(Duplicate message posted in the Cambodia forum)

I created an online photo gallery of my recent (first) trip to Angkor. If it is enjoyable for folks here, I'll set up a similar gallery of photos taken in Thailand.

Please visit it at -- http://www.pbase.com/mike_buckley/cambodia

This is the first time I've set up a gallery, so helpful suggestions to improve it are especially welcome. Feedback is appreciated regarding image quality, speed of loading pictures, ease of navigation, the organizational structure, or anything regarding your visit to the site. Feel free to comment here or in the comment areas provided at the photo site. Thanks in advance!

mike---i'm sick...those photos are fantastic...they make mine look like a brownie hawk-eye....

what kind of a camera do you have...digital or film??

can't wait for the thailand ones...

these are the clearest i have seen on the web..

bob

Nice photos, Mike. I look forward to seeing the Thailand photos as well.

Thanks to Bob and Kathie for the nice comments. Posting the photos on the website is the least I can do especially for the two of you who's comments helped make my trip so enjoyable.

Bob, I've learned that the clarity has to do with preparing the photos for presentation on the web. The original version of a photo that is perfectly clear can get really messed up in any number of ways when it's not processed properly for web viewing. I learned that recently from a friend, thanks to the tutorial he gave me.

To demonstrate my point, my cameras are nothing special. I use Minolta X-700 film cameras, one that I bougbt 20 years ago and the other that I bought about five years ago. The model is no longer being manufactured. Though I do use a high-end scanner to ensure there is no degradation in the process, it might be a good example of overkill.

LOVED your photos. Only suggestion - most of them (vertical shots, especially) are too big to see on my computer - would prefer they be a tad smaller! But they're terrific. Thanks!

althom,

Thanks for the suggestion about reducing the size.

Did you try viewing the "medium" size versions of the images rather than the "original" size? If so, is that a satisfactory solution or is the issue that the medium size is too small to enjoy?

I'd appreciate hearing from others about the issue of size. That's because the size of the image has a lot to do with each monitor's settings. As an example, all of the images fit on my monitor at their largest size with plenty of room to spare. (Not that I have the slightest idea how my monitor is set or whether it's a typical setting.)

For the people who understand more than I about what makes computers work (which is just about anyone on the planet), the longest dimension of every image except one is 640 pixels. That one exception is a horizontal image that I made larger to more easily appreciate the detail within the picture.

size is an issue, but not with these pictures...if anything i would have liked them bigger...
any help i gave you is in partial payback to those who have and will help me on this forum

bob

Mike I really enjoyed your photos. I just returned from Angkor and have not yet sorted through mine. Thasnks for posting them.

Mike - great photos - quality, layout and loading of pictures was fine.

Please post the Thai ones as well

Thanks, wombat. I'm working on the photos of Thailand.

Thanks, Mike, for sharing your beautiful photos with us. It must have taken you a while to scan all the slides and posted them on line. Hat's off to you for your time and efforts.

I am a wit bit disappointed that there aren't as many photos on Angkor Wat gallery as the Thailand gallery. I had used up 6 rolls (40 exposures) of film when I was there. I guess I was trigger happy.

The layout of the your photo gallery is well thought out and easy to navigate. I wouldn't have known if you didn't tell us that was your first time setting up a gallery, it looks so professional. Well done.

Thanks for the roses, Naturaltan.

<i>I had used up 6 rolls (40 exposures) of film when I was there. I guess I was trigger happy.</i>

I'm pretty sure I used about a dozen 36-exposure rolls. I generally throw away 90% of my photos and show no more than half of the keepers at my slide shows. And the website contains probably less than half of those I show, trying to ensure publishing the best quality I'm capable of.

There are a few reasons there are fewer photos of Angkor than Thailand. The first is that I spent only 3 days there, compared to 15 in Thailand. The second is that it didn't seem helpful to put up photo after photo of bas-reliefs and temple architecture that are largely duplicative in nature. The third reason is that it takes a lot more time (at least for me) to get good pictures at Angkor due to the nature of the subject, the light, the number of tourists, etc., etc.. So, I think those difficulties made me less productive there than in Thailand.

My biggest disappointment about the Angkor photos is that I didn't come up with any really fabulous photos of Angkor Wat. (Compared to the Bayon photo of three tower faces, which I think stands out above all the rest.) The one sunrise and sunset I experienced created no special light. There was little water in the pond on the right and the one on the left was covered with lillies, preventing any great image with a reflection in the water. I didn't even bother taking a picture of the Churning of the Sea of Milk because the lighting was awful and the guard stopped me from using my tripod before I got to it.

My biggest disappointment about the Thailand photos is that I didn't get to China town, didn't walk through the streets of Thonburi, didn't go to the River Kwai area or take any hill-tribe treks. Though I did spend some time on Phi Phi island, for the first time in 20 years of travelling I actually lost a roll of film taken there.

Thanks again for taking a peek and for your comments!