Tag Archives: Barbados

12 for ’12: The Year’s Best

It’s that time of year, once again, when we look back at the year that was and weigh our accomplishments. Well, you always hope that there are accomplishments worthy of looking back on. If nothing else, there’s always weighing the regrets.

Anyway, last year I posted my favorite images from 2011 – Eleven for ’11. Naturally, this year it’s 12 for ’12. They are all favorites of mine for a reason, although the reasons may not be so obvious to everyone else. Nonetheless, I’ll try to give some insight. So here they are listed in chronological order, starting this past January.

“Paradise Found”
Harrismith Beach, Barbados
January 21, 2012

Just another brutal day in paradise, I posted earlier in the year. I think what I liked best about this image is that it was completely secluded. I didn’t have to clone out a single human.

 

“Ahwahnee Dream”
Yosemite National Park, California, USA
February 15, 2012

One of my favorite things about this image is that it was taken from a very popular vantage point in Yosemite National Park. Still I was able to come away with something unique and original, thanks to the thickening fog in the valley.

 

“Red Patagonia Dawn”
Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
April 6, 2012

The location, the light, and the effort to get there (I led three of my clients who opted for the backcountry extension to the Patagonia workshop up this steep, ice-covered trail to be here by sunrise) were all factors in this image making the cut.

 

“Crowning Glory”
Arches National Park, Utah, USA
May 18, 2012

The low-angled light sweeping over the textured sandstone, the dynamic leading lines, the cloud movement during this 30-second exposure make this a clear favorite of mine. I don’t practice many black and white conversions but I was surprised to find two in my favorites for 2012.

 

“Light Room”
Arches National Park, Utah, USA
May 21, 2012

I love night photography and Arches National Park is one of my favorite places to “do it in the dark.” Ok, shameless plug here: Night photography, Arches National Park, November 6-9, 2013. Thanks for listening.

 

“River of Light”
The Seine, Paris, France
June 24, 2012

Amazing sunset. Paris, France. What else is there to say?

 

“Chasing Magic”
Kirkjufellsfoss, Iceland
July 25, 2012

Persistance. I waited four nights in order to get light that I was looking for at this location. I was prepared for a 5th, if necessary.

 

“Blood Sport”
Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA
August 23, 2012

The Decisive Moment, as Henri Cartier-Bresson might describe this image. This is only one image frame in an entire sequence I posted back in September: Life and Death in Katmai.

 

“The Spine of Time”
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA
October 23, 2012

If I had a “home” national park, the Smokies would be it. This image captures the essence of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park perhaps better than any other I have taken in the past dozen years or so.

 

“The Lost City”
Machu Picchu, Peru
November 16, 2012

Rain, rain, and more rain with some impenetrable fog and gloomy skies – but for a brief 40-seconds of optimism. And I was ready.

 

“Winter’s Blush”
Horgardalur Valley, Iceland
December 9, 2012

This is as much sun and light as you will get in northern Iceland in December. But oh what lovely light it is…

 

“Midnight’s Children”
Trollaskagi Peninsula, Iceland
December 12, 2012

I had never seen the northern lights before, despite two previous summer trips to Iceland and two summer trips to Alaska. The aurora is what brought me to Iceland in the depths of winter and I was not disappointed.

Thanks for sharing 2012 with me.

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December 27, 2012 | 16 Comments
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Another Brutal Day in Paradise

I know the look: the roll of the eyes, the smirk, the ironic nod of the head. I’m all too familiar with these callous gestures when I declare to family or friends that “I’m going to work.” If I can say it with a straight face, the least everyone else can do is offer a sympathetic pat on the back or a few words of encouragement. I really don’t think that’s asking too much.

Photography is hard work. Last year may have been a success, photographically speaking, but do you think I’m going to sit back and rest on my laurels as the calendar turned over to 2012? Think again.

During my photographic expedition to the island of Barbados last month, I hiked the 200 yards from my camp to this rugged coastal outpost. It was midday and the tropical sun was hot and the air brutally heavy. I was sacrificing prime tanning hours (and 2 for 1 Mojitos at Tropical Winds) during what should have been my break. What landscape photographer works during the middle of the day under a bright cloudless sky? I swear, sometimes I think I just care too much.

Minutes later, I’m back at base camp…”rehydrating.”  Yup, it’s just another brutal day in paradise but nothing worth doing should ever be easy. Besides, I knew what I had signed up for when I chose this profession. I knew there would be days like these.

 

February 1, 2012 | 13 Comments
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The Kindness of Strangers

Less than a year ago, I left my phone in the back seat of a Buenos Aires taxi.

After having spent a week at the spectacular Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil, my flight arrived at the domestic airport, Aeroparque in Buenos Aires. I needed to spend the night in a hotel near Aeropuerto Ezeiza, the international port for an early flight back to the States the next morning. This requires about an hour’s worth of drive time between the two sprawling facilities.

When I checked into the hotel and realized what had happened, I beat myself up for about a half a minute, shrugged, and wrote the thing off. In a busy, chaotic city of thirteen million strangers, any effort to locate the phone and have it returned would be futile.

Therefore, I was shocked when the driver returned a half an hour later with a smile and outreached hand with my phone its palm. He spoke no English and I would give my Spanish a charitable grade of serviceable at best. No matter. I gave him a sheepish, awkward hug and $60 US for his trouble.

The same sort of thing has happened in Reykjavik (a lost and returned credit card) and during my most recent trip to Barbados, when my phone, again, was lost and recovered in the Miami airport. Aside from my sometimes-careless nature and absentmindedness, these examples illustrate the very best of human nature – and not from established friends, mind you, but total strangers.

I dedicate this image, from my recent trip to Barbados, to these selfless folks. Dozens of wrong turns on unmarked or sometimes unnamed roads, aimless backtracking, and just being flat out lost were everyday occurrences. My reliance on storekeepers – and others – who cheerfully offered directions and a cool drink cannot be overstated or exaggerated. This image, as well as the others, could not be possible without their kindness.

January 23, 2012 | 12 Comments
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