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  • A couple takes in one of the wonders of the world
    CanyonForTwo.tif
  • The Grand Canyon; Earth's most spectacular example of what happens when you combine the perfect combination of geology, erosion and a whole lot of time. As magnificent as the canyon is, it can be a "grand" challenge for photographers to capture images that provide scale and depth to a wonder filled with superlatives. Of course, we will never be able to to re-create the awe that one is overcome with when standing on the rim and gazing into the vastness of this world wonder but the joy of photographing the canyon is to try and capture a semblance of it's beauty and grandeur on a two dimensional medium. There are different techniques you can use to achieve to this aim and in this photograph I combined two of them. First of all, it is necessary to place something of interest in the foreground to give the image depth. Secondly, I sometimes like to use something in the foreground of the photo that acts as a sort of natural border to create a "frame within the frame". This will draw the viewers eye through the photo from the foreground to the background. Thus, you can not only have a striking image framed beautifully and naturally but you can also achieve a sense of depth at the same time..This all came to mind instantaneously when I came across this dead tree while hiking into the canyon via the South Kaibab Trail. It caught my eye because it's lack of foliage not only lends itself perfectly to the afore mentioned techniques but it's apparent age also makes it the perfect companion to the the canyon and the theme of this photo, time.
    Time.tif
  • As the largest religious structure ever built and proprietor of some of the world’s most magnificent stone carvings, Angkor Wat is considered by many to be one of the greatest architectural achievements in human history. Divided into the three main levels of the Hindu cosmos, it features an 800 meter long gallery of magnificent bas-reliefs depicting epic stories from Hindu mythology, four stone block swimming pools and five central towers. These towers depict the peaks of Mount Meru, home of the gods and the center of the Hindu universe. At over 180 feet high, they can not only be seen from the town of Siem Reap six kilometers away, they can also be seen all over the country as the main symbol on the Cambodian flag.<br />
The Wat is the crowning achievement of the Khmer civilization which, in it’s prime, ruled over most of Southeast Asia. It was commissioned by and built for the god-king, Suryavarman II who was worshipped as an incarnation of the protector god Vishnu. The only temple in the Khmer empire facing West into the setting sun, a symbol of death in Hinduism, it is an accepted belief that it was built as a mausoleum for Suryavarman II. The fact that it took 50,000 artist and laborers nearly 40 years to complete is a testament to the Khmers power, wealth and devotion.<br />
To make this photograph showing all five towers, I walked off of the main causeway and joined the cattle that still graze in the fields contained within Angkor’s vast complex. Taken just before sunset, it illustrates why we photographers refer to this time of day as “golden hour”. Taken at any other time of the day, the wat wouldn’t have this beautiful golden color of the sunset, but rather it’s natural stone-grey color.
    AngkorWatAtGoldenHour.tif
  • This section of The Great Wall of China has been incredibly well maintained and is also less crowded with tourists than the Badaling section which is closer to Beijing.
    TheGreatWallAtMutianyu.tif
  • During it's heyday 11 centuries ago, the city of Angkor was at the center of the Khmer civilization. The Khmers were not only a powerful empire, they were also one of history's most creative and artistic. They created hundreds of buildings and temples that are as magnificent as they are massive. After the empire fell to the Siamese in 1431 the city was left to be devoured by the dense jungle of Northern Cambodia. It wasn't until the French explorer Henri Mouhot wrote about his discovery of the fabled "lost city of Angkor" in the 1860's that the modern world was introduced to one of humanity's greatest architectural achievements.<br />
This former Buddhist temple, Ta Prohm is one of the most popular sites at Angkor because unlike it's famous neighbors Angkor Wat and The Bayon, Ta Prohm was left exactly as it was found, so you get a real sense of what it must have been like to rediscover this majestic city. Most experts believe that these voracious trees that have overtaken the site are the very thing holding it together and if archaeologist were to remove them, Ta Prohm would simply crumble.
    TaPhromDoorway.tif
  • This section of The Great Wall of China has been incredibly well maintained and is also less crowded with tourists than the Badaling section which is closer to Beijing.
    TheGreatWallAtMutianyu(Verticle).tif
  • The amazing view from one guard tower to the next at the Mutianyu section of the wall.
    StandingGuardInMutianyu.tif
  • 201308-CanyondeChelly-143.tif
  • The legend of Spider Rock half framed from above
    201308-CanyondeChelly-094-.tif
  • Best known of Lalibela’s rock hewn churches, Church of St. George is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has often been called the Eighth Wonder of the World. I feel like there’s probably 100 “Eighth Wonders of the World” but this church definitely qualifies. It was carved downward through the hard volcanic tuff before chiseling out the inside. It’s such a mind-numbing feat, the locals claim all eleven of Lalibela’s rock-hewn churches were carved by angels at night while the real workers were sleeping. Whether people 800-years-ago carved out this church with rudimentary tools or they had the power to summon angels to do the work, either way it’s a miraculous achievement.
    20141009-Ethiopia-Lalibela-123.tif
  • Best known of Lalibela’s rock hewn churches, Church of St. George is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has often been called the Eighth Wonder of the World. I feel like there’s probably 100 “Eighth Wonders of the World” but this church definitely qualifies. It was carved downward through the hard volcanic tuff before chiseling out the inside. It’s such a mind-numbing feat, the locals claim all eleven of Lalibela’s rock-hewn churches were carved by angels at night while the real workers were sleeping. Whether people 800-years-ago carved out this church with rudimentary tools or they had the power to summon angels to do the work, either way it’s a miraculous achievement.
    20141009-Ethiopia-Lalibela-119.tif
  • Best known of Lalibela’s rock hewn churches, Church of St. George is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has often been called the Eighth Wonder of the World. I feel like there’s probably 100 “Eighth Wonders of the World” but this church definitely qualifies. It was carved downward through the hard volcanic tuff before chiseling out the inside. It’s such a mind-numbing feat, the locals claim all eleven of Lalibela’s rock-hewn churches were carved by angels at night while the real workers were sleeping. Whether people 800-years-ago carved out this church with rudimentary tools or they had the power to summon angels to do the work, either way it’s a miraculous achievement.
    20141009-Ethiopia-Lalibela-61.tif
  • ... Finally, they stopped and grazed on a steep hillside leading down to the rim of the immense green gorge. Thinking it was my last best chance, I crept closer as slowly as I could. Every 4 or 5 paces, the gelatos would simply get up and move equal distance, sit back down and start grazing again. Just as I was developing my theory that gelatas (Bleeding Heart Baboons) seem to have developed a sense of exactly the perfect range from a 70-200mm lens so as to continually entice hope, yet never give you the money shot, this local girl saved my morning session. She caught my eye frolicking through a patch of wildflowers that recently blanketed the hillsides like a patchwork blanket of green and gold with purple highlights that had simple been tossed over a lumpy old sofa.<br />
At first, I was shocked at her apparent immunity to the grandeur of the scene. I guess it’s human nature to place value on things we see as rare or fleeting and take for granted. To this day, she serves as a reminder to me to always treat life like wildflowers, rare and fleeting!
    20141006-Ethiopia-SimienMountains-69.tif