Category: Photography

 

Photography has been one of my passions since I was in my 20’s. Here I share my favorite photos to inspire you to go out and experience the world.

PhotoPOSTcard: The Petra Commute

donkey rider in Petra

This photo was recognized by the North American Travel Journalists Association with a Honorable Mention award in the Photography – Portrait, People, category in the 2021 annual media travel awards competition .

The Petra Archeological site is quite large. To help tourists get around, the local Bedouin offer donkey rides from one place to another. This can be especially helpful for some of the hikes that involve a lot of climbing. The donkeys are sure footed and don’t have any trouble climbing the many stairs. At the end of the day, the owners ride their donkeys home, and like other commuters all over the world, talk on their cell phone to pass the time.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: Scarves for Sale

I can’t resist a pretty scarf and I usually end up bringing one home from my travels. This colorful collection was on display on the trail up to the Monastery at the Petra Archeological Site in Jordan. The trail was a little over a mile and included 800 steps. If you have to huff and puff as you are going up hill, it’s nice to have pretty things to look at.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: Jordan’s Treasure

The Treasury building has become the symbol of Jordan’s Petra UNESCO World Heritage site. Made famous in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, this 2000 year old archeological site was first rediscovered by a westerner in 1812 by explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. But unlike the movie version, the inside of the Treasury is just a few simple unadorned block rooms cut out of the stone. Sitting by itself in this canyon, there is no hint of all the other tombs and ruins of a once thriving the city beyond.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: The Four Donkey Riders of Petra

Throughout Petra, the local Bedouin young men offer tourists donkey rides to help them climb up to the viewpoints or to get around the huge site. At the end of the day, as the archeological site begins to close down and the setting sun casts an orange glow on the complex of Nabatean tombs, they ride their donkeys back home for the night.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: A Little Bit of Mars on Earth

If you’ve seen the movie Martian then you have seen the unearthly landscape that makes up the UNESCO World Heritage site of Wadi Rum in Jordan. Day tours of the area are common, but for a truly out of this world experience, consider spending a night surrounded by nothing but desert sand and star filled skies.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: The Two Faces of Faith

Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre is an important religious site for the Christian faith. Tradition holds that the church is built over the site where Jesus was crucified and then buried. There are many chapels and items of religious significance in this church. Here, I was struck by the contrast of pilgrims prostrating themselves over the Stone of Anointing where it is believed that Jesus’ body was prepared for burial, and the Christian orthodox nun standing behind them, looking at her cell phone.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: All That Glitters is Gold at Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock

Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and the rock on top of it is a sacred site to both the Jewish and Islamic faiths. In Judaism, the rock is where Abraham was preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac. For Muslims it is the location from which Muhammed started his journey to heaven. The octagonal Dome of the Rock which sits atop this Foundation Stone was built in 691 CE, though it has been rebuilt a few times since then. Visitors can tour the outside of the Dome of the Rock during non-Muslim prayer times, but cannot go inside unless they are Muslim. Even just seeing the outside, it was a beautiful structure to visit.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

Photo Inspirations

Photo Location – Chicago skyline at dusk.

Home is where the heart is. I grew up in Chicago and though I have been away now for over 25 years, it still feels like home every time I go back. At the same time, our current house, where we have lived for the past 25 years, is just as much my home. For the first time in many years, we are not traveling over Thanksgiving. We are staying at home and staying safe and that is something I am quite thankful for at this time. What are you thankful for today?

Stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Rose