On Assignment from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

We see the fantastic rock climbers and marvel at the feat of hanging on sheer cliffs with your bare fingers. But what about the photographer who takes those death-defying pictures? I’ve always wondered about them. In fact, when I watch a movie, I always think about the camera, light and people surrounding the actors. That is why I am no fun to be around especially when watching a scary movie: I can’t help seeing (and talking about) the set, makeup artists, angle of the lights and how many scenes they must have done to film a particularly scary part.

So, when I watched this video from camp 4 collective of mountaineering photographer Jimmy Chin shooting a feature assignment for the May 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, I was thrilled. At last, we see the photographer in action! Of course, before you attempt this, know that Jimmy Chin is an experienced climber in his own right.

I like the part where they climb up one cliff, then base jump down (instead of climbing down) and go climb the next cliff.

This is all great, but now I’m wondering about the videographers…

source jimmy chin blog via robgalbraith

One of the best shooting star events of the year is the annual August Perseid meteor shower and it will just start to ramp up on Friday. At the same time, the lesser known Delta Aquarid meteor shower is expected to peak on the same Friday night. Together the two meteor showers will produce anywhere between 15 and 30 shooting stars per hour under clear, dark skies.

Even though the Perseids peak at hourly rates of 60 to 120 meteors, this year’s peak, on August 12, happens to coincide with a bright full moon which means you may not see them so clearly. So try this Friday instead.

Read the article at: National Geographic.

You might want to dust off those travel pics that you loved so much and enter them into the 2011 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.

Pictures can be of places, wildlife, and people that make traveling memorable, evoking a sense of delight or discovery—or both.

Submit digital entries online in any of these four categories:

• Travel Portraits: Locals working, playing, celebrating
• Outdoor Scenes: Landscapes, aerials, wildlife, waterscapes
• Sense of Place: Pictures that evoke the essence of a place
• Spontaneous Moments: Fun, quirky, surprising, and unrehearsed moments

Deadline: July 11.

Winning images will be showcased in the November/December 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine. You’ll also have a chance at winning one of these amazing prizes:

First prize
Fourteen-day expedition for two to the British and Irish Isles aboard the National Geographic Explorer
www.NationalGeographicExpeditions.com

Second prize
Nine-night hotel stay at Trident Hotels in India, including stays in Agra, Delhi, Jaipur, and Udaipur
www.TridentHotels.com

Third prize
Intensive two-and-a-half-day photo workshop at Santa Fe Workshops
www.santafeworkshops.com

Seven merit prizes
$200 gift certificate to B&H Photo
www.bhphotovideo.com

From NationalGeographic

National Geographic tries to recreate Abelardo Morell’s Camera Obscura. It seems pretty enough and should be very interesting in a museum or a classroom.

Read more about this technique and view Abelardo Morell’s pictures at: National Geographic.

source neatorama

30 Years of BAD Pictures from Bruce Dale on Vimeo.

Bruce Albert Dale (BAD) has worked for 30 years at National Geographic with at least 2000 pictures making it onto the covers and the inside pages of the magazine. In this video he shares highlights of his favorites photos. Photographs are copyrighted by Bruce Dale or National Geographic.

View an interview at: notbadpix

A leech that is so big it gets the Tyrannosaur Rex label, a fruit bat that looks like Yoda, a slug that shoots love darts like a ninja, a monkey that sneezes when it rains, a catfish that wears an armor and eats wood, a lizard that clones itself, a worm with squid-like tentacles on its head, a fish that uses its fins to walk… meet the newly discovered animals that make even scientists scratch their head in amazement.

View the gallery at: National Geographic

Don’t be so sure you know what this NG video pictures. Think Again #1:

National Geographic / Think Again #1 from Dvein on Vimeo.

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From NationalGeographic

National Geographic is known for great nature photographs and we’ve all wondered with awe at some of the fantastic photographs. Since they opened their magazine up to accept photographs from anyone on Your Shot, they have been surprised at some of the “Never Before Seen” shots that make even blasé photo editors sit up and take notice. Susan Welchman, Senior Editor, and Oliver Uberti, Design Editor, share with us how they select winners. Note how many times they mention the word, “perfect”