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Our Photographer of the Week - Tom McDermott

 




Like most of us, I have various collections of photos from my travels. Here are two of my favorite themes - deserts and doors. 

My first encounter with a desert was in Rajasthan as a Peace Corps volunteer.  I would often ride my bike out along desert roads.  My first encounter with a camel was there, when I was 'pulled over' by a cop on a camel, curious to find out what this young foreigner was doing out there.  I went on to work in other places close to deserts - in Egypt, Sudan, Chad, and Somalia.  The photos here are from a trip I made more recently around Morocco. 

Doors have always fascinated me.  A plain closed door says little more than "Keep out.  Move along, nothing to see here." But a decorated door invites questions - "Who or what is inside? ", "What does the owner want to tell us?"  Colors and designs give us hints, but not full answers. For those we need to knock.  Best of all are the half open doors.  "Is the owner inviting us to enter?"  This collection is from all over - New Mexico, the Dakotas, Spain, Morocco, New Orleans - doors everywhere have stories to tell - whether open, shut, or half-open, half-closed.


Two slideshows are below.  The first slide takes time to load, so please be patient.  Also note that if you click on a slide, the show will stop. 
 
Travels in the Desert
Doors

Comments

  1. Love this pictures. Thanks a lot for sharing Tom

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  2. Loved the pictures - Sree

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  3. Your two albums were lovely - desert scenes came alive, different from what we imagine (drab and boring) and the doors - who would have thought (other than Tom) to make an album of doors. Thanks.

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  4. What a lovely collection of photos..you are a keen observer of your environment. We saw the desert photos with nostalgic feelings of our days in Egypt and Sudan. The symphony of doors is unique and most interesting. We have another friend who also has a fetish for doors which he photographs everywhere he goes...yours rival his collection !
    Nadia and Fouad Kronfol

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  5. What a lovely collection of photos..you are a keen observer of your environment. We saw the desert photos with nostalgic feelings of our days in Egypt and Sudan. The symphony of doors is unique and most interesting. We have another friend who also has a fetish for doors which he photographs everywhere he goes...yours rival his collection !
    Nadia and Fouad Kronfol

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a lovely collection of photos..you are a keen observer of your environment. We saw the desert photos with nostalgic feelings of our days in Egypt and Sudan. The symphony of doors is unique and most interesting. We have another friend who also has a fetish for doors which he photographs everywhere he goes...yours rival his collection !
    Nadia and Fouad Kronfol

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  7. Great pictures! The first picture with camels possibly the best!

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  8. Wow Tom these photos are lovely. I especially like the door with the Sun ....what a wonderful welcome. Warm regards to you and the family.

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  9. I loved all your photos, the desert yes and especially the elegant sequence of the doors sequence and photos inside pre-industrial towns. The discerning eye behind the camera is the thing…beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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  10. Thanks for sharing your collection of photos, Tom. I will never look at doors the same way again!
    Cheers
    Bruce

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  11. Tom, I thoroughly enjoyed your photos, the camel train and particularly the series of door photos.



    Well done indeed.

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