The Adventure Begins Anew

Laden with 17 bags of gear, bicycles, and bountiful well wishes for safe travels, our crew left Singapore and touched down in Siem Reap, prepped and ready for the second round of cross-Cambodian adventures.

Over the next eight days we will follow Sam McGoun, as he runs, bikes, swims and kayaks over 845km across the Cambodian countryside.  This is a one-man tour de force aimed at raising funds and awareness for the Sala Bai Hotel & Restaurant School and human trafficking prevention.

This year, Sam's route will take him from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville, metaphorically following the year-long journey of a Sala Bai student, from their education on through to their graduation.

More about About Sala Bai

For over a decade, Salan Bai has been offering tuition-free hospitality training to 100 impoverished young Camobodians annually.  Their mission is to provide their students with the capabilities and experience necessary -- in one of four disciplines: restaurant service, cooking, front office and housekeeping -- to secure gainful employment in one of Siem Reap's numerous hotels, guesthouses or restaurants. Their students’ training, and their resulting

employment breaks the cycle of poverty, improves their long term quality of life, and prevents human trafficking before it starts by providing them with a strong economic future.

The Pledge is Made

Minutes after touching down in Cambodia, Sam addressed 100 Sala Bai students, for whom this run is inspired by and dedicated to.  Speaking directly to them in a warm and intimate launch ceremony, Sam spoke about the importance of programs like Sala Bai in human trafficking prevention models and the commitment he has made along with Touch Sala Bai and numerous others to seeing this model enhanced and continued, both in Cambodia and around the world.

In a powerful closing statement, Sam officially initiated Take the Pledge, a campaign aimed at combating human trafficking by making it easy for people to understand what human trafficking is, why it occurs and what we all can to do prevent it.  This eight day peregrination is Sam’s personal manifestation of this pledge.

The terrain ahead will include the Angkor Wat temples, ancient pagodas, floating villages, the Cardamon Mountains and, mostly likely, a heavy of dose of monsoon rain.

The Route

Day 1: 15 Nov - Siem Reap - Bak Prea

Day 2: 16 Nov - Bak Prea - Wat Beung Ampeul

Day 3: 17 Nov - Wat Beung Ampeul - Samlaut Tasign

Day 4: 18 Nov - Kampong Lapov - Veal Veaeng

Day 5: 19 Nov - Osom - Cardamom Mountain - Koh Kong

Day 6: 20 Nov - Koh Kong - Mangrove - Tropeng Rung

Day 7: 21 Nov - Tropeng Rung - Veal Renh

Day 8: 22 Nov - Veal Renh - Sihanoukville

Stay tuned to see how Sam and the team weather...the weather, the distance, and a tiny crew car.

Donate to support Sam, Sala Bai and the fight against human trafficking.

Watch 'A Step Between', a short documentary film that chronicles Sam's 2012 Cross-Cambodia Journey through the voice of one courageous human trafficking survivor.

And learn how Sala Bai empowers Cambodia's most impoverished young women to obtain employment in Siem Reap's growing hospitality industry in 'Khatna's Journey: A Sala Bai Story'.

- Meghan Shea

The John Walker & Sons Voyager -- the beautiful 1920s-inspired yacht celebrating the release of the John Walker & Sons Odyssey whisky -- has now completed its round the world journey, having traveled thousands of nautical miles from Shanghai, through Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Europe, to it's final port of call in Edinburgh.

It has been many months since my travel and photography television series, Around The World With Voyager, concluded on the HISTORY Channel.  And since then I've been busy with other endeavours -- including hosting another creative photography project that will launch online soon -- and I've had an opportunity to reflect on the experience.

As a keepsake of my adventure, my good friend David Flood over at Persistent Productions put together this fantastic highlight reel of my time hosting the series.

It's been fantastic for me to relive this experience through David's video edit, and it makes me thankful for the unique opportunity The Moving Visuals Company and The HISTORY Channel provided me to step out from behind my lens and appear in front of it instead.

As I've expressed to anyone who's asked, hosting the series was a challenging transition for me to make, especially as I

still maintained all photography responsibilities throughout production.  It was a steep learning curve for me, but I absolutely enjoyed the experience and demands of bringing these two worlds together in Around The World With Voyager.

Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of my job was meeting the five icons: chef Sean Anson Xu (徐安昇) in Taipei, action star and movie director/producer Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫) in Hong Kong, film director Brillante Mendoza in Manila, fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore in Jodhpur and musical talent, Mỹ Linh in Hanoi.  It was a privilege to learn about their lives and document their personal journeys by photographing a series of definitive portraits at each of five milestone locations in their respective cities.

I feel fortunate to have experienced hosting a television series, but even more to have met and spent time with each of these remarkable people.  The highlight reel that David made for me is a wonderful keepsake of the time I spent together with these personalities, exploring their cities through their eyes, and making photographs of them in each of these interesting and meaningful locations.

Visit my website to see all my portraits from Around The World With Voyager.

As described on this blog many times, for the past few years my creative partners at Persistent Productions and I have worked closely with our friend, Sam McGoun and the Sala Bai Hotel & Restaurant School in Siem Reap, Cambodia to document the positive work they are doing for some of the country's most disadvantaged youth.

Together Mike Rogers, Meghan Shea and I have created volumes of photographic reportage and documentary film about Sala Bai, a tuition-free hospitality training school, illustrating how they provide students with the education, capabilities and experience necessary to secure gainful employment in one of Siem Reap's countless hotels, guesthouses and restaurants.

Our most recent project with Sala Bai was last year when we followed Sam as he swam, cycled and ran more than 670km across Cambodia to raise funds for Sala Bai and increase awareness about the dangers of human trafficking.

Inspired by the challenges overcome by the students of Sala Bai, Sam’s route across the Kingdom of Wonder followed the actual journey traveled by a former student named Khatna: from her floating village in Mechrey on Tonle Sap Lake, to Sala Bai where she studied in Siem Reap, to her graduation celebration on the sandy beachfront overlooking the Gulf of Thailand in Sihanoukville.

As the photography- and film-making team tasked with chronicling Sam’s odyssey, we documented his every step as he traversed snake-infested lakes and muddy rivers, ran through small dusty villages and pedaled across the glorious countryside of rural Cambodia on his way to raising more than USD$30,000 for Sala Bai.

At the conclusion of each leg we posted on this blog a daily journal and photo essay titled "Reports from the Road". And just recently Mike, Meghan and their extremely talented editor, David Flood, created this short film titled "A Step Between" which provides a candid, intimate look at Sam's cross-Cambodian adventure.

Sam has made a lifelong commitment to fight human trafficking and, in line with his promise, he will once again undertake a cross-Cambodia adventure in November. Mike, Meghan and I will be there to document and encourage Sam every step of the way.

Click here to watch our documentary team turn the cameras on ourselves in a short behind-the-scenes video.

I was so excited when I learned that I'd be photographing the stunning Ukrainian supermodel Alla Kostromichova for the September 2013 cover of Condé Nast Traveller (Russia) on the remote private island of Song Saa in Southern Cambodia.

And when I arrived on the island -- a pristine tropical hideaway blanketed in virgin rainforest, fringed by white sandy beaches, and surrounded by coral reefs -- I knew it would be a special shoot.  However, I had no idea just how special it would end up being.

The entire team -- an eclectic international mix from Russia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Canada whom had never met before -- quickly came together as both creative partners and friends.

From the long wooden bridges stretching out across the sea, to the friendly and colourful local fishing village, to the natural waterfall hidden deep in the jungle, every location was a true inspiration.

And Alla herself was an absolute dream to collaborate with and to photograph.

However, we were not without challenges: specifically, it was June and the monsoon season in the Gulf of Thailand was in full swing, which meant we were faced with highly unpredictable weather throughout our time at Song Saa.

The first three days on the island were mostly grey, overcast, and rainy, which caused a significant level of stress for the client, for the crew and, of course, for me.  However, on the actual morning we had scheduled to photograph the cover and fashion feature with Alla, the clouds cleared, the sky turned blue, and the sun shone brightly throughout the entire day.

On rare occasions everything comes together perfectly -- the location, the team, the talent, the weather -- and the photographs seem to almost make themselves.  For me, this CN Traveller shoot was one of those unique experiences.  I can say without equivocation that this was the most amazing fashion photography experience I have ever had.

Visit the following links to see a small collection of candid iPhone outtakes I made during the fashion shoot: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Go behind-the-scenes and see the entire creative team at work here.

And bowse more of my fashion photography portfolio here.

Credits

Client: Condé Nast Traveller (Russia)

Location: Song Saa Private Island

Model: Alla Kostromichova

Art Direction: Anastasia Kostolyndina

Styling: Andrea Wong

Hair & Make-up: Joey Yap

Photographer's Assistant: Zam

Stylist's Assistant: Brenda Mak

D.I. Artist: Agnes Teo

As a close friend pointed out, my image of the joyous novice monks careening down a hill at their Bhutan monastic school is my "Energizer Bunny" photograph: it keeps going and going and going...

I can't say that I mind, though.  As I've said many times before, this is my favourite photograph I've ever made.

So, when National Geographic contacted me seeking my permission to publish it again -- this time in The Best of National Geographic Yearbook 2013 -- I was ecstatic.

It took awhile to receive a copy of the book, but earlier this week a parcel arrived at my office from National Geographic in Washington, DC.  Like a child at Christmas, I ripped open the box and quickly found my favourite young monks on pages 106/07.

This is the third time my photograph has appeared in a National Geographic publication, and it still remains my proudest ever accomplishment as a photographer.  I'll be quite thrilled if it continues to go and go and go...

See my entire "Thunder Dragon" collection of Bhutan photography here.

For the past couple of years I have worked closely with the Sala Bai Hotel & Restaurant School in Siem Reap, Cambodia to document the positive work they are doing for the nation's disadvantaged youth.  My creative partners and I have made photographic reportage and documentary film about this tuition-free hospitality training school and how they provide students with the capabilities and experience necessary to secure gainful employment in one of the city's numerous hotels, guesthouses or restaurants.

Our most recent project with Sala Bai was last year when followed our friend, Sam McGoun, as he swam, cycled and ran more than 670km across Cambodia to raise funds for Sala Bai and grow awareness of the dangers of human trafficking.

Inspired by the challenges overcome by the students of Sala Bai, Sam’s route across the Kingdom of Wonder followed the actual journey traveled by a former student named Khatna: from her floating village in Mechrey on Tonle Sap Lake, to Sala Bai where she studied in Siem Reap, to her graduation celebration on the sandy beachfront overlooking the Gulf of Thailand in Sihanoukville.

As the documentary photography- and film-making team tasked with chronicling Sam’s odyssey, we did our

best to keep pace with him as he traversed muddy lakes and rivers, ran through small villages and pedaled across the countryside of rural Cambodia on his way to raising more than USD$30,000 for Sala Bai.

Along our journey we posted a daily "Reports from the Road" journal and photo essay.  And, last year, a collection of these photographs -- along with a feature about Sam and his inspirational adventure -- was published by EX Magazine in Singapore.  Excitingly, I just recently learned from EX's editor, Kate Mallord, that the story, "Khmer Ultra Tri", was awarded "Best Feature on Asian Travel" at the Asian Publishing Awards 2013.

It is always wonderful to be positively recognized for the work we do.  But it is even more rewarding to know that the stories we tell can help better the lives of others.  Thank you to EX Magazine for helping to give Sam's mission an even bigger voice.

Click here to watch our documentary team turn the cameras on ourselves in a short behind-the-scenes video.

Late last month, I received an email from the Associate Editor at Travel+Leisure India & South Asia; she was looking for a series of photographs to illustrate the final page of her July 2013 edition, in a section called "Last Look".

The issue was to be focused on South East Asia and, thus, she was interested in a collection of imagery that was "quintessentially Singapore".  I scoured my archives and sent her a collection of 8-10 landscape photographs that showcased some of Singapore's more iconic landscapes and architecture.

In the end, the team from T+L settled on three images: the imposing 'Super Trees' at Gardens by the Bay; the twisting Helix Bridge at Marina Bay Sands; and the technicolour panorama of a nighttime Clarke Quay.

Browse more of my landscape photography on my website.

Although I have lived in Asia for nearly 17 years, it was only recently that I had the privilege of visiting Japan for the first time.

This past April and May, I spent nearly one month in Osaka shooting a commercial assignment for InterContinental Hotels.  The creative brief, by its very nature, ensured that I spent nearly all day and night inside a hotel.  My reprieves from hotel living were generally measured in minutes in the mornings and afternoons and a couple of hours in the evenings.

However, even if only briefly, I relished wandering the streets in Osaka's bustling Umeda and Kitashinchi districts -- window shopping, people watching and generally observing the world go by during beautiful early spring days.  As always, my iPhone was close at hand, and I thoroughly enjoyed shooting a variety of street photographs of the places and characters I encountered in those fleeting moments.

Simply put, I absolutely loved my time in Japan.  I felt a true affinity for the people and the nuances of the culture.  And for the first time in many years -- perhaps since I first visited Asia as a teenager nearly 20 years ago -- I felt a true sense of culture shock.  Crazy as it may sound, these feelings of isolation and displacement exhilarated me, making me feel alive.

I am well aware that I only scratched the surface of Japan. But, honestly, it now feels like an itch that I can't seem to stop scratching.

See more of my iPhoneography elsewhere on this blog or on Flickr.

Follow me and my iPhoneography on Instagram.

*Waratte or 笑って translates to English as "Smile".

One day, my client, my assistant and I were walking to a taxi and, as we walked past a building, I was struck by the light and the repeating pattern made by the pillars.  I stopped and lined-up a photograph, waiting for someone to walk through my frame. These three young women strolled by and -- just as they did -- my Japanese client called out "Waratte!!" and the young woman in the middle turned and looked directly into my lens while giving a little smile and wave.  This photograph is located in the top right-hand corner above.

Exactly one year ago I joined my close friends Mike and Meghan in the United States for two glorious weeks of creative partnership and collaboration.  Together, with the support of Nikon Asia, we made a collection of photographs and created a short film with folk and roots musician Ben Taylor at his home on beautiful Martha's Vineyard.  It was a fantastic opportunity to work on an exciting project, as well as experience a picturesque corner of Atlantic America.

Following our shoot on Martha's Vineyard, we retired to Mike and Meghan's seaside home in Rockport, Massachusetts to edit our work.  A small town of just 7,000 people, Rockport is located about 40km northeast of Boston at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula.  Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on three sides, Rockport is a quaint tourist destination filled with cafés, boutiques and art galleries; a wonderful place to spend a few days working and enjoying nature and the local flavours.

One of the highlights of my visit to Rockport was spending time with Meghan's brother, Matt Shea, who also called the small cottage home.  Every day we'd take a break for a walk or coffee with Matt; and every evening the four of us would have dinner and drinks together on the balcony overlooking the lobster boats at Bradley Wharf and the iconic red Motif Number 1, "a fishing shack well known to students

of art and art history as 'the most often-painted building in America.'"

Prior to this visit, I had met Matt only briefly -- when I was in America in 2008 -- but it was during this trip that I got to know him much better.  Matt was warm and welcoming. He loved comedy and had a dry sense of humour himself. He always had a baseball cap on his head and he wore shorts every day, despite the weather barely reaching above 10 degrees celsius.  I loved my time with him.

For more than a decade Matt battled cancer.  On April 17, 2013, at the age of 27, he lost this battle.

I made this photograph one evening while Mike, Meghan, Matt and I sat on the balcony and watched the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean.  It was a special photograph for me, and upon my return to Singapore I gave a print of this to Mike and Meghan to thank them for the friendship and warm hospitality they showed me in Rockport.

But now this photograph has different meaning for me. Now it will always remind me of Matt and the time we shared together.  I have wonderful memories of joyful moments with a special friend.  It is these times, and this photograph, that I will choose to reflect upon when I remember Matt and how he touched us all.

The John Walker & Sons Voyager has departed Asia and sailed onto the Middle East and Europe, bringing to an end my HISTORY Channel travel and photography television series, Around The World With Voyager.

Hosting a TV show was a remarkable experience, and I am extremely grateful for the unique opportunity to step out from behind my lens and appear in front of it.  It was a challenging transition for me to make, particularly as I still had all the responsibilities of a photographer.  And although creating television is a completely different endeavour than making still photography, I definitely enjoyed the experience of bringing these two worlds together in Around The World With Voyager.

Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of the job was meeting the five icons a, learning about their lives, and documenting their personal journeys by photographing a definitive portrait of them at each of five milestone locations in their respective cities.

Across the four months of shooting Around The World With Voyager, I met with and photographed chef Sean Anson Xu (徐安昇) in Taipei, action star and movie director/producer Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫) in Hong Kong, film director

Brillante Mendoza in Manila, fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore in Jodhpur and musical talent, Mỹ Linh in Hanoi.

Each of these individuals is a game changer in their own right, and I feel privileged to have spent time with, and got to know personally, each and every one of these remarkable people.  Exploring their cities through their eyes, and making photographs of them in each of these beautiful and meaningful locations was an experience I will always remember.

Visit my website to see these, and more, portraits from Around The World With Voyager.

The Voyager's last port of call is breathtaking Halong Bay, Vietnam.

In this, the fifth and final episode of The HISTORY Channel's Around The World With Voyager, I travel to the buzzing capital city of Hanoi where I meet Mỹ Linh, one of the nation's foremost musical talents.

Mỹ Linh’s beautiful voice has captivated hearts across Vietnam and beyond.  She is one of the country's most recognizable performers, as well as a musical ambassador to the world, having performed concerts throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of Mỹ Linh’s career as a musical artist and performer.  Together we celebrate this remarkable milestone by exploring the city she has called home her entire life.

Born into a working class family at the end of the Vietnam War, Mỹ Linh brings me to meet her mother in the old Hanoi neighbourhood where she grew-up.  As she recalls her formative years, we stroll down a memory lane dotted with traditional snacks, old limestone walls and bicycles in narrow lanes.  Mỹ Linh’s late father has been a great inspiration to her, and to honour him I decide to photograph Mỹ Linh and her mother together holding a

portrait of Mỹ Linh as a little girl in the arms of her loving father.  Here, Mỹ Linh also comes face-to-face with her childhood inspiration and the revisits traditional Vietnamese music of her youth.

Mỹ Linh’s formidable musical talent was evident from her teenage years.  In 1991, she was named Best High School Student Singer and Best Singer in a Pop Band.  These awards were a sign of success to come and, when she scored first on her entrance exam, Mỹ Linh enrolled in the prestigious Hanoi Conservatory of Music.  To date, she has released more than ten albums and, in 2006, her “Chat Với Mozart”, an innovative fusion of Vietnamese and classical Western music, was named Album of the Year.  Ever grateful for her successes, Mỹ Linh brings me to the Hai Ba Trung Pagoda where she continues to keep in touch with her spiritual side.  Together we make a dramatic portrait of her in prayer inside the beautiful Buddhist temple.

Mỹ Linh then escorts me to Long Bien Bridge to introduce me to her husband, acclaimed Vietnamese composer-producer Anh Quân.  Long Bien Bridge is significant as it's where the couple -- now parents to two children, as well as Anh Quân's daughter from an earlier marriage -- shared their first date on the back of a scooter many years ago.  I capture them, perched on a vintage Vespa, as they recreate the romance of that first date.

From here, Mỹ Linh invites me to her home in the Hanoi countryside.  It is here that Mỹ Linh and Anh Quân continue to record her bestselling albums together in their state-of-the-art recording studio and where I create a series of photographs of Mỹ Linh singing one of her many hit songs.

Mỹ Linh has dedicated her entire career to the pursuit of excellence.  Her styles range from opera and classical music to R&B, soul, funk and pop.  Naming the late Whitney Houston as one of her influences, fittingly Mỹ Linh herself is renowned as one of Vietnam’s "Four Divas".  To celebrate her life in music, I decide to make my final portrait of Mỹ Linh performing on the stage at the iconic Hanoi Opera House, one of the city’s historic musical landmarks.

To experience Mỹ Linh's journey through my lens, catch the fifth and final episode of Around The World With Voyager, which premieres on Monday 4 March at 11pm on HISTORY and HISTORY HD.

Watch promotional trailers for the first, second, third and fourth episodes where I meet and photograph chef Sean Anson Xu (徐安昇) in Taipei, action star and movie director/producer Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫) in Hong Kong, film director Brillante Mendoza in Manila and fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore in Jodhpur.

The Voyager's next port of call is the dazzling 'Blue City' of Jodhpur, India.

In the fourth episode of The HISTORY Channel's Around The World With Voyager, I meet renowned fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore and explore with him this majestic city on the edge of the Thar desert.

Born in Rajasthan, India’s “State of Kings”, Raghavendra is a proud bearer of his heritage as one of the descendants of Jodhpur’s royal clan, the Rathores (he is the great-grandson of Sardar Singh, 34th Maharaja of Jodhpur). Raghavendra shares stories of a childhood spent in Rajasthan before leaving India as a young man for further studies in the United States.

Fearing that academia might stifle his pursuit of creativity, Raghavendra studied Human Anthropology and Robotics at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, then Arts and Philosophy at Marlboro College in Vermont, before enrolling at New York's acclaimed Parsons School of Design.

When acclaimed fashion designer Donna Karan visited Parsons, she handpicked Raghavendra to work for her as an assistant designer at DKNY's sportwear division. Raghavendra went on to work with other famous

Manhattan labels Oscar de la Renta and Bill Blass before returning to Jodhpur and launching his eponymous fashion label, “Rathore Jodhpur”.

Inspired by his hometown of Jodhpur, Raghavendra's personal designs integrate the heritage and charm of classic Rajasthani fashion with modern styling and aesthetics.  He is best known for reviving the traditional Jodhpurs and Bandhgalas, making them internationally fashionable, while also preserving and promoting Rajashtan culture.

In 2011, Raghavendra was honoured by Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, for promoting the heritage and culture of Rajasthan through his fashion designs and for making his designs synonymous with Indian heritage.

I first meet Raghavendra at the regal sandstone Ajit Bhawan palace, his distinguished home filled with family photographs and other heirlooms.  It is here that I learn about his family -- and, in particular, his father, who had a significant influence in shaping Raghavendra's life -- and I make a portrait of him in his drawing room.

We take time to admire his family's remarkable vintage automobile collection, but it is one car in particular -- a beautiful 1947 MG TC -- that Raghavendra lovingly

and personally restored that catches my eye for our photo shoot.

Next, Raghavendra takes me to the historic and imposing Mehrangarh Fort.  Towering on a hill more than 400 feet above Jodhpur, this is one of the largest forts in all of India. Celebrated for its elaborate carvings and expansive courtyards, it is here that Raghavendra's cousin, His Highness The Maharaja Gaj Singh II, invited Raghavendra to host his first fashion show, changing the trajectory of Raghavendra's life.  Together we create a fashion-inspired portrait in one of the citadel's stunning courtyards.

When Raghavendra was a boy, his father would take him to the countryside, exposing him to village life and allowing him to experience indigenous Rajasthani customs and tradition.  Pukraj is a village weaver that Raghavendra and his father met many decades ago, and together we visit him at his humble home.  Although Raghavendra's designs are contemporary, here with Pukraj I witness firsthand how he continues to draw inspiration from his cultural roots.  In an enjoyable twist, I photograph both Pukraj and Raghavendra together.

Our final location is a couple of hours' drive outside Jodhpur in the vast Thar desert.  With some help from some local young men, we drag a giant seven-foot mirror up a

massive sand dune to create a more conceptual portrait of our subject.  Just as the sun sets over the Rajasthan desert, I capture Raghavendra in reflection, both literally and figuratively.

Raghavendra is an incredibly interesting person to meet and a fantastic subject to photograph.  I admire how his contemporary design principles have been strongly influenced by his cultural heritage, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about his family history and his creative and life philosophies.

To experience Raghavendra's journey through my lens, catch the fourth episode of Around The World With Voyager,which premieres on Monday 11 February at 11pm on HISTORY and HISTORY HD.

Watch the promotional trailers for the first, second and third episodes where I met and photographed chef Sean Anson Xu (徐安昇) in Taipei, action star and movie director/producer Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫) in Hong Kong and film director Brillante Mendoza in Manila.

I believe that photography is the most accessible and democratic form of artistic expression.  The ubiquity of digital cameras -- on mobile phones or small point-and-shoot cameras all the way to large, powerful DSLR or medium format cameras -- is making it ever simpler to capture high-quality images anywhere, anytime.

But as most will attest, making great photographs has little to do with owning the best and most expensive equipment.  Personally, I believe that the real secret behind great photography is in how you see a moment and interpret it in a still frame, regardless of what type of camera you are using.  Are you able to make something ordinary appear extraordinary by showing it differently?  Are you able to make the viewer feel an emotion when they see your photograph?  Are you able to transport someone to a moment with you simply by pressing the shutter?

I often find it hard to imagine what I did before I owned an iPhone.  I've shot more pictures in the past three years than I have in my entire life, making more than ten thousand photographs that I never would have ever created if I'd not had a camera in my pocket at all times.

My iPhone has undoubtedly made me a better photographer.  As anyone who loves photography will

attest, you cannot turn creativity on and off; amazing photographic opportunities exist all around us.  And an endless stream of imagery floating across my screen from photographers across the globe on Instagram and Flickr and Twitter provides me with constant stimulation and inspiration.  As photographer Chase Jarvis succinctly stated, "The best camera is the one that’s with you".  And my iPhone always is.

As a professional photographer, I am paid to document my experiences around the world.  It is an amazing job, and I feel truly thankful and fortunate for my career and the opportunities I have.  But, candidly, it is so invigorating to visit a new country, enjoy the sights and sounds and actually experience the journey -- to be present and live the adventure, observing with my own two eyes rather than being concerned about capturing every moment through the lens of my camera.  This is the approach I consciously took on my recent holiday to Myanmar.

I packed a camera bag full of Nikon DSLRs and fast lenses, which I dutifully lugged on six flights into, across and out of "The Golden Land", and only dug them out of their cocoon twice in more than two weeks.  It was refreshing, but more than anything else, it was liberating.

Of course, this doesn't mean that I didn't make many

hundreds of images.  It just means that I did it differently. Rather than actively hunting for photographs, I allowed the photographs to find me.  And I did it entirely on my iPhone. The result was a different kind of travel and photographic experience than I am used to having.  And I loved it.

I have always called my style “Choose Your Own Adventure Photography” after the books I used to read as a child. Literally and creatively, I can go one direction and discover a remarkable photographic opportunity; or I can go another direction and find something entirely different.  It is this serendipity that is the beauty of photography for me.  The 15 days I spent exploring and experiencing and enjoying Myanmar with my iPhone further validated this philosophy.

See more of my iPhoneography elsewhere on this blog or on Flickr.

Follow me and my iPhoneography on Instagram.

The Voyager's next port of call is the frenetic Philippine port city of Manila.

In the third episode of The HISTORY Channel's Around The World With Voyager, globally acclaimed auteur Brillante Mendoza, a man who’s forged the path for Filipino filmmakers on the world stage, tours me around his nation's capital of 12 million people.

First, Brillante brings me to the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest university in all of Asia, where he majored in advertising.  It was here that Brillante launched a successful career as a production designer, working on television commercials for renowned Filipino and international brands.  However, Brillante reveals how he wanted something more from his life.

In 2005, he received a script for a movie, reworked it and with just USD$10,000, made Masahista (The Masseur).  The film would win Mendoza various awards including the Golden Leopard at the 58th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.

I then follow Brillante to Mandaluyong, one of the 16 cities comprising Metropolitan Manila.  It was in these streets that Brillante filmed Masahista -- and here that he realised filmmaking was his true life's calling.

In Mandaluyong, Brillante also filmed scenes for Kinatay (Butchered), a hard-hitting 2009 effort that earned him the Prix de la mise en scène (Best Director) at the Cannes International Film Festival, making him the first Filipino to ever win this prestigious award.

From here, Brillante brings me to visit the Quiapo Church, Manila’s famous Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, where he regularly attends mass.  Mendoza's personal life remains important, and here he explains that his greatest achievement beyond all his film awards is being a father to his adopted daughter.

I then follow and photograph Brillante in the packed streets of Quiapo, Manila's old downtown, where he filmed Tirador (Slingshot).  He explains to me that it is here, among the ordinary people living in these neighbourhoods, that he finds the inspiration for his films; he seeks people in extraordinary situations to reflect life's realities and inspiring change.

From the bustling streets, I retreat with Brillante to his personal Eden.  It is inside this lush, green hideaway -- known as the "Secret Garden" -- where Brillante continues to make films with honesty.  In this serene location, in one of Asia’s most unique cities, I conclude my time with a truly distinctive Filipino voice: Brillante Mendoza.

I found Brillante to be a remarkable subject; his passion for his craft, his country and his fellow Filipinos is both palpable and admirable.

To experience Brillante's journey through my lens, catch the third episode of Around The World With Voyager,which premieres on Monday 14 January at 11pm on HISTORY and HISTORY HD.

To learn more about my time on Voyager in Manila and with Brillante, read these articles in The Philippine Star, The Philippine Daily Inquirer and Rappler.

Watch the promotional trailers for the first and second episodes where I met and photographed Sean Anson Xu (徐安昇) in Taipei and Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫) in Hong Kong.

The Voyager's next port of call is Hong Kong.

In this episode of The HISTORY Channel's Around The World With Voyager, I meet actor, singer, musician, model, writer and director Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫), one of the territory's most versatile talents.

Stephen first rose to fame in the 1990s as one half of the music duo Dry, before moving into acting in and directing action movies Gen-X Cops, Enter the Phoenix and Jump! which cemented his popularity with the Hong Kong public.

Stephen is a multifaceted personality, and has continued to cross genres with his film work.

Stephen takes on the role of my tour guide, leading me to five different locations that represent significant milestones in his life in Hong Kong.  My mission is to photograph five definitive portraits of Stephen at these locations around the city, capturing and revealing his phenomenal rise through Hong Kong's competitive and acclaimed entertainment industry.

Revealing his unlikely beginnings as a star, Stephen brings me to Hong Kong's iconic Peak and the German Swiss

School he attended as a teenager.  Here we reminisce about his youth and growing-up in this bustling city.

Stephen loves heavy metal music -- bands like AC/DC, Guns 'N Roses, Metallica -- and as a youngster he dreamed of being a rock 'n roll star.  We visit the Tom Lee Music School where Stephen learned to play and we talk about his passion for music and how it influenced his life.  Stephen even rips a few chords for me on his electric guitar.

He then takes me on a tour of Happy Valley and to his first home.  Aiming to get access inside, he provides me some insight into the community and what his modest first apartment meant to him after many years of hard work.

To uncover the beginnings of Stephen's movie career, he brings me to the trendy On Lan Street in Central where he filmed the first scene of his directorial debut, Enter the Phoenix, in which he also co-starred alongside his close friend Daniel Wu.

And, for his final portrait, Stephen and I visit Diversion Pictures, the production company that he recently started with Wu.  Here we talk about their acclaimed inaugural film, Tai Chi Zero, and how this complex

project has been such a huge step for him, signaling yet another new and exciting phase in his life.

It was a pleasure to meet Stephen and have an opportunity to explore Hong Kong through his eyes.

To experience Stephen's journey through my lens, catch the second episode of Around The World With Voyager, which premieres on Monday 10 December at 11pm on HISTORY and HISTORY HD.

Click here to watch the promotional trailer for the first episode where I met and photographed Sean Anson Xu 徐安昇 in Taipei.