180 Degrees Together
This week’s #FriFotos theme is #Together. Hmmmm, I said once again. After thinking about the subject, ideas started to form and the blog below soon appeared.
Together in School and Play
When we were together in childhood, we didn’t realize we were making memories; we just knew we were having fun.”
–Anonymous
While we were touring Rajasthan, we hardly ever slept because there was so much to see. When our guide insisted on taking us to see Saheliyon Ki Bari (Courtyard of the Maidens), a garden in Udaipur, I didn’t feel very excited. “We have gardens in my country, I muttered. Don’t get me wrong, the gardens in India are spectacular, it’s just that I didn’t think I’d find many photos to make with my fisheye lens. Shortly after we entered the garden, a group of well-dressed and well-mannered school children gathered in a group and asked to me to take their photo. I obliged them, and it turned out to be one of my favorite photos of that day.
Children on a field trip in Udaipur, India
Usually, I try to avoid having people in my photos in order to give them a more timeless quality. I quickly learned that many times groups of students in India like to have their photo taken, and in retrospect, the pictures are a fun and interesting change of pace for me. I had been waiting for a group of university students to clear out of my way so that I could make photos of the Brihadeeswara Temple (Peruvudaiyar Kovil) in Tamil Nadu, India, when they gathered together and asked me to take their picture. I really like the way it turned out and wish I had their address to send them a copy.
University students at the Brihadeeswara Temple in Tamil Nadu, India
Later in the day at Lathmer Holi in the town of Barsana, Mathura, I saw this group of guys hanging out and laughing with each other. After I had taken their photo, I lowered my camera and gave them my best “Tough guy look”. They laughed and in turn, gave the same attitude for the photo below. I still don’t know why I did that, but I like the result.
Men at the Lathmer Holi
“Any time women come together with a collective intention, it’s a powerful thing. Whether it’s sitting down making a quilt, in a kitchen preparing a meal, in a club reading the same book, or around the table playing cards, or planning a birthday party, when women come together with a collective intention, magic happens.”
–Phylicia Rashad
This photo was taken in the beautiful “Blue City” in Jodhpur, India. The outside of the house was painted the typical blue color that made the city famous, and the women were each wearing bright colored saris. The picture was beautiful in its own right, but the color distracted me from seeing them and their facial expressions. Converting the image to black and white solved the problem.
A group of women in Jodhpur, India
The “M” Word
“Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads, which sew people together through the years.”
–Simone Signoret
There is a Mango Tree where Shiva and Parvathi were married, at the Ekambareswarar Temple in Kanchipuram, India. This makes the grounds an auspicious place for wedding photography. I didn’t want to interrupt the professional photographer that was busy at work photographing the couple below, but asked permission to take “Just 1” photo of the couple. As I was making the exposure, a woman dashed out of the temple and into my photo. I like the sense of time it gives the picture, and it makes the composition less static.
A bride and groom at the Ekambareswarar Temple in Kanchipuram, India
I came across a similar circumstance while in Penang, Malaysia. Once again I asked to make a single image, that you see below. Back at the hotel, I noticed a large ORANGE traffic cone in the background that played hell with the bright green wedding attire. First I cursed then I tried to carefully retouch the photographic, which I rarely do. Can you see where it was? 😉
Malaysian Bride and Groom
The Tantric Murals at the Hemis Monastery in Ladakh
“Together, we form a necessary paradox; not a senseless contradiction.”
–Criss Jami
The walls of the Hemis Monastery are covered with Tibetian Buddhist murals. The couple in the painting below symbolizes the union of insight and compassion, which symbolizes the mind of the enlightened. Tantric paintings were originally meant only for the eyes of the initiated and often portray deep harmony and power of the sexes together.
Tantric Mural
Together we came; together we go! See you here next week.
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Blog :George Edward Giunca
About the Authors
Photographer George Edward Giunca, and his Thai wife, Apisatha, have traveled around Thailand armed with a circular fisheye lens to create a photo essay on the rich cultural diversity, and abundant natural beauty of the Kingdom of Thailand. Fleeing from angry water buffaloes, slapping huge mosquitoes, watching exotic festivals and religious rituals, gorging on delicious spicy food, applying aloe vera cream to sunburned skin, wading through rice paddies, getting drenched to the bone by heavy monsoon rains, and gawking at breath-taking scenery; made it a journey of epic proportions! The result is the book, THAILAND 180º. Later, they traveled extensively through Myanmar, Malaysia, and India, gathering a massive collection of 180º photos. They currently live in Chiang Mai where they continue to blog and are now working on a CHIANG MAI 180º book.
Here’s How to Order Your Copy of THAILAND 180º Collectors EditionToday!
In Thailand —>>>http://www.thailand180.com/thaiorder.html
The Rest of the world: We are offering our book on Amazon.com, below list price and I’ll pay for the shipping within the United States! http://amzn.to/1knDPRR
Not Familiar with Our Book???
This show details the origin of 180 Books, a series of art/travel books illustrated with a circular fisheye lens. By using infographics, pictures from our THAILAND 180º book, and never seen before images from our vault, we’ll demonstrate this unique lens and present our unique books.
Also, because there’s nothing to watch on TV, here’s a trailer about our book, “THAILAND 180”
Above is an interactive map of Thailand. If you click on a marker it reveals a photo from our THAILAND 180º book and a link to our blog article about the photo. Go Ahead~ Start Exploring ~Have Some Fun!
