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Pensioners, La Paz, Bolivia
La Paz – highest capital city in the world – is quite a sight, built inside a glacial valley and very challenging to get around without the magnificant swiss-made cable car system that runs two-and-fro - some 17 miles of it - across the valley. I spotted a row of old people sitting outside a public building waiting, I think, for their weekly benefit. I took a photo from each side and, whilst I prefer the view from the right hand side, I really love the two perspectives mounted together, capturing all the characters. I particularly like the old lady in the traditional bolivian hat, looking imperiously into middle distance
Pensioners, La Paz, Bolivia
La Paz – highest capital city in the world – is quite a sight, built inside a glacial valley and very challenging to get around without the magnificant swiss-made cable car system that runs two-and-fro - some 17 miles of it - across the valley. I spotted a row of old people sitting outside a public building waiting, I think, for their weekly benefit. I took a photo from each side and, whilst I prefer the view from the right hand side, I really love the two perspectives mounted together, capturing all the characters. I particularly like the old lady in the traditional bolivian hat, looking imperiously into middle distance
Free Hugs at Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo
Shibuya Crossing is one of Tokyo's most recognizable sights, pictured in countless films, magazines and blogs. During its busiest times, an estimated 1,000 to 2,500 people forge their way across this intersection every two minutes, enough to quickly fill up a football stadium. When I took this photo, I was struck by the way that everyone on the other side appeared to be ignoring each other, completely absorbed in their own individual worlds, despite being in a huge crowd in a huge city. And then, right at the back of the crowd, someone’s holding a sign aloft, saying ‘free hugs’….
Lookout on the prow; the Ciénaga de Pijiño, Magdelena River, Columbia.
Santa Cruz de Mompox, is a magical town on an island in the middle of the Magdalena River. To the north of the town, and accessible by small boat via connecting canals, is a large, quite shallow lake called Ciénaga de Pijiño. This shot, taken towards the end of the afternoon, is of the pilot on the prow, making sure that the depth of water was sufficicent to let the boat pass.
Rapto De Europa, Plaza Botega, Medellin, Columbia
Once considered one of the deadliest cities in the world, Medellín has undergone a transformation over the last fifteen years that has made it one of the most modern places in all of Colombia. The city has become a lot safer, with a fantastic metro and cable car system that could rival the best in Europe. Botero is a famous artist from Medellin known for his drawing and statues of oversized people. The epynomous plaza in the centre of the City is home to 23 Botero sculptures and is always packed with people . I took this photo as I liked the image of the over-sized figure of the statue looking one way and the rather bored-looking hombre gazing vacantly in the opposite direction.
Khymer Village Girl, Oudomxay Province, N Laos
One of the benefits of travel is that it takes you out of the bubble you live in and reminds you that many parts of the world live – and think – very differently. On a visit to a variety of remote mountain villages in the far north of Laos, I was captivated by the faces of the locals, especially the children. Living in severe poverty, with hardly any amenities, these youngsters didn’t appear to have much future outside the community they were born into. Goodness knows what they thought of these strange, well-fed foreigners visting their villages. I love this picture of a young Khymer girl, with her evocative face, grubby clothes and bare feet but clutching her Disney-themed back pack like her life depneded on it. Probably her most prized possession, and I expect it went with her everywhere.
Acka Village girls, Oudomxay Province, North Laos
One of the benefits of travel is that it takes you out of the bubble you live in and reminds you that many parts of the world live – and think – very differently. This photo was taken in an Acka village in the far north of Laos. The two girls were standing behind a truck and watching us as we walked up to the village. I loved the expressions on their faces; a mix of curiosity and apprehension. Living in severe poverty, with hardly any amenities, these youngsters didn’t appear to have much future outside the community they were born into.
Acka Village girls, Oudomxay Province, North Laos
One of the benefits of travel is that it takes you out of the bubble you live in and reminds you that many parts of the world live – and think – very differently. This photo was taken in an Acka village in the far north of Laos. The two girls were standing behind a truck and watching us as we walked up to the village. I loved the expressions on their faces; a mix of curiosity and apprehension. Living in severe poverty, with hardly any amenities, these youngsters didn’t appear to have much future outside the community they were born into.
School lunchbreak, Kymer Village, Oudomxay Province, Northern Laos
One day, we stopped for a quick picnic in the school playground of a Khymer village in the far north of Laos. Not long after we sat down, the children finished school for the morning and came out to play and eat their lunch. I took the opportunity to take some photos and this particular panorama is my favourite. There’s so much going on in this scene; the young boy walking into shot is clearly seen as ‘trouble’ by some of the girls (look at the little girl’s expression in the centre of the photo), others are negotiating lunch items and, to the right, another group of girls are absorbed in, what looks like a very competitive skipping game.
Buddist Prayers, Hanoi, Vietnam
This photo ws taken at one of the many buddist temples dotted around lake Ho Tay in the centre of Hanoi. The old lady in the front of the picture was chanting very energetically and pumping her fists as her two companions – one with prayer book on her head – calmly prayed alongside. I think the photo captures the moment perfectly.
Cai Rang floating market, Can Tho, Mekong Delta, Vietnam
I was very fortunate to have captured this image, with the pensive face of the woman almost perched on top of the spray being thrown up as the boat chugs it way down the river.
Window Gossip, Trinidad, Cuba
Trinidad, on Cuba’s south coast, is – like the rest of the country – a crumbling relic of its colonial past, mired in poverty but hugely photogenic. I like to think the two men are catching up on local gossip in the kind of through-the-window scene very common across the Caribbean, Central and South America
Skygazer at Shibuya Crossing
In the middle of massive crowds of pedestrians criss-crossing the famous confluence of streets at Shibuya, one girl stood calmly looking up at the sky between the huge skyscrapers that surround the square, seemingly oblivious to the teeming passage of people around her.
Tea Ceremony, Kyoto, Japan
The beginnings of the Japanese tea ceremony as we know it today were developed in Kyoto sometime during the late 16th century. Many places in Kyoto, from temples to teahouses, offer tea ceremony experiences and it’s a popular tourist activity. I particularly liked the sense of timeless tradition in this image, as if it could have been made yesterday or 100 years ago
Across the river, Lang Prabang, Northern Laos
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, Lang Prabang blends traditional Lao architecture, European colonial buildings, and over 30 Buddhist temples. The protected area encompasses 33 of its 58 villages, where daily rituals like the morning alms-giving ceremony persist. It is also packed with tourists. Head over the Mekong by local ferry, however, and the pace is utterly different. I took this shot of a local woman coming back from the markets in Lang Prabang with her shopping. This included three live ducks and you can just see one of the ducks’ heads hanging out of the bottom of her bag.
Knife Grinder, Oaxaca, Mexico
Oaxaca, together with the nearby archeological site of Monte Albán, was designated in 1987 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has numerous colonial-era structures and has a reputation as a foodie desination. This photo shows a street knife grinder at work using his ingeneous portable grinding machine - made out of an old bicyle.
Portrait of the artist, Alice Springs, Northern Territories, Australia
Although it is the gateway to the ethereal beauties of Uluru further south in the interior, I felt Alice Springs carried a rather sad ambient. We bought some artwork from Teresa, and she graciously posed for me with it. We found the aboriginal people, understandably, really do not like tourists taking gratuitous photos so I was very happy to capture such a strong and striking face.
Huillanopampa, Taquile, Lake Titicaca, Peru
Taquile is an island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, 45 km offshore from the city of Puno. About 2,200 people live on the island. Taquileños run their society based on community collectivism and on the Inca moral code "do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy". Huillanopampa is the main town and as we walked up from the port, we came across an old man knitting (the island is renowned for its textiles) by the entrance. He looked to me like he was guarding a gateway to another world. In many ways, that’s exactly what we found beyond the archway.
Huillanopampa, Taquile, Lake Titicaca, Peru
Taquile is an island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca 45 km offshore from the city of Puno. About 2,200 people live on the island. I came across this old man knitting (the island is renowned for its textiles) and he kindly agreed to let me take his photograph of a face that certainly looks well lived.
Running the tracks, Puno, Peru
After some ten hours across the Andean altaplana, the Cusco to Puno train makes its way through Puno. For most of the day market stalls and street vendors cover the train tracks. When the train arrives, they lift off their produce and then put it back down once the train has moved through. I caught this shot from the back of the train of two young girls skipping along the (temporarily) empty railway line.
Siesta, Copacobana, Bolivia
The town of Copacobana is just over the border from Peru on the south eastern shore of Lake Titicaca. Whilst lively in the main square and by the lakeside, you don’t have to walk far into the town to discover a more sleepy, run-down side. I took this photo as I liked this image of the old lady, in her traditional Bolivian dress, sitting under the lampost having a quiet siesta in the midday sun.
Reef Boat Captain, Lake Titicaca, Peru
Out on the lake, the floating islands support a multitude of small villages. These days, most of their income comes from opening their homes and boats to tourists. Although she consented to me taking her picture, this boat captain looks rightly suspicious of the extranjeros.
Monks, Vat Phou, Champasak, Laos
The ancient country of Champa once covered a huge area of what is now Eastern Cambodia, Southern Laos and South Vietnam. It’s now reduced to a region of southern Laos but retains many of the Champa people and their cultural history. Visting the magnificant temple of Vat Phou, I spotted three monks making their way through the complex and up to the main temple and took a sequence of pictures charting their journey.
Monks, Vat Phou, Champasak, Laos
The ancient country of Champa once covered a huge area of what is now Eastern Cambodia, Southern Laos and South Vietnam. It’s now reduced to a region of southern Laos but retains many of the Champa people and their cultural history. Visting the magnificant temple of Vat Phou, I spotted three monks making their way through the complex and up to the main temple and took a sequence of pictures charting their journey.
Monks, Vat Phou, Champasak, Laos
The ancient country of Champa once covered a huge area of what is now Eastern Cambodia, Southern Laos and South Vietnam. It’s now reduced to a region of southern Laos but retains many of the Champa people and their cultural history. Visting the magnificant temple of Vat Phou, I spotted three monks making their way through the complex and up to the main temple and took a sequence of pictures charting their journey.
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