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FACING EAST by Roger Morgan

FACING EAST

Photos from the Heart

by Roger Morgan

Pub Date: April 17th, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4836-0377-3
Publisher: Xlibris

An avid traveler and portrait photographer shares images and experiences from his journey across the Himalayas.

In his debut book, Morgan conveys via photographs the recent changes in the lives of many Himalayans. The dramatic geography of the Himalayas and their surrounding rivers created isolated regions where unique cultures developed, relatively uninfluenced by the rest of the world. Morgan explains that these cultures had maintained traditional ways of life in their almost total isolation. Immigration from surrounding regions, global warming and rapidly expanding technologies are now affecting these previously independent cultures, and Himalayans must decide whether to change or maintain their traditions. Morgan traveled across the Himalayas between 2009 and 2012, staying with families along the way. He photographed people in isolated regions of China, India, Pakistan and Nepal and shares the images and vignettes of his travels. Photographs are organized into a four-part travel book—one for each country. Morgan introduces each section with a short discussion of the region’s history and culinary culture; a brief caption accompanies each image. His funny, thought-provoking essays lead the reader to wonder about the consequences of globalization. During his travels, Morgan made attempts to wholly immerse himself in each culture by living with families in their homes. The result is an arresting portfolio that offers glimpses of cultures rarely seen by the Western world. Through precise lighting and attention to detail, Morgan’s portraits reveal the emotions and resilience in the faces of those featured; atmospheric landscapes complement these intimate portraits.

An arresting travel book about the way geography and people intersect.