Faces and Places: Cambodia

For the holidays this year, we headed once again to Southeast Asia.  Our first stop was the beautiful country of Cambodia.  Despite its modern tragedies and poverty, it is an incredible place to visit, namely because of the ever-smiling people (isn't that what usually makes a place!?).  From colorful villages to ancient Angkor temples to bustling markets and everything in between, Cambodia is definitely a feast for the senses and the camera:

To checkout more from our time in Cambodia, head over to our flickr set.

Funky Monks

Just back from a three-week endeavor to Cambodia and Laos with a whole new batch of inspiration and photos!  Despite the incredible amount of poverty and their depressing recent history, these are two seriously beautiful countries filled with amazingly friendly people.

While there, I was intrigued and inspired by Australian photographer, Deborah Growe, who not only heads the Compassionate Camera organization in Cambodia, but makes some amazing images of local peoples, orange-clad monks in particular.  This is my take on what she does so well:

Faces and Places: Beijing, China

Just back from wonderful, colorful Beijing...a place where Communist kitsch, carved Buddhas, and knock-off Louis Vuittons compete for tourist-attention among temples, bustling parks and markets, and hundreds of quaint, historic hutongs (neighborhoods made up of courtyard houses and thousands of lively alleyways).

Every region of China can be sampled in the country's capital, but Beijing definitely has a vibe and a spice that can't be found anywhere else on earth...