New York City

I got to spend the last week in New York City with my fiance Michelle and her family. Following are a bunch of shots I took throughout the week. It was my first time visiting the city, and I had a wonderful time. John

This is the stoop from Sex and the City.

Every Tuesday night is movie night at Bryant Park, the place got crowded to watch The Bride of Frankenstein this past week.

Old baggage at Ellis island from immigrants.

One of the original benches still left over from the turn of the last century at Ellis island.

Some of the guys from Fire Station #10 across the street from the twin towers.

Michelle bought her wedding dress during the trip, and I refused to look at it no matter how tempting it was...

Met up with a few friends from high school at McSorley's Pub in Manhattan, the oldest Irish pub in the city. Abe Lincoln frequented the place...

Ate at Serendipity the day before going home. Also had some tremendous frozen hot chocolates!

Portfolio Shoot - Brett

This morning I shot for my roommate Brett for a little while. He needed some head-shots for his portfolio, and I was happy to help him out. We shot on Balboa near the base of Newport Pier...

Peru

Flew in yesterday from Peru. I was there with a small team of leaders from my church as we prepare to lead a larger team back to Pucallpa this September. This was certainly one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. Cusco reminded me of some of the old cities in Italy, and going to Machu Picchu was definitely one to cross off my bucket list. I know these pictures don't necessarily tell the story of the whole trip, but they're the ones I like, so they're the ones I'm showing!

Ancient streets of Cusco, the walls on each side are original, built around 1100 AD. The drainage canal down the center was either storm water management, irrigation, or both.

Plaza de Armas in downtown Cusco. Both of the building are Spanish Catholic churches built on top of Inca ruins.

The coca leaf can be made into cocaine through a difficult chemical process, and great quantities. In its small, original form, the coca leaf is chewed to reduce the ill effects of altitude sickness, necessary since Cusco sits around 12,000 feet above sea level.

My fiance Michelle during the train ride to Machu Picchu. It was a little chilly on the train!

Taylor near the peak of Huaynu Picchu, making his way toward the top.

Michelle descending some of the "Inca Steps" on Huayna Picchu. These steps have been in place for over 600 years.

The view from the sun temple atop Machu Picchu looking over the ancient city at Huayna Picchu in the background.

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Stalin. Yes, this boy's name is Stalin, and he is totally awesome.

Cup in the local church in Pucallpa.

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This curious little girl watched us pass by in the Amazon community of La Perla.


Panorama stitch of Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains over Aguas Calientes from the top of Huayna Picchu

India

So I have finally found some time to edit a few of my pictures from my trip to India last month. I just thought I would post them up to show a little about what it was like over there. Enjoy...

This man had no where to go, no where he had to be, and probably no one that missed him either. Passing time in the train station seemed to be a common affair.

During our eight hour train ride from Chennai to Tenali, we got to know a few of the locals sitting across from us. We finished some breakfast and were not quite sure of what to do with our trash. Through some gestures and a few laughs, after none of us would budge, one of the guys across from us grabbed it all and threw it out the open window. It was a weird thing trying to wrap my head around the fact that 1/6 of the worlds population don't care for one second about some of the convictions we Americans think are imperative! Kind of makes you wonder...

When we arrived at the Harvest India orphanage in Tenali, we were greeted by close to a thousand orphan kids who couldn't have been better behaved. There were flowers showering down all around us what seemed like everywhere we went. What a treat to be honored by this many children with the hope of Jesus in their eyes.

Inside the orphanage, the behavior of the children is clearly very regimented. We spent a little time with some of the street kids in the community, and it was amazing to hear about how bad those kids want to be in this orphan home. In the states, most kids would rather fend for themselves or stay with friends somewhere rather than be an orphan, not so here.

During a service of one of the local churches, these two boys just blew my mind. They were so calm just sitting, waiting for everyone else to arrive. I just love the expression on the left, I would love to have known what he was thinking when this dude knelt down in front of him to snap a picture. It just captures some of the joy they dwell in, even living in a place of such despair.

Just after seeing the two boys in the shot above, they can be seen in the background as I became fixated on the scene taking place farther inside the church. The woman on the left, in the beautiful sari, was fervently praying. As I looked closer to her and her daughter, I saw that her daughter is blind, and has been all her life. The mothers concern and cries to God went deeper than anything I have been faced with in life. This young woman can not marry in this culture, without the presence of God, she will live her life as an outcast. Once her mother is gone, and assuming her father already is, she would undoubtedly find herself on the streets depending on the mercies of a few. God heal her...
OSHA would have a fit in this country! Yes, we think we have it all together and have all the answers for everything in America (though we certainly do not), but one thing we could all agree on is that riding on a truck of rice twelve feet in the air is probably not terribly smart. Pair this with the less-than-serene driving taking place, and it really is a recipe for disaster. Its kind of fun to watch though!
During Vacation Bible School at the orphanage, I watched this boy do everything to the best of his abilities for three days. He sang louder than anyone, he played games harder than anyone, he participated in activities more exuberantly than anyone, and he certainly took prayer seriously. I would love to have been able to spend time with him, have no language barrier, and hear his story

Our group went into a delete village in the midst of the red light district part of the town. They call it a delete village since it is full of people who are not even "fortunate" enough to be in a caste. They have been kicked out because of one of plenty of things including stealing, fighting, etc. Most of them make their living catching snakes and rats in the homes of the wealthy, and they often take their catch home for dinner. Of all the people we contacted, these were some of the most joyful. Just like this boy, they were genuine. They were glad to see us; not only are we white (and all the things that go along with it in a society containing many who have never seen light skin before!), but we had no reservations against touching them, shaking hands with them, giving them contact. They felt accepted in a country that wanted nothing to do with them.

This man caught my eye from the window of the van as we rolled through town. I just pondered what he was up to, what concerned him in life. After I snapped the picture, I flashed a huge smile, and his face instantly lit. He gave me the wonderful hands-together posture of respect, and I returned the greeting.

During the same van ride, this little girl stood waiting for her family just off behind her a little. She hammed it up for the camera, but she's genuine in it all at the same time. Her face looks as if she's seen a number of life-times and the hardship that goes with them.
During another van ride, this man's total comfort made me envious! Sure, he could have been sitting there wishing he was on a cushion, or that it wasn't a muggy eighty-five degrees, or that there wasn't some foreigner taking his picture while he wasn't looking. I like to think he was just totally content with life right there for a moment.

It turns out this little boy was naked, as I came to find out when we went a little further down the road! His curiosity was the coolest thing about him and it sparked my interest at the same time. I wondered what he was thinking, way up at the top of some stairs overlooking a parade of orphans marching down his street. I also started to wonder what is in his hand...

American dollars make lots of rupees... plus we had a ceiling fan in the hotel. From left: Taylor, Trevor, me, and Richard. Ballers.


This is a shot that I obviously did not take, but I am so glad someone had snagged my camera at the moment. We were giving out vaccinations of, I think, meningitis to about one hundred kids from one of the Hindu schools nearby. This was a very cool experience, one I will not soon forget.