Brass and strings. Cambridge, UK.

A friend of mine at Cambridge asked me to cover part of the Szeged festival, I couldn't pass it up. I mean, who says 'no' to a wide angle zoom perched on the edge of the stage? (Note to myself: must buy wide angle prime. British churches are dark enough with lighting. Zooms don't help much when the lighting doesn't turn on).
Anywho. I'm a sucker for people with musical instruments. You couldn't get me to theater if you paid me (unless I was allowed in with a camera. Even one I have to muzzle with a thick scarf).
(Another note to myself: maybe British theater is better than the over-simplified, Hollywood-esque musical crap I had to suffer in the Southern USA).

Child monks: youth in exile.

I spent over a week in Sikkim early in 2008. A lot of my time was spent haunting the surrounding monasteries. Of everything & everyone I saw there, what struck me most was the detached quietness of the young novice monks.
Some, I found, were as young as 3 or 4 & had been brought by their parents from neighboring countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet to study Buddhism. Many rarely saw their parents since they lived far away and travel is expensive for poor families.
There were 2 very young monks that drew my attention on the day I spent in Enchey. They spoke only Nepali but understood Hindi. Amazed at how innocent & quiet they seemed, I asked them if they got to meet their mothers. One nodded 'yes' & the other slowly shook a 'no'. They had a part time female nurse who played with them at the monastery during the day but no female was allowed in after closing time.

Cameras used: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Lenses used:
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Lens
Canon - Lens - 50 mm - f/1.4 USM - Canon EF

Painting our walls red.

While passing by a butcher's shop in Sikkim, I noticed the wall where he'd hung his instruments. No fancy panels - just a slat driven into the wall with nails & painted red like the rest of his shop.
Waiting to do their job were his instruments. Their contrast with the wall & their visible sharpness was ominous. The meat hook actually had a piece of the goat he'd just cleaned still stuck on it. I couldn't let it pass.