I have written about Alan Rabinowitz on & often. He continues to inspire me personally. I have been inspired after seeing a National Geographic documentary on Alan’s life, his cause & his mission to save the wild. Although he has taken a back seat following his health condition, he still leads the exploration group of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Alan’s expeditions & his stories have brought the grim truth of survival. His fact finding missions led The New York Times call him the Indiana Jones of wildlife science!

In this book, Life in the Valley of Death: The Fight to Save Tigers in a Land of Guns, Gold, and Greed, Alan talks about the story of life & death, of frustration & the emergence of reason in a nondescript Hukaung Valley of Myanmar (Burma). This is a precious land in the eyes of Big Cat conservationists. This has one of the largest population of tigers outside India. But now the wild cats face extinction in the hands of poachers & gold prospectors.

The land strip is also known as the valley of death. Post the World War 2, the Hukaung Valley claimed the lives of thousands of war victims trying to escape the Japanese army. The land is ruled by a military dictatorship. Alan goes on to explain how the group of scientists have to battle not on a vicious government, but also the local military tribes, insurgence, poverty & the crude diplomats!

This is a must read for all conservationists & nature lovers. The review comments “In forests reviled as the valley of death, Rabinowitz finds new life for himself, for communities haunted by poverty and violence, and for the tigers he vowed to protect.”

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We hope to present candid street pictures, stories, techniques and documentaries from New York City, San Francisco, Boston & Chicago among other cities & metros of US. As in the past, we will also run street projects including street artists, street musicians, body art, street fairs & portraits on journalimage.com..

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You could read the new blog here and email me your suggestions and questions.

Pennsylvania landscape on I-80 @ photoduniya.com

The images on this journey are taken mostly while driving on hand held Nikon D200. More on the trip will come up later on the Travel section of photoduniya.com.

Day 8 was planned to be a rest day as well as to see the city of Chicago. Fortunately, and quite by luck, we found an affordable hotel right on Michigan, about a block’s walk from the Millennium Park. The day had been cloudy with mild wind and temperatures hovering around the thirties.

Millennium Park in Chicago, IL @ photoduniya.com

We spent our day and the evening at Shedd Aquarium, Grant Park and walking along Michigan in downtown Chicago. In the evening the Sears Park, also known as McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, lights up with the decorations from the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations and fills up with eager skaters of all ages.

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Chicago, IL @ photoduniya.com

Our day ended at about 9:00 PM CST. Tomorrow we head off east from Chicago and drive through Ohio as close to Pennsylvania.  More on the trip will come up later on the Travel section of photoduniya.com.

We have covered close to 2700 miles now and reached Chicago, IL where we want to rest for 2 nights before heading eastwards again. In the map below, you will see the deviation from I-80 (in pink) where we traveled northwards on I-88 East to Chicago, IL.

Today’s drive had been mostly through Iowa, starting from Council Bluffs in the western end through Des Moines into Illinois. The drive had been strenuous mostly due to the strong surface winds which blew northward at speeds of about 25 mph on an average. It is very hard to keep high driving speeds in such strong cross winds, but we covered the 650 miles in about 8 hours of drive-time.

Iowa landscape @ photoduniya.com

The landscape through the drive was quite monotonous, with wide snow covered land areas lying on either side of the highway. The drive suddenly changed when I-88 East neared Chicago, IL with very high traffic – mostly the office-time drivers. We touched Chicago, IL at about 8:30 PM Central Time. It is about 15 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill close to 2 degrees. I spent an hour and a half outside with my camera in the city hoping to find some interesting stories.

Night scene in Chicago, IL @ photoduniya.com

The images were done with hand held Nikon D200 with no flash. I shall update the Travel section of photoduniya.com with the more details on the cross country drive from California to New York.

We have covered almost 2100 miles by the end of Day 6 on this cross country drive. That leaves us another 1200 miles to cover before we could reach New York.

The drive through Nebraska had been very nice. The bright sunshine with low cross winds and the almost flat drive across Nebraska made it a very comfortable drive. We were able to maintain an average speed of between 85 mph to 90 mph for most of the time. I-80 however had road work for about 10 miles at the eastern end of Nebraska close to Omaha which slowed us down to about 50 mph for a short while.

Sand Desert in Nebraska @ photoduniya.com

This image was taken on hand held Nikon D200 while driving. I shall post more on the trip and images on the Travel section of photoduniya.com.

It’s day 4 of our trip and it was nice to lay in the bed till noon and get back much of the sleep. We finally made out to the open at about noon and surprised to see the sun peeking through the clouds. Our first drive was a quick one to a pull-out on the WY-22 pass, about 10 miles from Jackson Hole. I wanted to take some vista pictures that i had in mind from driving into Jackson Hole the night before.

Jackson Hole in winter @ photoduniya.com

A lot of my images are done while driving, sometimes at 90 mph, and thus bound to be less sharp. But having a wide angle definitely helps in reducing the shake. The windshield is not often crystal clear, especially in winter with all the rain and the dust sticking to it. I hope to clear out the images in photoshop later.

Jackson Hole on WY-22 in winter @ photoduniya.com

We meandered the afternoon in the quaint town of Wilson and downtown Jackson Hole. The small community here celebrates new year with the festivities of July 4th. With fireworks and food in a small park close to the Jackson Hole hospital. It’s about 6:15 PM Mountain time now, we are tucked in our rooms, getting ready for the New Year’s broadcast on ABC and sleeping the night off for a long 650 miles drive to Laramie, WY tomorrow. The temperature had been about 16 degrees Fahrenheit for most of the day and is expected to be -2 degrees Fahrenheit during the night.

Downtown Jackson Hole ushering in 2008 @ photoduniya.com

More images will be uploaded on the Travel section of Photoduniya.com. To all my readers, best wishes for a happy new year 2008!

After a snowy night before (day 2) and a morning with snow, gusty winds and rain in Salt Lake City, UT, we were slightly agitated by thoughts of road closures. And not having any planned and programmed map, while added to the sense of adventure, also became quite a challenge.

I-15N about 30 miles from Sale Lake City @ photoduniya.com

Taking I-15 north from Salt Lake City, UT for about 215 miles we reached Idaho Falls by 3:30 PM Mountain Time. But to our dismay, route 26 that is to take us all the way to Jackson Hole was closed! We met to road faring ladies in a small pit stop where the board hang saying that we cannot go any further on Route 26 to Jackson. They gave us a new route – to head 40 miles further on Route 20 East and take 33 East to Wyoming. And we did! By the time we reached the pass on Route 33 it was 5:30 PM Mountain time. The sun has just about set and the snow is just starting.

I-15N in Utah about 100 miles from Idaho Falls @ photoduniya.com

Luckily, the pass, though icy, had just opened after a few days of closure due to heavy snow falls, and there was no sign for snow chains yet! We reached Jackson Hole by 6:15 PM Mountain time and moved into the cozy Painted Bear Inn. While I am writing this at 8:50 PM, we returned to our hotel after a hearty dinner at the local Bubba’s, it’s 17 degrees Farenheit now and the weather report shows heavy snow tomorrow.

While I shall write in detail about this trip later on photoduniya, Iam posting a few images from today. The second image was taken handheld while driving through the windshield.

We are on the second day of our cross country winter drive, from California on the West US coast, to New York in the East US coast. It is a total distance of about 3,000 miles, with a minor diversion to Jackson, WY. The map below shows the over driving map.

We have crossed California into Reno, NV on Day 1 and we’ve reached Salt Lake City, UT on Day 2. As I write, it is snowing here and more is to come tomorrow morning as we head out north to Jackson, WY.

 Day 2 snowing in Salt Lake City @ photoduniya.com

Since our hotels have not been booked in advance, we are checking in at any location as fits the situation and the time. I shall elaborate the drive later, but wanted to keep my readers posted on my trip and the location.

Day 1 in Reno, NV in winter @ photoduniya.com

It just started to snow and the flakes were big enough to be caught by the flash light. But that did not stop the new year revelers from trying their luck at the slots. I am carrying only my Nikon D200 and a wide angle lens. I do not have any other lenes or even an additional flash. However, I am able to make a few stops en-route to photograph as much as possible. I shall post the images in subsequent updates.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to all!

Although I have made a few posts on a couple of street musicians from Hollywood, in all honesty, I would not like to place them in the same league as those I have photographed for months in San Francisco. It is the apparent difference in scale and showmanship that will keep them apart. Here is another vocalist and guitarist who was playing in the Universal Studios in Hollywood.

Guitar player in Hollywood @ photoduniya.com

The image is taken on handheld Nikon D200 on Lexar pro media card. More images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.

On a sidewalk in Old Chinatown in Los Angeles, Shi Ji was playing the accordion. An ehru lay next to him. He has been playing the accordion and the ehru for over fifty years now, and it shows. Playing some of the popular western tunes on the accordion as well as a few eastern ones, Shi entertained the tourists and the bystanders.

Shi Ji on accordion @ photoduniya.com

The image is taken on handheld Nikon D200 on Lexar pro media card. More images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.

For about a year now I have documented as many as sixty street musicians in San Francisco. I have met many of them repeatedly. Many have become friends and many well wishers. And as for me, I have enjoyed every bit of it. I am in Hollywood today, taking a short break from my regular life. While in the Universal Studios, I met Mickey Bridges playing the saxophone. And although there are contrasts, both in artistic talent and in showmanship, I could not help but enjoy the tremendous music.

Mickey Bridges @ photoduniya.com

I shall post a few more of Mickey and another musician I met in Hollywood shortly. The images are taken on handheld Nikon D200 with speedlight SB600.

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Nate, or Nathanuel, is barely in his mid twenties and already a promising saxophone player. Originally from Seattle, WA, Nate is going to school in San Francisco. Music lies in his heart, and he has been taking to the busy streets of San Francisco for a couple of years now.

Nate @ photoduniya.com

The photograph was taken on Nikon D200 with a standard lens and speedlight SB 600. More images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.

Xuan plays the ehru. A note on his side reads that he was also filmed in Will Smith’s 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness. Well the story goes like this. Xuan did play a musical note on the traditional chinese ehru, when he was asked to play one during the filming of The Pursuit of Happyness. However, the scene was altered during the final cut, since the tune that Xuan played had a prior copyright!

Xuan on the ehru @ photoduniya.com

The photograph was taken on Nikon D200 with a standard lens and speedlight SB 600. More images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.

Henri is not new to my readers. He is a fantastic vocalist playing for the band called The Jimmy Hendrix Experience (Experience This). I have been photographing the team of Henri, Rob and Johnny for over three months now near the union square. Photographically, the extremely low light, a combination of fluorescent lamps and tungsten ones and an extremely busy side walk make the task very challenging.

Henri @ photoduniya.com

The image was taken on Nikon D200 with a fill in flash and recorded on Lexar Pro media card. More images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.

What a pleasure to meet Doctor Sparkles! It was around 10:00 PM in San Francisco and I was planning to come back when I was stopped by an eye-popping, dancing, fluttering figure of a newt playing the ukulele. Finding his job where his heart is, Doctor Sparkles has been playing on the streets for about two years, accompanied by his wife. The pair, close to Halloween, dressed as newt and a witch, was a complete contrast to the serious looks of all other jazz players I have met while working on this documentary (San Francisco Street Musicians Project on photoduniya.com).

Doctor Sparkles @ photoduniya.com

The image was taken on Nikon D200 on pro Lexar media. More images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.

James has been playing a lot of jazz instruments. But he spends most of his time on the keyboard now. A close associate of Topcat, he has an unique style of his own. Playing for almost two decades now, James could bring the quite streets to life in a flash.

James on the keyboard @ photoduniya.com

The image is taken on hand held Nikon D200 at about 20mm with fill in flash from SB600. A few of these images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.

Update: San Francisco Street Artists (0507-001) on Photoduniya.com

I have heard of the Mariachi musicians who would parade across Mission and Valencia in the evenings, but have not seen them yet. But I met this Mariachi at Mission lately.

Mariachi @ photoduniya.com by Ranjay Mitra

Photographed on hand held Nikon D200 with fill in flash. More images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.

Update: San Francisco Street Artists (0507-001) on Photoduniya.com

Mark, or as he likes to call himself California Red to make his music and appearance unique, sports agility and a heart full of energy. Spotless moccasins and a signature guitar, the yellow draw band with “Do not cross police line” tag does not escape the attention as Mark plays for the fascinated tourists waiting to board the Powell trolley car.

Mark playing at Powell @ photoduniya.com by Ranjay Mitra

Photographed on hand held Nikon D200 with 17-35mm and speedlight SB 600. More images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.

Update: San Francisco Street Artists (0507-001) on Photoduniya.com

We dont see many pan drummers these days. So when I heard Jamaican Farewell drummed up on a pan, I had to stop and say “thank you” to Winston. Playing for over ten years now, Winston moved to Los Angeles and then to San Francisco from Brooklyn, NY.

Winston on the pan @ photoduniya.com by Ranjay Mitra

Photographed on hand held Nikon D200 with wide angle lens. More images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.

Update: San Francisco Street Artists (0507-001) on Photoduniya.com

Coming into San Francisco all the way from Chattanooga, Tennessee is a band of three calling themselves the Dancing Medicine Men! Mostly into psychedelic folk songs, the group goes along with drums, guitars and vocals.

Dancing Medicine Men @ photoduniya.com by Ranjay Mitra

Along the way, they are joined by PO, another local music enthusiast. The drummer, Josh, (not in the picture) & wearing a coyote mask comes with a deep rooted faith of healing with the sound of his drums. More images will be uploaded on the Projects section of Photoduniya.com.