Guest Article by Daniel Arenas Pintado.

Last summer my wife and I spent 11 days in a gorgeous and spectacular trip around Iceland and I want to share with all of you my experience.

Iceland is a European island situated in the North Atlantic Ocean under the Arctic Circle. It has three hundred and sixteen thousand inhabitants and it’s classified as the most developed country in the world by the United Nations. Its population is called Icelanders and they speak not only Icelandic but also English.

We spent thirteen days on a tour around the island with a four wheels drive car (4WD or 4×4) on our own. We drove for three thousand kilometers on main roads, roads with loose surface, paths and also we crossed some rivers without bridges (we had to ford them). In the last river the water covered almost the wheels and I thought we wouldn’t achieve to cross but fortunately we did.

There were gorgeous landscapes and natural places for hiking, sightseeing and of course for taking a lot of pictures of geysers, volcanoes, glaciers, great colored mountains due to its mineral composition… All the country is a huge Natural Reserve and I strongly recommend it to you.

We, my wife Gemma and I, landed at Keflavik International Airport, close to Reykjavik, with a direct Icelandair flight (Boeing 757) from Barcelona – Spain- at 2:30 am and picked a hire car up, a Suzuki Jimny (4×4). Then we went to sleep.

First day

We slept very few hours because we were extremely excited of starting our particular new adventure, on our own, around Iceland.

We visited Almannagjá, a fault caused by the separation of American and Eurasian tectonic plates, and Þingvellir Natural Park.

Then we went to the Kerið, a volcanic cone filled with water.

After that, we enjoyed the nature spectacle of the geyser Strokkur in the Geysir zone.

Before going back to the hotel we went to Gullfoss, a huge waterfall. It was my first fall in this precious country and was very special for me. Many feelings came to my mind in that time.

Second Day

We got up early in the morning to seize the day. We went from Fluðir to Landmannalaugar driving along a forest trail called F208 (loose surface).

Landmannalaugar is a volcanic area situated in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve.

Be careful if you return to the main road (ring road) using the forest trail F208 (loose surface, again) to Kirkjubæjarklaustur because there are several rivers and streams that raise their water level when rain. We had to ford them and in one case the river was very large. It took us two hours and a half to travel by car 50 Km.

After that kind of adventure we arrived to Skógafoss, another great waterfall (Iceland is very rich in water).

And then we went to Dyrhólaey near to the city of Vik. Here we observed some rocky formations. Legend tells that these rocks were three trolls which were turned into stone when touched by sunlight.

Third Day

That day was dedicated to visiting the desert of black sand, the Skeiðarársandur, and the glacier Vatnajökull and its surroundings.

Close to that point we can visit another famous waterfall, Svartifoss.

Our last stop was the Jökulsárlón lagoon. The water of that lake comes a half from the sea (salt water) and a half from the Vatnajökull glacier (sweet water), so there are plenty of little icebergs. Here we saw some seals near the sea entry and a wide range of birds.

Fourth Day

We spent this day travelling along the ring road in the eastern fjords. The weather was foggy with some rains. The forecast in Iceland is surprisingly exact, and very difficult to do because each part of the island has his own micro clime due to the differences of winds, water flows in the ocean, proximity to the Arctic Circle…

Fifth Day

Our fifth day was exciting and we visited Dettifoss, Hafragilfoss and Selfoss waterfalls and we spent the night in the precious town of Húsavik.

These three waterfalls are from the same river, the Jökulsá, and the orogeny crated by erosion is named the Jökulsárgljúrfur Canyon.

Sixth day

In Húsavik we enrolled to a sail boat to sail a bit and try to watch whales. But we just saw only one whale and very few times. It was a pity.

After that, in the afternoon, we went to Mývatn-lake surroundings, to the zone of Hverarönð, close to the Namafjall volcano.

Later we went to Krafla a high seismic activity area. Last eruption was in 1984 and it was the ninth since 1975.

In the same area of Krafla we can find one of the most famous volcanic cones in Iceland called Viti. Viti means hell and it’s one of the first’s cone explosive formed by the geological and volcanic activity of Krafla.

Seventh day

We left the hotel situated in Reykjahlíð and went to Grjótagjá, a crack where caves, with hot water lakes, had been formed underneath.

From the cone of the Hverfjall volcano we could see different views from the Iceland-northern landscape.

Later was time to visit Höfdi, a small peninsula that juts into the lake Mývatn and whose best locations are the southern edge repopulated with a forest of birch and fir trees and in front of Kálfastronð shore where we can see the pillars of lava (quite famous) called also Klasa.

Then we continued around the lake Mývatn (all the time is on the main road No.1, the Ring Road) till Skútustaðir where we could see the pseudocraters (and a small lake called Stakhólstjörn).

These pseudocraters are not real craters produced by volcanic eruptions but molten lava which came into the lake and trapped water inside. These amount of water evaporated violently producing a big pressure of water steam inside the lava which became to inflate like a bubble. Then this bubble burst due to the high pressure and the molten lava cooled and acquired its characteristic shape.

After enjoying those breathtaking views, and before retiring to rest in Akureyri, we visited another famous waterfall, Godafoss.

Eighth and ninth day

The eighth day was just spent travelling from Akureyri to Borgarnes in where we had a hotel for two nights in order to be able to get up early in the ninth day and visit the Snaefellness peninsula.

The first place where we stopped, in the ninth day, was Buðir a very astonishing and calmed place. There was only an old wooden hotel, a little church with a cemetery and an awesome and paradisiacal beach. Jules Verne, in his book – Journey to the center of the earth- referred to this location.

Then we went to a pretty beautiful fisherman town called Arnarstapi.

After having enjoyed Arnarstapi we went to the Snæefellsjökull glacier in where there is the Snæefells volcano. Here, supposedly, according to Jules Verne in his book – Journey to the Center of the Earth – was the gateway to a virgin and prehistoric underworld.

Tenth and eleventh day

We spent these two days (our lasts days in Iceland) to visit Reykjavik and take some relaxing bath in the famous SPA, with natural hot water, the Blue Lagoon (Bláa Lonid).

Useful information:

Daniel Arenas’ blog (Nature Shots) : http://danielarenas.wordpress.com

Visit Iceland (official site) : http://www.icetourist.is/

Icelandic forecast: http://www.mbl.is/mm/frettir/vedur/index.html?en=1

Icelandic roads condition: http://www.vegagerdin.is/english/road-conditions-and-weather/the-entire-country/island1e.html

Website:  http://www.mojphoto.com

I recently spent a few days on a Shoot the Light Workshop (www.shootthelight.com) with Charles Glatzer and five other photographers.

Our subjects were the manatees that spend the winter in the spring fed pools on the Crystal River in Florida.

This seems to be a popular tourist attraction, which makes the photography difficult in two ways:  first, there are a lot of people at the springs which means framing images is challenging.  Second, the folks visiting the manatees kick up a lot of sediment in the shallow waters, making a clear image difficult.

We stayed at the Crystal River Best Western (http://www.crystalriverresort.com)  which is right on the water and a short boat ride to the springs.  They also have a full dive shop  where you can rent all the gear needed.  The water is a constant 72 degrees due to the springs and you will need a wet suit.

As for gear, I used a Canon 5d markII with a 16-35mm lens.  The camera was protected by an EWA underwater bag which I purchased at B&H.  At first glance, you think the bag is risky.  But it performed flawlessly over a four day period. (Link to EWA at B&H Photo).  While expensive, it is a fraction of a dedicated housing.

It is best to go the springs at high tide.  It seemed that the manatees would leave the springs and go to the river before low tide and return at high tide.  I don’t know if their behavior was unique to our visit or varies during the winter.  It would be something to check out.  You an hire a guide to take you to the site, or rent a boat or pontoon to go yourself.  It is easy to find, so I would recommend renting your own boat.

Manatees are one of nature’s odder creatures.  Here is the Wikipedia writeup: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manatees.
They are very gentle and spend a lot of time on the bottom.  They are mammals, so they need to go to the surface every few minutes for air, which provides some of the better photo ops.

Some have dreams. Few achieve them. Rafael Rojas lives his dream.

The Editors of PTR salute Rafael Rojas as one of the world’s best travel photographers. Enjoy the slide show prepared from his work.

All photographs are Copyrighted © 2010 Rafael Rojas, All Rights Reserved, Duplication is prohibited.

From Australia, Polynesia, Namibia, Scotland, Switzerland, France, The United States, Patagonia, Chile, Brazil, to Argentina and other places not listed, he ventures, often in harsh conditions, camping, walking, climbing, he pursues the ultimate dream of all who love wanderlust and travel photography.

Website:  http://www.giannigalassi.com/

Article and photographs copyright © 2009 Gianni Galassi, All Rights Reserved

There is a lot we can learn from modern architecture. As citizens: 20th Century buildings represent the deep relationships among society, institutions, culture and technology. As eyesighted human beings: they force us to perceive their plastic value before their function (museum, parliament house, theater, airport). As photographers: the patterns produced by the dialogue between their shape and the dance of light and shadow are always tempting when we see them through our viewfinders.

Ara Pacis Museum, Rome

Everybody believes he is familiar with Rome. As schoolboys, novel readers or film-goers we all have a general idea of its history and looks. Subsequently we all visit Rome with an a priority list of what we must see, which often coincides with the list of what we already know. This is why the monuments and the remains of the Roman Empire are always crammed with people. But there is more to enjoy.

EUR Arcade, Rome

During last century’s first twenty years, Rome, as many important cities all over the world, experienced a deep renewal process. In the southern area of the river banks a power supply plant was built, along with port facilities, an iron bridge (called Industry Bridge, not by chance), gasometers, a modern slaughterhouse and many factories. Most of these structures are still there. The old power plant (Centrale Montemartini) has become a museum, where roman and greek sculptures are displayed among the old engines and generators. The sloughterhouse (Mattatoio) has been converted for contemporary art exhibitions and the former docks are now apartment blocks.

EUR Porch, Rome

Later came the Rationalist Movement, with Architect Marcello Piacentini and his pupils. They worked during Mussolini’s dictatorship, so their buildings have been dismissed as fascist for a long time. A rash judgment, in fact. Besides a number of Government buildings –some of outstanding beauty- we can still admire post offices (Via Marmorata and Ostia), railway stations (Stazione Termini South Wing) and bridges witnessing an era of modernization (notwithstanding the regime), mostly based on the rapid growth of the transport and communication system. All of them share the same stylistic features and inspiration of the Futuristic art.

MAXXI Museum, Rome

The EUR, a huge development plan for the 1942 Expo, would have been the highlight of the Piacentini School, but WW2 stopped it. Yet it has been finished during the Fifties, and IMHO travelers should be obliged to visit (and take pictures of) this marvelous three square miles contemporary version of the Roman Forum, with its Square Coliseum (Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana), the Congress Center (Palazzo dei Congressi), the State Archives (Archivio di Stato) and a wealth of museums and public office buildings.

Millennium Church, Rome

As far as the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties are concerned, it’s a decadence season. But in the Nineties a sort of shy Renaissance begun. Two works by the American Richard Meier, the Ara Pacis Museum (Teca dell’Ara Pacis) and the Millennium Church (Chiesa di Tor Tre Teste), have marked the roman cityscape along with Renzo Piano’s Auditorium (Parco della Musica) and Zaha Hadid’s 21st Century Art Museum (MAXXI) which is going to open (behind schedule) in early 2010.

Railway Water Tower, Rome

*****

Born in Milan in 1954, Gianni Galassi makes his debut as a still-life photographer at 16. His second love, the movies, lead him to Rome in 1979. He is hired as spots and documentaries director, and later as features’ screenwriter and assistant director. He is now involved in film and TV post-production, as company owner, dubbing director and dialogue writer. Besides he lectures at the Bologna University the Fondazione Cini in Venice, at the Lazio Terra Summer School. He never stopped taking pictures. His works have been exhibited in Rome at the Luxardo Gallery in 2009, and at the International Photography Festival and at the Palazzo Venezia National Museum in 2007. Previously in Milan, Viterbo and Athens.

A Festival For the Senses

By Lyndsey Biddle

Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved

There is red everywhere; hanging from rooftops, on the walls, on the ground. And earsplitting blasts night and day, lights shooting across the sky, explosions. No, I am not describing a war scene; these are the sights and sounds of the Chinese Spring Festival, or Chun Jie as it is called in Chinese.

Spring Festival occurs according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar and usually falls towards the end of January or early February. The Spring Festival starts a week prior to the well-known Chinese New Year. The Chinese hold a number of interesting beliefs about this time of year and uphold many unique New Year traditions.

I lived and worked in the city of Tianjin, just a short train ride south of Beijing, for three years. While experiencing just one Chinese New Year is enough for most foreigners, I had the pleasure of taking part in three. And I think my ears are still ringing these many years later from the firecrackers that blasted my eardrums for days on end.

That is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the Spring Festival and New Year, the incessant blasts, night and day. China is, after all, the birthplace of fireworks and firecrackers, so why not go all out, right? The reason for all the firecrackers is primarily to ward off evil spirits who try to make their way to Earth during the New Year. During the Chinese New Year you can find makeshift stands selling an incredible variety of fireworks including the kind that are illegal in the West and only set off during official events far far away from the crowd. I remember seeing young children purchasing and setting off these industrial sized fireworks and it still gives me the chills. My neighbors at the time were extremely diligent in scaring off the evil spirits because they set off the loudest firecrackers I have ever heard just ousted my apartment at all hours of the day for two weeks straight. Needless to say, I was a bit sleep deprived.

The other thing that stands out during the Spring Festival is the red color everywhere. Red is considered a lucky color and gold represents wealth, so in every home and in every street there are red paper decorations, lanterns, and the like. One popular decoration is the Fu sign. Fu means luck and prosperity. The Chinese will place the sign up-side-down on the wall in hopes of brining luck down into their house.

There are countless other Chinese New Year traditions including the giving of HongBao which are red envelopes filled with money that are given to children. Families will prepare NianGao, a sweet cake, which is made to appease the Kitchen God ZaoWang who comes to each family during the New Year to make a report on the family. Most importantly though, Spring Festival and Chinese New Year are a time for families to come together and catch up. In today’s modern China, this is for many Chinese the only time to return home and be with their family.

Lyndsey writes for Briefcase Direct, a website that offers luxury briefcases direct from the manufacturer.

Lyndsey currently lives in Kolkata, India.

By Neil Burton

Website:  Http://www.travellinglight.de

Self-drive safari?

To see the most famous of Africa’s inhabitants, including the Big Five, people often spend a small fortune for specialty tours and safaris. But here is how you can do it on a budget, and at all times be in complete control of where you go and how long you stay in any given spot.

Lion Cub

Where?

Kruger National Park, South Africa.

How?

Flight to Johannesburg, internal flight to Nelspruit or car hire from Johannesburg. I recommend flying to Nelspruit, it is not expensive and saves the five or six hour drive. Once in Nelspruit you will still need to hire a vehicle.

Planning

Your accommodation within the park needs to be booked prior to entering, this was formerly done by ringing the SANparks office or through a travel agent, but thankfully South African National Parks now have an internet booking system. The system is completely up-to-date and is a brilliant way to plan and book your trip, it took me ten minutes! Address below.

Bataleur Eagle

Choice and accommodation

The park camps have accommodation ranging from safari tents to bungalows with air-con, you can even camp if you wish to take your own tent. For the real budget conscious traveller the safari tents are a brilliant bargain, shared facilities but you wake up to the sounds of Africa.

Accommodation close to, or overlooking, the perimeter fences is more expensive and not always justifiably so. The perimeter is generally only a few minutes walk from any room, so more of a luxury than a necessity.

All accommodation has a braii (barbeque) and camp shops sell all you need to make use of it, but stocking up on water and essentials before entering he park works out cheaper.

Lion King

What to see

Nearly all the predators are here and sighted on a daily basis. If you are really lucky a cheetah, wild dog or caracal will also be checked off your list. There is an immense number of raptors and other birds, not to mention antelopes and prey animals such as impala. Buffalo, elephant and rhino are also on the list, you may even see a black rhino if your luck is in.

Cost

Flights from Europe to Johannesburg (for me via Dubai) cost as little as 500€, direct flights booked well in advance are currently around this price (after the football World Cup!). Internal flights will set you back around 120€. Car hire, standard 4-door saloon with AC, around 180€. Bungalows, which accommodate two persons (check the booking system for max occupancy per room) cost 60- 70€ depending on the position in the camp. Safari tents cost around 30€ per night for two persons.

My recommendations

A night at Tamboti tented camp. All rooms overlook the river bed and you are almost guaranteed to wake up to the sound of roaring lions.

Skukuza. Not that the camp is special but it is close to Panic Lake, a morning spent in the hide shooting hippos, crocodiles and kingfishers is a morning well spent.

Pied Kingfisher

Lower Sabie. Another ‘busy with tourists’ camp but a great area to see leopards, and watching the sun set at Sunset Dam is more than worth experiencing. Try to get a perimeter luxury tent here as they are built high up, overlooking the river, and have en-suite facilites.

Satara. Yes, another large busy camp but the area is full of predators. The S100 dirt road is a great place to spot lions.

Lions Play

In general the southern end of the park is more productive for wildlife sightings but the northern end has less visitors, so sightings can be a more intimate experience. The park is 220 miles long, so you have plenty of space to go at.

Cheetah and Fly

Likes

A safari holiday at your own pace. Only restrictions are the gate open and close times, if you are late to camp expect to be fined. You have around twelve hours a day to plan as you wish. Every room has a grill – sitting with a beer and a steak listening to the bush, does it get any better?

Dislikes

People who do not respect the rules, calling to get animals to look their way or hanging out of their vehicles. The rules are there for the good of the wildlife and the visitors to the park. Traffic jams – encountered quite often mostly at leopard sightings. The roads can become blocked with people hoping for a glimpse. Most often this happens south of Satara camp.

Lilac-breasted Roller

Equipment

A good zoom such as the 100-400 L will cover you for most of your photographic needs, especially on a 1.6x crop camera body such as the 50D. However for birds and distant wildlife a good long prime is a must. I used the 300mm 2.8 with a converter to give me 600mm, which is an amazing combination. However it is worth noting that heat and haze will make longer shots impossible in the middle of the day.

Occasionally I used a wider lens for the odd sunset or panorama image, the view from Olifants camp over the river demands to be taken, and sometimes for wildlife too. As for bodies, it is nice to have a two camera setup, one with a long prime and the other with the zoom. Quite often wildlife walks up to the road, or the car, and you need to be flexible. I used a 50D for long range and my 5D with the 100-400 L for those larger or closer animals.

Leopard

My tip

Talk to people and ask around. We found carrying a large telephoto lens, big white Canon ones, often brought people to us. Some will make silly remarks about the size of your equipment but a few will offer valuable advice or recent sightings. This was brought home to us on the last night when people asking if we were professionals also asked if we had seen the lions at a kill nearby. We hadn’t but the next morning the lions were still there.

Further information

Visit http://www.sanparks.org for booking and camp information. They also have a forum where you will find accurate information from people who live close to the park and visit on a regular basis.

King

Thanks to Sue Berry for her invaluable information prior to my departure and thanks also to Adam Lawler for being a great travel partner.

Claire: Herman you have had an exciting and busy year as your biography at the end of this interview shows. Amidst all this you took a trip to Gotland, can you tell us a little about this area and what attracted you to this location for photography?

Herman: I had heard that the light in this region is special and this made me decide to visit.

Gotland (which is an island) is in the Baltic Sea. The capital is Visby and you can reach it by boat in 3.5 hours from Stockholm. The island is flat on the east side and is perfect for biking,  on the west coast you will find steep cliffs and this helps to make it very interesting for photographers.

I travelled to Kappelshamn, about 40 km North of Visby and stayed in a cottage there. The name of Kappelshamn is said to come from an old chapel (Swedish kapell)  and “hamn” is Swedish for habour.

The Gotland bedrock is limestone. It was formed during the selurian period 400 million years ago. The earth plate, of which Gotland is a part, was then close to the Equator and corals were built up in the warm sea. The plate has then, during millions of years, drifted north and formed The Baltic sea with Gotland as the former coral reef.

Further north there is an island called Fårö where Ingmar Bergman settled in the sixties. When he saw the place and the light there he fell in love with it and he said it was like magic, because of his life on the island he put Fårö on the map throughout the world.

Claire: Can you talk more about the light and what makes it special?

Herman: The light on the island is a very interesting experience and gives many possibilities for a photographer. The air is very clear on the island, as there is no industry on it. In some places there is limestone on the coast and the clear sky, the sea and white rocks reflect the light.

The sun rises at half past four and sets at ten in July. Sometimes the northern lights can be seen there. The light was the best in the evening.

Claire : What were the highlights of the trip?

Herman: The trip by boat was comfortable and fast. The people were very kind and helpful; on a farm where we wanted eggs and vegetables there was no one to take our money, only the price list and an honesty box.

The island is flat in parts so there are many people travelling by bike. You can camp free for one night. There are some tourists but the places are not crowded.

The light is very special and the coast is different every few kilometres. The temperature was about 20 degrees when I was there in July. It is possible to swim in the sea at this time of the year, but the water was colder than normal  this year.

I saw many foxes and rabbits and in July there are many strawberries. They have smoked fish that are excellent to eat.

Claire : If our readers were planning to travel here what advice would you give about locations to visit?

Herman: The capital, Visby, would be ideal for young people in summer and also for photographers who like architecture but going along the coast is very interesting and I would recommend the island, Faro, as well.

I saw only the north part of Fårö and they say the south is even more interesting and beautiful.

About travelling in Sweden, they give 30% reduction on the cost of travelling for retired people and also for strangers. I got a ticket for one day (bus train, underground) for five euros but you can pay only with their money.

Claire : What time of the year did you travel and would you recommend this season to our readers?

Herman: I was on Gotland from the 8th to 15th of July and the weather turned from rainy and cool to sunny and I was told that it is the best time to go. After the longest day in June the weather becomes more stable and warmer and the days are still long but people usually have their summer holidays at this time so it can be busy.

If someone wants to travel to Gotland, the boat should be booked far in advance, especially in Summer.

Claire: Do you recommend any places to stay here?

Herman: I met Mr. Alf Westoo who has rooms to let about 20 km North of Visby. His home page has an option to translate the text into English.

Claire: You have had an incredible year, winning many awards and staging exhibitions. Can you share with us some of your successes and give us links to your work where possible?

Herman: This year was very successful. I got many awards on world photo salons, but will mention only a few:

The best author;  FIAP salon in Italy.

Nomination award for two photos;  International Master Cup in USA -

Amongst winners in the Black & White Magazine Porfolio Contest. Herman B&W article and biography (PDF)

Herman’s photographs have been exhibited in Europe and the United States, including about ten shows per year throughout Slovenia. His work is held in both private and public collections, such as The Arhitekturni Museum in Ljubljana, the Slovene capital.

He has published several books: The Touch of the Light (2006), landscapes from his travels; Maribor with Jure Kravanja (2006), a book of the town in Siberia (2007); and Portrait of a Photographer (2008) an extended photo essay on photographer Stojan Kerbler.

CONTACT INFORMATION

website:  Herman Cater

email:    herman.cater@t-1.si

Claire: We thank Herman for sharing this journey with us and wish him continued success and we look forward to welcoming him to Scotland next year for what we hope will prove to be another successful PTR tour. His previous PTR article about Siberia can be seen here and our shared trips to Slovenia here and here.

Claire Carter

Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved

Website:  http://www.hectorastorga.com/

The Alamo in San Antonio is the most recognizable building in the State of Texas. Every Texan and most Americans, knows the history of the famous battle between the independence seeking Texans and the Mexican Army led by General Santa Ana. What most people don’t know is that the Alamo is only one of the original five missions established along the San Antonio River in the 18th century. The missions were established to convert the local native Indians to Catholicism, and also to extend Spain’s dominion northward from New Spain (present day Mexico). The missions flourished in the mid to late 1700’s but by the mid 1800’s the need for the missions dimished and the missions were secularized and their lands distributed among the inhabitants and the churches transferred to the secular clergy. The missions are a main factor in the history of Texas and the core foundation for the development of the city of San Antonio. The local community has been preserving the missions since 1920 and in 1983 the San Antonio Missions National History Park was established.

Mission San Jose
By far the largest of all five and very well preserved church and grounds. The old mission walls are still standing and you can visit the actual quarters were the monks and Indians lived in. The park opens from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM which is not the best time to photograph, but I found out that if you visit on a Sunday, you can get early access since the church has a 7:00am mass service. Walk in like if you are going to mass and you will be allowed in the grounds.

Mission Concepcion
The building looks almost exactly as it did back when it was built back in 1731. It was the center for religious festivals which was meant to replace the native cultural beliefs with those of the Church. “Original interior paintings remain at Mission Concepcion. Some are religious symbols; others are decorative, imitating architectural elements.”1

Mission San Juan
Sitting on the banks of the San Antonio River, the mission dates back to 1731 when it was moved there from East Texas. The entrance gate at Mission San Juan is typical of the Romanesque arches found through out the missions.

Mission Espada
The south most mission and the most remote of the five. A Beautiful doorway with arch decorates the church entrance. The grounds are well maintained and you will find gorgeous flowers around the church. There is a working convent adjacent to the church.

Mission San Antonio de Valero – The Alamo
The number one tourist attraction in San Antonio. The church is well preserved and the mission grounds have some very nice gardens. Photographic opportunities are plenty but be aware of the crowds. It is always crowded at the Alamo during the weekends, I like to visit during the week either early in the morning or at night. This way you avoid the crowds and sometimes, if you’re lucky, you have the building to yourself.

Photographic opportunities are plenty when visiting the five missions. The old 18th century buildings make for great photographic subjects especially if one is processing black and white / duo-tone photographs. The buildings are well preserved and make great subjects. Entry to all the missions is free and they are open all year long except on the major holidays. The missions are a photographic treasure that must be visited when visiting San Antonio. For more information visit the National Historic Park’s website.

References
1. San Antonio Missions National Historic Park literature –National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

About Hector D. Astorga

Hector D. Astorga has enjoyed photography since a teenager growing up in his native Honduras.  Growing up in Central America made him appreciate the beauty of the outdoors and this is what he tries to capture in his photography.  His main interest in photography is travel and nature.  His work has been displayed at Quinta Mazatlan, the World Birding Center in McAllen, TX.  In 2008 he was awarded the Grand Prize Winner at the Valley Land Fund – Small Tract Competition, one of the most diverse and largest photography contests in the nation.  This year he also placed in the top three at the National Wildlife Foundation annual photography contest.  He is a part time professional photographer and a business owner living in South Texas.  You can see more of his work by visiting his website at: http://www.hectorastorga.com

Sunrise over the « Cuernos », Torres del Paine NP (Chile)

Click on Photograph for a larger version.

By Rafael Rojas

Website: http://www.rafaelrojasphoto.com/

(Text and photographs Copyright © 2009, Rafael Rojas , All Rights Reserved)

Patagonia, that legendary place…

Last month of December we finally could make true one of our “photographic dreams”, going to Patagonia, in southern Argentina and Chile. We arrived at the airport of El Calafate, and already the first sights of this place through the plane window made a big impact on us: a never ending arid steppe mixed with turquoise glacial lakes and the towering Andes behind. And afterwards, once on the tarmac, the wind. A wind that drills your ears. A wind that would hardly leave us alone during our stay in this magnificent part of the planet. The wilderness of this place was felt from the very beginning.

Basically, we spent three weeks in Patagonia. The places we intended to visit were the “typical” but unavoidable ones: Perito Moreno Glacier, Fitrzoy Range near El Chalten, Torres del Paine National park in Chile and the Tierra of Magallanes, right in the southern tip of the continental land. As photography was the goal, we needed to have as much freedom as possible, so a car was compulsory. We got one with several months in advance at El Calafate, since they tend to overbook quite quickly during the “good” season.

During our stay, we were able to discover that this is a very special place where the photographer encounters lots of challenges but also lots of rewarding experiences. I would like to share with you some general thoughts about our photographic experience in this beautiful land.

1) Did I mention the wind?

Yes, I already said it. It blows. A lot. Some 80-90 km/h is considered “normal” in this latitudes. Now, imagine what happens at dusk or dawn when you need some seconds of exposure: yes, you get a very un-artistic blur. Some things we did in order to live with it were:

-Calm down. It is useless to get angry, even if it is a quite frustating thing to see in front of you nice light exactly when you have the strongest wind gusts. This is the way it works, and in fact that wind is an ingredient of that amazing weather that makes of Patagonia a so special place.

-Use a very stable tripod. In our case, we were taking a couple of them, a big gitzo 5540LS for when too long or extrenous hikes were not necessary, and a little gitzo traveller to be taken for long hikes. The big 5540LS is a beast that carries around 35 Kg… but still, the wind without any kind of obstacle kept it dancing the whole time.

-Put the tripod low, and put the legs as spread as possible, lowering the gravity center of the whole.

-Use something that will block the wind. Easy to say, in some places there were not so many things. But it was important to choose viewpoints where we could hide beside a bush, rock or something. If there was nothing, we tried to block the wind with our own bodies, even stretching our coat. Of course, this did not work when we were shooting into the wind, what was quite common in this area (you are shooting towards the mountains, and wind normally comes from the pacific ocean…).

-Use an umbrella to block the lateral wind. We did it and it worked very well…well, not for the umbrella, of course. It protected our gear from lateral rain and flying sand particles too.

-If the wind is really nasty, we favored the use of shorter focal lengths, and tried not to need a very large depth of field most of all if using a longer focal length…for instance, looking for more kind of mid-distance / background kind of image where almost everything is at the infinity.

-If still, nothing could be got sharp enough, we increased slightly the iso range…but we knew our picture quality was suffering. For this reason, we did it just during some minutes of really heavy wind and always keeping ourselves under iso 400.

2) Difficult reflections

Before going there we had big plans for reflected peaks in glorious light. Once we arrived, we understood they are very difficult to get, due to the strong and frequent winds. The only solution is to be patient and perseverant. I still
remember going to the very same spot in Fitzroy range waiting for a morning without wind. It happened once in a week…but it was worth it. Anyway, normally absence of wind means very clear skies and stable weather…and that is a perfect recipe for dull and un-moody photos of this place.

Reflections of FitzRoy at sunrise (Argentina)

3) Never-ending days

Due to the long hours of sun during summer time at these latitudes, you will soon get desperately tired if you stick to the best hours photographically speaking. We were there during the month of December. Bang in the summer solstice, you have to wake up at ridiculous hours to wait for the sunrise, and action ends very late in the day if you want to squeeze the last drop of magic light. That means an average of 3 hours sleeping, comparable to those nights during exams period in the past. So, if you decide to go there during summer time, remember you are very much in the south, and that means never-ending days. Change your sleeping habits, and have big siestas of 2-3 hours during the day to catch up slightly. Or try to have a rest in your tent during those rainy hours (there is nothing as falling asleep while listening to the rain) when location finding scouts are difficult to be done.

Sunrise Over the FitzRoy Range (Argentina)

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4) Camping pays off

Most of all in these areas, sleeping close to action is the only way to get more lotto tickets for that great shot to happen. This is easier in some places, more difficult in others, and even impossible in some other.

-In Torres del Paine national park (Chile) there are no excuses. Here we found some of the nicest camping sites we have ever seen and very close to the lakes with outstanding views over the Cuernos (Horns). It was a very good way of getting out of the sleeping bag at 4 am and go in ten minutes to our selected viewpoints to wait for magic to happen. Therefore, camping sites there are very civilized, with shower, grocery and access by car. So, all commodities available and no need to carry your 25 kg of equipment on your back for hours!

-In Fitzroy Range, it is slightly more difficult. You will need to pack some food and carry all that during some hours of hike. Still, water can be drank directly from the lakes and you can spare those kilos on your back when going up. However, you will need to carry your sleeping bags, tents and cooking stuff. We took everything we needed for a week up in the mountain, and that gave us the possibility of waiting for the light while being very close to the action.

-Perito Moreno: Impossible, as the camping our guide mentioned had been closed and no camping was allowed in the area. So, we spent the most uncomfortable 24th December night we remember in our car, waiting for the sunrise.

Anyway, a night alone in that incredible place, hearing the ice crack and fall into the lake and dreaming about magical light to come was far from being a miserable experience. An option to avoid this might have been to sleep in the nearby El Questro Estancia. But just a little bit expensive and even more for just some 3-4 hours sleep…

-Other places: We happened to set the tent in some other places. I remember for instance putting the tent under a steel stall for souvenirs at the Ottway Sound penguin reserve. That gave us the possibility to wait for the penguins to come up from the shore during sunset, as after 7 pm the gate of the park was closed and there was no way to get out of that isolated place. The only thing, remember the wind and protect very much the tent from the rain…

Lenticular Cloud over FitzRoy at sunset (Argentina)

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5) Patience

Yes, patience is one of the most important skills for a good landscape photographer. In fact, without patience there is no landscape photographer at all. But this has a very special meaning in Patagonia. Be patient, don’t despair, magic will (might) happen. During our stay there, we saw some photographers that did not stop talking about “good luck”, “bad luck”, “ruined holidays”, “damned clouds” and so on. It is perfectly logical, you have spent a lot of time, work and money to come here, and it is very frustrating to go back empty handed. Weather in Patagonia is very unpredictable, but this is the main attractive of this land and you should take it into account when planning your trip. If photography is the objective, increase the number of days per place, so that you will be able to go again and again to the same viewpoint. You need perhaps a week in the very same spot to witness just one magnificent sunrise or sunset. Therefore, every day weather and light conditions will make it a complete different place. Remember, in Patagonia, more than any other location, your photography will be by far more time dependent than place dependent.

Rainbow and dramatic light in Torres del Paine NP (Chile)

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6) Bad weather is good weather

If you are a trekker more than a photographer you will probably will be happy with calm sunny days with no trace of clouds, hot temperatures and a very quiet lake. But if you are reading this, that means you are more interested in squeezing the photographic potential of Patagonia, and that means you will want “bad” weather.

Out of three weeks in these lands, we went through rain in almost every day. However, rain is normally a heaven promise for good light, and in fact our best photographs came from minutes of spectacular light preceded and followed by long hours of rain. But for a photographer, such minutes make the whole day and even the whole trip worth. Therefore, from a photographic point of view, there is no such a bad weather. Every weather condition will favor a certain kind of photography. I remember being shooting the Perito Moreno glacier during a whole day of non- stop torrential rain. We decided to use a protective rain cover for the camera and lens we spent some hours shooting the ice.  The cloudy weather gave us saturated blue colors in the ice and the rain “minimized” the details of the mountains background, allowing us to come with very graphic images and very different from those more conventional and iconic of this famous glacier. Another example were the lichens-covered lenga forests. They looked spectacular in those damp days where water saturates the colors and the sky turns into a giant light diffuser that
gives you a lot of detail under the canopy.

Rain over Perito Moreno glacier (Argentina)

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Then there was the wind, that very same bloody wind that was driving our tripod crazy was however the engine that kept moving the clouds quickly, allowing us to see a completely dynamic landscape in front of us. Spot light crossed the land, lighting the peaks, then the valleys, again some ridges and that foreground island…giving a wonderful play of light that gave us lots of photographic possibilities.

We even had snow in the middle of the patagonian summer, while staying close to the FitzRoy. But what a great surprise, when the cloud cover got higher, revealing the Fitzroy freshly dusted and ready for the sunset.

So, concluding…consider that the “bad” weather Patagonia experiences is in reality a blessing that will reduce the chances of getting a large number of “good” photos, but will increase the chance of getting a few “breathtaking” ones. And that is why you are lugging your camera bag here, aren’t you?

7) Iconic danger

Yes, you are not alone. Patagonia is a wonderful place, but has become very popular. Being honest, it might be due to this popularity that we too decided to go there and now i am here writing these lines. But that means that thousands of photos have been taken of those places. And because normally every traveler photographer is on a limited budget in time and money, he will very frequently stick to the “standard” destinations and have less time to the out the beaten track places. But still, even if you are shooting in Torres del Paine, Fitzroy or Perito Moreno, you will always find possibilities of getting a different shot. Spend most of your time scouting the region. Look everywhere, trying to find new viewpoints and trying to pre-visualize how that place will look at the sunrise and sunset. Consider all possibilities and then shortlist the best viewpoints. And then, go to them once and again during your stay. There is always the possibility of doing something different, by two ways:

-Different composition or viewpoint of a famous vista.

-Different weather and light conditions from a known viewpoint, which is especially true in Patagonia, where weather
is so dynamic.

-And the best of them, dramatic light and weather conditions from an unusual viewpoint, which is normally the fruit of a thorough location finding, patience and perseverance.

Spotlights over the Cuernos, Torres del Paine NP (Chile)

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Something we did before going to Patagonia is typing: “Patagonia” in some of the largest stock agencies (Getty, Alaour, Corbis,…). Normally we do that before every trip. It gives of course a lot of information about what you are going to encounter (so you can start planning), but most of all it gives you a very good spectrum of what you should try to AVOID shooting. Personally, we hate reproducing something that already exists, as for that it would be far cheaper and easier to buy an already taken photo than going to that place to take it yourself.

8)  The sky is the star

I still remember the first evening we spent in Patagonia. Incredible elevated lenticular clouds, with clearings in the West. Time to run looking for reflections, as that was a perfect cocktail for incredible fiery skies. These conditions repeated several times during our stay, and are very much due to the existence of strong winds coming from the Pacific at the other side of the Andes. These moisture-loaded winds crash against the mountains, leading to the condensation of water at the crest of those waves and creating those spectacular elevated UFO- shaped lenticular clouds. For the photographer, that means incredible clouds that due to their high elevation tend to turn bloody red when the sun hits them at the end or beginning of the day. A very precious gift to match the glorious terrestrial landscape indeed.

Lenticular clouds over El Calafate (Argentina)

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9) Sunrise but also sunset

The Andes go in the North-South direction, and while visiting Patagonia you will be very surely contemplating them from their eastern side. That means that normally, most places are “sunrise” places. Every morning, the Sun rises from the very flat and normally clear-skied Argentinean steppe hitting those clouds over the mountains and then painting with reds and oranges the peaks of the range. However, as the sun lights the landscape from over your shoulder, very quickly you might find that the light does not model the mountains as much as you would like. However, the fact that these mountains are really high and the Sun does not find any obstacle in the flat East horizon means really intense and saturated warm colors. As far as the sunsets is concerned, we found them equally dramatic, if not more on some occasions. The fact that normally clouds hover over the mountains can make that sometimes you will witness dramatic back lighting with fiery clouds and refraction effects on the summits. However, you will need to stack several of those graduated density filters to get also detail in the mountains.

Backlit Fitzroy at sunset (Argentina)

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10) Not only landscapes

Even if the first thing that springs to our minds when thinking on Patagonia are majestic mountains, glaciers and never-ending steppe, wildlife in this areas is very abundant and exotic. Guanacos, condors, Patagonian grey foxes and even penguins are amongst the species we can photograph there. We were carrying some long lenses, like the Nikon 200-400, and we used them extensively during our trip, but in order to cope with long hikes where weight is an issue, you might want to take a multiplier for a zoom lens like the 70-200.

Guanacos, Torres del Paine NP (Chile)

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11) Be prepared to want more . . . and more

Yes, as soon as you come back from Patagonia, you will be longing for another trip there. It is so special, and so wild. A real photographer haven indeed. We are already thinking on planning a new trip soon!

Penguins coming from the shore at sunset, Ottway Sound, Tierra de Magallanes (Chile)

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Sunrise in Torres del Paine NP (Chile)

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*****

About Rafael Rojas:

“If I look back into my years of life, I can see that the love for nature and travelling has been in my blood for as long as I can remember. I have always felt a deep fascination for the world around us, and I had always been a passionate of its contemplation and exploration.

“I do think that photography imposes a very special life philosophy on those who have been fallen under its spell, based on humble observation, understanding and respect of what is around us. And the reason is that photography comes down to just one word: vision. Call it vision, imagination, or seeing; it all comes down to the same thing: the ability to envision a final result in your mind’s eye, and then to make it so with your tools at hand. Of course, the mastery of those tools and the full command of the technical side of photography are paramount, but only because it is just once the photographer has achieved them that he will be able to focus on the real raison d’être of photography: transmitting to the viewer a personal vision of the reality around us and making him/her part of the feelings the photographer experienced when pressing the shutter.

“As many other photographers, some of whom have made history in photography, I am totally self-taught. Having been bitten by the bug several years ago, I have gone through several dozens of books, magazines, and most of all, hours and hours of practice, which have taught me everything I know. Once one has been hooked by photography, one never stops taking photos, even when there is no camera in your hands.

“In my particular case, and after quite a lot of years using a film reflex camera, it was the purchase of my first digital SRL camera that represented a deep revolution in my photography activity. Even if the arrival of digital photography has forced photographers to go through a very steep learning curve during the last years, the advantages that this technology has brought along are endless: possibility of using different ISO numbers from one shot to the other, real time checking of exposition, larger freedom to experiment…”

AVAILABLE LIGHT ADVENTURES

The world is getting smaller; half a day and we are half the world away. We can check our e-mails on our mobile phones or even watch the mid week sports on the commute home from work. Increasingly we talk about getting away from it all, finding our inner peace, challenging our minds and bodies outside of our comfort zones.

My wife and I elected to take the “get away from it all” seriously and live now in a quiet corner of Yunnan Province in South West China. Located at 2400m (7874 feet), the town of Lijiang is a World Heritage Site with a wonderfully preserved Old Town (Dayan) and the looming giant of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain rising to a height of 5,596 m (18,359 ft) to the north. The unique Naxi (Na-shee) culture and the scenery attract hundreds of thousands of Chinese and overseas tourists every year; all of them “getting away from it all.”

Yunnan is a remarkably diverse Province; to the south, tropical rain forests are home to the last herds of wild Elephants in China, many South East Asian bird species reach their northern limits and the hillsides are sculpted into the most dazzling rice terraces in the world. To the north and west lie impenetrable mountains, the last peaks of the Himalaya, with only a few roads invading their secrets; and there, some say, lies Shangri La, as described in the James Hilton book, Lost Horizon.

Two hours out of Lijiang, crossing the 3000m-elevation zone, you enter Tibet: the change is abrupt, architecturally and culturally. Though not geographically part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, this corner or Yunnan, along with neighboring areas of Sichuan, harbor preserved societies rich in their independence and traditions, solidly recognized as Tibet. Yading National Park, one of the most remote in China, offers probably the best mountain scenery north of the Himalaya, especially in October when the foliage is at its maximum intensity.

For me, the pleasure of driving through deserted valleys or over majestic high passes, Buddhist Stuppas decorating the roadside, is my Shangri La. Pausing to let Yak herders move their beasts to higher pastures, or to watch old women bent double with massive loads of firewood, punctuate the peaceful journeys.

As we climb onto the actual Tibetan Plateau, its scale and unforgiving wilderness are humbling; lying mostly above 4300m (14,200 feet) and referred to as “the Third Pole” it is simply and literally breath-taking. Up here it’s all about extremes, empty space abounds, the worlds highest mountains influence the climate and create a rain shadow extending over the whole region, keeping the plateau a cold, dry place.

And at the heart of Tibet is Lhasa, and at it’s heart, the Potala Palace. Not much can prepare you for this place, incongruously perched on a small hill in the middle of a mostly flat city itself surrounded by bare mountainsides. History, faith and spirituality coalesce in the thin air forming a powerful intoxicating elixir; few leave unchanged.

Available Light Adventures runs a series of photography tours of the area; designed by photographers, for photographers.

Available Light Tours

*****

About

Alister Benn & Juanli Sun

If everyone’s life journey is a book, then ours is a mysterious adventure, thriller and a love story. Since we met in Beijing in the spring of 2000 it has been a roller coaster of discovery, travel, learning and romance. We’ve journeyed together to over 20 countries looking for paradise, somewhere to finally put down our roots; collect books, guitars and art, somewhere “to chill.”

We first came to Yunnan in April 2004 in search of secretive birds and big mountains, finding both, but not expecting the germination of the first seeds of an idea of home. By October 2006 we were ready to commit and lived here for 13 months, our longest period of time in one house since we met. Were it not for work pressure dragging us off, I doubt we would have left, but we returned in the summer of 2008 and are still here, this time we hope, for good.