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Destinations – Lumaria Workshops
Lumaria Workshops

Lumaria Workshops

International Travel Photography Tours and Workshops

Lumaria Workshops

International Travel Photography Tours

Vietnam – food & photography as the ultimate connectors into intimate cultural experiences

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Every time I share this story of Sa Mei and myself meeting in 2007, and coincidentally reuniting in 2017 I’m amazed and inspired by the power of photography to connect.  Sa Mei is a member of the Red Dao hill tribe and lives in a small village about a days walk outside of Sapa, Northern Vietnam.  We had met her in 2007 on the trail, and I was taken by her warm smile and welcoming face, asking her to pose for a photograph. We only had about 30 minutes to connect, and limited English to communicate initially but she made an impact on me and I saved her photo on my phone.

Photo of myself with Sa Mei in 2017, holding photo I took in 2007 saved on my iPhone

In 2017, we were back in the same area leading a small group of photographers on a tour when we happened to run into Sa Mae on the trail.  As you can see from the two photographs, she looks nearly identical, but I wasn’t sure it was her until I pulled up her portrait on my phone to compare.  When I approached her and shared this portrait she was of course surprised and I’m sure uncertain of who I was, then nearly began to cry as she examined the photograph and we began to share memories of this encounter.

Portrait of Sa Mei in 2007 & 2017, a Red Dao hill tribe women near Sapa, Vietnam

Sa Mei and I shared stories of our lives the past decade (she has become more fluent in English with the influx of tourism & in fact speaks 4 languages), and we discovered that we were the same age though have led very different lives.  As she walked along the trail with our group I learned she is a grandmother and has a small farm where she lives with her husband and her son and daughter in law and grandchildren.  When she invited our group to join her family for lunch we happily changed our schedule and met her the next day at the trailhead.

Sa Mei walking on trial to her village Giang ta chai of the Red Dao hill tribe people outside of Sapa, Northern hill tribe areas, Vietnam

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This is Not the River

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“This is not the river
it’s an explanation of the river
that replaced the river.”  

 – Dean Young

Dashashwamedh Ghat Road (and it’s not easy for me to say either) is an unrelenting stream of humanity flowing down to the Ganges. Just after the incongruous tower of St. Thomas’s Anglican church, sitting in the middle of this chaos as though it has somehow been miraculously teleported from a small English town, and randomly plonked down in India, all motor traffic is banned. All day long, coaches disgorge pods of pale tourists that join the pedestrian mele like icebergs floating out to sea. Anxious faces try hard not to lose their guide, terrified that they may be uncontrollably swept away to the great unknown.

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Photographing Cuba

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5 tips for maximizing your photo experience in Cuba 2017

As a photographer, Cuba had always been on my bucket list. It was never a problem for me to visit because I’m British but for some inexplicable reason I never went.

You are always told, “If only you’d been here 30 years ago.” Well, I wasn’t and I was a little apprehensive as to what dramatic changes had taken place [Read more…]

Cuba planning, packing & inspirations

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Cuba, the energy of this place captivated me. The openness of the people, the rhythm of the music and dance, the layers of art, history, and culture. Can’t wait to return!

Two of my favorite preparations for a trip are reading books from other travelers capturing a feeling of place, and beginning a packing list of my favorite items [Read more…]

Cuba Trip Book – 2016

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newhairlineLast January Bob Holmes and I, through Lumaria Workshops, led a tour with Cuba-expert Chris Baker and a talented group of photographers.

Here’s a link to view our custom book from our group photos in Havana and Trinidad (best viewed in Chrome or Safari if on the iPhone):

http://www.blurb.com/b/7635841

Varanassi, India

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Every dawn and dusk thousands of pilgrims travel to the Ganges and perform the Ganga Aarti ceremony; making a wish, lighting a candle, and setting it afloat on the river. One of my wishes – to align my life and photography in a more balanced way. How? A surprising example may be this story of the photo I didn’t take.

Hindu girl selling small candles inside a cup of leaves and flowers.

Hindu girl selling small candles inside a cup of leaves and flowers.

The Sadhu was striking in appearance – white long hair, golden robe, radient weathered face and sinuous body. Something about the way he walked, held his head, and his calm eyes was different than the other Sadhus I’d encountered, too many eager to ask for a donation to pose for a photo. And it was obvious that I was in search of photographs, walking the ghats with two cameras around my shoulders, my eyes scanning the scene for images. As our paths converged in a relatively quiet area, where perfect morning light softly lit the colorful, graphic stairs of the ghat, we glanced at each other as we passed. I think we both took each other by surprise – that I didn’t raise my camera to take his photo, and that he didn’t stretch his hand out for a donation. I turned around to glance at the Sadhu one more time, and he turned simultaneously. He paused, the slightest gesture of his head communicated that he was inquisitive, possibly even open to being photographed and certainly curious that I hadn’t asked or tried to candidly captured the moment.

But I was tired of the superficial transaction I knew taking a quick photo would be, briefly regretting that I couldn’t linger here for days. For awhile I’ve been focusing more on capturing the perfect photo than the experience. Now I was searching for something more. In this circumstance, by not taking a photo I was able to connect – if only for a moment – authentically with him as a person. In the holiest of all places for Hindus, I had to believe there were still some things sacred. I smiled at him, did a slight bow and brought my hands to prayer as a sign of Namaste in greeting , and he graced me with his smile. He was indeed a “real” Sadhu, and this may be the most memorable experiences I had in India.

The bustle in one of the world’s oldest cities, Varanassi, is never ending and can be simultaneously wonderful and overwhelming to the senses. This photo of the cow serenely standing in the middle of the road with traffic buzzing by on both sides exemplifies the spirit of India to me, the ability to maintain calm in chaos, and the importance of finding your own center balance to adapt to the environment yet stay steady. In 1897 Mark Twain said "Benares (aka Varanasi) is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together."

The bustle in one of the world’s oldest cities, Varanassi, is never ending and can be simultaneously wonderful and overwhelming to the senses. This photo of the cow serenely standing in the middle of the road with traffic buzzing by on both sides exemplifies the spirit of India to me, the ability to maintain calm in chaos, and the importance of finding your own center balance to adapt to the environment yet stay steady.
In 1897 Mark Twain said “Benares (aka Varanasi) is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.”

Cow roaming ancient back streets of Varanasi, India

Cow roaming ancient back streets of Varanasi, India

The Untouchables. Politically active Untouchables prefer the term Dalit, which means "oppressed." They are the Hindu caste in charge of cremating bodies. We walked through their neighborhood on the way to the cremation ghats on the Ganges, I wasn't sure what to expect but certainly not outward signs of normalcy. Or warmth in their smiles as they greeted us, children playing, goats wandering, same scenes we'd encountered in so many rural villages. But where are the men you may ask? The scene blocks away from this neighborhood was entirely different. And the caste issue runs far deeper than I can do justice in a caption

The Untouchables. Politically active Untouchables prefer the term Dalit, which means “oppressed.” They are the Hindu caste in charge of cremating bodies. We walked through their neighborhood on the way to the cremation ghats on the Ganges, I wasn’t sure what to expect but certainly not outward signs of normalcy. Or warmth in their smiles as they greeted us, children playing, goats wandering, same scenes we’d encountered in so many rural villages. But where are the men you may ask? The scene blocks away from this neighborhood was entirely different. And the caste issue runs far deeper than I can do justice in a caption

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Rajasthan, India

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Camel silhouettes, Thar Desert near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Although we set up this scene for our photo tour, it was still a challenge to find a clear spot without background distractions, and enough distance to use my 300mm lens on my Nikon d500 (dx sensor making non dx lens focal length 400mm). I love the gesture of the camel leg kicking up the sand and the individual postures of each person & camel. I chose to bracket this scene, allowing for a little bit of detail to show in the camel's decorative blankets. India's skies are extremely polluted in comparison to what I'm accustomed to, in this circumstance it worked well to shoot straight into the sun for the orange glow (no filter needed).

Camel silhouettes, Thar Desert near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Although we set up this scene for our photo tour, it was still a
challenge to find a clear spot without background distractions, and enough distance to use my 300mm lens on my Nikon d500 (dx sensor making non dx lens focal length 400mm). I love the gesture of the camel leg kicking up the sand and the individual postures of each person & camel. I chose to bracket this scene, allowing for a little bit of detail to show in the camel’s decorative blankets. India’s skies are extremely polluted in comparison to what I’m accustomed to, in this circumstance it worked well to shoot straight into the sun for the orange glow (no filter needed).

One of the world’s largest camel fairs in the world is held in the town of Pushkar, India. Each November at the time of the full moon, historically over 11,000 camels, horses, and cattle are traded over this two week festival. The men were sifting the sand out of the grain to feed their their camels to be traded. We camped on site and witnessed this epic spectacle from dawn to dusk

One of the world’s largest camel fairs in the world is held in the town of Pushkar, India. Each November at the time of the full moon, historically over 11,000 camels, horses, and cattle are traded over this two week festival. The men were sifting the sand out of the grain to feed their their camels to be traded. We camped on site and witnessed this epic spectacle from dawn to dusk

I’ll never know exactly what this Camel trader at Pushkar festival was thinking, but I have a good idea. I took this photo the day after the USA presidential election results were announced (we were lucky -or not depending on your perspective - to get news via a borrowed cell phone hotspot in the middle of the remote Rajasthan desert). It was a surreal place to hear news that will effect the world, yet for these camel herders the big news was the sudden halt on the most common currency notes - 500 and 1,000 rupees in effort to stop counterfeiting of the current banknotes allegedly used for funding terroism and black money in the market. Though most agree the intent of this ban is good, it has had serious repercussions - especially for many of India's 260 million farmers have no bank accounts. Although I typically don’t pay money for photos, this time I sympathized with the traders dilemma and am sure the tips he made from foreigners that day outweighed cash earned by camel trading. And the lessons I learned from those in India to be flexible and adaptable in the face of great adversity is priceless.

I’ll never know exactly what this Camel trader at Pushkar festival was thinking, but I have a good idea. I took this photo the day after the USA presidential election results were announced (we were lucky -or not depending on your perspective – to get news via a borrowed cell phone hotspot in the middle of the remote Rajasthan desert). It was a surreal place to hear news that will effect the world, yet for these camel herders the big news was the sudden halt on the most common currency notes – 500 and 1,000 rupees in effort to stop counterfeiting of the current banknotes allegedly used for funding terroism and black money in the market. Though most agree the intent of this ban is good, it has had serious repercussions – especially for many of India’s 260 million farmers have no bank accounts. Although I typically don’t pay money for photos, this time I sympathized with the traders dilemma and am sure the tips he made from foreigners that day outweighed cash earned by camel trading. And the lessons I learned from those in India to be flexible and adaptable in the face of great adversity is priceless.

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Bhutan Himalayan trek

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Trekker & crow in silhouette against the spectacular 23,000 foot Himalayan peak of Jichu Drake

Trekker & crow in silhouette against the spectacular 23,000 foot Himalayan peak of Jichu Drake

Yak standing his ground near our Jomolhari base camp

Yak standing his ground near our Jomolhari base camp

School children sing us a song near Jomolhari Base Camp - most walk 1 hour to school each way over 1,000 feet elevation — at Jomolhari, Bhutan.

School children sing us a song near Jomolhari Base Camp – most walk 1 hour to school each way over 1,000 feet elevation

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Bhutan, a celebration of traditional Himalayan culture

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Bhutan – the The Last Shangri La, the land of the Thunder Dragon, and a culture that celebrates ‘Gross National Happiness’ over GNP. It’s an idyllic Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between the world superpowers of China and India. The government strictly controls tourism and is one of the last Himalayan kingdoms to resist rampant modernization. Until 1974 there was no currency, all transactions were completed in trade. There’s few places in the world remaining where a visitor can glimpse such a strong cultural heritage still thriving.

Dochu La pass overlooking Himalayas & Gnagkar Puensum, the highest unclimbed mountain in the world (22,600 feet), Bhutan

Dochu La pass overlooking Himalayas & Gnagkar Puensum, the highest unclimbed mountain in the world (22,600 feet), Bhutan

Buddhists circumnavigating Memorial Chorten in prayer, Thimpu

Buddhists circumnavigating Memorial Chorten in prayer, Thimpu

Monk running up stairs inside Jakar Dzong, Bumthang

Monk running up stairs inside Jakar Dzong, Bumthang

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