monkey – Joel Addams [TheBlog]

"Man at Screening Camp" Kathmandu, Nepal. © Joel Addams

Even though there are many, many countries left to visit, I began putting together a portfolio of black and white portraits that I have taken since 2006 from Peru, Nepal, Egypt, Morocco, and a few other countries.

When I first showed in an exhibit or two in 2006, one fellow participant looked at a framed 16 x 24″ print of a Hindu man reading in the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, and said, “Who’s gonna buy that?” I thought the person missed the point entirely and quite obviously. While this subject should be dedicated to a blog of its own, not all photographs are made for commercial purposes. I firmly believe that the photographs that you need to take and like to take will find ways of doing things that you have not imagined. Perhaps for some, they are the grounding in their lives that remind them that not all that glitters is gold and that their integrity as a photographer can be preserved in the images that they know resonates with them.

I feel that this is what black and white photography is for me and this is what international portraits do for me. I hope you enjoy a new portfolio of black images of people from around the world.

"A Kiterunner" Kathmandu, Nepal. © Joel Addams

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Oddly, I have been to Peru twice and have never been to Macchu Picchu. On both occasions, the groups I was photographing and assisting flew directly into Iquitos, a somewhat jungle-locked oasis of Inca Cola, pink dolphins, and lots of water. On both occasions I was also served an extra helping of the Tahuayo River Basin, a great hideaway about one-hour’s boat ride from the city down the Amazon and then up a tributary (of which there are many). There are some great lodges in the region, but this one was particularly awesome, as it was high on stilts and seemed like the true family Robinson experience. The second time I was there we even slept in just a mosquito netted “family room” high up in the canopy…the jungle noises at night were off the hook. If you’re looking for a crazy vacation, honeymoon, or travel destination off the beaten path, tell them I sent you.

The Amazon Region in Peru is like no other. The pink dolphins, the jungle, the people.