It’s reminiscent of the old ‘Combat Zone’ here in Boston. Sure you knew there was an area that wasn’t pleasant, or just wasn’t for you and you simply avoided it. It’s not like all of Boston is crappy because the Combat Zone existed in one small section.

Amsterdam is much like that. And the Netherlands as a whole is quite nice. Very creative people with beautiful buildings, colorful art, and my favorite part – They bicycle everywhere! It’s totally a bicycle city and i love it for that. Want to go to a nice restaurant? Get on your bike and head over to some canal-side place and put on your heels and you are ready to go. We rode our bikes everywhere, including the Van Gogh Museum, which to Natalie’s dismay, didn’t have ‘Starry Night’ available.

As for Emmeloord, well it’s a slightly industrial area. Frank and his wife Annawieck live there and have a wonder son, Brian. Dutch people are very hospitable and we were introduced to Stroopwafels. Pretty much the best treat you can get yourself in The Netherlands. Thanks again Frank! They also specialize in cheese. If you even remotely like cheese, do yourself a favor and buy yourself a block of Frico Old Dutch Master. I love me some cheese, but boy, this is the best I’ve ever had. Yes, it’s that good. We got some as Kaasland, one of the best cheese places in all of The Netherlands.

The workshop

Well where does on start? Frank sells out workshops all across Europe. Is featured in many European magazines and books and has quite the studio there in Emmeloord. Natalie and I went over all sorts of lighting techniques, we only wish we weren’t suffering from severe jet lag, otherwise we would have been able to absorb even more.

Frank’s ability to teach in a clear and concise manor cannot be questioned. He’s really got it down to a science. Frank and us use similar gear so it was quite easy to follow along. He also has his very nice assistant Wendy and model Jennifer (Who spoke fantastic english!) on site to help things go smoothly.

Well enough talk, here are some photos!

Slightly different processing:

Kaasland, our favorite cheese store.

Look at all the bikes!

usually don’t get a break until late November or Early December. We decided this year to visit beautiful India. We already miss it…

They say India’s society is an exercise in “Survival of the fittest” and the same could be said for its tourists.

India is the type of place that can chew up and spit out the most seasoned of World Travelers… and ask for seconds. The minute you get into a car in India you will see the God ‘Ganesh’ on the dashboard of even the most desperate auto-rickshaw. And there is a reason – you’re going to need that God at every corner, every intersection and maybe even just in your hotel’s parking lot.

One wonders why you don’t see Ganesh on shoelaces and on bicycles, because Ganesh knows, they need it more. But all of that aside, once you let go of your preconceived notions and just let the chaos envelope you, then and only then are you are truly ready to be a tourist of this fine country.

Colors, odors, animals all congregate here. And usually on the streets. All living things are abound and all it takes is the leveling of your camera to invoke a smile of even the most destitute of people. And that’s where the love comes in. How could one not fall in love with people who persevere and smile in the face of life’s most ardent adversary – daily life in a third world country. I hesitate to call India a third world country, as it surely doesn’t feel like one to me. But alas, true to definition, it is.

However, as third-world as it may be, there is a newly injected liveliness which is occurring there as their stock market, their housing situations, and with the country as a whole starts to rise and become more modern. Being there 8 years ago, we’ve witnessed seemingly small but obvious changes such as everyone having a cell phone and everyone having a cool aftermarket CD player in their cars. Oh and many families have cars now, even more than one in many cases. It’s amazing to witness an entire country modernize in the face of recession in other parts of the world.

But beyond the material things and stock markets will always be the spiritual aspect of India. The deep rooted history in things such as Astrology, and Jainism. Some temples and other sacred sites goback several thousands of years. And they aren’t locked behind some vault or 3″ lexan. You can visit these sites and walk amongst those that have walked the same path for thousands of years. It’s truly magical.

This year we traveled to many cities Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Goa and Kerela. North to South. It’s quite a treat to be in a small town and have a bunch of schoolchildren crowd you for chocolate. It’s worse to have none and feel like a heel for not having any… we didn’t make that mistake again. From the desert in the north to the amazon-like jungle in the very south, we had an amazing trip and are once again reminded of what a beautiful and great country this is to visit. We wholeheartedly recommend visiting India to anyone who reads this. You will never be the same after coming back.

See the entire series of photos below. We promise it’s worth it!
]]> http://www.symbolphoto.com/blog/2010/01/symbol-photography-india-trip-2009/feed/ 4 http://www.symbolphoto.com/blog/2009/12/incredible-india/ http://www.symbolphoto.com/blog/2009/12/incredible-india/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:10:41 +0000 Symbol Photography http://www.symbolphoto.com/blog/?p=475 They say India’s society is an exercise in “Survival of the fittest” and the same could be said for its tourists.

India is the type of place that can chew up and spit out the most seasoned of World Travelers… and ask for seconds. The minute you get into a car in India you will see the God ‘Ganesh’ on the dashboard of even the most desperate auto-richshaw. And there is a reason – you’re going to need that God at every corner, every intersection and maybe even just in your hotel’s parking lot.

One wonders why you don’t see Ganesh on shoelaces and on bicycles, because Ganesh knows, they need it more. But all of that aside, once you let go of your preconceived notions and just let the chaos envelope you, then and only then are you are truly ready to be a tourist of this fine country.

Colors, odors, animals all congregate here. And usually on the streets. All living things are abound and all it takes is the leveling of your camera to invoke a smile of even the most destitute of people. And that’s where the love comes in. How could one not fall in love with people who persevere and smile in the face of life’s most ardent adversary – daily life in a third world country. I hesitate to call India a third world country, as it surely doesn’t feel like one to me. But alas, true to definition, it is.

However, as third-world as it may be, there is a newly injected liveliness which is occurring there as their stock market, their housing situations, and with the country as a whole starts to rise and become more modern. Being there 8 years ago, we’ve witnessed seemingly small but obvious changes such as everyone having a cell phone and everyone having a cool aftermarket CD player in their cars. Oh and many families have cars now, even more than one in many cases. It’s amazing to witness an entire country modernize in the face of recession in other parts of the world.

But beyond the material things and stock markets will always be the spiritual aspect of India. The deep rooted history in things such as Astrology, and Jainism. Some temples and other sacred sites goback several thousands of years. And they aren’t locked behind some vault or 3″ lexan. You can visit these sites and walk amongst those that have walked the same path for thousands of years. It’s truly magical.

This year we traveled to many cities Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Goa and Kerela. North to South. It’s quite a treat to be in a small town and have a bunch of schoolchildren crowd you for chocolate. It’s worse to have none and feel like a heel for not having any… we didn’t make that mistake again. From the desert in the north to the amazon-like jungle in the very south, we had an amazing trip and are once again reminded of what a beautiful and great country this is to visit. We wholeheartedly recommend visiting India to anyone who reads this. You will never be the same after coming back.

Enjoy a small listing of photos here. Many more to come at a later date.

And since it was off-season, we were also able to stay at the Ashford Castle for a measly $230/per night. This hotel, during the regular season, costs almost $700 or more a night! We were so lucky to be there at the right time. Pierce Brosnan had his wedding at this castle and all sorts of dignitaries have stayed there. In Dublin, our last stop, we stayed at another Castle, Clontarf Castle . Clontarf was quite nice, as well. Just outside of Dublin. However, it didn’t have the same ‘old school’, regal feel that Ashford did.

We headed to Derry and Belfast, and Northern Ireland has a much different feel than the rest of Ireland. Two things are tangible: the UK influence on the population and the air of angst in the city districts. There are also the equivilent of housing projects in these two cities and that’s where most of the murals exist. The political murals, essentially, give those that feel they have no voice, a voice via paintings and creative expression.

Anyhow, onto a few photos:

Oh, and we are hoping to stay at http://www.ashford.ie as well. A little treat before the crazy wedding season starts.

If you intend to have any business with us during these dates, please contact us. If you are hoping to book a date, we can meet any day between now and the 11th. We will be checking email while in Ireland. Slainte.

And on the opposite end of the spectrum…These have to be the most amazing eyes. We didn’t touch them in post processing, they actually look like this in real life. We swear.