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Personal Work: India
 Cannonball Tree Flowers, Kochi, India |  Alleyways in Kochi are full of color. It may be concrete jungle in some cases, but still full of color. |  These flowers were pretty, though I didn't smell them. |
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 |  Even the Indian folk believe in aliens Hashtag Aliens |  This church was originally built in 1558 and has survived many different regimes of country dictatorships. |
 |  These flowers smelled really nice |  Graffiti on the trees, while walking on the shore of Kochi |
 A Ganesha carving outside the Kerala Kathakali Centre |  Santa Cruz Basilica Paintings |  Cannonball Tree Flowers, Kochi, India |
 These are crows. Different than I was thinking, but still neat to see! The crows in America are all jet black. |  Chai is everything in India. If you don't like chai, you're dead out of luck. |  This is the air drying area of the washing center. |
 Prepping for Kathakali Performance |  Prepping for Kathakali Performance |  Prepping for Kathakali Performance |
 Prepping for Kathakali Performance |  By this point, I was used to the idea that "there are no laws, just suggestions" in India. Up in the mountains, people parking right by the no parking sign...well...Welcome to India! |  The tea hills of Wayanad looked like a Dr. Seuss book. |
 Bananas were everywhere...and fruits were transported everywhere. |  This was the first real experience with higher altitude. And boy...what a trip. The trees were different, the air was different, the animals...Coming from a city that is less than 600 ft above water when you realize you're almost 2500' above sea level and there is mountains surrounding you. It's a really neat feeling. |  This was a fun capture. Note the monkey holding a plastic bottle. |
 No joke, color is everything in India. There is no shortage of color! |  We were so lucky to see the mountains as we did during the moments leading up to sunset. It was amazing. |  I didn't sleep much during the trip, but when I did, I got good sleep. And I made myself wake up early to capture the moments I knew I would not get to otherwise. Here is sunrise from Wayanad. |
 Our guide Prem saw me awake and walking about, and motioned me to go on the roof. I was unsure if I could. But hot damn, was he spot on. This spot was great for a morning meditation and I could just take in all the rays, all the sun...and feel at ease. Wayanad was my favorite place in all of India. |  Waking up early, rocking the sunrise with some morning dew and water drops. |  The tea leaves drying, at this stage they will dry until roughly 30% moisture is left in them, then they will be be sent down a shaft to be ground into a powder. |
 Dry, ground, ready for the final processing, even finer grinding. But for now, it's just drying even more. |  Ground up tea at the final steps getting bagged for delivery. |  Flowers in the tea fields |
 It was amazing to see the leaves from start to finish. To see the entire process, and watch the labour it goes through just so we have tea to drink. |  |  |
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 |  |  This was a bamboo factory where they processed bamboo from step 1, to delivery and creation of products. Many of the businesses here specialize in hiring women and men who would normally not have jobs because of outsourcing. |
 This was a bamboo factory where they processed bamboo from step 1, to delivery and creation of products. Many of the businesses here specialize in hiring women and men who would normally not have jobs because of outsourcing. |  This was a bamboo factory where they processed bamboo from step 1, to delivery and creation of products. Many of the businesses here specialize in hiring women and men who would normally not have jobs because of outsourcing. |  This was a bamboo factory where they processed bamboo from step 1, to delivery and creation of products. Many of the businesses here specialize in hiring women and men who would normally not have jobs because of outsourcing. |
 This was a bamboo factory where they processed bamboo from step 1, to delivery and creation of products. Many of the businesses here specialize in hiring women and men who would normally not have jobs because of outsourcing. |  The jackfruit tree kills people...but it also creates some very good food. |  The straw huts look like this because in the rainy season, the straw will not retain water like it would if it was in hay bales. |
 There are 20 types of bananas that grow in India as a country. |  This is a baby pineapple, far from ready, far from ripe, far from edible. But this was the first time I found out pineapples didn't grow in trees - forgive the ignorance, as I have lived exclusively in a place where we have pine trees and apple trees, and both things have seeds or fruit growing in the trees. |  |
 The first time I heard about jackfruit was just a few years ago in the states. These people have been growing it for a long time! And the fruits get so big they kill people if you're under it! |  This was the first elephant I had ever seen in the wild. |  This cute baby elephant was doing what elephants do with it's herd walking around in the world just taking it all in. |
 Walking up the hills to the Edakkal Caves there were signs everywhere about this. |  Stop plastic waste. Even with needing to pay 20 rupees people STILL are lazy and don't clean up after themselves. For your conversion rates, 20 rupees is roughly 25 cents, a quarter... |  This group was waiting for the vehicle to pick them up |
 So many tight curves and switchbacks. |  |  Not every school looks like what you see in the photos in the USA. |
 |  I wonder how many stars this hotel was... |  Unfortunately there is garbage everywhere, and they don't have the infrastructure to deal with it. Or maybe they do. |
 So, the first photo of the series that shows multiple people on motorcycles. |  |  |
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 This man who had been washing and helping the elephant was trying to up on its back, over the course of the next few photos you'll see the man get up on the elephant |  This man who had been washing and helping the elephant was trying to up on its back, over the course of the next few photos you'll see the man get up on the elephant |  This man who had been washing and helping the elephant was trying to up on its back, over the course of the next few photos you'll see the man get up on the elephant |
 This man who had been washing and helping the elephant was trying to up on its back, over the course of the next few photos you'll see the man get up on the elephant |  This man who had been washing and helping the elephant was trying to up on its back, over the course of the next few photos you'll see the man get up on the elephant |  |
 |  This elephant did NOT want to get out of the water. To the point where the man tried coaxing it out, and it dropped down and into the water...hah, what a great fun memory. We all had a laugh about this. |  The flowers were so vibrant in India. |
 The entire jeep safari we were looking around, and we found a lot of stuff. I had to pay an extra 550 rupees just to bring my camera, but I am so...so happy I did. If I hadn't there were so many opportunities I would've missed out on. Including this one. |  These elephants were just doing what elephants do and grabbing food from the trees. I also captured video of the elephants crossing the street we were parked on. This was honestly, worth every single penny and hour we spent in India. I was so happy to see this happening. This is only stuff you see on the discovery channel and what not. |  This young boy was wheel around his cart at the Chamundi Temple. |
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 The monkeys were everywhere at the Chamundi Temple, and this was the first place we had seen monkeys so close. I was in heaven trying to capture all the monkey's, this was one of my favorite shots |  |  Up until this point in my life, maybe up to 2 days earlier, I had never actually seen a monkey doing what I see humans do. It was a surreal experience. |
 The monkeys ate anything and everything they could get their hands on. |  We found this along the way to the Nandi Bull from the Chamundi Temple. I liked where they were and how they looked. |  I wouldn't want a monkey biting me... |
 When I took this photo...I was about 20 ft away, and didn't notice what was in store... |  This tree stuck out like a sore thumb in the midst of yellow and dusty. |  This is the first time I had been to an open market in a foreign country. We have farmers markets here in America, but it's just not the same. This was such a unique experience. |
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 The last king of India opened up the palace to the public, the royals still use the palace, but there is a small section of the palace open. |  The last king of India opened up the palace to the public, the royals still use the palace, but there is a small section of the palace open. |  The last king of India opened up the palace to the public, the royals still use the palace, but there is a small section of the palace open. |
 Unfortunately there is a lot of trash in India, everywhere. For whatever reason. |  There are statues everywhere. |  The cows eat anything, and I mean...anything. I've grown up around farms being within 15-20 minutes of me my whole life. But never actually grew up on a farm, so I can't imagine it's much different than America. Other than in India farmers have a festival where they paint the horns, which they also don't burn off the cows head. |
 Mamallapuram was full of people just walking around. It was a huge tourist city, but so compact it was hard to determine who was tourist and who wasn't in some cases. |  So many shops had people carving statues out of stone. It was really incredible to see the folks doing this. |  |
 These girls are the types who walk around the city holding young children and babies and trying to sell little necklaces for a very small prices, usually 20-40 rupees...which in USD is 20-40 cents. These girls often have to work for someone. |  This little lizard couldn't decide if it wanted the light, or the shade. |  Mamallapuram had a local park that was pretty neat. Apparently you could see the sunrise really well from this, area, but it was ticketed so, we enjoyed the sunrise from our hotel. |
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 |  This was a temple on the way from Mamallapuram to Madurai. Temples are everywhere. |  I've not watched the series, but India is full of tigers you never see. Unless you find the rare chance to see one. |
 These folks were not allowed to ask for money, but it was customary to give to the folks who clean the temples and take care of them. |  And frankly, they can be anywhere. Have no expectations. |  There is fruit everywhere, you will find no shortage of fruit! |
 A lot of people just set their produce down and make their own spot to sell things and folks will just stop and |  The people almost always seemed to be having conversations, and about what, who knows...I was in a bus most times or sight seeing. |  This was the ONLY pedal biker I saw wearing a helmet, clearly training with a bike like that. |
 One man smiling, one on the phone. |  |  There were more bikes and mopeds than cars no doubt |
 This guy was at a market making the infamous Dosa. |  In all of the motorbikes there was one pedal bike. |  |
 So many people in India smile. It's infectious. |  As she looks to the sky, I wonder what she is thinking. |  In some parts of India the only day you can sell meat is Sundays. |
 Just like in America, they are enjoying a moment of chilling. |  The buses are always full, and most don't have any spots available. This is a surprisingly low amount of people in the bus. |  This was one of a handful of physical stops that I encountered along the way. There so many roundabouts and what not. |
 The Indian folk know how to pandemonium so much better than us in America. |  |  |
 I have no idea why there was a store with couches because most peoples living quarters were not very big... |  This was a common sight. Not sure how I feel about it, or if I should have an opinion. |  |
 I'm a lot like you... |  Even people in India have to wait for trains. This was a 1/8 long exposure.. |  Car, moped, motorcycle, pedal bike, they all wait. |
 This was a bus stop, I think? I'm not exactly sure... |  These cars were pretty common, and they looked like a 50s car. |  |
 What am I focusing on? |  |  This was a common sight. |
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 |  |  This was a bull market. The bulls and cows had their horns painted from a farmers festival. |
 This was a bull market. The bulls and cows had their horns painted from a farmers festival. |  This was a bull market. The bulls and cows had their horns painted from a farmers festival. |  This was a bull market. The bulls and cows had their horns painted from a farmers festival. |
 This was a bull market. The bulls and cows had their horns painted from a farmers festival. |  This was a bull market. The bulls and cows had their horns painted from a farmers festival. |  This was a bull market. The bulls and cows had their horns painted from a farmers festival. |
 This was a bull market. The bulls and cows had their horns painted from a farmers festival. |  This was a bull market. The bulls and cows had their horns painted from a farmers festival. |  |
 |  One of my favorite images from the trip, even as morbid as it is... |  |
 |  But she was a cutie when the dad wasn't holding her up. Yes he did consent to the photo. |  Our room in Madurai was orange, and she was dressed to the nines in her yellow and purple...so complimentary. |
 Poverty knows no color, let's embrace it, and prevent it. |  |  |
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 |  |  These people sell trinkets for pennies on the dollar...it truly is sad when I see how far my dollar goes. |
 This was an actual bus station...unlike the one I found earlier in the trip. |  Tick tock tick tock....but again, those smiles! (See the man to the right) |  We had stopped on the rickshaws and this woman was dancing, and it appeared, having a fun time. |
 If freedom isn't your choice, whose is it? |  Garbage everywhere. This was the saddest part, I just wanted to help so badly. I just don't know if they have the infrastructure to deal with it. |  These dogs were chilling on the garbage. |
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 This specific underpass was painting with really neat drawings and colors. |  This specific underpass was painting with really neat drawings and colors. |  |
 Rolling his banana cart, I was in heaven..little did I know...the best was yet to come. |  Did you know, India grows 20 varieties of bananas? |  |
 The fabrics were of every color you could imagine, except black! |  The fabrics were of every color you could imagine, except black! |  |
 This image stuck out to me, I can't place why...the orange and the white ash on the mans head makes me feel this image has something special. |  |  |
 |  This was my heaven...so many bananas. I bought a bunch and they didn't make it back to the hotel... |  Small bananas have more flavor... |
 |  I don't know how they seem to keep the fruit stacked so nice...but they make pyramids out of fruit. |  This smiling man just wanted to sell me his fruit hah... |
 Some of the bikers use their bikes as carts to haul products. |  These men were reading the morning news having a chuckle. |  |
 Cows and Humans go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly. |  |  Going to school looks like a fun time. |
 |  I was so happy to get this shot, these guys were just chilling in the back of the truck, going about 40 or so km/hr. |  We were going from Madurai to Peryiar and the mountains, Western Ghats started showing up |
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 It's important to note road workers may or may not wear shoes when working... |  In my mind I was wondering if this was an attempt at a Chicago Gas Station with plexiglas, but it was bamboo. |  The mountains are unlike anything I've seen besides the Rockies -- and only briefly there. These mountains had gorgeous valleys and even higher hills. |
 |  |  Not sure of the exact species, but I thought it was beautiful nonetheless |
 |  |  I had not ever seen a hibiscus in real life until India. But I did enjoy hibiscus beer. |
 This is what a peppercorn looks like when it's still on the tree |  Fun fact: White pepper corns are the most potent, green peppercorns are the least, while black have the flavor vs. spice. |  |
 |  |  Bleeding hearts, Indian style. |
 |  Apparently this little pepper was quite hot, but not being a fan of pepper...I avoided it. |  These were Roses, believe it or not. |
 I asked..."But I thought vanilla grew in Mexico." (y'know literally being one country away) Turns out the spice plantation bought the Vanilla from Madagascar and grow it, and have figured out how to harvest more than just once! |  |  |
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 These cows lived on the property, and the crow kept landing on the cows. They did eventually make a ruckus and crew flew away for good. |  The crow's just chillin like a villain |  It's no secret communism and socialist ways of that of Kerala, India. Kerala is the state...however, these people were some of the nicest I've ever met, especially as an American, who had never really dealt with this kind of political atmosphere. |
 |  This beautiful creature had landed, and thanks to my Aussie friends they alerted me to this magnificent bird. |  This beautiful creature had landed, and thanks to my Aussie friends they alerted me to this magnificent bird. |
 The hammer and sickle were a common sight in Kerala. |  |  |
 |  |  Prem, our guide was the entire reason we were able to traverse India like we did. He is an amazing fellow. |
 These little red fruits tastes like apples, but mixed with radishes. Little liquid, but tasty. |  |  This was the last flower I saw in India...it was definitely a beautiful sight. |
 |  This was the last river we saw, and it ironically filled with green. I can't fully explain the feelings I felt here. |  These trucks were ALL OVER India. I mean, everywhere. This was the best photo I got of one, coincidently the last. |
 This was the final photo I took in Kochi before we left. Thank you India for everything. |  This was the last photo I took, before taking a 15.5 hour flight back to Chicago... |
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