The children of Ghana

I have to say that one of the best parts of the Africa trip was the children. They would be playing games with each other (no toys involved) and would laugh and interact in a way you really don't see here in the US. When they would see me walking around with my camera, the children would run up and immediately strike a pose. I would take the photo and as soon as the shutter clicked or the flash went off, the kids would all burst into laughter.
It was so amazing to meet and hang out with the children in Ghana. Really something I'll never forget and hope to be able to experience again soon.

My newest pick for a great photography book to check out is: Bruce Davidson-East 100th Street

Neighbor

For a few days in Ghana I went around with Mark. He is working on building a day school for the mentally handi-cap. While visiting one of his students I ran into her neighbor who was photographed here. While no one was around to translate for me, all I needed was a smile and nod to know it was ok to take the photo. It was so pleasant and beautiful with no distractions or comfort talk. Sometimes for myself, I prefer that much more.

Please check out Raymond Depardon- Photo Poche

Overnight train from Cairo to Luxor

I was only in Egypt for four days so I did the tourist thing. I spent three days in Cairo and one day in Luxor. To get to Luxor my wife and I took the overnight train which was one of the highlights of the trip. I love seeing all the cities that tourists don't visit all that often and witnessing the day to day life of people who live there. Luxor is about ten hours from Cairo so you can just sit and stare out of the window and be entertained the entire trip.

This was a soldier passing in the night at the station in Luxor. Many people would hang out of the doors and windows and watch us watch them.

I also have been finding many photographers and books that are very inspirational so I figured every time I post I will list one new person or book you should check out.

For this post it's: Curse Of The Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta by Michael Watts and Ed Kashi

Back from Africa

Well, it's been a little too long but a lot has happened since the latest entry. I left my full time job to pursue photography full time, got married and just returned from my honeymoon in Africa. So I will have plenty of images to share with you guys and I look forward to seeing what you think of everything.

This first photo I'm sharing with you is of Soale. My wife and I met him while visiting her father in Tema. He is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. He's from the Northern region of Ghana where he grew up on a farm working with animals and even being a shepherd at one time. His family history is very fascinating as well and I will scan in some writing he did about his grandfather who was a chief in the village he grew up in.

Enjoy

My break from the world

I've decided to go on an "information fast." I guess lots of people are suggesting it, and doing it...Not watching tv, not listening to news radio, not reading cnn.com or yahoo.com, "unplugging from the matrix" as my friend Dave likes to say. Allegedly you discover that you don't miss anything, and have a ton more time to do productive things. Wish me luck!

One thing I can't take a fast from, though, is art. And here's the next picture in the Yesterday series, which actually may have a little to do with my information fast. The people in my "dream retirement" blog, I'm guessing, don't spend a lot of time downloading NPR's Story of the Day podcast. And they don't seem all that worse off for it. And what about these people?





Again, the entire feel of this shop is irresistible to me. It's such a simple slogan, a simple idea, and everyone feels like they're a little famous for a simple second. It reminds me of something I was reading (before my information fast!) about a newspaper in a small town that decided not to show any of the normal national headlines - their focus was only on local people, local names. They said something like, if an atomic bomb falls on Boston, we won't print it unless the debris falls in Ourtown. And it was hugely successful - they had more subcriptions than households in the town. At the end of the day, I think people just like to see another human being, someone else small and drifting in this crazy universe. I just wish I could see this wall close up.

If you want to check out the entire "Yesterday" series (this is picture 5 of 9), click here.

My Dream Retirement

This is what I'd like to do when I retire.







I'd love to have a little shop, the kind where people are actually "regulars." Fill it with all my favorite knick knacks, memorabilia, and books, and then sit all day and look at them, while people come in wanting to talk about the stuff in the store, and maybe make a little money in the process. I like these two pictures because the guys are surrounded by what they love, and seem like they'd just be the nicest, most fun people in the world to talk to.

If you want to check out the entire "Yesterday" series (these are pictures 3 and 4 of 9), click here.

A little healthy competition

I think this picture is simply amazing, not only on its technical merits, but because of the meaning behind it.



Isn't it amazing how people will create such phenomenal statements without even realizing it? All the sports pennants, underneath newspapers detailing the events of World War II. I doubt the store owners meant to do it, but to me it makes a statement about how the two are really just points on the same spectrum. All kind of a big testosterone-y game. Of course, I'll take football over Nazis anytime...

If you want to check out the entire series (this is picture #2 of 9), click here.