Geisha for a Day

Erin Michelle Smith

A respected livelihood not accessible to many individuals, being a geisha for a day seems to have become a tradition in itself in Kyoto, Japan. Women wanting to "live the geisha dream" (without the life of devoted practice to the arts) are made up in the morning in traditional attire.  They then spend the day learning and living the customs of a geisha. It’s a pleasure to these transformed ladies gracefully enjoying an afternoon, and paying tribute to a custom in such a respectful manner.

Before the Celebrations

Erin Michelle Smith

Waiting for the dancing to start at the Ela Beach market, this woman, dressed to perform traditional celebratory dances or "sing sings," casually waited for the music to begin. Surrounded by other dancers, market goers and vendors, she stared above them all out to the sea.

Wontok Brothers

Erin Michelle Smith

These three boys are part of the same wontok, or extended family, common in Papua New Guinea. Normally men and women tend to lead separate lives during the day, each with specific roles. The men do tend to get more time off in the shade, but they also shoulder their share of responsibilities including, when necessary, to protect each other and their relatives.

Firenze After Dark

Erin Michelle Smith

There’s no better way to learn about a place than to explore all of your favorite corners of a country after the sun goes down. In Firenze (Florence) for example, after eating those huge dinners, a walk is demanded to digest both the food and the atmosphere, and on the night captured here, the past easily blurred into the present.

Royal Orange

Erin Michelle Smith

There is a reason that travelers push and shove, plan for, and wait for, those sunset shots. Depending on where you are in the world, the light changes and plays for you. A landscape like the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, extravagant and colorful during the day, can become a simple frame for an even grander show—the melting of that warm, golden sun that you’d wandered under all day long.

Sichuan Noodles

Erin Michelle Smith

If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, the way to a city's soul is certainly through its food. The food stalls around the bustling markets of Sichuan, China are busy from dawn until dusk and rightly so—the flavours are spicy and savory and you can have bitter and sweet tastes right next to each other—just like the city itself. 

Vesuvius from Pompeii

Erin Michelle Smith

The ancient town of Pompeii is often overrun with tourists and baking with the heat of the Napoli sun. If you look up, however, like in many of the most popular, ancient attractions, you can often see above your fellow historical scavengers to more lofty and calmer views. This shot captured the sleeping Vesuvius through old Italian pine trees, a quiet reminder that even in the most chaotic settings, a truly legendary (and slightly daunting) character of place can still be found.

A Watchful Eye

Erin Michelle Smith

Being a big sister can come with important responsibilities in any country, but in Papua New Guinea, they can be both enjoyable and exhausting. Girls, even at a very early age, are often put in charge of caring for and feeding their younger siblings, as well as helping out with the gathering and preparation of food and other household tasks. These roles make children valued in local societies as caretakers of the safety and health of others, but they also can keep them from exercising their own rights, including to education and time to play.

Keeping Traditions Afloat

Erin Michelle Smith

Located in Papua New Guinea, the Bougainville Atolls are one of the first areas of the world facing climate change induced displacement. Communities are struggling to adapt to rising tides, both physically and culturally. Though worries of security and livelihoods are paramount, a key concern amongst displaced populations is also how they can keep their traditions afloat, particularly if they have to move from the islands to the mainland. This image is of a group of women from Bougainville at a cultural show, sharing their dancing and music traditions while teaching them to younger community members with the hope that even on new shores, their culture can take on new roots.

The Farmer's Daughter

Erin Michelle Smith

This little one was returning from harvesting her family’s crops. It’s not unusual to see girls engaging in farming and the gathering and preparation of food for their families; in fact, this can be one of their main responsibilities in rural areas of Papua New Guinea. These tasks can be tiresome, dangerous and can keep them from attending school. The girl pictured here was keeping her energy up by chewing betel nut (also known as buai) with mustard and lime—a stimulant mix that is known to cause diabetes and multiple forms of cancer.

Urban Warriors

Erin Michelle Smith

With populations moving out of rural areas into the capital region of Papua New Guinea, they bring with them traditions and customs but may be lacking in the typical materials and venues they use in their celebrations. Village gathering points have been replaced by local markets, and available trees, feathers and animal products are being—possibly more sustainably—substituted for synthetic materials. Debates have been raised over whether this type of performance can lose "authenticity" with the addition of these changes, or if they are simply an evolution that allows traditions to not only remain alive, but also to reach new audiences. Either way, there was nothing less than authentic in the intended impact of the dance—to intimidate and awe village outsiders.

A Mother's Love

Erin Michelle Smith

Pregnancy can be deadly in Papua New Guinea, where maternal mortality rates remain extremely high and— opposite to most other areas of the world—are on the rise. Many mothers have to travel hours by foot or boat to access the nearest health clinic, sometimes traveling down rivers by log raft before they can reach medical assistance. When care is reached, clinics are often ill equipped or can be too expensive for women to access.

The young mother in the picture is not the only one at risk; 90 per cent of children in the Pacific region who die before their fifth birthday are located in Papua New Guinea.  Both local and international organizations are working to combat issues of maternal health and child mortality across the country, but issues of literacy, access to services and most importantly, a lack of support on what is deemed to be a "woman’s issue," is making their tasks challenging. The women of Papua New Guinea however, continue to be strong, loving and supportive mothers doing the best for their children in a challenging environment.