Rob Squire Photography

01/27/2026

The Bugamo tribe lives in the Central Highlands of Papua New Guinea where I witnessed a recreation of a part of their heritage in which they paint themselves as skeletons. There are at least two legends that explain the origin of this strange custom, and you may hear several versions of each, depending on who is telling the story. One version explains the origin from hundreds of years ago, when they believed that a monster lived in the nearby woods. They needed to go into those woods to hunt and fish, but they were afraid that the monster would eat them. They needed a way to protect themselves from the monster, so they decided to try to scare it by painting themselves like skeletons. This apparently worked, because no one was eaten by the monster, and they have continued to paint themselves in the same way. Another less fanciful explanation is that it was doner to strike fear in enemy tribes.

Whatever the real reason is, the effect is chilling. The sight of these guys approaching me, even though I was (almost) sure they meant me no harm, was alarming at best. I could see some of them in the thick vegetation, while others approached me in a haphazard fashion with their eyes fixed on me. Others jumped out from the jungle and they all were equally frightening.

Their red tongues added to the eerie sight, but actually have nothing to do with the Skeleton Men. It is very common in PNG to chew betel nut. It is a nut that gives a mild high and they seem to love it here. The problem is that it turns their mouths red and eats away the enamel on their teeth. You often see red patches on the ground where they have spit out the juice. Even with all of the warnings about health hazards, they are undeterred and continue to chew it.

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01/01/2026

The Falkland Islands have an amazing amount of wildlife, much of it of the avian fauna. One of the many species that call the Falklands home is the Black Browed Albatross, and it is estimated that there are a half-million breeding pairs on the two main islands. That amounts to 70% of the world population. While considered a medium size albatross, their wingspan can still reach eight feet across. They are easy to identify with their deep black eye markings contrasting to their snow-white body feathers. These beautiful birds are known for their deep tenderness for each other, forming life-long monogamous bonds. They show their affection for each other in several ways, one of which is bill-rubbing.

While visiting the Falklands, I visited one of their nesting sites at West Point Island. It is difficult to describe the feeling I had when I saw over a thousand birds there. Some were resting on the cliffside while others were flying in circles around the rookery like soldiers patrolling the perimeter of their compound. I witnessed their tender behavior with each other, and was able to capture it only by patiently following this pair with my camera, snapping the shutter before the quick moment passed.

12/04/2025

Dubai is an amazing city of superlatives, holding records in several categories. The Dubai Mall is the world's largest shopping mall with over 1,200 shops and 3.8 million square feet of floor space. The Palm Jumeirah is the world's largest man-made island, clearly visible from space looking like a palm tree. This desert monarchy even has the world's largest indoor ski resort. It also has the world's tallest building. The Burj Khalifa is a half-mile tall needle piercing the clouds. Rising above a city of hundreds of skyscrapers, the Burj dwarfs them all like a sequoia tree growing from a cornfield. When I first saw it, all I could say was "wow".

I tried shooting this building several times. Photos looking up from the base were unimpressive. Morning shots were ruined by the humidity in the air, and night shots didn't work the first two times I tried. I made my final attempt on the last evening I was there before I flew home, and everything came together.

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11/06/2025

Geghard Monastery is one of many in Armenia, but it is unique in several important ways. Dating back to the 13th century, the original part of the monastery was built entirely into the cliff. It was an ecclesiastical center of medieval Armenia, containing several relics including the spear that is reputed to be the one that pierced the side of Christ while he was on the cross.

Walking into the dark interior, I could see the walls of rock that replaced the more typical materials normally used in churches and monasteries. My eyes were soon drawn to Armenians praying at several votive candle stands. The worshippers were reverently lighting thin candles that were pitched at all angles, their faces lit only by the flickering flames. I set up my camera off to the side to be as unobtrusive as possible and so that I wasn't a distraction to them. No one minded, as I was only one of many snapping photos in this very photogenic masterpiece of medieval Armenian Christianity.

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10/15/2025

When I first looked out over the city of Baku in Azerbaijan, I found it to have a delightful combination of classic old-world charm and exciting modern architecture. Waking around the city one sees hundreds of buildings that are in such wonderful shape, they look like they were designed 150 years ago, but built yesterday. Classic lines, wrought-iron balconies and French Provincial facades rise from the streets as if seeded by the imaginations of famous architects of yesterday.

At the same time, Baku demonstrates that it isn't mired in the past with dozens of towering glass buildings, built mostly near the waterfront with visiting sightseers and business-people in mind. Three of these buildings can be found near Crescent Bay and are part of the visually stunning Crescent Bay Development Project. With facades of glass reflecting Baku's azure sky, one's eyes are irresistibly drawn to them.

I walked there one morning while I was searching for a pastry shop where I could relax with a cup of cappuccino and enjoy the peaceful morning. As I looked up at the tallest of the three, I immediately noticed the crisp reflections of other older buildings across the street, which perfectly illustrated the city's juxtaposition of old and new. This was one of the rare instances when I was caught without my camera when I'm traveling, so with all thoughts of a peaceful breakfast cast aside, I fetched my camera from my hotel and returned.

By the time I arrived, the light was all wrong. I took some shots anyway, knowing that I wouldn't be satisfied. Later that day, I returned and captured the same shot with the sun directly behind the building, fully illuminating the reflected buildings. Luck was with me, and the sky was dotted with individual puffy clouds that provided an interesting sky to an interesting building that had interesting reflections.

https://www.robsquirephotography.com/man-made?pgid=j76a2nfg-86c0be99-a20b-4a83-a96a-758282dccbfc

08/17/2025

The 1859 discovery of gold in present day Colorado triggered an influx of thousands of wild-eyed miners to the nearby mountains, igniting the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Miners with dreams of fabulous riches spread out over what would some day become the state of Colorado, staking claims of their own and sometimes violently jumping the claims of others in attempts to find that precious yellow metal. Towns sprang up as fast as others were deserted as word spread about other promising areas to dig.

One such town was Goldfield, whose population at one time was 3,500 people. By the time it was founded, most of the craziness was subsiding, but the quest for the shiny substance still continued. With a population of only 63 today, it is largely a ghost town. Traveling in the area, one still can see several headframes of now-abandoned mines along with the houses and other buildings that housed the miners and sometimes their families.

I had been shooting at the Theresa Mine, and while heading back to the hotel, I spotted this old abandoned cabin near a stand of aspens. The lighting conditions were great and the scene beaconed to my camera and I. Normally, I'm a bit nervous when shooting by the side of the road, but the traffic was almost nonexistent. That allowed my thoughts to go to the people that once lived here. What were their lives like? Did they strike it rich or did they die paupers? Were they happy, or did gold fever drive them mad? Did children once run through those aspens, or was the home as silent then as it is now? I guess we'll never know.

07/12/2025

South Georgia Island is known for its seemingly unlimited numbers of avian wildlife, particularly King Penguins. When found in small numbers, they are inquisitive and often approach humans with their comical shuffling gait. They are also found in vast raucous colonies containing thousands of breeding pairs. The shore of Fortuna Bay on the north side of the island is home to one such colony.

After leaving the zodiac, I made my way slowly, taking photos of these comical flightless birds. Sometimes I found them in pairs and sometime in groups of ten or more, often waddling in single file lines like soldiers marching in formation.

Finally, after climbing up to the top of a bluff, what unfolded before me was a jaw-dropping sight. There in front of me were thousands of Kings. With few exceptions, I've almost never seen so large a number of any species all together in one place. Surprisingly, most were chicks which are covered in brown down that remains in place until their waterproof feathers come in. It was impossible to capture the enormity of the colony in a single photograph because they were spread out over a large area below me. I focused on the largest concentration of them gathered around a small lake. And then I just stood there and watched.

https://www.robsquirephotography.com/wildlife?pgid=j768juys-5b6f44c2-1fc8-4a60-94dc-baf006eb3883

05/10/2025

The main reason that people visit the Falkland Islands is to see wildlife, and birds in particular. You see birds almost everywhere you go, and you will find them in large concentrations in some places. A small island on the northwestern side of the Falkland archipelago called West Point Island is home to one of those places. By some estimates, this major breeding ground may be home to an astounding 400,000 breeding pairs.

I first observed these beautiful birds sitting on their nests interspersed with comical Rockhopper Penguins waddling about. Some of the monogamous pairs of males and females were going through tender mating rituals while others were sitting on nests caring for their eggs. I moved on and witnessed hundreds more in flight, flapping their 8-foot wingspans and circling the nesting site. They seemed to come from all directions at once soaring high in the sky, then swooping low over the rocky hillside. I later realized that the area I had visited was but a small portion of a much larger colony.

04/10/2025

The first time I landed on the continent of Antarctica, I was almost in a state of shock. As I wrote in my blog, the beauty was staggering. There was so much to look at - mountains of ice, snowscapes as far as the eye could see, crystal clear water that was as still as a pane of glass - and the cutest darn Gentoo Penguins you could ever imagine. I am more a landscape photographer than an wildlife photographer, but those vistas had to wait a bit until I watched these little critters for a while.

As I observed, one of them couldn't quite make up his mind which way he wanted to go. First he went in one direction, then another, only to reverse course yet again. I thought it was pretty cute to watch, but I also thought that the track he made in the snow made a great shot of this silly looking bird that I would grow so fond of before my visit to Antarctica was over.

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02/20/2025

There is a seemingly inexhaustible supply of wildlife in the Falkland Islands, and I had spent a lot of time photographing a wide variety of birds while I was there. When I landed on New Island, one of the western-most islands of the Falkland archipelago, I expected more of the same. But as I approached the shore, my attention was immediately drawn to a large wreck on the shore. This all-wooden vessel was missing almost the entire starboard half of the hull, with the boat's innards exposed to the elements. The rusted iron machinery provided a colorful juxtaposition to the green algae that was growing on the remaining hull.

The highly structured clouds in the sky together with the yellows of the sand and nearby hills all seemed to envelop the boat, holding it in its grip. I spent a lot of time shooting the boat from various positions, and at one point a pair of Kelp Geese decided to investigate adding one more interesting element.

Ironically, this wreck was beached in a little harbor on the island that was known as Coffin's Harbor.

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To most people, photography is a hobby, a diversion, a way to record events they experience and places they visit.   To me, it's far more than that.  For me it is a passion, a way of life, and a means to create something beautiful or interesting out of even the mundane and ordinary.  A photograp...