PixelatedImage Blog

Ah, Kathmandu. For some reason it just feels like coming home to me. A noisy, chaotic, disfunctional home, but home all the same. I’ve spent more time in Kathmandu than any other Asian city, and I really like it.

We were in Kathmandu this time for only 5 days, and it was fantastic. I’ve been there in June, in October, and in January and aside from it being less green outside of town, the weather was the best in January. Around Bhoudanath the folks from the mountains were coming down in droves to escape the winter weather, so it was especially fun to see the stupa area full of interesting people that I wouldn’t see at other times during the year.

Logistics

Visas for most are available on entry for between $25 and $50 USD depending on length of stay. Bring photos. The airport’s a little chaotic and that goes for all elements – from passport control to finding a luggage buggy and negotiating a cab, but it’s all good fun and I’ve never felt like the chaos was threatening. Our accomodations were with friends who run the Nepal Bed and Breakfast – I’ve stayed here for a total of 7 weeks now, I think, and each time it’s felt like home. Clean, safe, secure, and in my very favourite part of Kathmandu – the Tibetan side of town around the Bhoudhanath stupa. Local transportation is always by taxi, which is cheap and easy to find, though the bumping around and honking horns is enough to make me punch a kitten on the bad days (and I really like kittens, so that’s saying something. But I swear if one more kitten looks at me with those manipulative eyes and asks if he can haz cheezburger, I will SNAP!) There’s a departure tax of about 1700 NRS, payable only in NRS, unlike the entry visas.

Favourite Spots

I love Bhoudha stupa and spend hours and hours and hours there. And when I get tired of walking I head to Heavenly View Restaurant for thukpa and buffalo momos (kothay, not fried). Or I go to Flavor’s. Great place, excellent food, and free Wifi even when the power’s out everywhere else. I also love Pashupatinath. Fun place to wander, hang with the saddhus, and keep a nervous eye on the monkeys. I also love Bhaktapur and spend at least a day or two each time I’m there. It’ll cost a couple bucks to get there by a 45 minute cab ride, and it’ll cost $10 to get into the town, but it’s a fabulous place to shoot. An old Newari town, Bhaktapur hasn’t yet been completely spoiled by the tourism. Get off the main squares and into the back alleys and streets and it’s pure Newari charm. Forget Patan or Durbar Square, go to Bhaktapur and stay the night at the Bhadgaon Guest House – ask for the top floor room – great view with your own balcony. While there, make sure you drink lots of lhassis – made with the local curd, it’s the best lhassi I’ve had.

Over-rated Spot

I’m no fan of Swayambunath, also known as the Monkey Temple. First – stairs and lots of them. Second, not much more than tourist kitch at the top of all those stairs. Nice view of the Kat, and if you’ve never been you should see it once, but for me it holds no appeal visually. Perhaps I’ve never seen it in nicer light. For me, Swayambu is a been-there/done-that. And Thamel? Can’t think of a reason to ever go back there. Ever, ever, ever.

If You’ve Got More Time, Which We Did Not This Time.

Get way out of town and into the rural areas. I love Nepalis and you’ll get the best of them when you’re way out of the city. Looking for a view? Get up to Nagarkot, 32 km east of Kathmandu. Stay at the Hotel At The End of The Universe. Great views of the Himalaya, Everest too on good days. The restaurant is slow to get your order, but the view is great while waiting.

If You Want To Have Your Heart Enlarged

Go to the senior’s residence at the entrance to Pashupatinath, and sit with the residents, hold some hands, and look at the spark in their eyes. I love this place, and I love photographing there, but please don’t be one of those horrible people that walks in, takes pictures and leaves as if the residents are animals in a zoo. Plan to spend some time, several hours. It’ll be the best couple hours you’ve ever spent. Or the hardest if you’re not so good with sitting and enjoying the awkward silences. But these folks have absolutely no one to visit them, so your presence will be a great gift to them if you go to give and not to take.

Best Reason To Own An 85/1.2L Lens

The butter lamps that are lit in the evening around the Bhouda stupa throw out some gorgeous light. I hate to tip my hand on this one, because I like to live under the delusion that I’m the only one shooting this beauty. But the stupa is at it’s best in the very early morning, and late evening, so bring a fast lens and a steady hand.

Best Reason To Have Lots of Charged Batteries

Kathmandu has serious power shortage issues, so it has rolling power blackouts. Unlike other places where this is the case, these blackouts are now up to 16 hours a day, so don’t count on having electricity whenever you want it. Hopefully this will change soon, but no one’s holding their breath. Bring a flashlight or headlamp.

Most Obvious, But Essential, Soundtrack

Kathmandu, Bob Seger. Or Kathmandu, Cat Stevens. Both are good and you’ll need them to purge from your brain the Om Mani Padme Hum songs you hear over and over and over and over again, 24/7, in Bhouda.

Image above shot 7am at the Bhouda stupa. Canon 5D, 17-40mm/4.0L, 1/250 @ f/16. iso 400

If you haven’t got in on it yet, be sure to put your name in for the Lensbaby Composer Giveaway HERE.

If there was one city on this trip that intimidated the heck out of me it was Cairo. Huge. Smoggy. Dusty. Noisy. Did I mention huge? Overwhelmingly so. Tried to bite off way more than I can chew, spread myself too thin. It took 3 days and I finally gave-up and did what I should have done in the first place – I returned to Islamic Cairo and concentrated on a couple square kilometers neighborhoods, shops, and mosques.Once I did that I began to see the place, connect to the people and the huge cuty become small, manageable, intimate even.

Logistics

Visas for many nationalities are available on arrival. We had a pick-up, arranged by our hotel, waiting for us after we cleared customs and collected our baggage. We were landed, processed, and in a taxi within about 20 minutes, probably a record, and no doubt due to our 3:30am arrival. Our hotel was the Berlin Hotel, a place well, well past it’s prime, but in a central-ish location and run by a manager that spoke excellent english and, as our edition of the Lonely Planet pointed out, seems genuinely concerned for his guests. The place was run down, but the linens were clean, there wasn’t a bug in sight, and I felt safe and welcome there. And there was WiFi. For well less than our $40/night budget for a double room, I have no complaints. If you’re picky about hotels, or unwilling to walk to the fourth floor, the Berlin isn’t for you. If you want budget and a manager who speaks good english and is infinitely helpful, I’d recommend the place in a heartbeat. It had character, but perhaps too much character for some, but not the creepy kind of character, more like the kind but funky-smelling old man with lots of wrinkles type of character. I’d stay there again, but probably not with my wife – if only because she probably wouldn’t appreciate the “character” the way I did, not at all for reasons of safety; the place felt safe enough and we were very well cared for.

Local Transportation

We took cabs or the metro everywhere and found it pretty easy to get around. Hisham, the manager at the hotel, was very helpful and gave us the low-down on rates and how to manage taxi drivers, even writing our destinations in arabic just in case. We spent one evening on the Nile on a felucca, but with little wind and smog blanketting the city it was not what I’d hoped – not much I could have done, but that was a disappointment. But for the few bucks we spent on our own boat, it was a pleasant way to spend a couple hours. I got a few frames out of the evening, not much more.

El Fishawi

Not a stone’s throw away from al Hussein Mosque in Khan el Khalili, is the centuries old El Fishawi coffee-house and we spent HOURS here watching people go by, smoking the sheesha, and drinking the tea. We became regulars here and next time I go to Cairo I am making a bee-line for the place. Loved it. Definite highlight.

Salaam Alekum

Cairo’s Islamic quarter and I got along really, really well. I move easily among muslims and have little patience for the haters who paint all muslims with a dark brush. Fact is I always feel genuinely welcomed in mosques and muslim neighborhoods. Learn some greetings and respect their values and taboos and spend time speaking with them, sharing tea with them, and you’ll see why I am so drawn to them. Photographing in the arab world is not easy, and it requires a long view. Walk in, raise your camera and you’ll get shut down more often than not, and fast. But make friends, drink some tea (it all comes back to tea), slow down, and you’ll be more free to shoot than you imagined.

If I Went Back and Did it All Again…

I’d skip the pyramids if I hadn’t seen them before. Which I can now say I have. You must see them. Go early or stay late, but they’re one of those things you gotta see. Sure, they amount to big, BIG, triangles of rock surrounded by sand and camels, but they’re more than the sum of their parts and even the cynic in me was impressed. I didn’t shoot much that hasn’t been shot, truth is I liked them but wasn’t inspired by them in the kind of way that makes me want to create images, but I’m glad I went. I just won’t go back. I won’t go back to Coptic Cairo either, unless I can find someone to get me under the surface, because empty churches just don’t do it for me. History fascinates me in as much as it’s living history. The dusty kind with plaques bores me visually and mentally.

What would I do again? More time in the souks and mosques, more time talking, slowing down, drinking tea. I’d settle into a daily rhythm, get to know some folks, spend more time in the teahouses that tourists never go in – those were the best times. I’d eat falafel and shawarma on the streets every day (again), because you can’t get enough of falafel and shawarma. I’d happily stay in the same hotel, or find one right in Khan el Khalili so I could walk to the action. But the key with the Khan is getting past the initial tourist radius, which is surprisingly small.

Questions? Just ask. Tomorrow, Kathmandu. Keep reading for the February Giveaway contest, sponsored by Lensbaby.

We’re having so much fun with this whole “give stuff to my readers” thing that we’re doing it again. And by “we” I mean my sponsors because it’s their generosity that’s behind this. All I do is beg them on your behalf. Lensbaby has been chomping at the bit to do this with me but they’ve been in a backorder situation for a few months, so strong has the demand for their new Composer been. And now they’ve got stock – though not much, so don’t go yelling at your local rep if they aren’t in yet – and they want you to have one. And by “you” I mean one lucky reader who bribes me enough to rig the random draw.

I hope you know I’m kidding about that. No envelope of cash is big enough to buy me off. (A really big box, though, that might just do it.)

So, the contest remains random. But there are rules. You must (1) leave a comment that contains (2) your name, (3) your email address, and (4) a sentence or two telling us about the biggest thing you learned last year in your photographic life. It could be an epiphany about the quality of light, learning to use you DOF preview button, or rediscovering the need to play and keep it fun, whatever it is, we want to hear about it. And by “we”, I mean me.

Good luck. I’ll do the draw when I am home from Bangladesh, end of the monthishly.

Sorry for being late on this one. I started using this shot as my own wallpaper almost as soon as I shot it, so it was a natural for sharing. Shot in the fog in Sapa, Viet Nam. Post-processed in Lightroom using a preset I call Bamboo that brings the moody House of Flying Daggers kind of feel back to the image.

This image is 1280×853 (click it for the larger file). If you want a larger one, click HERE for a 2560×1600 version.

I thought I’d give y’all the low-down on the trip. Highlights, details, etc., from each place we traveled to over the last month.

I’ve wanted to shoot Cuba, specifically Havana, for a long time. I wanted to do it while Castro was alive (disputed at this point), and while the U.S. embargo remained in place. I sense a change in the wind for Cuba and I wanted to see it and shoot it before the floodgates opened. It didn’t disappoint. But it did challenge my expectations.

I went in, as I always do, thinking I’ve spoken sternly to my expectations and that they’ll stay out of my way so I can see the place with something like clarity. Of course, it never happens and I spend two days wandering around looking, taking visual inventory, making lists, and generally wondering what the heck I’m doing in this place and where I can get a mojito. Havana was no different. It was a challenge, and it took a few days to encounter the place a little before shooting. As it is I’ve come home feeling like she never quite let down her guard, that what I saw in my brief week, was no more than the face she shows to all new-comers. I don’t sense I got much under the surface. Of course, it was only a week, but I usually feel I’ve seen something more “real” than I did in Havana.

Still, on another level, it’s what I expected. Old cars. Old men. Derelict colonial buildings with character and texture to spare. Lots of tourism. Cigars. Mojitos. Each night when the shooting was done and the images were downloading we sat on the balcony of our penthouse casa particulare, had some rum and a cigar and counted down to the 9pm canon. It was pretty great.

Logistics.

Visas aren’t an issue for Canadians. Get on the plane, fill in the card, clear customs. Piece of cake. In fact I’ve never been so warmly welcomed to a place. We stayed at Casa Evora Rodriguez, right on the junction of Prado and the Malecon, in a 9th floor penthouse. If there’s a better view in Havana, I can’t imagine it. Eva’s english is perfect and she’s a super host. We paid, if I recall correctly, about $40 USD for a room. Evora can be reached at: evorahabana@yahoo.com, or called at 537-861-7932. If I returned I would stay here again in a heartbeat. We also hired a guide named Jorge and he was monumentally helpful in orienting us, though the ride he sent to the airport somehow never found us. If you need someone, again with excellent english and the savoir-faire and trust-worthiness needed in these kinds of contacts, you can email him at: jorgeguide2004@yahoo.es – Thanks to Kate for recommending him.

Highlights.

Did I mention the mojitos?  Also, turns out they have cigars there.  We spent almost all our time shooting in Old Havana, a mix of genuine life and well-choreographed tourism areas. As such it was a mixed bag. I loved the plazas once I resigned myself to feeling like I was in Europe. I loved the people, and I loved the weather. Visually, you can’t go wrong with the old cars and textured walls, but shooting something so well photographed by others it’s always a challenge to find my own voice, my own scenes. Shooting at night was a highlight and if/when I go back I will bring a monopod and softbox for the strobe, and go back to some spots and do the night shots right. I’d also get a scooter and get out of town. I regretted not seeing more of rural Cuba. Still, I only had 6 days, so I usually restrict my time – in this case I didn’t see much more than Old Havana and Centro.

Disappointments.

I wanted to do a photo essay in the cigar factory, get behind the scenes a little. I’d been planning this. And it was closed up tight for vacations for the days of our visit. My back-up plan was the rum museum, again hoping to get behind the scenes. It was closed due to power problems. I never did find the quintessential cuban gentleman for the portraits I wanted. I found a couple but they were a little too comfortable with the camera, posing like K-mart models. Very odd.

If I Did It Again.

Make actual appointments with the folks at the cigar factory, or better yet get to a plantation and find the less touristy face of this iconic industry. More night photography. I kept hearing about the music and the dancing, never really found it’s real representation, only that put on for the tourists. So I’d dig deeper to find it. And I’d go for longer and get out of the city and into the country. I’d also explore the Santoria cult a little more.

No Regrets.

OK, that’s the stuff I needed to get out of the way. If it sounds like I’m disappointed in Havana, then let me be clear – I loved it. The issues were just the normal ones I face in all locations. They just seemd bigger because this trip was for the express purpose of gathering resources for the book, so the pressure was greater and that never helps the creative process! The struggle to get past my expectations, the clever plans that go awry, and the eventual settling in to a groove, seeing the place more clearly and getting a couple dozen shots I’m proud to put into my collection, it’s all par for the course. But always hard work.  I’m glad I went, I’d go again.

I’d be happy to answer questions if you’re planning to go to Havana to shoot. Drop me a line or leave a comment. Tomorrow, Cairo.

I head home today. The 33rd day on the road ends at 3pm today when I hit the ground in Vancouver, clear customs, pick up my bags and head home. If all goes well and the customs guy decides to let me through without using a latex glove, and my baggage travels on the same plane as I do, I could be home with Sharon by 4pm.

Yesterday I mentioned the first of some lessons re-learned on this trip. The second is this – the law of diminishing returns applies as equally to photography as it does to economics. For me it looks like this: the more I shoot, the less low-hanging fruit there is, and the harder I have to work. It used to be I’d go shooting and be thrilled with every frame. Ok, it was a long time ago and I was 14 years old at the time, but it was so all the same. Then I started getting pickier – less of my frames expressed my vision as well as I’d have liked – and I started getting ten great images out of one hundred. That was almost twenty years ago. If only. Now I get, if this trip is anything to go by, 100 images per 4700, if that. So I’ve gone, in twenty-plus years, from 1:1 to 1:10 to 1:470.

I should be frustrated by this. Sometimes I am. It could mean I’m getting worse at this thing, but I don’t think that’s it. Or it could mean that I’ve shot the easy stuff and am now shooting images more closely aligned with who I am, that I’m getting closer to the core of my vision and more able to express it, if not able to express it more. If ya know what I mean.

I believe the frames we shoot that just don’t measure up are the grease. The junk shots are the price we pay to get to the good shots. The better the images, the higher the price, and in this metaphor that means slogging through more dross to get to the gold. If you’re feeling discouraged as more and more images seem to express your vision less and less perfectly, then be encouraged – the more crap you shoot, the closer you’re getting to the good stuff.*

*This assumes you’re actively working on your craft, studying, shooting, being mentorred, and generally not sitting at the back of the class throwing spitballs. If that’s you then there’s a good chance the crap is just crap. I’m just saying. For the love of Ansel Adams, staighten up and fly right. Also, don’t take my metaphor to mean more than it does. It’s not all doom and gloom. Truth is, my rejects now are better than my best selects once were – my craft is getting better, more equal to the task of expressing what I most want to express. But the rejects are still the rejects, no matter how good they are compared to yesterday’s best. Know what I mean?

The shot above was taken in Islamic Cairo, not far from the al Hussein Mosque. Canon 5D, 85mm/1.2L. 1.250 @ /2.5, ISO 400.

After what will be almost 30,000 miles flown, I am very. nearly. home. Lying in the most comfortable bed in the world at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental in San Francisco watching the sun rise, anticipating the first decent cup of coffee in a month, and meeting my publishing team for sushi this evening, I’ve had a jet-lagged 4 hours to reflect on what has been an all-too-short trip. Except on the days when my vision was elusive and I couldn’t create a decent photograph to save my life. Those days were very long indeed.

First things first: thank you for your patience as I’ve been gone, and for those of you that kept checking in, left comments, sent emails – thank you. I know I’ve expressed it before but the community growing here means a great deal to me – thanks. I’ll be home, and blogging (including a desktop wallpaper for February – haven’t forgotten, just not able to easily put it together on my laptop), for about a week, and then – I’m sorry to say – I’m off to Bangladesh on assignment and between travel and shooting will be gone 12 days. But after that I’m home to finish the book. I promise.

So. About the book. What a project. Most of this trip it’s felt like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. But then I’d sit down, look at my images, read my manuscript and begin to feel like it might just all come together. I keep imagining it to be like a pregnancy. And while I know that the thing is going to be born I worry  it’ll come out horribly deformed. But then I have my lucid moments and an email from my editor and I get pretty excited about it. I’ve just had an email with the schedule I need to follow to submit the chapters and it’s daunting – the next few months will be hard labour, but I’ve got a great team and am working to the day that this thing appears in actual print on actual shelves elliciting actual bad reviews from the haters on Amazon – so who couldn’t love that? LOL!

Biggest lesson learned, the same one I learn each time I go out on an assignment: I can do this. Photography and creating  great images, is – can be – hard, hard work. But it’s so powerfully rewarding that it’s worth it. It takes such an incredible convergence of the right light, the right moment, the right settings and the right vision, that I’m always amazed I come home with anything that moves anyone, but it can be done. And while there were days I didn’t want to even look at my cameras, I think I’m more passionate about my craft than I’ve ever been.

And if I can do this and feel this passionate about it, so can you. It’s a journey. It should never, for any of us, end. We do not get to a point where we’ve perfected it, seen it all, shot our last good image. Just keep seeing, keep putting the camera to the eye and framing the world one image at a time. Slowly we improve, our eye gets sharper, our vision clearer.

I’ll be back tomorrow with the 2nd Biggest Lesson Learned. And then I’m getting on a plane and going home to kiss my wife. My very, very, patient wife.

PS – I’ve joined Twitter, so if – like me – you just can’t resist this time-sucking technology, you can follow me there @ pixelatedimage.