photos that make history

Jonathan Klein presents a powerful collection of photographs that have defined the history of our world.

Keeping in line with the essence of The Kaleidoscope Compass, take a moment now to ask yourself:

How do your photos define the history of your world?

bring on the cool

It's the DMZ (demilitarization zone) along the 38th parallel between North and South Korea.

Lindsay Miles-Pickup gives us a bit of background:

"The building in the background is all North Korean soldiers...The South Korean guards stand partially hidden behind the buildings so that if they get shot at only part of their body is exposed. The end of the gravel by the guards is the border of North and South Korea. It is a crazy sensation to have North Korean guards with binoculars staring at you while you stand there staring back..."

Despite the obvious danger and heightened sense of awareness, it's hard not to find the guards' demeanor striking.  Crisp, clean uniforms set against mellow toned backdrops, and super killer shades.  These guys bring on the cool.

all the same

Being in Japan as a Westerner can feel like being on another planet entirely at first glance. When it comes to language barriers, Japan (and other asian countries) take on a whole new meaning. Travelling throughout other continents, we can at least make out some of the language as the alphabets are more or less the same as our own. Yet when confronted with the entirely different symbols and characters of the Japanese language, I start to understand what it must be like to be illiterate. I start to really feel disconnected and isolated from the setting in which I find myself.

 Only after getting out and exploring that I stop feeling as disconnected.  On a leisurely stroll along a riverbank in Tokyo city, I stumble across this group having a wonderful, active afternoon.  I know I am in Japan but I can't help but to see my Portuguese great-grandparents in their backyard as they square up for their next croquet shot.

 Later while visting Kyoto city, I take another quiet moment to look around and see this older gentleman taking a much needed rest.  I start to ask myself "How do you say siesta in Japanese?"  And again, I know I am in Japan but now I see my own father having a lay down in the sun along the Californian mountainside somewhere....What is going on here?

As I see traces of my own family who have never even set foot on this side of the world, I am humbly reminded that no matter the language, no matter the country, at the end of the day we are all the same.

details

Do details matter? Travelling throughout Sweden, young Devon Roe convinces us so:

"Sweden was my first trip outside of  the US, and there was a part of me that wanted to take every last nook and cranny of this place with me. This bookbag hanging on the hook was in the furthest corner of an old schoolhouse I was exploring. I didn't want to leave any part of the building behind in my memories...What struck me about this image was that there were so many little hooks, but only one, lonely book bag. Was the child who owned this bag just as lonely?"

"The items on the window sill  are inside a well-preserved room that was once the only bakery of the little village I was visiting. The items so perfectly illustrated the 'rule of three' in photography, so I felt compelled to take a picture of them. The broken chalice especially struck a chord with me as someone who was steadily losing my faith at the time; it still had shape, but a piece of it was missing..."

Details add unique layers and dimension to any story or any situation. They allow us each to individually connect with what sits before us. Without them, the world would be one bland place.

concrete jungle?

Concrete jungle, where dreams are made of?

Alicia Keys shows us a softer side of New York City.

(photo courtesy of Jamie DeProspo)

classic car roadshow

Up until the onset of the Revolution in 1960, Cuba imported the majority of its automobiles from the US.  After the embargo was imposed, however, other nations' vehicles started making their debut on Cuban streets.  Yet the Cubans' stubborn preference for the size and quality of the older American brands has seen these beauties outlast and endure compared to the brands of foreign rivals.  It's as if time has stopped and been frozen in an American decade of long ago.

If classic American automobiles tickle your fancy, take the advice of Maria Palomino

 and make a trip to Cuba.

"Cuba is the ultimate American classic car roadshow."

sunday funday

Despite the infamous Ireland cold which lingers throughout most of the year, many of the Irish--especially the youthful crowd in Dublin as pictured here--know how to make good of the precious, rare moments of decent weather... 

Why can't every day be a Sunday Funday?

whizzing about our lives

In these times of global climate worries and concerns for our ever-shrinking pocketbooks, it's inspiring to see that traditional cycle transport can be so fashionable and cool.

The photos offered here by Lindsay Miles-Pickup while roaming the streets of London, England capture the rich details of urban life all too often missed when whizzing about our lives in cars, buses, subways.  Maybe, afterall, we can get excited about taking things slow for once.

More of Lindsay's work can be seen at "Lindsay Mile-Pickup Photography" on Facebook.  Check it out.

See and learn more about the cool world of slow cycling from one of Europe's finest sources on the subject:

http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/

world cup fever

World Cup fever is in the air.  Are you ready?

nature's patterns

Is one man's junk really another man's treasure? 

Having collected over 1000 plastic containers recovered from the sea, Emer Brady has reclaimed this rubbish and found a way it can offer a rich new purpose.  Using objects of waste to shadow the shape of the waves on which the trash once surfed, we are provoked to remember the effects of modern day consumerism and pollution. 

'My practice is concerned with the patterns that exist within nature. I am interested in their underlying sense of order juxtaposed by an element of chaos. Nature’s patterns are so familiar to us that we have become blind to them: they have become invisible.'

Check out more of Emer's work at:

 http://emerbrady.wordpress.com/

a good hard day's worth of work

Meandering through the back roads and farm patches of Amish country villages in Pennsylvania, it's hard not to notice that the inhabitants value the meaning behind honest work.  It may be difficult for some to understand the avoidance of many modern technologies, but as one soaks up the crisp clean air and sunshine in the rustic scenes from village to village it all starts to make a little more sense.  There must be something very satisfying in using one's own strength to produce what is needed in life.  One could imagine that surely a peaceful, hearty sleep must accompany the independence and sense of pride and accomplishment after a good hard day's worth of work. 

use images to inspire change

Pictures seal the deal on a winning story.  They add the richness and detail missing from a sea of words scattered across a page.  Watch and listen as Brian Skerry uses his images of our oceans to help inspire needed change.

perspective

Looking closely, one should surely see in the background the famous Half Dome of Yosemite National Park in Yosemite, California.  Yet at first glance, attention is drawn to the curious squirrel posing for his photo shoot.  Quirky they are, the peculiarities of this perspective.

jesus atop the mountain

"La fe mueve montañas"
Faith will move mountains.

"No hay mal que por bien no venga"
Every cloud has a silver lining.
(literally, there's no bad for which
no good will come)

Staring up into the arms and eyes of Jesus in Barcelona, Spain, I notice the powerful suggestions this statue is making.  Faith, no matter in what or in who, is a remedy we all must employ at some point or another in our lives.  Beyond the bronze, my eyes focus in on the fluffy clouds floating peacefully in the backdrop of the blue sky.  These clouds may bring rain to this otherwise sunny day, but they are beautiful nevertheless.  I wonder what other onlookers imagine as they gaze at this statue of Jesus atop the mountain... 

john west

John West. 

If you ever get to see this story-telling artist

perform live before he makes it big,

 consider yourself lucky.

what they once were

Merchant fleets from long ago passed through the "Floating" Torii upon reaching the shores of Miyajima, Japan.  The shrine would indicate to oncomers that they were approaching a sacred place and to proceed with care and caution.

Now it is one of the most photographed sights in all of Japan, proving to be a tourist marvel of giant proportion. 

After making their way inland, a few parcels of merchants' wares from far off lands would find themselves in remote parts such as along this feudal trade highway from Tsumago to Magome.  All items were strategically packed to be strapped on backs and carried by foot from one village to another.

After the advent of modern railways, however, the merchant highway lost its utility and purpose.  Like the Torii, the Tsumago-Magome road and villages now serve as  prominent tourist attractions.

Technology and times change, and we must continuously adapt, indeed.  Yet, the marvels and wonders of our predecessors must be remembered for what they once were as well as what they will come to be.