Postcards from Heaven

There are many great photographers out there! They know their craft. They create compelling images! It inspires me to keep up with their work. But there is one who inspires me more than the others. His name is Phil Borges. Not only are his images breathtaking, but they serve a greater purpose - to make a difference in this world! Below you will find a video he recently made entitled Postcards from Heaven. It features Dr. Chandini Perera, a plastic surgeon with a vision for the work she does.



After watching it, log on to Facebook and sign this petition!

Two men - two hats

The cool morning air made a wool sweater a necessity. At the mosque across the street, the Imam had recited the morning prayer. The sun had come up over the horizon and was now filling the small café with light.

On the street outside the activity was picking up. Farmers were heading out to the fields on their old tractors, while the woman stood waiting for the dolmush to take them to the factories.

The air inside the café smelled of tobacco and fresh pastry. Cigarettes are cheap and people smoke a lot. Two men invited us over to their table to eat breakfast with them. Traditional pastry on an old newspaper accompanied with a cup of chai. Three of the walls were decorated with diplomas and trophies brought home from camel wrestling matches. One could sense a level of pride as they shared how well known the area is for their camels!

What fascinated me with these two men were their hats, representing the modern and the traditional. I couldn’t help but wonder if there will ever come a time when the traditional will have faded out…

Northern Lights

It has been raining for a while, but yesterday evening the sky cleared up and revealed a starry night with northern lights. Now I really need to go out and buy a tripod! Shooting this kind of stuff handheld is just too hard – even with Joe McNally’s “Da Grip”… Still wanted to show you the picture even though it’s slightly on the blurry side :-) They say that later in the season, when the northern lights get stronger, you can actually hear them. Pretty cool!

The old man = Wisdom

He sat there quietly on a bench at the town square. Next to him was a small mosque, and on the other side was the metro and bus station. Right in the center was an old clock tower with drinking fountains, keeping it all together, the modern and the old.

It was a warm day. I had been hitting the pavement for hours and needed a rest. As I sat down next to the old man he looked at me and nodded. It was obvious that I didn’t speak any of his native language and that he spoke no English.

We sat quietly like this for a while, looking at all the people. There were plenty of small boys chasing the pigeons around while the small girls were trying to feed the chased away pigeons. A humorous sight to behold! I began taking pictures of the scenes unfolding in front of us.

The old man was looking at me with interest. His wrinkled face seemed full of wisdom. Too bad we didn’t speak the same language… He pointed to the camera and then to himself. I repeated the motions, pointing to the camera and then pointing at him. He smiled and nodded. If he only knew the struggles I had of getting passed the suspicious attitude of his fellow countrymen!

I got up and shot a few frames of him sitting there on the bench. There is something about elderly people that makes them very photogenic! When I sat down again I let him see his pictures on the camera screen. A big smile spread across his face!

Snow = White

Winter - that white, cold, and dark season that is hated by some and loved by others has now come to the northern hemisphere!

I grew up living as close to the mountains as you could get without really being in the mountains. This was back in the days before the phenomena of global warming kicked in. It was the time when winter came – and stayed! The mercury would creep below freezing, and for most of the time it would stay there. Nowadays winter seems like a roller coaster, with temperatures flying here and there, snow coming, snow going.

My brother and I spent a lot of time cross-country skiing. Winter is still his favorite time of the year. I have grown old enough to appreciate summer as well…

(Do you have an iPhone? I don’t, and I will probably never get one. If you are one of those who happen to own one, you should check out Chase Jarvis’ latest creation. He recently put out an app for the iPhone called “Best Camera” (and he published a book consisting of pictures he has taken with his iPhone). The idea behind it is that “the best camera is the one that’s with you”!)

I love cross-country skiing! There are some beautiful tracks where I am right now! Last night I brought my small point-and-shoot along to capture some night shots. By the time I came back it had started snowing, like really snowing. It was one of those moments when you seem to resemble a snowman with a big grin on his face :-)

Reuben = the explorer

I have a new friend. His name is Reuben. He is quite a bit younger than I am, but the age gap doesn’t seem to get in the way of our friendship. His face turns into a huge smile when I come to visit. He talks a lot, but I have no clue what he is saying…

Reuben is the explorer. Just a few days ago he started walking. That opened up a whole new world. Sometimes I wish I had some of that same awe and wonder towards the world – seeing, smelling, hearing, and tasting things for the first time!

The art of horse photography

Last week a friend of mine asked if I wanted to shoot some horses. It is hunting season now, so I was all game. Just kidding... :-) The only weapon I ever carry around with me is my Canon. But… a 50D doesn’t sound as life threatening as a 5D MK2, does it?

I had sort of envisioned all these different shots I would get of the horses, but I quickly learned that there is only ONE way of shooting a horse. Well, there are many, but if the horse is for sale, there is only ONE right way to shoot it. So if you think you will ever be asked to do a photo session with a horse, pay close attention to the following:

1. Shoot a horse from the side. Fill the frame with as much horse as possible. Show that muscle…

2. The ears. They must be tilted forward. Why? I am not sure… Maybe it makes the horse look mare attentive? Or was it attractive? To make him or her do this, you have to talk – and preferably hold some grass in your hand. Oh, and that is not your hand, by the way, but the hand of the person who owns the horse.

3. The mane. Brush it nicely to the side it naturally falls towards. In some cases this doesn’t work, and if so, just forget about it. They don’t use hair gel on horses… The bottom line is that you want to expose the entire neck to the camera.

4. The legs. This is the really tricky part, especially when shooting young horses. Just like kids they can’t stand still. You want to see all four legs through the viewfinder. The two legs closest to you should be one step ahead and one step behind the other two. This is very important I was told.

Now you know how to shoot a horse.

The first snow...

...came a little early!