PEOPLE OF THE WORLD
Read MoreReflection.
Most people in this region were generally not down with having their pictures taken, so I tried a little reverse-psychology on this guy and had my guide ask if I could take MY OWN picture reflected in his sunglasses. He agreed.
Location: As Eyla, Djibouti
Lens used: Canon 24-105mm f4.0 ISMoneychanger.
One effect of not being recognized as a sovereign nation is not having any banks or access to traditional loans that the rest of the world does. This makes it a cash-only economy. Buying food at the market? Cash. Need to see a doctor? Cash. Purchasing a car? Cash. Building a multi-story building in town? Cash. As someone whom relies on their credit card for day-to-day expenses while at home, my mind reels at how that would work in my own life.
In the center of the capital within a couple-block radius there are dozens of men sitting behind mountains of the local currency, the Somaliland schilling, wheeling-and-dealing 24 hours a day. At roughly 6000 schillings to a dollar and with a 500 note the largest schilling bill printed, anything more than a small daily purchase may result in you needing to lug around a brick or two (or ten) of bills.
Location: Hargeisa, Somaliland (Somalia)
Lens used: Canon 24-105mm f4.0 ISBeggar Woman.
This beggar woman was crawling around the train station platform asking for change.
Before someone goes to India for the first time, I strongly suggest they settle with themselves the issue of whether or not to give money to beggars. Believe me, it'll come up a lot and sometimes it's really really hard not to empathize with the person begging - I still remember the young girl I saw in Kashmir on my first Indian trip with the (healed) 2nd degree burns over her face begging with me through my taxi window.
This woman wasn't nearly so hard to refuse as that girl. Still, I gave her a couple coins. But not because she was begging, but rather for her letting me take her picture.
Location: Varanasi, India
Lens used: Canon 24-105mm f4.0 ISRickshaw Driver.
An inescapable part of the India experience is dealing with the auto rickshaw drivers. Some are aggressive, lying bastards. Others are straight up-and-down and pleasant. This guy was the latter - I hired him for the day to drive me to the Ellora caves and Daulatabad.
Location: Daulatabad, India
Lens used: Canon 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS