Manns Around the World Blog

Manns in India

India overwhelmed us in every conceivable way. It swept us up, shook us to the core, flooded our every sense, and then set us back down again as different people, in a world that will never quite be the same.

It all started with our tourist visas… the ones we failed to acquire until the absolute last second of the 11th hour. Having been so immersed in our travels through Sri Lanka, we totally forgot to request our tourist visas until the night before our flight from Colombo to Bombay. Little did we know, this was to be the first of many speed bumps along our topsy turvy journey through the chaos of India… missed flights, rescheduled trains, 8 hour delays, crowded markets, cow jams, unfathomable traffic, and HORNS! But within all this chaos, confusion and noise, was an inexplicable beauty and peacefulness we have never experienced.

A few of our most memorable adventures in India were…

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Manns in Sri Lanka

When we boarded the plane for the start of our round-the-world adventure, we had only one night’s accommodation reserved… our first. The rest was completely up in the air. We knew we were starting in Sri Lanka, and that our first night would be spent at Kandy Cottage, but that’s about all we knew. On the way to the airport, we purchased the Sri Lanka Lonely Planet guidebook on iTunes, and we were off into the unknown, with two kids, two cameras, and two heads filled with dreams coming true.

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Manns in Cottage Country

Every summer, we spend one incredible week at our family’s cottage in Ontario. Here is an attempt to capture the feeling of this experience in photos (by Erika) and words (by Madelyn & Timmy)…

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Manns in New York

When The Brenizers (the artists formerly known as Tatiana & Ryan) asked us to photograph their wedding in New York City (coming soon), our only hesitation was having to leave Madelyn & Timmy back home. It’s one of the hardest things to do, when we travel to shoot or teach abroad. But then it dawned on us…

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Manns in Kauai

When we found out that we were going to be escaping the bitter cold January weather to shoot a wedding in Hawaii, the next logical thing to do was find a way to extend the experience for as long as possible.

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A Life Lost and a Life Saved

I have held off posting about my trip to Ghana because, quite frankly, I have been at a loss for words. It has taken a long time to process and formulate logical thoughts about what happened in Ghana… what I discovered, and what was unearthed within me.

In November 2015, I joined my sister, Dr. Carlye to a remote region of Northern Ghana. There, I spent 7 days documenting the important work of a medical relief team. Together with local Ghanian health professionals, the team travelled to remote villages with no healthcare. It was an incredible gift to document the work and impact of this team. I owe every single image I made to their compassion, dedication and hard work. I owe even more to the local Ghanaians who showed me their reality. As much hardship as I witnessed, these are some of the wealthiest people I have ever met. I witnessed the wealth that comes from the simplicity of living, free from phones, computers, internet, tv…etc. A good reminder of what’s important.

If i were to sum up my experience in Ghana with one word, it would be “Truth”. Truth that beauty exists in both life and death. I witnessed a life lost, and I witnessed a life saved. Both equally impactful. Both equally beautiful in their own unique way. I’ve chosen to limit this blog post to these two stories.

For a full spectrum of the images I made in Ghana or to make a donation please click here.

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Manns in Croatia

After travelling with each other 24/7 for three solid months through Australia and Greece, we totally found our groove in Croatia.

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Child's journal entry of trip to Croatia

Young boy with long blonde hair with disappointed face

Kids walking on red soil path in lush green forest

Young girl walk down wood log steps above water in lush forest

Kids playing around big tree beside river

Boy and girl behind shadow of fence with slits of sunlight

Young boy and girl playing on old stone steps

Young girl playing on narrow city street at dusk

Young girl and boy run down stone hallway in old palace

Young girl in front of stone doorway in old palace

Young girl and boy standing in front of doorway in old palace hallway

Manns in Greece

After two months of travel and adventure in Australia, it was on to the Greek Islands for our first international workshops and an ambitious month of travelling with Madelyn and Timmy.

Here are just a few of our favorite memories from Greece:

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Young boy and girl sitting on pier pointing at water during sunset

Young boy chase birds away in traditional town square in Greece

Young girl running inside Panathenaic Stadium

Mom and kids walk off ferry on clear day

Young girl walking on new masonry pavement

Two kids standing on rock in the middle of the sea watch woman dive into the water

Young girl walking on large rocks on seashore

Kids on seashore sidewalk towards white houses

Young boy walking on seashore under trees

Young girl in orange swimsuit looking out into the sea

Father and kids walk along seashore beside Greek ruins at sunset

Young girl walking alone down narrow street

Two kids sitting on rock wall on hilltop staring out into sea

Mother taking a break on hike with boy behind her about to sneeze

Two kids in dark rocky tunnel stand face to face

Two kids sitting on beach with straw hut behind them

Young girl in blue dress playing with green bug in her hand

Girl walking up steps of Temple of Hephaestus

Two kids standing between giant pillars of Temple of Hephasestus

Mirror with reflection of boy between two paintings on wall

Young boy with curly blonde hair with skull and crossbones hat

Kids walking down steps of ancient Greek ruins while dad is standing above taking photos

Girl swinging on swing in front of giant tree with violet flowers

Kids walk down narrow streets with clotheslines hanging above

Girl walk down narrow street between old yellow buildings

Reflection of young girl walking down street on store window

Mother point at something in the distance and her kids sitting beside her

School of fish swimming in sea with large rock above

Kids sitting in the sand on the beach with blue towels wrapped around them

Father and daughter standing in water looking up at cliff above them

Girl with snorkeling goggles on her head and towel wrapped around her

Boy and girl running in shallow water on the beach

Father and kids walk along beach in shallow water

Father lifts daughter up in the air on the beach

Boy and girl playing in shallow water on the beach

Close up of young girl with wet hair on her face laying on the beach in shallow water

Young boy running in shallow water on the beach

Young boy and girl sitting on old wood pier with legs hanging below

Man jumps off cliff as onlookers in water watch at the beach

Girl floating in emerald green sea water

Young girl in blue dress running in shallow water on beach

Manns in Australia

This is the most personal work we have ever shared. Only, it’s not work. No brides. No grooms. No SLRs. No flashes. This is just us, and the two most important things in our world. It has always been our dream to travel the world with our kids and we’re having the time of our lives doing just that right now.

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