Bottom Bay along the southeast coast of Barbados, West Indies

Sometime in mid to late January a subtle change begins to creep into the minds of most people who live north of the 30th parallel.  Frankly, we’re tired of winter and ready for some sunlight.  The beach seems to be a good place to dream of – maybe even a Caribbean island, say Barbados?

Recently, my wife and I were fortunate enough to spend a little time cruising around this tropical island – what an adventure!  Our rental car seemed to come from a prior generation – complete with rusted body and 40 horse-power engine.  The rental car ‘agent’ (actually a 17 year old surfer dude) gave us a map and said everything is easy to find – no problem, you’ll have a great time.

By the time we returned the car, we were missing a couple of hubcaps – and maybe even some other parts that had fallen off during our drive on the rough roads.  Did we get lost?  Of course.  There are no road signs in Barbados so you never really know what street you’re on. Did we have a great time?  Absolutely!

The beaches in Barbados are spectacular – the people very friendly.  The weather – 82 degrees Fahrenheit – 28 Celsius – it was paradise.

The time in the sun seemed to warm our spirits as we returned back to cold North America.  But before our plane touched down on our return flight we were already making plans for our next trip to the Caribbean.  Maybe this time we will check on a rental car upgrade…

Rocky coastline along the eastern shore of Barbados at Bathsheba, West Indies

Winter morning at St Coloman Church in Schwangau, Bavaria Germany

Canon 5d mkII EF24-105 at 85mm ISO 100 f16 1/100 sec.

The true test of my resolve always seems to come on the first morning after a long flight.  The lure of sleeping in to help recover is intense.  But I know that missed opportunities are my biggest regrets, so I force myself to crawl out of bed in the pitch black at 4 or 5am for my first shots.

This morning it was in Schwangau, Germany – and St. Coloman Church.  I sneak out to the rental car, scrape the frost off the windows, crank it up and head out to my chosen spot.  It is officially minus 15 degrees – that’s centigrade, but all I know is that I’m glad to have my long underwear on – it’s cold!!

I’m undecided as to the perfect spot to shoot from.  Not only do I have several options, but the sun (once it rises) is going to be blocked by a large bank of clouds and also by a very large mountain that is closer to this little church than I had thought.

As I stand beside the road in two feet of snow wondering what my next move needs to be I hear bells – sleigh bells.  The first thought that comes to mind is “Santa Claus” – honest.  I think it must be the jet-lag.

It turns out to be several farmers in their horse-drawn carts heading off down the road to the Christmas market – this seems so surreal.  I can feel the farmers laughing at this crazy Yank standing next to a camera and tripod, up to his knees in snow in the middle of one of their fields at 6a.  The horses even snickered – I would have too.

Off in the distance there is a glowing castle – yes this is Bavaria, and some beautiful snow-covered mountains.  I decide to race off down the road and catch some other shots while waiting for the light to develop.

Once I get a few shots of the castle and surrounding area, I head back to St. Coloman church to see how it looks now.  It’s better.  I think it will get even better, but just in case, I snap a few shots wanting to get something in the bag.  I leave once more for some snow shots in the trees, always keeping my eyes on the sky.

I’m now back in front of St. Coloman.  The sun has just poked its way above the mountain range, the sky is blue with some wispy clouds.  The scene that I’ve been waiting for suddenly develops in front of me – it’s magic.  In about fifteen minutes time it’s all over.  The sun’s a little too high now and the cloud cover returns – but I got my shot.  Is it the best photo ever?  Not by a long-shot, but it’s the one that I had set out to capture.

The jet-lag, early morning exhilaration, and successful shooting leaves me looking for some early morning hot chocolate.  I head off toward the Christmas-card town of Fussen.

Early morning at Hohenschwangau Castle, Bavaria Germany

Village of Castelluccio perched high above the Piano Grande, Umbria Italy

When you think of all the great things about the region of Umbria in East-Central Italy, the list gets pretty long.  Mountains, sculpted valleys – in fact, endless landscapes, fascinating medieval villages and towns, wonderful people, killer food…  it’s easy to go on and on.

The Monti Sibillini National Park is home to some of my favorite Umbrian memories.  So much so that I bring a group of photographers back every year in one of my Photography Tours.  If you’d like to be one of those photographers in June 2012 – there is still space.  Click Here.

Most of my time is spent roaming the vast mountainous areas overlooking villages like Preci, Norcia, Castel Vecchio and Castelluccio.  But once the shooting stops, it’s time for FOOD!!  Norcia is home to some of the best cooking I’ve ever had – with local cheeses, truffles and wild boar (my favorite) – all washed down with great vini.

One evening my wife and I walked into town to one of our favorite restaurants – the staff greeted us (by now they had seen us a number of times).  As usual, the dining room was full of people – most in some animated form of conversation, but all enjoying their food.  We sat in our usual seat – tonight we were next to a priest, his friend and a nice tourist couple from Germany.

Our waiter (Luciano) approached with a bit of a frown – we had to ask what was wrong.  He said you can eat here tonight but you’ll have to hurry.  We knew that it wasn’t closing time, no one was waiting for our seat – we were confused.  Luciano went on to say that the football match started in 20 minutes and he was going to be watching it on TV.  Such is the importance of football (soccer) in the lives of the Italians. This match happened to be one of the first-round games of the 2010 World Cup.  Of course this was a big deal.

We ordered quickly, paid the bill before the food even arrived, and true to form the entire restaurant was emptied in 20 minutes time – leaving only us, the priest and friend, and the German couple to finish our meals.  Quiet, enjoyable, certainly tasty – but just the six of us.

Outside in the main piazza someone had set up a large TV.  A crowd gathered, and for 2 1/2 hours there was a Superbowl party happening below the ancient statue of San Benedetto in Norcia.

Such fun!

Come join us next June for one of two weekends photographing Umbria!

The last rays of the setting sun warm the medieval town of Preci in the Valnerina, Umbria Italy

Twilight in Piazza San Benedetto, Norcia Umbria Italy

Sunrise over San Francisco from above the Golden Gate Bridge

I always find it interesting to hear what people think of when you mention the name of a place.  For San Francisco it’s things like Cable Cars, Fishermen’s Wharf, Lombard Street, Ghiradelli Chocolate, Seafood… all kinds of wonderful things.

For me and the way my mind works, I think of the amazing views from all around the bay.  I enjoy a walk down the Embarcadero, people watching all over town, the view from Alamo Square, but most of the time I’d rather park myself with my tripod on a hillside overlooking the beautiful landscape of the bay.

Such was the case on my most recent trip to the area.  Each morning and evening I could be found clinging to some rocky cliff working a cool angle or view.  My wife thought I was nuts – she’s usually right. But it takes a bit of work to find the best shots – and that, of course, is what I’m always after.  I can honestly say that I’ve come to appreciate the grip of my Merrill hiking shoes.

But great views never get old for me.

Twilight over San Francisco from below the Bay Bridge

Early morning below the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

Library of Celcus in ancient town of Ephesus

Don’t you love it when something exceedes your expectations?  Or maybe when reaching your destination you experience something beyond a simple visit and a tour – maybe something deeper.   Such was the case for me one day in the ancient city of Ephesus, Turkey.

I first heard of Ephesus in my Sunday School classes decades ago, but didn’t realize then that the remains of the town still existed.  Recently, when the opportunity came to make a one-day stop in Kusadasi Turkey, I jumped at the chance to visit the ruins of the amazing and historic city of Ephesus some 20 miles away.

As part of my normal planning, I had looked through photos of the town, located it on Google Earth and marked the direction and time of the sunrise.  I made a list of the must-have shots, and knew that I’d have to work fast because the place is crawling with tourists most of the day.

My wife and I arrived at the gates to the city at 7:40a, bought our entry tickets, but had to wait until 8a for the gate to open.  For those 20 minutes we were alone, standing on a dusty unpaved road near the entrance.  Nothing that we saw reminded us of our current century.  Off in the distance a donkey pulling a cart lazily walked by.  There was an uncanny quiet – in fact the only sound we could hear was that of the air rushing through the giant storks wings as they flew overhead.  Somewhere in the hillside behind us the Virgin Mary most likely lived out her final years.  We could almost visualize her now walking down the winding road into town.  It was all a bit surreal.

Once the gate opened, my mind went into work mode and I quickly walked to where I knew my most important shots were going to be.  So far, the ‘crowd’ amounted to 4 Brits and us – but I knew that wasn’t going to last long.

The ruins themselves are really impressive; the beautifully marble-paved Street of Curetes is amazing.  Later, once the crowds arrived I could see that nobody really gets to look at the street itself – there’s too many people in the way.  But for that first 40 minutes or so, we could see the whole city (at least the part that’s been excavated).  The sites; Library of Celcus, Temple of Hadrian, Grand Theatre are all incredible.  But what captured me most was the sense of place and time that I felt while there.

The Ephesians designed their homes with running water – using the hot water springs nearby to flow under their stone floors and thus warm their homes.  Their beautiful mosaic floors were meticulously pieced together – and still retain their color.  Their advanced society was seen everywhere.  We were totally transported back in time and felt the daily life experiences of these people.  I’ve been to countless historic sites, but this one really struck me.

I made a number of photos that day, some that I really like.  But the real treasure for me was connecting with other humans from a totally different era.  And realizing that while civilizations come and go, we all share a common thread with those that have gone before – a thread that continues to meander through every society today.

Marble-paved Street of Curetes in Ephesus

Street of Curetes in ancient Ephesus