Schlink Shots

Bukhara in Black and White, March 2021 39°46’22.2″N 64°25’11.8″E

In both Samarkand and Bukhara (and I suspect in Khiva) I was overwhelmed with both color and structure/texture. B&W is way better for showing off the later and check out the previous post for color.

Bukhara, March 2021 39°46’22.2″N 64°25’11.8″E

David in front of the Mogoki Attor Mosque, construction began in the 9th century

Look through the arch and you can see the Magoki Attor Mosque

The tile work everywhere was amazing, The sheer amount of time spent to build these places is unfathomable.

More of the roof of the Toqi Zargaron, with the Kalon Minaret in the background

The door and courtyard of the Kalan Mosque

The Bolo Hauz Mosque, one of the things I particularly liked about Bukhara is that it was alive whereas Samarkand felt like a museum. This was taken just as the call to prayer started.

Men at prayer outside the Balo Hauz Mosque

Mavzoley Samanidov, construction began in ~892.

The last remaining gate of the original city walls.

A couple cool things about this photo, first the story goes that when Genghis Kahn came to Bukhara he saw the Kalon Minaret off in the distance and was so impressed he spared the city, it was, at the time the tallest building in Central Asia. Also, “They have the Golden Arches, we have the…”

Just next to the Mac City Burger, you can buy spices by the bucket. We bought some paprika and then a spice mix the vendor crushed up for us. We put on chicken before we grilled it, pretty good.

On the walk back from the bazar, we came up on this wedding.

Tashkent Details February/March 2021 41°18’N 69°16’E

These are photos of the little details I have noticed when walking around Tashkent this Spring.

Cliche? A little but drops of water on leaves is always pretty.

The green was almost neon. I actually de-saturated this.

We had a late freeze this year and there are not a lot of flowers to be found, I guess these guys were hardy.

The bees were thankful to find anything.

And one for my friends at the https://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

A winter’s walk out in the sticks, Uzbekistan, February 2021 41°54’48.3″N 70°21’34.9″E

The road was not really well maintained.

Photos that did not make the cut. All over the place, 2020

I lug my camera and assorted equipment all over the place and take thousands of photos a year (counting on the law of averages to get some keepers). Here are some photos that did not make the cut in 2020. In the mean time, please check in from time to time. I have a good feeling about 2021…

I got a Sigma fixed 50 1.4 this year, it makes depth of field shots a treat. Please note I asked her to shoot that water gun at me and she missed. The camera, she got me.

Spring had sprung at Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC

Stuck in quarantine, Em got us to do a couple photos like paintings, here is Margo and click here for the original http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/338337/pietro-antonio-rotari-young-woman-with-a-fan-italian-early-1750s/

While hiking at Roosevelt Island, the Blue Angles flew over.

While hiking at a state park we found a mysterious hole already dug, Deets thought it looked like a grave…

Fun at the Fourth of July! Springfield, MO

We also got some quality time in Colorado, I took this steps off the highway.

This on the other hand was about 3,000 odd feet up and 6 miles from the highway.

Humming birds are tricky to take photos of. Just sayin’

It did not take long for us to get our stuff in Uzbekistan or for me to start grilling again.

We still have bars on our windows but now that make great shadows. Here is Margo working on something.

Samarkand (and around) Thanksgiving, 2020 39°39’17.6″N 66°58’32.3″E-ish

We just returned from our first trip Samarkand-there will be more- and it completely lived up to its billing. So much so, that I had trouble fitting everything I wanted into any given shot. As such I used a fisheye lens with 180 degrees worth of visibility (every now and then I accidentally include my feet in any given photo). It is super handy for getting a lot into a single photo, but they also distort images. The farther away from the center the more distortion you may notice. I hope you enjoy in any case.

Shots taken at 8mm come out as circles, like this one of a ceiling.

Around every corner there was something else to take a photo of. It reminded me of the Taj Mahal.

This shot was taken looking straight up in one of the court yards.

I read about Samarkand but I never realized it is surrounded by mountains, like these over the Shirin Beka Oka Mausoleum.

Looking up at the Shirin Beka Oka Mausoleum.

ThE ceilings start to look like kaleidoscopes after a while.

Tile work on the Ak Saray Palace in Shahrisabz, the birth place of Amir Timur, also known as Tamerlane (Edgar Allen Poe even wrote a poem about him)

More of Tashkent in Black and White November, 2020 41°19’05.7″N 69°16’09.8″E

Last weekend we got snow here in Tashkent, which I am told is not normal. we took advantage to go out into the city and take a long winter walk. We will go to Samarkand soon, and there will be color! But in the mean time, Winter lends itself nicely to B&W.

More Mountains for the weekend in black and white 11/2020 41°27’33.2″N 69°56’32.2″E

I tried this with 2 different lenses, this is at 70mm

And this is at 15mm. I like this a little better even if the mountains look much farther away.

I guess bees can be communists. Here is a honey stand on the side of the road. Good honey.

Tian Shan-ish Halloween 2020 41°24’35.2″N 69°51’58.5″E

This was our first (of many) trips outside of Tashkent. We headed to the mountains to climb an extinct volcano. Mostly, these are landscape shots without the best light but just to get the feel of the terrain was wonderful. We were on the very edge of the Tian Shan range and can’t wait to get back.