Through the looking glass https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:26:08 GMT World Nomads Adventures I learned photography by taking pictures long before I ever bought my first camera. ?It is instinctive, an extension of my understanding of the world around me. From my previous travels and self-funded projects I’ve come to appreciate the value of experience and practical wisdom more than rigid instructions from a textbook. I’ve come to enjoy the thrill and satisfaction of hunting for the perfect picture, waiting sometimes for hours at end for the right conditions. ??For close to a month, I traveled through the peaks of the Himalayas, the dusty streets of Delhi and the kingly states of Rajasthan.??Of all the wonders that India had to offer, it was the rustic charm of Udaipur that captured my heart. Even as I stood facing the Taj Mahal, I longed for the quiet evenings I spent by the Gangori Ghat, at the shores of Lake Pacholi. Sunrise, midday and sunset each had their own stories to share with the keen observer. Seated on a wooden bench facing the setting sun, I watched the local women wash themselves and their clothes in the lake while village dancers prepare for a traditional performance in the aged mansion behind me.?? The photographs seen here were selected from a pool of images for their clarity and honesty in presenting the subject as they truly are. There are no illusions in my photographs; only an accurate narrative of my experience.? This is my guiding principle regardless of which corner of the earth I may travel to. https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/31663/Worldwide/My-Photo-scholarship-2011-entry Travel Worldwide mahenbala https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/31663/Worldwide/My-Photo-scholarship-2011-entry#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/31663/Worldwide/My-Photo-scholarship-2011-entry Mon, 7 Nov 2011 20:57:04 GMT 0 Selected images from Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/31546/India/In-the-land-of-Kings Travel India mahenbala https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/31546/India/In-the-land-of-Kings#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/31546/India/In-the-land-of-Kings Mon, 7 Nov 2011 14:53:00 GMT 0 Pictures of myself from around https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/24980/Worldwide/Self Travel Worldwide mahenbala https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/24980/Worldwide/Self#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/24980/Worldwide/Self Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:50:00 GMT 0 The pictures that I have submitted were taken on my trip through Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia by train. I decided to focus the visuals on pictures of Siem Reap and details of the ruins around the Angkor Archeological Park which I have dreamt of visiting for many, many years. During my travels I always make it a point to experience a foreign land just as a local would. Eat, travel and sleep just as they would and see the world through their eyes. I am gifted with an eye for beauty in the most unlikeliest of places. A gift to rediscover magic in a place visited by a million people before me. A photograph is only a approximate imitation of what the photographer sees through his eyes. Far too many people today focus so much on their equipment for technical perfection that they forget to take pictures with the greatest camera there is, their very own eyes. There is beauty to be observed all around us, if only we learn to look. A trip through the jungles of Bhutan would be a dream. There are few events more satisfying in photography than to plan and wait for hours or even days for a perfect shot of an extremely rare animal, plant or natural phenomenon and actually get the shot. While I have made photographic trips on my own, I am entirely self taught so this opportunity would be the first where I would actually be in the company of a professional on assignment. https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/24978/Worldwide/My-Photo-scholarship-2010-entry Travel Worldwide mahenbala https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/24978/Worldwide/My-Photo-scholarship-2010-entry#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/24978/Worldwide/My-Photo-scholarship-2010-entry Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:42:45 GMT 0 Images from within and around the Angkor Archeological Park https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/24969/Cambodia/Portraits-of-Angkor Travel Cambodia mahenbala https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/24969/Cambodia/Portraits-of-Angkor#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/mahenbala/photos/24969/Cambodia/Portraits-of-Angkor Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:51:00 GMT 0