All posts filed under: Spectacular Slovakia

Aerial Photographs

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The question of aerial photography came up in a meeting today, so I went looking through my archives for a few samples. They are a few years old but from such interesting and/or beautiful places, I felt like sharing them here. Post-script, February 5: Coincidentally, yesterday was all about helicopters. Who hasn’t misremembered that time they flew in a helicopter that wasn’t hit by an RPG? I certainly don’t misremember anything of the sort happening in any of these helicopter journeys. I did refuse a helicopter elsewhere in Slovakia though due to wind conditions and the fact that I detected the smell of slivovitz on the pilot. No picture is worth a life and no lie is worth a lifetime of credibility-building within your field and among the greater public.

The Year in Pictures 2010: United States, Cuba, Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Hungary

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The Year in Pictures 2010 by Amanda Rivkin available on PhotoShelter Archive. Images from the year include: Gitmo USA – the prison site designated for Guantanamo Bay detainees after the prison’s closure in rural Illinois that never quite opened because the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay has not yet closed. Portrait of William Fiedler, Owner of the Gallery Bookstore, Chicago – My former boss at one of the North Side’s finest used book stores. Injured Veteran – Portrait of Michael Jernigan, injured in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004; photographed at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Baltasar Garzon – Former examining magistrate of Spain’s Criminal Court, extraordinarily controversial for execution of the practice of universal justice and far-reaching indictments of foreign leaders and terrorist organizations; photographed at the Instituto Cervantes in Chicago. Afghan Bowling Tournament (3 images) – Afghan-American bowling tournament in Annandale, Virginia. Cuba (8 images) – The Second Age of Castro, published on ForeignPolicy.com and The New York Times “Week in Review”. Spectacular Slovakia (13 images) – Weddings, floods, world cup, trains, planes, castles, …

Update to Website: Romathan Gypsy Theater Gallery

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With the release of The Spectacular Slovakia guide I have been able to return to my personal portfolio website and update it with a gallery of images from my travel with the Romathan Gypsy Theater by bus from Kosice, Slovakia to the remote village of Banske in eastern Slovakia to perform for a primarily Roma student attended elementary school. Previously this work appeared as an audio slide show on The Slovak Spectator’s website in a joint project with SmeTV, the digital arm of the largest Slovak national daily, “Romathan.”

On Sale Now: Spectacular Slovakia 2010, 15th Anniversary Edition

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Spectacular Slovakia The 2010 edition – written by American journalist Amanda Rivkin – provides a detailed look at Slovakia, its regions and its attractions through the eyes of a foreigner and also includes several new features such as sections on history, ice-hockey as well as a brief guide to Slovakia’s weather. The new Spectacular Slovakia 2010 will help you discover not only traditional Slovak tourist destinations but also interesting attractions that are rarely featured in other travel guides. […] Spectacular Slovakia provides full contact details for hotels, spas, thermal and aqua parks, ski resorts, castles, caves and many other attractions. In short, it offers you all the information you need to really explore Slovakia. It will be your trusted guide to many new adventures. Be among of the first 100 readers to buy our travel guide SPECTACULAR SLOVAKIA 2010 and get a chance to win a WEEKEND GETAWAY* for 2 people at your choice of one of Slovakia´s historic hotels. *Weekend getaway includes: 2 nights in a double room and breakfast. Offer valid through April …

Mayor Daley, Spectacular Slovakia, NYT Lens Turning Point, International Photography Awards + Blog

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Newsletter went out Friday: Greetings! Recently, Chicago Mayor Daley for life announced his resignation and said he would not be running for reelection next year. What happens when a “Mayor for Life” retires? A short retrospective of images from the last few years of his tenure in office looks at Mayor Richard M. Daley’s legacy on the city of Chicago, and more broadly national politics and the Obama administration. – Gallery available on the Amanda Rivkin PhotoShelter archive. I have also launched a blog as many people have recommended that they prefer to see news and updates easiest in blog format. Without further ado, you can sign up for alerts, peruse past stories and articles, see new tearsheets, find out about ongoing projects and receive releases about work as it is published, among other cool things. – Blog available at amandarivkin.wordpress.com. The New York Times Lens Blog “Turning Point” series continues in its sixth week with Iranian photographer Newsha Tavakolian on her own work and work by Shah Naser al-Din (1848-1896) that inspired her. Previous …

Spectacular Slovakia

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Announcement The Slovak Spectator is pleased to present its fifteenth annual travel guide, Spectacular Slovakia. The 2010 edition – written by American journalist Amanda Rivkin – provides a detailed look at Slovakia, its regions and its attractions through the eyes of a foreigner and also includes several new features such as sections on history, ice-hockey as well as a brief guide to Slovakia’s weather. The new Spectacular Slovakia 2010 will help you discover not only traditional Slovak tourist destinations but also interesting attractions that are rarely featured in other travel guides. Contents: Spectacular Slovakia 2010 Spectacular Slovakia provides full contact details for hotels, spas, thermal and aqua parks, ski resorts, castles, caves and many other attractions. In short, it offers you all the information you need to really explore Slovakia. It will be your trusted guide to many new adventures. You can also find Spectacular Slovakia 2010 on sale within Slovakia at Interpress newsstands, Petit shop or you can order it directly from our Online Shop. For information about advertising opportunities in Spectacular Slovakia 2011, …

Slovakia in 42 days (and several audio slideshows): Travel in the Nitra Region

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Slovakia in 42 days: Travel in the Nitra Region A TV programme in English covering the travels of American journalist and photographer Amanda Rivkin (video included) 2 Sep 2010 Regional News Corgoň in Nitra has a new manicure, the remains from the Russian invasion in Komárno would be better mothballed, and Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and the Albanian Queen Geraldine were neighbours during summers from time to time, as Oponice and Topoľčianky are only about 20 kilometres from each other across the hill. Worth seeing! A TV programme in English covering the travels of American journalist and photographer Amanda Rivkin, who is discovering Slovakia for the 15th edition of the guide Spectacular Slovakia. – For the complete PhotoShelter gallery of “Slovakia: Nitra Region.”

Spectacular Slovakia 2010 Goes to Press, Some Favorite Pages

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In an e-mail from my editor Beata Balogova at The Slovak Spectator this morning, she writes, “Amandicka, it seems that we have made it. You have made it. You have written and completed Spectacular Slovakia 2010… But whenever I look at PDF files and I see the images it makes me happy because you have really captured a lot of emotions, little stories, the sublime and also the strangeness…” In an effort to preview some of the sublime and the strangeness of Slovakia ahead of the September 13 release date and without further ado, some of my favorite pages from this year’s guide.

Selected Preview of Regional Section Pages for Spectacular Slovakia 2010 Guide

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In May-June 2010, the English language weekly The Slovak Spectator invited me to tour Slovakia to photograph and research an annual magazine-length guide produced by the newspaper. The Spectacular Slovakia 2010 Guide – 15th Edition is one of five special publications produced annually by The Slovak Spectator and is set to be released on Sept. 13, 2010. Currently, the journey is the subject of a video series of audio slideshows entitled “Slovakia in 42 days” airing simultaneously on The Slovak Spectator‘s website and SmeTV, the online digital enterprise of the prestigious Slovak national daily, Sme (in English with Slovak subtitles). Below are the first previews of the pages, now including the cover image and the doubletruck single image that will headline each section, a new feature in this year’s annual guide.

Slovakia in 42 days: Žilina Region

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Slovakia in 42 days: Žilina Region A TV programme in English covering the travels of American journalist and photographer Amanda Rivkin (video included) 27 Aug 2010 Regional News Nature, the ancient charm, sheep, cheese or wooden rafts; aqua-parks, a playboy club or the agitation on roads full of Polish trucks? When meeting a foreign visitor, one should not forget to explain that the Slovak Bethlehem is made of wood and what it has in common with the modern buildings in Israel is the leitmotif. A TV programme in English covering the travels of American journalist and photographer Amanda Rivkin, who is discovering Slovakia for the 15th edition of the guide Spectacular Slovakia. — For the complete PhotoShelter gallery of “Slovakia: Žilina Region.”