Atmosphere

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What I've done is pick some photos (from our second trip to Alaska), which exhibit a certain atmosphere which I like to think of as blue/green/intense/mystery. The first picture, just taken from our deck shows the promise of what is to come. Photo number 2, is from the bird's perspective. Photos number 3 - 5 are not much photographically, except that they show so clearly this blue/green/intense/mystery of what I'm talking about. Photos number 6 - 8 show this same feeling, but also exhibit a very quiet, very still intensity. Photo number 9, however, is anything but still and quiet. What I really like about it is the angelic figure, breaking off from the glacier, and going down into the sea. Photo number 10 is... well it just is, and it may well become the basis of a story. And finally, photo number 11 shows Alaska at its most spectacular. Enjoy!

India, part three - this is what it really felt like.

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Well, here is is, my third collection of photos from our India trip. The first photo is of a sadhu, or holy man, just walking about, wanting his picture taken (for a small fee). The next one is of a textile worker, a true craftsman, with the work of his hands gracing the homes of persons much more affluent. Photo number 3 is a picture of my lovely wife, enjoying our amazing bus ride. The Fourth photo is taken in a big city hospital (in Jaipur), with the woman and her daughter sitting by, calmly awaiting their turn to be seen. Photo number 5 is from one of our rest stops, and there is just something about it... Photo number 6 is taken from our bus, and expresses the incredible enthusiasm and joy of youth. Photo number 7 is of the beautiful temple of Lakshmi in Jaipur, and even though it is not of great photographic quality, I think it expresses well the feeling at sunset, of the quiet dignity around that house of worship. Photos 8 - 10 are from the Amber Fort near Jaipur. the first is of the main entryway, with its elephants, and unmistakable color. The second one is of the Palace of Mirrors (for the maharani), and the third one in the set is the maharani's somewhat censored view of her surroundings. Photos number 11 and 12 are of markets, and catch some of the true feeling of the open markets in the city of Jaipur. Photo 13 is of a woman by the side of the road, and speaks of her true dignity and grace. Photo number 14 is of yet another rest stop/restaurant, on the way to Agra, and captures the quietness and beauty of that unexpected place. And I don't need to tell you much about photo number 15, except that it is taken at sunrise. Enjoy!

But what did it feel like? India, part two.

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Back now for a second look at India, and what it felt like. Part of what it felt like was the awe over the magnificent structures that represent India, and its magical history, but if you look around, behind, and to the sides, you can see the individual stories, the people, and the circumstances behind them. Photos number 1, 3 and 5 represent the magnificence of the structures of antiquity - and, in particular Humayan's tomb. Photos number 2, 4 and 6 show some of the people within, without and to the sides, who each have a story to tell, or so it seemed to me. Photos 7, 8 and 9 are from the magnificent Q'tub Minar complex. Photo number 8 is of a facade with the flowing script which tells of pages from the Q'ran. Photo number 7 is actually one of my own favorites, and it is so telling that no words are needed.  Photo number 9 tells its own story, also with no real words necessary. The expressions, the intensity and the contrasts tell it all.

What does it feel like? India, part one.

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This post is, very naturally, different from the last one. When you go visit India, you can be prepared to see all the magnificent temples and forts, but along the way you run into the real India, which is made up of people. So, my next two or three posts will feature a lot of people, for they are what India "feels like." In photo number 1 we are in the giant mosque in old Delhi, and it's hard not to feel like an intruder. Picture number 2 is a street scene, but it is the man, who appears to be enjoying a moment of reverie, and again we feel like intruders. In photo number 3, we have a colorful market, and here we don't feel that same intrusiveness, rather we want to stop and sample some fruit. In photos 4 - 6 we are whisking through the busy streets, enjoying the bustle and little dramas that unfold before us. In picture number 7, we are the action, as a gifted salesman convinces us that here, at last is that oriental masterpiece to grace our living quarters. And photo number 8, is one of my own favorites. It shows us the street life with which India teems. The look on the man's face, who rides by in absolute dignity, with his one leg, caring for his two children in back, says that he is there, full of sorrow, pain and life itself. And such is India.

But what did it feel like?

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When we go on trips to exotic places, we're often asked, "what was it like?" Well, without my photos, I'm usually at a loss to explain. And I think I know why. What the people are asking is actually, "what did it feel like?" And even though I can be rather descriptive, I can never quite explain just how it felt without sharing "what did it look like?" These pictures are a case in point. They are all from our second trip to Alaska/Yukon, and are all taken with my "second" camera. Picture number 1 is from our boat, as we sailed the peaceful waters toward Alaska. Picture number 2 is from Ketchikan, almost deserted at 6:00 AM (you'll notice it's quite light out). Picture number 3 is a late evening shot of the waters of the Inside Passage. Pictures 4, 5 and 6 are from our excursion inland to Yukon, as is picture number 7 (one of my favorites). And picture number 8 is something of a summary of just what it felt like to be right there, next to one of the glaciers in College Fjord.