The Lovely People of Punahka, Bhutan

People walked from miles around to the festival at the temple in Punahka, Bhutan.  They dressed up in colorful clothes.

One of the first photo tips that our National Geographic photographer-tour leader, Ira Block, gave us was to take people pictures by setting up a tripod in a desired location and letting people walk into the scene where you want to take the photo.  If they consent to be photographed, they will often pose.

This tip worked well for me.  On the first day I did not even make it inside the temple, as I used my time to take a series of people pictures from the covered bridge leading into the temple.  I had a steady stream of subjecs who were walking home from the festival in the temple.

The people of Bhutan were friendly, and the children were especially charming, of course.  Although I did not make it into the temple on the first day, on the second day I enjoyed the entire festival from the temple courtyard.

The towns in Bhutan are located in valleys in the Himalaya Mountains.  The valleys are surprisingly moderate in temperature.