prayer flags

Barbed wire fencing lines a hillside road in Dharamsala, India.  Tibetan prayer flags are a common scene in the northern Province of Himachal Pradesh.

freedom

The one constant found in all countries, cultures and creeds is the innate desire for freedom.  We will fight at any cost for it, protest until beaten and jailed, move to the un-known for a better way, even do the un-thinkable in the name of whatever you believe in, secular or otherwise.  The following image was taken in Dharamsala, India during a three day protest for Tibetans, both living within their borders and abroad.  This otherwise sleepy town was transformed into a constant wave of refugees, monks and Indian locals all supporting the most desired cause of all, freedom.

Patrick Chan

On Monday I had the opportunity to photograph 3 time World Champion in figure skating, Patrick Chan. During a private meet and greet at the top of the CN Tower, Patrick met with Chinese media and a selection of Chinese tourists who won a spot in a national contest to fly into Toronto, Canada and meet the World Champion. Patrick really enjoyed the lower key media event as he has been bombarded with larger scale coverage since his win over the past weekend in London, Ontario.

Buen Camino

The first day on the Camino de Santiago is said to be the most challenging of the entire pilgrimage. Dealing with the uncomfortable strain of an overloaded pack (mainly camera gear) and the constant uphill terrain, I was certain this trek would get the better of me within the first few hours. Starting well before day break, I began my Camino with a little nervousness and a lot of excitement. 800km before me and all I could see was an endless uphill walk that seemed to never level off. By the time I reached the peak of the French Pyranees I was alone, doubtful, and scared of the journey that I threw myself into. Now I am not a religious man, at least not in the organized sense, but when I stopped to drink some water and take a much needed break, I looked out at the day that was beginning to show itself and suddenly knew why I was there and what lead me to that exact spot.

The Indignados article

Please check out Fluster Magazine to see my newest photo essay and article on the Spanish Indignados. After a year of photographing within the immense crowds, this collection of images were selected to represent a group of individuals coming together in hope of a better future, for themselves and their children.

Rome & Religion

I am currently sifting through a backlog of images and projects that I worked on over the last year. I will post selects from each in the following days and weeks.

To get the ball rolling, here are a couple images that were taken while wandering the streets of Rome.

the Berber man

The next few posts will be taken and uploaded with my iPhone as my laptop is currently packed away in storage back in Madrid. This will be the easiest and most efficient way to keep up with my posting.

This image was taken in a small mountain village in Northern Morocco (and personally a long time favorite place of mine) called Chefchaouen. A man in typical Berber clothing makes his way through the small but extensive, sky blue painted, Medina.

Connecting in the off times

For anyone out there that would like to follow my work on Instagram, you can find me with the username joey_panetta. I’ve decided to get back on the old horse after a prolonged IG hiatus.

I find this will help me stay in touch even during the times where I am unable to properly upload onto my blog. Gives you all the chance to see what I’m up to on a more daily basis…if your interested

Ontario skies

I haven’t had much time recently to post anything so I wanted to send out a quick update and get the ball rolling on my edits/uploads. I’m in Toronto at the moment and will be returning to Madrid in the next short while. Should get back into the swing of things at that point. In the meantime…

Notre-Dame

“Nothing makes a man so adventurous as an empty pocket.”

-Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame