(Above : A vendor gets in an aerobic workout in between customers in Hanoi's Chau Long Market).
Another year passes and I'm again reminded of all the great places my camera has taken me to. Extensive travel and a workshop in Turkey, plus assigments and travel in Sri Lanka, India, Taiwan and Vietnam. A move to our newly renovated shophouse in George Town and work in my 'home town'. Everytime I push the shutter I am reminded how lucky I am to be able to do what I do. Here are a few images from the year. I hesitate to say 'best of' because frankly I am probably the worst judge of what is good or bad in my collection. What I can say about these images is that I hope that when I look back on them in a couple of years that I still remember exactly what I was feeling when I took the picture. I can't say that about every picture I take but some stick around longer than others. Let's see if these do.
(Above : An autumn moon rises over Eminnou, Istanbul)
(Above : Sunset from the 360 Degree Bar at the Bayside Hotel, Penang, Malaysia. Part of a advertising campaign I shot for Penang Global Tourism. Below : A fire burns out of control on a 'super moon' night in Detroit).
(Above : Taipei, Taiwan for Travel & Leisure SEA. Confession time - I love George Town but I would move to Taiwan in a second if I could. Taipei is probably the most liveable city in Asia and a great jumping off point for exploring Taiwan's deep, deep culture).
(Above : Street food (char koay teow stir fried over charcoal) and a hidden shrine in George Town. Part of a personal project documenting religious shrines that dot the back alleys of George Town, Malaysia).
(Above : Top - Fishing on the Bosphorus. Second - Barbunia fresh from the Black Sea).
(Above : The Great Mosque of Diyarbakir on a toasty 42 degree C afternoon).
(Above : The Kadikoy ferry terminal (minus the 'ballon') at sunset. I try to end every trip to Turkey with a sunset ride on an Istanbul ferry. It never gets old).
(Above : Colombo's Maning Street Market. I spend a lot of time in markets but Maning market blew me away. My time in Sri Lanka was way to short. Such a colorful country and truly lovely people. Hopefully, 2014 will see this story in print).
(Above : Thaipusam in Penang part of a customized photo walk. Below - Butchers at a pork shop in Chow Rasta market, George Town).
(Above : top - Banana sellers in Madurai's morning market. Middle : Dressing to match your house (part 1), Rajakkad, Tamil Nadu. Above / Third - A worshipper at a temple outside Madurai, Tamil Nadu. India was such an eye opening experience. I need to find a way to get back there. Look for articles in early 2014 and more images on this blog to follow. Below : Tea shop in Mylapore, Chennai. Tea - but who knew India has such a big coffee culture? Check out my slideshow here in the Wall Street Journal Asia).
So what about 2014? Well, to start with we SOLD A BOOK! So look for more travels in Turkey now through 2015 (yeah). If you are looking for something to do in April join us in Sapanca, Turkey for our second cooking, food and photography workshop. I will also be doing a similar workshop in Penang mid-2014. Watch this page for details.
Beyond that - who in the heck knows? I wouldn't have it any other way. Swing on over to my Facebook page here for quick posts, tips and updates. Or follow me on Twitter @davehagerman. See ya!
