Project 52 Week 31 - Pai of the jungle

The hair raising mini bus ride to Pai from Chiang Mai was interesting, and the hip little township of Pai was a lovely place. Lots of young backpackers and a pretty large ex-pat community, including families with small children. This place is already losing its innocence and will decimated by development in a matter of years. We rented scooters to explore the surrounding mountains after we had walked the streets, eating and drinking ourselves to the fullest. I stopped on the side of the road as one of the many sudden torrential downpours hit, capturing this image of the mountains just outside of town slowly being swallowed by the rain.

Rain or Shine? the weather is constantly changing as Monsoon Season kicks in.

Project 52 Week 30 - Chiang Mai Animal experiences.

After flying back from Hanoi to Bangkok, we then moved on to Chiang Mai in the North-West of Thailand. Along with a cooking class, we planned on visiting the Elephant Nature Park, and the Tiger Kingdom, to get up close with some of the worlds most captivating creatures. The ENP was a beautiful place were we got to meet, feed, observe, and bathe the elephants. They had a 3 month old infant elephant born there in April, she was a delight to watch, especially watching her taking lessons from her mother, and seeing the protective nature of her family.

The Tiger Kingdom was very different. I won't go into the ethical debate here, I made the call that I would probably never get an opportunity like this again so I had to do it. We bottle fed tiger cubs, belly rubbed huge adults, and I was roared at by a rather unimpressed mother tiger who had been separated from her cubs. Witnessing an adult pair play stalking each other was also very cool, and brought some of the best photo op's of the day.

Tara getting personal with one of the ENP Matriarchs. 

Moving blindingly fast, a quick splash and a leap followed by a pounce on her "prey". Grace in motion.

Project 52 Week 29 - The Hordes of Hanoi

We had some more dramas with getting train tickets when we returned to Hanoi. We planned on visiting the highland area of Sapa in North-Western Vietnam but the trains were so busy that we couldn't get tickets for almost 5 days. So we spent almost a week in the city of Hanoi exploring and hanging out. One evening we went for a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, and I set up my tripod next to a monstrous intersection. There were thousands and thousands of riders constantly moving through the intersection as the lights cycled. When stopped they all stared and looked at the camera, then as the light when green, they would roar off in this cacophony of engine noise.

Green GO!!

Project 52 Week 28 - Lan Ha Lightning

Lan Ha bay can be accessed from Cat Ba Island and is a great alternative to the tourist trap of Ha Long Bay, offering the same experience in geographical wonder. We cruised the bay soaking in the sights of the towering Karst Limetone mountains and cliffs. Kayaking through secluded lagoons, under natural arches and swimming at tiny little beaches. We jumped off the boat into the temperate waters and ate fresh seafood lunches and dinners. We spent an evening on out a boat, anchored in the middle of a small area, calm and peaceful, except for the thunder storm that hit and flashed in fury with 50+ lightning strikes per hour. Into the darkness from dusk I shot, challenged by rain on the lens, being on a moving boat, low clouds and predominantly sheet lightning that wasn't touching down very often (it was mostly up in the clouds) it was a new experience in photographing lightning, but boy was it fun to be out there in such an amazing place taking it all in!

One of the few strikes that may have actually touched down. I love photographing lighting!!

Project 52 Week 27 - Paradise Cave

Venturing further North, we stopped at Dong Hoi and heade for the Phong Nga farmstay to experience some real rural Vietnam. The primary purpose of the visit for me was to see the incredible caves that have been discovered in the park only recently. Paradise cave was a sight to behold. The cool temperature inside is a lovely break from the heat of the jungle outside, and as you descend the stairs at the relatively small opening of the cave, you enter what quickly opens out to be the first monsterous cavern. Filled with a myriad of features, stalactites and stalacmites, it is mind boggling to witness. The cave is well lit with enough light to appreciate the formations, but not turn it into a high street tourist attraction. We managed to spend most of the two hours inside in relative peace before an unimaginable number of tourists literally swarmed the cave like a busted hornets nest with noise and boisterous annoyance. We explored the first kilometre of the cave, but it continues on underground for a further 31 km. THIRTY ONE KILOMETRES!!! for a while it was know to be the largest underground cave known, but since another larger cave has been found, but is not yet open to visitors, and with any luck, it never will be. We couldn't believe how many people were littering and dropping cigarette butts everywhere in this phenomenal UNESCO site.

The entrance to Paradise cave, stairs decending from top left.

Project 52 week 26 - Hoi An festival of light

After transitioning from Cambodian to Vietnamese cultures, we quickly slinked out of Saigon and headed North towards Hoi An, one of the highlights of our Vietnamese visit, a delightful little city with many delights. We stayed with a family in their home-

stay about a 15 minute bike ride from the centre of town. We explored on our bikes and on foot, visiting markets, temples, and an incredible little restaurant called Bale Well, do not miss! Best thing about our visit was arriving on a Saturday, which just happened to be a full moon, so a very special festival of light party was happening. The main footbridge connecting two popular areas in the central part of town is lit up with beautiful decorations, lanterns hang from everything and anything, and vendors young and old sell little floating candles that people can release into the river for luck. The town was a-buzz and it was a fabulous experience, photographically it was rich in colour and low light fun...

Lanterns line the river on poles, trees and the bridge as boat owners sell river cruises in the failing light.

Project 52 Week 25 - A rough week

 This week we traveled through Cambodia and had a touch week from many perspectives. We were dealing with a first real language barrier problems, distrust of locals who are frequently trying to scam you, emotional visits to Tuol Sleng Prison and the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh, and then a terrible day  of mishaps photographically at Angkor Wat.

I am going to include a couple of photos here as we saw a lot this week. The Killing Fields visit and the memorial on site was a chilling experience. We took an audio tour of the place which really helped paint the picture of what happened here not so long ago. It was saddening and tearful at times hearing the stories of those who survived.

Angkor Wat challenged me to the point of almost giving in. The weather for sunrise was terrible, and there were thousands of tourists who had no issues with standing right in front of you as you are clearly trying to take a carefully executed photograph. I meticulously planned my pack for the day yet still managed to somehow leave my lens hood for the 24-70 in the hotel, and shocking humidity was wreaking havoc with my filters and condensation, keeping them clean and clear of streaks was almost impossible and very distracting. To cap it all off, I made a large judgement error due to allowing the experience so far to really get to me, and my camera fell to the ground, damaging the flash hot shoe and (thankfully) making some superficial marks on the body. I have since fixed the hot shoe, so it wasn't as bad as I though it was at the time, but I was not a happy man.

Angkor Wat was, despite the less than desirable experience, still an amazing visit. A truly wondrous place that stretches for great distances. The many centuries old buildings are mind-blowingly detailed, and the architecture and planning that went into them is astonishing.

Many skulls from the victims of the Khmer Rouge exhumed from the mass graves in the area

Numerous large trees climb for the sky from the ruins at Tah Promh, Angor Wat.

Project 52 Week 24 - Chasing the Sunset

Arriving in Thailand and recuperating in Bangkok, we spent several days cleaning ourselves, our clothes and rejoining civilization. It was actually kind of depressing, though refreshing to have hot showers!

We moved on to the island of Koh Chang in the South East of Thailand near the Cambodia border. We stayed in a beautiful resort called The Stage and had access to some great beaches. The water here was incredibly warm and although the island was pretty quiet at this time of year, we could see how massively popular it must be in the high season.

This was the beginning of my quest to hopefully capture some great sunset images while travelling the coastlines of South East Asia. We found a great lookout spot and headed up there with plenty of time to explore and setup from a good spot. The scooters were handy for zooming around, especially up the big hill we had to climb to reach this spot. The sunset was looking promising with lots of great golden light, but my suspicions of a dismal end proved correct as a low bank of clouds on the horizon blocked off the critical finals angles of light that would be required to light up the clouds.

Sunset from Koh Chang, Thailand

Project 52 Week 23 - Lukla Outbound

After returning a couple of days earlier than scheduled to Lukla. We found ourselves having to just relax and hangout with a hot drink and a piece of delicious baked goodness while we caught up on the world according to the internet. I was attempting to make changes to the flight we had booked but the process was frustrating and fraught with pitfalls should things not go as you would expect, which happens frequently. We could hear the planes and choppers coming and going from our lodge room and I was often up at the airport watching what was going on. There was a plane that had engines issues one day and could not fly. The following day I watched the same plane, full of passengers, prepare for take off with engines buzzing at 11000 RPM at the top of the runway, before the pilot cancelled the attempt and parked it again. I would have been packing bricks if I was sitting on that thing, and found myself hoping we didn't end up on it for our flight, they day after.

This photo was taken from right above the runway at the take off point. The runway slopes down at a 12% gradient and is only 460 metres long. There is a sigh of relief and a big cheer when your plane finally lifts off before the ground gives way to a valley that plunges down way below you. Quite the thrill!

The last hurdle for the trek: successful take off from Lukla Airport.

Project 52 Week 22 - Namche Nights

With most of the trekking behind us, we returned to Namche Bazaar, where we could finally have a hot shower, and treat ourselves to some beer, pizza and a piece of chocolate cake, without selling a kidney to finance it. The bakeries in Namche are quite good! That evening I watched as the light fell and there were almost no clouds, but being in the bowl of Namche, you can't see much unfortunately.

The stars and the moon came out and the light was so bright I could see the mountain on the other side of the gorge quite easily. So I set up my tripod and took some shots in the dark. As I did, the clouds that had been sneaking up the valley finally arrived and started to swallow the view, just as I caught a few frames.

Illuminated by the full moon, Nupla (left) and Shar (right) sit at around 6000 metres. The Namche Bazaar monastery is lit up with orange lights.

Project 52 Week 21 - Gokyo Ri

After a few extra days in Macchermo after getting violently most likely from the water, we made a move for the highest point of the trek in the Gokyo Valley. The small town of Gokyo was approximately a half day hike from Macchermo, with great views of the monsterous wall of Cho Oyu in Tibet right in front of us, and the twins of Kangtega and Thamserku behind us. I was praying for a clear morning they following day or two so that we could climb Gokyo Ri to 5,300 metres and take in the most incredible view we will likely ever witness, outside of taking a ride on Virgin Galactic, some time in the future!

We were in luck, and hit the trail early morning. It was still nearly 8am by the time we got to the top after almost 2 hours of climbing (its slow going as it is steep, and the altitude really gets your lungs and heart working hard). 360 degrees of Himalayan peaks can have you spinning with disbelief, and the view to the East of the mighty Mt Everest is something that quite literally put me on my arse. I was cursing that we were not up there earlier as the sun is already high in the sky at this time of morning and perfectly angled to cause lens flare, even with a hood. But if you want to be up here for the first hour of light, you have to leave Gokyo in the dark, with no idea if the weather is going to reward you, or shoot you down.

Regardless, we were there, the skies were clear, and we had reached the pinnacle of our Himalayan adventure. After years of desire, I was finally there, and the moment I shared with Tara will live forever in my heart and mind.

Tara and I on Gokyo Ri, looking out over the Glacier below and towards Mt Everest, just left of centre.

Project 52 Week 20 - The Everest Range

After a monster day climbing up to Namche, which included our first view of the great mountain, we took a rest day to acclimbatize before setting off further up the range to Dole. On the following morning we set off and the weather was relatively clear. As we winded around the mountain out of Namche towards Phortse Tenga, we passed several stupas including the Tenzing Norgay/Sir Edmund Hillary memorial. From there the views of some of the most famous mountains in the area was spectacular, though the high position of the sun wreaked havoc with image quality, there was no denying the beauty of the scene. Everest is poking its head up over the Nuptse Ridge, with Lhotse rearing towards the middle and then Ama Dablams famous pillar is on the right. Bottom left of image you can see the trail that continues on around the mountain before it forks to head up the Gokyo valley, or head down to the river and back up for Tengboche, of which you can just see a few buildings, low centre of image. Another great moment that really solidified our presence in the Himalaya and the excitement of what we may yet see!!

Everest, Lohtse, Ama Dablam, on the trail from Namche Bazaar

Project 52 Week 19 - First View

After many years of longing, this was it. It was finally happening and I was incredibly excited. The weather at the Kathmandu airport early in the morning was good, and we were hearing that the weather in Lukla was clear as well. We would fly today! We were on the 2nd plane to leave, our tiny plane packed full. Even with such a small fuselage that allowed for one seat on each side, we had a hostess. I was one row back from  the pilots, parallel with the propellers. Our Pilots stalled up the engines and we blasted off and headed for the hills. On our flight from Thailand across India, low cloud had prevented us from getting any previews of the Himalayas. This morning we were amongst the clouds for most of the way in until suddenly we cleared them.... and there they were, our first glimpse of the worlds most spectacular range. It was a special moment in my life that I will always cherish and never forget.

The Khumbu Range - First View

Project 52

For the coming few months I will be travelling and making photographs in a number of countries in Asia. This will obviously provide me with ridiculous amounts of content for images to post, however my internet access and ability to process images will be limited in comparison to life at home. Who are we kidding, even when I am at home I manage to fall several weeks behind in posting!!

There will be images and stories being posted on our blog over at Dynamite Adventures and I will try to post the odd picture here as well. When we return I will go back through the timeline of photographs and post up my favourite images from each week of the journey.

Good times lie ahead!!!

Project 52 - Week 18 Cherry Blossoms

You know spring is in full swing when Vancouver comes alive for about a month or so with the many varieties of cherry blossoms that adourn the streets of many suburbs. Kitsilano lights up with white and pink blossoms, it really is a beautiful sight that brings much relief  that the dreary weather is mostly behind us, and we have summer to look forward to! I was out shooting around in some of the nearby streets and found this spot with the canopy of pink blossoms reflecting in the cars panels and windshields...

I have another post from a previous Spring time with more images of the Cherry Blossoms here

Cherry Blossoms reflecting off of the parked cars in Kitsilano's Yew Street.

Project 52 - Week 17

With just over a week remaining in our place in Kitsilano, we decided to have a few people around for a little going away party. Some of our guests brought along some delightful tulips which really helped brighten up the house. It was quite warm with all the people inside (was going to light the fire, glad I didn't!) so they opened up much more quickly than could have been expected. The next day I just had to take some pictures as they sat by the window. My favourite bloom I think!

Pink Tulip feeling the fatigue in the warmth!
 

Project 52 - Week 16

Continuing our training for the upcoming trek in Nepal, Tara and I headed for Lynn Valley again. This time with some warmer weather behind us, we decided to tackle Lynn Peak, with our full packs on. This will be the only serious climb attempt in our training, as the snowline has remained low until just recently. As we ascended, the common fog that clings to the sides of the mountains was quite dense from inside the canopy, adding a great atmosphere to the hike. With the sun shining through, the lighting was spectacular... Just tonight Tara saw in the news that a hiker was rescued from the peak of this trail this evening.

Tall Timber rises to touch the clouds on our way up to Lynn Peak

Project 52 - Week 15 - Hoya ND400 Neutral Density Filter

Well, I wrote an entire post about the photo I am posting below and some of my latest experiences shooting with a Hoya ND400 Neutral Density filter, but some internet hiccups deleted it all, and I am too tired to write it all out again. Didn't even get an auto-save draft! Th original post is here. My first images were kind of rushed, but when I found the below scene I took my time and achieved much better results.

A small waterfall just a few metres off the Baden Powell trail in North Vancouver.

Project 52 - Week 14

We started at around 9am at the Pike Road end of the East Sooke Park coastal trail. It was cool and the morning fog was showing no signs of lifting. As we made our way along the trail through the many undulations of rocky cliffs, gorges and forested hills, the beauty and atmosphere is spell binding. As I stood atop a large rock formation looking over a small sunken knoll of trees just 100 metres from the ocean, the fog sweeping in off the sea was creating an eerie mood. In the silence of the moment, I could have been standing a thousand miles from anywhere. Love it.

Lost in the Woods

Project 52 - week 13

Spent the Easter weekend on Vancouver Island, the weather was unseasonably spectacular. This shot was actually captured with the iPad from my morning coffee and news station. Just ten minutes earlier the basin was shrouded in a layer of fog, but as the sun peaked over the eastern hills, it burnt off rapidly revealing this glorious morning.

Project 52 - Week 12 Earth Hour

Earth Hour last year seemed to fizzle, it snuck up on me without me even realizing as there was limited media discussion or representation. This year was much better, Tara and I had dinner by candle light, lit the fire, played music on a portable system and soaked up the warmth. I wish we could morph Earth hour into something that was more permanent, instead of just patting ourselves on the back once a year for turning off some lights. When you look at how big of a difference there is when many of the commercial businesses and offices in high rise towers turn their lights off, it's hard to wonder why many of them are left on overnight, when no one is there.

Open Fire on a chilly night for earth hour, heat and light!

Project 52 - 2013 Week 11. Hoya ND400 Neutral Density Filter "Black Glass"

A much better image utilising the benefits of the ND400 can now be found here

After doing a little ebay shopping, my Hoya ND400 Filter arrived in the mail. I haven't fully tested it yet, but have taken a few sample shots with it to get a feel for how it works and how to compensate for the 9 stops of light it cuts out. My primary intention is to use it with water images. This little water fall on the Baden Powell Trail was the first one I got to stop at and take a few shots. It was bloody cold so couldn't sit still for too long, but still got some fun results!

Project 52 - 2013 Week 10

Still shooting hoops outside through the winter, when the sun is out for long enough to evaporate some of the water from the court. Its cold, especially when the breeze is coming off the water at the beach adjacent to the courts, but it makes you feel great!

Splash

Project 52 - 2013 Week 9

I have been wanting to shoot this for some time now. Walking to the bus on a sunny morning I would often see the way the trunks and lower limbs of the maples that line some of my local streets glow with the greeny-yellow colour of the thick moss that covers them. Without the thick canopy that adorns them in the summer months, the sunlight penetrates and gives a dappled, magical appearance that follows the "infinity" pattern as they continue on down the street as far as you can see. I raced out on a sunny morning this week and tried to capture the image as best I could without the power lines, street lights, vehicles and parking signs from getting in the way, it was kind of tough actually, but this image tells the story in part.

Moss Covered Maples - 8th St Kitsilano

Project 52 - 2013 Week 8

We have recently taken to hiking on the North Shore on the weekends. Its so lush and green over there. Beautifully fresh and crisp, but sometimes pretty wet too. The twin canyon loop trail takes you from Lynn Valley over towards the base of Mt Seymour along the river and then back via the Bayden Powell trail and finally across the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge, as shown below in the quickly failing evening light....