So much going on… Sheesh… Too much to remember…

The Umbrian Countryside.

Wine Tasting near Montepulciano

Strolling through Siena

A wedding in Lerum, Sweden of all places

And exploring Göteborg.

I should remember to jot more down… I’m forgetting so much.

Butcher Shop in Peru

Tablet Hotel’s Tablet Talk teamed up with Food52 for a travel food photography contest to be voted on by the world and somehow one of my photos from Peru have made it into the finals. Please head over to Tablet Talk and vote for my Butcher Shop in Peru photo. Thanks.

I should remember to… uhm… win!

As people all across the US watch the situation in the gulf (if they haven’t tuned it out already), you can’t help but agree with today’s caption from The Big Caption.

The Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower

Last week, the woman and I rode up to the Bronx to check out the New York Botanical Gardens’ The Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower. It was cold and there was still snow on the ground, but, for the most part, the ride was pleasant. After paying our $12 to park the motorcycle and $20 each to get in, we quickly found ourselves transported to (generally) warmer, lusher, more Caribbean climes. For the most part, the walk through the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (incidentally, the nation’s largest Victorian-era glasshouse) was quite pleasant and the orchids on display delicately mesmerizing.

I should remember to make orchid hunting yet another reason to get to Cuba sooner rather than later. I’ll just keep this orchid desktop wallpaper up to remind me!

Today, I’m happy to announce the launch of a new site geared towards highlighting the often overlooked charms of the Caribbean. The Antilles are so much more than just beaches. The local people, food, drinks, music, natural wonders like volcanoes, hot springs, and more all add up to a unique experience that is best enjoyed by directly immersing yourself in the culture. Something you won’t find on any massive cruise ship.

So, for those looking for a deeper look into what the beautiful islands and people of the Caribbean have to offer, head over to the brand new Uncommon Caribbean site, become a fan of the UC Facebook page, look out for our latest videos on YouTube, or follow UncommonCarib on Twitter.

I need to remember to get down to the islands, explore new places and take as many photos as possible!

More Snow in Brooklyn, originally uploaded by Enjoy Patrick Responsibly.

I don’t think I’ll forget to go someplace warm anymore…

Wow, is it February already. Where the hell have I been.

Oh yeah…

After Martinique, I spent the holidays freezing and damp high in the Peruvian Andes. This trek was organized through Adventure Life. For the most part, it was great. Some time in Cusco acclimatizing ourselves to the altitude, then off to the Ausangate region for 6 days climbing over 17,000 foot passes, meeting Andean people, watching baby alpacas being sheered and sometimes born, visiting the markets, sampling local cuisine like guinea pig and strawberry beer… and basically taking in the gorgeousness of the often brutal landscape. (There’s a desktop or two available over at mybestdesktops.com)

After the trekking, we took the easy train route to Machu Picchu… Truly breathtaking ruins, but I wouldn’t recommend taking the train all the way there and the town of Aguas Calientes was a bit too touristy. Finally we spent the New Year in Lima drinking Pisco Sours and exploring.

Although there were many memorable experiences along the way, it was hard to compete with a month in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Additionally, there were some hiccups with Adventure Life… I should remember to think twice before using them again.

Immediately upon retuning to New York I had a single day to relax before heading down to Savannah, Georgia for a work shoot. The fruits of that labor should be launching soon. I should remember to chat about it then.

Then it’s been heads down working.

I should remember not to work so much… and travel more.

Le M Burger Avec Bacon

While in Martinique, I kept seeing ads for the Le M burger at McDonald’s. When traveling, I try to sample local McDonald’s just as an experiment to see how different cultures and local tastes shape international products, so naturally I had to try Le M.

This is not your average Mickey D’s! Just check out the photos.

This is real food. It tastes like a real burger! It has real bread!!! And it even uses real cheese!!!!

I should remember that even McDonald’s is capable of making real food… if only for French people.

St. Pierre - Little Pompei of the Caribbean

The island of Martinique is a gorgeous overseas department of France (like a state) right around the middle of the Caribbean chain of islands. Last weekend, I managed to take a whirl-wind spin around the island and came away very impressed.

I should certainly remember how fantastic the streets/infrastructure is, how clean they keep the place, how friendly the islanders are, how magnificent their volcano is, how delicious fresh crushed sugarcane juice is, how light and refreshing the Lorraine‘s are, and how much I would love to return for a leisurely stay in St. Pierre.

A few months ago, I wrote about tracking down stolen images with TinEye. That tip generated a lot of conversation about  the ownership of original photography with level headed rebuttals from folks who understand that copyright protection begins the moment a work is set and that “copyright over a work immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work.” Read more about that here.

Yes, that’s an oversimplification and the law isn’t quite so cut and dry unless the work is registered with the government (still not 100%), but that would have been all the information needed to cover the uses outlined in that post.

When I wrote that first post, there were plenty of funny examples of my works finding their way into company’s and people’s commercial uses. I wasn’t trying to be mean spirited about the whole thing, it was more of a humorous take on unauthorized appropriation for small commercial endeavors… but what happens when it’s not a small or humorous commercial endeavor?

That was just the case when I woke up this past Sunday morning and during my normal morning routine, watched a heart wrenching video about Tainted Meat on the New York Times website. At the very beginning of the piece was this photo:

I immediately recognized it. I’d taken that photo of a garden gnome in an old lady’s front yard while in California last year… but I honestly couldn’t believe that the Times could have overlooked getting authorization of this photo I’d made available for personal use on mybestdesktops.com.

I so couldn’t believe it, that I didn’t even double-check the photo until the following day when I overlaid the Times crop over my original.

There was no question. That was my photograph in a New York Times video piece! I immediately, checked with my photographer, photo editor, illustrator friends and a copyright lawyer on the best course of action. Some were more official or threatening than others… but I thought the best thing would be to call the producer of the piece… this must have been an unfortunate oversight.

To make a long story short, dealing with the folks at the Times was a pleasure and action was taken swiftly to correct the problem. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the work they do and can completely understand how this sort of error could occur.

In the end, I got credited just below Pulitzer prize winning photographer Damon Winter… and the story has really gotten a big response that could turn into positive change in the meat industry.

I should remember to keep shooting… this could be going somewhere.