Photos of Brimham Rocks
The yorkshire Dales are a magical place and Brimham Rocks is a good example of the little treasures you can find the parks expansive hills. Formed by eons of erosion, these enormous stones stand in strange formations that are perfect for both timid and brave adventurers – kids and rocks climbers can both expect a good day.
I visited last weekend and I’ve put up a small gallery of shots from a day spent wandering between giant stones. Check out my Brimham Rocks photos here.
Photo of the Day – Bali Lightning
I woke up on Christmas morning to flashes of light. It was probably about 3:00 or 3:30 in the morning and it took me a few moments to realize what was happening. There was no sound of thunder and only a slight breeze, but off the northern coast of Bali, a lightning storm was raging.
This image from my portfolio site, from the landscape section captures what I saw when I was finally able to drag myself out of bed. Click on the thumbnail to see the full size:
I really did have a tough time getting up. I was convinced that as soon as I got myself out of bed, got my camera and tripod, set them up, and hit the shutter, the storm would finish. I was very close to being right. This shot is the last big strike the storm made before dissipating into the dawn.
This was in 2004, the day before the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Bali’s shores were safe from those waves, and as I had been staying in a fairly remote village called Amed (see more photos from that village here) with no real media outlet to inform me of the disaster, I didn’t even know what had happened until a couple days later. I got to check my email and found a number of concerned messages in my inbox. I was fine, but had the earthquake happened a week later, I was slated to be in an area hit by the waves in Malaysia.
The Christmas storm I witnessed was, of course, unrelated, but when I see this image, I always make the association with the tsunami. The ocean that looks so peaceful here was soon to be so murderously turbulent. And the sky that was unaffected by the waves is here, in this image, in chaos. A reversal of the next day’s sea and sky.
Photos of Sapa, Vietnam
Adding on to yesterday’s post about my “best of” gallery of Vietnam photos, here is a little bonus. For a while now, I have had my photos of Sapa, Vietnam sitting on my hard drive, ready for uploading and just waiting for the opportune moment. Well, today seems as opportune a moment as any. So, let me present you with my photos of Sapa, Vietnam.
Sapa is the mountainous region in the Northwest of Vietnam easily reached by an overnight train from Hanoi. Sapa town is the jumping off point for an area populated by colourful hill tribes in minute villages. The landscapes are lovely and the people are beautiful, especially if you have the chance to get to know them a little bit. I wish I could have stayed longer to develop better relationships with the people and see more of their lives.
Also, a longer stay would have allowed more opportunity to visit more remote villages where tourism had not yet had such an impact. Most place s I went, the initial reaction of everyone there to a foreign presence was to drag out all their crafts and hawk them relentlessly. I don’t begrudge them but it did get annoying at times. But when I got the chance to spend a couple hours with a few local Black Hmong girls at the Sapa market, we connected a lot more than if they had just been trying to sell me souvenirs.
The trip was full of other adventures including:
- that overnight train ride where I got to practice my French with a family that shared my cabin
- visiting the locals schools and playing with the kids
- landing face first on a muddy road after a motorbike accident
- desperately scrambling up muddy slopes to try to get out of a valley and make my train back to Hanoi
- being force-fed rice whiskey at a local wedding and the resultant drunken bargaining with the locals and inevitable stumbling around muddy paths
- playing pool with kids on the world’s most crooked billiard table
- hitching a ride with german tourists in decommissioned Vietnamese military vehicles
- market trips, weird lunches inside the houses of the locals, an ostrich, watching mists roll in and out in seconds, etc.
Have a look at the photos here.
“Best of” Vietnam Gallery
As I mentioned in this post, my trip to Vietnam deserves a bit more than a few of my images in my portfolio. So, to somewhat rectify Vietnam’s omission from my site, may I now present you with a small “Best of” gallery of some of my favourite images from Vietnam.
VIetnam is certainly one of the countries I intend to re-visit someday. Its people can be so pushy, but all the while, they are so friendly and welcoming. It makes for a strange mix, but an intriguing one. They seemed very open to inviting strangers into their lives. All this is in a country with a long and rich history that is very much alive today so you get a view of the country how it has been both in the past and the present.
Have a look here.
Photo of the Day – Hanoi Portrait
Hanoi was one of my favourite places for street photography, largely because everyone is always in the street. Many businesses that would normally carry out their day-to-day operations inside are frequently found occupying the sidewalks of the motorcycle-choked, labyrinthine streets of the old city. Shoemakers, carpenters, metal workers and other trades and craftspeople are on full display and with a little rudimentary Vietnamese and a friendly smile, you can find some great subjects for your shots.
One of my personal favourite shots from the time I spent there is the one below. Again, this is another one from my brand new portfolio site, this time from the people section. Click on the thumbnail to see the full size:
This guy just looked badass. He was hanging out on the corner, not getting up to much of anything – just checking out the scene and listening to Hanoi’s ever-present motorcycle-horn symphony.
As tough and mean as he looked, I couldn’t bear passing by him without at least trying to get his consent for a photo. I could have walked across the street, slapped a long lens on my camera and covertly snapped a candid, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t be altogether pleased with the result. His appearance was so engaging, I felt I would lose some of that by putting a huge distance between us. Not to mention, I generally think it’s polite to ask when the opportunity’s available.
Armed with one of the few Vietnamese phrases I was capable of speaking, I approached him and the local words for “Can I take your photo?” managed to stumble out of my foreign mouth. The worst he could do was say no and I would have lost nothing except an opportunity for what would have been a somewhat unsatisfying candid shot.
But instead of saying no, he looked at me silently, nodded and then proceeded to take this pose while I got my shot. My Vietnamese was, by no means, good enough to tell him to “act natural” or “cross your arms and look tough.” I got a bit lucky with that, but, to a degree, you make your own luck and this shot wouldn’t have happened without performing the simple act of asking to take the photo.
I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not always easy to overcome the intimidation factor, but you just have to keep telling yourself, “the worst they can do is say no.”
I’m hoping I can follow up this brief visit of my time in Vietnam with a slightly more lengthy stay there – I would like to gather up some of my favoured shots from there into a “best of” gallery on this site. It’s a fantastic, beautiful country that deserves a longer look than this little blog post here. Stay tuned.
Photo of the Day – Laptop Shot
Time for the next opportunity to showcase an image from portfolio site. To mix things up, this one isn’t a travel image but instead is from my portfolio of product photography and it’s one of my most recent shots.
Click on the thumbnail to see the full size:
Yes, it’s a laptop. But, the fun of it all is taking a fairly ordinary object in a plain setting and getting your lighting just right so that the thing just looks cool.
Getting initial lights set up is usually pretty quick for this sort of shot, but the details are where the success of the shot lives. You have to think about the highlight on the right side of the image that defines the edge of the laptop screen (a honeycombed light coming from the back right).
You have to think about how you will give the keys texture and depth (another honeycombed light, this time from the back left that just skims across the surface of the keys, but is blocked from hitting the screen).
You have to think about how you are going to give more form to the subject by letting light fall off on its surfaces (small, close lights at just the right angles without much fill, so that you can get more fall off going into a bit of shadow).
More than anything, it’s an exercise in patience. Have an idea in your head of how you want it to look then start adding in the pieces to make that happen.
Photo of the Day – Feb. 16, 2009
Making good on my promise to do a bit of photoblogging, here’s the first in what will hopefully be a series of posts looking at the photos on my new portfolio site: darbysawchuk.com.
First up is one of my more recent travel images. Click on the thumbnail to see the full size:
This image was shot in Barcelona, Spain in the Gothic Quarter. The narrow alleys made for lovely shafts of light that burst through the darkness in the morning. It was tricky, however, to find a spot where the light wasn’t so overpowering that the background disappeared completely into darkness.
The other tricky part is, of course, being patient enough to someone interesting enough to walk past to round out the picture. This might be a pretty enough location shot, but with the man (and his companion pigeon) take it up a level and make the scene.
At first, I was unsure of the detail of the Christmas lights creeping into the top of the frame, but I’ve settled on liking them. Something about this fellow makes him look like he could be a musician and those notes at the top fit in nicely with him.
Photos of Sigulda, Latvia
A short trip from Riga lies the small hills and valleys of Sigulda. A nice spot to get away from the big city, this countryside locale hosts a the ruins of Sigulda castle and also the much more impressive (and much more intact) Turaida castle.
The valley is also home to a charming but tragic legend of a young maiden who refused to submit to the whims of a Polish soldier. Though she was in love with a local commoner, she was lured to a cave by the soldier. When she realized what was happening, she presented him with her “magic” scarf which she said protected the wearer from all injury. To demonstrate its effectiveness, she donned the scarf and coaxed the soldier to swing his sword at her. The end result was an ignorant soldier chopping her head off and an enduring legend of everlasting love.
The caves where the maiden met her end and where she also spent happier times with her love are both popular spots near the Gauja river. Neither of them, however, is going to be too exciting for anyone that doesn’t appreciate the legend – without the tales, the caves are relatively small holes in the side of a low cliff. So, just remember to pack the fable along with you and you should enjoy yourself.
Have a look at my photos of Sigulda here.
Photos of Kaunas, Lithuania
Continuing on with my photography of the Baltics, I have just uploaded a gallery of photos of Kaunas, Lithuania.
It’s small old town is scenic and on the other side of the city, the St Michael the Archangel church is impressive. It was in Kaunas, that I had one of my more memorable adventures in the Baltics which involved me poorly planning a route up a hill, hopping a couple of barbed wire fences, narrowly escaping potentially-nasty falls then crossing paths with a drunken member of the Russian mafia (I’m pretty sure!) and having to politely refuse a trip to a strip club with him where who knows what would have happened! The whole thing got my adrenaline going just a wee bit…
If my photos are at least half as exciting, I will have done my job. Check them out!
Photos of Tallinn, Estonia
After a couple of marathon processing sessions, last night, I put up my photos of Tallinn, Estonia. This gorgeous medieval city was almost too wonderful to be real. At times, it felt like I might have stumbled into Disneyland, but it was always much more fantastic than any theme park.
These photos join my shots of Vilnius, Lithuania and my images of Riga, Latvia from my trip through the Baltic states. Please have a look!
Photos of Riga, Latvia
Thanks to a busy schedule, it has taken me a while to put up my photos of Riga, Latvia, but here they are! As with my photos of Vilnius, Lithuania, I have not yet included descriptions or keywords for the galleries – they will be added later. For now, you shouldn’t have trouble finding anything.
Of the three Baltic capitals I visited, Riga felt most like a modern city. It’s medieval old town was not quite as compartmentalized from the rest of the modern developments like Tallinn, for example. Vilnius felt considerably smaller and didn’t seem to come with as many of the trappings of a larger city.
That said, Riga was still a wonder to explore. The art nouveau architecture was ubiquitous and it was impossible to get bored wandering the cobbled streets and visiting the plentiful landmarks.
Have a look at the photos here.
Photos of Vilnius, Lithuania
After last night’s glitches were ironed out by a moment of clarity, I can now happily report that my gallery of photos of Vilnius, Lithuania is now up and ready for your viewing pleasure.
I got off to a rocky start in Vilnius with a cab driver and B&B manager both ripping me off. That’s not so great when they’re really the first two people you meet in the country!
It was, however, smooth sailing after that and I gleefully wandered the fantastic medieval streets of the capital of Lithuania. The medieval old town held enough treasures for me to walk until very ugly things started happening to my feet. And then I walked some more. When I have a camera in hand and I’m surrounded by a beautiful city, I don’t notice so much.
In the interest of getting the photos online quickly, I have not yet provided descriptions and keywords for all the images. This will follow once more photos are online, but if you need any further information about any of the photos, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Enjoy the Vilnius gallery!
Photos of the Angel of the North
In honour of a wee trip recently made to Northeast England and its beautiful scenery, I have posted a small I have posted a small gallery of images that feature the Angel of the North.
This sculpture, designed by Antony Gormley and located in Gateshead (near Newcastle) was controversial when it was first constructed, but in its ten years of towering over the A1 motorway, it has become an icon of England’s Northeast.
With that in mind, I am putting this up as the first of a few galleries to come from a recent trip in that direction.
My expectation was that I wouldn’t like the winged giant, but standing beneath its massive wings, I was impressed. I hope I can share some of its grandeur with you. See the photos here.
Photos of Wat Phra Ram
It’s time to continue some travels through Asia. When last I left you, we were in Ayuthaya. Well, we’re still there with the latest batch of photos to be added to the gallery.
This time I have uploaded photos of Wat Phra Ram, another of the fine temple ruins in the centre of the city. Go have a look!
Images of Wat Phra Mahathat
Wat Phra Mahathat is another of the fine temples in Ayutthaya. The centrepiece of this site is the sandstone Buddha head embedded in the trunk of a tree. A bodhi tree has consumed most of the statue and all that remains is a face staring out from the roots.
Please visit the gallery of photos of Wat Phra Mahathat here.
Images of Manchester’s Southern Cemetery
Some people think it’s weird, but I have a thing for old cemeteries. I find them peaceful and beautiful and I don’t analyse it too much beyond that.
The cemeteries in Europe easily trump the ones where I grew up in Canada – their age alone makes them more fascinating just because there is so much history. Not to mention that there just isn’t the same kind of craftsmanship exhibited in newer graveyards – the quality of the sculpture here far surpasses anything I knew in my hometown.
So, in Manchester, Southern Cemetery makes for a good place for me to visit as it’s expansive and filled with lovely monuments. I took my new camera out for a test drive there and I now have a gallery up showcasing the results.
Check out the photos here.
Images of Wat Chai Wattanaram
More images from Ayutthaya! Yes, they keep coming (and will keep coming for a little while yet)!
This time join me a little tour through Wat Chai Wattanaram, one of the more impressive temples in Ayutthaya. Its sprawling, riverside ruins are dominated by a central prang and its satellite towers. Climbing the steep steps gives a good view out over the temple’s walls, the surrounding flat area and the river. It’s just another reason to make Ayutthaya more than a day trip from Bangkok.
More photos here.
Photos of Wat Lokaya Sutha in Ayutthaya
Continuing on with more photos from Ayutthaya, today, I present you with a small selection of photos of the reclining Buddha of Wat Lokaya Sutha. Not much remains of the temple, but the Buddha is still an impressive sight. Each toe on the statue is larger than your head (tickling him does nothing in case you were wondering – he has achieved enlightenment after all).
See more photos here.
Photos of Ayutthaya
In a constant struggle to organize, process, keyword and upload the thousands of pictures I have from Asia that still haven’t seen the light of day, I have made a small bit of progress by uploading a gallery of photos of Wat Phra Si Sanphet, the largest temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand. Now that I’ve made some headway on this particular location, my hope is that I can continue to upload more photos of the city’s many beautiful temples.
Ayutthaya is a wondrous place. The city cozies up to the temples as closely as UNESCO will allow because, well, who wouldn’t want a 500-year-old khmer ruin as the view from their window? Even though the city threatens to crowd out the history, there is a lot of peace to be found with the walls of the ancient ruins, on the back roads between giant Buddhas, and on the rivers that surround the city centre.
It’s an easy trip from Bangkok, but don’t be fooled into making it a day trip. There’s simply too much to see here before you have to get on a train to head back South. Give Ayutthaya at least a full day – it deserves it.
More photos of Wat Phra Si Sanphet here.
Photos of Bridgewater Hall
A little Christmas present I’ve given myself is some time to actually work on a few photos. This has given me the chance to put together this gallery of photos of Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall. It’s a striking bundle of glass-and-steel angles and I imagine it’s a fine concert venue. I’ve never had the chance to take in a show there, but I look forward to getting the chance sometime. For now, I will content myself with gazing upon it’s fine exterior.
Photos of Castlefield, Manchester
I’ve just posted a new gallery of photos. This time it is a big batch of pictures of Castlefield, the urban heritage park on the edge of Manchester’s downtown core (and a short walk from my home).
It’s one of my favourite areas in Manchester and not just because it’s close to where I live. Apart from the trains passing overhead, it’s a strangely peaceful place for the middle of a busy city. The canals filled with geese and barges are soothing. Watching the locks open and spill out their contents is a patient beauty. The sunlight bouncing from the water into the arches of the many bridges is hypnotic. And all the regenerated red brick architecture is especially pleasing in the brief moments when Manchester sits beneath a blue sky.
Add to all the sense of history that lingers at each turn. The Roman Fort’s remains, the canals, the warehouses and now the updated buildings all speak of different eras in Manchester’s past. It’s a treat to be in the presence of a past that lives on so visibly and has been so carefully integrated into the present.
Please have a look at the photos here.
Photos of Harajuku
Oops. I kind of forgot that I put up these photos last week. It has been a busy week after all (and they just keep coming!).
So, in case you haven’t already seen my photos of Harajuku, wander on over and have a look.
This Tokyo district is home to the majority of Japan’s weird trend setters. Scores of boutiques serve up every kind of fashion imaginable. Bands line up on the sidewalks and blast their music into the streets. Flea markets cover the ground with clothes of all types. Pompadoured, leather-pant clad rockabilly dancers do the twist in the park. Goth teens feign indifference to the photographers that give them the attention they crave.
Harajuku is a cornucopia of people watching delights, but if you tire of the weird and wild, nearby Yoyogi Park offers tranquility and respite with quiet lakes and lovely picnic spots in the woods.
But it’s hard to get tired of the vibrance of Tokyo’s youth showing off their creativity and earnest yearning for individuality in an frequently conformist society.
Check out the photos here.
Photos of Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine
I’ve been homesick lately, but strangely, not for my actual hometown of Calgary. Instead, I’ve been longing for some time spent in one of my second homes: Japan. I think it may just be itchy feet longing for someplace exotic.
To scratch that itch, I have just uploaded a gallery of photos of the Meiji Jingu Shrine in Tokyo. Surrounded by the modern weirdness and teen-oriented shopping of the Harajuku district, this temple is an oasis of traditional Japan.
The shrine is reached by walking a long, wide path through the perpetually-green Yoyogi park. Enormous torii gates signal your imminent arrival to the shrine but suggest a building far more grand than the austere and low shrine. These torii gates are absolutely huge and their scale suggests something equally large awaits.
Though this isn’t the case, the shrine isn’t a disappointment. Though it isn’t an old building, it successfully pretends to be. It was built with traditional techniques and materials that make it fit in with any of Japan’s ancient temples.
Being Tokyo, you can’t expect to find it vacant of visitors, but part of the charm lies in the people watching that can be done there. On weekends, the Meiji Shrine is a popular location for weddings and if you visit, you may be lucky to catch a glimpse of a couple in traditional dress tying the knot.
Photos of the Meiji Shrine here.
Photos of Manchester’s Beetham Tower
With the tiniest scrap of free time, I’ve had the chance to put together a gallery of images of Beetham Tower, Manchester’s tallest building and home to the Hilton hotel.
It’s one of those buildings that seems to polarize its viewers. Some enjoy its soaring form while others loathe its discord with the surrounding area. Add to that its height and you can’t escape a view of the tower. That, however, can be a boon when, like me, you live near it and are lost in Manchester – you can always orient yourself to it’s giant rectangular shape.
On the 23rd floor, the Hilton operates a bar/lounge that, apparently, affords some great views of the city. The cocktails cost as much as a meal anywhere else, so I haven’t yet made the trip up (though I could probably get away with not buying a thing…). I’ll have to make the trip sometime though – there are few tall buildings in Manchester with any public observation floors and I’d love to see this city from above.
Check out the photos here.
Darby Sawchuk is a Canadian-born photographer who currently resides in Manchester, England. He has travelled to over 40 countries and is always adding more to the list. He creates stock for multiple agencies and is available for assignments.
+44 0790 992 8932
