Tag: smile

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Photography

The Delightful Freedom Gained From a Simple Life~

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Over time I have come to believe that the simpler life is a secret key to satisfaction of the right kind. We often feel overwhelmed with our lives, with our possessions and the responsibilities that accumulate as an aftereffect of these possessions and where do we run to? A beach, a forest, a long walk, or a meditation. They say hard work is the best remedy for an idle and restless mind, and maybe something in our design needs us to be busy and rewards us with happiness.

This beautiful girl was walking along the village road with a sack of small rocks on her head that she was taking home for a small building project. I followed her for a while till she caught on and turned around and gave me this dazzling smile followed by shy giggles.  I was in the presence of pure and uncomplicated happiness.

Day 15 of 365

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Photography

Happy People Attract Essences~

Someone very wise once said: “happy people attract essences” . Such a true statement and how contagious is a smile! In my street photography around the world I find myself mostly walking around with a goofy smile while I interact with people in their daily lives. Brief moments shared and remembered for a long long time.

Photo of this lovely lady taken in a slum in New Delhi earlier this year.

Day 12 of 365

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CHINA street photography xinjiang

Tajik Smile~ Tashkurgan

tajik-smile-tashkurgan

In the town of Tashkurgan, home of the Tajik people in Xinjiang, bordering Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, I met this boy in the old mountainous Pamir region. It is said that this town marks the middle way between Europe and China. The faces I saw there were unforgettable.

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Photography

Some Smiles Cannot be Forced

some smiles cannot be forced~ syrian refugee
some smiles cannot be forced~ Syrian refugee

There are now over 1.2 million Syrian refugees living in Lebanon in camps waiting for a better home under the care of humanitarian organizations and NGOs. The children carry the hope and strength of their whole nation.

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CHINA Photography shanghai street

Gentleman of the Bund~ Shanghai

and he smiled gently on that early morning...
and he smiled gently on that early morning…
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art inspiration Photography street

loving what you do and doing what you love

fisherman~ Penang~ Malaysia
fisherman~ Penang~ Malaysia

Have you ever tried to photograph or just picture in your mind an office worker who does not like what they do, but do it only because they have to? Can you imagine the expression of discontent and almost despair on their face? I still remember having jobs before where I did a mental countdown daily until the time came that I was free to go home. How unnatural it is to live that way…

Imagine finding what you love to do and doing just that all day, every day, wishing you had more hours in the day to do it. This is how I feel about photography and my work in it. I love doing it, sharing it, learning it, teaching it, exploring the world with inquisitive eyes, mind and faculty and remaining constantly at awe of everything I see and everyone I meet.

All of this has become more and more intense since I found another photographer who shares my vision and who was willing to dive into the unknown of a new amazing project of taking our love of photography and exploring the world while sharing it with others who have the same passion.

We found and keep finding ourselves in the streets of the city, where we meet the unexpected, exchange unforgettable moments with other humans, and then capture and share bits of it with the world.

Please visit our new project ‘finding yourself in the streets’, where Tokyo photographer Michael Kistler and I are beginning our photographic adventure, and hopefully see you one day in the streets!

Please ‘like’ our facebook page if you have time and help us kickstart this exciting adventure!

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CHINA contemplations faces old age old people Photography shanghai story street

The child inside us all

Eighty five and exploding with stamina
Eighty five and exploding with stamina~ the bund~ Shanghai

Every once in a while I meet an incredible human, and they remind me that aging is a natural process that only claims our physical body. The spirit is always effervescent if we allow it to be, the soul is only more experienced and our mind can only grow richer if we feed it in the right way. This lady I met this morning, early at sunrise was giggling while doing her morning exercise and very proudly telling my friends and I that she is 85 years old and still feels young and full of energy. She was infectious in her enthusiasm and bright spirit, light as a feather and innocent as a small child. She renewed my hope in life and its beauty and easily added herself to my list of unforgettable people.

Categories
art children inspiration Malaysia

Pure joy cannot be bought or sold~

Malaysian child in the waters of Penang
Malaysian child in the waters of Penang

It can be found on the shores of innocence.

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art CHINA Photography shanghai street

A taxed soul

When life demands so much~ Shanghai
When life demands so much~ Shanghai

Shanghai’s migrant workers leave home, province and family to come to the big expanding city, to join the working force and help build China into the giant it wishes itself to be. They are the simplest of people in the city, the ones that have a smile ready on their faces to give to any who looks their way, the hardest workers and those whose lives are the most difficult.

This is a tribute to them, these wonderful people.

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CHINA contemplations friendship Guilin Photography street

Day 29~ December 29th~ Guilin

the card game
the card game

Where the seconds melt into minutes, and the minutes into hours, where conversations flow, where bonds are made, where friendships and money are made and lost… the village card game.