Celebrate the differences! Pictures of people I enjoy.

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Over my years of traveling in Europe, I've met some people with extraordinary stories. If you get off the beaten track and listen to what people say and are sensitive to the cultures in which they live and toil, you will root out some pretty interesting people, too, I'll bet.

Now, right at the onset I'll tell you that my definition of extraordinary is different than most. I have a soft spot for people who devote their lives to being good at something, even if that thing is drilling a hole in a piece of wood or grilling eel at festivals. The gaudy world of haute culture is not for me. It's the same with food. Innovative, expensive cooking is fine once in a while, but set on my plate the down-to-earth solutions to food preservation that peasant cooks have passed down through the years--their contribution to regional cuisine--and I'm a happy camper. Think confit de canard (duck preserved by cooking it slowly in its own fat and preserving it over the long winter in that same fat) or vegetables (sometimes fish and seafood) sott'olio, preserved under olive oil in the Italian manner.

If you were to look over my entire European picture portfolio, you'd notice that I don't put too many people in my pictures. But every once in a while I feel compelled to focus on faces. I usually ask people if they'd mind being photographed. What I might lose in spontaneity I often gain in access--people will show me things they think are important in their lives. If it is their desire not to be photographed, I respect that as well.

I'll let each of these people tell their story, click to see and read more.

Extraordinary People - Europe Pictures Kostas, protector of goats, Island of Youra, Greece. Ok, we're lured to this island by the promise of excavating the cave of Zeus, seeing the special breed of goats, and staying on an uninhabited island. But Youra, it turns out, isn't uninhabited. Kostas and his wife are there as guardians of the special species of island goats found nowhere else on the planet, the frequent target of poachers. Click on the photo to learn about Kostas, who relates an extraordinary tale of bread making on the island. Val Camonica, Italy. Some fairly common articles one finds in California archaeology are obsidian drill bits. They were likely made to be used with a pump drill. Imagine finding an Italian woodworker who makes his living through the use of a pump drill, not simply by demonstrating it for tourists, but by actually using it in his day to day work! Florence, Italy. Who these days makes a living by being a friend to pigeons? This fellow could tell you all about it. Serra Orrios, Nuragic Village, Sardinia, Italy. My first time in Sardinia, I was taken by the beauty and the desolation of the island's interiors. Here the field director of the expedition, Lenore Gallin, contemplates what life would have been like 3000 years ago in Sardinia. Women weaving baskets, Castelsardo, Sardinia. I like the quality of light in this picture. It is a typical scene in summer, when chairs are dragged out into the streets and women gather to gossip and work. I've come to admire this lifestyle over the years. Festival Goers in Local Costume, Sedilo Sardinia. People here take pride in their past, a quality I've always admired. However much the young people want to go to Milano to make their fortunes, it seems they also take time to learn the local dance, music, and language while they're "trapped" in Sardinia. These women are on their way to L'ardia di San Costantino, a dangerous horse race with ancient roots.   Links to related articles or pictures you might enjoy: Sardinian Costume Pictures L'ardia di San Costantino Italian Festival Foods (Slide Show)