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Changing Cultures
Continue ReadingEvery world traveler has a tale of culture shock. I met a middle-aged man at a cafe in Istanbul before I plunged into the Nile Civilization; he constructed a sentence in a fashion I had not heard before. He made a city the subject, shock the verb, and culture with a possessive marker the direct object: […]
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Racing Fan With Voluptuous Feelings
Continue ReadingHere is a young woman watching thoroughbreds carry jockeys toward the finish line of a stakes race in Kentucky. It is simply a sporting event, yet it appears she is receiving sexual pleasure from the spectacle. If not sexual, then profoundly sensual gratification.
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In The Days of Street Photography
Continue ReadingI am sharing two favorite images from my street photography days. There is good action in the foreground of both pictures, however the expressions of onlookers in the background — including those of the little kids in strollers — give me the most delight.
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Humans Are Always Reaching Toward the Sky
Continue ReadingMost people in the Western world have seen church steeples and have formed an idea they are symbols of — or pointers toward — the divine reality. In temporal realms we see similar things. The Statue of Liberty (Lady Liberty) holds her torch of freedom toward the sky in a firm and muscular way, not […]
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Those Likeable Scoundrels
Continue ReadingWherever you go in the world you are bound to run into rascals like these. The Cairo Egyptian salesman above is called Mohammad, like half the men in the Middle East. He is a gifted smooth-talking Arab with a devastating sense of humor. You cannot help liking him. He will take your money and […]
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An Unconscious Tribute
Continue ReadingRobert Frank’s photograph, “Trolley — New Orleans, 1955” appeared on the cover of his famous book which laid bare America’s dark side. I made this photo with no conscious recollection of Mr. Frank’s image, however I am clear I was under his influence. I have always liked this motif. Frank’s image is much more […]
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Interplanetary Travel Not Required
Continue ReadingIf you yearn to walk upon other planets, experiencing the alien and bizarre, you might satisfy your craving without traversing our solar system. It will take a little travel and modest fortitude (you cannot fear empty places), but you can find the ultra-strange here at home on Earth, and there will be a bonus: our […]
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Crossing the Street Egyptian Style
Continue ReadingI lived in Alexandria, Egypt for about a month and stayed two years in Cairo. The latter city sprawls on both sides of the Nile river, a metropolis containing 18 million persons, few personal vehicles but lots of taxis, delivery trucks and micro-buses. In most places there are no traffic controls whatsoever. Downtown Cairo has […]
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Jubilation
Continue ReadingIn darkness I waded into this jubilant crowd with one camera and a single fast lens. I have rarely witnessed such joy and chaos. Football fans — packing torches and giant flags — seemed to materialize all at once from every direction; buses lined up to disgorge mostly young people keen to celebrate a victory. […]
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Irish Do The Oddest Things
Continue ReadingI am not singling out the Irish for special abuse. I belong to their tribe in spirit and by genetics. Really, any group of human beings would do. Correct my title to: “People do the oddest things,” and these two images will apply universally.
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