five favourites with gemma from line x shape x colour.

Hello readers! Welcome to my new series, "Five Favourites," where I invite guests to share five of their favourite things. I'll be inviting guests who I think have a great eye and who have something interesting to share.

First up is fellow blogger, Gemma from line x shape x colour. Gemma is a textile designer from Sydney who  has recently been blogging about her travels through the Middle East and Central Asia. Her photos are jaw dropping and are guaranteed to re-ignite the travel bug in anybody with a beating heart. I've asked Gemma to share her five favourite photos from her trip (a slightly impossible task, I know, so please visit her blog to see more).

After much deliberation, here are the final five that Gemma has selected. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

This photo was taken in Little India, Singapore while on a stop-over from the Philippines to Turkey. I love walking around streets, trying to capture moments of everyday life. This photo is a favourite as I really love the colours and simple composition, plus I often wonder what he is thinking about...

Beirut was probably hands down our favourite city from the trip. It has this brilliant mix of French architecture, Middle Eastern culture and the friendliest people you'll ever meet. We loved walking around the streets which were filled with so much character. This image brings it all back so vividly.

Portraits are probably my favourite shots to take overall, especially of women. However, while we were travelling through the Middle East it was really hard to get these shots, as most women all pretty much said 'no' when I asked. To my surprise, the girl in this photo actually came up to me while we were exploring the ancient Egyptian site of Karnak in Luxor and asked if I could take her photo. Of course I jumped at the chance, and was so happy with how it turned out. Her eyes are amazing.

Uzbekistan was one of our favourite countries, and a bit of a hidden gem. The architecture is just incredible, and often left us speechless. The mosaics, tiles and intricately carved doors made for the most beautiful combination that I couldn't get enough of. I can't quite say why this photo stands out to me, but it does. 

Like I mentioned before, I love trying to capture moments of everyday life. This photo was taken in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's walled Old Town of some older men playing backgammon. They were so sweet and happily let me snap away while they were playing away. It was a really beautiful scene to observe.

What gorgeous images from Gemma. I really enjoy how they tell the personal and intimate stories of her travels.

Now, just because I can't help myself here are some more of my favourites from Gemma's blog:

All images courtesy of Gemma. Thank you Gemma, for sharing your story! If you want to see an overview of her trip, this is a great post.