travel Archives - Jake Lyell

Post Tagged with: "travel"

Georgia on my Mind

September 1, 2019

This relatively tiny slice of the Caucasus is one of my favorite corners of the world, and I relish any opportunity to come here. From the ancient castles, churches, rich culture and heritage to the stunning architecture and wonderfully unique wine and food (all at affordable prices) there’s really nothing not to love about Georgia, aside from the fact that its greedy northern neighbor keeps carving out slices of the country’s sovereign territory. I thought about not making this post so I could keep more of this place to myself. BTW I brought my drone. Below is an aerial view of the Ujarma fortress, circa 1100, followed by the Jvari church, circa 600. Other shots are from Tbilisi, Gori, and the Davit Gareja Monastery on the border with Azerbaijan.

Weekend off in Jogjakarta

April 19, 2018

On a recent assignment assignment with MCC, I got the chance to explore Indonesia’s Jogjakarta, including the ancient temples of Prambanan and Borobudur, found on the city’s outskirts.

Fifty Shades of Green

December 26, 2017

Take an aerial tour through the evergreen mountains, tea fields and villages of Fort Portal and Bundibugyo districts in western Uganda. You won’t get a better view of the area without chartering a helicopter. I shot this with my drone in between assignments in Zambia and Georgia last month while on a road trip to visit friends.

City of Churches

February 11, 2017

While on assignment in Nicaragua earlier this month, I got a chance to spend the afternoon in Léon, the City of Churches. Léon is a bastion of Roman Catholic fervor, and its historic colonial temples date back as far as the early 16th century. I first visited Léon ten years ago, but was happy this time to see many of these churches in an improved state of repair. All photographs Copyright 2017 Jake Lyell Photography.

Wonder of the Kathmandu Valley

March 3, 2015

Wedged between the Indian subcontinent and the lofty Himalayas, Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley is a place where various cultures and religions meld together to create a spiritual fusion. While anthropologists may say otherwise, locals will tell you there is no distinction between Buddhism and Hinduism here. With settlements dating back as far as 130BC, the valley is home to the most dense collection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites anywhere in the world. Filming took place over four early mornings at some of Kathmandu’s most sacred and ancient temples, as well as on the every day streets of this bustling metropolis.

Seeing My Wild Side

April 26, 2014

My passion is to tell people’s stories. Sometimes, however, I find myself in places of incredible natural beauty where creatures other than humans make their dwelling. Already this year I’ve had no shortage of close encounters with the animal kingdom. The footage above and a few of the photographs below were taken as part of an assignment for Millennium Challenge Corporation to illustrate the aid agency’s economic and tourism development programs in Namibia’s Etosha National Park. Other photographs were taken during a family vacation in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda, some while on my honeymoon in Mauritius, and others still while shooting out of a moving vehicle during an assignment in Tanzania. Above, the mighty Nile River squeezes itself into a 23 foot gap of surging water at Murchison Falls. Above is Chamarel Waterfall in Mauritius; below are Namibia’s Etendeka Mountains as viewed from the Grootberg Lodge. On a[…]

The Fog in Prague

November 19, 2013

Prague makes for a dreary setting in the winter time, but it’s fitting for a such a city, much of which was built in the dark ages. The cold and damp seems not to deter the buskers and street illusionists, nor the swans that inhabit the Vltava River. Me? A couple days is enough. Back to the tropics.

Andean High

September 25, 2013

I’m back in Latin America for the first time in several years. Actually, by the time I publish this I’ll be in India, but anyway. As I work to film and produce a series of videos on the organization’s Early Childhood Development Programs world-wide, recent assignments with ChildFund took me first to Honduras, then to on Ecuador. I also spent a day on the outskirts of Quito, Ecuador’s lofty colonial capital, visiting gardens, schools, and communities supported by ChildFund. I was able to take some time to nab a few stills in the old town too.

48 Hours in Vintage Harar

April 28, 2011

It’s hard to believe it had been five years since I’d been to Ethiopia, not counting the many hours of down time spent making a connection in Addis Ababa’s airport. Recently I arrived a couple days early for a ChildFund assignment in this Horn of Africa country so that I might explore an ancient city in Ethiopia’s exotic East. Harar’s meandering old town is other-worldly, a step back in time along the caravan routes of the middle ages. Indeed, if it weren’t for Coca Cola’s stubborn presence inside the city walls it may sometimes be difficult to decipher which decade, or even century, you were losing your way in. Most Ethiopians don’t mind having their photograph taken. It was my original intention to shoot only portraits for these two days I’d set aside. However, I was quickly enveloped in the atmosphere of the town and the eye candy was too[…]

Machines & Animals

July 28, 2010

One of these days I am going to have to get a car, but I’ll hold out for as long as I can. I came to East Africa in part seeking a simpler lifestyle. I enjoy chatting with people around me and getting to know the culture in-depth. I watch in fascination as the preachers and hawkers board at one town, shout and sell to their captive audience and disembark at the next. Getting across the country is cheap and my clients appreciate the transit fees on the final invoice. But bumping around on buses is starting to wear on me. Above, a busy Kampala street as seen from the window of the Teso Coach to Soroti. The last month has seen me traveling from the shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania to the remote and mountainous Uganda-Sudan border and various places in between, much of the way spent with[…]