Why I Love Hands

Closeup of Woman with Olives in Hands at Vineyard Kalkan, Turkey by Ralph Velasco

Peoples’ Hands Have Always Fascinated Me How about you? First I start with a wider shot to show the owner of these hands. Another unique opportunity. Recently, I had the unique opportunity to visit a local man on his very impressive farm in Üzümlü, a fairly nondescript village located on the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey, […]

3 Additional Favorite Photos and the Stories Behind Them

Chouara Tannery on Diagonal in Fes, Morocco by Ralph Velasco

This post is part of an ongoing series where I’ll feature some of my favorite photos and the stories behind them. I’d like to continue the series I started in which I’m featuring images from an eBook I wrote called Essence of a Place: A Photographer’s Guide to Using a Shot List for Capturing Any […]

Why Train Stations Can Be Great for Capturing Everyday Life

Man on Train with Food Tin at Delhi Train Station in India by Ralph Velasco

Capturing Everyday Life is Essential for Successful Travel Photography. Old Delhi Railway Station Delhi Junction, also know as Old Delhi Railway Station, is an ideal place to look for interesting images of people. There are traveling families, couples, single people, even resident monkeys who live in the rafters and who knows where else. The images in […]

How to Tell the Story of a Single Subject

Sadhu in Pashupati Nath with Cigarette in Hand - Kathmandu, Nepal by Ralph Velasco

Enjoy this post where I discuss how to tell the story of a single subject with your photography. Head-on view of sadhu, or holy man, in Pashupatinath, Nepal. Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal The temple in Pashupatinath, situated just about 5 km outside of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, is a sacred site for Hindus. Designated […]

How’s the Chacha in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia?

Ralph Velasco at TBS airport with I Love Georgia Sign in Georgian in Tbilisi, Georgia by Ralph Velasco

Enjoy this short video I made about a tradition called the “supra” and a local spirit called “chacha” in the gorgeous Republic of Georgia. What’s Your Favorite Place to Travel? I’m often asked what my favorite country or place to visit is.  This is, of course, an impossible question to answer and one I gingerly […]

3 More of My Favorite Photos and the Stories Behind Them

Man with a Coin in His Ear - Trinidad, Cuba by Ralph Velasco

This post is part of an ongoing series where I’ll feature some of my favorite photos and the stories behind them. This is a continuation of the series I started where I’m featuring images from an eBook I wrote called Essence of a Place: A Photographer’s Guide to Using a Shot List for Capturing Any […]

3 of My Favorite Photos and the Stories Behind Them

Tobacco Drying House in Viñales, Cuba by Ralph Velasco

This post is part of a series I’m creating where I’ll feature some of my favorite photos and the stories behind them. This series will feature images from an eBook I wrote a while back called Essence of a Place: A Photographer’s Guide to Using a Shot List for Capturing Any Destination.  It’s one of […]

Where in the World is Stepantsminda?

Gergeti Trinity Church in afternoon mist in Kazbegi, Georgia by Ralph Velasco

Stepantsminda, formerly known as Kazbegi, can be found way north, in a lesser-visited region of the Republic of Georgia, just shy of the Russian border. I’m often asked what my favorite country or place to visit is.  This is, of course, an extremely difficult question to answer and one I gingerly try to sidestep when […]

A Few of the Benefits of Just Pulling Over

Single woman in pink gloves and blue hat in leek field in Kusadasi, Turkey by Ralph Velasco

Are you the curious type?  Can you step out of your comfort zone and approach a group of strangers? A few years ago, I had an opportunity to photograph in Turkey, a destination I’d been eager to get to for quite some time.  I was there on a scouting trip, which is something I almost […]

What Is the Highway Code of India?

Women laughing on rickshaw in traffic in Delhi, India by Ralph Velasco

Did you know there’s a Highway Code of India? On my first trip to India’s Golden Triangle (an area bounded by Delhi, Agra & Jaipur) our local guide on the group tour part of the trip (I stayed for four more days on my own), was a very affable man named Anil.  During a bus […]