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All Photographs © Sam Oppenheim 1997-2013 |  |
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"MOvember Moustachioed Shiva and Shopkeeper Swami" - Varanasi, India -- (November 28th, 2013)
- Happy MOvember! For this celebration of wearing a Moustache for Men's Health charities and awareness, I've found an old image of a Swami in Varanasi (Benares) working in a small store next to a Moustachioed Shiva. (Photograph taken in 2009)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Arequipa Convent Yellow Portal" - Arequipa, Peru -- (November 17th, 2013)
- Autumn colors illuminate this doorway. If you ever have the pleasure to see Peru try to fit Arequipa into your itinerary. Famous for the volcano mummies and this convent, now open to tourists. (Photograph taken in 2007).
Camera & Film: Canon Digital Rebel XT 350 - Digital RAW
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"Karina's view of Autumn 2013" - Massachusetts, MA -- (November 11th, 2013)
- This Fall we visited our cousins in Massachusetts and were brought to a pumpkin patch! How exciting for little Karina. I chose this image because it shows her thoughtful yet full of satisfaction playing with pumpkins. (Photograph taken in October 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon PS90 - Digital jpeg
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"Karina's 3/4 Profile at almost 1 year old" - Kemah Lake, NJ -- (October 27th, 2013)
- During the summer, we had wonderful opportunities for small mini-vacations at friends' houses away from the big city. At our cuban Pelaez cousin's lake house, Karina got her first boat ride, beach sand, and bathing suit experience. See how happy she is? Karina really enjoys exploring her world and playing with new friends! (Photograph taken in August 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Hanok Door Knocker" - Seoul, South Korea -- (October 20th, 2013)
- Seoul has a neighborhood with some traditional and renovated-traditional "Hanok" homes. This area, the Bukchon Hanok neighborhood is full of tourists, tea shops, cute small buildings, small museums, and wonderful doorways, portals, rooflines, and even some memorable details like this one on a door. (Photograph taken in July 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Meditation on a Prayer Drum" - Haeinsa, South Korea -- (October 6th, 2013)
- At Hae-in-Sa we witnessed the daily beating of an enormous prayer drum that serves to call all living beings to prayer, before the bell is rung which clears the mind for meditation. Three devoted young monks came at the appointed time (10am), and this one, the first, prayed before striking the drum. About every minute, a seated companion replaced the drummer in a round robin that lasted about ten minutes. It was a beautiful sound, and meditative time, as the drum seemed to call the mists and fogs until the sky answered with a rainfall as the drumming concluded. (Photograph taken July 2013)
I have uploaded an accompanying video (on youtube) to show the bell ringing after the drumming concluded. Because of the rain, I moved around the drum under the eaves of a neighboring building as they began ringing the bell.
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Korean Temple Eaves" - Gyeongju, South Korea -- (September 29th, 2013)
- At Seokguram Grotto, and almost all other Korean Temples we visited, the wooden eaves and rooflines are painted in a highly colorful and decorative manner that is striking and beautiful. It is one of the more "Korean" flavors to what is otherwise a pan-asian Buddhist architecture. I think the rooflines are more understated in China, and certainly in Japan. If anything this style reminds me more of temples of Tibetan Buddhism and uber-colorful Hindu temples. (Photograph taken in July 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Drizzling Monastic Procession" - Gyeongju, South Korea -- (September 15th, 2013)
- My most magical experience in Korea was a long afternoon spent in the misty and rainy mountaintop Monastery "Hae-In-Sa". After a prayer session with beautiful chanting inside the temple, these Monks left in silence to eat lunch. (photograph taken in July 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Sailor Suit and Nursery" - Jackson Heights, NY -- (September 8th, 2013)
- Happy Back to School Week (NYC). This outfit makes me think of school uniforms in Asia which is a proper theme considering NYC public schools begin tomorrow. This is another of the Karina's 1st Birthday photo shoot images. (Photograph taken September 2013).
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Karina in Korean Clothing" - Jackson Heights, NY -- (September 1st, 2013)
- Before leaving Korea I picked up a child-sized Hanbok, the traditional Korean clothing style which is now characterized by bright colors, but may have been made in homespun grayish or off-white cotton for commoners and lower middle class people before improvements in dyeing cloth and removals of class-based cultural restrictions (such as specific colors and patterns for the nobility). As this week marks Karina's first birthday I thought I'd feature her here again as my subject in Photo of the Week: Happy 1st Birthday! (photograph taken September 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Traditional Village Gossip" - Yangdong Village, South Korea -- (August 25th, 2013)
- Visiting the UNESCO World Heritage village of Yangdong in Korea was really pleasant but it was hard to capture the essence of the village in a photograph. It is a functioning village with farmland, streets, homes, and people, but the people are wearing modern clothing, driving modern cars, and attaching concrete and satellite dishes to the traditional homes.
I hope this image does a good job of showing the village atmosphere without being overly touristy or presenting a part of architecture disconnected from the rest of the village. What do you imagine they are discussing? Perhaps how it is annoying that tourists walk through their village every day? (Photograph Taken July 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Korean Dancer with Blue Fan" - Seoul, South Korea -- (August 18th, 2013)
- On tour in Korea we attended dinner theatre in a buddhist temple-style eatery with multiple short performances showcasing traditional Korean clothing, music, and dance. (Photograph taken in July 2013).
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Bulguksa Covered Walkway" - Gyeongju, South Korea -- (August 11th, 2013)
- The buddhist temple architecture in Korea is full of painted wood in repeating patterns that are gorgeous to both the eye and the camera. I especially enjoyed this walkway and distant portal. (photograph taken in July 2013).
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Lake and Bridge at Bulguksa" - Gyeongju, South Korea -- (July 28th, 2013)
- Buddhist temples (in Korea and many other nations) are often reached after crossing a body of water, which is both beautiful and also symbolic representing a "crossing over" to another world or a sacred space. When returning from our visit at Bulguksa in the late afternoon the light was just right on the foliage and lake as tourists looked down from the bridge near the temple grounds. (photograph taken in July 2013).
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Rainy Portal at Haeinsa" - Haeinsa, South Korea -- (July 21st, 2013)
- O n e o f o u r l a s t a n d m o s t m e m o r a b l e e x p e r i e n c e s t r a v e l i n g i n S o u t h K o r e a w a s v i s i t i n g g o r g e o u s H a e i n s a ( H a y - i n - s a w , 해인사 : T e m p l e o f t h e O c e a n M u d r a ) . I t w a s m a d e e v e n m o r e m a g n i f i c e n t , s p i r i t u a l , a n d b e a u t i f u l b y i n c l e m e n t w e a t h e r i n c l u d i n g f o g c l o a k e d m o u n t a i n s , m i s t y t e m p l e r o o f l i n e s , a n d s c a t t e r e d s h o w e r s . H a e i n s a i s a n a c t i v e c e n t e r o f B u d d h i s t p r a y e r , p r a c t i c e , a n d r e s e a r c h a n d h o u s e s t h e T r i p i t a k a K o r e a n a , f o r y o u h i s t o r i a n - t y p e s : t h e w o r l d ' s m o s t c o m p r e h e n s i v e , i n t a c t , a n d o l d e s t c o l l e c t i o n o f T h e B u d d h i s t C a n o n . T h e s e s c r i p t u r e s w e r e r e - c a r v e d o n t o w o o d e n p r i n t i n g b l o c k s f r o m 1 2 3 6 t o 1 2 5 1 t o r e p l a c e t h e o r i g i n a l w o o d e n b l o c k s b u r n e d d u r i n g t h e M o n g o l I n v a s i o n ( 1 2 3 2 ) . T h e s o u r c e m a t e r i a l f o r t h e s e c o p i e s w a s p r i n t e d c o p i e s o n p a p e r m a d e f r o m t h e o r i g i n a l w o o d b l o c k s t h a t d a t e d t o 1 0 8 7 . T h e y a r e c a r v e d i n h a n j a s c r i p t - c h i n e s e c h a r a c t e r s u s e d f o r K o r e a n l a n g u a g e / p r o n u n c i a t i o n (Photograph taken July 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Bulguksa Temple" - Gyeongju Area, South Korea -- (July 14th, 2013)
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Two important religious sites occupy mount Toham: Seokguram Grotto near the summit with a large stone-carved buddha inside, and the gorgeous / peaceful temple complex of Bulguksa below on the slopes. Both are a Unesco World Heritage site. We visited both in the hot and humid monsoon season, but were still entranced by the beauty and spirituality in these holy sites. Don't forget, the Swastika is a symbol of peace and religious blessings in all of Asia despite its nefarious use in the 20th century by the Nazi demagogues. (Photograph taken July 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Gyeongbok Palace Guard" - Seoul, South Korea -- (July 7th, 2013)
- Here is a portrait of a palace guard at Gyeongbokgung, the Royal Palace of the Joseon Dynasty in Seoul, Korea. There is a ceremonial changing of the guard every hour from 10-3pm (except Tuesdays). This Confucian style ceremony includes drums and a superior who examines the costumery and weaponry during the ceremony. Not only is this spectacle quite memorable and worth examining - it is researched and based on records from 1469. (Photograph taken June 2013) [edit: upon request here is 45 seconds of video showing the guard changing that I filmed two weeks ago.]
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Karina 10 Months Old" -Jackson Heights, NY, USA -- (June 23rd, 2013)
- Karina is so full of energy now, crawling, standing up, playing with toys, etc. This shot taken today shows her playing with her animals the week before she turns 10 months old! (Photograph Taken June 23, 2013)
Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Happy Father's Day" - Various Locations -- (June 16th, 2013)
- FatherÕs Day Photo montage:
Background is Len Oppenheim (My Father) at sunrise on the Ganges River, India, 2001.
Top Left: Sam Oppenheim (Paternal Grandfather) WWII; Tony Provenzano (Maternal Grandfather) WWII,
Bottom Left: My daughter and me, today; Mike, Me, and Len Oppenheim; and me on the beach with Grandpa Provenzano in the early 1980s, Florida.
Various Cameras, Film and Digital
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"Future Intrepid Explorer" - Central Park, NY, USA -- (June 9th, 2013)
- This candid shot really inspires me to visualize Karina as a future world traveler. (Photograph Taken June 1, 2013)
Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Central Park's Li'l Princess" - Central Park, NY, NY -- (June 2nd, 2013)
- Yesterday we took Karina to her first visit to Central Park to celebrate friendÕs engagement and birthday. I then snuck off with my camera and had a private photo shoot. This may be the best oneÉ if notÉ IÕll share another one next week! (photograph taken June 1, 2013)
Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Memorial Day Joys" - Pelham, NY -- (May 27th, 2013)
- Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Visiting with friends and family all weekend was truly joyful and precious Karina, outgoing as ever, met no less than 6 new puppy dogs and many new human friends. Here she is posing at a friendÕs house. (Photograph taken May 27, 2013)
Canon Powershot PS90
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"Happy Mother's Day" - Flushing, Queens, NY -- (May 12th, 2013)
- A new mother red-tailed hawk has nested and begotten a chick on the 4th floor air conditioner at the public school where I teach! My principal was kind enough to take some teachers on a field trip to the roof where I took this shot and a short video you can view here: Red-Tailed Hawk feeding chick (6 seconds) (Video and Photo taken May 10, 2013)
Canon Powershot PS90
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"Karina helps daddy grade student papers" - Jackson Heights, NY -- (May 5th, 2013)
- Been busy, you might say. Luckily my 8 month old is a quick study; she can already mark up student work ÒDo better!Ó Thanks for helping, Karina!
Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Sedona Cactus Study - 2013" - Sedona, AZ -- (April 13th, 2013)
- Every time I visit my family in Arizona, I am pleased to explore the flora of the American Southwest. This trip on our getaway to Sedona, Mina and I hiked and I tried to make a few good cactus captures. This was my best effort. (photograph taken March 2013)
Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Karina's First 6 Months" - Jackson Heights, NY -- (April 7th, 2013)
- Every month I try to take a similar shot Ð this is the result so farÉ She has developed a lot (Rolling around, babbling) and gained some weight but you must examine the images closely to see changes from month to monthÉ I wonder how well she will sit with stuffed animals when she turns 16? (Photographs taken every month since October 2012 Ð March 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Moonrise, Sedona" - Sedona, AZ -- (March 31st, 2013)
- Last week Mina and I vacationed with my side of the family in Scottsdale/Phoenix, and took a side trip to Sedona on the second night of the Seder Full Moon. While driving back in a ÒPink Jeep TourÓ after sunset, we were blessed by a full moon rising above the red canyonland plateaus. (Photograph taken in March 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Karina's Got Talent" - Scottsdale, AZ -- (March 24th, 2013)
- Uncle Mike Rocks Ð and KarinaÕs got the beat! This endearing image has captured my heart this weekend as I visit with family and so I hope you forgive me using the iphone instead of more professional equipment. (photo taken 3/24/2013)
Camera & Film: iPhone5
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"Joyful Half-Birthday" - Jackson Heights, NY -- (March 10th, 2013)
- Karina turned 6 months last weekend and we finally got our photo shoot done, edited, and proofed. This joyful visage shows she is happy in our new home and celebrating 6 months of life with full joy!
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"We've Moved!" - Jackson Heights, NY -- (February 23rd, 2013)
- These past two weeks have been busy with packing and moving Ð just two blocks away so conveniently we carried our baby in soft bubble wrap as the delicate little rose that she is. (Photo taken in February 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Dreaming of Sleep" - Jackson Heights, NY -- (February 10th, 2013)
- This week for a change, I thought it would be fun to do a collage. I had been sorting all my photos of Karina since birth, printing some, and backing up my data, when I saw a pattern and began to feel myself exhausted and dreaming of sleepÉ (Photos taken in Fall 2012)
Camera & Film: various including iphones and Canon Powershot s90 and EOS 40D - Digital RAW & jpeg
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"February Snowfall" - Jackson Heights, NY -- (February 3rd, 2013)
- Happy Groundhog Day! (Photograph Taken February 2012)
Camera & Film: Canon Powershot s90 - Digital RAW
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"Old Timey Karina" - Jackson Heights, NY -- (January 13th, 2013)
- KarinaÕs 4 month old photoshoot using vintage clothing! Happy New Year 2013! (Photograph taken January 2013)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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"Christmas Portrait" - Katonah, NY -- (December 30th, 2012)
- On KarinaÕs first Christmas I tried to make some good portraits and this one really came out well. I like the semi serious focus both Grandma Fasolo (Obachan) and Karina have. (Photograph taken December 25, 2012)
Camera & Film: Canon EOS 40D - Digital RAW
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All Photographs © Sam Oppenheim 1997-2012 | |
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