Its Going to Be Southeast Asia

Its now July and after much deliberation, I've decided Southeast Asia is going to be my next travel adventure location. Primarily, I'll be concentrating on Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia this time around. Why? I love Central America (and will likely be there next year), but this time I want to see something completely new. I'll be focused on getting more fine art landscape, especially at night, and scouting possibilities for future workshops. When? Well that's a good question and I'm so glad you asked because that's where YOU come in.

I'm looking at a 3-month excursion doing one big loop that'll have me tromping through the length of each country starting in Hanoi and playing around Northern Vietnam. I'll then travel to Laos and fiddle-faddle in the northern region before making my way south and into Cambodia. I haven't made specifics with Cambodia as much, but from there, I'll likely make my way to Southern Vietnam and back up to Hanoi again. Could be 4 months...I don't know. Flights are so much less during the fall.

However, with this undertaking, funding is paramount and I want your help. Over the next three months into September, I want to be working my ass off to cover my trip expenses for an October start date. So the more I get help from you guys, the faster I get gone and the faster you get to see all my interesting and highly intriguing pics of the glorious Southeast Asia region. I want a huge focus on the Mekong Delta!

You want to help? Okay:

1. Keep me in mind when you need your next photography service. This is what I do, after all. No, I'm not cheap, but I'm damn good and right now is the best time to catch me while I'm willing to negotiate a bit more given this high volume of service traffic you guys will be bestowing upon me. You already know I like to travel, so if you're out of state, I certainly welcome that. I love seeing new places! And don't act like you hadn't seen my portraiture work, especially with the beard series. You know you love it. Its time for you to get some new pics. Mine are made for the wall in your home and not just the wall on your FB page.

2. Keep me in mind when you hear of someone needing photography services. I do a 10% kickback on contracts for gigs that you recommend to me under $2000. Recommend a gig that results in $1000 service, you get $100 back from me immediately upon receipt of payment. I'll do 15% for any contracts $2000 and over. Do the math. That's $300 and up. So as long as the contract books and payment is made...you get paid.

3. You've seen my fine art work. (I hope you've been paying attention to more than just my art nude work.) Well, here's your chance to own some and virtually everything is for sale. Check out my website at PhotoAnthems.com (or even this blog) and see what you like. Yes, I still hold some pieces off the market for the time being, but if you have something you're interested in, let me know. I print big. The smallest would be a 16x20 or something at least 300sq inches.

4. Photo Classes - I do One-on-One week-long photography classes that are intense and in-depth. I cover information on your specific camera before getting into the fine nuances of photography. My classes are customized to you and your needs. Nobody really gets the same class because each of you are so different with different needs and learning styles. I don't teach one generic class that everybody gets in cookie-cutter format. Nope. You tell me what you need and I tailor it specific to you for 5 days with a minimum of 4 hours and we do a whole lot of shooting, both in studio and on-location...daytime and night...covering speedlights and studio lights, and so much more.

So email me for more information at my Gmail account, using PhotoAnthems in front of the @ symbol. You'll be helping me get started sooner on my journey.

What's Next.... Most Likely? Southeast Asia

Art Model, Safia Sarai ©2015 Terrell Neasley

Most travelers will attest to this. After spending time abroad, especially extended time, you begin to miss home. THEN as SOON as you get home, you're already planning your next trip. It starts after your first day back and you begin to wonder why you came home. Your brain immediately shifts into high gear contemplating the next adventure.

Art Model, Safia Sarai ©2015 Terrell Neasley

The hard part is trying to decide where. You recall your mental list (or if you are obsessive compulsive, you have an actual paper list), and think about all the places you know for sure you want to visit. You think of all the places you've promised yourself that you WILL eventually get to. Then you match that up with most feasible. For instance. I want to go to Israel, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Iceland, Antarctica, and revisit Germany. However, these places are quite expensive for extended stays. Nobody is spending 3 months in Iceland who isn't already living there or immigrating there. Northern and Western coasts of South America were the most likely candidates of places to visit for me to visit. I'm not done with my Latin American adventure/exploration by a long shot. BUT!! I think I should take a small change of pace and do something totally different.

Art Model, Safia Sarai ©2015 Terrell Neasley

And that's how I came up with Southeast Asia. First and foremost, its cheap. I can see being there for 3 months (at least) as being a viable option. Second, its sorta on the list of things travelers have to do. Third, its cheap. All but maybe the flight, that is. I'm mainly talking Indochina. I'd love to cover four countries there, Cambodia, Thailand, Loas, and Vietnam. Possibly pick up some time in Myanmar. What would do my heart some good is maybe a two week stint in New Zealand before heading up there. That's another one of the money places, though. So I've not got a bunch of reasons to keep bustin' butt for the next 5 months to make all this happen. Now, what would absolutely be cool is to start in Vietnam and just work my way Northwest, up through all these countries and into Tibet and Nepal. I had a trip planned there with a client that ended up falling through. I was going to photodocument her 3 month honeymoon with a Leica M Typ 240, and a Leica M Monochrom Typ 246 with 3 lenses. The deal ended up falling apart and didn't happen. I'd like to make up for that. Just with Sony gear. But that's all a stretch. That's the dream trip that could evolve from the 4-country exploration of Southeast Asia. I'd skip New Zealand for that. Any potential clients interested?

Art Model, Safia Sarai ©2015 Terrell Neasley

Next comes the question of WHEN! You get the place(s) you want selected, but now you gotta figure out when's the best time to go. Much of that consideration is whether dependent. Will it be hot? Maybe rainy? When do most tourists go? Well, that's going to be high season and more expensive that heading out in low season. Sometimes you can make the trade-off and go during low season, as long as you understand most people aren't there for a reason and that reason may be more than just because summer break is over.

Art Model, Safia Sarai ©2015 Terrell Neasley

I'm picking Spring time. Sounds like a good time to go. I haven't worked out all the details just yet, but that's when I'm thinking of heading out. I'd like to do another 3 month stint, but who knows? It could be 5...could be only a month. I like leaving that option open. I'll start planning a general route of where I want to start and then start researching the different places I'd like to visit there and start planning the trip. I think I've already got a Lonely Planet book on Southeast Asia to help me plan. That's one book that's been invaluable for these trips. Wanna go someplace, somebody's already written about it. I use it only as a guide. Its not a rule book. Some spots, I want my own opinions to be formulated by my own experience. Sometimes you just gotta go check a place out despite what every body else says.

I've had the privledge of working with a new model, Safia Sarai, over the last month and a half or so and its been outstanding. I think her biggest asset for me is her attitude. I've said quite often that I shoot as much as what's inside the model, as how she looks outside. Attitude is chief amongst those qualities. Other than the fact that she loves shooting, I adore her willingness to see my vision, trust me, and help me get the shot. She's proven to be quite the gifted muse. More on her soon, I promise.