Boys Will be Boys ...... - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

I love it when children are like children, like the ones that chase bubbles with all their lives. What I didn’t realize is that boys will be boys and stay that way for a long time. I had this epiphany while in Arezzo, Italy for its Giostra del Saracino. Over there, I got to observe them doing what they do best.

Boys play:

Drumming-Boy-in-Front-of-Chiesa-di-San-Domenico-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Boys fight:

Flagwavers-Practice-Fighting-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Boys would be playing to fight:

Team-Porta-del-Foro-Getting-Ready-Giostra-del-Saracino-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

It seems that they each have a boy in their ever-maturing human bodies, rent free. What I need help figuring out is, at what point, the boy gets evicted. Or does he ever? I mean, do you see a boy lurking underneath this gentleman’s skin?

Old-Gentleman-Reading-Newspaper-in-the-Middle-of-Street-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Subscribe to Receive all Posts in the Email

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Format

• html
• text

Winners Find Solutions in Arezzo, Italy - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

In a recent trip to the medieval city of Arezzo in Tuscany, Italy, I got to take a behind-the-scene view of the flag-wavers practicing in preparation of the city’s upcoming Giostra del Saracino (more on that later). Despite the fact that the team has been performing the art of flag-waving since 1960, it’s never an easy task to keep the flags afloat, let alone with grace.

While we as bystanders tend to focus on the time of performance, I appreciated the practice when it reminded me that at times, just like life, things don’t always go the intended way. There are moments when we feel we almost “dropped the ball”:

Keeping-Aloat-Flagwavers-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

And other times when we are completely swamped:

Flagwavers-being-Swampted-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

As someone puts it:“winners find solutions, losers make excuses.” I am sure the flagwavers never let the weight of the flag staff or the sun glaring into their eyes become what stands in the way of putting out the best orchestrated show every time, even when it means sometimes blood would be shed, which unfortunately happened in this practice.

Flagwavers-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

In terms of the small price that I paid to bring back these images? Let’s just say we were in a unique spot (photographically speaking) which happened to be a nice shelter for blood-sucking insects. And, it didn’t help when we were the only two warm bodies there. :P

Subscribe to Receive all Posts in the Email

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Format

• html
• text

Full Moon on Mars Land - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Two lunar calendar years ago, I was photographing the Mars-like geothermal field of Hverir in Iceland. As always, the sun was setting fast. Before long, my Assistante’s “courtesy” reminders started making appearance, entangled in the howling sound of the stinky air pushing through the crust of the earth.

“Many cars are leaving…”

Never been a good crowd-follower, I ignored the warning.

……

“Only a few cars are left in the parking lot…”

Still ingrained in my creative photography, I decided to go against the grain.

……

“Only one car is left”

His warnings were like those newsletters that I signed up a long time ago. They religiously show up in my inbox and most are not that interesting.

……

……

My strategy seemed to have worked. I started enjoying the peace until he let out a big exclamation.

Thinking “Now what?”, I raised my head. A moon, a full moon just rose above the layer of cloud.

Grinning in my belly, I said to myself “we couldn’t have asked for a better place to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival”. And, I think I may keep my newsletters a bit longer. ;-)  

Hverir-Moonrise-Namaskard-Geothermal-Iceland-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival and enjoy the view of the full moon whichever surface of the planet you may be on, except for the moon itself. :P

Subscribe to Receive all Posts in the Email

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Format

• html
• text