Being "on the road" while shooting tends to create a lot of down time by virtue of logistics, weather and other matters. Time that could be well spent developing a deep understanding of the more popular local brewing styles, time spent exploring all the bars and social spots on the landscape, time spent in bed, in front of the television, trying desperately to understand the subtle nuance that is Italian daytime televison.

However, monk like, I allow mysef none of these pleasures. Instead, I search day and night, pursuing visusal stories that speak to the human condition. Stories that allow us into the lives of others, adding texture and contrast to our own.

Well, not really. In fact, I tend to do much more of the former. I often find myself spending too much time in a cafe, reading the local paper or seeking out an internet cafe to get caught up on the never ending email. However, once in a while, you stumble onto something interesting and, as a photographer, the urge to just shoot pictures takes hold.

Here's some of those intersting stumbles.

Boxers in Cancun

I had some time to kill one evening while on a layover in Cancun Mexico. Went for a walk along Avenida Tulum and stumbled onto an open air boxing ring on the zocalo. There was some sort of organized matches going on and there were about 10 newspaper shooters covering the event. I just walked up to the edge of the ring, nodded and started shooting. Had a blast, no one asked me for a press pass, no one asked where I was from, nothing. Just an interesting subject, in an interesting place. Always makes for good photography.

Fire Jugglers

On the beaches along the Caribbean, there's lots of jugglers, craftsmen, balloon vendors and hawkers seeking to entertain tourists in exchange for tips. One day, I ran into a group of young men practising fire juggling in a vacant lot and asked them if I could hang around and take pictures. They said sure and invited me to come to their show that night at a local beach bar. Kids playing with fire almost always means good pictures.

Mexican Haciendas

In the Yucatan Peninsula, there are about a dozen "haciendas" or ranches in various states of operation. While shooting a travel assignment in the region, I kept stumbling onto these great old places and found myself wishing I had an unlimited amount of time. Unfortunately, I didn't but, the hour or two I spent in three of them paid off with some interesting and compelling imagery and planted a seed with a desire to go back and tell the story of these great old places.

Salsa Dancers

I was walking back to my hotel one afternoon when i saw these figures dancing on a plaza overlooking the local soccer stadium. Storm clouds in the background, mottled with patches of bright blue sky and the silhouettes the dancers created drew me. I walked up, set up a couple of off camera lights and snapped away, totally ignored. Only after packing up my gear and sitting down did the dancers stop to ask me why I was so interested. I showed them a few frames on the back of my camera and they smiled with pride and understanding.

What is it Worth?

I was driving through rural New England, having spent two weeks on the Maine coast and was on my way to spend a weekend with some friends in New Hampshire and drove by this huge barn with "junk" scattered everywhere. I drove right past and when the thought that I might be missing something interesting became overwhelming, I turned around. I wandered the rows of old nic nacs, magazines, skis, coffee mugs and prosthetic limbs (!) long enough to get a good set of images and case of the creeps.

Chamonix France

On a recent trip to France, I went to Chamonix with some friends and took the tram up to the Aigle du Midi which ends at the base of Mont Blanc. Wow! The accessibility of the French Alps is amazining and this tram makes climbing Mont Blanc seem almost doable for mere mortals. I'm sure that, like hotels across the street in Las Vegas, it's nowhere near as close as it looks.