Author Archives: Lorelle VanFossen
Know Before You Go: Guides and Information for Frequent Flyers
The Frequent Flyer program began in 1981 when airlines started giving “rewards” to passengers who flew the most. The miles would accumlate like a score card and when a certain amount would be earned, the passenger would be rewarded with a free ticket. Over time, this grew into a major incentive program hosted not only […]
Environment Cleanup: Manufacturing Plants Eliminating Garbage
There is a growing determination and effort by manufacturers, enforced and willingly, to clean up the environment. Some are actually coming up with some amazing ideas. In a news story on Wired News, At Clean Plants, It’s Waste Not, the Subaru factory in Lafayette, Indiana, turns out cars not garbage. According to the report, “When […]
D.A. Woodward – Inventor of the Solar Camera
David Acheson Woodward played an important role in the art world in the United States, but is work in photography revolutionized this new art form. In this biography reporton BrightBytes, the life and work of Woodward, Photographic Educator and Inventor, is coverd extensively. In 1853 Woodward was elected Principle of the Drawing Department at the […]
Know Before You Go: Airline Seat Maps
When you are traveling on a bus or train, sometimes you get to pick your seat, but not always. It’s often first come, first serve. But on an airplane, you are assigned a seat and expected to stay there. Did you know that you can request a seat in advance, if you have a preference, […]
The Future of Photography as predicted in 1944
I stumbled on this and was absolutely impressed. In 1944, Popular Photography asked nine professional photographers, the top in their field, what they thought was the future of photography. Looking back over the past sixty years of photography, many of them had it smack on, while others, well, they are still ahead of their time. […]
Know Before You Go: House Sitters and House Traders
You want a long vacation, but leaving your home seems like more work than taking the vacation. Having a home means taking care of the garden and lawn, feeding pets, checking the mail, paying the bills, hoping the roof won’t leak, and worrying about storm damage and water leaks. Or is security a big concern, […]
Digital Editing – Photo Journalist Frankly Discuss Ethics
It should have began when Ansel Adams and his predecessors in photography first learned how to manipulate film in the darkroom to enhance or change the reality recorded on film. I’m sure there were hot debates back then, but for the past 20 years, the debate over digital editing has torn whole groups apart. The […]
Know Before You Go: Travel Rumors
Even before September 11, hoaxes, rumors, and gossip about travel and world threats to travel flew faster than most airplanes. These tend to spread fear and even more rumors and gossip. Add to the rumors the growing instability of many US airlines, the threats of airline strikes, bankruptcy, or even suddenly closing their doors, and […]
Federal Aviation Administration – 1-866-TELL-FAA
You can call the FAA 24 hours a day to report an issue on their Federal Aviation Administration – 1-866-TELL-FAA (1-866-835-5322) phone number. While few of these relate directly to consumers such a airline passengers, and are directed more towards the airline and aircraft industry, it’s worth knowing about. The issues they handle include: Safety-related […]
Digital Prose
The editorial writer used to be limited to newspapers, magazines, and books, but now the world of the Web has opened up to all things written. As one of the first nature photographers with an online column, I’ve seen the technology and arena for online writing expand and bloat. The bloat comes from the fact […]
Know Before You Go: Keep Current – Power on the Road
You know, when they predicted that technology would make our life easier, and that wireless would free us from the cords and cables and walls, I cheered. Now that modern technology and wireless is here, I have more wires, cords, plugins, cables, and needs for electrical sockets than ever before! Switching to digital cameras only […]