Close Encounters of the Human Kind


“To be far from the madding crowd is to be mad indeed.” 

~A.E. Coppard

 

Travel, Humans, Photography, People, Crowds, Portraits, Street Photography

Boxing Day, Sydney 2013

 

Travel, Humans, Photography, People, Crowds, Portraits, Street Photography

Bangkok Celebration

 

Travel, Humans, Photography, People, Crowds, Portraits, Street Photography

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo

 

“Walking into the crowd was like sinking into a stew – you became an ingredient, you took on a certain flavour.” 

~Margaret Atwood

 

Travel, Humans, Photography, People, Crowds, Portraits, Street Photography

Fun at the Mall

 

Travel, Humans, Photography, People, Crowds, Portraits, Street Photography

Times Square Pair

 

Travel, Humans, Photography, People, Crowds, Portraits, Street Photography

Rush Hour

 

“The nice thing about crowds is that someone can throw a bottle and you don’t take it personally.”

~David Sedaris

 

Travel, Humans, Photography, People, Crowds, Portraits, Street Photography

Window Shoppers

 

Travel, Humans, Photography, People, Crowds, Portraits, Street Photography

Outdoor Concert, Sydney

 

Travel, Humans, Photography, People, Crowds, Portraits, Street Photography

Crowd Control, Bangkok

 

Travel, Humans, Photography, People, Crowds, Portraits, Street Photography

Humanity

 

Where are the crowds? There ought to be crowds. Send in the crowds.

 

With warm wishes to you for a Happy New Year

and a much better 2021.

 

 

 

 

Categories: Photography, Street Photography, TravelTags: , , , , , , , , , ,

116 comments

  1. so, beautiful

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Am especially enjoying that one by David Sedaris 🙂

    Like

  3. Hi, Jane – I was immediately attracted to these images when I saw one of them on your blog’s homepage. Can you tell I’ve been in social isolation far too long (or that I previously lived in Beiing for 14 years)? I wholeheartedly agree with your closing line — there ought to be crowds!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks, Donna. It felt strange to look at these images and memories of being in huge crowds. Someday, we will be comfortable and safe again. Your time in Beijing must have been wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip there…it was so long ago in 2000!
      I appreciate you stopping by. 🙂

      Like

  4. These are great images that remind us those days… 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  5. Great street photos. It seems a bit odd now to even think about being in a crowd

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Your wonderful photos are a testament to the deepest truth about humanity: We NEED each other. If we ever get past the tribalism and greed, we may realize this. Here’s to 2021 and a more humane world!

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Wow … crowds indeed! I am glad I can stay away from crowds quite easily here in SW Colorado! Great photos and quotes as always Jane.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Wonderful pictures, Jane!
    Wishes and your family a Healthy and Successful Year in 2021. 😊

    Liked by 2 people

  9. No crowds at Sydney this year. It must feel strange.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, very strange! I read there’s another lockdown due to a spike. Compared to here, Australia has had great success with people adhering to the rules.

      Liked by 2 people

      • It seems so. There is a far greater awareness of hygiene and when we need to wash our hands now. We are not in lockdown but New South Wales has partial lockdown in certain areas where there has been a cluster of cases. Mostly related to one another.
        Having said all of that, I related a story on my recent post about how protocols can get out of hand very easily at permitted social events, even when everyone has the best intentions to start out with.

        Liked by 2 people

  10. For more human contact in 2021.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Thank You .Seasons Greetings from India .Pictures you have posted are very nice

    Liked by 2 people

  12. I like the angle you picked for this post Jane. Happy New Year!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks, Maria. During my daily walk on Boxing Day, I got to thinking about all the crowds I’d experienced. Glad you enjoyed this look back on something that seems so strange now. Happy New Year to you and your darling daughter!

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Jane- thanks for this dose of close encounters. Oddly enough my introverted/reclusive nature has almost enjoyed this pandemic… except it has been simply awful in every other way.

    Wishing for a far better coming year for you, your family and all of us on this planet (human and otherwise)! 🥳

    Liked by 1 person

  14. That’s a nice idea, Jane, dipping into crowds of people for a New Year’s wish. These are fun to scrutinize. You sure have traveled! I like the Times Square photo very much. The color palette is delicious and there’s a great buzz of activity. I recognize the last photo’s location – not from going there in person, but from going there in your photos. 🙂 My favorite here is the black and white – Window Shoppers. That’s a moment chock full of humanity. It makes me think of Rembrandt’s Night Watch – it has the same feeling of chaos from the figures engaged in different activities and facing different ways, but at the same time, it’s strangely unified. Hey, wouldn’t that be an accomplishment for humanity! 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thanks so much, Lynn. Boxing Day reminded me of experiencing intense crowds which spawned this series. Photos that have now taken on a much deeper meaning. I’m so glad Window Shoppers hit home for you and I love your description. Feeling unified…yes, just what we need.
      Wishing you and Joe a happy and safe start to your new year. Thank you for your blogging friendship and sharing about photography- it means a lot. 🌟🤗

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Great photos from the pre-COVID era! Let’s hope that the new year makes a lot better. All the best to San Francisco👍👍👍

    Liked by 2 people

  16. My, you’ve been in crowds and on fringes of crowds. It must’ve been an adventure. I prefer open space. Whether we return to how it was before, I don’t know. I think most of us would be kind of leery for the first couple years after COVID, mostly watching from the sidelines with fingers crossed.

    Many happy new year cheers and greetings to you and your family. Stay well, stay extra safe. 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    • Hi David, Was feeling nostalgic for traveling. It felt so strange seeing all these people together. Agree, that feeling the ease of doing this again will take a long time. Thanks so much for your blogging friendship and encouragement of my work. Wishing you and your family a safe and happy new year! 😄🌟

      Liked by 2 people

  17. I must admit I don’t miss crowds and traffic jams, but your photos were a wonderful reminder of a “normal” world, Jane. A happy HEALTHY New Year!

    Liked by 3 people

  18. This seems so long ago! I must admit, I’m not a fan of being in the middle of crowds but your photos are fabulous and strangely energizing. All the very best to you Jane and your family in the coming year!

    Liked by 3 people

  19. As a claustrocrowdophobic I am surprised to look at all these wonderful shots of people and enjoying them longingly. It is funny that I find myself wishing to be able to mill about in a crowd when normally the thought wouldn’t occur.

    Liked by 3 people

  20. Amazing pictures.
    Yes, it looks like from another world…
    …here we are in lockdown. The streets are empty.

    Liked by 3 people

  21. Happy New Year. I confess I do not miss crowds, but I do miss the opportunity to be with people.

    Liked by 3 people

  22. A thoughtful post. We are missing the crowd. A year has passed with uncertainty…Taught the lesson of sustainability. With the loving memories of those cool days, I think the world is moving forward to a new tenant. A tiny germ and 700 billion folks😥.
    Hope for the best.
    Have a promising and peaceful year ahead.

    Liked by 3 people

  23. Dear Jane, this was such a lovely celebration of our species across the globe. I would guess our view of crowds is forever altered after Covid, which makes these photos that much more profound and sweet. I so enjoyed the quotes too, and had a warm chuckle at your play on words with sending in the “crowds.” All of your photos are a real treat, but I like to pick a favorite. The two I liked best were the Bangkok Celebration with the orange lanterns dancing over the crowd; and the Times Square Pair. Happy New Year to you, dear friend.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Hi Jet, Loved reading your warm words. Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed those two in particular which are favorites. Someday this may all feel like a distant memory and we will walk in crowds once again.Happy, healthy new year to you and Athena. Thanks for being such a great blogging friend. 🌟

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Over the past year living with a habit to keep distance to other people when you are outside of your place makes me feel uneasy seeing so many people together. That is a little sad and I hope that we get back to normal soon.

    Happy New Year!

    Liked by 3 people

  25. Happy New Year indeed to you and yours. Your photo for Humanity is similar to one I took at Lake Atitlan in Guatamala. Where was yours taken?

    Liked by 3 people

  26. These images are most thought provoking and unsettling. The Rush Hour image with that appropriate mural is great. I enjoyed the rather quirky quotations. The last image with its caption gave me a pang. Very best wishes for the New Year to you too and may it bring better times …

    Liked by 2 people

  27. I weep for humanity, Jane. I weep. It is human to be close and to share. I have refused to fear any virus but to see the pandemic of fear in this world is horrifying. I pray this insanity stops and this world learns how to live with germs as we always have done and we can actually stop being paranoid of what is normal on this planet, that which is called microbes. Loved your photography. It gives me hope …… thank you!! xo

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hi AmyRose, It’s been a sad year but hope is on the horizon. I definitely fear the virus and have lived accordingly. Glad you enjoyed these crowd photos, a reminder of what our world will return to someday in the future. Wishing you a healthy and safe new year. 🌟

      Liked by 2 people

  28. Happy new year and let’s hope its a better one

    Liked by 2 people

  29. It actually gave me goosebumps seeing those crowds of unmasked people. It seems light years away since we were able to go out in public without masks and social distancing. I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to not worry about getting infected. I was talking to my sister in South Africa today and wondering aloud about how long it will be until we can visit her again. Oh yes, “Send in the crowds” again and how wonderful that will be when COVID is just a bad memory. Happy New Year, Jane. 🤗

    Liked by 2 people

  30. These are lively and colourful images – yet I don’t know when it’ll feel ok to be in a crowd again…
    Anyway, all the best for a better 2021!

    Liked by 4 people

  31. I do miss the hustle and bustle of normal life. A fine gallery. Best wishes for 2021, Jane.

    Liked by 2 people

  32. Thank you for a wonderful year of your photography!!! You have an incredible eye and a delightful knack for pairing images with words. Can’t wait to see lots more all through 2021. Cheers!

    Liked by 2 people

  33. Mau I wich you and your family all the best for 2021. We all hope for beter future.

    Liked by 2 people

  34. Intriguing post, Jane. When will we feel comfortable being part of crowds again? Especially liked the serenity of the last photo.

    Liked by 2 people

  35. Such a clever post…… remembering what once was …

    Liked by 2 people

  36. Looking forward to new beginnings…

    All the best!

    ✨☀️🙏🕉️♾️☮️🙏☀️✨

    Liked by 3 people

  37. Best wishes to you and yours, Jane, and here’s hoping for a better 2021, though I predict it will be towards the latter end of the year at the earliest….

    Liked by 2 people

  38. Good pictures, Jane, and I like the final one especially, very well titled. And yes, let’s hope for far better in 2021. Stay safe, my friend! 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  39. This looks só wrong… and to think that feels so wrong!
    (even though I am no ‘crowd person’)

    Liked by 3 people

  40. “Where are the crowds?” Love that whole line, Jane. Yes, let’s pray for next year!

    janet

    Liked by 2 people

  41. I miss the company of people; of friends and family. I certainly don’t miss the crowds.

    Liked by 3 people

  42. I wonder if I will ever be at ease in a crowd again? To think that I used to wade through it with nary a thought. I’m sure we’ll make our way back… keep the dream alive, Jane. ❤

    Liked by 3 people

  43. Oh I remember back when we could be out in crowds! Seems like a hundred years ago. These are great shots Jane, of more normal times. Times Square, Rush our and Humanity are my faves.
    Merry Happy Everything to you and yours. May 2021 be better!
    Alison

    Liked by 5 people

  44. So strange to see all these maskless people in large groups. Makes me wonder what we were catching without our masks.🥴

    Liked by 4 people

  45. “Where are the crowds?” Was my thought exactly as I looked at these. As a Chicagoan it is eerie not seeing this like I used to

    Liked by 4 people

  46. Won’t it be nice when we can gather again like that mask free?!
    Happy New Year🎉

    Liked by 4 people

  47. Given shot from the past of the no-mask era, sure hope they return. Best wishes to you and yours for 2021 and Happy New Year! Well done, Jane!

    Liked by 5 people

  48. Good juxtaposition with how things are now, and a good take-off on the line from Sondheim.

    Liked by 4 people

  49. Wonderful reflections Jane and yes ever curious as to our next steps forward … imagine … sending you and your loved ones joy ~ smiles hedy ☺️💫

    Liked by 4 people

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