City Herd

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Discover the stories behind my photographs, captured around the world in magnificent landscapes and foreign cultures

City Herd

 

Hello out there,

Meeting locals during my travels has always been a very important aspect of my journeys. Especially during my trip through Iran, I was very curious about how people reacted to foreigners, due to their political isolation. Surprisingly the people were much more opened than I had experienced it from other countries, even though most of them did not speak English at all. But usually, a conversation always works out somehow. Of all of these encounters, the one leading to this photo was probably the most memorable.

While I was staying in Shiraz, Iran’s capital of roses, I always looked at a hill located right in the center of the city. I imagined, that the view from the top would probably be great for some sunset photos. So I spend the afternoon of my second day in town to get to its top. On the way up, I heard some dogs barking. For a second I thought about going back down but decided that I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity for capturing a great sunset shot and therefore continued.

On top, a shepherd and his sheep were crossing my way, followed by the barking dogs, which of course were harmless. The shepherd instantly came up to me and wanted to know where I was from. By now I knew some of the typical questions the locals liked to asked. So we were there in the setting sun trying to have a conversation without speaking the same language. Then, of course, I had to ask him if I could capture a photo of him since the light was just perfect. He agreed and it turned out as one of my most favored photos of the whole trip.