Traveling to places very different from one’s own home is a powerful way to put life into perspective. It may be the differences that first register, but with closer observation, one can discover that in so many ways we are similar. Meeting the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter are a priority to us all. Safe food and water are key to our survival, and the support of family makes a tremendous difference in our daily lives. While the specifics of religions vary, the existence of spiritual practices is also worldwide. We all enjoy laughter as well as the beauty of nature and artistic expression. Each of us is a small part of this world.
My husband and I recently had an incredible opportunity to travel from Bangkok to Bali, a part of the world that had not previously been on our radar screen. Once I stopped focusing on how different that part of the world was from mine, and started looking into the eyes of the people of the places we visited, I began to recognize our commonality and appreciate their way of life. As I told my husband, who too often was patiently waiting for me to finish shooting, leaving images unrecorded feels to me like leaving money on the table, so I took a lot of pictures! We were traveling with a group, so the reality was that I had to leave many photo opportunities behind, but the experiences remained and I retained the gifts of all my eyes were able to see.
I am currently working through the many photographs I took and allowing the creative juices to flow as they form themselves into a story. My goal is to create a photo essay to be shared in a book. For now, however, I want to leave you with a few images and the request that you wait for more to come.
Multiple projects have been demanding my attention, including a lovely piece in the Thanksgiving issue of Prime Magazine featuring several of my hands photographs. Also on the horizon is the challenge to create a large metal mural for a Stonehenge Gallery photography show in January on which Asian images are likely to be featured. Holiday card photos and gifts of fine art photographs are certainly keeping me hopping at the moment, and taking an author’s head shot for a dust jacket led to interest from a publisher in creating a book of my images. I have also enjoyed several speaking engagements during which I shared my work along with tips and tricks for taking photos of friends, family and vacations.
What a grand adventure this camera journey is, and – particularly during this Thanksgiving season – I give you my heartfelt thanks for joining and encouraging me.
