Masked Marauder
As promised, a couple more shots from our little studio session on Salt Spring Island in early March. Sandra is a gracious model and very comfortable in front of the camera. We’ve been together 10 years and I’ve shot 1000s of frames of her along the way, so it’s a no wonder! Hope you like these two new takes.
Salt Spring Island, BC, 2012.
24 Hours on Salt Spring Island
Having BC’s Gulf Islands at your doorstep is pretty amazing, I must say. It makes an island escape fairly easy and inexpensive – the perfect way to cap a long, stressful week. We had 24 hours on Salt Spring Island last weekend. Stayed at a friends place, had some fun in the studio, and sampled some local beers to boot. By Sunday aft, it was once again time to cross the Salish Sea and get back to life in the big city. Here are some shots from a walk on the beach, near Fernwood on the island’s northeast coast.
Lancha Across Atitlán
Taking the lancha across Lago de Atitlán from San Pedro to San Marcos la Laguna. The ever present backdrop of the lake’s volcanoes makes any boat trip across it’s waters pure pleasure. And really, that’s the very best way to skip from village to village on Atitlán – lanchas run during daylight hours connecting all 17 of those Mayan villages. The young man up top watches for pickups and helps to unload goods bound for the Highland markets.
Lago de Atitlán, Guatemala, 2011.
Ready to Start
Went for a quick visit to Salt Spring Island – just across the Salish Sea from Vancouver – last weekend to visit friends and recharge the batteries. Gregor Alan, of Shutter Junkie photography, runs a studio out there in the bucolic countryside and we had a few hours to mess around with lighting and props. Woodsmoke filters through the trees as horses makes their rounds next to the studio space he shares with a few photographers on the island. It’s a lovely place. My good pal Roddy McLean, of WindStone Photography, set us up and we each took turns in front and behind the camera. We did a few quick jobs and Roddy even nailed my next bio photo in the process.
Here’s a shot I did of my gal Sandra with vintage motorcycle helmet and goggles. We did a few more looks and I’ll add them in an upcoming post.
Salt Spring Island, BC, 2012.
Face It
Copán Ruinas archeological site, Honduras, 2011.
One Handsome Devil
I’ve been pedaling around Vancouver for the last little while on this gorgeous Devil from the fine folks at Handsome Cycles. After checking them out at Interbike, I’ve been eyeballing their bikes online and hoping to try one out in person. Handsome obliged and the excellent bike shop up the street – Kissing Crows Cyclery – built one up for me to test ride on behalf of Momentum Magazine. As before, I’ll save me deep thoughts for the printed review, but I must say I feel very at home on this bike…it just feels right. Here’s a peek with a 4-up collection of iPhone shots from a recent beach ride.
Jericho Beach, Vancouver, 2012.
In The Backseat
Cienfuegos, Cuba, 2011.
Life on the Water
The way of life along Guatemala’s Rio Dulce as it empties out into the Caribbean appears to be ‘as it always has’. As we paddle by in modern kayaks, local people use Cayucos as they fish, gather food from the river’s shore and get around from village to village. While there are footpaths though the dense jungle, almost everything appears to be done on and in this river. It starts out as a large lake (Lago de Izabal), before narrowing a few times into a steep-walled jungle canyon, then making it’s way to the open sea. We spent 5 days in a jungle hideaway, up a tributary called Rio Tatin. It was an interesting change from the highland Mayan villages we explored the weeks before and gave us a deep appreciation for a different kind of life on water.
Rio Dulce, Guatemala, 2011.
Atitlán Time Lapse
Here’s a short time lapse of the view from La Casa del Mundo, near El Jaibalito on Lago de Atitlán, Guatemala. The lake itself is phenomenal, and this hotel holds it’s own – luxurious bungalows cascade down a cliff face right to the lakeshore. The communal dinners are excellent, the sunbathing & swimming sublime and being accessible only by boat or on foot lends a certain seclusion to the place. A slice of paradise.
I set my camera in room #10 to shoot every three minutes from early afternoon into the night, for a total of eight hours. From left to right you’ll see Volcán Tolimán, Volcán Atitlán (just behind Tolimán) and Volcán San Pedro. The town of San Pedro la Laguna is the glow on the far right; Santiago Atitlán and area is in the middle.
Casona Jover
Casa Particulares are the way to go for accommodations in Cuba. Not only do you get the genuine experience of interacting closely with the Cuban people, you may also find yourself staying in an off-the-hook gorgeous colonial mansion with all the trimmings (ie. what we call antiques, they call furniture). By far the best food we ate in the country came from the kitchens of Cuba’s casas (particularly this one, Denis is an amazing chef) – and it was plentiful. Once you get in with one, rest assured you will be taken care of – from finding rental bikes for the day, to booking bus tickets and your next town’s accommodations with a few quick phone calls. With a plethora of recommendations and friends in the network, we liked to say we were ‘hopping on the Casa train’ and our travels in Cuba were all the better for it. Truly the best way to experience this incredible country.
La Casona Jover (Denis y Martha), Santa Clara, Cuba, 2011.
Meeting Fires Creative 