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Here's how we spent the day today. Plus a few monks and cranes and bearded vultures. It's been marvellous.
Messed up my thread and here's where I started sharing my Bhutan pics from this journey :)
Got invited inside to take part in their puja ceremony. One of those things that happens sometimes when travelling around Bhutan.
The more guests who attend the more special the puja. I'm heading back next week and I'll take a bunch of prints for them.
Today we had a blessing from a lovely monk, in a temple that pre-dates the very town of Paro itself. Am back in Paro for a few days. Hoping to catch up on my photos and dig out some of the faves.
If you ever travel to Bhutan make sure you leave enough time here to journey all the way to Gangtey in Phobjikha Valley. It's a real gem of Bhutan. Potato farmers, migratory cranes, a magnificent gompa and some beautiful forests.
Sunshine is out in force again. I love winter in the Himalayas because it's dry and sunny, plus it's super cold at night which means I get a good night's sleep!
I'm working on a new YouTube video that delves into my experiences this month shooting in the Himalayas. I've been enjoying ICM at some of my favie temples and gompas and dzongs.
Here's a sneak preview below :)
If you enjoy watching photography tutorials on YouTube feel free to subscribe to my channel and keep an eye out at the end of the month for my ICM special.
Woke up at 5am. The power is out across the valley. The stars are just giving way to the faintest hint of dawn light. The cranes are honkering like mad down in the marshes.
Goodnight from Bhutan.
Today we left Phobjikha Valley and are spending the night in Trongsa. On the way we stopped into Chendibji Chorten, where they now have a small gompa for very young novice monks.
It was a very good day today.
@ewen@photog.socialCan't keep up with my photos on this trip. Took another 3000 captures today. Mostly at a festival. Will share some of those tonight.
Still haven't processed all my little monks learning to make Thorma in Chendibji.
Dancing monks in Bhutan. Late in the day there was one final "masked dance", and in many ways the most significant. The Black Hat Cham.
They timed it to perfection, with the last monk disappearing back into the temple seconds before the light fell behind the mountains.
A few scenes from behind the scenes at this week's festival in Bhumthang.
The Band. The Mask. The Monk. The Moment.
Afternoon light on Drukgyel Dzong.
Some places are easily overlooked by photographers who are searching for "the ultimate" landscape shot or whatever. I like these quiet moments with the Thunder Dragon.
The other day we arrived in Phobjikha and headed to the crane centre and a storm blew through but first it lit up the other side of the valley :)
These shots on the Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 and gotta say it's a handy lens to have in the bag.
I'm sitting in a cafe with a hour to kill so I'm doing a smidge of processing and trying to delete most of 6,500 shots taken in Phobjikha Valley.
Just found my Lawa La shots and I can't believe Bhutan can be so lovely.
Amazes me how many butterflies are still darting about in Bhutan even at this time of year.
There's a few winter blossoms that help things along. We're just getting to the end of the leather wood and it's stunning blue petals.
@ewen "can't keep up with my photos": Dauerzustand.
@ewen I think your shutter finger wants time and a half and extra bacon sandwiches for all that hard work, Ewan. 
@ewen Three thousand in a single day? Wow! I think the most I've shot at an event is maybe 2,000 tops.
And most of those are decidedly not keepers. 
Festivals in Bhutan are a lot like wildlife. Worthwhile taking advantage of the continuous burst.
Have to say this little Sony ZV-E1 is doing a stellar job with AF as well. The hit rate is amazing. I just deleted 1000 of today's 3000+, mostly from the final dance of the day.
The light was just gorgeoooous!
@ewen That's still an impressive rate of keepers!
I use burst shooting on rare occasions, mostly because I don't like the agony of having to later decide which slightly different photo is the best.
I am brutal and unforgiving and willing to sell my own children into slavery. Deleting on a massive scale is essential for the common good.
@ewen I'm far more willing to kill my darlings now than I used to be. I don't want to look at the failures again, and I'd need a lot more storage if I didn't!
@ewen second photo is great
@ewen Spectacular!
♬ 
@ewen serious work being done. 
They go hard these lads. Physically impressive display. Spiritually powerful by all accounts too :)