Her name is An Phuoc, and she is 17 years old. She lives in south Vietnam and belongs to the Cham people (a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority group of Malay origin). She has a rare genetic disorder that results in a lack of pigment in her irises, hence the piercing blue eyes. Her sister has the same condition, and has one blue and one brown eye (heterochromia). Piecing together her facial features and her family history, I think it is likely that she has Waardenburg Syndrome. Regardless, it makes for a stunning and unexpected photo to see a Vietnamese woman with blue eyes.
Tags: blue eyes Cham people environmental portrait intimate portrait Southeast Asia travel photography travel portrait Vietnam vietnamese woman
© All Rights Reserved
A Kazakh eagle hunter and his bird. The close bond between hunter and eagle is palpable, and the birds appear to reciprocate the emotion. Although eagles can live for thirty years, the hunters keep each one for only about ten years, then release it to live out its last years in the wild. The bird is taken far away, and the hunter sometimes has to hide, or wait for darkness, to keep it from following him home. An old Kazakh hunter who recently released his bird was quoted as saying "I think about what that eagle is doing; if she’s safe, and whether she can find food and make a nest. Have her hunts been successful? Sometimes I dream about these things.”
Tags: Asia* environmental portrait* golden eagle* intimate portrait* Kazakh culture* Kazakh eagle hunter* Mongolia* Mongolian culture* steppes* travel photography* travel portrait*
© All Rights Reserved
A character from traditional Vietnamese opera in Ho Chi Minh City. Known as hat boi, or hat tuong, the opera is a Vietnamese adaptation of classical Chinese opera. It is said that hat boi was introduced to Vietnam by a Chinese troupe that was captured by the Mongol army and taken to northern Vietnam in the 13th century when they invaded the country. The flamboyant costume and makeup indicate the character type: black for boldness, red for anger or rashness, white for treachery, green for disloyal characters, and gold as the color of the gods. The operatic theme frequently centers around power struggles between kings in ancient times, and the Chinese novel "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms," furnishes material for many military plays.
Tags: Chinese opera environmental portrait hat boi hat tuong Ho Chi Minh City Southeast Asia traditional culture travel photography travel portrait Vietnam vietnamese culture Vietnamese opera
© All Rights Reserved
If you visit one of Cambodia's floating villages, you will see colorful houses on stilts, long boats plying the waterways, and lots of kids playing in the water. It's not unusual to see children floating in tubs splashing water at each other. In fact, it's such a common sight that its almost become an iconic symbol of these villages.
Tags: Cambodia Cambodian culture children environmental portrait floating village kompong khleang Siem Reap Southeast Asia stilt houses Tonle Sap travel photography travel portrait
© All Rights Reserved
The colorful harvest of water lilies on the Mekong Delta.
Tags: environmental portrait lotus blossoms mekong delta Southeast Asia travel photography travel portrait Vietnam vietnamese women water lilies
© All Rights Reserved