POV: The Dove Whisperer & Storytelling

Photo  Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Regular readers know that I've joined a new storytelling website called Cowbird, and have already posted a couple of mini-stories.

I've just started a few days ago, and I've realized a couple of interesting things. First off, the community of Cowbird are not professional photographers...there are some, but the majority describe themselves as storytellers not as photographers. Secondly, haphazardly eyeballing members' pages, tells me that the majority of them reside in the United States, and by definition tell local stories.

But here's what's interesting as far as I'm concerned. The most popular story among the four I've published so far is The Dove Whisperer. I think there's a number of reasons for that. It's very brief, it's simple and it's touching...and it was one of the 'recommended' stories on Cowbird.

In my multimedia workshops, I stress that stories need to be brief, simple and compelling. So it's not surprising that The Dove Whisperer is more 'magnetic' than the rest of my stories.

And one more thing...and I also stress this in my classes, choosing a title that resonates with one's audience is almost half a battle won. We all know that a title that is mysterious, compelling, unusual but also descriptive is extremely important to the success of one's project...be that a book, article, multimedia slideshow or movie.

I don't know how Cowbird, which is still in its infancy, will evolve and mature....but the possibility of reaching a large (or I should say, a different) audience for my stories through its platform is exciting.

Finally, The Dove Whisperer was a forgotten moment experienced in Bhutan in September 2009. I was shooting in a small monastery in Jakar when this elderly man appeared with a dove under his arm. I asked what he was doing, and was told he was a bird healer. He was known to tend birds that had broken wings, and released them once they could fly. 

The whole thing didn't last more than five minutes, and yet when I was thinking of a story for Cowbird, I remembered it, searched for the photograph and it was on Cowbird in less time.

It's funny how things remain in the recesses of one's mind, and pop out at the right time.

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Robert van Koesveld: Bhutan

Robert van Koesveld is a retired psychotherapist living in Perth, Australia. His biography tells us that he delights in meeting with people from all walks of life, and describes as travel's best moments as those in which he encounters these people.

Robert is also about to publish his book Bhutan Heartland, (Fremantle Press, October 2010) which he produced with his wife, Libby Lloyd.

You can also watch the Bhutan Circumambulation video in large QT format here. Some nice bokeh in the movie.

Circumambulation of temples is an important Hindu ritual, and is similarly performed in most religious traditions; from Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I like how circumambulation sounds when it's uttered...but it's a word I can never spell it correctly.

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Graham Ware: Bhutan

Graham Ware joined The Travel Photographer's Bhutan: Land of the Druk Yul Photo~Expedition, and has produced an audio slideshow in QuickTime format of some of his various images made during the trip, coupled with live audio recordings gleaned during the tsechu festivals, religious pujas, the Sangha debates of the monks and a Bhutanese folk song.

A medical technologist based in Chandler, Arizona, his interest in photography started in 2000, with most of his focus at that time on wildlife and landscapes. However, he admits to have discovered photojournalism in 2004, and it is then he joined the "dark side". Last January he joined Gary Knight and Philip Blenkinsop on a photojournalism workshop in India, and professes to have been totally hooked. Some of his photographs from this India workshop are on his website.

Graham's panoply consists of a Canon 5D mark II, a Canon 1D Mark III, a 24-70 L 2.8, a 35 L 1.4 prime, and a 70-200 IS L 2.8 lens as well as a Sony PCM-D50 recorder.

An extremely agreeable travel companion, with a keen sense of cultural curiosity, Graham is hoping to help schools and hospitals in Bhutan.

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Bhutan's Coronation

Photograph � Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
The Himalayan nation of Bhutan crowned its fifth king Thursday after a two-year wait for the precise moment deemed most auspicious by court astrologers. At precisely 8:31 a.m. local time King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, 52, placed the Raven Crown on the head of his son, 28-year old Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, giving him the title of Druk Gyalpo, or Dragon King.

The ceremony was held in Thimpu's Tashichho Dzong, a 17th century white-walled fortress that serves both as administrative headquarters and a monastic center. Bhutanese came from all over the country for the ceremony, including nomadic yak herders who trekked for days from the icy Himalayan mountains of northern Bhutan, as well as members of the country's Hindu minority.

While traveling in Bhutan earlier last month on my Land of the Druk Yul photo-expedition, we saw frenetic activities for this coronation. Unfortunately, I don't know its Dzongkha equivalent, but I extend my congratulations to Bhutan.

The above image is of a Black Hat dancer practicing on a ceremonial trumpet at the Tamshing tsechu last month.

Update: For photographs of the coronation, including some by Paula Bronstein of Getty Images, visit The Boston Globe's The Big Picture.

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Praful Rao: Of Monasteries & Men

Photograph � Praful Rao-All Rights Reserved
I had the pleasure of meeting Praful Rao in Thimpu, Bhutan which he was visiting at the same time I was there. Praful is a self taught photographer whose passion for photography spans his lifetime. He describes himself as a generalist, choosing to capture whatever catches his eye or creating photographs from impromptu themes conjured in his mind. While most of his photography is of people and nature, he has also gotten involved in minimalism, still life and still enjoys doing B&W work.

Here's a lovely multimedia slideshow: Of Monasteries & Men produced by Praful. Some of the photographs are of the enthronement ceremony of the third reincarnation of Domo Geshe Rimpoche, in Tharpacholing Gompa in Kalimpong (a part of the district of Darjeeling in West Bengal). Following the ceremony, the young lama was whisked away to Mysore for further theological studies. Some photographs were also made at the Tongsa Gompa, the oldest Buddhist monastery in Kalimpong, and others are of Bhutan. I particularly liked the above image for its shadows and saturated color...a compelling composition by Praful.

Praful tells me that the background music is by a young Nepali flautist, called Manose Singh. The track was traded for a photograph by Praful that'll be featured on the artist's forthcoming album.

An earlier post on Praful Rao and his photography was published by TTP here (link).

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Bhutan Photo Expedition: Le "Chimping"

Photograph � Gavin Gough/All Rights Reserved
Here's a Soundslides candid behind the scenes look at the going-ons during the Bhutan: Land of the Druk Yul photo expedition. All photographs are courtesy and copyright of Gavin Gough (those of him are obviously not...unless they were self-taken).

As can be seen from the above photo capture, we were singularly adept at the art of chimping during the Thangbi Mani tsechu.

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News: Art Collection

All Photographs � Tewfic El-Sawy
I've recently sold 10 of my photographs to a major international bank headquartered in London. The distinctive aspect to this transaction is that the photographs are part of the bank's permanent art collection, and are printed on 40" by 25" (approx) canvases. My sales of photographs are traditionally either for stock or to magazines.

Most of the photographs chosen are of adivasis from Central India, and the rest are from Ethiopa's Omo Valley, Rajasthan and Bhutan.

The bank's art collection include photographic works by Philip Lee Harvey, Desmond Burden, Steve Bloom, Remi Benali, William Chapman, Boaz Rottem, among others.

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Cham Dances in New York City

Photograph � Tewfic El-Sawy
In elaborate dress and masks, monks from Bhutan performed Cham dances at the Merchant's Gate in New York City's Central Park yesterday. The dances by the monks-dancers were in celebration of the opening on September 19 of The Dragon�s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan at the Rubin Museum of Art.

The Rubin Museum and its Program Director, Tim McHenry (who served as the event's emcee), are to be commended for bringing such an event to the streets of New York City. The large-sized audience watching the whirling and twirling of the Bhutanese dancers had people who knew where Bhutan was, some wore Buddhist bracelets or fingered prayer beads, and a few photographers who seemed they had seen such dances before.

Despite it all, and at the risk of sounding churlish, I sensed that the Cham dances against the backdrop of modern glass-fronted buildings and yellow cabs didn't fully work. The full impact of the dances really comes to life in their natural 'habitat'...the authenticity of ancient monasteries, the age-worn cobblestones, the shy Bhutanese villagers as audience, are what completes the Tchechus and such dances.

The above photograph of a masked dancer is one of the many I made during the hour-long performance.

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Bhutan Ritual Dances (Cham) in NYC

Photograph Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
In elaborate dress and masks, monks from Bhutan will perform Cham dances in public plazas and parks around New York City from Saturday, September 13 through Sunday, September 21, 2008. The monks-dancers will appear several times a day, in celebration of the opening on September 19 of The Dragon�s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan at the Rubin Museum of Art.

These dances are timely since they'll provide me with perfect warm-up venues before I leave for my Land of the Durk Yul photo expedition which starts on October 3. This photo-expedition is specifically scheduled to photograph similar Cham ritualistic dances in central Bhutan.

Although the dances in New York will be visually stunning, they can't compete with those performed amongst the ancient monasteries, and on the age-old cobblestones of Bhutan's villages, encircled by an audience of villagers and farmers.

The schedule of the New York City dances:

Monday, September 15:

12:30pm performance, Foley Square (intersection of Duane Street, Lafayette Street, Centre Street and Pearl Street)

Thursday, September 18:

1:00pm performance, Columbus Park (Chinatown- Baxter and Bayard)

Friday, September 19:

12:30pm performance, Battery Gardens Plaza

3:00pm performance, In front of Castle Clinton

5:00pm performance, Battery Place sidewalk (Greenwich and Battery Pl)

Saturday, September 20:

1:00 pm performance, Central Merchant�s Gate (59th and Broadway)

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Rubin Museum of Art: Bhutan!

My favorite museum in New York City, the Rubin Museum of Art, will be featuring Cham ritual dances in public spaces in and around New York City. These events will be free to the public, and a schedule will be posted shortly on the museum's website. As soon as I receive notification of the schedule, I shall post it.

The Cham dances will be performed in New York City by 13 monks from the monastery fortress of Trongsa in central Bhutan. Depending on the locations, these dances will be spectacular! Will one be at the Rockefeller Center? I hope so.

Here's my very own multimedia sideshows: Dancing Monks of Prakhar and The People of Druk Yul.

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Kenro Izu: Life in Bhutan

Image Copyright © Kenro Izu-All Rights Reserved
The New York Times brings us a slideshow of Kenro Izu's exhibition of photographs of Bhutan at the Rubin Museum of Arts. I've already posted a few weeks ago about this exhibition and described it as an absolute visual treat, not only because of Izu's mastery, but also because of the exhibition's beautiful installation and ambiance.

The above photograph is of a "Prayer's flag, near Kurjey Lhakhang, Bumthang, Bhutan".

Bumthang is the sacred heartland of Bhutan, and is the focus of my forthcoming photo expedition to that magnificent country. The itinerary is available to members of my mailing list, and will be posted on this blog soon.

Kenro Izu's Life in Bhutan

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Kenro Izu: Bhutan, The Sacred Within

Image Copyright © Kenro Izu-All Rights Reserved
I was glad to go to the Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) yesterday to see Kenro Izu's exhibition of photographs from Bhutan. The RMA devoted its entire third floor to the exhibition, and it was visually stunning...as most of its exhibitions are.

From the RMA's brochure: "Bhutan, the Sacred Within exhibition is the last of Kenro Izu's trilogy related to sacred landscapes, si the second to premiere at RMA. The people of Bhutan, heirs to an unbroken tradition of Buddhist government and religion, sustain the values of family bonds, community life, agrarian labor and worship. Izu finds this focus in the faces and postures of his subjects. His meticulous, hand-printed platinum prints bring us closer to a population that seeks to maintain traditions while on the brink of modernity."

Using a turn of the century technique, Kenro Izu takes platinum palladium prints with a custom built camera that produces 14 x 20-inch negatives. In a significant departure from his previous large scale projects, most of Izu's photographs of Bhutan are of people. The subjects are posed, and I was told that because of the lens aperture, the poses were unusually long by modern standards and resulted in a slight softness in some of the photographs; the subjects of the photographs understandably moving a little.

The total number of prints on the third floor are probably about 50, out of which a handful were much larger than 14x20 inches. The photographs are either carbon pigment prints or platinum/palladium prints. Having no clue what was a carbon pigment print, I looked it up on Wikipedia and it's "a photographic print produced by soaking a carbon tissue in a dilute sensitizing solution of potassium bichromate. The solution also consists of carbon, gelatin, and a coloring agent." As for the platinum/palladium prints, they are contact prints � the photographs are the size of the negatives, and they cannot be enlarged.

I was told that while all the regular-sized photographs were hand printed, the handful of larger photographs had been digitally printed because of their size.

I particularly admired a photograph of two tsechu dancers, one poker-faced and the other almost frowning, made the Tamshing Lakhang in Bumthang. Another masterpiece is the triptych of dancers made during the Wangdue tsechu in central Bhutan.

There's no question that this is a must-see exhibition if you live or are in New York and you're interested in Bhutan, Buddhism, and in sophisticated visual arts. Others -who are more qualified than I- as well as press releases have already lauded the exhbition and the photographs...but take it from me, it shouldn't be missed.

Incidentally, Kenro Izu has published a wonderful book of his Bhutan photographs...more like a monograph...and it's available at the RMA's bookstore if you want to take these photographs home. I couldn't find it online...so do take a look at it while you're there.

I found a couple of older QT snippets of an interview with Kenro Izu and his process on the Peabody Essex Museum website.

Izu's Interview

Izu's Printing Process

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Tewfic El-Sawy : The People of Druk Yul

Image Copyright © Tewfic El-Sawy -All Rights Reserved
During the October 2006 photo-expedition which I led in Bhutan, we crossed the kingdom to reach its eastern central spiritual regions. These are some of the people I encountered along the way. The People of Druk Yul is a multimedia slideshow using Soundslides, I embedded an audio track recorded during the festival in Prakhar.

To receive advance notice of my 2008 photo expeditions, join my mailing list (the box on the right hand side of this page). Itineraries of past photo expeditions can be found here.

The multimedia slideshow: The People of Druk Yul

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Kenro Izu: Rubin Museum of Art

After years of pilgrimage to sacred landscapes and spiritual monuments, the photographer Kenro Izu has turned his masterful lens to the sacred within. Bhutan, the Sacred Within is his final work in a trilogy on this theme, and the second to be premiered at the Rubin Museum of Art. Izu takes the people of Bhutan and their particular blending of an indigenous religion and Buddhist thought as his subject. The meticulously crafted portraits he has made express the purity of those beliefs and their resonance in the larger world of today. These photographs were made during the period of 2002-2007. The photograph which illustrates this post was made at the Jambay Lhakhang in Bumthang (Bhutan), one of the destinations of my photo expedition in October 2006.

So mark your calendars for Kenro Izu's photographic exhibition, Bhutan, the Sacred Within, from November 2, 2007 Spring 2008 at the aesthetically perfect Rubin Museum of Art at 150 West 17th Street New York, NY 10011. I hope to attend it as soon as it opens, and will post a report on TTP. I met Mr Izu during a previous exhibition at the Rubin, and he struck me as an incredibly humble and humane artist. It's no surprise that he built Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) in January 1999, of which he has been responsible for its operation since then.

It'll be very interesting to see how a master of the large format...a superb photographer of sacred architectural structures and temples...applies his artistry over portraits. Bhutan, the Sacred Within promises to be an event to be savored and remembered by photographers and non-photographers alike.

Mr Izu will also be giving a PhotoTalk at the Rubin Museum on Saturday, November 3, 2007. Tim McHenry is the Director of Programming, who is widely credited for setting up incredible programs at the Museum.

For details, visit Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art

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