Photography – Page 6 – GringoPotpourri

Photo Locale of the Month – August 2015

This month’s feature takes us back to Europe. Ukraine has been in the news for the past two years, courtesy of Vladimir Putin’s push for returning Crimea and Eastern Ukraine to Russia-proper.

Although I have never traveled to that part of Ukraine before, I did have the opportunity to visit the country’s vibrant capital, Kiev, in 2011, and it remains one of my favorite cities in Eastern Europe. Kiev’s Caves Monastery is the city’s most-visited sight, and draws camera-toting travelers such as myself as well as devout pilgrims of Orthodox faith.

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Photo Locale of the Month – July 2015

Last month’s entry took us to a green space in the middle of a large U.S. city. For this month’s feature, we remain in the U.S. but get closer to nature.

Yellowstone National Park is the country’s oldest national park. It is also one of the biggest, occupying the northwest corner of Wyoming as well as several thousand acres in both Idaho and Montana.

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Photo Locale of the Month – June 2015

So far in this monthly series, I’ve taken us once to Asia, once to Europe, and three times to Latin America. The most recent entry transported Loyal Readers to roaring Iguassu Falls, at the “Triple Frontier” of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

But it is officially summer as I write this, and I thought I would take us to a site near my hometown that looks great during the summer months, a site that, despite its name, celebrates its 11th anniversary: Millennium Park, Chicago.

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Photo Locale of the Month – May 2015

The fifth month of this feature takes us back to Latin America (see other Latin America-themed photo entries here and here). Latin America is one of my favorite corners of the globe, not just because of the people, the food, and the architecture, but also because of the stunning nature.

South America is particularly blessed with natural beauty. Two mighty rivers meet near the “Triple Frontier” of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam, which tames the mighty Río Paraná, is one of the premier technological wonders of engineering. Also near here – and splitting the Iguassu River in two – are the majestic, unforgettable Iguassu Falls.

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Photo Locale of the Month – April 2015

For the fourth month of this feature (see last month’s entry here), we travel to Europe. Perhaps one-third of the way down the left side of Italy’s “boot” lies the former port city of Pisa. Land has since reclaimed the port, however, and the Tyrrhenian Sea is now several kilometers to Pisa’s east.

Athough sailors no longer stop off there, the city of 90,000 Pisanis still draws thousands of tourists each day, most of them making a mad dash from the train station directly to the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa and Piazza dei Miracoli.

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Photo Locale of the Month – March 2015

To celebrate the arrival of spring, this month’s photo feature takes us to the tropics of South America. Exactly two years ago I visited the Colombian cities of Bogota, Cartagena, and Santa Marta, as well as the pre-Hispanic ruins of Ciudad Perdida. Cartagena (full name: Cartagena de Indias) was the trip highlight.

I was especially taken by Cartagena’s Colonial-era City Walls. They were built by the Spanish conquistadors to protect from maritime invaders…and have never been breached.

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Photo Locale of the Month – February 2015

It is the second consecutive month for this feature. Last month’s entry focused on Mexico City’s Chapultepec Castle, which contains two centuries of history and boasts impressive city views.

For February, let’s travel halfway around the world to Agra, India, home of the world’s most famous monument built “for love,” the Taj Mahal.

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Photo Locale of the Month – January 2015

I have decided to introduce a new feature on this blog that I hope to turn into a monthly recurrence: the Photo Locale of the Month.

Each month, I’ll highlight a particular place from my travels – not just a city but a specific site within that city – and I’ll introduce it to you through pictures.

As always, all images are the property of GringoPotpourri unless credited otherwise.

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For the first month, I thought I’d feature a favorite place from what is perhaps my favorite city in the world. The place is Chapultepec Castle and the city is Mexico City.

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Photo essay: Panoramas

I don’t always consider myself to be a good photographer. I am self-taught, which is respectable, but as shutterbugs go, I am not the most patient. Additionally, I so often pack my tripod for a trip and then opt not to haul it around. As such, night photography is often in “P” (Program) mode rather than “M” (Manual) mode. I still pull off some good shots, but I don’t deny that they could have been better.

One category in which I excel – I think – is panoramic photography. It isn’t so much that I’m a natural; some places simply lend themselves to “wider-angle” photography. Natural wonders are obvious choices – the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, the Alps, I could go on and on. On rare occasions, cityscapes make for terrific panoramic images as well. The trick, of course, is a) to seek these vista points out, b) to step back and recognize a place’s potential, and c) to have a camera on your person.

Below are several of my favorite panoramic photos from my travels. My process is to snap snap snap an epic view from left to right, then “stitch” the individual images together in post. I use Windows Live Photo Gallery for this feature. It is a free program; don’t be surprised if a version of it is already installed on your computer.

Unless otherwise indicated, pics were taken using a Canon Powershot or a Nikon DSLR. You may have to click on them to see the full detail.

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The “Lost” Pompeii Pics

I spent a week in Naples in 2012. Greater Naples was, to me, a previously-unexplored corner of Italy. The general plan was to visit Pompeii, climb Mount Vesuvius, check out the city’s National Archaeological Museum, explore its historic port, and maybe drive south along the Amalfi Coast to an idyllic beach town of my choosing.

Alas, things didn’t go as planned. It rained the first four days I was there (I don’t particularly enjoy Mediterranean Europe in the rain), and I caught a debilitating stomach virus that literally had me bedridden for the last three (sunny) days.

Still, I did make it to Pompeii, and also to Herculaneum – a recently-excavated port city that was second in line (after Pompeii) to receive the volcanic wrath of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Upon my return, I somehow “lost” the pics from my time in Greater Naples. When I accidentally stumbled upon them last week, hiding in the wrong folder of an external hard drive, I did something of a happy dance.

I thought I’d share some of my favorite images with you.

Pompeii

Pompeii was a sizable town of 20,000 people, situated at the base of the volcano. When the volcano erupted its residents had no time to escape and were buried alive. A few are “displayed” under glass in a sort of ashen mummy form.

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