http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-01/others/36093742_1_indian-basketball-basketball-players-ludhiana

Last winter I spent a month in Kerala, India attending Theyyam performances (click on the word Theyyam for more information.)

As is often the case with travel and photography it was a bit of a treasure hunt…Doing research, making contacts, following leads, driving long distances, often getting lost. Sometimes I would travel for an hour or two and show up at a Temple only to be told I was a day early, it hadn’t started yet. Of course I preferred hearing that over another common line “You’re a day late, it ended yesterday!” In most cases I was allowed to photograph, but sometimes not.

I attended this particular Theyyam for two evenings. The dressing area was in total darkness the first night but on the second night they strung up a light fixture, which made it possible for me to take some portraits. I knew I had taken some good shots of this particular Theyyam performer, Vipin so I offered to share them with him via email. The following day I sent some photos to Vipin as promised, but the email was returned. Vipin’s friend had given me the wrong address. I was very disappointed that he’d never receive his photos and would never know I had tried sending them to him. That evening I went to a Theyyam in a different town farther away. It turned out to be one of the “You’re a day early, it hasn’t started yet. Come back tomorrow” situations. I was in the middle of nowhere so at that point I assumed the night was a bust. On the way back to my room the driver got lost and much to my amazement we wound up passing thru the town where I had been shooting the previous two nights and THAT Theyyam was still in progress. I never expected to see Vipin again but I was “accidentally” given a second chance to get his correct email address not to mention another evening to photograph him!

A couple of weeks later I was attending a Theyyam and a man approached me, saying he’d seen me photographing at another Theyyam. I had this photo of Vipin on my iPhone and for some unknown reason showed it to the man. He looked at me with a huge smile and told me Vipin was his son!

I always say the photograph is the icing on the cake…the experiences I had with Vipin and his father are great examples of what I consider to be “the cake.” Rich moments that come from enjoying life with a camera.
What are your favorite stories about photographs you have taken? If you’d like to share them please post below.

Since my last post here about India’s 62nd National Basketball Championship I have become more and more and MORE interested in the subject of Basketball in India.

I have a long history of getting involved with things and people just before they are discovered by the rest of the world. I strongly believe this is also true about Indian Basketball.

In this case if not the ENTIRE world, at least in India…(which till now has pretty much been a one sport country…that sport being cricket) I believe basketball there is about to BLOW UP. I’ll be writing lots more about what’s happening in India but for now just want to mention that I have entered the International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) photo contest for basketball photos taken around the world. They are celebrating their 80th anniversary with a contest that shows basketball is a global game. I mean how could I NOT enter, right?

I am entering this contest for several reasons, the primary one being that I want to bring International attention to Indian basketball and to the National Champion Punjab team and its players in particular.

FIBA’s facebook page  has almost 258,000 “likes” so I am hoping my photo is selected to post on their page. Great free PR for the sport and its players who barely get paid.

Here is the link to vote on the above image:

http://80years.fiba.com/gallery/545

Please vote! You can vote once per day. Thanks very much.

I’d like to share my first “made in America” blog post.

I was previously in the Indian (Native American) jewelry business so photographing powwows has been a great way for me to stay connected with Native American traditions.

Powwows are social gatherings that are spiritual celebrations as well as dance and drumming competitions. The colorful regalia (outfits) worn by dancers are equally matched by the passion of the drum groups.

I regularly attend powwows in New Mexico and California and once visited the great Crow Fair in Montana. This gallery is a selection from New Mexico powwows held in  2009 and 2010. I hope the photos convey the sense of wonder and gratitude I feel.

There are 12 large images in this gallery so please hang on if they are a bit slow to load.

Although he is from South India his primary ashram is in Pokhara, Nepal.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting him when we were both visiting the ashram of his brother Bun Giri Baba in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Below are a few images of devotees receiving his blessings (darshan) along with other moments from my time with him. It was a pleasure meeting him. I hope our paths cross again.

First of all…where to go? India of course, no surprise there. Some of my friends have been around the world several times while I’ve continued to go back to the same place each year. What can I say? I’m hooked. I wish I had the time and money to see and do it all but if I can only go away for a few weeks there’s nowhere I’d rather be than India. It’s home. Photographically, returning to the same place challenges me to see in a new way, to go deeper. Also there are long term projects I like to continue working on and new ones to start. For balance I’ll try to add in a spot or two that I’ve never visited along with my favorites.

Next…when to go? After talking with the airlines I discovered my favorite (most direct) routes were either fully booked or filling fast since I am looking to travel during November/December, a peak time. Hearing this I quickly reserved my tickets. Now I have no flexibility to change my travel dates because the plane tickets have stiff penalties but I can be flexible with my time while in India.

I like to prepare in advance, have some ideas of what I think I’d like to do but be able to change course at any moment. If something interesting comes along I want to be able to be as spontaneous as possible. I also like to move at my own pace when shooting. If I find myself in a sweet spot the last thing I want to do is leave. Flexibility is the great opportunity one has when traveling alone. There are many advantages to traveling with friends or a group but I usually prefer to travel on my own.

For those of you considering travel, whether for photography or other reasons…Do you prefer to visit new places or return to ones you’ve been before? Do you like to make plans or keep yourself open and see what shows up? Do you like to travel alone or with others? I’d love to hear your comments. Safe travels to all!

Here are a group of photos taken in and around Indian temples.