Travel

Ultraman

*Ultraman*
Fuji x100F

Studio City is one of the massive hotel and casino complexes in Macau, this one themed around movies. I was immediately struck by the gigantic statues at the front which made me think at the same time of retro-futurist designs and of a classic comic metropolis. I hope there’s no copyright on Ultraman, but I felt that was a good name for this guy.

Paris-Venise à Macao

*Paris-Venise à Macao*
Fuji x100F

A couple of week-ends ago we went to Macau for the first time. I’d been to Vegas (once) so I kind of new what to expect, at least as far as the kitsch side of Macau was concerned. Still, the clash of the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop to Venetian buildings with tropical greens at the forefront is not something you see everyday!

Morenada

Morenada
Canon 7D

As I was being driven back from Copacabana to La Paz, the car stopped in the middle of nowhere, and I couldn’t figure out why. Finally, the driver said there might be a Morenada ahead as this was a saturday. Upon understanding what he was talking about, I grabbed my camera with the lens that was on it (a 50mm, it turned out, which in APSC meant 80mm) and ran towards the festivities. In between the harsh light and the excessive focal length, I had a hard time framing this wonderful dance but a few of the shots were keepers still. This one I like, in part because the woman at the forefront looks so serious about it.

Under the Deep Blue Sky

Under the Deep Blue Sky
Canon 7D

The Altiplano is so high that the sky is a deep deep blue and the light is super harsh. This makes lit whites super white (as on the left here) and shadows super dark (as in the middle and the right). Our Lady of Copacabana is all whitewashed, but when I got there, late morning, not all of it was lit, causing these stark contrasts that I like.

Beach & Tags

Beach & Tags
Fuji XPRO2

 What caught my eye here was the combination of bathers on one side of the frame and the heavy urban feel of the street art on the other side. I wish the dinghy hadn’t been there bobbing on the water, but hopefully it’s not too distracting.

Boatload of Boats

Boatload of Boats
Fuji XPRO2

Marseille is a really interesting city in that it stretches along the coast for miles. This means that virtually anywhere in the city, if you head towards the sea you find tiny harbours or calanques (rock beaches). I really liked this one and only disturbed a few beach goers to shoot it.

Collegium Nardinum

Collegium Nardinum
Fuji xpro2

Until my little Roman escapade, I had never really shot urban facades wide angle. Sure, my go to lens (when not shooting a 35mm fixed lens) opens at 27mm which is pretty wide, but often insufficient for narrow streets or high facades. In Rome I had my 10-24mm lens (equivalent 15-36mm) and really discovered how cool that was to shoot high doors in narrow streets. This photo is an example of that.

Shelob’s Roman Abode

Shelob’s Roman Abode
Fuji xpro2

I always had this image of Rome being a historical center surrounded by a modern city, but last time I was there I realised that there’s a whole lot of old stone even outside the historical center. It may not be roman time stone, but it still looks fantastically cool. What first attracted me to this facade was the face, and then I saw the spider…

Miniature Street Shrine

Miniature Street Shrine
Fuji x100f

One of the fascinating sights in Hong Kong is the public display of religious fervor, designed if I understand correctly to bring prosperity to business ventures. As a consequence you see a lot of burnings in front of shops, and during certain festivals even offerings of suckling pig and fruit. But these little shrines are there all year round and they’re my favourite.