Category Archives: mexico

Working the sunset, part 2

091018sunset_sotc

Just down the beach from (and a couple of minutes after) the last shot, I spotted this couple walking along the surf. The two figures added a sense of scale to the landscape — just imagine this shot without them and the beach would seem much smaller. Here it looks endless and as though the two have the entire coastline to themselves. Even with my Nikon’s white balance set to cloudy for more warmth, I ended up adding a warming filter to this image in Photoshop to create a more dramatic, monochromatic look.

Working the sunset, part 1

091018coast_sotc

On our third night in Puerto Vallarta we were treated to a dinner at the incredible Dreams Resort & Spa. The sun was setting as we toured the grounds so I took every opportunity to take advantage of the light. The rugged coastline, a wedding party dining on the beach, a band on stage overlooking the ocean… it was a productive few minutes that I truly appreciated after spending a fair amount of time in meetings for the past two days. Here’s one from that evening. More to follow.

Puerto Vallarta

091017pv_sotc

I had frustratingly little time to explore the old town while in Puerto Vallarta last week. It’s a place of narrow streets and twisting lanes where you could wander for hours. Unfortunately I never had hours, but I did manage a little time to get a few photos of the tourism icons like this shot of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I added a texture layer in Photoshop for a little atmosphere.

Mexican Sunrise

091015barcelo_sotc

I returned from Mexico wednesday night to temperatures in the 30s. It was in the upper 90s and humid in Puerto Vallarta. Needless to say, it’s not been an easy transition.

I flew down on Sunday the 4th in three legs: Kansas City to Dallas, Dallas to Mexico City, Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta. With layovers of several hours at each airport I didn’t arrive in Puerto Vallarta until long after dark. The photo above is my third frame of the trip – a 30 second exposure made from my balcony just before sunrise, as I was getting my first glimpse of the Pacific and the beautiful Barcelo La Jolla de Mismaloya resort that was hosting the Society of American Travel Writers Board meeting for the next three days.

The Board meeting preceded the SATW Annual Convention in Guadalajara. I attended the Board meeting as an observer since I would be joining the Board at the close of the Guadalajara meeting as the new Chair of the SATW Freelance Council. It was a great opportunity to get to know the other Board members and incoming Board members – I’ll be serving with a great group of people for the next two years.

With all the meetings, shooting time was limited but I made the most of free moments and some incredible outings that were arranged for our dinners. I’ll share more over the coming days as I begin post-processing.

Bicyclists

bicyclists

I’m working on a project with JNA Advertising and the great guys over at Gizmo for the next couple of weeks that involves a bunch of quick-turn environmental portraits. Last night Tavio and his biking buddies made great subjects and I decided to try the Nikkor 10.5 fisheye with a little off-camera flash. I used the Nikon D300’s pop-up flash in commander mode and dialed it down 3 stops so that it wouldn’t influence the shot. It remotely triggered the SB-600 in my left hand that was cranked up 2 stops. I dialed the camera down 1 stop.

I wanted to overpower the ambient light with the flash to highlight Tavio in the foreground. It all took about as much time as it did to just explain it. The result here has had just a bit of vignetting added but is not too far from being straight out of the camera.

Vermillion Lakes, Banff

Vermillion Lakes, Banff

Most of yesterday the weather was not kind to this photographer but perseverance paid off and just before sunset the clouds finally started to break up and the sun peeked through for a great evening shoot at Vermillion Lakes. I don’t use my Nikkor 10.5 fisheye all that much but I like the effect here. It looks like you’re on top of the world. I have to say, though… looking at that foreground ice now… I’m wondering how it supported my weight.

Huh.

Mount Rundle, BanffThe spot was perfect as it allowed for several shooting opportunities. Nearby hot springs had kept this body of water open and the stillness made for perfect reflections of the nearby mountains — including Mount Rundle shown at the right. Ice around the edge of the lake provided a good surface to shoot from as well as some nice leading lines and foreground elements. in other areas patches of golden reeds broke the surface of the water giving some nice warm color and a very different look than shots that were dominated by the ice. In the end I was able to grab lots of different images that don’t all look like they were shot in the same place or on the same evening. A very versatile location. What a great way to end a day.

A quick word of thanks to Bob for stopping by and leaving a comment yesterday. It’s always great to hear from you. Hope to see you again one day soon.