I jump out of the way, barely avoiding another crash with a donkey.  Wow, that was close…  The pile of baskets on its back is so high that I doubt it’s able to see.  It’s a challenge to find a clear path with this congestion, and lugging my heavy camera gear adds another layer of […]

“You guys ready to go in?”  Tarry, one of our four guides, asks.  In where?  I wonder.  I thought our visit to this cheetah conservancy was going to be from this side of the security fence…  “We’re going inside the fence now so you can photograph the cheetahs without it obstructing your photographs.”  Say what?!!   “When […]

I hear someone say there are two giraffes at 9 o’clock.  As the Jeep slows down, I turn and see them in the distance.  They’re standing motionless on the side of the road and looking in our direction as if they’re not sure what to make of us.  The giraffe closest to the road decides […]

“Anyone see one?” I ask.  I hear, “Nope,” from the second row of the Jeep.  “Me neither.  Nothing,” from the first row.  “Just a lot of tall grass.”  We continue driving in search of twelve lions that our guides said are in the area.  The pride was spotted nearby this morning.  We all know they […]

“Her name is Huyguriva,” Nestor, my interpreter says, “but her nickname is Chicken.”  “Please tell her that it’s a pleasure to meet her, that my name is Lisa, and I’m from America.”  I listen as Nestor translates my message.  I don’t know the woman, but I’ve imagined meeting her ever since I saw images of […]

“There’s a zebra!”  I blurt out, excited to see my first zebra of the journey.  “We’re going to see a lot of zebra,” my guide Tarry says in his thick African accent, making the “zeb” rhyme with “web”.  “When we head north, there are going to be so many for you to photograph.  They will be […]

As kids, my sister and I drove our mom crazy asking, “How much farther?” when we traveled from our town on the Canadian border of northern Michigan over the Mackinac Bridge and continued south to visit relatives in southwest Michigan.  It seemed like we were in the car for days.  Actually, we had to entertain ourselves […]

I feel the heat from the bonfire on my face.  I bring my camera as low as I can in the sand and aim my lens upward toward the passionate dance in front of me.  The three San Bushmen I joined on a four-hour bush walk this morning are now chanting, clapping and rhythmically move their […]

One virtue required on a safari in Africa is patience.  Patience with the process of traveling all the way to a country like Namibia, which is at least two to three flights away from the United States.  Patience with the physical effects of the time change, which depend on a traveler’s adaptability and sleep patterns.  […]

I’m not a “birder.”  I swear, I’m not.  But I think I could become one.  I’ve travelled with “bird people” before and didn’t get it at first.  I used to think, “What’s with all the fuss over some pretty feathers?”  Looking back, I was bordering on being a bird snob.  Then one of my Facebook […]

While on safari, there’s always a little bit of excitement when pulling up to a watering hole because you never know what type of animals will be there.  Usually something is there.  So far, I’ve seen elephants, zebras, impalas and giraffes — or nothing at all.  The disappointment is almost palpable when the latter happens.  […]

There is something special about seeing a male lion while on safari, especially one that is side by side with a lioness.  That’s what I’m seeing right now.  The pair is a quintessential symbol of Africa, and they also represent the romance I associate with the continent.  I love everything about being here.  The people.  […]

With every step I’ve taken today, I’ve been aware of a new and vulnerable feeling that I’m carrying with me.  To those I’ve just met and am traveling with on this National Geographic Photography Expedition through Myanmar, I might seem the same, but I know I’m changing.  I’m a different person than I was when I […]

“Lisa!  Lisa!  She’s here!”  I hear as I focus my lens at the Htilominlo Temple.  “Who’s here?  I’m trying to get my shots of this beautiful architecture.”  “The tribal woman of the Padaung from the hills.  The one with the coils around her neck.  A few days ago you asked me to tell you if […]

Brrr…  There is one heck of a chill in the air this morning…  I wonder what the temperature is…  I wasn’t expecting it to be this chilly, but then again, the sun is just starting to rise…  I pull a blanket over my lap and feel grateful that the owner of this long-tail boat supplied […]

Another early morning…  I reach over and turn off my alarm.  It’s 4:15 and time to get up.  I sit on the side of the bed, groggy and feeling like I didn’t sleep at all.  Visions of everything that I’ve been photographing flashed through my mind for most of the night.  I try to shake it […]

I’m editing my photos on my laptop from the last week of shooting, and I’m struck by how expressive some of the women and children are in their poses.  I never tell people how to pose, so I’m surprised that so many women and children showed me their strong side when I asked to photograph them.  […]

18. Inspiration

Posted on December 28, 2015

It’s just after lunchtime, and I’m sitting in the lounge of the historic Strand Hotel in Yangon.  I have only a few hours left before I fly to Vietnam and begin yet another adventure in a new country.  Though I’m excited for the trip, the departure from Myanmar is bittersweet.  I’ve quickly grown to like […]

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”  I ask Alice, my interpreter.  “I don’t…  Well, I know a little,” she says.  “My elders taught me about some of the history here in Tiananmen Square.”  “It wasn’t taught in school?”  “No.”  “Seriously?”  “No.”  “Do you know of the famous photograph called “Tank Man?”  “No.  What is […]

I’m in China, but I’m thinking of my grandmother who owned a large apple orchard in northern Michigan.  She worked so hard on the farm for many years, and our family vacations were spent visiting her orchard at harvest.  My mother brought home bushels of apples to can, jar or freeze for the winter.  It […]

“Her name is Jing Jing,” Alice, my interpreter says.  “It means Crystal in English.  Her grandfather told me that he brings her here, to the park, every day.  They sit under these trees while she plays.”  I look at the little girl while Alice and the man continue their conversation.  I walk slowly toward Jing […]

“You need to give him your right hand,” Alice, my interpreter tells me.  I extend my right hand for the man who is about to read my palm.  I stumbled across his business and came in without an appointment.  I don’t know anything about his credibility, but I’m curious and open to what he’s going […]

Today the word “devotion” keeps echoing in my thoughts.  Devotion to a higher power.  Devotion to loved ones.  Devotion to the passion that has all of us in this photography group traveling with National Geographic Photography Expeditions, lens in hand.  At this moment though, my camera hangs on my shoulder as I stand in the […]

I’ve reached the end of my second day exploring the colorful city of Marrakech, and I’m waiting in line to ride a horse and buggy back to the hotel.  My mind and lens have been saturated with unique symbols of this country that are around every corner and in every narrow alleyway I walk through.  […]

OK, I’m not looking over the edge, not looking…  still not looking…  Just look out, not down…  Wait…  What am I thinking?  In this fog, I can’t see down anyway…  “Anyone feeling motion sick?” someone asks.  “If you do, you should be sitting up front.”  I watch as one of the women in my group […]

My senses are overloaded, and being here feels surreal — wherever “here” is.  I know I’m about 30 miles from the Algerian border, somewhere in the Sahara Desert, but I’ve lost my sense of direction with all of the sand hills around me.  It doesn’t really matter, though.  The handsome man who is dressed in […]

I’m feeling hypersensitive today.  Everything I’ve seen and photographed over the last nine days feels like it’s hitting me very deeply all at once.  I thought my first energy shift a number of days ago was going to be it for this journey, but I was wrong.  Today I’m much more sensitive to my environment, […]

7. Artisan

Posted on December 25, 2015

This morning I’m on another walking tour with Momo, but it’s a private group with four new friends from Chile who were part of the National Geographic Photography Expedition.  Last night we had a farewell dinner and our final class with Massimo.  As part of that, we were asked to submit our ten best images […]