Beautiful Cambodia |
Aug 30th 2007 |
Sometimes I would like to post a picture without writing anything. Maybe then I would update more frequently. And maybe that's what you've all been waiting for. But I'm a persnickety Virgo. Uploading an image without writing a blurb, it messes up the layout. There will be an image on the right, and an empty space on the left. And I can't let that happen. Impossible.
So what can I say? I like this picture. To me it speaks of rural Cambodia. I love the long, orange roads and the mud stuck to the old wooden carriage wheels. The green - I feel so at home in the green (I think my heart is green). I feel like the boy on the back of the wagon. Actually, that's me. Hi! Do you like my place? Hang around for a while. Take a nap in the hammock. Only one dollar.
See you later, little boy. I wish you well with all my heart. God bless Cambodia. |
| Camera: |
DIGILUX 3 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
38mm (76mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/250sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/3.5 |
| ISO: |
100 |
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Slipping into Emptiness |
Aug 27th 2007 |
| Camera: |
DIGILUX 3 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
50mm (100mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/400sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/3.5 |
| ISO: |
100 |
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Wander into the eyes of At Chan, 85, Cambodian. He sits in a stone doorframe of an ancient Angkorian temple where he sells four wooden elephants and a single bowed instrument.
At the doorstep I sit in his presence, escaping the beating sun and listening to him strum. The information exchanged is limited, but the moments shared are rich in communication.
When I look at his portrait, taken from little more than a foot away, my mind is gently escorted to another place; sloping down the creases of his forehead, along the eyebrows and around the eyes, pausing and gazing, I move along his right neck muscle into a bay of soft focus. The current pulls me around the back, down his left shoulder and out into an expansive sea. I am floating in emptiness. The fabric jerks me back and I am left in the intensity of his gaze... before gently slipping away again. |
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Asian Delicacies |
Aug 26th 2007 |
... There are few foods I won't eat. Few waters I won't drink. The other day I had chilly snails for lunch. The other evening I ate a fermented, fertilized egg - also known as a rotten egg with an underdeveloped chick in it; grilled - and washed it down with a can of sweet bird's nest & white fungus drink. Not long ago I ate a bag of maggots; eatable, but a little on the flowery side. I prefer crispy fried grasshopper. Snake, yep, tastes just like chicken - tender -, and monitor lizard is chewy like rubber. Right now a gecko is chirping in the corner of my guestroom and I'm wondering why I haven't seen it presented on a skewer yet. Here in Cambodia they serve fried, black tarantulas on big silver plates...
Go to: Asian Delicacies for continuation. |
| Decapitated chickens on a leaf. |
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Nevermind the Cyclone |
Aug 20th 2007 |
| Camera: |
DIGILUX 3 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
14mm (28mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/40sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/2.8 |
| ISO: |
400 |
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| Camera: |
DIGILUX 3 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
27mm (54mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/60sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/3.3 |
| ISO: |
400 |
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... The cyclone was picking up speed, the rain was coming down by the barrels. Within minutes, water began seeping into the hallways of the guesthouse. It was flooding. Nature was roaring, and suddenly I felt naked and vulnerable - like a pancake that was about to be flipped over effortlessly... Go to: Never mind the Cyclone
(Pictures from a guesthouse in Phnom Penh, Cambodia) |
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Learning how to drive |
Aug 13th 2007 |
Taking pictures of people is a little bit like driving a car. Once you've learned how to drive, you know how to take pictures of people. But just because you enjoyed speeding down the highway yesterday doesn't mean you can do the same today. You now find yourself dealing with a cold engine and a rusty gear box. And what happened to the terrain? Well, it's hard to tell because the windscreen's all fogged up and the control knobs for the misaligned rear mirrors have snapped off. You've been double parked and the driver's seat is wedged right up against the steering wheel - for now you're going nowhere!
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Go to: Learning how to drive (more pictures and captions added)
Pictures taken with Leica Digilux 3.
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| Camera: |
DIGILUX 3 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
50mm (100mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/640sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/5.6 |
| ISO: |
400 |
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Pic of the Day |
Aug 10th 2007 |
| From the early 19th to mid 20th century, Hue was the imperial capital during the Nguyen Dynasty. The citadel is a large complex that was largely destroyed during the war, and most visitors are guided through the parts that have been preserved. There are many ruins out towards the back where fewer people go... better for the photographic focus. |
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Hello from Hue in central Vietnam. Almost 3 weeks have passed since I first arrived in Ha Noi. I've toured the world heritage site Ha Long Bay in the east, trekked the mountainous terrain of Lào Cai in the north, visited a farmer's home in Ninh Binh, and am now heading south.
My biggest experience so far has been straying off the beaten track and meeting the local people. Communication is usually limited to sign language and a few broken phrases in Vietnamese or French, but it's enough to make a connection. I have great photos from these encounters and will post them when I get the chance.
As my last week in Vietnam approaches I find myself pushing for Saigon under slight time pressure, hopping from town to town, ticking off the big attractions. Yesterday I visited the Citadel of Hue, today I'm off to see the tombs, in the afternoon I catch a bus. Here's a pic - more to come soon! |
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Connections |
Aug 5th 2007 |
Whenever we break into the moment, chances are good we discover a lot to be beautiful (and worth framing). But our lives are often busy and driven. We have things to do, places to be, and sometimes it is hard to stop and appreciate the moment fully as it is. It is in this space, however, that genuine connections are made. The human essence, it seems, lives only in the present.
I have difficulties taking pictures of people unless we can connect on some level or other. If we interact but do not connect - be it through a smile, a common understanding, an agreement -, it's a bit of a shame. This "Zay" lady and I had a simple connection. I gave her some small change for her grandson, in return she gave me a lasting impression.
Photo taken with Leica Digilux 3. |
| Lady of the "Zay" tribe in the Lào Cai province of Northern Vietnam |
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Step into the Subject |
Aug 4th 2007 |
| The rock might have something to say |
| Camera: |
DIGILUX 3 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
29mm (58mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/320sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/7.1 |
| ISO: |
100 |
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"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." — Ferris Bueller.
What happens when you stop and look around once in a while?
Go to: Step into the Subject |
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V-Lux 1 Clip |
Aug 4th 2007 |
Stroke the tigers, fondle the cows, wrestle the cubs - get high on animal force at "Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua" in western Thailand. Or watch the compressed 6-minute rough cut, filmed and edited using V-Lux 1 and iMovie (broadband necessary). For more temple information go to guess where.
The final cut is in the works. |
| The monk has a special connection with the tigers. I wonder what it must be like. |
| Camera: |
V-LUX 1 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
24.1mm (114mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/250sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/4.0 |
| ISO: |
100 |
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| Stroke the tiger; feel it breathing, pulsating and twitching. This lady is happy. I was intoxicated. |
| Camera: |
V-LUX 1 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
88.8mm (420mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/400sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/3.7 |
| ISO: |
100 |
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| Camera: |
V-LUX 1 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
88.8mm (420mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/160sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/3.7 |
| ISO: |
100 |
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| There are many animals living on the premises, including wild boar, dear, horses, peacocks and water buffalos |
| Sharing food with an Albino Water Buffalo |
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| I love you, cow |
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Tourism |
Jul 30th 2007 |
| If a tripod isn't available, use a stalagmite |
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| Or switch to maximum aperture and approx 1/60sec exposure |
| Or switch to maximum aperture and approx 1/60sec exposure |
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| The symbol of Ha Long Bay, "Man and Woman" |
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Ha Long Bay is a real tourist destination located on the east coast of northern Vietnam. I tend to feel a little intimidated by major gatherings like these - when our mini bus first pulled up to the dock I fled straight to town and hid in a noodle shop.
But the following day saw me touring the world heritage bay and exploring the incredible grottos together with a family from Ho Chi Minh City. We had a fabulous time, all prejudice towards extreme tourism was quickly abandoned.
Here a few pictures of the giant caves, the island scenery and the family that treated me like one of their own. Go to: Tourism
Warming up with the Digilux 3. |
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