fletcher’s blog

Pride Parade 2015

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The 45th San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade was June 28, 2015. This is a great event that I have attended for many years now. I love to get there early and photograph some of the staging. About 10-10:30, Mrs Vera and the Verasphere folks start to show, and I hang with them through to the end of the parade. It’s fun to march with Mrs Vera and the contingent. Like most everyone you run into at Pride, they are having loads of fun, as am I.
Almost all of the photos that I took that day were with the Verasphere.To see my complete portfolio from Pride, visit my photo page, where photo prints are available for purchase. Numbered and signed prints are available from me directly at fletcher@fletcho.com.

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Carnaval San Francisco

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The Carnaval San Francisco Parade happened on, as usual, the last Sunday in May. I always try to get there about 8 or so in the morning to take photographs while people are staging, getting made up, and doing last minute rehearsals. Almost half of the photos that I end up being pleased with are taken in the couple of hours before the parade begins. You can see a complete portfolio of Carnaval photos on my photo page.
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Finally, after years of trying, I got a good photo of this car. This photo and the two below were all taken during staging.

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Varanasi

Varanasi is a mysterious, ancient city, possibly the oldest civilized city in the world. Residents prefer to call it by older names, such as Benares or Kashi. Whatever it is called, it is a magical, reverent place. Sacred texts maintain that it isn’t a city at all, but a collection of celestial light, the subtle and cosmic form of Lord Shiva, god of  death and transformation. It manifested itself as a city for the sake of seekers of liberation. Despite the noise and trash, it is a very peaceful and joyful place to visit.

To see more photos from Varanasi, see more collections, or to purchase any of my photos, please go to my photo page.

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Saddhu, or Holy Man

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India 2014 – Delhi 1

Barbara and I were in Northern India in November, visiting Delhi, Varanasi, Agra, and Jaipur, and then back again through Delhi. I put up the first set of photos, from the first few days, all taken in Delhi. We went to a Sikh Temple on our first day and got a sense of the religious life in the country, that seems to be so much part of the daily life. The entire set can be seen at http://photos.fletcho.com/India-2014/Delhi-1

The people we encountered were very friendly.  As we walked through the city we were always photographing. We conversed, as best we could, with many people. It would have been very good to have known just a little Hindi. Other than Namaste, we knew none.

Swastikas appear everywhere in India. They are a symbol of auspiciousness in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. They have none of the stigma that prevails here in the West because of the Nazi takeover of the swastika.

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