Skip Hunt Photography

Honored to have a second series of 7 photos featured on SevenDays-IN!

You can see the new series and a travel story from that trip HERE

Disfruta :)

Skip Hunt

“Hemlock” ~ Bisbee, Arizona

Slipped wet underneath the plastic facade… glad to be gone, but missing the known…

Locked onto this target from the previous comfort zone…

Realized I’d not yet returned from the soft world’s spongy cake walk…

You know… I was glad for the delay.

Back in 2001 while most of the world was in a post 9/11 zombified stupor, two weeks after planes flew into the World Trade Center I went to travel in India. I was trying to get some snaps of all the taxis and pedestrians crossing a famous supension bridge in Calcutta India when I was approached by two very agressive Indian police officers. One just walked into my shot and then questioned me for several minutes as to why I was taking photos. They informed me that no photos or video could be shot of any large structures due to the tightened security.

I kind of like the blurry intrusion of the cop in this frame, and the look of “suspicion” he has on his face.

Also, included in my new Calendar “Skip Hunt Vagabond :: Mexico 2009 :: Volume Seven”

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This is another one shot during my Skip Hunt Vagabond travel blog. I loitered around this corner for a good while making images and trying to get one that I was satisfied with. It wasn’t until I accidentally caught the tail-end of an old red bug in the bottom left… that I realized I FINALLY had that element that balanced the rest of the composition. :-)

Drowning in a river of white noise and feeling my very self crushed by the monstrocities of stone.

I disappear into the veneer of my illusory shell and trudge along, looking for hints that one day the mystery might be revealed.

Then… I sense something foreign… something coming… something new…

And then, my heart leaps an extra beat in anticipation…. then stops as the sky fills with fluttering flight…

All time stops and…

I am in the moment.

“Release” ~ Porto, Portugal © Skip Hunt ~ http://www.skiphuntphotography.com

A few years ago, I went on a 6 week jaunt through Portugal, Spain, and France. Because I was broke most of the time, I budgeted a few espressos during the day, and cheap wine at night. Actually, I discovered most of the cafes, brasseries, and bars sold a glass of wine for less than an espresso. So, many times I’d opt for the vino during the day instead. Oftentimes in Portugal and in Spain I’d splurge for Absinthe or Absinto.

So the next three images reflect those smoky-blurred evening… just wandering about and trying to capture the blurred, wine and absinthe-fueled nights.

“Wet Dream” ~ Santiago, Spain © Skip Hunt ~ http://skiphunt.carbonmade.com

I snapped this whilst wandering the rail tracks near the train station in Calcutta, India. I’d seen some of the less fortunate children with black mascara around their eyes and wanted a shot for myself. Turns out, it’s not for vanity purposes, but the charcoal from the kitchen fire is smeared around the eyes because the carbon helps protect from bacteria.

What I really like about this particular shot is what you can’t see. I was using a little Olympus 3040z and with the shutter delay, every time I tried to get the shot, the little girl would toss her head from side to side and I’d miss the shot. The father was just over-joyed that I wanted to photograph his daughter and he tried endlessly to try and get the little girl to hold still and smile. Every time.. snap…. look at the LCD… motion blurred or her head had moved out of the shot or looking down. I tried at least a dozen times, but as long as the father was willing, I was determined to get the shot.

About the 13th snap, the LCD refreshed and I knew I GOT IT! At that very same moment, a boisterous cheer erupted from directly behind me and I almost dropped the camera I was so startled. Apparently, a small crowd of locals had gathered directly behind me and were watching the LCD on the digicam along with me in anxious anticipation. When they too realized the baby girl had been forever “captured”, they all cheered as if I’d scored a “goal!”

I was thrilled I got the “shot”, but even more thrilled I was able to bring a bit of excitement to their afternoon.

It was a tough order making my way across Calcutta in the late afternoon, but I eventually made it to the train stop where I hoped to change cars and make it to the Sikh temple in time to buy myself a Kara bracelet souvenir. I’m not wealthy and couldn’t afford to give what little I had to those who probably needed it more. But, I figured I could buy services and overpay instead. My hiking shoes were not the sort that needed a shine, but the hardworking shoeshine man looked desparate. I agreed to pay him to clean my soiled footwear and I was looking forward to surprising him by paying 4 times what he’d asked.

This little fellows took turns distracting me while one would try slipping his small hands into my pockets searching for a loose rupee or two. I didn’t mind so much, and I’d been in India long enough to at least make pick pocketing difficult.

The old man kept working on my shoes and I thought maybe it was taking a bit longer than it should, so I just allowed the boys to keep up their silly antics. Instead of scolding them for wayward hands, I asked if I could take their photo for a couple rupees. That way, at least they’d all three be in front of me in clear site while the old man hopefully finished my shoes. The boys posed… I paid up… and they laughed and skipped their way down the avenue.

The old man had just finished and I looked down to inspect the fine job he’d done. Sadly, he thought maybe I’d like my grey hiking shoes dyed a new color, and since he only had brown tones… my grey shoes were now a stained, burnt orange color!…. I bit my tongue and thanked the old chap for the custom coloring and fine cleaning… then laughed and skipped my way down the Calcutta avenue myself in my refurbished, clean, clownish orange hiking shoes. ;-)

This was such a wonderful day. Almost like a living faerie tale. Just everything seemed to go just right that day.. from the moment I woke up, until I drifted back to sleep. You probably can’t see it in this image taken on a bridge in Toulouse, France… but I can. And, I can still remember the fine espresso and harsh Gitane I’d just finished at Cafe Artistes….

Why are days like this so rare? Is it just a matter of fate? Or, state of mind?

“Toulouse” ~ Toulouse, France © Skip Hunt ~ http://skiphunt.carbonmade.com

There’s a real art to crossing the street in Ha Noi, Viet Nam… or pretty much anywhere in Southeast Asia… but particularly in Ha Noi. There’s thousands and thousands of motorbikes and there doesn’t apprear to be any real structure to the traffic, but you really don’t see accidents, and there does seem to be somewhat of an organic flow to it. It took me awhile to figure this out, and it takes a bit of insanity, but it works.

Basically, you can’t start stop, start stop into the snarl of buzzing 2-wheel machinery… you’ll get nailed like a dope squirrel fo shizzle! What you’ve got to do is pick your destination point on the other side. Then affix your eyes and just start walking out into the chaos. Don’t look around, and keep your eyes fast on the target. Pick a steady speed and DO NOT vary it. One steady speed from start to finish. You will not get hit and the wonderous whizzing moped monster will adjust itself and go around… you will not be hit. If you have irregular speed changes, or even stop… you’re toast. ;-)