Since there are so many Monks in Bhutan I can hardly only put up one image, so here are a few more. Mostly photographed in the Dzongs and temples of Punakha, Trongsa, Thimpu and Bumthang.
Path to Enlightenment
It seems the Monks are used to being photographed, I guess they are an easy target, but if you are on the path to enlightenment being magnanimous with a group of photographers is just one small test along the way. Either way they were all very friendly and obliging, or perhaps gracious is a better description.
Don’t forget to click on the images to see the bigger (and better) version. All three of these images were shot on the Canon 5D Mk II with a Canon 24-105mm f4L
Bhutan Photographic Tour 2013.
The dates for the Bhutan photo tour for 2013 are up! I have redone the whole tour for 2013 and reduced the number of participants to a maximum of 10 people to ensure plenty of personal contact time. You can read about the new Bhutan photo tour for October 2013 on this page
Over 10% of the population of Bhutan are Buddhist Monks, so when you are there you tend to see a lot of them about. The Dzongs, which are old feudal fortress temples dotted all across Bhutan, are now used as centres for Government offices and are also house the Monk bodies of Bhutan, quite aptly symbolising the close relationship of the counties government and its religion. In fact Bhutan is one of the only countries that has its religion (being Buddhism) written into its constitution.
Buddhism in Bhutan
The Buddhism of the majority of the population Bhutan is what they call middle path Buddhism, that is they won’t kill animals, but they occasionally will eat meat if one of their livestock dies from an accident or old age. As a tourist in Bhutan you are usually served meat or fish with most meals, as the Bhutanese assume most Westerners want to eat meat, but the great irony of this is that all the meat for tourist consumption is imported from India!
This image shot in Thimpu Dzong, with the permission of the subject, with a Canon 5D Mk II and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L lens
Bhutan is a country of super friendly people, I’ve said this before but it really is such a noticeable difference to other places I’ve been that it bears repeating. Not that the people of other cultures are unfriendly (at least not all of them) it just seems in Bhutan people have an innate openness to strangers that for someone from a western country like me it can appear quite startling.
It seems that as a result of this I have many many images of people. I am somewhat used to (and not surprised by) people refusing my request to take their picture, usually with lots of gestures to the camera and nodding on my part, followed by a solemn shake of the head on theirs. I find this perfectly understandable, it must be weird having a total stranger come up and want to take your photo. That almost never happened in Bhutan. Instead I experienced happy acquiescence and in many cases with kids, insistence that I take their photo.
Vegetable Gardens of Punakha
These two images are of a lovely old lady who had been tending a large
vegetable patch out in the countryside in the region of Punakha. I took a couple of covert shots with the 400mm lens as she walked up the path towards me, but those shots lack connection as sneaky shots often do.
As we came up to each other on the narrow track I stepped aside for her and with my 3 words of Bhutanese and much gesturing I asked her if I could take her photo. She simply smiled and nodded.
Shot on a Canon 5D Mk II with a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L Lens. If you would like to visit Bhutan with me next year I run photo tours to Bhutan every year.
These are random shots from a roadside stop on the way to Trongsa Dzong in central Bhutan shot on one of my Bhutan Photo tours. This fellow and the rest of his team were in the process of putting up a viewing platform shelter on the opposite side of the valley from the Trongsa Dzong (temple fortress).
And like almost all officially placed lookout platforms, it was in the wrong place! It was situated directly opposite the Dzong and the view was very uninspired, the workers themselves were much more interesting, this fellow in particular. He has such a lovely open face, and the light was just right. I got some more interesting pictures of the Dzong later.
Trongsa Province, Central Bhutan. Shot with a Canon 5D Mk II, 24-105mm f4L lens.
Champagne Springs at Dusk, El Questro Station in the East Kimberley Region
I have always looked at the sign pointing to the trail to Champagne Springs at El Questro Station, in the East Kimberley region, thought about it… But never walked it. Read the rest of this entry »
Im definitely showing signs of improvement, with 2 posts in two weeks! This is another shot from my latest trip to the Kimberley last year. I haven’t been into Geikie Gorge for quite a few years, as its near Fitzroy Crossing just off the main road and if i’m going that way the Gibb River Rd is my preference.
Geikie Gorge Twilight reflections
Camping around Fitzroy Crossing is a bit scarce, unless you want to stay in a camp ground in the town, which i don’t, as it’s not really my favourite town… though in saying that, it does appear to have improved in the last 10 years, which was the last time i stopped there. Read the rest of this entry »
The clock is ticking on the opening for the Kimberley Exhibition and i’m almost there. If you haven’t seen the invite you can check it our here. One of the images to feature big in the exhibit will be this one of Mitchell Falls, Mitchell Plateau National Park from the last trip through the Kimberley.
Spectacular big sky at Mitchell Falls
I spent a total of 3 months travelling through the Kimberley this time, and just after the biggest wet season on record. Many roads were so badly damaged by the immense amount of water that they were shut well into the dry season Read the rest of this entry »
Cathedral Gorge Amphitheatre in the Bungle Bungles
The Kimberley exhibition (see previous post) is in 2 weeks, and i’m madly working on new images, i thought this would be a good opportunity for a preview. I just printed this image of Cathedral Gorge Read the rest of this entry »
I’m back… Back from the Kimberley, and back in Blog land. I’ve actually been back in Fremantle for a month now, but i’ve been so busy catching up with everything that had been put on hold, that time to write on the Blog never materialised… also, i am a great procrastinator, possibly one of the best, and anything to do with writing is what i’m best at procrastinating about Read the rest of this entry »
I just dropped into Kununurra for a couple of days of repairs and restocking after about 3 weeks on the Gibb River Rd and the Kulumbaru Rd in the middle of the Kimberley. I’ve got so much new stuff to show that i barely know where to start, and i’ve run out of time now, so i’ll have to just put a couple of favourites and leave the rest til the next internet zone…
The Mitchell Falls opened this year only a day ahead of me on the Gibb, so i was able to get up there after thinking i would have to skip it this year. The road was so badly damaged it took the road crews months to make it passable again after the biggest wet season on record… ever! Read the rest of this entry »
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