Focus on Culture

This gallery includes the images that are part my article, entitled "Focus on Culture," in the travel-themed May 2018 issue of Outdoor Photographer.

The first four images in this gallery are included in the published article; the remaining images represent scenes that are described briefly in the article. For the latter group, image captions point to the relevant paragraphs in the article.

A sadhu (holy man) starts the day with a ceremony on the ghats as the sun rises over the Ganges River in Varanasi. With the sun blocked by the main subject, you can take better advantage of the sunrise colors in th sky. [Pages 34-35]
Bison horn (Maria) tribal dancers in the mostly rural state of Chhattisgarh, India, against the setting sun. The silhouettes and backlit color of the dancers' robes are striking; choosing an exposure to show some details of the white necklaces and head dresses adds further interest. [Page 36]
The pedestal in this Vrindavan temple holds a small metal sculpture of a cow and calf, which are sacred for Hindus. In this extended exposure, Holi celebrants are paying respect and touching the pedestal for blessing. [Page 37]
As a Mekong River cruise ended in Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake, we sailed past floating villages, including this beautiful scene of a fruit and vegetable vendor making an early morning visit in her boat to a floating home. [Pages 38-39]
Bathing in the Ganges River is a sacred experience for Hindus. The river also meets the more ordinary daily needs of tens of millions of Indians, including these. [DEMONSTRATING RESPECT section, third paragraph, page 35]
The background behind this dancer at a rural teschu festival in Bhutan is a ten story tall silk applique (throngdrel) hung especially for this festival from a temple building. The celebrants lined up along the bottom of the throngdrel demonstrate its massive scale. [SEEK OUT FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS section, third paragraph, page 36]
This beautiful young girl belonged to one of the dozens of "wedding parties" eager for their photographs to be taken during the Ganguar celebration in Jaipur, India. [SEEK OUT FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS section, fourth paragraph, page 36]
This workshop for tourist-destined pottery in Ha Long, northern Vietnam, offered interesting composition opportunities. I chose a low angle so that the entire background is pottery patterns. [PLAN PRODUCTIVE WANDERING section, third paragraph, page 38]
Shooting from inside this courtyard in an Indian village presented the cleanest background for this scene of human-powered winnowing. Even with a 1/640 second shutter speed, you can see the movements of the people and fan blades in the image. [IN FOREIGN TERRITORY, ARRANGE A LOCAL GUIDE section, third paragraph, page 38]
This vantage point was one of my favorites for pre-breakfast village shooting sessions in Xizhou, China. The worker, the light and background make a fine combination. [IN FOREIGN TERRITORY, ARRANGE A LOCAL GUIDE section, fourth paragraph, page 39]