Afternoon light on Drukgyel Dzong.

Some places are easily overlooked by photographers who are searching for "the ultimate" landscape shot or whatever. I like these quiet moments with the Thunder Dragon.

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A few scenes from behind the scenes at this week's festival in Bhumthang.

The Band. The Mask. The Monk. The Moment.

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Behind the mask. Novice monk is dreaming big for the future of his temple.

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Dancing monks in Bhutan. Late in the day there was one final "masked dance", and in many ways the most significant. The Black Hat Cham.

They timed it to perfection, with the last monk disappearing back into the temple seconds before the light fell behind the mountains.

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If you ever get a chance to visit Bhutan, I recommend you plan the trip to align with one or more festivals. Especially if you have time to travel deeper into Central or Eastern Bhutan and visit a very small gonpa or lhakhang that doesn't get attention from tourists. These are special.

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Not sure you have to be an amazing photographer to go home with some great moments :)

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The crowd is as fascinating as the chams. I look for those quiet moments when people are just being themselves. I make sure they are aware of what I'm doing, and catch their eye first. I look for a nod or a smile. Then I show them that photo.

They go back to doing their thing, and that's when I get the more candid shots. Them just being themselves without posing.

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The music is a huge feature of these festivals too. There's a dedicated team of monks who just do percussion and horns. Then there's the novice monks who inject a little more random cheer into the event :)

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This little guy was dead impressed with the masked dancers. While nobody was paying attention, he tried out a few moves of his own.

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