Tag: People
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Landscape with horseman
Landscape with horseman What makes a landscape photograph potentially interesting? I’m not sure if we can speak of a general rule, but by paying extra attention, when composing the photograph, to objects that are not directly related to the landscape itself but are nonetheless part of it, the image can take on additional meaning and…
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New life, new hope
New life, new hope What does the boy in the photograph see, what does he feel, and what associations does the image of the woman evoke in him? His apparently intense gaze and the way he is holding the woman by the arm suggest that she reminds him of his mother or another close relative.…
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Cambodia, and the trauma of a nation
Cambodia, and the trauma of a nation With the defeat of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge by the Vietnamese in 1979, the survivors of four years of terror were gradually able to rebuild their lives. As a quarter of the population had perished, almost every family had lost several loved ones. Some people were…
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Mama, look!
Mama, look! A tree, a plant, so incredibly huge – how is that possible! The sense of wonder begins the moment you get closer to the base of a giant sequoia and try to imagine its circumference. Then you look up along the trunk and see that it goes on forever: the top must be…
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The Pachinko temple
The Pachinko temple During my walks through various neighbourhoods of Kyoto, as I made my way from one beautiful temple, garden or palace to the next, I would occasionally come across buildings like the one in the photo, and I wondered what sort of place this was and what went on inside. One afternoon, I…
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The art of tea
The art of tea Looking at the photos in each of the last four posts, I highlighted a concept that is central to Zen or – in broader terms – to traditional Japanese culture. With the photo of the display in the Tokonoma I brought the word ‘harmony’ into focus, but ‘respect’, ‘purity’, or ‘tranquillity’…
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Respect
Respect Respect is an important aspect of Japanese culture. The emperor, ancient traditions, monuments, art, craftsmanship, they all deserve our deepest respect. As does the Japanese garden; this artistic creation of a highly idealized natural environment …. let’s call it paradise. A paradise that has never existed in real nature – the opposite of the…
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Teashop happiness
Teashop happiness A mother and daughter in their little teashop in the mountains around Pokhara. The scene exudes modest simplicity and natural relaxation. The girl’s amused expression brings a smile to our faces too. We are part of a moment of infectious joy. Life can be so beautiful! Photo of the week: Pokhara, Nepal, 1996
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The face of beauty
The face of beauty or the beauty of a face A train in Kyoto. It’s the end of the day; work is over and people are heading home. Everyone is lost in thought, listening to music or quietly exchanging messages with friends or family. And amidst all these commuters, the strikingly beautiful face of a…
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Sea nymphets
Sea nymphets Two young girls gaze out across the vast sea and the sky. The gentle sound of the water lapping against the boat has made them drowsy. They drift off into a dream in the light sea breeze, whilst bobbing gently on the waves. As we look at them from behind, we can observe…
