Paper Prayers

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Paper Prayers. Seoul, Korea. August 2017.

Paper Prayers. Seoul, Korea. August 2017.

Bongeunsa Temple is a peaceful getaway in the middle of the urban chaos of Seoul. As you approach the temple, long rows of hanging lanterns line the pathway up. When you walk through the second gate, a beautiful courtyard opens up and hundreds of these white paper lamps hang creating a delicate white ceiling. Each lantern has a written prayer tied on it; mothers wishing for their children to attend a top college or to find a good match. Patrons give generous donations to the temple to have their prayers hang from one of these lanterns, some for up to a year. Every morning, monks hold a ceremony to read new wishes received, meditate, and pray on them. I am not a Buddhist, but admittedly I did leave my mark in the form of a prayer. Who knows, perhaps the mothers are on to something. 

Best Foot Forward

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Best Foot Forward. Taipei, Taiwan. August 2017.

Best Foot Forward. Taipei, Taiwan. August 2017.

A trip to Taipei is incomplete until you visit the impressive Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. This memorial stands as a beautiful and stoic testament to the late leader of the Republic of China. He dedicated his life to public service and rose to prominence as a young man due to his military prowess, memorialized by the honor guard which performs a changing of the guards at the top of every hour; and a flag closing ceremony at dusk. I watched the latter ceremony and this photo was taken as two honor guards (center) were folding the flag for the evening. The entire ceremony lasts about 30 minutes and draws a significant crowd. On this particular evening, a ring of 100+ spectators encircled the soldiers, but I was determined to isolate just the silhouettes of the young guardsmen. I did the one thing you should probably avoid with any soldier, I snuck up behind the formation, got low to the ground, and angled the lens up to capture this image. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but I think it was worth it. 

Blue Over You

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Blue Over You. Houston, U.S.A. August 2017.

Blue Over You. Houston, U.S.A. August 2017.

I had a long layover in Houston, Texas this afternoon so I decided to leave the airport and head over to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston to spend a couple hours with their collection. I was not familiar with the museum in advance of visiting so it was a pleasant surprise to see a James Turrell installation*. It is always hard to capture a Turrell correctly through the camera because it is such an immersive light experience, however this guard's silhouette against the rich, blue backdrop of light provided a poignant moment that was worth capturing.

*Turrell, "The Light Inside" (2000)

L.O.V.E.

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L.O.V.E. Milan, Italy. May 2015.

L.O.V.E. Milan, Italy. May 2015.

Milan has a sense of humor. This is one of the more fascinating sculptures in the city that one should not miss. Located in the middle of Piazza Affari, it is hidden in the business district of the city. The sculpture was created in 2010 by Maurizio Cattelan, placed in the piazza, and was only supposed to stay in the square for a couple of weeks, yet here it stands seven years later. The Milanese government decided to keep it up indefinitely. So what is Cattelan's sculpture flipping off? Well, that's the best part; the hand is placed right in front of the "Borsa" a.k.a. Italian stock exchange. While Cattelan has never explicitly said what the message of his work is, it is safe to assume that it is a big "f*ck you" bankers. It is widely accepted to be a harsh commentary on the European economic crisis that plagued Europe in 2008 and hit Italy especially hard. If the gesture itself and the placement are not explicit enough, Cattelan titled his piece L.O.V.E., an acronym for Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità (Freedom, Hate, Vengeance, Eternity). Irony at its best.

It's Electric

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It's Electric. Capri, Italy. June 2015. 

It's Electric. Capri, Italy. June 2015. 

I made the escape to Capri my first weekend free from Expo. I had not been in 12 years and it was refreshing to go back, enjoy a sail around the island, and the boat ride into the Grotta Azzurra. While the singing of "Volare" reverberating off the cave walls is boisterous and fun, the boat ride is slightly disappointing in that it only lasts for a few minutes. It's worth the trip, but you have to move fast to get a good shot and enjoy the electric blue water. Every time I look back at this photo, I hear "Nel blu dipinto di blu, felice di stare lassù..." on repeat. 

Walking with a Purpose

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Walking with a Purpose. Washington, D.C., U.S.A. February 2017.

Walking with a Purpose. Washington, D.C., U.S.A. February 2017.

Twice a year, the Library of Congress welcomes the public to it's famous Main Reading Room for an open house.  One of the open house dates lands on President's Day every year and I visited during my staycation this year.  

The Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson Building is truly breathtaking, however the most unique moment I saw was this group of sisters exiting the Library together. Running into sisters traveling together in public was a common sight in Italy, however it's not something I see every day here. I noticed their bright blue habits as I approached the Library and was happy I snapped them before they disappeared out of frame.