travel Archives - Page 29 of 51

June 30, 2016June 30, 2016

Vancity Architecture

I took this while walking around in the rain on a Vancouver morning. That was back in January when the days were short and the rain was constant. Now in June the days are long with the sun rising at about five in the morning. I’m headed back there and looking forward to taking more photos in Van-city.

The thing about Vancouver, or any major city for that matter, is that it’s so unlike the sleepy little town I live in. The change in scenery gives me all kinds of ideas for urban photography. I’m sure the same would be true for big city folk that visit central Florida, in awe of the beaches and sunsets. Change of scenery is a good thing.

more urban images

This was taken at the Telus Science World building. The leading line of the walkway and pillars are what I found interesting. The building itself is made up of unique architecture, it has a geodesic dome and odd structures along the outside. This is probably the second most photographed building in Vancouver next to Canada Place. In any case I can’t wait to get out on the streets in full urban photo mode.

June 1, 2016June 2, 2016

Punta Piedrita

This is from a few years ago in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I took this from a hotel room we stayed at before boarding a cruise ship. It was early in the morning before leaving the hotel and as I opened up the glass door to the veranda my lens immediately fogged. I had to be patient and wait for fifteen minutes or so while the temperature of the glass equalized with the outside air. That happens when you go between air conditioning and a hot humid climate. Coming from Florida I should have been used to it.

When we got on the ship and headed into the Caribbean the same thing happened all the time. The cabin was climate controlled and as soon as the camera hit the outside air it fogged. The same happened with eye glasses. The best thing is to let the camera warm for about thirty minutes before shooting. As I said, I should have known because I go through the same routine every summer here in Florida.

More from the beach gallery

Anyway, we were only here in San Juan for a couple of days. The sights, food and people were all amazing and I’d go back in a minute. The people that I know and have met from here all have a combination of purpose and friendliness that is unique to this island. I believe this island and its people are a treasure of the caribbean.

May 24, 2016

Old Stumps

This is a shot of an old stump along the Beach in British Columbia. I took this while walking along the Foreshore trail from Wreck Beach. The logs and stumps litter the beach, remnants of storms long passed. There are lumber mills not far from here so it’s not unusual to see stray logs that never made it to the mill. I stopped several times to take pictures of the smooth stones on the beach which is not exactly landscape photography, but images I like to collect nonetheless for use later as textures for other images.

I noticed another photographer stopping to take photos of the stumps and debris along the beach as well. I think because it’s deserted here and there are so many natural elements you could easily spend hours photographing all kinds of interesting things. That’s basically what I did.

See more images in the Canadian gallery

I’ll be heading up to Alaska in about a month. I hope to get some time walking along a beach up there as well. I know the landscape is beautiful, I’ve seen it on TV. Naturally I’m curious to see it in person because as we all know pictures can never do justice to majestic landscapes. Just the thought of walking in a setting that I’ve never seen before should provide all kinds of opportunities for photography. Even if they are just a bunch of old stumps.

May 10, 2016

What Once Was

This is a shot of palm trunks on Egmont Key. At the far end of this deserted island is a forest of dead leafless Palm trunks on the beach. It’s an unusual sight, I’m not sure what happened, but there they are, poking out of the sand, remnants of a past event.

Perhaps it was a hurricane, about ten years ago we had several. I know of another place along a different beach with a bunch of dead tree trunks from past hurricanes, it’s a little erie and beautiful at the same time.

Shooting in the Rain

I took this last January and as usual it was raining in Vancouver. Even so I spent most of the day outdoors taking pictures. The scenes, energy and images are so different from my home in Florida, I easily get carried away and forget the time. When I finally got back to the hotel both me and my camera were soaked. When I tried to dry it off it didn’t want to work. I should have known better. I laid it on the desk, changed into some dry clothes and went for dinner. By the time I got back the camera was fine. But I made a mental note that if I ever see a nice camera rain cover I should pick it up. I just did from Peak Designs so here’s the link in case your interested.

We get rain here in Florida also, but it’s not the same by any stretch. In the summer we get crazy tropical thunderstorms and the lightening gets a little scary. Basically you don’t want to be outside when lighting is in the air, yet it creates all kinds of other artistic opportunities.

More images from the street photography gallery

Rain is good for photography, if you take the time to look you’ll see all kinds of unique compositions. For street photography the rain puts everyone a little off center and so they are carrying umbrellas or running for cover. If you’re doing landscape photography then it means the clouds will be full of drama. Either way rain is good for photography yet maybe not so much for cameras. My advice is to get a shell to save your camera so you can worry less about the equipment and concentrate more on the scenes in front of you.

May 3, 2016May 3, 2016

Reflections in an Image

A snapshot of a moment in time from Montpellier France. Even in the middle of a city I look for water or glass and the reflections in it. This is part of an ancient Roman aqueduct. As I noticed the reflections in the pool I positioned myself and waited for the right moment.

I’m drawn to reflections in images and am always on the lookout for them. They can be metaphors for so many things, even life in general. When I see a reflection it immediately grabs my attention and sometimes I find it more interesting than its source. At a psychological level reflections are rich with meaning and fuel for interpretation.

Perhaps at the very core of it, many things in life are derived from reflections of ourselves. I attach meaning to things based on my own values and life experiences. What I think about things is a reflection of me.

More images from the street photography gallery

I think there’s a little truth to it. Regardless, I’ll continue the hunt for reflections with my camera and maybe, with a little time, I’ll figure it all out.

May 2, 2016May 2, 2016

High Floor

This is from a couple of years ago in Vancouver. Normally when I stay in a big city the hotel looks out at the back of other buildings, but this time I lucked out. The room was thirty floors up and facing west so I could watch the sunset in the evening.

Getting access to a high vantage point in a big city is a big plus. Its a perspective I always find fascinating because of all the little details. Its a little like having a window seat on an airplane and watching the ground as you gain altitude, it’s all looks so different.

More images of Vancouver from the Gallery

Nowadays drones provide these kinds of perspectives, at least they used to. Most cities restrict drone flights for number of reasons so short of that, getting access to a high floor is still the way to go. One of my favorite things to do is go the observation decks of well known buildings; Hancock in Chicago, Empire State in New York and the CN Tower in Toronto. But on this occasion all I had to do was open the curtains to my room.

April 28, 2016April 28, 2016

Oasis of the Mind

This is another image from Egmont Key near Tampa. I like to describe it as a deserted island because that’s what it is. You can take a ferry here but there are only two scheduled trips a day. Once you get here there are no concessions, only a lighthouse, a dock, and miles of empty beaches. I walked the whole length of it a few weeks ago and it was, I must admit, a little therapeutic.

Switching gears for a second, last night I watched a show on cable about people that move to Alaska. It basically followed them as they hunted for a house and during that they would describe why they wanted to re-locate. Invariably people wanted to get back to a simpler way of life.

I think there’s something to that, as we live complicated lives we foster a desire to return to something more meaningful. For me that means walking a deserted beach once in a while with nothing but the sound of the wind, the waves and the gulls to contend with.

More abstract images from the gallery

I think peace is a state of mind. Maybe the trick is to find that deserted beach in my mind and go there for a few minutes each day. I’d also like to go to Alaska or a deserted island but sometimes the oasis in my mind might be a little more accessible.

April 20, 2016April 20, 2016

Sense of Direction

This is from my trip to New Zealand a couple of years ago where I participated in a photography workshop. After all of the time that’s gone by I still have a lot of photos in my backlog to process. Here we were standing on a hill one afternoon overlooking Queenstown. That trip went by so fast I’m glad I have photos to re-live it in little increments later.

Whenever I go somewhere new it can be a little disorienting. By that I mean I’m never to sure which way is north south east or west. I remember having that feeling when I was here and struggling to sort it out in my mind. I love going back to Google Maps or Google Earth to look at places I’ve been and get a proper sense of direction and location. It’s helps me to integrate the experience after the fact.

For instance, with this shot I keep expecting to see the river, but it’s to my back as I was facing south. When we headed to Glenorchy, I thought we were driving south but it’s actually north. And if all that isn’t enough, on the last day I took a helicopter through the southern alps during which I had zero sense of whereabouts. Thankfully I was geotagging my photos, so now years later I can go back and begin to piece the locations together into some kind map of the journey.

Perhaps the sense of not knowing where we are in a new land adds to the sense wonder and excitement. I think perhaps, there might be something to that.

More images from the New Zealand gallery

April 18, 2016

Organic Lines

Here is another simple image from inside Barcelona’s Casa Batlló. I love these irregular “organic” lines of the walls and molding that are found throughout the house, it’s as if the only rule they followed was there should be no right angles. Also, if you look closely you’ll notice the walls have a mosaic pattern reminiscent of scales.

This is more than a house, it’s a study in the blending of art and design to create a habitat. Imagine if all homes were built as works of art, it would be a much more interesting world don’t you think?

More architecture images from the gallery