We have this astonishing notion as photographers that we just have to go to a cool place, put our cameras in front of cool things, and not screw up the exposure or the focus, in order to get compelling photographs. Deep down, though, I think we all know it’s not true, at least for us. Well, it’s rarely true …
Postcards from Varanasi
Three weeks in Varanasi felt like a long time. Even the people that lived there kept shaking their heads in disbelief when I told them I was staying for 21 days. “Three weeks!” they’d exclaim, “In Varanasi? Why?” But they smiled when they did so and I think they were pleased that I was sticking around, if only to prolong …
Postcards from the Maasai Mara
I left home just over 25 days ago now and am so thoroughly relaxed I think I’m ruined for life back in “the real world” when I return in a few days. I woke this morning to the sounds of birds and frogs and a troop of baboons loudly expressing their displeasure at a nearby leopard. Not a bad way …
Postcards from Lalibela
I first went to Lalibela, Ethiopia, in January, 2006, arriving with some hundred-thousand pilgrims to a scene straight out of a biblical movie. Over ten years later, and having just finished my fourth time photographing this Christmas pilgrimage, the magic hasn’t waned a bit. Crowded with people in white robes, these ancient rock-hewn churches are a swirl of motion and …
Postcards from Lesotho
After 2 weeks in the highlands of Lesotho I’m back in Johannesburg for a couple days to wash the dust off and get the bumps massaged out before beginning the long journey home. The highlight this morning was waking up in a bed that was not my sleeping bag, and getting a cup of coffee that was not powdered Nescafe. …
Postcards from Venice
The train from Venice pulled out only minutes ago, heading south to Florence and away from the city that, after 8 years, I’m only now beginning to really discover, though I’ve loved her – quirky, busy, impossibly tangled with tourists, as well as beautiful, romantic, and bathed in light – from the start. Florence will be a quick one, 4 …
Postcards from the Revillagigedo Archipelago
Good morning from Mexico’s sunny San Jose del Cabo! I got off the Nautilus Belle Amie yesterday after 10 days at sea and another astonishing series of underwater encounters that blew my mind. Here are a small handful of them, including one of my dive buddy and good friend Jason Bradley after this one solitary black Jack (the kind of …
Postcards from Bahamas: Sharks!
A friend recently talked to me about his photography was driven by some of his fears, noteably the fear of getting old. I think some of my recent work taps into this a little, both in terms of what I am photographing, and how I am doing it. I think leaning into fear is a good thing; it’s healthy to …
More Postcards from Jodhpur
I’m writing this in turbulence 40,000 ft over Afghanistan on the way home from India, so it’s hardly a postcard from Jodhpur but then I usually send my mother her postcards when I get home too, so that makes you family. I’ve just wrapped up 2 weeks in Rajasthan, and now making a run for home to get my hands …
Postcards from Jodhpur
After a busy, and increasingly hot, week in Jodhpur with my first of two Mentor Series Workshops here in Rajasthan, one group of students is now leaving with beautiful bodies of work and another has just arrived. We spend our early mornings walking the streets, padding our shoeless way through temples, sitting with our favourite chai wallas, and following unexpected …