February 23, 2010 by Terri Gold

Tribal Life in India: South Rajasthan and Kutch Photo Expedition

I am just back from a wonderful trip to Southern Rajasthan & Gujarat. In recent years I have been planning my own trips with well-known Photographer & Writer Mary Altier, her husband John Walker and my sister Ellen. After meeting Tewfic El-Sawy and following his blog, The Travel Photographer, I decided to join the Tribes of South Rajasthan & Kutch Photo~Expedition™. It was wonderful group of accomplished photographers, well traveled with great stories to tell on those long bus rides and each with their own unique style and vision. The focus of the trip was exploring the tribal cultures of the Rabaris, Garasias, Bhils, Wadha and the reclusive Jats who we came upon one day by the side of the road. I am always looking at our cross-cultural truths, the importance of family, community, and ritual, and the amazing diversity of its expression. What intrigues me is discovering how people live, as if in different millennia, yet co-existing at the same time. Minds set in different ages, walk the same dusty streets, drink the same water and live out their lives amidst the cows, which wander everywhere, and the riotous colorful confusion.

My work is interpretative in nature. I was shooting with a Canon 5D converted to Infrared by Lifepixel.com and a Canon 5D Mark II often using the Lensbaby. I have always been attracted to creating imagery using the invisible infrared light spectrum and using other special effects lenses and filters. It adds an element of mystery and surprise to creating the work, to the post production and then to its presentation.

I found it interesting to see what caught each photographer’s eye and how it could expand my way of seeing. Some people went straight into the villager’s personal space and caught and held their eyes. Some posed their subjects like models while others looked for color and pattern. Also interesting to see the different configurations of cameras and gear; from computers, backup devices (I used the Hyperdrive Colorspace UDMA) to camera bags.

I met some amazing people, friendships were formed and future travel companions made and I had experiences that I will not forget. Now the next stage begins with creating and shaping a cohesive body of work.

Imagery and more stories to come in the days ahead…

August 23, 2009 by Terri Gold

Tibetan Summer Festivals In Kham

Summer is the season of Tibetan festivals when people throughout Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan- provinces of China- gather to celebrate old traditions during the long warm days on the high altitude plateau. These events also have acquired a political sub-text: the continuing struggle between China and its Tibetan minority over cultural identity and religious freedom.

This is a a quote from Freya Stark – a traveler, explorer, Arabist, woman of letters – on Arrival ” There is a great moment ,when you see ,however distant, the goal of your wandering.The thing which has been living in your imagination, suddenly becomes a part of the tangible world.”

All my life , I have been drawn to this part of the world .I have been reading every book with Tibet in the tittle since I was a child. Pearl Buck and Rumer Godden were the beginning and now I have an extensive library of travel essays. I concentrate on the early explorers and photographers: Isabella Bird is one of my favorites and Alexandra David Neel and Peter Goullart too.

The Opening Ceremonies were so beautiful, filled with dancers, singers and riders in splendid costumes.

This is relaxation Tibetan style with family and friends – time to honor heroes and horses. The Khampa horsemen . . . and horsewomen . ..will race their horses and at night, the streets of the town

will come alive with more dancing and singing

There were not many tourists or westerners and we were able to move around and shoot behind the scenes and were invited into tents to drink and eat with everyone. We were welcomed everywhere we went.

In the villages nearby it was a time for socializing , playing pool and shopping.We went to the village jeweler after admiring this Tibetan womans earrings. She immediately took us to a small jewelry stall and we bought rings and hoops earrings.

In another town we stopped by a school and the home of the local weaver who was weaving yak fibers stretched across the yard for a tent.

August 4, 2009 by Terri Gold

Terri Gold: Spotlight Interview on James Robinson Photography Blog

I have an article up on James Robinson Photography Blog, thanks to James Robinson for his kind invitation to contribute. Find the link to the interview: Click Here

“I am always looking at the Still Points… inspired by a line of poetry by T.S.Elliot. We are still and still moving… I see my work as still points in a turning world.

My work is interpretive in nature. I am looking for the grace notes, for the sense of wonder in our world and in our connections to each other. I feel compelled to make these images. I believe images that share our stories can have a positive impact on our world. We need to experience our common humanity. We all celebrate the same joys, we all bleed the same too…”

July 15, 2009 by Terri Gold

California Dreaming

One of my favorite places in the US is Northern California. Some of the best people I know live there and the dramatic natural beauty soothes the eye and the soul. I traveled to San Francisco, then on to Berkeley, through the Marin headlands and coastline, into the wine country and spent July 4th hanging over the Pacific Ocean in Bolinas. All the gardens were at their early summer prime, dahlias the size of trees with a backdrop of blues skies and often surrounded by towering redwoods with great shafts of light pouring through. After weeks of rain in NY it was wonderful. The first event was Sean and Nishas wedding in a beautiful home and garden in Sebastopol with orange nasturtiums blooming and a Bocce ball court and with twinkling lights wrapped around the trees. A wonderful- unique- heartfelt ceremony with a mixture of traditions- Hindu -Christian and Jewish. There were beautifully written vows , a special rose ceremony and guests from Malaysia, Turkey, London, Germany, Peru. The party was filled with musicians and live music and with love.

Shooting many of the images with my digital infrared camera-it is always one of my favorites.It adds to the magic and mystery of a celebration. It needs extensive color calibration and work in the digital darkroom but then I feel most images do. I do all the things in the digital darkroom I used to do in the traditional darkroom.