I was briefly in Toronto a few weeks ago and had an hour or two to roam around exploring. As with many cities, it was difficult to just jump in and out of the car while I was downtown, but as I edged away from the city center, I had a little more flexibility. I thought this was an interesting image – the contrast between the fancy downtown skyscrapers and the tatty transitional neighborhoods.
Toronto Contrasts
When I was younger and more prone to moments of wonder, I always chose to sit by the window when I flew. I loved the freshness of perspective that looking down from 36,000 feet gave me. As I have gotten older and more claustrophobic, however, I have increasingly opted to sit on the aisle. I want to be as comfortable as possible in that cramped aluminum tube, and when I arrive I want to get out as quickly as I can can. Which means, of course, I miss those moments of reflection and wonder that come from staring out the window as the country passes below.
I have seen so many amazing sights from the window of an airplane: lightning storms all along the eastern seaboard as I flew from D.C. to Miami; the thin, green ribbon of the Nile tracing its way through the Sahara; the flood-stricken Great Plains states; the mast of an enormous sailboat poking through the fog as we took off from Orange County, California; the Grand Canyon and the Meteor Crater in Arizona; the Milky Way and countless full moons and sunsets. As I think about those experiences, I feel indicted by Louis CK’s widely viewed Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy rant on Conan O’Brien’s talk show.
So, on a recent two hour flight, when I found myself in a row by myself, I moved from the aisle to the window, put away the stacks of reading materials I had brought and pulled down my camera from the overhead bin. It was hot on the ground and the air was hazy, but I still took about 250 photographs along the way. It was another example of a recurring phenomenon in my life as a photographer: the camera helps me to see. The world is an amazing place. I need to remember to slow down and look at it.
Here are a couple of images from my recent flight:
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I love this city. Even the French Quarter, although I like the Quarter much better during the day than at night. I didn’t have nearly enough time to explore during my recent visit, but was able to get out for a couple of quick excursions. Here are a couple of images from those expeditions:
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I’m finally recuperating from jet lag and general travel exhaustion after a two week whirlwind adventure through Israel, Jordan and Egypt. I still have hundreds of images to sort through, but here are a few of my favorites from the trip.
The surprisingly ubiquitous camel, which we saw everywhere from the desolate wilds of the Sinai to the busy streets of Cairo.
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One of the pyramids at Giza, photographed early in the morning just as the fog was lifting.
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We were able to take a short break in the middle of the trip and spent an afternoon watching kiteboarders and windsurfers tearing it up along the coast of Israel. The mountains in the background are in Jordan.
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On the left is a Bedouin musician we met at a camp near Wadi Musa in southern Jordan. On the right, a pilgrim is lost in meditation in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
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My intrepid travel partner, Colby, photographed at the beautiful Mosque of Amr ibn al-As in Cairo.
Here’s what the Georgia State Fair looks like from the top of the Ferris wheel. It almost looks like a model, doesn’t it?
It’s real enough. Even from this high you can still smell the funnel cakes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
I was struck by the image of this little girl, sitting alone in the cafe at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, anxiously waiting for her mom to return with lunch. Notice the tension – feet tucked underneath her, hands holding tightly to the chair, head turned watchfully as she waits.
