Photography

It is camera upgrade season in our household.  With multiple new contraptions arriving, I am inspired to think about some of my most favorite captured moments.  Some of the photographs I take carry sentimental meaning, some are (frankly) tough shots I'm proud of, and some are great surprises.  Since there are too many to include in one post, I will stick to a gallery posting of "strength in subjects."  You will get my drift, I hope.  Here are some of my favorites (minus a few I snapped in Cuzco, Peru that may or may not be included in Cayle's upcoming post).

Try shooting out of the window of a moving matatu while also attempting to hide your camera.  It's not easy, but not as hard as pulling all of that produce. I like that the trailer has a vibrating look to it, appropriate for the location and the action taking place.

The camera is held down at my side as if it isn't on, my thumb resting the button.  They are looking up at our faces.  Beautiful, enduring children.

A solitary Acacia, winding and well trodden path, ray of light casting onto a Sub-Saharan plain and vast horizon... interpretations and representations are all too many to list.  I cherish moments while traveling where at an exact moment in time you know you are right where you should be.  There is unparalleled strength in such a feeling.

An icon of Mayan civilization, Temple of Kukulkan, Chichen Itza circa 2008.  On the spring and summer equinox, shadows are casted revealing a serpent's body down the staircase.  If visited now, the pyramid is fenced off and the land is quite barren.  

Whatever camera I had in 2007 (Kodak maybe?), I can't fault it much because it gave me this.

On one very hot, very sunny day I fought to ignore the chorus of "Jump Around" repeating in my mind while trying to absorb the cultural significance of a tribe's deep tradition.

A great blue heron looking dignified.  What I like most about this photo is the trifecta of landscapes ranging from the foreground and into the farthest distance with the green vegetation contrasting the detail of the bird.

If only this llama new it was so hip!  The "greenest" way to mow your lawn.  And the Andes, oh the Andes.  Is there a better mountain range?  P.S. it really was that green.

A moss covered Buddha surrounded by the tallest and brightest colored bamboo I have ever seen.  Allerton Garden, Kauai, Hawaii.

What I love about this photo (other than the man in it), was a complete accident.  A raindrop hit the lens of our waterproof digital right before I took this photo creating a motion effect at the rear of the kayak.  How speedy Cayle looks!

A director's chair.  How many amazing people have sat in it taking in a view of the Ugandan hillside? Or, should the emptiness of this director's chair be a metaphor for the political leadership of a country?

Some detail is lost in the highlights of the petals, but I still love the reflection of the waterlilly.

Another iPhone shot, which is forever the lock screen on my phone. We can't get enough of our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and are very lucky he is so welcomed and loved by his grandparents while we travel.

Can't wait for our new cameras to come in!  We have some major photography candy coming up finishing 2011 in Paris and starting 2012 off in Rome.

What about a photograph of yours qualifies it as one of your favorites?