-- Past Photos of the Week -- 2009 (Part 1)


All Photographs © Sam Oppenheim 1997-2010

"Iwakuni Bridge" - Japan. -- (July 12th, 2009)
  • Almost exactly a year ago I went to Japan. Sean took me to this famous bridge near where he was born, and I fell in love with the artchitecture. The ladies are there on vacation getting ready to pose for someone else's photograph! (photo taken in August 2008) Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"Surreal Estate" - Hokkaido, Japan. -- (June 28th, 2009)
  • Under the shadow of The Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group, a new farmhouse cabin stands out. (photo taken in August 2008) Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"Daisetsuzan Dragonfly" - Hokkaido, Japan. -- (June 21st, 2009)
  • Another memory of summer! In Japan I was experimenting with my new camera seeing whether it took good macro photos of insects and the Dragonflies were co-operating (photo taken in August 2008) Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"Summer Treat" - Hokkaido, Japan. -- (June 14th, 2009)
  • In Japan, the cantelope is a very expensive, very special summer treat. In Hokkaido where they are grown they cost between $30 and $10,000! Yes, I am serious. Google it! This special roadside stand specializing in just cantelope with ice cream charged me $6 for a slice with ice cream, which is actually affordable by Japanese standards! (photo taken in August 2008) Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"Kashmiri Boat on Dal Lake" - Srinagar, India. -- (June 1st, 2009)
  • O the Gorgeous Himalayas! (photo taken in October 2007) Camera & Film: Canon Rebel X2 - Fuji 160

"Pegasus Silhouette" - Cartagena, Colombia. -- (May 24th, 2009)
  • Honorable, inspirational, the powerful pegasus statues are a symbol of the City of Cartagena. Happy Memorial Day Weekend! (photo taken in April 2009) Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"Canoe Poleman" - Colombia. -- (May 17th, 2009)
  • Estuaries here are very shallow and locals operate a canoes by pole. This elderly boatman balances precariously on the back and pushes the boat forward across lagoons, wetlands, and through canals. (photo taken in April 2009) Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"Taganga Beach Cove" - Colombia. -- (May 10th, 2009)
  • Turquoise Waters surrounded by succulents and reddish rocks at the edge of the Tayrona National Park on the North-Eastern portion of Colombia along the Caribbean coast. Gorgeous waters and a happy hippy-friendly coastal stretch. Taganga: still a fishing village, albeit less quiet and sleepy than it was before being discovered by backpackers. Beachfront thatched roof restaurants serve fresh fish and many travelers carry guitars and wear dreadlocks. Probably a lot like some parts of the Greek coast in the 60s and 70s! (photo taken in April 2009) Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW + Jpeg

"Visitors" - Cartagena, Colombia. -- (May 3rd, 2009)
  • 3 portraits taken of my traveling companions on spring break in Cartagena. Lauren on the city wall, Caribbean Sea behind her. Sakina smoking a cigar at night in a plaza. Rupi and canon in La Fortaleza, the city fort on a hill. (photos taken in April 2009) Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW + Jpeg

"Cartagena At Dusk" - Colombia. -- (April 26th, 2009)
  • Cartagena is a gorgeous colonial city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. This is a photo taken from the wall of the city with the sea and sunset behind me. (photo taken in April 2009) Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"After the Rain" - Bali, Indonesia. -- (April 12th, 2009)
  • Riding a motorcyle in the rain sucks. Stopping to photograph rice fields from an overlook the moment the rain stops is awesome. (photo taken in May 2008) Camera & Film: Canon Digital Rebel XT 350 - Digital RAW

"Wings" - Bali, Indonesia. -- (April 5th, 2009)
  • In Bali I attended a few dance performances and enjoyed showing motion with longer exposures in the low llight - this was a gem. (photo taken in May 2008) Camera & Film: Canon Digital Rebel XT 350 - Digital RAW

"Balinese Temple Offerings" - Bali, Indonesia. -- (March 29th, 2009)
  • Traveling in the mountains by motorcycle, you come across people having ceremonies every few miles! I swear the Balinese celebrate, pray, and offer more than any other people I have visited. (photo taken in May 2008) Camera & Film: Canon Digital Rebel XT 350 - Digital RAW

"Need a light?" - Bali, Indonesia. -- (March 22nd, 2009)
  • Nothing like a smoking monkey to make you smile! The story behind this shot is that I was in the famous Monkey Forest park/ tourist attraction in Ubud, Bali when the curious monkeys, who like to steal anything shiny off tourists, grabbed a pack of cigarettes! I quickly reacted with my camera and shot a roll of them opening the pack, taking out every single cigarette, and trying to figure out what to do with them! (photo taken in May 2008) Camera & Film: Canon Digital Rebel XT 350 - Digital RAW

"Javanese Dawn" - Indonesia. -- (March 15th, 2009)
  • Enroute to Borobodur, we stopped at the flooded rice paddies for a tropical southasian dawn. You can see a modern building built in traditional style, which mimics the volcano in the background! Camera & Film: Canon Digital Rebel XT 350 - Digital RAW

"Bromo Crater Panorama" - Java, Indonesia. -- (March 8th, 2009)
  • Here is a photograph I stitched together from 25 photographs taken on the summit of a smoking active volcano inside a larger gigantic crater/caldera. This is only HALF of the image. please click here to view the full width image. Camera & Film: Canon Digital Rebel XT 350 - Digital RAW

"Ramayana Ballet" - Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia. -- (March 1st, 2009)
  • In the city of Yogyakarta, (or Jogyakarta) they hold a nightly Ramayana Ballet which is magnificent and highly recommended! These three photos show the divine couple Rama and Sita, the Demon Ravana, and Sita just before she is kidnapped. Photo taken May 13th 2008. Camera & Film: Canon Digital Rebel XT 350 - Digital RAW

"Looking for God" - Batu Cave, Malaysia. -- (February 22nd, 2009)
  • These monkeys inhabit the hindu holy shrine of Batu Cave outside Kuala Lumpur. Since it is a temple and they eat all the prasad (edible offerings to a temple god), these monkeys must be quite religious! He is looking up at the only opening in the cave letting in natural light. Shot taken February, 2008 Camera & Film: Canon Digital Rebel XT 350 - Digital RAW

"Lotus at Dawn" - Iwakuni, Japan. -- (February 15th, 2009)
  • A little cheer for Valentine's Day. An iconic, simple, beautiful flower shot in the acres of lotus fields of Iwakuni, Japan. (Where my friend Sean grew up). Shot taken August 4th, 2008 Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"Semblance of Paradise" - Nassau, Bahamas. -- (February 8th, 2009)
  • Just a short month ago I was on this beach, the north shore of Paradise Island. My brother gambled in the Atlantis Casino while I took a Yoga Lesson at the Sivananda Ashram on the same Island. Neither of us swam. We were both happy. What is paradise? (Shot taken January 4th, 2008). Camera & Film: Canon Powershot 70 - Digital jpeg

"Things Left Unsaid" - Havana, Cuba. -- (February 1st, 2009)
  • Photograph taken along the famous Malecón the day after Cuba began celebrating 50 years of the Revolution (January 2nd 2009). Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"Waiting for a Game" - Trinidad, Cuba. -- (January 25th, 2009)
  • A boy waits for his friends to show up for casual stickball in the street. Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"Passing Time" - Trinidad, Cuba. -- (January 18th, 2009)
  • Cuba. A wonderful amazing land full of colorful people and classic cars and architecture. I am putting together a portfolio of images. The theme is movement, play, and transition amongst the frozen tableau of antiquated, dilapidated, classic colonial architecture... Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW

"Portals and Peoples" -Havana, Cuba. -- (January 11th, 2009)
  • Here is a taste of newest body of work documenting a little bit of life in Cuba, a country both frozen in time and in transition... Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW




All Photographs © Sam Oppenheim 1997-2010