Travel Photography
My first real solo travel experience was in 2002 when I took a trip to Guatemala. I was a total newbie and messed up a credit card password at an ATM and had to email my dad to help me out. Since that time I've visited 34 other countries, lived in four and taken thousands of photographs. Out of those photographs I would estimate that between 50 and 100 would be worth saving. Here are a few of my personal favorites.
In 2006-2007 my girlfriend and I traveled to SE Asia for six months, visiting Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. I took a Canon AE-1 with only one lens. I remember even then a Chinese man told me at dinner one night that I was using an antique. This photograph was taken inside a Cambodian train, during what remains one of my favorite days of travel. We sat on top of the battered train as it moved slowly through the countryside, talking with other passengers and stepping off during stops to explore the towns along the route.
This kid was just sitting up in this tree watching a soccer match in Butaro, Rwanda. To me the setting looks like something out of a magical movie. The umuko trees, the yellow jacket, red shirt, and blue trousers almost form a primary-color arrangement.
During my five years in Rwanda, I twice accompanied students on visits to a Twa community. We brought rice to share, and on one visit someone brought a Bluetooth speaker. Once the music began, the gathering turned into dancing. This photograph preserves some of that energy.
It was hard leaving Rwanda. Five years is a long time to spend anywhere and in that time I'd built meaningful relationships and had immersed myself in the culture. My last month in Butaro I would go out in the village and eat with friends I'd recently met from food cooked over a fire. I took this photo of kids playing football during one of my last walks around Butaro.
On my Fridays off in Saudi Arabia I’d occasionally visit this part of town in Riyadh that contained several abandoned mansions. I’d slip through gates or climb walls and never ran into any trouble. The people I lived with on the compound thought I was nuts.
My first time in Kampala I took a long walk along Jinja road and came across this spot where men were building and selling blue metal boxes. Somehow we started talking and the next thing I knew I was just haging out and talking with them. They bought me food and I think I may have bought them some drinks. Four years later I returned to Kampala and took the same walk with the intention of finding these guys again. Before I could see them I heard a voice call out - Matthew!
My first time in Africa I went to Kenya to visit a friend in Nairobi and also visit Kisumu on Lake Victoria. I don't remember the exact circumstances but I met Stephen, a local Kenyan Muslim, who became my local guide. Near the end of my trip I visited Stephen and his family.
I went on hundreds of walks outside campus in Butaro when I lived in Rwanda. I tried to get up early in the morning when it was cool and a bit foggy. For a long time I resisted taking photographs because I just wanted to not feel like an outsider. But I did take this photo one morning of some guys pushing, what I guess is firewood, up the hill.