Dumbo ~ Chiang Mai

Another elephant shot from the Mae Tang Park I took a few weeks back.
This was part of the elephant show for tourists, where each mahout and his elephant are introduced to the public (each have a name) and then proceed in entertaining the public with football, painting or dancing.

This shot reminded me of Dumbo following his mom. It was cute!

Mae Tang Elephant Park ~ Chiang Mai

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit (for free!) an elephant park in Mae Tang, about an hour drive North of Chiang Mai.
I had never been to elephant parks yet in Thailand so I didn't really know what to expect. I had a great time with a few other photographers and we had free access to the whole program (plus a special baby elephant bathing show that tourists don't see).

We had been invited by the park to take photos which would later be used for fundraising to help the elephants' training. Many centers have been hit and had to close due to lack of tourists because of the last events in Bangkok.

PS: The elephant in the shot is not dead or hurt. Just lying on the ground to let the tourists ride it.

The Fence

On one of the days that I decided to only shoot in B&W with my 50mm, I noticed this fence in a very old village on the mountains of Galicia in Spain.

I loved the texture of the house wall and the wooden fence. Many houses (still inhabited) are built with stone in small villages in this part of Spain. They were probably hundreds of years old, which makes me wonder if any of our new modern "glass buildings" would last half that long.

Football's over!

So last week was the final match of the World Cup 2010 between Spain and the Netherlands.
It was an exciting tournament with many surprises and small teams reaching higher than the big old famous ones. I was rooting for the underdogs, preferably African countries (Go Ghana!).

I felt kind of bored seeing the same big billionaire teams winning all the time. Brasil, Italy, France, England, Argentina, Germany (although they played very well).. I wanted to see some change, new teams! Obviously I was happy when Spain won the cup!

So now that a week has passed, the world got back to its routine. Tears have dried, laughters have faded, vuvuzelas were put away and conversation topics have changed except maybe for Spain and S. Africa.

So I'd imagine this is what a football field looks like after some time has passed and people got into other things.
I caught this in Spain (what a coincidence) last year outside a tiny slumbering village. I suppose none of the players ever came from this village!

What about you? What were your thoughts about this World Cup 2010? Excited? Disappointed?

Ferns

When I walked for the second time on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, I decided to take my time and  enjoy every step. I had all the time in the world.
One of my pleasures was to slow down in the forests and take macro B&W shots as I loved the strong shadows and the diffused light through the leaves. I had a lot of fun capturing macros of ferns. For this particular photo, I was so concentrated on trying to get a nice focused shot (I focus manually on macros) that I didn't realize I was stepping in poison ivy. Oh the rash!
I noticed that, when I decided to take specific kind of shots for the day (landscape, macro, B&W, portraits, etc..) the mind shifts and the eye filters only what I had wanted to see. If I needed to take landscapes, I would walk with my head high, eyes seeking far ahead. If I wanted to take B&W macro shots, I'd tend to walk slower, with my eyes focusing on the ground around me, trying to seek strong contrasts.

What are your thoughts? Do you sometimes plan "themed shots" per day? Do you see the same way when you do?

Pont d'Austerlitz

The Pont d'Austerlitz is a bridge crossing the Seine in Paris. The construction began in 1801 till 1805 but it was rebuilt later due to cracks appearing all the time making it a dangerous bridge to cross. The actual bridge was finished in 1885.

It is pleasant to walk along the Seine river and watch the Peniches and Bateaux-mouches on the calm waters. Every traveler should at least visit the "berges de la Seine" once while having a good jambon-beurre (Ham and Butter in a baguette sandwich). So cliché but so good!

Enjoy!

Notre Dame de Paris

This past year, I have visited many cathedrals during my travels. I always find these worship places quite impressive.

Notre Dame (Our Lady in french) is one of the icons of Paris of course, located not far from the Musee du Louvre. It is one of the most visited places in the city.

Its construction began in 1163 and was effectively completed by 1345 (a 182 years of construction). It is one of the first Gothic cathedrals.

Enjoy!

Feathers of the Forest

I had the occasion to go through many forests while walking on the Camino in Spain.

I love forests, they seem so full of Life, Wisdom and Peace. I had a great time wandering around at a very slow pace and capturing details.

Enjoy!

"It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit".

~ Robert Louis Stevenson ~

The Twin Guardians

This shot was taken in France, about 5 kilometers right before the Spanish border, while walking on the Camino de Santiago.
It was foggy, cold and windy. I captured this shot and wanted to give it a spooky "Sleepy Hollow" mood. Can you hear the headless horseman behind you? Run!

Find Reality

"To the desert go prophets and hermits, through the desert go pilgrims and exiles.
Here, the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat, not to escape but to find reality"

~ Paul Shepard ~

I have always found the desert to be a mystical place. It is serene, quiet and relaxing. Silence reigns like a void enabling us to hear those important voices inside ourselves.

Almost every weekend during "winter" time when I still lived in the UAE, I escaped the chaos of big cities with a few friends to find peace and refuge in the surrounding deserts.
Either camping or just desert crossing, it's always relaxing for the soul... and Fun!

I also love photographing the desert. There is something about all those forms, dunes and harsh shadows that make it very pleasing to the eye. Call me crazy but I also find all the curves kind of.. sensual and feminine.

Shooting in the desert is quite tricky. The sand here is made of very fine grains. With a slight wind blowing all the time, it's not an easy task to keep your camera clean, not to mention your eyes, ears and mouth... And the best moments to take pictures are at dawn or evening because of the light, sun angle and temperature!

Since I started traveling, it is probably one of the rare things I miss from the UAE. From desert to jungle... what a change!

Let's get wet!

In summer 2008, I offered myself a trip to Ireland in order to celebrate my 30th birthday. A few friends joined me and we decided to visit the west coast of the island from Killorglin (attending the Puck Fair) to Sligo.

On one of the chilly days, with a storm lurking behind the mountains, we decided to stop and have a swim in the ocean.
We found a little path down to an empty beach north of Dingle before reaching O'Connor Pass.

The beach was empty, apart from a few solitary joggers. There was a very light rain and the huge clouds were rolling fast to strike us.
I walked around trying to find a nice spot for a shot. I found this fence surrounding a section of the beach. I just had time to test a few shots before the rain drops became bigger. I had to put my camera away.

I guess we had no choice but to get wet! Either swim or get caught in the storm.

Well, at least I got a cool shot!

Trespassing in Ireland

There is something about Monochrome HDR photos that makes it so special..

I went to Ireland in summer 2008 for my 30th birthday (Ireland + Iceland.. Best Bday ever so far). I found it  such a beautiful and magical island, so green, it's no exaggeration!
We hired a car to explore the west coast as much as we can in a short time (9 days) from Kilorglin's Puck Fair up to Sligo.
One of the most famous places on our way was the Cliffs of Moher, near the little town of Doolin!

An incredible place, but very very touristic... People actually had to pay to park and visit the cliffs!
No way!

We ended up driving through small villages trying to find a hidden path until we arrived at a locked gate. There was a huge empty land for sale surrounded by a fence and a small rocky wall with a big note : <>

Nobody was around to check so.. we climbed the gate, went through the muddy fields all the way down to the windy cliffs to take the shots away from tourists.
We also got to visit an abandoned medieval watchtower closed to the public (Not O'Brian tower).

I took this shot just before jumping the gate. I loved the gloomy and dramatic effect the HDR gave to it and  the clouds turned out excellent!

Well... if we didn't trespass.. We would have missed all the fun and the great shots!

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun" 

~ Katherine Hepburn ~

(The Photo of the day is posted earlier than usual today because I am going on a visa run to Malaysia so I won't be able to post anything tonight here in Thailand.. Cheers!).