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This image involved painting the Egg Factory in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness with light after the sun had set and it was pretty dark. No worries...the light didn't stay on the eggs once I turned my flashlight off...The Egg Factory is a group of large eroded rocks that have fantastical shapes. It is best photographed after the sun has gone down and there are no shadows on the rocks. This means you must be prepared to find your way out across the desert in the dark which isn't too bad if you have a GPS or a compass. I shot this at the end of November 2012 and I feel it was well worth the effort involved...I hope you like my image as well. New Mexico is known as The Land of Enchantment and the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is certainly an example of that. The Bisti/De-Na-Zin is an incredible area to hike in and to photograph in as well. The shapes of the rock are other worldly as are the colors of the landscape. For the most part the terrain is easy to negotiate for the average hiker who is used to the outdoors. A GPS is very useful as are maps and other navigational tools. There is a good deal of information on the internet about this area and is useful before your visit to the area...Cheers Bob

Here is a close-up view of the colorful "pot" that the young Buddhist Monk uses to collect his food in. I was attracted to this detail and, utilizing my 70-200mm lens I was able to make the photograph from a distance without interfering with the event taking place. Often photographers forget that the people you are photographing are the most important...not the photographer or the image.
When traveling always be aware of the sensitivity of the local environment and customs. I always feel that I am a representative of Canada when I visit other countries and I act accordingly.
Please go to my Laos Gallery as well as the Galleries for Thailand and Cambodia to see more images from my Asian Travels.

I was attracted to two elements in this scene...the young Buddhist Monks and the older lady in the scene.
Laos is a wonderful country with many colorful temples and beautiful people.
Traveling in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand is easy and very cheep by our North American standards. Food, lodging and accomodation is affordable for almost anyone in all three of these countries.
The capital of Vientienne is a busy place and so I recommend traveling to smaller villages and towns. These images are taken in Luang Prabang which is a smaller place in Laos.
Traveling on the local buses is the way to go as well as using "the people's boats" to travel on the Mighty Mekong River. Both are incredible experiences and both ways of travel are inexpensive.

This is an image I made in the Asian country of Laos. The young Buddhist Monks make their rounds early each morning to receive their food (alms) for the day. Citizens of the community sit patiently waiting for the Monks to come at their regular time. No words are exchanged between the Monks and the people giving them food. It is a silent affair and wonderful to see and to photograph.
I used a 70-200mm for these images so that I would not interfere with the procession. In this way I was able to make candid portraites of the scene. Keeping the composition "clean" without too many distracting elements was my goal. By watching the "Background" and the sides of my frame I was able to "keep things tight".
When doing this type of photography where I am photographing people I like to interfere as little as possible with what is going on and thus show respect for the participants.

A reminder to change the focal length of your lens (zoom in and out) to make alternative compositions of the scene. A detail image compared to a wider angle image is important to have. It always amazes me to see what is near an iconic place that I have never seen as a photograph.
The Wave is photographed so regularly by all the "Top Professionals" that you may set out to capture an image that you have already seen in photographs. One of my pet peaves is seeing vertually the identical images in different galleries that I visit around the world. This pet peave also extends to "all the same locations" for many professionals. I think it is important to "bag the iconic shot" but then try for something different that will put your mark on it. Please look through my galleries and see the "Iconic Shots" but then look for images that you have never seen before.

Two hikers exiting The Wave. It seems a shame to walk on this beautiful rock but you can only enter and exit by walking through The Wave itself. The hikers give the viewer some idea of the size/scale of the terrain and I think that adds to the image.
Time of day and light is always an issue for photographers. How early must I get up in the morning to "get good light" is the question. With The Wave you leave as early as you can to enjoy the hike and photograph along the way. As long as you are on location sometime before 10 o'clock light should be good since you are facing due north for most of the shots of The Wave itself. In the afternoon shadows cut across the bowl of The Wave and spoil the image. Late in the afternoon you want to photograph The Second Wave which is close at hand.
As you see, once again, much of my travel planning is focused on my camera work. However, just being in a place like this is enough for most people I am sure.

This image is of a landform feature known as The Wave. It is located west of Page Arizona. It is an iconic location that has many vistitors from all over the world. The good news is that the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) has very strict quotas as to how many people can visit this site on a given day. Permits are issued to only 10 people online and 10 people who line-up to attempt to get a permit each day. This is great for the land and I commend them for having this system.
The site itself requires some effort to hike to. It is not a strenuous hike but some route finding is necessary. Both times that I have been fortunate enough to hike into The Wave I have found myself searching for the way back to the trailhead at the end of the day.
This area is well worth all the effort it takes but some planning and patience is key.

This is my personal favorite from this series. The light is excellent on Vivian's garment and her pose is subtle, almost pensive in some ways. I hope you like my images and remember that you can "dress up your friends and family" for your own concept photography.

This is the fourth in the series from The White Sands in New Mexico. A slightly different pose creates a different feeling to the over-all image. In photography always explore all of the possibilities before finishing the shoot.

In this image of my model in the White Sands of New Mexico I want to pay attention to one small detail. That detail is the model's hand. It was important in posing Vivian that her hand would show and appear to be reaching out to the sky. This small gesture adds much to the over-all impact of the whole scene.