, you can find a lot of facts on this.

You can try to write a sentences like this.

There is near the beach because there are some seagulls. The tide might be low because it has a lagoon. I found the couple. They must be travelers. This is a gulf scene because behind the waterfront is a land, or maybe this is a lake photo. The water is calm, and some sailboats are on the water. I looked for the birds on the illustrated book, and I saw some of them are albatrosses.

Well, it's a scene with my imagination, but which are the facts? which are my imaginations?

There is near the beach because there are some seagulls. The tide might be low because it has a lagoon. I found the couple. They must be travelers. This is a gulf scene because behind the waterfront is a land, or maybe this is a lake photo. The water is calm, and some sailboats are on the water. I looked for the birds on the illustrated book, and I saw some of them are albatrosses.

       : Facts        : Imaginations

In documenting, the combination of fact and imagination is very important. Before you travel, you imagine a lot of things for the destinations and attractions(Imagination), but when you reach there, you find they have only some small glossary marts, a small inn, and a dirty beach(Fact).



"Documenting" is with the same way of "Academic Writing." I took some English language classes in a community college in California. Their instruction is completely wrong because their instruction is with the Imagination parts. If their instruction is correct, people can say everything as they want. It's the wrong way for documenting.

If you take English writing, or documentary classes in your place, please take with a good teacher. It absolutely makes your sense either better or bad.



Here is a very famous "imagination" song in the world.

"Imagine" (1971) 
by John Lennon

Please listen to the song carefully. This song has both facts and imaginations at once. If he sang for the purpose of informing the world situations, he told the facts. If he sang for the purpose of inspiring people, he told his imagination.

Which is your answer for this song? or both?

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Travel Tips: Documenting #3

How was your winter vacation? After we travel to the world, we have a lot of memories and things from the travel. How to keep the memories are very different from each person. Some people don't like to keep these items. Therefore, they don't bring back anything for it. Some people like to have a lot of items. However, they keep too much. How much things did you bring back from your travel?

Now the time is great. Many people use their smartphone to keep everything. You may just have a memory card for the travel. However, when you open your memory card, it's totally mess, right? I tell you some solutions here.

CASE 1: IF YOU JUST WANT TO KEEP AND SHARE

Rearrange and share on the Internet

This is the simplest way to keep your memory. Some photo albums on the Internet such as Picasa, fliker, Instagram, and Tumblr are very popular to sharing these memories. With some comments, store the images for a long time. On some web storages such as SkyDrive, you can store and share images too. You can enjoy slide shows with them.

Print Photos Through Online

You also can order paper print photos through some web storages such as Snapfish, Picasa, fliker etc. You can receive your favorite photos near your supermarkets and drug stores. If you directly use some drugstores' websites, you can choose the option directly to send by mail to your home.

Through into Dropbox

If you just want to share and you don't want to do anything, you can just through into your Dropbox, and share with your friends.

CASE 2: IF YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH SENTENCES

Make your albums with your travel journals

You can write a lot of things like a travel writer online, and share. You can use blogs and homepage for this. Put your favorite photos, and some comments that you thought important for the places or objects. You can create "physical" albums if you have accounts online services such as Snapfish.

CASE 3: DVD MAKING

DVD making is complicated? No, it's very simple now. Both Windows, and Mac has tools like Windows Movie Maker, and iMovie.

Preparations:
Image files(photo, video, audio etc.), your travel journal, your travel stuff, and smartphone(or, camcorder).

Order all things: There are some simple ways to order all materials.

1. Chronological Order

"Chronological Order" is one of the simplest way to indicate your travel. Follow with your schedule, order the materials. If you find the important moments on your materials, put some notes on them.

2. Follow Your Motivations

If you don't like thinking about Chronological Order, you can think about your motivations instead of it. You can pick the most important moments(such as the best, worst, and funny scenes), and collect  images and topics related to the moments.

3. Watcher's Interests

This is a little difficult. If personally you don't want to keep the images, you never fail to have some watchers. Think about your watchers, decide which topics and scenes are more important on your DVD.

If you are an advanced editor, you can mix all of them, and create your video comfortably. I don't write how to use the software here, but you can find a lot of information on Youtube.


Softwares:

There are a lot of video making software in the world.

For beginners,
For Advanced Editor



"Documenting" is not difficult like the film and television programs. You can try anytime you want in your life. You can discuss what you think for things on the Internet. It's maybe a good chance to indicate your talents to people

Here is the professional documentary work for free on Youtube.

"Life In A Day" (2011)

This "LIFE IN A DAY"is an interesting documentary film by famous film makers, Kevin Macdonald, and Ridley Scott. This documentary is based on the video posts from the world. This is the day of the world. If you have a lot of travel friends, you may ask to send some videos. You may can do similar things with travel friends for a day in the world.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Travel Tips: Documenting #2

Last week, I posted about "Documenting." It's not a serious thing because you are not a broadcasting stations' directors. However, there are some points that you have to understand.

1. Take the Landmarks and Attractions

Maybe you walk around the cities. They normally have famous attractions and scenic places. Attractions are also good. For example, if you visit Seattle, Pike Place Market is one of the famous landmark. The top of the Space Needle is the wonderful place to see around the Seattle.

2. Record Your and Your Friend's Motivations

To record your motivation is one of the most important things. If you get a place, you have expectations or predictions for it. Before your trip, what you think about it? After the trip, what you think about it? Is your expectation is right, or wrong? How your impression change after you visit? Does your friend have the same thoughts?

3. Don't Hesitate to Take Images

This "images" includes not only videos, but also photographs and audios too. If you find anything special for you, and favorite things, take them. They are very nice to track your interests in the future.

(Notice: There are some places that you can't take images such as military basements, airports, some kinds of museums, and so on. In these places, when you take images, immediately, they confiscate your cameras in the worst case. Please follow their directions, and be yourself safe.)

Also, you can write your travel journals. Travel Journals sometimes compliments above the information. It's a good way to do it.

After you travel, you can use your computer to edit all the materials at once. The most interesting process is to make a video. You remember the memories in the future whenever you watch the videos.



"Travels change our values, and the world." This is the very fundamental influence from the world. If you are still on your holiday travel, did you find any good change on you? If you don't, it's not a strange thing. "If you don't feel any change, it's your change with the travel."

"Waiting On The World To Change" 
by John Mayer (2006)

This "2013" has begun. Everyone thinks about something a change for own live. Well, will this year be better than before? It depends on you. What you can start and be positive are related to your achievements on this year.

If any chance to change, travel is one of them. Travel is not only to walk in the world, but also it's next on your daily lives. Today, after five, please stop a cafe or shop that you have ever been. It may have a surprise for you, and change your life forever.