Can Tho is the biggest city in South Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, with an estimated population of 1.5 million. The name Can Tho comes from “cầm thi giang” – river of poems. It is also referred to as “Tay Do” meaning “Western capital”. The city is famous for its floating markets, Buddhist pagodas, delicious food, fresh […]
Vietnam Photo Tour: Day One, Saigon
The 2013 Vietnam Photo Tour is off and running with 10 enthusiastic photographers, eager to explore this amazing country. We spent our first day, cameras in hand, wandering around Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City as it’s now called). We visited many of Saigon’s icons including the spectacular turn-of-the-century Colonial French Post Office, the War Remnants […]
From The Cutting Room Floor
Sorting through and editing images while traveling, in order to create blog posts, is a fast, furious and often “messy” process, given the fact that there’s such limited time to work with. From my days working as a stringer for newspapers in Southern California, I’ve learned to be somewhat “brutal” in my selection of photos […]
Myanmar: Finding The Light & Working The Shot
This will be the final post for the 2013 Amazing Myanmar Photo Tour and I’d like to touch on two concepts that I try to instill upon participants during my photo tours. The first is “finding good light” and the second is “working the scene”. Each day, before each photo shoot, I stress the importance […]
Amazing Myanmar Photo Tour: Yangon’s Circle Line / Ring Train
This is my third reportage on Yangon’s “circle line” or “ring train”. The Yangon Circle line circumnavigates Myanmar’s largest city, on a 46 Kilometer, 39 station route that connects Yangon’s satellite towns. The system is heavily utilized by the local populace, selling about 150,000 tickets daily, providing cheap transportation for Burmese and an interesting and […]
Amazing Myanmar Photo Tour: Nyaungshwe, Gateway To Inle Lake
After spending the morning photographing Nampan market we checked out of our over-the-lake accommodations and headed for Nyaungshwe, first stopping to see Padong Long Neck women and then to make a quick visit to a cherrot factory where traditional hand-made Burmese cigars are produced. In the afternoon we checked into our hotel in Nyaungshwe and […]
Amazing Myanmar Photo Tour: Two Days Afloat On Inle Lake
With the exception of one night in Yangon for our farewell dinner, the Inle Lake region is the final stop on our Amazing Myanmar Photo Tour. Inle lake, located in the heart of the Shan Plateau is a beautiful highland lake, 900 meters above sea level. The lake is 22km long and up to 10km […]
Amazing Myanmar Photo Tour: Bagan to Mount Popa
This morning we were up early for a day-tour to see brown sugar, alcohol and plum juice production; one of my favorite local markets, and an important pilgrimage site called Mount Popa. The drive from Old Bagan to Mount Popa takes a few hours, and passes through rural farms and villages where we stop for […]
Amazing Myanmar Photo Tour Bagan: Monks, Melon & Much Dust
Bagan is one of the richest archaeological sites in Asia, it is located on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwaddy River. Once the capitol of the Myanmar Empire, Bagan covers an area of 42 sq. km containing over 2000 well-preserved pagodas and temples of the 11th – 13th century. At its height, in the early […]
Amazing Myanmar Photo Tour: Mandalay & Pyin U Lwin
Mandalay is the modern center of Buddhism and Myanmar arts, but was once the old royal city. Mandalay, 670 km north of Yangon, is now the home of traditional artisans – including wood and stone carvers, silversmiths, weavers and those producing gold leaf. The former capitol, prior to British rule, and second largest city in […]