Riding a bus with Osama Bin Laden, Part 1

I knew I wasn't going crazy when even the Chinese border guards stopped our bus to question our fellow passenger, Osama bin Laden. So we called him anyway. Our Pakistan-bound bus was traveling the Karakoram highway from Kashgar, an ancient city along the Silk Road in Southwest China. Our 18 passenger bus was full of Pakistanis of various tribes, a few Ughier, and me a white American with a clean military-looking haircut. Oh, and also a passenger who bared a terrifying resemblance to O.B.L., whom the Chinese guards were now questioning behind a closed door at this lonely high altitude boarder post, a few dozen miles away from where Osama was supposedly in hiding. I nervously waited on the bus while my fellow passengers talked in their own languages, seemingly saying something like "nah, he can't be... or could it really be him?".

It was July 2006 and I was on my way to Pakistan to work with Shelters for Life, a group helping the victims of the devastating earthquake that took place the year before. The two day, once-a-week trip from the Kashgar bus station was suppose to leave at 10am, but because of a prolonged cargo negotiation by one of passengers, we did not leave until noon. Waiting outside the bus, I was getting familiar with the other passengers and what they looked like. But it was only a minute or two before we departed, after we were on the bus, did "Osama" and his two friends emerge from nowhere and sit down just two rows ahead of me.

My heart raced and palms moistened at the same time as the bus jerked forward into first gear, inching out into the traffic of Kashgar and heading south towards Pakistan. My mind began to process what was happening. It was obviously preposterous to think that OBL could actually be on my bus, but at the same time, it was shocking to me that I couldn't entirely rule out the possibility. I tried to remember "facts" that our U.S. government knew about the man. He was said to be fairly tall, in his 50's, and travelled with an entourage of security. This man was not that tall, younger looking, perhaps in his 40's, and only had two people with him. Not a match. Ok, I can relax. But what if the intel on him was wrong? We were wrong and missed so many obvious things both pre and post 9/11, that the tiny chance I was now a target of a drone missile was still on my mind. Was Osama getting plastic surgery in China and laying low among the million or so Uigher muslims? I actually looked out the windows for a time, trying to see if there was anything up there circling us in the clear blue sky and I studied the lock mechanism on the window in case I somehow had to make a jump for it before the bus was blown into a million pieces.

Part 2 coming soon!

I mentioned in my last post about the new website and gave the link, but forgot to provide the link to the new wedding photography blog. Wedding photographers that I know almost exclusively use wordpress and I made the switch earlier this year. It's not intuitive at first, but once you get the hang of it the features blow away blogspot by a mile. I might post here from time to time, but for my latest wedding photography work as well as some personal/ travel photography, check out my new blog.

The New Dan Johanson Wedding Photography site is now up! And of course the new blog has received an upgrade too. Thanks for stopping by the old blog, but this won't be updated much in the future. Check the links above for the latest DJP has to offer.

well blogger, it's a been a good ride. This is my last post here -- from now on, please find my new wedding photography blog here

I finally posted some wedding photography tips for couples at my site www.johansonphoto.com

But for those blog fans out there, here you go!

Whoever you choose to capture your wedding, these tips might come in handy as you plan the big day.

1. Communicate the must have shots to your photographer. If you see something on the web or in a magazine that you must have, be sure to forward that in advance (it might be difficult to verbally describe on the wedding day).

2. Plan and think carefully about how much time you allot to taking pictures. Even the best photographer needs at least 10 minutes to do a good set of portraits. Consider doing bride/ bridesmaid, groom/ groomsman photos before the ceremony, which will reduce time needed for post-ceremony photos. Even better is to do all the portraits ahead of the ceremony. This option really has tremendous upside (if one can set aside the superstitions) 1) you get to have a private moment before all the non-stop craziness starts, which should help alleviate some anxiety and stress you might be feeling. 2) Your photographer can capture that amazing moment when you first see each other-- these shots are FULL of wonderful emotion and make GREAT photos. 3) Getting these out of the way ahead of time allows you to enjoy more of the reception. I have more schedule suggestions that will get posted soon.

3. Enlist help. Choose a friend or relative that knows a good number of folks who will join the formal pictures. Get this person a shot list and have them help corral everyone for each picture. This speeds up picture taking and allows your photographer to focus on composing and taking great portraits. Also consider not to getting carried away with your shotlist. Assuming your photographer is slanted toward a journalistic approach, he/she will likely can get far more interesting candids of all the bubbly happiness following the ceremony.

Would like to know more? Check out the wedding galleries, package rates, or how it supports a cause when you hire DJP

Finally got the new website up - www.johansonphoto.com

Our good friends here in Yokohama -- Arnold and Nora. I'm experimenting a bit with a new photoshop plugin called Topaz. I'm not sure I like the effect but it certainly does something amazing for very little effort on my part. Yeh or ney?

Glenn and Vickie picked the perfect place to get married -- in a beautiful backyard in the hills of Alamo, CA on a warm September afternoon. Vickie's surprise was a darling new haircut which Glenn didn't know about until she walked down the isle. Thanks guys for the amazing privilege to work with you. Glenn, we'll definitely drop by your studio when we're in LA. :-)

I rarely post my work among the poor for some reason. Probably because I don't want to come across as exploitative. Its a common conflict that many photographers have when documenting poverty -- there are so many heart grabbing shots that could easily garner the wrong kind of attention. But the benefit of raising awareness of the less fortunate and bringing to light the systemic evil in society that at best leave behind the destitute and at worst, work to suppress them, is an effort worth pursuing.

I had pondered if I should just let the pictures stand alone to tell the story of my friend here. Allow me to add a few words for context. I have been saying hello to Ray for several years on my usual walk from our office to the mall. He's almost always there, unless its raining or past dark. It takes him about 20 minutes to get from his house to his position on the elevated walkover that spans over the busiest highway in the country. Using his hands he catapults himself forward over the grimy sidewalk, managing about a foot at a time. He tries to avoid the spit, the urine trails, and countless other forms of filth that are soaked into the streets of Manila. He carries nothing with him for the days work but the rubber tire he has fashioned to cover his lower torso has a small fold where he can slide in the coins he receives. He doesn't eat nor drink for the whole day, no doubt in part for obvious problems with finding a restroom that can accommodate him. Though I wish to suggest he could go into the nearby mall for water and use the toilet, I know (and Ray does too) the guard would never allow him past the front door.

Ray's voice is timid and I struggle to understand him over the rumble of two train lines that intersect overhead, the eight lanes of cars and buses passing underneath, and the thousands of people that pass him each day. He is a man of few words who I imagine doesn't have many lengthy conversations with people on the street. Nor do I gather he has many friends in the home he shares. Ray doesn't know his parents and I speculate that his mom may have attempted to abort him and thus left him deformed -- an unfortunate but common result of the underground abortion medicines that are often ineffective to do the job. When Ray was born without legs, he was quickly abandoned.

As I photographed him yesterday afternoon I noticed that a few would-be givers had shied away when they saw my camera. I quickly stopped shooting so as to not cause any missed opportunities, but I think there were a couple that I spooked away. I felt bad for that and quickly moved further away, while watching for a reaction of possible disappointment. There was none whatsoever. I realized that over the years of my brief conversations with him there was never a word of frustration, anger or any other mention of bitterness towards life. I wonder how a man like Ray could have such an attitude of quiet peace with the cards his was dealt. I have much more to learn from my friend and I suspect the world does too.

Rosie and Archie's wedding sizzled! We were told the temp was 103f at the ceremony but really it didn't matter at all. From the moment Rosie walked out and down the isle, we were all caught up in the beauty of this wonderful union. The reception integrated part of their Filipino background with a troop that performed different traditional dances from all over the Philippines. Ang galing galing nila! Salamat ng marami Archie & Rosie!

Shannon and Nick know how to do something different -- a Chinese Dragon dance topped of a beautiful ceremony overlooking the Sasualito harbor. Amazing day guys, thanks for having us capture it! The slideshow can be found here

In between long meetings, we had a few hours to see the charming city of Kiev. The highlight for me was Pechersk Lavra, a Christian Orthodox monastery dating back to 1015 which features beautiful cathedrals and a complex system of underground caverns which have sleeping areas, chapels and burial tombs of monks that date back to 1100. Unfortunately photography prohibited in the caverns...

FINALLY getting to some long lost wedding photos yet to be posted... these favorites are from more than 3 years ago. No, the couple didn't wait that long to get their photos... they were delivered within two weeks, keeping with my usual promise to get clients their photos fast!