Marty Mellway Photography

Key Gompa, an ancient monastery in the Spiti Valley, a high altitude desert valley cut off from rainfall and the outside world by soaring mountains and treacherous roads in the state of Himachel Pradesh, North India. We stayed here over night while trekking through from Kibber to Kaza. Tea and meals with the monks was so much fun. We were called to meals and tea by the sound of a conch shell horn. One of the younger monks showed us many of the sacred inner rooms of the monastery which housed thousand year old scriptures and Thangkas (Tibetan paintings) which had been brought over from Tibet over the last thousand years. Some rooms were so sacred that outsiders were not even allowed to look in, which I really like because it leaves some mystery, which there ought to be in a thousand year old temple deep in the Himalayas  The monks take there meals in an ancient kitchen, along one wall there are big stone wood fire stoves. On top of the stoves huge bla...

2 sec   ƒ/3.5   ISO 400  17 mm This photograph is taken in a Balinese Hindu temple at night during a festival. The illumination of the backs of the people sitting in the foreground was caused by them lighting incense.  A little light goes a long way in a long exposure. One thing I like about this photograph which I didn't notice the first few times is the statue of a god on the right hand side which is looking down over all the praying Balinese. It is truly an amazing thing to witness. The sounds of bells, and the deep voice of the priests chanting prayers. The smell of incense and fresh flowers. This same scene might have been taking place over a thousand years ago. Photography tips: Of course with a long exposure you always want to use a tripod and a self-timer/remote. Best way to avoid people looking at you while you photograph something like this is to sit down and interact a littl...

After living in Dongguan in southern China for we decided that it was time to move on. JP Jeanette and I left dongguan together. With a common goal in mind we figured we might as well travel together for a time. After leaving dongguan we headed north on the train because we had a prospective job in Jinzhong, Shanxi Province. The train ride wasn’t too bad... right. We had a bed which was unfortunately on the top bunk giving us little room to move between the bed and the ceiling, approximately 2 feet of room to be precise. We saw a lot of the Chinese country side, but were getting a little giddy and overtired near the end. The train ride was about 45 hours long, but felt more like a week. From the beginning to the end every 20 minutes a man would emerge from the end of the train car slowing pushing a fruit cart moaning shuuuuiiii guo (sounds like Shuaaaaay gwo), which means fruit in Chinese, as he made his way through the Car. By the end of the second day we were so tri...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk down a street in China during the Qing dynasty! Well you can't because it was a long time ago, but!! you can go to Nan She Village. In a district of Dongguan called Chashan you can find the village of Nan she. It is a perfectly preserved village that has survived the test of time, through the Ming and Qing dynasty it has been relatively unchanged. In the past it was known as a major cultural center for south-eastern China now it is a quiet town but no less important. It has now been placed under protection by Chinese authority as one of China's many cultural relics. The whole village is not much larger than 5-10 square blocks enclosed by an ancient wall, but it packs a lot history and culture into a small area. The current residents spend most of their time sitting around talking or walking up and down the beautiful streets. Most of the young people are usually off in modern China getting an education or working in one o...