The Travel Photographer

MAMBAKO | Percussion In Washington Square Park

2026-03-29T18:44:00.004-04:00

Mambako is a professional artistic group of drums, dance and theater that performed at Washington Square Park on March 28, 2026. The group is originally from Bogota, Colombia and aims at diversity, equality and art as a channel of freedom and transformation.

THE AI CORNER: CHINESE LIONS & MODELS

2026-03-27T09:13:00.001-04:00

Having photographed Lion Dances during Chinese New Year several times over the past few years, I wanted to build on that experience with a new concept: using lion heads and bodies as props in a fashion shoot featuring Asian models wearing colorful qipaos. I haven’t yet reached out beyond locating martial arts schools that train the dancers, so I don’t know how receptive they might be to the idea—but it’s worth exploring.

To visualize the concept, I fed prompts into MidJourney and generated AI images to use as creative inspiration. These mockups helped refine the mood, color palettes, poses, and compositions I’d like to try on set.

The initial step is to use MidJourney to generate a set of images as inspiration/mood board for this project.

And subsequently contact local lion dance troupes and martial arts schools to determine feasibility, discuss logistics, and cultural considerations.

SUPER SATURDAY IN CHINATOWN

2026-03-06T18:55:00.002-05:00

Super Saturday in Chinatown NYC is one of the most vibrant lead-ups to Lunar New Year, centered in and around Chinatown, Manhattan. It typically takes place the Saturday before the main Lunar New Year Parade. The day features traditional lion dances weaving through storefronts to bring good fortune, drum corps performances, martial arts demonstrations, and cultural showcases. Local businesses open their doors for blessings, and the streets fill with the crackle of firecrackers meant to ward off evil spirits and usher in prosperity for the year ahead.

It is also a spiritual and economic ritual — a way for families, merchants, and community associations to start the year united and hopeful. You’ll often see elders offering red envelopes, children watching wide-eyed as lions “eat” lettuce for luck, and volunteers distributing commemorative banners. In a city as fast-paced as New York, Super Saturday transforms Chinatown into a living expression of heritage, resilience, and renewal — a reminder that Lunar New Year is not just a single parade day, but a season of tradition, gratitude, and collective celebration.

AWAKENING THE LIONS

2026-02-20T08:39:00.007-05:00

The Lion Dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in lions' costumes to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Year and other traditional, cultural and religious festivals.

I attended the February 17, 2026 celebration in Manhattan's Chinatown (mostly on Mott, Bayard and Pell streets). and despite the massive crowd, recorded some of the scenes documentary-style.

The Canal Street Hustle

2025-11-14T20:28:00.009-05:00

Visitors are drawn to Canal Street by the promise of luxury bargains—such as “designer” bags, "Rolex" watches and "Gucci" sunglasses. The fake bags can be priced at just $50, despite its retail value often reaching thousands. Many of the vendors are from Senegal and Mali, while others are Chinese women. The former display the actual counterfeit goods spread on large carts or tarps, while the latter only carry laminated catalogs (to avoid arrest and confiscation).

Many tourists are unaware of the complex network behind this activity. Chinese wholesalers, hidden in the backrooms of souvenir shops, provide these items, obtaining them from factories in Guangdong province that produce high-quality replicas using smuggled authentic samples. These goods are transported via container ships to ports such as Newark, evading customs through mislabeled shipments or the involvement of corrupt officials.

The street-level sellers are mainly West African immigrants from Senegal and Mali, who work for local Chinese groups. It is estimated the counterfeit "industry" causes New York City alone to lose over $1 billion annually in tax revenue.

On a personal level, I'm not disturbed by these vendors , because I believe peddling fake copies of luxury goods are largely victimless "crimes". The Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Chanel of this world may claim they are victimized, but buyers of fake copies couldn't buy the real ones....so they're not really losing revenue. In my view, the "victims" are the West African immigrants who have few options to make a living other than street peddling.

These photographs were all "shot" from the hip, using a remote cable, and were post processed using a Tri X-400 preset.

NYC's PRIDE 2025

2025-07-01T16:54:00.000-04:00

New York City’s Pride events draws a colorful, overflowing crowd to celebrate the LGBTQ community each year. However in 2025, the press reported a noticeable drop in visible corporate sponsorships adorning the parade route.

Nevertheless, the crowds congregating in Washington Square Park were huge, and -to me- appeared larger than those in 2024. The media reported that more than 1 million people took part in the events.

The parade itself celebrated its 55th anniversary this year. The official theme, “Rise Up: Pride and Protest,” was selected to honor the legacy of the first Pride march in 1970, the year after the Stonewall Inn riots.

NYC MELTS ICE | Anti ICE Protests

2025-06-14T11:07:00.007-04:00

The anti‑ICE protests in New York City have surged over the past week as part of a wider wave of national demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and mass deportations. The New York City protests are part of a broader national pushback against intensified ICE activity. Across the U.S., demonstrations have erupted in major cities—Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco—many culminating in large rallies, mass arrests, and police intervention . Organizers in NYC and elsewhere are drawing inspiration from the solidarity tactics of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, emphasizing decentralized organizing, mutual aid, and sustained resistance.

A couple of days ago, I chanced on large crowds walking down Sixth Avenue, Varick and Hudson Streets. Here are some of scenes I photographed.

ANTI FUR PROTEST | Soho NYC

2025-06-09T13:29:00.004-04:00

While walking last week through Broome Street in the heart of SoHo’s shopping district, I came across a small spirited but vociferous anti-fur protest, which aimed at drawing attention to animal cruelty in the fashion industry.

To me, documenting civil disobedience is like catnip to a cat, so I snapped a handful of frames of the raucous event.

I haven't seen nor heard of anti-fur protests for quite some time, and read in the New York Times that the anti-fur movement has been largely successful in its efforts to force fashion houses to stop using skins, with almost every runway brand adopting fake fur as a fabric and eschewing the use of former luxury staples such as mink and sable.

CROSBY STREET | 65:24 Aspect Ratio

2025-05-14T13:55:00.006-04:00

One of my favorite streets in Soho, NYC, is Crosby Street. Some of its buildings have walls always covered in “illegal” posters and ads, which I think make perfect backdrops—not just for my street fashion shoots, but also for everyday street photography with the Fujifilm GFX50R, using the super wide 65:24 X-Pan aspect ratio everyone raves about.

More of the Crosby Street in 65:24 photographs will be uploaded soon.

THE AZTEC CONCHEROS | Mexico City

2025-04-20T18:56:00.013-04:00

The Concheros dance, also known as the dance of the Chichimecas, Aztecas and Mexicas, is an important traditional dance and ceremony which has been performed in Mexico since early in the colonial period. It consists of syncretic features, both pre-Hispanic and Christian.

It apparently originated in 1522, after the Spanish conquest of the Chichimec tribe, as a means of continuing ancient ritual.The Zocalo is central to Mexico's political and cultural identity as it marks the historical center of Mexico City and the center of the Aztec city-state of Tenochtitlan.

During the dances, ritualistic spirit cleansing is administered by some of the Concheros. This is done using tree leaves to fan the incense smoke over the bodies of those who seek the energy and the cleansing. Traditional herbs, such as basil, are used for the incense.

For larger photographs:

The Aztec Concheros by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure

MEXICAN COLORS

2025-04-20T18:50:00.008-04:00

Mexico City bursts with life through its kaleidoscope of streets and buildings, where color isn't just an aesthetic—it's a language. From sun-baked terracotta facades and Pepto Pink walls to electric blue doorways, every corner feels like a curated palette straight from an artist’s imagination. The vivid hues echo the city's rich culture and layered history, creating a rhythm of contrasts: houses and stores brushed in pastels, bold murals splashed across alley walls, and church walls against blue cloudless skies.

It's a visual symphony where tradition and modernity dance in full technicolor.

This photo gallery captures the heartbeat of those colors in motion—where hot pink and mustard walls reflect golden hour light. In Mexico City, color is never incidental—it’s a bold, unapologetic statement of identity, resilience, and joy.

For larger photographs:

Mexico City's Colors by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure

WEED DAY 420 | New York City

2025-04-20T13:30:00.000-04:00

Eighty-eight percent of U.S. adults believe recreational or medical marijuana use should be legal, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center poll.

4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) is cannabis culture slang for cannabis consumption, especially smoking around the time 4:20 p.m.

NYC’s largest yearly cannabis meetup is April 20 in Washington Square Park.

AMAZONIA | Sebastião Salgado

2025-04-17T16:52:00.002-04:00

I was thrilled to have -serendipitously- visited the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and immersed myself in the awe-inspiring beauty and untamed majesty of Amazônia; an extraordinary photographic odyssey by the internationally acclaimed Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado.

There's an NPR article (2022) on it.

"A native of Brazil, Salgado has made more than 58 trips to Amazonia. His photos depict lush tropical trees, dramatic clouds, the sinuous river, as well as the biodiversity of the jungle. The 78-year-old photographer says he flew with the Brazilian military over some of the most inaccessible areas to capture them with his camera.

One of his quotes: "If you take a picture of a human that does not make him noble, there is no reason to take this picture. That is my way of seeing things."

Here are some of the photographs I gawked at in the exhibition.

NYC's TESLA TAKEDOWN

2025-03-02T16:40:00.014-05:00

On March 1, 2025, demonstrators gathered outside the Manhattan Tesla showroom to protest the automaker’s CEO and his push to slash government spending. The protest, which the NYPD said involved hundreds of people (out of which nine people were arrested), was one of a wave of "Tesla Takedown" demonstrations staged across the United States targeting Musk, who heading the administration's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

It was one of the 50 such demonstrations in the United States caused by the increasing backlash in North America and Europe to Musk’s disruptive role in Washington.

And for larger photographs:

NYC's Tesla Takedown by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure

Following The Lions Of Chinatown

2025-02-15T09:39:00.000-05:00

On February 8, 2025, I went to Manhattan’s Chinatown to photograph the Super Saturday festivities for the Year of the Snake. Unique to New York City’s Chinatown, Super Saturday began in the 1960s as a tradition to extend the Lunar New Year celebrations. Since most Chinatown shops close on New Year’s Day, lion dance troupes return to the streets on the first or second Saturday after the holiday, performing for business owners in exchange for red envelopes of cash.

Unlike New Year’s Day, which can fall on a weekday, Super Saturday tends to attract more lion and dragon dance troupes from across the city—along with larger crowds and an even thicker layer of confetti coating the streets.

For this series, I chose to convert my color photographs into high-contrast monochrome. Rather than relying on the vivid reds and yellows of the lions, I focused on movement and expression, embracing a photojournalistic black-and-white approach to capture the energy of the performances, and the crush of crowds wanting to share in the excitement.

Lion Dances Of Chinese New Year

2025-02-13T19:39:00.013-05:00

The Lion Dance (舞獅. wǔshī) is a form of Chinese traditional dance in China and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The Lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Year and other traditional, cultural and religious festivals.

In Manhattan's Chinatown, the dances usually take place on Mott and Pell, Doyers and Elizabeth, Bayard and East Broadway. In 2025, they were held on Wednesday, January 29. The event was blessed with a brilliant sunshine.

Businesses prepare small red envelopes filled with money and hand them to the lion dancers as they enter their premises. This is to bring good luck and fortune to the businesses, and the dancers are well rewarded.

The "Big Head Buddha" (Dai Tou Fut, 大头佛), who is also known as the "Laughing Monk", wears a large, exaggerated pink or flesh-colored mask with a bald head and a mischievous grin. He plays a comedic role in the lion dance, teasing the lions and interacting with the crowd while guiding or "taming" the lions. His presence is meant to bring joy and symbolize good fortune.

The lions' hierarchy is identified by their color; The Guan Gong lion has a red face, black bristles, and a long black beard, the Liu Bei lion is the eldest of the lions and has a yellow face with a white beard and fur, the Zhang Fei lion has a black based face with short black beard, small ears, and black bristles, and the white lion is known as Ma Chao.

Caishen (財神) is the 'God of Wealth', and is the mythological figure worshipped in the Chinese folk religion. He is widely believed to bestow on his devotees the riches carried about by attendants. Caishen's name is often invoked during the Chinese New Year celebrations.

In the Southern Lion Dance tradition (particularly in Cantonese styles), red lions are usually seen leading performances or used by troupes wishing to emphasize strength and leadership. It is typically associated with courage, vitality, and good fortune. While the colors of lion dance costumes can vary by region and tradition, the red lion is often linked to positive energy, celebration, and warding off evil spirits.

The yellow lion -particularly in the Southern Lion Dance style- is less aggressive in its movements compared to the red or black lions, making it a common choice for performances emphasizing prosperity, peace, and wisdom. Its name is Liu Bei or Lau Pei and is the eldest of the other lions. Yellow is traditionally linked to the emperor in Chinese culture. The yellow lion also represents intelligence, leadership, and wisdom.

For larger photographs:

Lion Dances by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure

Winter Light In SoHo

2025-01-18T19:14:00.003-05:00

Winter Light In Soho by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure

For a simple gallery:

Winter light in Soho carries a distinct, cinematic quality, defined by its low angle and -in some spots- a strong directional glow. The sun’s trajectory during this season casts long dramatic shadows that stretch across cobblestone streets and facades of historic buildings, creating a sharp interplay between light and dark. This directional sunlight vividly illuminates primary colors like red and yellow, making some items of clothing worn by the passerby and store signage pop with an almost luminous intensity. The deep shadows on buildings add texture and depth, enhancing the urban landscape’s visual drama and creating striking opportunities for high-contrast compositions.

This gallery will be periodically updated with additional photographs.

The Steam Plumes of NYC

2024-12-29T19:29:00.002-05:00

The corner of Canal Street and Sixth Avenue has a couple of large smokestacks (aka steam stacks) installed by Co-Edison to direct steam. There are about 105 miles of steam pipes underneath New York City’s streets, which serve as a cleaner source of energy than oil or coal to over 1,500 buildings.

Steam rises naturally, so it enables buildings to get heated without using additional energy to get the heat to rise up. The steam is also for cleaning and disinfecting. It is the largest such system in the world and has been in operation since 1882.

Street Art Of Lisbon

2024-11-18T08:27:00.005-05:00

Lisbon is an open-air gallery, not just for its beautiful tile-covered façades and the traditional cobblestone designs, but also for its street art. The Portuguese capital is known as one of the cities with the best street art, and some local artists like Vhils and Bordalo II, who have works all over the world. Vhils is known for carving faces on façades, while Bordalo II creates art from trash.

Following the revolution of April 25, 1974 there was an explosion of political murals, and today artistic graffiti is even sponsored by the City Council.

One of the popular destinations for street art is LX Factory. It's a factory complex from 1846 reborn in 2008 as a "factory" of creativity and experiences. It kept the industrial spaces and invited companies related to the arts, which later brought shops, cafés and restaurants. Today there’s a little bit of everything, from fashion to books, and restaurants. The interiors maintain many of the old street art, while most of the façades are covered in street art.

Note: My blog post on Barcelona's Street Art is here.

The Trams Of Lisbon | Simple Gallery

2024-11-17T07:36:00.000-05:00

Portugal’s capital currently has five different routes and 58 trams, of which 40 are vintage streetcars. These "heritage" trams are small, nostalgic, and are an emblematic symbol of Lisbon, making for great photos.

The trams of Lisbon are more than vehicles; they are the city’s storytellers, carrying whispers of history up and down the steep, cobbled streets. Tram 28, the most famous of all, snakes through the capital like a golden thread, weaving together Lisbon’s diverse neighborhoods, and is especially popular for its scenic journey through historic districts like Alfama, Baixa, and Graça.

The "Remodelado" trams, introduced in the 1930s, became iconic with their bright yellow color and ability to navigate narrow, winding streets. Many of these vintage trams are still in use.

The Trams Of Lisbon

2024-11-16T19:10:00.002-05:00

trams of Lisbon by Tewfic El-Sawy on on Exposure

AI Corner | Green Leaf/Red Poppy

2024-10-28T10:06:00.000-04:00

Call Me KIJU

2024-10-04T19:30:00.004-04:00

Here are impromptu street portraits of Kiju on Crosby Street in Soho, NYC. Kiju is an alternative rock performer.

SoHo's Fashion Billboards

2024-09-04T13:24:00.034-04:00

Some of my street fashion shoots begin at the corner of Houston and Crosby Streets, and on several occasions, I attempted to position the models so the massive Calvin Klein billboard would feature in the background. However, it always ended up overexposed.

Still, this sparked the idea for a mini-project showcasing Soho's iconic billboards, especially with the buzz of New York Fashion Week in town. This is an ongoing project, and this post updated whenever I have new billboards to show.

A few interesting details about these 75-foot billboards: they are typically contracted for 28-day periods and can range in price from $5,000 to an astonishing $50,000 per day, depending on the location. For instance, if the Calvin Klein billboard is in a prime spot, it would cost approximately $1.4 million every 28 days, with its image updated every two weeks.

THE AI CORNER | A Rose Is A Rose

2024-07-31T20:13:00.001-04:00