Cambodia-Angkor

Ta Prohm is my favorite complex at Angkor. It has the most interesting combinations of ruins, walls, and trees. The root here frames the area under the wall and a doorway to the next courtyard.

This is another wonderful man and nature juxtaposition. I like the contrasting shapes, colors and textures between the root and the stone wall.

Ta Prohm is the most famous of the overgrown structures at Angkor. There are endlessly fascinating juxtapositions of rock structures and tree roots. This particular close up struck me as a nice opposition of nature and man made stone. In addition, there is an air of mystery around the dark window in the background.

Beng Melea is one of the less convenient sites around Angkor, about an hour drive from the main complex. It is an interesting sight, overrun with trees, broken down and, most importantly, not overrun with tourists. We spent 2-3 hours and saw only a few other people. I like the light on the back wall and the way the tree dynamically divides the picture.

Beng Melea is one of the less convenient sites around Angkor, about an hour drive from the main complex. It is an interesting sight, overrun with trees, broken down and, most importantly, not overrun with tourists. We spent 2-3 hours and saw only a few other people.

Ta Prohm is my favorite complex. It has the most interesting combinations of ruins, walls, and trees. I liked the combination of diagonals of light and shadow, wall and tree in this shot, with a touch of color in the backlit leaves at the top.

There was a one-hour rain one morning while I was at Ankgor Wat. I spent most of the time in the gallery around a statue of Buddha near the entrance. Behind the Bhudda and along the corridor there were several statues which I spent some time shooting.

There was a one-hour rain one morning while I was at Ankgor Wat. I spent most of the time in the gallery around a statue of Buddha near the entrance. Behind the Bhudda and along the corridor there were several statues which I spent some time shooting. This is one of the two best shots. The light was coming from behind me, so in order to get some contrast, I had to adjust the curve in Photoshop. Apparently the hand jesture is a sign for No War.

Ta Prohm is my favorite complex at Ankgor. It has the most interesting combinations of ruins, walls, and trees. The rubble in the foreground is echoed by the stones in the doorway and both are dominated by the bright arch around the mysterious interior.

Angkor Wat is an endlessly fascinating complex. This corridor was taken with several exposures and blended to get what you see here. This picture has a sense of timelessness. The eye is drawn into the mysterious light coming through the doorway at the end of the corridor.

This corridor shot at Angkor Wat is interesting to me for several reasons. I like the touch of color in the wrapped headless Bhudda in the lower left. The background outdoor section has just enough detail that draws your eye to the far door. And finally, there is a slightly askew perspective of the nearest opening.

Tonlé Sap Lake is not far from Siem Reap. We took an excursion to the lake via the village and flooded forest of Kompong Phhluk. As we left the village and forest and entered the lake, we encountered a small fishing boat. This is a telephoto shot of the boat against a beautiful set of clouds. The boat being off to the edge adds tension to an otherwise serene setting.

Kompong Phhluk is the name of the village and the flooded forest on Tonlé Sap Lake. It was a real challenge shooting from a small, moving boat. I had to use a high sutter speed and didn't have much time to compose the shots. This house is built on 20' (6M) stilts. In the Fall, when the lake floods, the houses and the forest, are just above water level. In the Spring, when the waters recede, the forest looks normal, but the houses are on high stilts. The bushes in the background are actually the tops of trees. I like the angle that I took this shot at as it gives a more interesting reflection of the sky.

Everywhere around the temple complexes there are lots of children, almost all looking to sell something. This girl was selling bracelets near the entrance to Ta Som. She has an beautiful face and was an amazingly good subject. I took five pictures. In each she had a different expression and they were all as good as this one. I positioned her just under an overhanging set of branches and took a position so that when she looked at me, which she did fearlessly, the light would be coming across her face from her right. I shot at f4.5 at 105mm to blur the background.

On my last afternoon in Siem Reap, I spent some time in the market. It was a cloudy afaternoon, threatening rain, and there wasn't much light, especially inside of the market, even on the outer stalls. This dried fish market captured my eye instantly. I had to go to ISO 3200 to get any depth of focus and maintain a safe shutter speed and took several shots. I liked this one the best because of the soft colors, shapes and textures, as well as the overall composition.

The Killing Fields Museum in Phnom Phen was heartbreaking. The Khmer Rouge took pictures of everyone they executed. The museum displays a collection of these pictures. It is very clear from the pictures who knew they were going to be executed and who had no idea what was coming. Heartbreaking. I tear up whenver I see this picture or think about that visit.

We spent only one evening in Pnom Penh, but it was worthwhile. We hung out in the main square in front of the palace and it was very lively. I worked this shot for a while, but the young woman sitting on her scooter never noticed me, she was too busy texting on her cell phone.