A Thousand Faces

The boy and Macdonalds

He came up to us, asked us to buy a pen from him for 5 rupees. When he received the money, he put it with the rest of the money in his pocket, went into a Macdonalds, and bought himself a drink, sat in the shade, and enjoyed the drink to the last drop… 
- Delhi, India

A Rockstar in the Making

A rockstar in the making And his semi-concerned first fan/sister.
- LuangPrabang , Laos

Indian Eyes

- Allepey, Kerala, India

Childhood in Istanbul

It was the hottest day in Istanbul. Out with his buddies, all wearing temporary kid tattoos, and sporting cool "Angry Birds" swim trunks, he gave the camera a thumbs up and then back-flipped into the water.

- Ortaköy, Istanbul, Turkey

Our local Aristocrat

I Spotted her in the tram, waiting elegantly for her stop. I imagined her joining her friends for a relaxed night of card games, gossip and mulled wine!
Soon I found out that she is known as the lady who hands out flowers to the musicians at our local opera house in Milan every time she goes!

The Fallen Angel of Prague

The Keeper of Sultan Ahmet

Changing the bulbs at Sultan Ahmet Mosque, aka Blue Mosque.

- Istanbul, Turkey

Quiet Moments in the monastery

Softly whispering her hopes and wishes, she turned to the camera.

Montserrat, Spain

The Bubbleman of Lisbon.

He was making bubbles, but his mind was somewhere else.

Perhaps it had already taken flight with one of the bubbles.

- Lisbon, Portugal

Do you ever see me?

Im here everyday.

- Manhattan, New York

The Bubbleman of Prague

Elephant Mama

Elephant mama, taking care of a rescued elephant.
- Rantong Elephant Sanctuary, Chiang Mai, Thailand

The Boy and His Doves.

My dad once said "In Iran, the more dilapidated the house, the bluer the sky. The nicer the people." I guess he was right.

- Arak, Iran

Little Joys of Life

Walking the streets of Jakarta alone with too many worrisome thoughts on my mind, I made a detour on my way to the hostel and passed through a very poor neighbourhood. I saw this. What struck me was the joy and contentment I witnessed. These men had way bigger worries than me, but they were enjoying the little things: a game of chess, a cigarette, a good friend. I made a mental note to myself: “ahead of me is a universe unknown…but who cares. now I am in Jakarta, I’ve got a camera, two feet, a couple of rupees…I will enjoy.”

- Jakarta, Indonesia

Hope.

She held up the flowers and a made the peace sign. Her future had perhaps changed, overnight, to a possible better one. The Iran Nuclear negotiations would life the sanctions and embargoes and enable her country's growth.

- Tehran, Iran

Happiness, Under a Bridge

I never knew happiness had a face. I found it in a slum, under a bridge, in Medan, Indonesia. It peered at me from a window cut out of rusty tin.

- Medan, Indonesia

Waiting

In an ancient city of clay on the high mountain range of the Alborz in Northern Iran, I saw a woman waiting with her eyes on the horizon.

- Masouleh, Gilan Province, Iran

Mutual Curiosity

I guess we were both very curious. Perhaps, a hole in a wall is enough to make one eagerly wonder about the world beyond it.
- Pleiku, Vietnam

At The Beach

At dusk, all the local families would gather by the beach to watch the sunset and to socialize, while their children played. We had never seen any other people more mesmerized and more appreciative for the nature they had seen everyday of their life. It was perhaps, the most romantic place we had ever been.

- Allepey Beach, Kerala, India

Forgive, To be Forgiven

The writing on the wall said “Forgive, to be Forgiven” while the man pondered underneath 

- Qazvin Desert, Iran

Mermaids

Here's a fun story:
I took this photo only minutes away from our crazy motorbike crash, somewhere in the least traveled areas of Laos. These two ladies had caused it all. We had driven past them, but then turned back...Their smiles were so absurdly wholesome and infectious, we wanted to take it all in. They were clearly in financial poverty, but they seemed like they owned the world. So we sat there watching them until the sun set and then found ourselves on a pitch-black dusty road. And then bam... So yes, mermaids are for real.

- Takhek, Laos

Great Encounters

When all other travelers go in one direction, pick the opposite. U might just come across a beautiful dirt road and make some new friends. (Or you might get lost, cry and run back! But its worth the try!)

- Siem Riep

The Fantastic 3

As I was photographing the beautiful countryside of Siem Reap, I saw the three run towards the huts while turning back and shouting at me, urging me to come with them. There was absolutely nothing wrong and I wondered about the sudden panic. I followed them, running with my gear. About 10 seconds after I arrived at the hut, all hell broke loose. A Thunderstorm that would have certainly destroyed my camera.

The Curious Barber

The amazing art of maintaining eye contact and looking good for the camera, while performing a straight razor shave.

- Defence Colony, Delhi, India

Airborne in The Bazzar

A father lifts up his son in the middle of Isfahan's old Bazzar.

- Isfahan, Iran

Gypsy Girl

A gypsy family, selling soup in the middle of a desert road to Assaluyeh, Iran.

Car Windows and Stories

Tehran; Each car window showcases a story of its own.

- Tehran, Iran

Encounter at India Gate

In the heart of New Delhi stands India Gate, India’s national monument. Its perhaps one the most touristy places in Delhi, swarming with tourists, touts and street sellers selling balloons, toys, postcards and food. Walking back from an interview and passing under India Gate, I came across a young man selling balloons. Not being any different from the thousands of tourists swarming the place and acting before I think, I took out my camera and shot this of him… His stare at the camera spoke a thousand words.

- New Delhi, India

Kids these Days

- Hanoi, Vietnam

Our Local Tailor, Pure Love

Kerala was really good to us. It fed us, showed us places, caressed us with its waves, warmed us with its sun and took good care of us with its people. Then she sent us off to our hectic lives, like a mother sends off her child to school.

- Allepey, Kerala, India

Northern Girl

Up in the foggy mountains, in the village of Masouleh, I saw her slowly lean and peek out to watch us: the strange travellers! 

- Masouleh Village , Gilan Province, Iran

Lady with Daffodils

A woman in a strict Hijab outfit, coming back from the Flower market.

Remnants of a near past

Hùng kept raising his right leg for the photo. I couldn't understand why. The bike was on the way and I couldn't see clearly. He then sat down, pulled up his pants and showed me his two prosthetic legs. He had lost them on a mine left from the Vietnam War.

- Nha Trang, Vietnam 

The Paint Magician

La Presse Du Chat Perdu, Silk Screen shop, Montreal, Canada

Chemist Shop Boys

- Defence Colony, New Delhi, India

A shy Portrait

Tidarat, works at the Elephant Rescue Centre in Ran Tong, selling her Handicrafts. She is a member of Thailand's Hill Tribes.

The Hill Tribes of Thailand are a beautiful mosaic of many cultures and many different tribes that have come together from various origins (Tibet, Myanmar, China and Laos) over the past 200 years. Each tribe has a distinct beauty to it.

The Lady and the Tramp

A beautiful lady and her bodyguard, keeping a close watch over the by passers.
- SiemReap, Cambodia

The Cave People

This is Meymand, Iran. A village of caves. hundreds of them, on a mountain side. And since caves don't have a roof, and no chimney, the fire is lit in the house and the smoke leaves thru the door. And amazingly, the smoke does not ever come lower than the top of their heads.
- Meymand Village, Kerman

Hoping for a last sale

Walking the empty alleys at the closing hours of the grand Tehran Bazar, alleys previously filled with the hum and bustle of merchants and customers, I came across an old man. He was dosing off, and perhaps still hopeful to make that final sale of the day…

- Tehran Grand Bazar, Iran

Porter's Weary Gaze

The Porters are the bloodline of the bazar. They are the ones who carry everything and make the transactions happen. I found him, like many others, at the closing hours of the market, tired, gazing into the  street.

- Tehran, Iran

Relief

When we arrived at the waterfall in the burning heat of summer, one of the girls who had been hiking in her modest black manteau took her scarf off and ran to the waterfall, hands wide stretched, full of joy.

- Tangeh Vashi, Iran

Selling Knowledge By The Pound

When I was a boy, books used to be much more accessible. It was like buying groceries.

- Connaught Place, New Delhi, India

Living Light

"What do you want?" she asked.
"Everything." I Said.
"True" She said. "But, the real trick in life is to want nothing, and to succeed in getting it"
- Hanoi, Vietnam

Ottoman Generals in Modern-day Istanbul

A pure stoke of luck I saw this happen and shot it. I could caption it: "Ottoman generals travelling through time, in awe of what Istanbul has become."

- Istanbul, Turkey

Mom and Son, in the Port City

I love port cities.
They are like a tasty bowl of fruit salad.
Every corner, you experience a different country. This one shot in Lisbon, could have been in Kerala, India.

- Lisbon, Portugal

He/She Left.

"She Left." 

On the wall of a random street in Milan, I came across this writing in Persian. It was one of those things that make you wonder who, when and why someone wrote this. 

- Milan, Italy

The amazing school trip

National Monument, Jakarta, Indonesia

Captain Minh

Minh, uses his hands to hold a cigarette and his phone, while he drives with his left foot through the maze of rock formations at Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Hope

Candle Vigil for those lost, and in hope of a brighter future.

- Vancouver, Canada

The boys and their CocaCola

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Out of necessity

Akra has rigged his boat with two car engines. He now can work as a ferry between the islands and Sihanoukville, in Southern Cambodia.

Street Boys of Bushehr

- Bushehr Port, Iran

Grandma's Shy Smile

- Hoi An, Vietnam

Laying back

Chùa Minh Thanh temple

Pleiku, Vietnam

The Happy and energetic Future of Laos

- Takhek, Laos

She had history etched on her face

Met her at the Hoi An Market, Vietnam.

The Kid, the kite and the world ahead.

Jakarta, Indonesia

Old friends, cold weather, heated conversation

Manouchehri St., Tehran, Iran

And the Pug wins the race

Just another nice day at the Chùa Minh Thanh temple, high up the mountains in Pleiku, Vietnam. One of the few buildings that survived the bombings of the town during the war.

- Pleiku, Vietnam

Quiet Quarters

Angkor Wat Complex, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Many great performers go unnoticed in the streets

Bangkok, Thailand

Farshad and his Serious Photos

He stood with photos around him, and right above him the sign said "Farshad's Photo Shop" 

- Tehran, Iran

The Actor at His Best

He said he was a theatre and tv actor, and on Fridays he came out to the Friday Bazar to sell antique goods.

- Tehran Friday Bazar, Iran

Mutual Hesitation

They all hesitated. They weren't expecting it after all.

- Mussoorie, Dehradun, India

Quiet Prayer

A quiet, deep prayer happened in an empty temple in the heart of Hanoi. 

- Hanoi, Vietnam 

Old Boys.

Old boys. Major moustache. Just another day in Paris.

- Paris, France

Lost at Taj Mahal

Something, or someone, was lost at Taj Mahal.

- Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Young Iran

The young ones. Experiencing politics and history, on the eve of the Iran Nuclear Agreement.

- Tehran, Iran

The Blesser

She was so content. Sitting Alone in Ta Prohm temple, in Angkor wat.

- Siem Riep, Cambodia

The Copper Salesman

I found their golden store in an alley way in the bazar of Arak. Father and Son. They had been doing this for years. 

- Arak, Iran

Going home for noon time nap

A dapper old man, heading home from work in the mud walled streets of Kashan, to have lunch and a nap. He will take this route again in the afternoon, when he has to reopen when the weather cools down.

- Kashan, Central Iran