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Portrait of a bamboo music player, Santa Ana Island, Solomon Islands<br /> <br /> Bamboo music is made by hitting open-ended bamboo tubes of varying sizes, originally with coconut husks, but also with stones or pieces of wood. Sometimes we wish our photos could come with sound. To hear an example of bamboo music click here: <a href="http://www.umbc.edu/eol/7/buencons/buencon2.mp3">http://www.umbc.edu/eol/7/buencons/buencon2.mp3</a><br /> <br /> If Melanesian traditional music is of interest to you, for other photos of musicians and to see, and hear, examples of traditional pan-pipe music and slit drum music see here: <a href="http://goo.gl/iZ3MyB">http://goo.gl/iZ3MyB</a><br /> <br /> 10/12/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
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Portrait of a bamboo music player, Santa Ana Island, Solomon Islands

Bamboo music is made by hitting open-ended bamboo tubes of varying sizes, originally with coconut husks, but also with stones or pieces of wood. Sometimes we wish our photos could come with sound. To hear an example of bamboo music click here: http://www.umbc.edu/eol/7/buencons/buencon2.mp3

If Melanesian traditional music is of interest to you, for other photos of musicians and to see, and hear, examples of traditional pan-pipe music and slit drum music see here: http://goo.gl/iZ3MyB

10/12/13 http://www.allenfotowild.com

  • Portrait of a bamboo music player, Santa Ana Island, Solomon Islands<br /> <br /> Bamboo music is made by hitting open-ended bamboo tubes of varying sizes, originally with coconut husks, but also with stones or pieces of wood. Sometimes we wish our photos could come with sound. To hear an example of bamboo music click here: <a href="http://www.umbc.edu/eol/7/buencons/buencon2.mp3">http://www.umbc.edu/eol/7/buencons/buencon2.mp3</a><br /> <br /> If Melanesian traditional music is of interest to you, for other photos of musicians and to see, and hear, examples of traditional pan-pipe music and slit drum music see here: <a href="http://goo.gl/iZ3MyB">http://goo.gl/iZ3MyB</a><br /> <br /> 10/12/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Portait of a warrior-7, Santa Ana Island in the <br /> Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands<br /> <br /> This warrior is wearing a pearl shell Dafi or Tema (means chest ornament) with frigate bird overlay. Dafi shell jewelry is similar to kina shell jewelry in New Guinea. He is carrying a wooden parrying shield with a carved fish (probably hound needlefish) on it<br /> <br /> Other warrior portraits can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/nAQ5j3">http://goo.gl/nAQ5j3</a><br /> <br /> 9/12/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • 'V' is for Various Vivid Vibrant Violas from Vancouver<br /> <br /> I decided to have fun with Photoshop and try some new techniques. I picked several Violas from my Vancouver garden (1 yellow, 3 Violet, 6 white) and floated them in a clear glass dish of water on a black background and photographed them. In Photoshop, I applied a lens blur, then a spherical gradient to fade the blur in the center. Then I applied a spherical filter to make the image into a globe, cloned out everything that fell outside the circle, and then overlaid the resulting sphere with a B/W bokeh image that looked like snow at night and applied another spherical gradient to fade the bokeh from the center of the image. What I was trying to achieve was a surrealistic 3D sphere full of flowers floating in a snowy sky at night. You can be the judge of whether I succeeded or not :-)<br /> <br /> 07/11/2013 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Sunrise and rainstorms #2 near Santa Ana Is, Solomon Islands<br /> <br /> On board ship I always was up before sunrise to do my yoga and photograph the dramatic tropical skies. At the largest sizes you can see several rainstorms along the horizon between the clear areas.<br /> <br /> Other photos of these dramatic rainstorms, and a double rainbow, can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/Sa2D0J">http://goo.gl/Sa2D0J</a><br /> <br /> 7/12/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Wrecked fishing boat on Robben Island, Cape Town in background, South Africa<br /> <br /> Taken from my archives and posted today in memory of Nelson Mandela, the remarkable South African who died yesterday at the age of 95.<br /> <br /> I first visited South Africa in 1984 when it was still under the apartheid regime, and Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island off the south coast of Cape Town. I visited again in 2000 after the Truth and Reconciliation hearings and made a trip to Robben Island to see the prison there and the cell where Mandela had been imprisoned for much of his 27 years in prison. I took this picture on the beach of Robben Island and I like to think that Madiba may have stood on this very spot by the old wrecked boat and enjoyed this view of Cape Town.<br /> <br /> In the winter of 1964, Nelson Mandela arrived on Robben Island where he would spend 18 of his 27 prison years. Confined to a small cell, the floor his bed, a bucket for a toilet, he was forced to do hard labor in a quarry. He was allowed one visitor every 6 months for 30 minutes. He could write and receive one letter of 500 words every six months. But Robben Island became the crucible which transformed him. Through his intelligence, charm and dignified defiance, Mandela eventually bent even the most brutal prison officials to his will, assumed leadership over his jailed comrades and became the master of his own prison. He emerged from it the mature leader who would fight and win the great political battles that would create a new democratic South Africa. Mandela was released from Robben Island in 1990 and four years later the prisoner became the President. Adapted from <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandela/prison/">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandela/prison/</a><br /> <br /> A panorama of Cape Town taken from the boat to Robben Island can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/KLboKD">http://goo.gl/KLboKD</a><br /> <br /> 06/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Potrait of a man husking coconuts at the Honiara market, Guadalcanal Is, Solomon Islands<br /> <br /> Honiara has a huge market that sells almost everything.<br /> <br /> Update re DreamCatcher's question. The husk of the coconut, called coir isn't wasted. It is used in ropes, mats, door mats, brushes, sacks, caulking for boats, and as stuffing fiber for mattresses. It is also used in potting compost, especially in orchid mix.<br /> <br /> Other photos from the Honiara market can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/cgtm2q">http://goo.gl/cgtm2q</a><br /> <br /> 5/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Site of the decisive Battle of Edson's Ridge, with the strategic hills 123 and 80 and the Lunga River (mid far right), Guadalcanal Is, Solomon Islands<br /> <br /> Perhaps the most savage and bloody, yet largely forgotten, military campaigns in the Pacific War between the US and Japan, revolved around the island of Guadalcanal. For over six months forces of Japan and the United States were locked in a bitter struggle on land, sea and in the air. <br /> <br /> The Americans were successful in capturing Lunga Point, which was the Japanese airfield. They renamed it Henderson Field, and it was to be a vital link in the resupply chain for the Allied defense of New Guinea and Australia. The Japanese mounted an attack to win back the airfield, whose perimeter was defended at the Lunga Ridge in the south of the airfield, which became known as Edson’s Ridge after the US forces commander "Red' Mike Edson. Although the Americans were almost overrun by the Japanese, in the end the attack was defeated with heavy losses for the Japanese. The battle took place between the 12-14 September 1942, with the Japanese attacking at night on two flanks. The Japanese almost over-ran the Americans on the 2nd night as the Marines were not only greatly outnumbered but were short of ammunition and supplies, and had no possibility of resupply. <br /> <br /> In the end the Battle of Edson’s Ridge was one of the most decisive victories of the war in the Pacific since it had a strategic impact on the Japanese operations in other parts of the Pacific. The Japanese realized that, in order to send enough troops and supplies to defeat the Allies on Guadacanal, they could no longer support the offensive in Papua New Guinea to capture Port Morseby, which was the doorway to an attack on Australia. The defeat at Edson's Ridge contributed not only to Japan's defeat in the Guadalcanal campaign, but also to Japan's ultimate defeat throughout the South Pacific. Historian Richard B Frank has written “The Japanese never came closer to victory on the island itself (Guadacanal) than in September 1942, on a ridge thrusting up from the jungle just south of the critical airfield, best known ever after as Bloody Ridge.<br /> <br /> A couple of photos of Honiara locals can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/yq9KRK">http://goo.gl/yq9KRK</a><br /> <br /> 04/12/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Islanders selling WWII artefacts they have scrounged from the Bloody Ridge battlefield, Bloody Ridge Memorial (rather the worse for wear), Guadalcanal Is, Solomon Islands. <br /> <br /> You'll notice that several of the children have very blond hair. This is not because they dye their hair or that they carry the genes of blond servicemen. The explanation is much more interesting.<br /> <br /> It's long been presumed the unusually fair-haired Melanesians were a result of long-ago liaisons with European traders, while locals often attributed their golden locks to a diet rich in fish or the constant exposure to the Sun.<br /> <br /> A new study genetic study of the islanders (DNA sampling of their saliva) says the reason why a substantial number of Solomon Islanders are blond is due to simple genetics - a gene called TYRP1 that is unique to the Solomons. The gene is found in 26 per cent of the people from the Solomons and other parts of Melanesia. A mutation in the gene affects melanin synthesis. The gene is not related to the gene for albinism, which results in light coloured hair, eyes and skin due to the complete absence of pigment in the skin.<br /> <br /> TYRP1 is a recessive gene, which means that both the mother and the father need to pass a copy on to the child for the child to have blonde hair. This results in around 10% of children in Melanesia having blond hair. The gene is rare or absent outside of Melanesia. This particular gene has a very strong effect on hair colour, and a much milder effect on eye colour and skin colour. Similar to blonde Europeans, as people grow older their hair gets darker. Clearly the families shown here carry a high percentage of the gene.<br /> <br /> Other photos of the children and the memorial can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/HOyJ5z">http://goo.gl/HOyJ5z</a><br /> <br /> 03/12/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Local boats in Honiara harbour, Guadalcanal Is, Solomon Islands (best larger)<br /> <br /> Honiara is the main city on Guadalcanal. It owes its existence to the huge military supply depot that the USA built in this bay in 1943. To support the Allied war efforts in the north-western Solomons, the USA constructed wharves, roads and storage sheds and completed Henderson airfield, which is now the international airport for the island.<br /> <br /> Other photos of the shipping and harbor can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/DXqurj">http://goo.gl/DXqurj</a><br /> <br /> 02/12/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • 'U' is for 'Unforgotten'<br /> <br /> WWII vet lost in his memories at the US War Memorial, Honiara, Guadalcanal Is, Solomon Islands. Some of the text is reproduced below.<br /> <br /> After repulsing the heavy Japanese attacks in October, American troop strength on Guadacanal was increased again by bringing the 1st and 2nd batalions, 2nd Marines from Tulagi to Guadalcanal, and returning the 3rd batalion to Tulago. On 4 November the 9th Marines of the 2nd Marine Division arrived, eight days later two batalions of the 182nd Infantry Regiment of the Americal Division were landed.<br /> (content truncated) <br /> For four long months the 1st Marine Division reinforced had borne the brunt of a long, continuous battle, during which it inflicted far greater casualities upon the enemy than it suffered. It had also endured the hot, steamy, tropical, disease-infected jungle, which, in its own way, was a worse enemy. Of all diseases to which the division was exposed, malaria presented the greatest problem. The Division’s tour of duty had been twice the length that medical officers believed could be endured under such conditions. On 22 December the 1st Marines left the island, followed by the 7th Marines on 5 January, 1943.<br /> <br /> For an absolutely fascinating account about the completely chaotic sea battle on Iron Bottom Sound (The Slot), which was grossly mismanaged on both sides, see here: <a href="http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-guadalcanal-first-naval-battle-in-the-ironbottom-sound.htm">http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-guadalcanal-first-naval-battle-in-the-ironbottom-sound.htm</a><br /> <br /> Other photos from the War Memorial and of the wreath dropping ceremony in Iron Bottom Sound can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/7QntyV">http://goo.gl/7QntyV</a><br /> <br /> 1/12/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Guadalcanal Island with rainbow and moon, Solomon Islands<br /> <br /> Next weekend is the 72nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the start of the war in the Pacific. This week I’d like to feature some of my photos from Guadalcanal and The Slot, which were sites of famous battles between the United States and their Allies against the Japanese in 1942. The rainbow over Guadalcanal symbolizes the healing that followed the bloody history of the island and surrounding waters.<br /> <br /> The following is a copy of some of the text from the war memorial at Honiara, Guadalcanal:<br /> “Exploiting their successful attack upon Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941, the Japanese struck at American, British, Chinese and Dutch Territories in the Pacific. Forced on the defensive, the United States nevertheless was determined to keep open the line of communications to Australia and to aid in its defense. Although delayed by stubborn American and Filipino resistance in the Philippines, the enemy, by mid-April 1942, had established bases in the New Guinea-Solomons area, thus threatening Australia itself. On 3 May the Japanese occupied Tulagi, a small island close to Florida Island in the Solomons group.<br /> <br /> This brought on the Battle of the Coral Sea, 4-8 May 1942, a strategic victory for the allies in which the heretofore uninterrupted Japanese push southward was halted for the first time. Then came the Battle of Midway, 3-7 June, one of the most decisive battles in naval history. The Japanese suffered crippling losses in aircraft carriers and the balance of sea power in the Pacific turned in favor of the United States and her allies. When it was discovered in early July that the Japanese had begun construction of an airfield on Guadalcanal, US Forces undertook the first land offensive of the war.”<br /> <br /> Addendum: The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal took place from 12-15 November 1942 after US and Allied forces had landed on Guadalcanal and seized the airfield, later called Henderson Field. The naval battle, which took place in The Slot between Guadalcanal and Tulagi Islands, turned back Japan’s last major attempt to dislodge Allied forces from Guadalcanal and Tulagi. The Solomon Islands are also where Kennedy Island (Kasolo Island) lies, which is the island where John F Kennedy aided his injured crew after PT-109 was rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri.<br /> <br /> Other photos from the Guadalcanal area can be seen here, and more will be posted after 'U' day: <a href="http://goo.gl/MH4mUF">http://goo.gl/MH4mUF</a><br /> <br /> 30/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Mother and child in shop with wall painting of the Indian goddess Kali and the pilgrim path to the Kalika Mata Temple, Pavagadh Hill, Gujurat, India<br /> <br /> Kali is portrayed mostly in two forms: the popular four-armed form, seen here, and the ten-armed form. In both of her forms, she is described as being black in color but is most often depicted as blue in popular Indian art. Her eyes are described as red with intoxication, and in absolute rage, her hair is shown disheveled, small fangs sometimes protrude out of her mouth, and her tongue is lolling. She is often shown naked or just wearing a skirt made of human arms and a garland of human heads. She is usually depicted standing on a seemingly dead Shiva, usually right foot forward to symbolize the right-handed path.<br /> <br /> Other photos from the Pavagadh Hill can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/BpcPiK">http://goo.gl/BpcPiK</a><br /> <br /> 29/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Old woman resting on stairs, Pavagadh Hill, Gujurat, India<br /> <br /> It's a long hard climb up the pilgrim's path on Pavagadh Hill to reach the Kalika Mata temple at the top. This old woman was sitting on the stairs recovering her energy in the hot humid weather. <br /> <br /> The Kalika Mata (the Black Mother) temple was built in the 10th to 11th century. It is one of the biggest tourist and pilgrimage centers in Gujarat, attracting large numbers of people every year, and it is traditional to make a pilgrimage here at least once in a lifetime. <br /> <br /> Photos of the Kalika Mata temple, the pilgrim's way, and other portraits, can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/WOlozk">http://goo.gl/WOlozk</a><br /> <br /> 28/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Girls at Sunday school, Wesley United Church, Ghizo Island, Solomon Islands<br /> <br /> Its been a while since I posted shots from Melanesia, and I still haven't made public any shots from the Solomon Islands, the Santa Cruz Islands and Vanuatu. Ghizo Island was our first stop in the Solomon Islands.<br /> <br /> The girls are dressed in their best for the Easter Sunday service that followed Sunday School (I stayed for the service and the singing was MAGNIFICENT). Since this is an island with a lot of missionary influence, even out of church the girls and women are often dressed in mumus (link below).<br /> <br /> Other photos from Ghizo Island can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/iyGcJs">http://goo.gl/iyGcJs</a><br /> <br /> 27/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus" John Gray<br /> <br /> He: "If I do these cool tricks, maybe they'll throw me more food!"<br /> She: "Stop it, Donald! You look like an idiot!"<br /> <br /> A pair of mallards who seem to have made their home in a 1784 fountain near the Basel Munster, Basel, Switzerland.<br /> <br /> Other photos from Old Basel, including a close-up of the acrobatic mallard, can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/NJL5WF">http://goo.gl/NJL5WF</a><br /> <br /> 26/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Statue of the Virgin Mary, Basel Munster, Basel, Switzerland<br /> <br /> When I saw this statue in the cathedral I was taken with its beauty and how the light was striking it almost perfectly. This is the natural (as shot) background, by the way.<br /> <br /> Other photos from Basel Munster, including one showing the gorgeous stained glass windows, can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/g5EA4a">http://goo.gl/g5EA4a</a><br /> <br /> 25/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • 'T' is for tempting, tasty, tender tomato's from Terry's garden.<br /> <br /> I still have 3 pots of cherry tomatoes in the greenhouse....the latest I've been able to keep tomatoes to date, thanks to a late fall and more sunshine than usual. Fresh organic tomatoes to go with dinner tonight! I actually forgot that I had tarragon and thyme in the herb garden for alternate 'T's, as well as sage for an alternate 'S'.<br /> <br /> I have no veggies or flowers left in the garden that start with u,v,w,x,y or z (my vinca and my zuccini froze), so I think that this is the end of my garden alphabet for this year, unless I get a brain wave.<br /> <br /> 24/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotwild.com">http://www.allenfotwild.com</a>
  • Painting of harlequin great danes, inner courtyard, Basel Rathaus, Old Basel, Switzerland<br /> <br /> I didn't notice any artists signature, and I could find nothing on-line, not even another photo.<br /> <br /> Other photos of Basel's old town can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/ZfDyzv">http://goo.gl/ZfDyzv</a><br /> <br /> 23/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Foggy day at the apple festival, Vancouver, BC, Canada<br /> <br /> The apple festival is hugely popular, with people carting away huge boxes of apples, dried apples, apple cider and apple trees. I bought 3 apple trees for my garden - so in 3 years time I'll have my own apples!<br /> <br /> Other photos of the apple festival, including one of a Morris Dancer can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/jbeQbB">http://goo.gl/jbeQbB</a><br /> <br /> 22/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotwild.com">http://www.allenfotwild.com</a>
  • Ornate oriel window, Basel Rathaus, Old Basel Switzerland<br /> <br /> Other photos of the local vicinitiy, including the ornate clock on the outside of the Rathaus (town hall) can be seen here:<br /> <br /> 21/11/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>

  • nelli

    on December 14, 2013

    gorgeous shot

  • brickroadphoto

    on December 13, 2013

    Exceptional portrait with great light! Sorry I missed this one

  • Jason Penney

    on December 13, 2013

    Serious expression...nice work

  • jimholmquist

    on December 11, 2013

    Great expression and light, excellent portrait!

  • henryklepczynski

    on December 11, 2013

    Excellent portrait.

  • TruImages

    on December 11, 2013

    Wonderful portrait

  • fotoeffects

    on December 11, 2013

    Handsome portrait!

  • fotomom

    on December 11, 2013

    Very interesting environmental portrait!

  • Donna McCommon

    on December 11, 2013

    Super portrait!

  • Gene Hyder

    on December 11, 2013

    Great shot.

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