Nepalese porter at rest, Gorkha District, Nepal
On his way to Arket Bazaar, a Nepalese porter is having a rest.
About the picture:
The picture was taken in 2009 during a trek through the Gurung villages. On this particular day, I was walking between Lapubeshi and Arket Bazaar along a trail to the Manalsu trek. At peak season, it is used by many trekkers but not as many as the Annapurna or the Everest ones, mostly because of the lack of accommodation between Jagat, Samdo and Darhapani. But this is about to change as the trek has been getting more popular over the years. Outside the trekking industry, this trail is an important one as it is a trading route leading up to the Tibetan border. On their way, porters also play a key role as they also supply villagers with goods coming from both sides: China via Tibet and Kathmandu. Being a porter is a difficult job but very much in demand. Porters usually come from all over Nepal (sometimes India) with no specific background. They are farmers, students or just unemployed Nepalese looking to make some money.
Street Photography Workshop in Bristol, UK and abroad
In the next few weeks and months, I am going to launch a series of workshops organised firstly in the city I currently live, Bristol, and then outside the United Kingdom. The workshops are aimed at photographers having an interest in street and documentary photography and who want to progress in this area.
Workshops will start from July in Bristol with two one day sessions on Saturday 7th July and Sunday 22nd July. More information and a schedule of the day are already available @ Street Photography Workshop in Bristol.
Then a four days workshop and trip to Paris will follow in August. The dates are 23th August – 26th August 2012. The workshop is going to be a interesting one. Paris is a great city for photography and one of my favourite places in the world. Lots of fun ahead while shooting everyday life in its most popular as well as less well known areas. More information @ Street Photography Workshop in Paris
In my plans are also to offer workshops in the following cities & countries that I have already visited: London, Istanbul, Delhi, Varanasi and others parts of India. I’d love to share my experience of Kathmandu too. I am also thinking of organising some workshops in places that I haven’t yet visited. I have some ideas but I am also very much interested in knowing the cities in which you would like to go and shoot street photography in Europe, Asia or some others parts of the world. Be in touch.
If you want to get news from my next workshops, it is now possible to subscribe to my newsletter (check the right column of my website).
Lane around Al Karaouine Mosque, Medina of Fez, Morocco
In the heart of the Medina of Fez, a man is walking in a lane near by Al Karaouine Mosque.
About the picture:
The photograph was taken in 2010 during my second visit to Fez. It was probably not the first time that I had walked down this lane, but the lines & the geometry made by the “minimalistic” architecture and the contrast between the wall colour and the dark exit made me stop and take a photograph of it. I positioned myself to make the composition above and waited for an interesting scene of life. Eventually it did happen when a man dressed in white entered the frame. I took two shots of him walking in the lane including the one above. The reason why I took a photograph when he was about to leave the lane (and hence the composition) was to get his white shape in the darkest part of the image. It was also to increase his visibility and to get a good contrast. As for the composition, it was probably where the man fitted the best into the frame based on the perspective and the line direction.
Fez is a medieval Medina and one of the oldest in the Arabic World. It is a real maze where it is easy to get lost and not easy to find one’s way. However, getting lost in the Medina is a “must do” in order to discover its life, markets, souks and all its worshops. Tanneries used to be a big part of its culture and everyday life and still are despite a decreasing number of them. I recommend reading a blog post “Inside the Chouara Tannery” and viewing the photo slideshow to feel its atmosphere.
