Texas Senior Open PGA Golf

David Ogrin, of New Braunfels, Texas, drives the ball on the 12th hole on the first day of play at the Texas Senior Open at the Victoria Country Club on Sunday, Nov. 11,  2013 in Victoria, Texas. (IAN TERRY/ITERRY@VICAD.COM)

Robin Byrd, of Satellite Beach, Fla., drives the ball on the 13th hole on the first day of play at the Texas Senior Open at the Victoria Country Club on Sunday, Nov. 11,  2013 in Victoria, Texas. (IAN TERRY/ITERRY@VICAD.COM)

Charlie Cline, of Bozeman, Mont., lines up a putt on the 12th hole on the first day of play at the Texas Senior Open at the Victoria Country Club on Sunday, Nov. 11,  2013 in Victoria, Texas. (IAN TERRY/ITERRY@VICAD.COM)

A scorekeeper updated scores after the first day of play at the Texas Senior Open at the Victoria Country Club on Sunday, Nov. 11,  2013 in Victoria, Texas. (IAN TERRY/ITERRY@VICAD.COM)

Jim Pogue, of Alpine, Texas, drives the ball on the 13th hole on the first day of play at the Texas Senior Open at the Victoria Country Club on Sunday, Nov. 11,  2013 in Victoria, Texas. (IAN TERRY/ITERRY@VICAD.COM)

Jack Wu, of Port Lavaca, Texas, takes a shot out of the 11th hole rough as the Victoria Country Club course opened back up for the public after the conclusion of the first day of play at the Texas Senior Open on Sunday, Nov. 11,  2013 in Victoria, Texas. (IAN TERRY/ITERRY@VICAD.COM)

Twin Pines Nursing Home Halloween

Bea Flores, of Victoria, waits to make her entrance at the Twin Pines Nursing Home's Halloween costume contest in Victoria, Texas on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. (IAN TERRY/ITERRY@VICAD.COM)

Marguerite Lauger, of Victoria, rolls out in her "sleeping beauty" costume at the Twin Pines Nursing Home's Halloween costume contest in Victoria, Texas on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. (IAN TERRY/ITERRY@VICAD.COM)

Dressed as Raggedy Ann, Judy Murphee, of Victoria, right, blows kisses to her friends at the Twin Pines Nursing Home's Halloween costume contest in Victoria, Texas on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. (IAN TERRY/ITERRY@VICAD.COM)

Policeman Zander

© Ian Terry/iterry@vicad.com

Preparing for the Whooping Cranes

On a recent Saturday, I spent the day tromping around the swamplands off the coast of Rockport, Texas with a group of volunteers who came out to prepare the land for the arrival of the whooping crane.

Click here to read my article on the day and to see more photos.

Single: Boot Fest

Last weekend, fellow photographer at the Victoria Advocate, Mason Trinca, and I, photographed Victoria's largest annual festival over the course of a few days. The event, which took place at DeLeon Plaza in the heart of Victoria, drew thousands of people from neighboring counties to partake in a fun two days of live music, food and games. Check out our gallery by clicking here.

Trace Laza, 4, of Bloomington, rolls around in his blue inflatable ball at the Water Ball pool put on by No Fear Sports at Bootfest in Victoria, Texas on Friday, Oct. 4, 2013.

Darjeeling

For many travelers, Darjeeling offers a bit of a respite from India's usual madness and unpredictability. Situated at 6,700ft on a steep hillside of the Himalayan foothills, the small town moves at a comfortable pace. 

Porters and sherpas hoist massive loads as they methodically ascend the narrow staircases that wind through the hill station as school children smile and scamper between their legs.

Like all streets in India, the hum of life and cars and horns and animals is still there-- though perhaps at a few decibels lower than other areas of the busy country.

On clear mornings, the world's third highest peak, Mt Kangchenjunga (28,169ft), looms in the distance and dwarfs its surroundings. From Tiger Hill, a lookout point in the nearby town of Ghoom, spectators gather in total blackness to await sunrise, huddled together with blankets and cups of steaming chai and coffee, waiting patiently for an unfiltered view of the massive mountain.

The respect and general calmness more commonly associated with Nepalese and Tibetan culture has obviously migrated across borders into Darjeeling. 

Varanasi

Below are a few snaps from Varanasi-- a stunning riverside city most known for its Ghats where bodies of the deceased are cremated before being sent off down the river. 

The city carries with it an intense atmosphere. Sunspots reach down and highlight sections of ancient structures that house a maze of narrow alleyways inhabited by cows, dogs, monkeys and a constant bustle of people. 

Thurø

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone confuse Denmark (Danish) with the Netherlands (Dutch)... Man-Oh-MAN... 

To help combat this I've drawn a handy educational map which can be used to refresh your memory if need be.

Speaking of Denmark, here are a few snaps from a recent walk on the tiny island of Thurø.

Sometimes it's nice to take a break from "people photos"...

Come Back Big Multimedia Final Edit

Here is the final cut of my multimedia project from the Foundry Photojournalism 2012 Workshop earlier this summer:

Come Back Big

Foundry Photojournalism week 2012 may be in the books, but Foundry Photojournalism recovery week 2012 is in full swing-- errr, full walk. A slow walk that is...

Case in point being that my schedule has been wide open yet I've still needed six days before finally feeling up to the task of creating a fresh blog post with new work.

During the (crazy) week, I worked alongside five fellow students in Danish photojournalist Henrik Kastenskov's multimedia class. My subject was a local Muay Thai fighter Mana "Big" Inkham, who, seven months earlier, was the victim of a hit and run accident while stopped at a light on his motorbike with his girlfriend. He suffered a severe concussion, spent a week in the hospital and has since continued to train and fight despite a stern disapproval from his doctor.

As someone who used to spend most of his time in pursuit of athletics, I could immediately relate to Big's lifestyle. He wakes up early, trains for a few hours in the morning and then sleeps and relaxes during the daytime before continuing with his training into the evening. And while I never faced anything close to the magnitude of setback that Big is dealing with now, the feeling of dedicating 95% of your time to a sport, only to have it chew you up and spit you out with nothing more to show than a few bruises is something quite familiar. I think all endurance athletes know this feeling all too well...

I followed Big as he prepared for a fight in the neighboring Lamphun Province-- about a three and a half hour drive from Chiang Mai. After the fight, I spent a few days putting together a multimedia piece that tells Big's story. I have since decided to re-edit the piece so instead of posting it, I will share some still photos from the project. When I have finalized the multimedia piece, I will post it here.

Until then, here are ten photographs from my time spent with Big.

Big trains at the Lanna Muay Thai Gym in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Big shares the back of his trainer's truck with two dogs who live at the Lanna Muay Thai center.

After a hard early morning run, Big cools down before heading back to Chiang Mai.

A set of keys sit on the edge of a boxing ring at Lanna Muay Thai training center. 

Big has a laugh before heading to his fight in the Lamphun Province of Northern Thailand on July 30, 2012.

A crowd of a few hundred waits eagerly for Big's fight to begin in Li, Thailand on July 30, 2012.

Lanna Muay Thai founder Andy Thompson participates with Big in pre-fight traditions.

Big's trainer holds his head and offers encouragement between the second and third rounds of his fight.

After losing by way of judge's decision, Big holds his aching head and tries to sleep.

Big rides in his trainer's truck on July 30, 2012.

Bangkok Offerings

Below is a little multimedia piece that I made from this morning's gathering of Buddhist Monks in Asok, Bangkok, Thailand.

I had finished up shooting/collecting audio and was sitting curbside drinking water and thinking of my empty stomach when a monk approached me and offered a bowl of rice pudding. As cars flew by and motorcycles beeped their horns, the two of us sat on the ground and had breakfast as the sun rose up and the crowds dispersed from the event.

In short, it was a spectacular morning...

Seattle Libyan Students

Well, here we are, yet another blog added to the interwebs.

It's been quite awhile since I last penned an entry— Fall of 2010 to be exact, when I kept a blog during a 4 month trip in Europe— but it feels good to be "back in the saddle" so to say. On this site I will post samples of recent work, stories, as well as photographs. Without further ado, here's an update on my most recent project:

In May I attended a talk at Shoreline Community College (SCC) hosted by fellow students whom I had never met before. They were to speak of their own experiences in Libya— a country that has just emerged from civil war and now faces the task of installing a brand new government— while also touching on what they hope to see for the future.

Mohammed, Nadine and Logina each shared stories and insight that cast a very human light on an issue that, otherwise, has been pretty doom and gloom in the media. Their passion was evident and I felt like it would make for a compelling feature.

3100 words, 3 photos, a few weeks and a bunch of phone calls later, here are the photographs and final spread that will run in the double truck of SCC's summertime issue:

Shoreline Community College student Nadine Bejou, 22, is the founder of the TEETH Project (Together we Educate Enhance and Transform Health) which aims to teach young Libyans about proper dental hygiene. During the summer of 2012, Bejou will travel to Libya where she will team up with dental students at the University of Benghazi to continue her project.

Mohammed Rajab Fadil, 20, looks out the window in the apartment he shares with two roommates in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle, Wash. on May 30, 2012. Fadil, originally from Benghazi, Libya, put his studies on hold at Shoreline Community College so he could return to Libya where he spent two months fighting alongside rebel forces against former dictator Muammar Gaddafi's army.

Shoreline Community College student Logina Abukhashim, 25, practices her English during a morning intermediate ESL class at the school on May 30, 2012. Abukhashim, who has lived in Seattle, Wash. since January of 2012, was forced to leave her native country of Libya after the uprisings closed the university in which she was studying medicine. 

Now that this is finished, I can fully turn my attention to my upcoming Asia trip. I leave on the 27th— still so much to do...

Cheers,

Ian