2014, Day 355 - Dapple

There is nothing quite like looking out your bedroom window to rolling hills and a colorful sunrise.  It is like starting the day with rose-colored glasses on.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 23/f1.4R
23mm, f2, 1/280 sec @ 200 ISO

2014, Day 338 - Early bird

Almost every morning we were in Kandy we were treated to a beautiful sunrise.  Unfortunately I was the only one awake to witness it but I suspect the others might have had a glimpse or two from the comfort of their beds while I dashed out onto the balcony for a better view.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 35/f1.4R
35mm, f1.4, 1/950 sec @ 200 ISO

2014, Day 296 - Bowing

I don't remember a lot of notable sunrises from my youth but sometimes life surprises you.  The last time I visited my family in California during the summer I had multiple mornings with beautiful colorful sunrises.  Lots of wispy clouds and fields of sunflowers.  This field was just about ready for harvesting and the weight of the seeds had the heads heavy with their bounty.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fujinon 14/f2.8R
14mm, f4, 1/150 sec @ 200 ISO

2014, Day 260 - Breaking

Sunrise over the lake in Suchitoto was magical and consistently a spectacular show.  Can't wait for me adventures close to the equator.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
33mm, f5.6, 1/15 sec @ 100 ISO

2014, Day 174 - Sentinel

Structures are not what one normally associates with the Columbia River Gorge but Vista House is the notable exception.  It stands against the winds and the rain overlooking the river and witnessing the most spectacular sunrises day after day.  I never get tired of visiting this beautiful but lonely building.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
24mm, f2.8, merged layers of 1/2, 1, 2, 4, and 8 sec @ 400 ISO

2014, Day 115 - Shiny

Today was an exciting day as I got to welcome my friends Brian and Nicole back to Portland!  After being gone for a year it is great to have them back and I can't wait to restart our adventures.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 60/f2.4R
60mm, f2.8, 1/900 sec @ 200 ISO

2014, Day 83 - Flashy grapes

I caught these grape hyacinths as the sun cleared top of the house and the lighting was so warm and beautiful.  Normally I would try prevent the flare but with the warmth of the light I really liked the effect.  The isolation this lens creates is beautiful!

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 60/f2.4R
60mm, f4, 1/140 sec @ 200 ISO

2014, Day 56 - Elephant's eye

This photo was taken from the Elephant Terrance at Angkor Thom attached to the palace of Phimeanakas.  It was from this vantage point that King Jayavarman VII watched his armies assemble, held court, and conducted public ceremonies.  Named for the elephant carvings along the east side, we watched the sun rise over the jungle as a lone tuk-tuk proceeded at a leisurely pace along the road that parallels the terrace.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
20mm, f4, merged layers of 1/800 and 1/400 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 350 - Early bird

Last week as the Pacific NW was in the fading grip of the freezing weather system that passed through I made a morning excursion into the Columbia River Gorge.  My starting point was Vista House as the previous morning we had been treated to the most spectacular sunrise.  Unfortunately the event was not repeated but I did get a nice sunrise over one of my recent favorite starry night locations.  So this evening I share with you a different take on Vista House.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f8, merged layers of 0.3, 1.3, and 5 sec @ 320 ISO

2013, Day 335 - Pure

This is the Iglesia Santa Lucia Suchitoto and the restoration work was completed this past spring.  Although small compared to some of the other churches we saw this one is nicely scaled to the size of the town and to the central plaza which it borders.  They ring the bells to call the city to mass and given that El Salvador is a very observant Catholic country the ringing becomes quite insistent as the time for mass draws closer.  It is a beautiful building and very well maintained although I wonder how long that will last with all the pigeons perched along the facade.

I took this photo the morning we left Suchitoto and it was absolutely beautiful backlit by the clouds and the sun started to crest the horizon.  It it is one of the enduring memories I have of our time in Suchitoto.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f4, merged layers of 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, and 1/60 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 266 - Ignition

Another from my California trip.  Rarely am I treated to such a spectacular sunrise, I drove around the countryside stopping every time a view caught my eye.  It's the little details that make this photo for me; the trees silhouetted in the distance, the power lines, the radio tower, they give interest to the landscape and the color of the rising sun only serves to highlight their presence.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 18-55/f2.8-4R OIS
55mm, f5.6, 1/500 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 261 - Piercing

It is sunset day today but I didn't have the energy to find a good sunset to share that you haven't already seen so instead I am serving a little sunrise.  It was a cloudy morning and the sun was struggling to pierce a heavy bank of clouds leading to some dramatic colors.  The separation of the clouds is rather harsh so if you know what this phenomenon is called please let me know.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 18-55/f2.8-4 OIS
55mm, f5.6, 1/2000 sec @ 320 ISO

2013, Day 254 - Migation

The migrating birds weren't a planned element but when I looked at this photo it struck me that they're really missing out.  There are sunflowers everywhere ready to drop their seeds and they're flying away from the fields.  It made me wonder if there is some kind of unseen deterrent at play.  Either way, it was a pretty morning!

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 18-55/f2.8-4 OIS
39mm, f5.6, 1/500 sec @ 320 ISO

2013, Day 252 - Heads bowed

Sometimes my imagination gets the better of me.  I look at these sunflowers as they start to wilt and the beautiful sunrise and it becomes of holy event.  The sunflowers are praying, heads lowered, as the sun rises into the sky.  They are communing with nature and hoping for thousands of healthy children as their lives come to an end.  Sadly they don't realize that they've being farmed, the seed will be collected for sale and the next generation will have another source.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 14/f2.8
14mm, f4, 1/170 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 244 - Stalked

Another beautiful California sunrise, blue skies above, a hint of reds and oranges on the horizon, and sunflowers ready for harvesting wilting with the heat of the scorching afternoon sun.  Sometimes it is worth running out the door with your camera in the clothes you pulled on in haste that you wore the day before to capture these kinds of moments.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 18-55/f2.8-4
18mm, f5.6, 1/60 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 234 - Bleeding

I can't get enough of the clouds recently.  This was an in-camera panorama I took to see how well it would stitch and I was pleasantly surprised, there was very little ghosting but there are some JPG artifacts that I don't care for.  Still, it captures a lot of the clouds in the sky and the rim of golden light along the horizon.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 14/f2.8
14mm, f5.6, 1/450 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 229 - Sun worshippers

I awoke to another pretty California morning.  As before, I grabbed my camera and headed out the door.  Although I drove in the same direction I passed the furthest point I made it yesterday and almost immediately found a field of flourishing sunflowers!  Most are already dying and soon the seeds will be harvested but this must be a late field and it looked amazing.  It was a nice visit to see family and although it was brief I've got a busy week ahead of me.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 14/f2.8
14mm, f11, 1/200 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 63 - Painted morning

We awoke on our first full day in Siem Reap and stopped immediately for the sunrise at Angkor Thom.  Although we had visited the temple the night before it was a much different experience in the early morning.  The quality of the light was different but, more interestingly, we saw monks making their rounds to clean.  Specks of saffron would emerge from between trees or from behind a crumbling wall. They seemed to comes from nowhere making no noise and working diligently.  It was beautiful almost otherworldly but those kind of experiences seem almost common in Cambodia.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
30mm, f8, merged layers of 1/5 and 1.6 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 349 - Icons

There is no image of Cambodia more iconic than Angkor Wat at sunrise.  It is the shot that everyone with even the most remote interest in photography wants to remember their trip.  Although we have all seen many when it is you behind the camera it feels special.  On any given morning there may be a hundred people or more lining the edge of the reflecting pond in the hope of a good sunrise and the morning this was take was no different.  The bank of the pond was crowded with people trying to find enough space to take a picture.  Many had flashes going off lighting nothing at all and others were using their smartphones.  I had a tripod, multiple lenses, and a pouch full of filters.

We arrived a little later than I would have liked and our initial position along the pond wasn't great but as the sun crested the horizon people began to leave.  Soon there was space in the prime positions so I grabbed my Lee Big Stopper to push sunrise back a little bit and kept taking pictures.  Those people who left missed out, the colors got better as the sun rose.  I even had a Japanese gentleman standing by side looking at my images on the back of my camera as I shot.  He was impressed with the results and how I was achieving the look of sunrise when there was already so much light in the sky.  I kept taking pictures and explained what I was doing and he thanked me when I started packing up.  It's great to share tip and tricks; hopefully he was able to utilize them to get the pictures that he was hoping for because I know I got mine.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
53mm, f8, 1/80 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 321 - Sprinting

I know we've been getting up early but today way even earlier than usual because we were going to catch sunrise at Angkor Wat.  That meant that we had to get up at four o'clock and get our butts out the door faster than we would have liked.  Angkor Wat at sunrise can be a zoo because it is such an iconic image and today was no exception.  When we arrived there were a lot of people streaming across the bridge and into the temple complex.  Mr. Mony jumped out of the van and lit a fire under us to get moving.

We walked about as briskly as you can without breaking into a run and arrived at the reflecting pool early enough to get a spot.  It wasn't a great spot but it afforded a good view and a nice reflection in the water.  I got my gear set up and proceeded to wait.  And the wait went on while we fended off mosquitoes but soon you could clearly make out the temple against the clouds.  The sky changed from an inky blue to a shade lighter and soon you could hear cameras clicking away.  I don't know what you expect to get when you use the flash on your point-and-shoot but they were firing like mad too.

As the sky lightened we got a little color, a blush of peach right at the horizon but it lasted only a couple of minutes and we were left with a blue-on-blue cloudy sky.  It was a nice sunrise, not an epic experience but better than fog.  And so it went; as the sky got brighter people started to leave and after about half an hour most people were gone.  As the crowd thinner we moved closer and closer to the prime spots.  With the help of a neutral density filter I was able to prolong the appearance of sunrise for another ten minutes before we gave up.  At the same time as I was taking picture Francene, the kooky lady that she is, set up her portable gym to get a couple shots of her using it as promised to the manufacturer for free instructional information.  I could hear Francene and Araceli giggling the whole time :)

With the sunrise, both real and simulated, over we made our way into Angkor Wat.  Mr. Mony took us down immense hallways where the walls were carved with scene of battles and heroic triumphs.  Most were in exceptionally good condition and many were worn smooth and dark from years of being touched for luck.

Slowly we proceeded from the first to the second terrace where we could see the five monolithic towers.  We walked a circuit of the terrace, stopping to take pictures of the temple and the visiting monk, until access to the third level was opened.  Unfortunately Francene was indecently attired for the upper level but Araceli and I made the climb and walked quickly through.  It was getting crowded and there was a lot of scaffolding up that got in the way of some of the best lit views.

The sun was getting hot as we rejoined Francene and Mr. Mony and continued our tour.  Araceli and Francene had their fortunes told but I was too busy taking pictures to get in line and by the time they were done I wasn't in the mood to wait even longer, not with the day we had planned.  So we continued through the temple while Mr. Mony described what we were looking at and ultimately made our way through the thickening press of people to the entrance so we could move on.

Before we could go too far Mr. Mony suggested we stop for breakfast.  I can't tell you how many breakfasts we have missed and how hungry you get trekking all over Cambodia in ninety degree heat coupled with ninety percent humidity.  I had an omelet and toast with a banana shake and once we all had food in our bellies it was back in the van and off to Kbal Spean.

Kbal Spean is an archaeological area that flanks a river and is known as "The Valley of a Thousand Lingas," lingas being the phallic symbol of the Hindu god Shiva.  It was not a particularly long hike up to the river but it was steep and hot even in the shade.  We made our way slowly uphill and at times were descended upon by clouds of butterflies that would land on us.

When we finally made it to the top I think all of us were drenched in sweat but awestruck by all the carvings. Apsaras, celestial dances, could be found carved into rocks and the bumps that signify lingas made up the bottom of the riverbed in some areas.  Gods looked down on us as we followed the river downhill.  Eventually we made our way under a waterfall and in that water our sins were cleansed by Shiva's divine influence.

Fortunately the cleansing also cooled us down and made the hike back to the trail head a significantly more pleasant experience.  When we arrived back at the van it was decided that we needed to have some lunch.  And what better place to have lunch than at a high-end Cambodian furniture store?  Actually the food wasn't bad, it wasn't great but it hit the spot and they did have some beautiful solid teak and mahogany furniture.  I've always wanted a dining room table with a four inch thick slab of premium hardwood for a bargain price. Araceli and I did look for a guest gift for Francene's husband and we found something we liked but failed to reach an agreeable price with the store owner.

Two days ago I must have been confused because I thought we already went to Banteay Srei but we went to another temple with a similar name.  Today we went to Banteay Srei and it is considered one of the nicest temples in Angkor Wat because of the extensive detailed and superbly preserved carvings in pink sandstone.  It is a much smaller temple than most but it is stunning and as such it garners a remarkable amount of attention.  I had great difficulty taking photos here because people were constantly walking in and out of my frame.  Oh well, I can here to experience the country not just document it and how could you get annoyed in such a beautiful place?

It was getting late in the day and we were losing steam so we started on our way back into Siem Reap.  As we made our way down the winding and bumpy road Mr. Mony asked us if we would like to see how palm sugar is made.  None of us wanted to miss a learning opportunity so we pulled to the side of the road and found a family making palm sugar candies.  They take the flowers from the palm trees and squeeze the juice out with a large flat nutcracker-looking device.  That juice is them put over heat and reduced down into a syrup.  The syrup is in turn poured into little molds made of palm leaves and allowed to cool.  When it is done you have palm sugar candy!  Apparently it is harder to get the juice from female flowers but it is sweeter than the male counterpart.

With our teeth rotten from sampling palm juice and palm sugar candy (Araceli bought some), we went back to Siem Reap.  Lunch was kind of disappointing so Araceli and I decided to take Francene to the Khmer Kitchen where we had a very nice dinner earlier in the week.  We started with fresh spring rolls which were okay but tasted a little fishy.  After we a green curry with fish, a Cambodian soup, and garlic tofu.  All three were excellent and I think we all felt stuffed when the meal was over but in that good contented way.

Bellies full to bursting we then had to take Francene shopping for clothes to wear to a Cambodian wedding.  Apparently the clothes she brought for more formal occasions are inappropriate for a wedding so there was no alternative.  We started at the mall which was rather underwhelming but we did find a little boutique with more trendy Japanese clothes that had a few possibilities.  I can't believe that Francene is such as easy shopper because although we made her try on more than one it was the first she decided to buy.  With the dress taken care of we then had to find her some accessories and for those we went to the Night Market.

At the Night Market we found some jewelry that would be a nice compliment to Francene's new dress.  There were a couple good choices and rather than make a decision she opted for both pieces; I suspect that she is going to go for the more daring piece only because it is fun and I think it suits her personality better.  By the time we finished I don't think it took more than forty-five minutes to find everything for the wedding on Sunday.  That is some high speed shopping!

Our goal accomplished, Araceli and I walked Francene back to her hotel and then took our leave.  It was a long action-packed day and we were exhausted.  So it is now time for a shower and some sleep.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 500 ISO