Which airline did you use in 2009? Also, reducing camera shake

We’ll have details of our new game, but, first, results and winners of the latest one. It was asked, “Which airline did you use in 2009 to fly to an overseas destination?”

The winning airline, by far, was Lufthansa. Then came Delta, American, United and Continental. Doing very well, considering their small size (compared to others), was Air Pacific.

Here are the winning subscribers and the prizes they’ll receive: Jean Kuftinec, Bedford, NH (three-year subscription to ITN); Ory Cuellar, Crofton, MD ($50 gift certificate for Magellan’s Travel Supplies); Miyako Storch, Santa Barbara, CA (two-year subscription to ITN); Jane O’Connell, Brookfield, WI (an ITN traveler’s wristwatch), and Kathryn Tisdale, Hickory, NC (one-year subscription to ITN).

And to Hanna Wishni of San Diego, CA, goes a jumbo prize. She may give a one-year ITN subscription to a person of her choosing and we’ll pick up the tab, and, should she ever apply for any of the ITN traveler awards (100 Nations, Traveled the Continents, etc.), there will be no cost to her for any and all.

Congratulations to the winners! Shows that it pays to enter the ITN games.

Here’s the topic of the next one: to what countries did you travel in the year 2010? This survey helps us determine which nations to feature in our coverage.

Details — the contest starts on 1 January 2011 and ends on 28 February 2011. You may enter by e-mailing ArmondNoble@yahoo.com or writing to Country Survey, c/o ITN, 2116 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818-1910. Note this condition of entry: you must give your name and your ZIP code. This is always the biggest game each year and we’ll have a multitude of prizes.

There is something that just makes me cringe. I’ve seen it a lot, and it’s pictured in the photo to the left. You’ll see that, in taking a picture, this photographer’s arms are all akimbo. Such leads to camera movement, or “wobble.” What many people think is a picture shot “out of focus” is, really, blurry through camera movement.

In the picture on the right, the photographer is tucking her arms in and using her body as a brace. The camera will be much steadier that way. While some of the newer cameras may have image stabilization, as a start it’s still best to do things correctly. (My thanks to ITN Associate Editor Mary Beltran for serving as the model.)

Speaking of cameras, some people looking at camera ads and seeing the ever-mounting pixel rate (like the horsepower race) are saying, “My camera is obsolete!” No, not really! Unless you want to make enlargements the size of a large billboard, you’ll never see the difference.

Another point — many travelers, when purchasing an additional lens, go for a telephoto. My suggestion is to buy, instead, a wider-angle lens than that which comes with the camera. The pictures will have more “sweep.”

On a serious note, is there an investigation into the TSA sickos who are pulling out seven- and three-year-old girls for the “pat-down” examination?