EASTER ISLAND
In the middle of the southeastern Pacific Ocean at the southeastern point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania lies Easter Island. It’s famous for nearly 1,000 extant statues called moai, created by the early Rapa Nui people to worship their ancestors. Made of tuff stone they are not resistant to weather. Hundreds remain buried. There are three extinct volcanoes. Each year the birdman cult has a ritual contest dating back to a time when the contest determined which tribe would rule the island.
EVERGLADES
Everglades is the largest tropical wilderness in the U. S. It’s a network of wetlands and forests fed by a river flowing out of Lake Okeechobee, a “river of grass” as Marjory Stoneman Douglas once described the slowly moving water. It is an excellent location for wading birds and is especially known for its alligators. We went on a storm chase shooting the brilliant lightning. Sunrise, sunset, and storms are brought out in a dramatic landscape of pines and water. There is many subjects to shoot macro in the Everglades.
FAIRCHILD TROPICAL GARDEN
Fairchild is an 83-acre botanical garden with extensive rare tropical plants including palms, cycads, flowering trees, and vines. It has recently added a butterfly garden visible from the restaurant. They post a monthly publication listing which flowers are currently in bloom.
FTBG works with the community in growing one million orchids for the city and with NASA in developing a sustainable food source for space travel. Schools have found several new candidate plants for growing aboard spacecraft.
FLOWERS
With textures and post-processing techniques it is possible to create evocative, artistic images. Various software and plug-ins such as Nik, Topaz, Flaming Pear, and Photoshop can produce the gossamer, vapory affect. Most photos were taken with a macro lens. Another lens that gives a soft, ephemeral look is the Lens Baby where only a small portion of the image is in focus.
GERMAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS
Munich’s Christmas Market’s roots go back to the 14th century. Town records first mention a “Nicholas Market” near the Church of our Lady in 1642. They still offer traditional Bavarian gifts, including woodcarvings, gingerbread, crib figurines, beeswax candles, and chimney sweeps made of plums and almonds. The largest Christmas market is Old Town in Nuremberg. Decorated in Christmas regalia and permeated with the aroma of mulled wine, roasted almonds, and gingerbread, shoppers hurry from stall to stall gathering unique gifts. Other fairytale villages along the meandering Romantic Road are Rothenburg and Dinkelsbuehl.
GREECE
Epidarius in the Peloponnese was built in the 4th century BC. The theater is renowned for its perfect acoustics holding an audience of 14,000. Nafplio, charming with narrow streets, is punctuated with sidewalk cafes. A 15th century island fortress is the town’s centerpiece. Mycenae, built in the 13th century BC is an important site referred to in Greek mythology. On the slopes of the Parnassos Mountains, Delphi was the center of the Greek universe where resided the temple of Apollo. In Meteora means“ rocks in the air”, where monasteries perch on the sides of cliffs. Among the ruins In Athens are the ancient “agora” or marketplace and the Parthenon on the Acropolis.
GREEK ISLES
Aboard the Azamara cruise ship we stopped at the Greek islands of Chios and Santorini. Chio is not often visited because of its small port. Its buildings are painted with “xysta”, a decoration also known as graffiti. These geometric shapes adorn almost every building and residence.
Santorini was formed from a geological upheaval, which gives the island its crescent shape. The port city of Oia is perched upon a craggy cliff overlooking the deep blue Aegean Sea. Blooming bougainvilla add to the beauty of the alabaster buildings. Donkeys carry visitors up and down the steep rock.
GREENLAND
Greenland’s remote and little-visited ice fjords hold arctic grandeur. Towers, arches and walls of ancient blue ice reach upward. Steep-walled fjords, coastal mountains, tundra in autumn color, the vast Greenland Ice Sheet, and the Aurora Borealis combine to make an incomparable landscape. We used the three-masted schooner Rembrandt van Rijn as a home base. The town we visited with its colorful little houses on is called simply Ittoqqortoormiit. Ice losses continue at an alarming, unprecedented rate.
HOLLAND
The Netherlands is a country of canals, tulip fields, windmills, bicycles, and narrow houses reflected in the paintings of Rembrandt and Vermeer. Amsterdam is the usual launching spot. The railroad station is the heart of the city. Acres and acres of bicycles are parked in every available space. Follow the canals as they divide the city, and houseboats of all shapes and sizes are parked along the shore.
Visit Keukenhof in spring where seven million tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths are arranged in gardens and displayed in pavilions. Whimsical windmills flank the canals in Kinderdijk, some of which are still occupied.
HORSES AND WILD WEST ICONS
The Hideout is a ranch in Wyoming east of Yellowstone National Park nestled in the foot of the Bighorn Mountains. The nearest town is Shell, Wyoming, population 83 according to the 2010 census. I flew into Billings.
The Hideout is a working cattle and riding ranch. In the morning at 7:30 after breakfast in the ranch house, we headed out. The horses were taken in trailers to the shooting location. We had stunning mountain backdrops often with models. The last day it snowed, which made for a happy finale.
ICELAND
The gateway to Iceland is the capital Reykjavik. Because it has been relatively isolated, the Icelandic language has been preserved from external influence and remains the closest to Old Norse of all the related languages.
Waterfalls are everywhere. Icelandic horses are island bound forever. No imports. Most Icelanders believe in the hidden world of elves. They can influence luck both good and bad, so it’s important to please them and respect their locations. They live mostly in the volcanic ash and in hillsides.
INDIA
India is a land of the mystical and the mundane, a kaleidoscope of colors against raw images. Besides the radiance of saris gracing the rice fields, the scenes are filled with aromas and flavors of spices. We photographed the regions of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.
Flying into Kolkata, we visited the tomb of Mother Teresa. Markets were ubiquitous adorned with a sea of marigolds. Artisans made clay Hindu gods for upcoming celebrations. Bhubaneswar has more than 700 ancient temples. The Hari Crisnas pay tribute to cows hoping for good luck. Cows are most holy. We watched a harrowing cock fight.