If you do have questions, comments or are in need of addtitional information please feel free to call or write:

Michael J. Hamilton - Photographic Expeditions
8622 East Amherst Drive, Unit A
Denver, CO 80231
Phone: (303) 696-9007
Cell: (303) 906-0308

To Email, you can reach me at:
michaeljhamilton@comcast.net

Thank you for visiting and please feel free to contact me.

Happy Travels,

Michael J. Hamilton

I visited Gaungxi and Yunnan Provinces in China early in 2008. It was a facinating trip on many levels. There appears to be and incredible amount of infrastructure building on a massive scale taking place. Unfortunatelly, the enviornment is being placed well down the priority list. I found pollution was increasing in this huge country on a scale never before seen. Even the locals were worried about the air quality and wondering if this more open society could withstand the transition. I found the Li River outside of Guilin to be very rainy and grey during my stay. I am not sure if the greyness was pollution or just the wet weather. Either way it was disheartening to travel so far and not have the ideal conditions I would have liked. The limestone pinnacles of the Li River Valley were spectacular. I then headed to Yunnan Province farther south and west. The small city of Yuanyang is at the heart of China's, and the world's, most incredible rice terraces. Some terraces climb over 3000 feet from the valley floor of the Aialo Mountains. The patchwork in morning and evening light is breathtaking. I spent a week waiting for the perfect light to present itself. The terrace images here are of a few minutes on two separate days where I found, what the Hani in the area call - "The Soul of the Mountain". The terraces take centuries to build, one upon the next. It is a special place which appears to be dwindling. The younger generation seem to be not willing to continue the toil and hard work. I hope you enjoy a brief view into China.

The images below are shot with a Noblex 150, Medium format camera. The film image is approximately 9 times the size of a regular 35mm slide image. With this large film size we can print extremely large and tack sharp images. The Noblex system lens does not have a focusing function. It only shoots to infinity. There are of course drawbacks to this, but the advantage to this system is that it creates incredibly clear and sharp images. Please enjoy your vist and look around.

The Jewel of the Greek Isles

The Island of Bali is one of those dream Islands of Indonesia. My wife, Cody, and I took off in a beat up old Toyota truck and cruised the Island. It was a wonderful experience to explore this lush and gorgeous island. Please take a few moments to explore through my eyes. ENJOY!!

I travelled to Kenya in June of 2007. I was very fortunate to accompany a group of people organized through the University of Wyoming Adult Learning Center. The trip was organized and coordinated by Professors Michael Day and John Kambutu at the University. John is from Kenya. We were on a package deal, in that we got to travel to many parts of this wonderful country. First stop was Mount Kenya National Park on the forested flanks of Mount Kenya. Then to Aberdare National Park staying at the famous Ark, overlooking waterholes in both locations. Then off to the Northern Rift Valley and Lake Nakuru National Park (amazing place with a million flamingos taking wing, in addiiton to Rhinos, Leopards, Hippos and more). We headed another 62 miles north to Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria for more amazing bird life. Next to western Kenya and the Kakamega National Reserve. This is Kenya's equatorial Rainforest area with incredible flora and fauna. We then headed back South to Tabaka village near Lake Victoria. John and Michael saved the best for last taking us to the Masai Mara National Reserve on the Western border with Tanzania. Masai Mara is the famous Savannah migration area for untold numbers of wildlife. We came upon Zebra, Wildebeests, Giraffes, Buffalo, Elephants, Gazelles, Cheetahs and amazing prides of Lions, to mention a few. The Savannah is called the Serengeti on the Tanzanian side and Masai Mara in Kenya. I had camera problems and did not reach home with all the images I had hoped to acquire. No worries... The people and countryside made up for all. It is a country of contrasts, particularly if you are on a plush, escorted safari. You travel past poverty, draught, sickness, dispair while sitting in your pop-top van as if this is an amusement park. It was very hard for me not to have a feeling of guilt thinking of this incredible contrast of lifestyle while traveling through this amazing country. What I bring back are thoughts of the wonderful resilience of the Kenyan people and even, given many of their circumstances, their incredible joy of life and genuine happiness to see you and meet you. It is true; many hands are out, but it is very understandable. My philosophy with tipping is...If I can afford to get to this place I can surely afford to spread my limited wealth while there. Please take some time here and see a little of one of my lifetime experiences. ENJOY !!!

A step back 150 years. There is a US travel advisory for visiting Myanmar (once called Burma). This is due to a military cue that took place in 1988. In 1989 the country name of Burma was changed to Myanmar. The country is governed by a group of military generals called State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). In 1997 the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) changed its name to State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). This new council has stated it will allow democratic public elections to occur but has never followed through with it's pledge. It appears that all the countries' resources have been split up between this group of generals. One has the electricity and fuel consortium, another has the transportation industry, and so on ...so on. The US government does not want tourists to help put money in these despot's pockets. That is all very admirable, but the everyday citizen in this country is in dire need of some type of living. My take on going into Myanmar was to not use the government hotels, transportation and guide service, but to hire within the cities and help the local citizens where ever we could. We hired a driver and a local guide once we reached Yangon (formerly Rangoon) and set about driving throughout the country. Roads are terrible, usually a one lane pot holed, partially paved road throughout the country. We would occasionally come across an incredible wonderful section of highway, but soon realized that the reason was a military base was nearby. With one lane, every kind of transportation is on that lane vying for passage... and the bigger always wins out. Needless to say, it took a long time to get around. It took 14 hours to travel 120 miles. But, you get to see the country and meet the people. We were quite the oddities in most places. We found very poor, but very generous and wonderful people in Myanmar. It is a country I would love to return to. I have only scratched the surface of this incredible place.

Petra is one of the most incredible places on the planet. The valley of tombs covers perhaps 30 square miles or more. There are over 800 sites to explore and the sandstone colors are like no other in the world.

I have tried to capture the essence of both Black and White and Color with this portfolio series, entitled “SHINE THROUGH”. Images are captured on film and scanned. I then overlay a copy of the image with Photoshop software. The overlay image is desaturated of color and a portion of each overlay is then removed to reveal the true color of the original. In reviewing my inventory of thousands of images for this portfolio, I have found very few meet the criteria for a excellent black & white image along with an interesting window to shine through. The very few that meet this criteria, offer an exceptionally distinct and fresh new image to ponder. Each image is scanned to the highest possible quality. There is no manipulation or enhancing of my images in the digital process, other than the black and white overlay. Each of the “Shine Through” series is a signed and numbered limited edition of 50 prints. The smaller number in the editions makes the prints more expensive, but also makes the prints more valuable now and in the future.

Taiwan is an incredible country to visit. I was fortunate to spend a few months in Taipei just recently. I got to know the city and this country a little better than a short visit tourist. I found the people very warm and generous and was able to only scratch the surface of the amazing places to visit. When people think of the Far East, they usually conjour up a vision of bright, brilliant colors and amazing flora. For sure, that is there but there is also a peace in the beauty one finds here. Please take a short journey with me to the formerly called Isle of Formosa.