Stairrow

During a rainy day in Phuket, I spent some time exploring our hotel. I was bored and stuck inside, so I went for a stroll to pass the time. Wandering down a random hallway, I was surprised to see this modern/minimal scene ahead. My eyes first went to the bright neon green exit sign, but I could also appreciate the symmetry encapsulating the arrow-shaped staircase.

It was the combination of these features that intrigued me. All were fighting for my attention, but none of them could hold it. I would enjoy the architecture for a moment and then move my eyes to the exit sign for a moment. They needed each other, a combination of structure and whimsy.

The colorful green light brings some playfulness to the scene. In complete contrast to the structure below, it is bright, bold, and slightly off-center. However, the sign loses value without the beautiful arrangement of multiple right angles.

A lot of structure, with a little whimsy. I took a photo.

One side note. To the right is an unbroken wall. The exit sign arrow pointing right should be pointing upwards. More whimsy?

Balloons Over Buddhas

Every morning in Bagan, hot air balloons lift off near the Irrawaddy river and slowly drift over the numerous temples and pagodas. They grant tourists a unique way to view the scenic valley, but perhaps even better, they provide a great photo opportunity for those who stay on the ground.

In the wake of recent earthquakes and to preserve the structures, Bagan has banned climbing on almost all of its temples. Tourists used to flock to the large Sulamuni Temple for iconic views of the sunrise. As this is no longer possible, finding viewpoints above the tree canopy are limited. Fortunately, there are still two smaller temples that remain open for sunrise and sunset viewing. Space is limited, so you have to arrive early, but witnessing the morning ritual is worth the early wake-up call.

My guide and I arrived here in the darkness. Using a flashlight, we climbed the narrow, internal staircase until we reached the upper balcony. There were already 6-8 people there when we arrived, but a space looking towards the golden Ananda temple was still available. I quickly set up my gear and then waited patiently for the show to start.

As the sun appeared, the haze took on a pleasing glow and the first glimpse of a balloon could be seen in the distance. Soon there were dozens of balloons dotting the sky and approaching our location. The procession lasted about an hour during which I alternated between taking photos and quietly observing the exhibition. After the color and balloons faded, I spent another 20 minutes enjoying the panoramic view on the other side of the temple. A memorable morning in an extraordinary place.

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Pure Procession

I must admit, Laos exceeded all of my expectations. From the people to the food, landscapes, waterfalls & mountains, it is fantastic. 

Before I arrived, I had done some research on the tak bat (the morning collection of food in Luang Prabang by the resident Buddhist monks.) I knew it was something that I wanted to witness, so I set my alarm for 5 am to the displeasure of my wife. 

The tak bat begins at 5:30, so if you want to witness it, you must get up early. I tried my best to be quiet, as I gathered my gear and left our room to walk the chilly streets of Luang Prabang. I scouted a temple the previous day that was away from the more touristy parts of the city and quickly walked to its location. I intentionally avoided the tourists as I wanted to see this ritual without distraction. Setting up on the opposite sidewalk, I waited patiently for groups of monks coming from the 80+ temples in the city to walk past. 

For centuries, the monks have walked the streets in silent meditation while locals place gifts of food into their bowls. The locals position themselves on the sidewalk at least 15 minutes before the procession starts. They mostly sit in chairs, but some kneel in respect. As each monk approaches in their saffron-clad robes (ranging from rich orange to red), the locals graciously place a portion of fresh sticky rice into the bowl that hangs from their shoulders. This is a symbiotic relationship. Feeding the monks and alternatively receiving the blessings, tak bat supports both the monks (who need the food) and the almsgivers (who desire spiritual redemption). Again, all in silence, respect on all sides, and amazing to witness.

This image was taken when it was still mostly dark. Some streetlights were illuminating the temple, but the sun was still below the horizon. My wish was to capture the monks in motion and the low light helped me achieve this result. I played around with some different settings and liked the motion blur produced with a 1/8 second shutter speed. Then I took several images of passing monks with the white temple as a backdrop. It is interesting how much movement is captured in just 1/8 of a second. With limited light in the scene, the monks themselves almost fade away, leaving only their brilliant robes reflecting light. I increased the original exposure in processing to brighten the scene and reveal more detail.

I stayed here for approximately 2 hours until the procession finished. As the sun rose and lit the area, I captured some sharper images of the participants. For those interested, I have included some of these images below.

Lao woman staying warm while awaiting the next group of monks in the procession.

Lao woman offering rice to one of the monks

Boy monk participating in the tak bat

Lower Kuang Si

These are part of the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls outside of Luang Prabang. It is only a short hike from the entrance of the falls to get to this point. Here, several layers cascade gently downward in vibrant turquoise pools creating a striking scene. I spent several minutes here photographing the falls and just watching the water flow past...the color was captivating.

Amazingly, this spot is not even the main attraction. Further upstream are the larger falls with a 200 ft drop that draw many more tourists. I will share an image of those large falls in another post, but these smaller ones were my favorite...so I gave them priority :)

Peaceful Paya

Visting Bagan, Myanmar in December 2017 was an incredible experience. The plains near the ancient city are filled with over 2,200 Buddhist monuments (pagodas, stupas, monasteries, etc) of varying shapes and sizes.

Between the 9th & 13th centuries, Bagan was the flourishing capital of the Pagan Kingdom and over 10,000 monuments were built here. Sadly, after repeated Mongol invasions and numerous earthquakes, only a fraction of the monuments survived. Still, with over 2,000 remaining, a view across the plains is a mesmerizing sight.

This was taken on our first night in Bagan. We arrived only an hour before sunset and did not have time to venture out into the plains. Fortunately, there was this beautiful small pagoda (Paya, in Burmese) very close to our hotel. From this spot, you could see numerous temples in the background and it turned out to be a great place to watch the sunset. As the sun disappeared behind the mountain in the distance, the sky softened and the lights around the pagoda illuminated. A perfect, peaceful first night in Bagan.

Prayer in Primary Colors

They say timing is everything. I am not sure who “they” are, but I tend to agree…especially in the case of this image.

After spending an hour photographing sunset at Wat Chedi Luang, my wife and I started making our way out of the complex, past this beautiful temple and toward the center of Chiang Mai. 

We noticed the sidewalk and streets were much busier than when we entered the complex hours ago. Worshipers had filled the temple and the city had come alive with street vendors, locals and tourists. Several Tuk-tuk drivers were yelling nearby, trying to solicit fares, while the already-employed Tuk-tuks whizzed by loudly on the street. Reaching the sidewalk, I turned around for one last look at the temple and immediately asked my wife to “wait a sec”...she knows that “wait a sec” really means “Jim spotted something he needs to photograph”…

I quickly moved to a position in-between the crowds and the temple. Seemingly oblivious to the mild chaos behind her, this solitary figure kneeled in prayer. It was her beautiful red clothing that first caught my attention, then her pose and concentration. In front of her the golden Buddha was illuminated by the nearby lights and, fortunately timed, the blue hour had begun. What a beautiful scene!

From observation to capture, this image took no more than twenty seconds. A scramble into position, a quick change of camera settings and a silent prayer of my own as I released the shutter. 

Fortunate timing indeed.

Enlightened

This is the Buddha Dordenma statue that sits above Thimphu, Bhutan. It is not your ordinary Buddha, as it stands nearly 170 feet (51.5 meters) tall, making it one of the largest Buddhas in the world. It is made of bronze, but completely gilded in gold and can be seen from miles away as you enter the capital of Bhutan. Our guide, Ugay, brought us here one afternoon after touring the city. We had already visited several amazing temples the previous three days, so seeing a Buddha statue was nothing new, but the size of this one was impressive.

It was in many respects, the wrong time to take a photo…the sun was high and light was harsh, there was hardly any color in the sky, no clouds, no texture. But still, I wanted to try to capture this amazing statue…and that is when inspiration hit me to shoot for the end result, not what the camera can capture. 

Knowing that I could do some magic in Photoshop, I set up my tripod directly in front of the buddha. Even though the light was harsh, I loved the way it was glowing off the face and side of the Buddha. I also could see that my lens was picking up lens flares, so I took a series of images with the flares and another series with my hand blocking the sun, so that the camera could focus sharply on the statue.

In Photoshop, I blended the images together and added color to the sky using the the gold in the statue as a source. The sun flares added an interesting element and I added some texture using a sun burst pattern in the background. 

I often take photographs imagining what I want the final result to look like. That said, I rarely take the liberty of heavy handed post processing to make the image work. This ended up being much more of an interpretation of what I saw as opposed to a realistic image, but it was fun to create and I like the end result.

Hopefully the Buddha also approves…

The Caretaker

This image is from our past trip to Bhutan…another portrait of one of the people that I found so inspiring. We found the people of Bhutan to be welcoming and warm everywhere that we went. It seems to just be their nature, part of their culture.

We met this gentle soul while hiking up to the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal, an important and beautiful temple that overlooks the Punakha Valley. Looking ahead as we walked through the rice fields, we could see him spinning a prayer wheel that marks the start of the ascent up to the temple. When we arrived he greeted us with a smile and welcomed us to this sacred place…his sacred place. We discovered, with the help of our guide, that he is the head monk and the caretaker of the temple. 

After offering us a blessing, he encouraged us to continue our hike up to the main temple. He seemed genuinely happy that we were there to visit and we, in turn, felt fortunate that our timing allowed us this chance encounter.

I don’t often take portraits of people, but this was an experience I wanted to capture. Before leaving, I mustered up the courage to ask the monk if I could take his photograph and he happily agreed. With the light now above the mountains to the east and illuminating one side of him, I took this one image.

When I look at the image, I since the serenity and kindness that he possesses. Perhaps this is simply because of our personal encounter, but I hope that you can also see this in his eyes and expression. I also hope that if you visit Bhutan, you get a chance to meet him as well. 

Angkor Gondolier

When I think of gondolas, I always picture Venice. I never even considered that we would see gondolas in Cambodia, but there are actually quite a few that take people out onto the moat surrounding Angkor Thom.

After a hot day full of wandering through various ruins and temples, it was a welcome break to relax in the boat as our gondolier steered us out on the water. We hired the gondola shortly before sunset and, as a result, we were able to watch the sun go down while floating around this ancient temple complex...a really peaceful experience.

This image is of another gondola that was ahead of us. I loved watching the gondolier skillfully make his way through the narrow passageways in between the reeds. It was a beautiful, unexpected scene and was the perfect ending to our first day in Cambodia.

Wat Chedi Luang

Wat Chedi Luang is a Buddhist temple in the historic center of Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was built in the late 14th century and was originally around 90 meters (295 feet) high before it was partly destroyed in an earthquake in 1545. Even in its damaged state, it remained the tallest structure in Chiang Mai for over 500 years. 

The chedi was restored by Unesco and the Japanese government in the 1990s, however, the restorers stopped short of finishing the spire, as apparently nobody could agree what the original design looked like. The result is this somewhat awkward shaped spire that I find very interesting.

From this angle, you can just make out the black jade Buddha sitting in the upper niche. It is a copy of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok and was placed here in 1995 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the chedi.

I visited this temple in the late afternoon and waited until several spotlights illuminated the chedi in the early evening. During this time, with the golden lights and the darkening sky, I think the temple looks even more majestic. Fortunately the sky also cooperated with some great color as the sun disappeared.