Simplicity

This week's post is about simplicity.... sometimes we walk right by a great photo opportunity without ever realizing it... for instance, the first photo below. At first glance, it looks like a simple, drab hallway without any real aesthetic appeal. But if you look closely, the shapes created by the colors and the lighting are far more interesting than we might realize...
The second photo represents more closely what I saw when was walking by this hallway. So next time you have your camera in your hand, look more closely at the world around you - slow down and snap a picture, you might be in for a surprise!

Puerto Rico Part 2

I decided there was a little more to tell about the Puerto Rico "photo-journey", so, here it is... part 2!

The first two photos are from El Morro Castle... El Castillo de San Felipe del Morro was declared a World Heritage elite by the United Nations in 1933. El Morro is Puerto Rico’s best known fortress. Spanish troops fortified this ‘morro’. which means ‘promontory’, to keep seaborne enemies out of San Juan. The construction of this fourt began in 1589... its a must see if you ever get a chance to visit Puerto Rico. As you can see, the rustic walls of the 400+ year-old fort make a great back drop for scenic photos.

The fort is located within walking distance to Old San Juan. The heart of Old San Juan is not only a great place to observe great architecture, but its also a great place to people-watch... candid shots are my favorite... I love to capture photos of people when they think no one is paying attention. These next couple of pics are great examples of the people of OSJ... I learned a little bit about "island time" here too... the people never seemed to be in a hurry to do anything. The only ones in a hurry, were the tourists!

The next time you're in a crowded city, take a look around at the people, and if you have your camera, try your hand at a few candid shots.

One of our last days on the island we visited, El Yonque (El Yunkie), the rain forest located on the NE side of the island. The rain forest was beautiful, but truthfully, it looked a lot like most any forest or woodlands found on the mainland... However, once you took a closer look, it became readily apparent that it was definitely different. The most interesting parts of the jungle were in the small details... some of the most amazing natural works of art were almost hidden by the lush canopy of green...

You can see in the first photo how similar to our woodlands it appears to be, but if you look closer, there are many details that let you know, its definitely different.

All-in-all, it was a great trip... if you ever get the chance... GO!

Puerto Rico

Since I have been focusing mostly on motorcycles and cars lately, I thought I would change it up a bit and start off my new blog with some travel photos.

This photo was taken a few months ago in Puerto Rico at a very exclusive resort called El Conquistador. From what I was told, members of the Bush family have been known to vaca there, including George W. It is one of those places that you see in magazines or on TV... The views were stunning. The opulence was in stunning contrast to the rest of the island.

Let me back up a bit and make it clear... this is NOT where we stayed. We were fortunate enough to have some friends who were going to the island for the holidays to visit family. We tagged along and stayed with their relatives. It was an awesome way to experience the REAL Puerto Rico - home cooking, roadside stands, real people, local bars... the whole deal. El Conquistadore was just one of many places we were able to visit during our 10-day stay on the island. We spent a considerable amount of time visiting beaches of course, traveling through local towns and eating local foods. The second photo is a view from the top of the mountain at El Conquistadore. If you look closely, you can see the yachts docked below. The resort covered the whole mountain side. The villas and offices were at the top of the mountain and the food, shops and yacht club were at the bottom.


As you can see in the 3rd photo, the beaches were just picture-perfect. This photo was taken on or close to New Year's day. The weather was perfect, around 85 degrees. This was the first time I had ever experienced the holidays in a warm weather climate... as a Pennsylvania boy, it was truly a strange feeling to be laying on a beach on New Year's day.


















The 4th photo is one of my favorites from the trip. This was around the back of a roadside stand were we stopped to pick up a coouple empanedillas (kinda like a deep-fried, meat-filled perrogi) As you can see, there is quite a contrast from the resort at El Conquistadore. This roadside stand is more representative of the island. This man didn't speak English and I don't speak Spanish, but he saw the camera and smiled - proudly displaying his bottle of rum!
Sometimes, the best photos aren't about a stunning scenic view, or a brightly colored backdrop. To me, some of the best photos are about capturing a moment or a feeling... its about capturing the little things that we miss as we go about our daily lives. No one was paying any attention to this old man behind the roadside market, and I would have missed it too if I wouldn't have taken the extra two minutes to walk around the side of the building to explore.

If you would like to see more photos from our trip to Puerto Rico, please visit my site at the following link. As always, feel free to send me your comments, questions and suggestions!

www.skeefer.net/PuertoRico.htm