"Traveling lightly, my bag holds only a few changes of clothes, a 17-inch MacBook Pro and a single Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera with five lenses. This is my second such journey in the past two decades", shares Glen on his website.

Besides being an extraordinary and passionate travel photographer, he has published three books namely “The Journey from Kamakura”, “Penis Gourds and Moscow Muggings” and “Thrill Me Rajasthan”. He is also an active blogger and runs three blogs.

Well, Glen is really inspiring and I couldn't help contacting him for an interview with us. Catch it below with some of his mind-blowing shots:

Glen, let's start with a brief introduction.

Hey, E-junkie, thanks so much for requesting this interview.

I'm a vagabond travel photographer gone wild for a second time in my life. Once wasn't enough. Two years ago I embarked on yet another 10-year, nonstop marathon odyssey across the globe. Last month I turned 66 years old but long ago I decided I'd never embrace limits. Attitude determines result.
Come along for the ride.




































What influences the photographer within you?

Thrill. And controlled perfection.

There's so much visual chaos in the world. Something deep inside my psyche drives me to capture reality within parameters that represent an almost cosmic order in the way I portray the subjects I like to shoot. I've always been driven way beyond my next photo. I gaze forward. I tighten my frame of view. I measure. I balance. I eliminate clutter. Only then do I click the shutter. But I keep yearning for more.

Red tori arches, Kyoto, Japan

Vietnam, Hanoi, West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda, twilight reflections

Tell us about your 10-year vagabond journey. We are keen to know everything about it.

It's simple.

My initial target was to eliminate every encumbrance in my life . . . then let my imagination lead me to the farthest reaches of the globe.

I don't like baggage. So I discarded most of my worldly possessions. OK, I confess. I do need a few clothes, a laptop and my camera equipment. But not much else. So I dispensed with almost every material possession I owned. All of it. Who needs encumbrance? Then I set out to explore the world. The first time was two decades ago when I stayed on the road (homeless by choice) for nine years. After that I put down a few roots in my hometown, Los Angeles, for a few years and wrote two books about my previous escapades. Then I got bored, made a big shift and put down a few roots on the exotic, paradise isle of Bali, Indonesia, for a few more years till I got bored again. Two years ago the wanderlust consumed me and I hit road once more.

Naturally, not everyone would want to live the way I do. Each of us has obligations we must fulfill. For myself, I decided to structure my life to allow continuous travel. I don't have the expenses most people have: No car. No house. No TV. No coffee pot. And just about everything I spend money on is a tax deductible business travel expense.

Friends? I will never relinquish them. They are my treasure. My goal is to have one life-long friend in every country of the world. I'm not limited. I continuously make friends wherever I go.

Church towers at twilight, Old Town, Prague, Czech Republic

You've traveled to so many places. Which destination is your favorite so far?

The next one.


Let's have a rapid fire:

Which camera do you use primarily?


Currently, one Canon EOS 5D Mark II body with five lenses: a 14mm ultra wide-angle for surreal juxtaposition of near and far objects, a 15mm full-frame fisheye for bizarre curvilinear views, a 17-40mm for extreme perspective distortion, a 24-105mm for more realistic delineation, a 70-300mm for telephoto, compressed views that narrow perspective. Hey, I never know what visual stimulation might present itself or, more importantly, how I might want to render that perception.


Your favorite time of day for photography?


Twilight and dawn. Crepuscule. That magic moment when day bleeds into night and darkness miraculously transforms into day . . . when the light is ethereal.


Your favorite weather for photography?

Bad weather. Transitional weather. Moments when the sun peeks between clouds or cuts over the edge. Those times when the light blows my mind with magical wisps of illumination that long to barely define edges.


Photographer you admire the most?


Jay Maisel. (http://www.JayMaisel.com) The forever master of light and color. Well, at least within a spectrum of a hundred years or so.


One line that keeps you going?

"The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself towards your success." ~ Daisaku Ikeda


This is a difficult one but we would love to know about your favorite image that you've captured so far.

The next one. I'm never content with past endeavors.

Naga headhunter warrior, Nagaland, India

Tell us about your most fulfilling moment as a photographer.

Well, there's not just one but there was a very poignant moment I'll never forget.

The brisk dawn air was heavy with the smoke of morning fires. I clung to a cliffside overlooking the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. Shangri-La. The former residence of the Dalai Lama. Getting to Lhasa had been a grueling experience. High altitude sickness and avalanches had almost overwhelmed me during my overland trek across the Himalayas from Kathmandu. Ah--the magnificent Potala--an amazing, crenelated structure containing a thousand deserted rooms from a glorious time of old. Dozens of pilgrims at the base of the mountain far below were prostrating their bodies one length at a time as they circumnavigated this revered edifice mile after mile around the city they loved so much--a city they would eagerly die for. My own trials paled in comparison. These resilient devotees would never relinquish their fate to history. On the eastern horizon, the rising sun knifed across the edge of a mountain precipice and it was at that moment I released the shutter to celebrate the awesome determination of these unwavering Tibetans who would never give up their dream.

Sunrise, Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet

Share the best compliment you've ever received for your work.

First, I should say that I'm convinced the only reason I'm on this great Earth is to inspire others in whatever meager way I can. Many people have shared their thoughts with me over the years. Most were positive in their comments but several set me straight about creative aspects where I was weak. I have much to learn. Just yesterday I received this message from a man named Manickam, a Twitter follower I've never met in person. Hopefully, one day I will. His English isn't polished but that's not important. His words touched my heart.

"Glen. One Word. Awesome! I just got amazed the work and time you dedicated to bring forward your photos on your website as such lively effect and really you are living with it. My many thanks for your effort. I love creativity and any form of art and you are on it."

Gypsy eyes, Pushkar, India

Do you have a dream image that you'd like to capture some day?

Now this is a tough one. And that's because if I could define that image now, it would lose all its magic. It's all in the discovery. This image would be one I can't even visualize now. In fact, I don't even want to imagine it because I don't want to limit what it might be. I'm a travel photographer and I know what makes a really great travel photo. For me, it's one that captures your imagination instantly, one that immerses you in the destination making you salivate to be there. It might have some intriguing point of view or perhaps might incorporate a unique juxtaposition of elements. More likely than not, it probably would be steeped in magic light or would capture a brief moment of drama or frivolity that titillates the senses. A great travel photo should whet our appetites and propel our minds toward dreamy destinations--a powerful, magnetic pull we simply cannot resist.

Will I ever capture the elusive "greatest image of a lifetime?"

I hope not . . . because then the dream--and the pursuit--would be dead.


Many other photographers and our readers would draw inspiration from you. What message do you have for them?


I possess no magic formula other than perseverance and iron determination.

But I do know that trying to earn a living these days as a photographer can be challenging.

Nevertheless, new marketing avenues and technologies will evolve for sure. In the interim, we must stimulate our minds and find creative strategies to augment our incomes without sacrificing our photographic aspirations. Just about every single one of us probably has our own unique circumstantial crap we are standing in at the moment, which might seem to mire us down from time to time. Can we find ways to plow through this muck and carve a path toward our dreams?

Yes. I stake my life on it. I've been at the bottom. I experienced the anguish of bankruptcy two decades ago. But I never gave up my dreams.

Indulge the thrill of pursuit.

Glen, thank you for sharing your artistic journey with us. We really enjoyed learning about you and I am sure our readers would be deeply inspired by you. We wish you all the very best for your future endeavors.

To see Glen's full portfolio, check out his website.
Follow Glen on Twitter.

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