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?