Stock Photo Update #11: Winter 1997-1998

Since I announced the availability of my Web site (http://www.robl.w1.com) in my previous newsletter, the content of the site has more than tripled. It now offers sample images in many more categories.

One of my long-time frustrations was that printed mailings could only present a handful of images—perhaps one or two from several different categories, not all of which may interest any given client.

My site now offers more than 50 sample images, arranged by category, so that if you are interested in North Carolina or Virginia images, you can go directly to those categories. The site now also contains the text of all my major descriptive sheets.

Even my major specialty of transportation coverage has been divided into several categories. You can now view images of

In addition to two pages of Vietnam images from 1969-1970 (see the box below), other recent updates have included a new page of Virginia images as well as new pages focusing on high speed rail and images shot with artificial lighting.

In addition to scanning in additional images, I've also continued to work on navigation features within the site, making it easier to move among related images and text.

I now have my own scanner, which not only provides me greater flexibility in updating content for the Web site but also allows me to provide images in electronic form.

While current internet and Web technology does not provide the same quality of reproduction as high-quality color printing—at least for relatively small images that load fast—this drawback should be more than offset by the greater number of images available for review.

Among new fun/informational items on my site is a list of the 30 or so longest railroad tunnels in the world compiled from a variety of sources. The construction dates offer strong evidence that for most of the world, railroads are a growth industry. About half of the tunnels on the list were built after 1980, including the three longest in the world:

The tunnel information is included in the Transportation section, accessible from my home page. That section also includes the widely cited background page on intermodal containers.

Web Site Features Historic Images
From South Vietnam (1969-1970)

One of the most requested subjects not already featured on my Web site (at least with images) had been my Vietnam coverage from 1969-1970. To remedy this situation, I've added nearly two dozen images from that era, including the following:

Bob Hope and Connie Stevens performing at Camp Eagle, near Hue, during the 1969 Christmas season
View from a helicopter during a late evening patrol over the jungle near Phu Bai
Views of a mostly-destroyed village following a Viet Cong attack
A young boy with his water buffalo in a rice paddy
An aerial view of a large North Vietnamese flag on the north side of the so-called Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

The photos were made while I was serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam.

One whole page of thumbnail images—all with matching larger images, of course—focuses on a railroad trip from Da Nang to Hue made in early 1970. The recently reopened rail line, which now provides continuous transportation between Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) and Hanoi, has recently been featured in a number of magazine articles and television programs.

My photos provide a perspective on the line, showing that little has changed during the 28 years since the photos were taken.

Two major projects, connected with magazine articles, have produced a significant amount of stock photography focusing on two areas:

The long term project of photographic documentation of the Powder River Basin (stretching from Wyoming into adjacent states), begun more than two years ago, is continuing. I shot several hundred additional images in Wyoming in October of 1997.

Here are a few examples of recent stock photo sales (a very abbreviated list this time to conserve space):

The systematic update of N.C. stock coverage is continuing. In the spring, I plan to shoot new images of sever of North Carolina's major cities.

I also plan another return trip to the Powder River Basin of Wyoming within the next year as part of the continuing project to document railroad operations in that area.

Instead of using space in the newsletter for a black and white image, I'm including a copy of a recent postcard of downtown Raleigh, N.C., with this mailing. The card, showing an Amtrak train below the Raleigh skyline, is an example of the overlap of two of my specialties: Coverage of North Carolina and coverage of transportation.

Stock Photo Update #11

Web Site Continues to Expand; Offers More Sample Images and Text