Photo Series: Ventura, California, USA

I’ve travelled to Ventura on three separate occasions and every time I go, the experience is different.  My last trip, as photographed below, was taken after spending 3.5 years training muay thai in Thailand and the last 2.5 years were spent living in Buriram. Buriram is located in Thailand’s north east and lies in the countryside within close proximity to the Cambodian border. Making the transition from traditional, conservative, rural Thai culture to what I found in Ventura was unexpectedly weird. I was weird. Everyone around me was weird. I got hit hard with re-entry shock and couldn’t write. As a result, almost two years later, I’m revisiting this post in an effort to give you some context.

If you read my other photo series on Ventura, you’ll read a similar thing.  I was weird. I couldn’t write. This is what I remember. Here is some info.

So there you have it. I could make something up here, but I find that pretty goofy and unethical. So I’ll pass.

Now back to Ventura. What do I remember about Ventura on this trip that relates to these photos? Not a whole lot, but I enjoyed my time there. And I enjoyed working on these photos. I found Ventura to be much more laid back than Buriram, at least in the way I define laid back which isn’t limited to, but includes, more accepting of difference. I also remember people seeming happier.

In retrospect, I suspect I was attracted to stillness in these shots. Balance. Beauty. Quiet.

And apparently a push kick….as the first photo sort of displays….

I hope you enjoy them. If you’ve been to Ventura and want to add what I’ve failed to, please do!

Other posts in this series include: The Beaches of Santa Barbara, California, USA; Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, California, USA; The Ventura Coast; and Panoramic Ventura.