"A Flower In The Forest"

The Red Dao wedding dress is seen as the summit of success in a women’s sewing accomplishments. Mother and daughter are known to spend up to a year making nothing else but a brand new ceremonial outfit, in preparation for the big day. The Dao have maintained their traditional culture in costumes and language. Although they include many groups livin...
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"People Of The Ten Suns"

Yung's eyes filled with tears, as she related the details from the phone call she had received late in the evening. Her 86 year old grandmother had passed away suddenly in her sleep. Grandparents are very special to the Chinese, as the children are usually brought up by them while the parents travel to other parts of China to work. She informed me...
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"People Of The River"

The sudden jolt shifted my camera bag to the middle of the dugout canoe. It was that time again to get out and help push the heavy dugout across the gravel bar. It was the end of the dry season, this would become a common experience and would be re-enacted several times during our 1.5-hour journey up the Rio San Miguel River to get to the Embera vi...
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"Ladies Of The Mountains"

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair! So, that I may climb thy golden stair." Where did the long tresses of the Rapunzel fairy tale come from? Most people argue that the long hair was borrowed from a Persian epic, The Shahnameh, written around the year 1000 CE. In the story, the beautiful Rudaba catches the eye of a young hero named Zal. In ord...
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"Stairway To Heaven"

Located primarily in the mountain areas in the North of Vietnam, the terraced rice fields are called the “Stairway to Heaven” by many people. These are the result of really amazing work over a hundred years by local hill tribes, mostly the H’mong people. Every year, between September and October, the terraced rice fields put on a show of picturesqu...
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"The Ritual Of Seclusion" (Adult Themes) (Viewer Discretion)

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness that had engulfed the hut, a figure stood before me, her face covered in hair. The mid-day sun in all its brightness was lost inside my dark surroundings. I turned my gaze to the light streaming through the opening at the front of the Oca. Two young ladies silhouetted against the front entrance were busy painting...
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"Where Spirits Speak"

When researching the possibility of visiting one of the indigenous tribal groups in Brazil, it appeared that the biggest obstacle would be The National Indian Foundation or "FUNAI", a Brazilian governmental protection agency for Indian interests and their culture. It is the only government department in the world which is dedicated to the protectio...
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"A Bridge Too Far"

The idiom “a bridge too far” is typically used to reference something that is too ambitious or drastic to be realistic, or to describe an action that is very complicated and challenging to execute. Nature has been exceedingly kind and has endowed the beautiful Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh with diverse forests and magnificent wildlife. Cane and...
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"Ban Batt"

Barefoot and dressed only in saffron-colored robes, Theravada monks begin their daily ritual to collect alms (donations of food). Their only accessory to the ritual is the large bowl the monk carries known as ‘Bat’, these bowls have remained the same design for generations and are still made by traditional communities in Thailand. One such commu...
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"Tak Bat"

As the sun rises in Luang Prabang around 200 Buddhist monks depart from their various temples to gather their daily meal. The tradition of alms gathering dates back to the 14th century, yet still today, locals wake early to prepare the food for the monks and wait quietly by the roadside to give their gifts. Although the main purpose is for locals t...
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"Ethnik" "The Living Museum Fashion Show"

The textiles from Laos are some of the most beautiful in Southeast Asia. Today, the traditional costumes of the people are under threat by globalization. Not so long ago, if you travelled through the small villages and cities of Laos you would see all ages of women wearing the traditional costume of their village to school or work. The styles of th...
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"Ethnik" "Behind the scenes"

In March of 2014, while researching and making plans for a January 2015 trip to Laos, I came upon "Ethnik" "The Living Museum Fashion Show" at the Hive Bar and Restaurant in Luang Prabang. It seemed that they allowed people to photograph freely during the performance, but I was interested in something private behind the scenes. I contacted one of t...
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"Leaps Of Faith"

Classical dances in Bhutan are reflected in the religious mask pageants and ritual dances. The religious dances are symbolic and have a common theme to destroy or trample the evil spirits. It is believed that witnessing the masked dances will better prepare people to handle the unknown, which they will encounter after death. Watching all the fright...
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"Land Of Nomads"

From September onwards the cold begins to set in. Nestled under three layers of wool blankets the room is partially illuminated by the full moon. There was no need for an alarm clock as the donkeys started braying beneath my guesthouse window at 6 a.m. Tso Moriri Lake in the Changthang region of Ladakh is one of the most beautiful, calm, and sacred...
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"Woodland Spirits"

"Oun Sopheaktra" and "Srey Leak" were sitting on the floor starting to apply their make-up when I arrived. Placing my bag on the linoleum floor, I reconfirmed with my hosts that the intrusion of my photographic request would not affect their normal routines. The arrangements to photograph the Apsara had taken place over several days. "Miss Srey...
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