Ganden Monastery

Mt Everest

Prayer

Monks Debating

Yamdrok Holy Lake

Prayer Buddhas

2012.  What impressed me the most about Tibet was the political presence: mandatory Chinese flags on village homes, military marching in step through downtown Lhasa, tanks plowing through countryside roads, numerous checkpoints & papers presented to authorities.  Outshining those memories, however, are the endless colors: clumps of prayer flags strewn on unreachable mountainside landscapes, turquoise holy lakes, purple ribbons braided into women's hair, indigenous style jewelry for sale on folding tables in the middle-of-no-where Himalaya.    

Braided, Ti-Goave

Washer, Ti-Goave

Elha, Ti-Goave

Stickers, Ti-Goave

Djlove's Hair, Ti-Goave

Stoop, Ti-Goave

Motorbike, Port-Au-Prince

Soccer Truck, Ti-Goave

Kitchen, Ti-Goave

Bicyclist, Port-Au-Prince

Baby Love, Ti-Goave

2017. "This is de firs time a white person come my house. We are one family."

Hsipaw Village Woman

Meditating at Bagan

Monks in Paulang Village

Bagan Temple

Mandalay Slum Kids

2012. The best photo on my camera wasn't taken by me.  "Hsipaw Village Woman" was the result of handing off my camera to a scrawny & weathered woman wearing hand-made clothes, carrying her days harvest in a patched together basket.  I motioned for her to snap a shot of her friend, in hopes that it would be less intrusive than I, the gawking foreigner, shoving the lens in her face.  She put the camera about 6 inches from her friend's nose & I was sure the shot was a bust.   She then casually handed the camera back to me without any interest in seeing the photo.

Gion Matsuri Parade, Kyoto, Japan

Jie Tai Temple, Beijing, China

Tea, Beijing, China

Taroko Gorge, Taiwan

Yi Lan Mountains, Taiwan

Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Kyoto, Japan

Hawker, Great Wall of China

Yangtze River, China

2011-2014.  My best memories of East Asia are from China.  I had students who had protested at Tiananmen in 1989, students who had no idea what the Tiananmen protests were, and even one much older student who hadn't been allowed to go to college during the Cultural Revolution because her father was considered "bourgeois."  I made friends with monks, survived apocalyptic smog, introduced middle-aged men to their first Michael Jackson song, & heard stories of the coin operated binocular machines that look over the border into North Korea. China, shine on you crazy diamond.

Rice Fields, Don Det, Laos

Sangker River, Cambodia

Train Tracks, Battambang, Cambodia

Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang, Malaysia

Wat Phan Tao Offerings, Chiang Mai Thailand

Kids, Don Det, Laos

2014.  SE Asia displays one of the more unique spectrums of humanity as any part of the world does.  Hundreds of people living on the water in boats, touristy remnants of a harrowing genocide,  weed for sale in restaurants.  There's a safety for any traveler on this beaten path, but despite the backpacker overload, SE Asia still charms.  

Beads, Tangalle, Sri Lanka

Parade Girl, Tangalle, Sri Lanka

Hindu Temple, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Buddha, Negombo, Sri Lanka

Woman on Bridge, Pokhara, Nepal

Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

Dancers, Tangalle, Sri Lanka

Devils, Tangalle, Sri Lanka

Wild Monkey, Kathmandu Nepal

Himalayas

Indian Ocean, Tangalle, Sri Lanka

2017. Most of my travel experiences are a series spontaneous moments I find myself in.  In Sri Lanka I found myself chasing hypnotic Hindu drum sounds down a local road, bartering drawings for a photo of a train vendor, and giving monks impromptu English lessons. 

2012.  In Nepal I learned that you can fall in love in an instant. Pure love.  I stayed at a disabled children's home and really just played with the teens living there.  I found the phenomena of instant trust and adoration so innocent.  It's given me a very important lens through which to see this universe of mystery.

Native American, Queens, USA

Flower Lady, Coyoacan, Mexico

Church, Merida, Mexico

Children, Coyoacan, Mexico

Beaded Indian, Queens, USA

Suburbs, Ohio, USA

Winter Window, Ohio, USA

Happiness, Philadelphia, USA

Subway, New York City, USA

2013.  The USA is full of Mexico.  I thought I knew Mexican culture well, but, as always, experiencing an assimilated culture is not the same as experiencing an authentic culture.  Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul, the underground caves of Yucatan, the ancient pyramids of Chichen Itza, locals who still speak Mayan - Mexico is a stunning and rich land full of intrigue and beauty.

Music Man, Salento, Colombia

Warrior, Cartagena, Colombia

Countryside, Salento, Colombia

2016.  I snuck this photo of the happy old musician as I ate my plate of food, my phone camera discreetly pointed at him with my back to him.  I know that he didn't know I got this shot because we talked later, but he had been staring at my phone for some reason at this moment.  Had I asked for a portrait I would've ended up with a much different expression from the bubbly and smiling man. 

Ait Benhaddou Kasbah, Morocco

Alley, Chefchaouen, Morocco

Tower, Fes, Morocco

Children, Chefchaouen, Morocco

The Blue City, Chefchauouen is easily the most photogenic town I've ever seen in the world.  These girls were running the streets yelling at each other in Arabic, but after I started taking photos the older one looked at my and shook her finger, saying "No Facebook!"

Camel, Niweba, Egypt

Red Sea & Saudi Mountains, Dahab, Egypt

Lantern, Cairo, Egypt

Fishing, Istanbul, Turkey

Nasr & Abdul, Niweba, Egypt

Wailing Wall Boys, Jerusalem, Israel

2010. I was 27 when I showed up alone in the Middle East, with only plans to see Turkey, certain the rest of the area was "too dangerous" for a Western woman.  "Go to Egypt! I stayed in the same beach town for 6 weeks!" My hostel roommate in Antalya seemed normal enough, so I threw to the wind & took her advice.  Arriving at the Cairo baggage claim, I saw the man who had been sitting next to me on the flight; "Welcome home," he said through a smile.  And I did find a large part of myself in those sands with all their religion, politics & exotica.  

Imagine, Prague, Czech Republic

River, Prague, Czech Republic

Church, Dublin, Ireland

Dying Slave, Michelangelo, Paris, France

Spasskaya Tower, Kremin, Moscow, Russia

Gullfoss Falls, Iceland

I accidentally ended up in Russia summer of 2011 when a hurricane hitting NYC saw my connecting flight cancelled and the entire plane of passengers stranded for three days in Moscow.  It was one of the most photogenic cities I've ever seen.

Olive Farms, Peloponesse, Greece

Ancient Corinth, Greece

Guard, Vatican City, Italy

Windmills, Andalucia, Spain

Canal, Venice, Italy

Mosaic, Venice, Itay

St Paul's Cathedral, Rome, Italy

Walkway, Murano, Italy

St Mark's, Venice, Italy

Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, Italy

2008. My Greece photos were shot on a disposable drug store camera before I took my photos a bit more seriously.  I ended up with a few surprisingly really unique, rustic shots that captured the vibe of the sun and heat and energy of Greece.