As part of our efforts to celebrate and promote travel writing, we’ve launched a new video series offering a behind the scenes look at the life of travel writers.

Humbly shot and directed by myself, the first profile features the gonzo travel writer and tv host Robin Esrock, wandering around his current hometown of Vancouver, BC.

The idea is to offer a realistic take on what it means to be a travel writer: the good, the bad, and sometimes…the ugly. Each profile is presented on behalf of MatadorU, where travel writers of all levels can advance their careers.

I hope you enjoy the video (and feel free to share far and wide!)

Do you know a travel writer who should be featured in an upcoming profile? Share your ideas in the comments!

Photo:ssh

Dust off those travel videos and share them to our YouTube group.

Firstly, grab a YouTube channel if you don’t already have one, it’s free and is like setting up an account on any other social networking site. Think of a snappy name, upload some videos and subscribe to Matador…now you are ready to join our group!

In this video I cruise around our channel on YouTube, show you where our group is and watch a few of the 80+ travel videos that have been shared so far.

NOTE: I took this screen capture with an application called Jing, and the result of screencapping video is a bit jumpy. The videos on YouTube are as smooth as butter on a babies big toe.

Well, whatcha waiting for? Show us what you got and look for more travel videos from Matador.

I was clued into Christoph’s YouTube channel from a comment left on my recent post
5 Amazing Time Lapse Travel Videos by Marissa ( Thanks M! )

Christoph has 117 videos on his YouTube channel, most of them quick random encounters on his long walk in China.

It is rare that a video is over a minute, most are but 15-20 seconds, non sequiturs ranging from squirming caterpillars to rain forest water falls. Each snippet is an unadorned moment, captured and presented with a sort of humble grace.

Follow Marissa’s example and hit me up with links to your favorite travel videos in the comments! Follow Christoph’s lead and present your travel footage to the world through Matador’s YouTube group.

There is something magical about time lapse. Time lapse captures time and motion, presenting an environment in flux from a perspective that is not possible otherwise. Enjoy these exceptional time lapse videos I found on Vimeo.

London Timelapse by Xtrax London

Eclectic 3.0: The Roads Less Traveled by Ross Ching

Travel and Music Time lapse by Dave Schwep

Cook Inlet -Turnagain Arm – Portage Valley Timelapse

Sur le fleuve Niger by strictly_homemade

Join the Brothers Johnson as they venture into Yellowstone to sneak up on buffalo and stop and smell the geysers.

Josh & Dustin Johnson took a week to do a whirlwind tour of the Big Sky state. Watch their previous videos Montana Road Trip: Heading to Yellowstone & Notes from the Road: To move under the Big Sky. Next Episode: Glacier National Park!

Subscribe to MATADORNETWORK on YOUTUBE.

WITNESS has created a video toolkit to help you to use video more effectively in human rights and advocacy work. Designed for human rights activists and advocates, filmmakers, journalists and citizen journalists around the world, WITNESS is a friend of citizen journalists everywhere.

This video helps you prepare to:

• Decide what and how to film
• Get good audio
• Use a mobile phone to film

Feature Photo by Aplomb

Community Connection

Grab that camera and get filming! Use Matador as your resource for video tips and inspiration.

]]> http://thetravelersnotebook.com/video/witness-video-tips-filming-audio-using-cellphones/feed/ 0 http://thetravelersnotebook.com/video/the-hub-changing-the-world-one-human-rights-video-at-a-time/ http://thetravelersnotebook.com/video/the-hub-changing-the-world-one-human-rights-video-at-a-time/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:16:09 +0000 Joshywashington http://thetravelersnotebook.com/?p=2219 The Hub, presented by Witness, gives human rights advocates a platform for their media.

Eyewitness footage and pictures out of Iran recently demonstrated the necessity of capturing video of conflict and human rights violations.

The Hub is the world’s first participatory media site for human rights. It’s like YouTube but with a soul and on a mission for change.

Individuals and organizations around the world are uploading their human rights stories to mobilize action to protect and promote human rights.

The Hub also showcases instructional videos and empowers users to take action using the technology within their means.

This video addresses

• Assessing if footage is reliable
• How to edit effectively and ethically
• How to distribute your video to have an impact


Editing and Distributing Your Film ~ presented by WITNESS

Community Connection

Everyday people are fighting for a better world. Read 10 Revolutionary Acts Of Courage By Ordinary People for a glimpse at just a few.

]]> http://thetravelersnotebook.com/video/the-hub-changing-the-world-one-human-rights-video-at-a-time/feed/ 1 http://thetravelersnotebook.com/photography-q-a/reporters-center-helps-citizen-journalists-shoot-and-report-the-news/ http://thetravelersnotebook.com/photography-q-a/reporters-center-helps-citizen-journalists-shoot-and-report-the-news/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:09:04 +0000 Joshywashington http://thetravelersnotebook.com/?p=2152 Reporters’ Center is a YouTube channel dedicated to help users understand the power of citizen journalism and offers practical tips from the world’s best journalists.

Ever captured a natural disaster or a crime on your cell-phone camera or filmed a political protest? Then you’re part of the enormous community of citizen reporters on YouTube, and this channel is for you.