Barichara, Colombia 2023

Barichara is a small colonial village town in central Colombia. Surrounded by rolling hills and mountains, it has cobble stone streets, tiled roofed colonial buildings, a nice climate, good cheap food, history, etc. Its an amazing place in the world! It’s also a photographers paradise. Only downside were the hills I had to climb to get anywhere. Besides that, an amazing place to stay. The lighting there was nice, and there were many opportunities to get a good photo. However, in my excitement, I missed a couple good shots due to overexposure metering, missed focus, etc. We’ve all been there. This particular shot in the folio was one of my favorites, showing the simple architecture and the beauty of a sunset there. Such a great place to visit if you’re ever in Colombia!

Built after 1702 when a peasant from the region saw the face of the Virgin Mary in a stone there. A church was placed there in it’s honor. Thus the town formed around this church, and was officially founded in 1705. It doesn’t seem to have changed much since then. It is a Columbian National Monument, and has had status protection since 1978. Shot this on my Sputnik handheld at 100th/sec. at f.16, on Provia 100f Fujifilm.

Kalalau Sunset #5

Kalalau Sunset #5This spot was suggested by Robert Hitchman in his Photograph America newsletter. You are looking toward the rainiest place on earth. As such, by the time you drive to this vista for a sunset shot, you have no idea what conditions you’ll find. This is at the Kalalau Lookout, about 17 miles up road 550 on the island of Kauai. I’m standing on a sidewalk behind a big metal rail. Nonetheless, the view there is stunning.

I can be dense but sometimes I’ll learn something from experience. I was at this spot two nights and the first time there was a cruise ship hanging out in the water below. I thought I’d wait for it to get out of my shot before I pulled out my good film cameras so I started shooting with my digitals. Now that I see those digital shots I am kicking myself. The cruise ship at that distance just becomes an iconic ship, and it looks like it’s sailing away from Eden. I think this is a beautiful picture but that was a beautiful picture that told a story and I’m really sorry I missed it.