COLLOSAL BUDDHA STATUES

The Buddhists most often show reverence by erecting gigantic statues and carvings of Buddha.  You can see the scale of this one in Polanaruwa, Sri Lanka. It was carved out of a single granite cliff face by an unknown twelfth century artist and is 46 feet long. The weight is estimated at twenty-three tons.

Below is a close-up of the head. The ripples washing over the delicately carved face and figure make it seem almost as if it were breathing. This is my favorite because of that quality.

This is an extreme close-up of the sixteen foot head on a wood carved, painted and gilded figure that is 213 feet long and 52 high and on display in Yangon, Myanmar. It is the largest reclining Buddha in all of South East Asia. The patterns on its feet are fascinating and there is a shrine just below them.

This carved and painted head of a seated Buddha is currently being constructed in Thimpu, Bhutan.. Beside revering huge images of Buddha, the faithful honor him in the number of smaller images. Inside this giant statue will be housed 100,000 eight inch bronze and gilded Buddha statues.

This forty-four foot vividly painted reclining Buddha is housed in a shrine three stories high in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

In photographing 108 countries around the world I come on some amazing phenomenon such as these mammoth statues.

Gobi Sunrise

This sunrise image on the famous Gobi Desert in central Mongolia was taken a few minutes after dawn. I took about forty images without moving an inch. The sun and the changing shadows on the sand dunes made every single image different. The rising sun moved instead of me and my camera.

LET ME TAKE YOU ON A FANTASY TRIP

Imagine a village that exists on earth that is as beautiful and peaceful as an illustration in a fairy tale book. This is Loen, Norway. I suddenly discovered this paradise while cruising the Norwegian fjords.

One of the oldest farm communities in Norway it rests at the tip of the fjord.

Sweet little gardens give color to the green landscape.

The church built in 1838 overlooks the serenity of the village.

The pristine houses nestled on the shores of the fjord seem to welcome the stranger.

When you’re stressed or twitched, I invite you to make a show of these images in your mind. I‘ll bet you’ll feel better.  Let me know.

Backstreet Vienna

This back street photo of Vienna I took in December reminds me of the black and white classic Orson Welles spy thriller “The Third Man”. See anybody slithering around a corner?

Balinese Cockatoo

When I stepped into the garden outside of my room in Bali I came upon this cockatoo cleaning his wing. Cockatoos are indigenous to Indonesia and Australia.

Bali Hotel Reception

In the thousands of hotels I’ve stayed it in the 108 countries I’ve photographed this lobby in a boutique hotel in Bali stays in my memory because the design is simple, natural, and stands out because of those qualities.

Flamingos In The Atacama

In northern Chile, in the Atacama Desert, I captured this dream-like image of two flamingoes. Their positioning is almost like a mirror image. I couldn’t have posed them in a more symmetrical position if I tried to.

Caribbean Corals

“The place to find underwater Lace Fan Corals is in Little Cayman, an island in the Caribbean. They undulate with the current which makes them look like a moving lace fan.”

“This dazzling swirl of color was photographed 85 feet underwater on the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean. A rainbow bouquet of sponges and corals.”

Twin Pouters

“I happened on these twin pouters while their mother was walking them in St. Petersburg, Russia. They made me laugh. Hope you do too.”

Prayer Flags

“Buddhist prayer flags are sometimes striking and beautiful. Each color has separate significance. These decorate a temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.”

“The high winds in the Tibetan Himalayas create this color splash against the sky.”

 

“These white prayer flags pierce the sky in Ura, Bhutan”