January 31, 2011

An island oasis, far out at sea; my face in the wind, my back in the lee. No cell phones ringing, only birds singing; this island was perfect for me!

Where am I (place and state)? And what was the wind direction and strength (Beaufort scale number) at the time of this picture?

Our intrepid traveler, Andrew Evans has been crisscrossing Australia by train, plane, and automobile (and helicopter, boat, and hot air balloon). You can find out his latest whereabouts by following him @WheresAndrew on Twitter, and read through his blog posts, watch videos, and see photo galleries at www.nationalgeographic.com/wheresandrew.

It was stunning to walk through rooms filled with iconic images by Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, and William Eggleston (whose retrospectives have recently passed through Washington D.C.), and to realize the beauty in seemingly mundane architectural works like water towers, grain elevators, and gas tanks in Bernd and Hilla Becher’s typologies (pictured above). I loved the overwhelming, large-scale photos of Andreas Gursky, whose prints took up entire walls, transforming supermarket staples and Wall Street traders into pixels in a high-definition color cacophony.

The pier, which is situated just under the Bay Bridge (you can here the faint sound of foghorns as you wander the gallery) was left unoccupied for three decades and had holes in the floor when it was purchased by the Pilara Foundation. It’s now been renovated into a 28,000-square-foot space that opened last March. But despite being somewhat exclusive, one of the most brilliant aspects of this museum is that’s is absolutely free. Situated along the Embarcadero just a bit south of the Ferry Market Building, it’s easily accessible from downtown. Consider it a must-do on your next visit, just be sure to get a spot well in advance.

[Pier 24]
[San Francisco City Guide]

Photo: Janelle Nanos

January 27, 2011

A day at the beach–I felt just fine, I wandered the city and came to this sign.

Where am I (city, state)? And which (single) street am I standing on for this shot?

Follow along with Andrew as he travels through Australia at @WheresAndrew on Twitter.

for daily photo clues, blog posts, and videos from his journey.

Happy Australia Day! Andrew Evans spent the day talking with the locals before he snapped a picture of today’s clue. Make your best guess at our online Clues Gallery.

January 26, 2011

On Australia’s birthday, the streets were jam packed, with people and history that go way back; I saw this cool car and though it looked olden, but quickly discovered its past is quite golden.

Where am I (street, city and state)? What car is this (make, model and year)? And for the super sleuths out there, how many of these cars were built?

Follow along with Andrew as he travels through Australia at @WheresAndrew on Twitter.

for daily photo clues, blog posts, and videos from his journey.

January 25, 2010

The river runs so low during The Dry, but during The Wet, it runs quite high. This sandstone cliff looks just like any other, but it was made famous for the country’s first film in color.

Where am I (place)? What movie was filmed at this spot and who was the lead actress in that movie?

Follow along with Andrew as he travels through Australia at @WheresAndrew on Twitter.

for daily photo clues, blog posts, and videos from his journey.

January 24, 2011

From my seat on The Ghan, all I saw was this sand, though in the rain (it’s said) this river runs red. I felt the train make a slight bend here–the closest I’ve come to Australia’s dead center.

Where am I (which state or territory)? What is the name of this river and what desert does it flow into?

Follow along with Andrew as he travels through Australia at @WheresAndrew on Twitter.

for daily photo clues, blog posts, and videos from his journey.

Well as it happens, I was talking with a few of my colleagues yesterday about how squirrels seem to evoke undue interest in people. A photo of a squirrel in India was one of the most retweeted posts from the @NatGeoSociety Twitter feed last week. And hordes of tourists are often seen taking photos of squirrels in the D.C. area because the city has a preponderance of black squirrels. Why? Eighteen black squirrels from Canada were released at the National Zoo back in 1902, when Theodore Roosevelt was president, in an effort to repopulate the breed. They’re now found throughout the District, and the subject of fascination by locals and visitors alike. (And I’ll add to the mix my own personal fascination: I’ve never seen a baby squirrel. Though I know they exist, I’ve yet to see one in the wild.) 

So imagine my surprise to learn that today of all days is Squirrel Appreciation Day. To celebrate, I’ve assembled this lovely collection of squirrels from around the world from the thousands that have been submitted to our My Shot online photo site. Have a great squirrel pic to add to the mix? Submit it to MyShot and leave a link to it in the comments.
  

“Red squirrel in the snow. Winter 2010 in Poland was long and really severe.” Photograph by Dorota Walczak, My Shot.

“A shot of the Malabar giant squirrel taken in Mudumalai forest in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Known to be very elusive, the Malabar giant squirrel is endemic to peninsular India and is on the IUCN list of threatened species.” Photograph by Shireen Ali, My Shot

[Ed. A cousin to the celebrity squirrel, this is another one found at Banff.] “This ground squirrel looked at me out of his nest. Picture taken in Banff National Park, Canada.” Photograph by Jacky Weiland, My Shot

“A squirrel begs for nuts in Parc Floral in Paris.” Photograph by Iris Ring, My Shot


“Squirrel photo taken outside of a Metro Station in Delhi.” Photograph by Harshit Vishwakarma, My Shot

“A squirrel eating a piece of fruit at Mayanar National Park in Tanzania.” Photograph by Sajjad Fasal, My Shot

“Ground squirrel picture taken in Fuerteventura (Canary Islands).” Photograph by Timo Mosler, My Shot.

“This squirrel was found in the quiet calm of Fort Canning Hill, which in turn is surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Singapore‘s urban jungle.” Photograph by Theo De Roza, My Shot.

“I took this photo of my little neighbor in Helsinki, Finland.” Photograph by Hakan Deniz, My Shot

“Bonding with the wildlife in Venice California.” Photograph by Jeremie Schatz, My Shot

January 20, 2011

Summer in Australia and all the kids were out leaping, on a beach in a town named for a place in Great Britain.

Where am I (beach and town’s common name)? And what athletic event will take place here in the upcoming week?

Follow along with Andrew as he travels through Australia at @WheresAndrew on Twitter.

for daily photo clues, blog posts, and videos from his journey.

Packed up in wood, art can travel, too. In the late 1800s, this statue was brand new. Where am I (location and city), and what’s the name of this sculpture and artist who created it?

Follow along with Andrew as he travels through Australia at @WheresAndrew on Twitter.

for daily photo clues, blog posts, and videos from his journey.

More than 2,000 miles end to end, on a train across the continent. We stopped at night to see this hole, that even now is filled with gold.

Where am I (place & town)? And on an average 12-hour shift, how many loads of ore does a single truck driver deliver to the surface?

Follow along with Andrew as he travels through Australia at @WheresAndrew on Twitter.

for daily photo clues, blog posts, and videos from his journey.