Following on from yesterdays post, Himself and I visited the National Geographic “Rarely Seen” exhibition earlier this year. Running from (21 April 2016 – 28 August 2016) here in The Hague, these photographs are beyond breathtaking. I’m hoping that they delight you as much as they did us. (Sorry for the lopsided angle on a few of them, I loaned a wheelchair so that I wouldn’t have to stand for too long). As per yesterday’s post, each photographers name is given in bold type and appropriate credit given. The texts with each photograph are original to the exhibition.
NET MENDING.
Ly Hoang Long, Vietnam.
Five female workers labour in unison as they mend fishnets at a workshop in the southern Vietnamese province of Bac Lieu. The miles of fishing nets are important for the thriving fish export market that anchors the local economy.
(photograph © Ly Hoang Long)
(photograph © Ly Hoang Long)
(photograph © Ly Hoang Long)
PONTOON BRIDGES.
Wolfgang Weinhardt, India.
Pilgrims and devotees use temporary pontoon bridges to cross the Ganges River in Allahabad, India, to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela — the world’s largest spiritual gathering. Several million Hindus make their way here every year, and their numbers are increasing. Eighteen bridges handled some 70 million people here in 2013.
(photograph © Wolfgang Weinhardt)
(photograph © Wolfgang Weinhardt)
(photograph © Wolfgang Weinhardt)
(photograph © Wolfgang Weinhardt)
(photograph © Wolfgang Weinhardt)
(photograph © Wolfgang Weinhardt)
DANGLE IF YOU DARE.
Ivan Kuznetsov, China.
Ivan Kuznetsov, a Russian daredevil, takes a picture of a view that few will ever witness in person — his feet dangling above the Hong Kong skyline. According to Kuznetsov himself, his thrill-seeking escapades are based on courage, ingenuity and intuition. And the city, with skyscrapers topping 80 floors, presents the perfect backdrop.
(photograph © Ivan Kuznetsov)
(photograph © Ivan Kuznetsov)
MOM`S TAXI SERVICE.
Mark MacEwen
Peeking out between massive teeth, a newly hatched broad-snouted caiman goes for a ride in its mother’s mouth. Mom will care for her babies — teaching them to swim and hunt — until they can make it on their own. But even with all that maternal care, only about one in ten will reach adulthood.
(photograph © Mark MacEwen)
TA PROHM.
Robert Clark, Cambodia.
Sun shines on a monk standing in a doorway of the root-covered temple complex, Ta Prohm, Cambodia. Once abandoned, the temple, neighbour to the more famous Angkor Wat, was quickly reclaimed by the surrounding forest. Since no mortar was used when the temple was built in 1186, the roots of strangler figs and cotton trees had plenty of room to grow.
(photograph © Robert Clark)
(photograph © Robert Clark)
(photograph © Robert Clark)
ANIMAL CONFRONTATION.
Bence Mate, Costa Rica.
A green-crowned brilliant hummingbird and a green pit viper look eye to eye. The snake hangs delicately from a branch as the humming bird hovers mid-air in attack. The showdown captures an eternal dance between predator and prey.
(photograph © Bence Mate)
(photograph © Bence Mate)
(photograph © Bence Mate)
HIGH DIVE
Haris Begić
Lorens Listo takes flight with a jump off the Old Bridge (or Stari Most) in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Diving competitions have been held here since the bridge was built in A.D. 447. Divers plummet some 79 feet (24 m) into the Neretva River below.
(photograph © Haris Begić )
(photograph © Haris Begić )
(photograph © Haris Begić )
(photograph © Haris Begić )
WALK WITH THE FLOWERS.
Dave Yoder, Abu Dhabi.
Inlaid flowers create a colourful tapestry as a woman walks across the 183,000-square-foot (17,000 sq m) central courtyard of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. The marble used in the construction came from all over the world. The mosque can hold 40,000 worshippers for prayer.
(photograph © Dave Yoder)
(Kiwi’s note: all of the photographs in the exhibitions were displayed in sort of light boxes, getting photographs was tricky because there was a sort of ” shadow” that flickered behind the image. The black bands in the following photograph is one such of these and not part of the original).
(photograph © Dave Yoder)
(photograph © Dave Yoder)
UNDERWATER PARK.
Marc Henauer, Austria.
As if in a dream, a scuba diver swims above a grass-lined path in Green Lake (Grüner See). In the spring, snowmelt floods the lake in Tragoss, Austria, and the water level rises about 33 feet (10 m), The path, meadows, and hiking trails around the lake turn aquatic, but the submersion lasts only a few weeks.
(photograph © Marc Henauer)
(photograph © Marc Henauer)
(photograph © Marc Henauer)
RIVER HOUSE.
Irene Becker
The lazy currents of the Drina River in Serbia surround this one-room “rock” house, which has been sitting here for more than 45 years. Materials to build this fortress in the middle of the river were carried by kayak or floated downstream. While storm and floods have led to damage, the house has always been restored.
(photograph © Irene Becker)
MOERAKI BOULDERS.
Vicki Mar, New Zealand.
Early morning light bathes a Moeraki Boulder on a wave-splashed Otago beach on New Zealand’s South Island. The spherical boulders formed during thousands of years as calcite precipitated in mudstone, and were then revealed as waves eroded the mudstone. Naturally occurring cracks add character to the geological wonders.
(photograph © Vicki Mar)
(photograph © Vicki Mar)
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS.
Nanut Bovorn, Thailand.
The night sky fills with light as lanterns soar and reflect a mirror image in the surrounding water. At the Loy Krathong festival, which usually takes place at the end of the rainy season in Thailand, festivalgoers release lanterns to protect against bad luck.
(photograph © Nanut Bovorn)
I think I have so many more photographs from this exhibition, I would easily fill another six or more posts… I have however tried to pick out a few of my favourites so look forward to a few more tomorrow.
