Some of my favorite photography memories come from the times that I traveled alone on journeys to remotes places like in these photos.
These were taken in Yunnan, China, in villages so remote where the locals rarely ever see the likes of me.
On such trips, you meet innocence, curiosity and you feel the invigorating sense of discovery that only comes from being very far from comfort and routine.
I can’t wait till I can travel again and for the world to be allowing for that.
The world feels more and more alien to me with every passing day. 2022 is proving to be an even more intense transition into a changing future than the years that preceded it.
What kind of world are we leaving our children? They are a generation that was born and grew up in an accelerating age of technological advancement and an ever narrowing focus toward screens and social media with less and less connection to nature and its wonders.
How will they reconnect to what matters the most? How can we guide them towards a more harmonious, connected and natural state of affairs?
Maybe winter weather , shorter days and exploding covid numbers are promoting these thoughts and contemplations, but they are real and dominate my thoughts.
Good night from here and I hope you wake up to a bright new day full of promise and change to the better.
So I am changing this to from morning to daily since more and more coffee is making its way into my day. I hope that you day is going very well and is filled with your favourite beverage of choice.
a Lebanese bee~
Since I got back from the Emirates more than 10 days ago, I have seen nothing but grey skies and rain in Germany. I miss the sun, I miss its warming rays, I miss Lebanon, I miss summertime and I miss the feeling of being outdoors all the time.
With photography I can travel in my mind to the sun, I can be where I was when I took the photograph and I can almost feel the warmth. Our minds are amazing like that, we build all kinds of connections through our senses that allow us to travel mentally to certain moments that we mark on the calendar of our life history.
Doesn’t a smell sometimes bring back to a special moment in time that had its impact on your life? It happens to me all the time, or a piece of music, or the taste of something.
And the sun just came out as I write this… funny how things work.
Spectators in Prague at the dancing clock in the old town.
Good Morning,
Last night I dreamt of a man walking in the fog and woke up today to find a foggy world around me. But that’s another story.
Have you noticed how much time we spend capturing life in our devices without taking the time to feel it, sense it, be with it and understand it? I am guilty of that on account of my photography and I resolved to make myself put my devices away at times and just ‘be’ with what is trying to ‘be’ with me.
I can’t believe how fast this project is moving with already 45 posts done. Time waits for no one. It is later than we think…
Today my thoughts wander around the subject of intactness. What does it mean to be intact? How vulnerable do we allow ourselves to be with the onset of change? How does one become intact? Is it a permanent state or something we need to keep working towards in our personal development?
All these ponders take be back to the importance of reconnecting to the very basics, like the truth and meaning of life. Why are we here? What are we meant to be doing? What are we supposed to be collecting in our lives? And what do we leave behind as a legacy?
One thing is for sure: we are born alone and we die alone, so relationships matter and clean human interaction is vital during our short lives here on this unbelievably unbalanced planet.
Today I am writing from a higher place, from above the clouds. I just had my morning coffee on the plane that is taking me back home.
The last 13 days have been like a magic carpet ride of new impressions, inspiration and learning. I have seen a glimpse of what the future might look like and how the past continues to have its grip on present day generations.
Returning home is a process that is not only physical but also mental, emotional and spiritual. It’s a coming back to a gold state of stability that one works on building all their life.
I journey now back to my internal state, to my containment, to the gold.
One of the positive things about travel for me is the interruption of routines. One of the daily things I did every day when at home was watch the news. I have not done so in over 10 days now and I have noticed an interesting consequence: mental space.
There is more space in my mind to learn new things and take on new impressions. And strangely enough, the world still goes on whether I know about it or not.
So here is another resolution: less news and media and more books, museums and walks in the park.
Image taken at the giant animated globe simulation in the Saudi Arabia Pavilion at the Dubai Expo.
This is day 2 on this trip to Dubai and I am slowly adjusting to its timings, rhythms and frequency.
It’s probably the case with many photographers, discovering that it takes time to connect with a place during travel. Usually and if I have the luxury of time, then I try not to take photos on the first day. Instead I walk around, take in the impressions around me and wait for the place to draw my lens to it.
But then there are days where you see it all come together, the sun, the sea, the birds, the color,the silhouette and the incredible details and you just have to make the photograph.
Today is all about preparation for travel and until now al is well. I will be heading to Dubai this evening in an overnight flight and my next post will be from there if all goes according to plan.
I don’t know you feel the way I do, but when you rise in elevation above the clouds, perceptions alter. I suddenly feel a bit detached from the normal habitual day to day issues that tug at me. It might have to do with rising above the fog or the speed of jet travel, but the changes are undeniable.
Going from cold to warm, forest to desert, habitual routine to new rhythms… It is always exciting to travel.
Every year since my daughter was a small child, we visited this forest near the town of Xanten in Germany. This year was no exception. I always walked with her there and upon arrival we stopped and took a moment to greet the forest. One hand on a tree and she still recognises her tree till now, we announced our presence and pledge to do no harm to the forest. She always loved this little ceremony and so did I .
If you have chance to read the book, ‘secret life of plants’, you will see the overwhelming evidence that our planet and its fauna are so alive and so communicative in ways we hardly can comprehend. I do completely believe that our presence in the forest is felt and communicated from tree to tree and that intentions can also be felt.
It has been proven that the life of the tree retreats in the face of harmful intent and hides in its roots and that it can actually feel distress. There is so much to research about this subject and to experiment with as we reconnect to this marvellous garden of plenty that the planet offers to us so generously.
