India’s diversity surprises you with great images. We found women beautifully dressed in bright colors, yet carrying dung on their heads for cooking and heating their homes. Ancient erotic art adorns temples. How interesting from a culture that doesn’t allow on-screen kissing in their very large and popular movie industry. Ceremonies along the Ganges, celebrate light and life with the poorest of the poor. City life and country life are expressive via the lives of the people and animals. Even a savvy street dog is found suckling from a sacred cow.
Damoiselle cranes could easily fit into the pages of my book titled Migrations. It is a never ending theme of fascination, beauty and the power of nature that arroused me once again. These beautiful graceful creatures in large numbers are an experience that I love to revisit and watch those that are witnessing this phenomenon for the first time.
After a day of seriously photographing local color, which is hugely significant in Varanasi and India as a whole, we attended an aarti ceremony during which light is offered to deities.
Art is leading a photo workshop in India for two weeks and he’s starting to send back photos! This first batch was taken on the ghats of Varanasi. It is the holiest city in Hinduism and has been a cultural and religious center for thousands of years. A ghat is a set of stairs leading to a holy body of water, in this case, the Ganges. Some are public, some private; some are used for ritual bathing or cremation, while others are used for quotidian uses such as laundry. Whatever the use, they are always a center of colorful display—even the reflections in the water are beautiful!
I am very proud to be a contributor to Douglas Brinkley’s latest book The Quiet World: Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom 1879-1960. This is the second book in his conservation trilogy which began with his award-winning tome about Theodore Roosevelt, The Wilderness Warrior.
There has been a lot of buzz lately about human Tiger Mothers, so let’s give a little air time to the real deal. Tiger moms give birth to 2-3 cubs, nurse them for about 6 months, and start teaching them to hunt about when they are weaned. Cubs stay at their mothers’ sides for up to three years, honing their skills, then they go out on their own. No violin or piano lessons for these kids!
We have filled all but 2 seats on the upcoming Photo Tour to China. Sign up now to secure your place for an unforgettable trip.
View this video for a preview of what to expect.
We have marked down all our 2011 calendars Half-Off. We have very limited quantities left of the gorgeous European calendars; these are like buying a folio of twelve posters. We also have a couple of wonderful inspirational datebooks available as well.
Shop at online at Art Wolfe Stockor at the Art Wolfe Store
It sounds odd, but I have been looking specifically for cattails lately. They make for beautiful layered shots of color and texture.
This past weekend I went out shooting with Libby and David, who orchestrate my workshops. We headed out to Washington’s Sauk River, dodged the rain squalls, and got some lovely shots.
The Sauk is a tributary of the Skagit River and drains from the Cascade Range. It has the reputation of being a great flyfishing river. It is also very, very wet.
The moss swells on the bigleaf maples and hangs in long wispy tendrils from the alders.
And then finally I found the cattails, standing tall and golden against red twig dogwood, with pale green forest beyond.
