Author: JL

Cambodia 2013 – Angkor Complex & Phnom Penh

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I got the chance last year to visit one of the most amazing places on Earth: Cambodia and specifically, the ruins of Angkor! I took so many photos in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, my vacation there lasting about 2 weeks, so these photos are only a sampling of the photos I took. I’ve tried to caption them to give some context to the image.

I was at one of the temples at Angkor – I think it was Pre-Rup – just around sunset when the complex closes and tourists have to leave for the day. This girl was trying to make one last sale of the day, offering these post cards and bracelets to me for $1USD.
In Phnom Penh this is the equivalent of a taxi. Here’s a driver taking a nap during the mid-day heat. Often tourists engage a tuk-tuk for the day, agreeing with the driver on a price and the number of and which sites he will drive them to that day.
This was taken at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. These are the photos of many of the Khmer Rouge’s prisoners, those who lived and died at the school-turned-torture house. This was a really rough site to visit.
Within the Angkor complex there are lots of Khmer selling arts and crafts, including this one, an oil painting of a temple.
This is sunrise at Angkor Wat; that is, the main temple site named Angkor Wat. This one site is often mistaken for representing the entire complex, but it is actually just one of MANY temple and building sites. The thing to do for tourists is to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat, to get that Super Sunrise Shot. We came at the end of the rainy season so it was cloudy most of our days there. Not such a bad thing considering how hot Cambodia is.
My friend Eve and I rode the bus up north from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, and along the highway you could see people’s homes and shops.
PreRup temple has a pretty fantastic view from the top, overlooking the jungle, so tourists climb up and wait for sunset. We came on a cloudy day, so the view wasn’t as spectacular, but anthropologist that I am, I found the tourists just as mesmerizing in their behavior.

Fourth of July 2014

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American Ethnic at its best. Caught the traditional annual fireworks for Independence Day in Decatur, GA. Not knowing where was the best spot to catch the show, we walked through downtown, just following the crowd. Eventually, we turned off down a little side street… Ponce De Leon Place and found ourselves a fantastic view: a clear shot of the sky from below the building where they blow them off.

Just thought I’d mention I took these photos with my iPhone 5S. Well, more specifically, I took a video with my iPhone and then screen shot these photos from the quicktime video. I gussied them up a bit in Photoshop CC, to darken the black and sharpen some of the edges.

Cool Mini or Not Exposition 2014

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Attended the Cool Mini Expo here in Atlanta in May 2014. Not all the games here are Cool Mini tabletop games, but they hosted and produced the exposition. I enjoyed snapping these photos and working on them. To date, they’re some of the better photos I’ve taken.

Expo attendee playing Malifaux
Expo attendee playing Malifaux
Malifaux
Miniature Fallujah in downtown Atlanta
These were the Paint and Take Minis. People could come, choose a mini and paint it for free. All the paints, brushes and minis courtesy of Cool Mini Or Not.
A Paint & Taker working on a Mini
Playing Sedition Wars
Sedition Wars with one of the Cool Mini Legionnaires, Ray.
War Hammer 40K player getting battle ready
WarHammer 40K player making his combat move.
Wrath of Kings demo