08-DEC-2016
Body Language on display, Mangalore, India, 2016
I had a chance to photograph these three women over a period of about ten minutes as they waited for a bus just across the street from me. They noticed me making pictures with my telephoto lens, and seemed very self-conscious for the first five minutes. However they soon became used to my presence, and their body language became more relaxed. In this image, each of these women gesture with their arms in different ways. At the top of the image, an advertisement featuring a hand gesture complements this body language theme. Their blue clothing pulls them together as a group. I complete this environmental portrait by relating the group to their well-worn surroundings. They stand on a dusty platform over a crumbling curb. The wall behind them features not only the admonishing hand gesture, but also advertisements for local products and services.
08-DEC-2016
Market portrait, Mangalore, India, 2016
I made this portrait in a market covered with canvas awnings, which provided me with soft, dappled shadows as well as a deeply shadowed background to work with. I waited until this woman, who was shopping for bananas at the moment, stepped out of the dark shadows and into the softly filtered sunlight. She turned in my direction and as she did, I made this image. I always look at several different places while I am shooting people, thereby avoiding confrontation. She sees me, but she may not be sure of what I may be photographing. There is no trace of a smile. Meanwhile, my long telephoto lens throws the bananas in the background into soft focus, lending context to the image. The bright yellow bananas and her brilliantly colored dress drew attention away from her expressive eyes. I solved this problem by converting the image to black and white, giving the eyes prominence.
08-DEC-2016
A sense of place, Mangalore, India, 2016
Mangalore, located on the shore of the Arabian Sea, is one of India’s major ports. It handles 75 per cent of the country’s coffee exports and the bulk of its cashew nuts. This street is closed to automobile traffic, and is usually crowded with shoppers. I used a wideangle lens to make this image. It features a woman in a bright yellow dress, holding a blue bag and a purple umbrella. She anchors my image, standing at the edge of the sidewalk that starts in the lower right corner of my frame. The sidewalk creates a strong diagonal thrust that leads the eye into the rest of the image. The sidewalk is crowded with parked motorbikes, and items for sale. A brilliant red striped awning slices into the image from right to left as well. All of the primary colors – red, yellow, and blue – combine to convey a sense of this place.
09-DEC-2016
Egrets, Cochin, India, 2016
Cochin is the second most important city on the West Coast of India after Bombay. This gateway to the prosperous Indian state of Kerala is known as the “Queen of the Arabian Sea.” Fish are pulled from this sea by huge nets along the edge of the city. I found this grouping of egrets standing below those nets, waiting for a handout. Their white and gray feathers contrast to the rich and muted colors of the rope coils and machinery that surround tem.
09-DEC-2016
The catch, Cochin, India, 2016
These fish had been caught in Cochin’s huge nets only moments before I made this photograph. They were thrown on top of a box, creating a series of diagonal lines that both matched and opposed the diagonals created by the box. I also liked the soft interplay of shadow and light, and the rich colors created by both nature and man.
10-DEC-2016
Fishermen, Cochin, India, 2016
I spent an hour or so making pictures from a tourist boat while touring Cochin’s harbor. This is my favorite image of that tour. There were at least nine fishermen coming at me, all of them crowded into a small boat. The contrasting expressions and clothing tell a diverse story, but even more important to this image is the energy provided by flying towel that the man in the back of the boat is wrapping around himself.
09-DEC-2016
The horse and the carpet, Cochin, india, 2016
This wooden horse is displayed in the show window of a Cochin antique shop. I was fascinated by the flaking paint, colors, and detail that gives this horse its distressed character as an object of value. I also noticed that a colorful, richly detailed Indian rug was hanging directly behind the horse. Shooting through the glass show window, I was able to get both that rug and the horse into sharp focus. The background and foreground blend to create an incongruous illusion. This image seems to ask the question, “Is this a picture of a rug and a horse, or is it a picture of a rug containing a horse as part of its design?”
11-DEC-2016
Offering, Kelaniya Viharaya Temple, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2016
This temple is among the most revered Buddhist temples of the Orient. It is said that Buddha visited here around 500 B.C. I moved in on this offering stand to emphasize smoke from the burning incense left by worshippers, which represents the fragrant scent of morality. The bowl is filled with floral offerings as well. I made this image to appeal to both the imagination and the sense of smell. The fragrance of burning incense is at the core of this image.
11-DEC-2016
The Sleeping Buddha of Kelaniya, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2016
The Kelaniya Temple is the holiest place in Colombo. And this enormous “Sleeping Buddha” is the most spectacular feature of that temple. I used a wideangle lens to move in on the upper portion of the statue. I include part of the transparent curtain that partially hangs before the figure. The rhythmic folds of that curtain offers a strong contrast to the flowing horizontal lines of the statue, as well as the vividly colored bands that are arrayed behind it. This image offers an adventure in spectacular color – the massive gilded figure draws the eye, it’s golden hues symbolizing the honor and reverence that pervades this temple.
11-DEC-2016
Reverence, Kelaniya Temple, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2016
I made this image in a very dark room. It was filled with visitors, many of them standing reverently before a seated statue of Buddha. I turned my wideangle lens vertically, to embrace the visitors, the statue, and the enormous arch that soars overhead. Using my spot meter, I exposed this image for the snow covered mountain peak dominating the illuminated painting behind the statue. As a result, most of my image goes dark, symbolizing the hushed, holy atmosphere within this chamber. Only this backdrop and the golden statue are clearly defined. As for the visitors, they are mostly darkened, except for the man with his back to us in the center of the bottom of this image. He seems to be softly glowing, which could symbolize the effect this experience may be having upon him.
11-DEC-2016
Funeral procession, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2016
All traffic had been briefly halted along this Colombo street in respect for this Muslim funeral procession. As the pallbearers passed the window of our tour bus, I was able to make this photograph through a window.
My wideangle lens includes both the procession, which flows entirely across this image, and the surrounding environment. A soccer stadium stands in the distance, its light towers echoing the large streetlight that towers over the procession. Although nearly two-thirds of Sri Lanka’s population is Buddhist, almost ten percent of its population are Muslims.
12-DEC-2016
A Hindu Portrait, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2016
Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon) is one of the most religious countries on earth. It is an island country just south of India, which has 90 per cent of the world’s Hindus. While Sri Lanka is mostly Buddhist, there are many Hindus living there as well, including this woman who has come to a temple to bring offerings. I photographed her just as she was about to get out of the auto-rickshaw that brought her to the temple. Holding her bags, she looks at us intently as she is about to emerge from the auto-rickshaw. Her expressive features are intensified by the symbolic markings upon her forehead. Given this intensity, this photograph proved to be one of the most expressive portraits I made on this trip.