Mexico Trip Photos

spider-t · March 16, 2006

Got back from a week in Rincon de Guayabitos a couple of days ago. It's a little fishing village an hour north of Puerto Vallarta.

I just finished uploading my photos. I'm excited to show someone, but it's too late for anyone here (early in the am), so you're it!

It was a great trip. Very relaxing. Good light and lots of cool colors for shooting.

Here's the whole gallery

Thanks for looking!!
Trish

Highlander · March 16, 2006

Lovely colours, glad you had a lovely trip

:

marlof · March 16, 2006

Happily you have some Europeans to look at your images. The pastels and decay on the second one is very nice. And I also like the effect on the third, but can't help but wonder what would happen if you'd clone out the vertical lines that go beyond the rest of the leaves.

spider-t · March 16, 2006

marlof wrote:

Happily you have some Europeans to look at your images. The pastels and decay on the second one is very nice. And I also like the effect on the third, but can't help but wonder what would happen if you'd clone out the vertical lines that go beyond the rest of the leaves.

Thanks!

So tidy up the palm fronds a bit, you think? I have to agree the lines do draw the eye.

I'll give it a quick work and repost.

Thanks for the feedback!!

cheers!
Trish

marlof · March 16, 2006

Trish, I just browsed the rest of the gallery. It seems that Mexico and you go well together. I'll stop by again later, when I have more time (and a speedier internet connection) to check some larger images. What I've seen so far is very impressive. I especially like the fact that from this non-color correct screen it seems that you do not overdo the contrast (which can be a pitfall with these colorful images), and let the colors and structures do their own magic.

spider-t · March 16, 2006

and now with tidy fronds!

marlof wrote:

Happily you have some Europeans to look at your images. The pastels and decay on the second one is very nice. And I also like the effect on the third, but can't help but wonder what would happen if you'd clone out the vertical lines that go beyond the rest of the leaves.

Hi Marlof,

Here's the image without the vertical lines. I think you were right. It is an improvement.

And it doesn't look too "perfect" (which is one of those things I worry about).

And about contrast, I don't really fool with contrast or sharpening unless I'm trying to work a lifeless image. The nice part of being on holiday is I get to choose the light I shoot in and not have to punch it up it later.
(Well, of course, it helps if the weather cooperates too

:)

cheers,
Trish

Andy · March 16, 2006

spider-t wrote:

Oh this is just delicious!

marlof · March 16, 2006

spider-t wrote:

Here's the image without the vertical lines. I think you were right. It is an improvement. And it doesn't look too "perfect" (which is one of those things I worry about).

Yes, it does look better and still natural. Mainly the big one in front just drew too much attention for me.

polartownjunkie · March 16, 2006

i like these alot, seems a great place that mexico

waveneyman · March 17, 2006

spider-t wrote:

Hi Marlof,

Here's the image without the vertical lines. I think you were right. It is an improvement.

And it doesn't look too "perfect" (which is one of those things I worry about).

And about contrast, I don't really fool with contrast or sharpening unless I'm trying to work a lifeless image. The nice part of being on holiday is I get to choose the light I shoot in and not have to punch it up it later.
(Well, of course, it helps if the weather cooperates too :)

cheers,
Trish

Hi Trish

Shall have a look at the whole gallery when I have a bit more time but these are great. To be honest I prefer the 'warts 'n all' bits in the palm fronds pic - it was there after all and represents what you really saw. Just my preference.:D
cheers
mark

4labs · March 17, 2006

Lovely photos!

spider-t · March 17, 2006

editorial integrity

waveneyman wrote:

Hi Trish

Shall have a look at the whole gallery when I have a bit more time but these are great. To be honest I prefer the 'warts 'n all' bits in the palm fronds pic - it was there after all and represents what you really saw. Just my preference.:D
cheers
mark

Thanks Mark. I go back and forth on the 'warts 'n all' cloning myself.

In fact, I have quite contradictory rules guiding my editorial integrity.

When I'm taking the pictures, I am extremely black and white. I won't touch anything or move anything (or anyone) to make a shot happen. I try different angles or wait for different light, but if I can't make it work without touching, I let it go. I think of it as 'found object photography'.

But then after, I'll sometimes clone something out of a shot, just because I feel like it.

Not sure why I'm so freaky strict on the one end and random on the other.

In fact, I hadn't even thought about it until your post. So thanks for your feedback!!

:
-Trish

Angelo · March 17, 2006

Hey Trish - some really nice stuff in your gallery, especially this:
.

spider-t wrote:

nburwell · March 17, 2006

Very nice photos and an even better gallery! Wonderful colors and composition in all your photographs. However, this photo is by far my favorite of all your images I looked at. Once again, excellent job!

spider-t · March 18, 2006

nburwell wrote:

Very nice photos and an even better gallery! Wonderful colors and composition in all your photographs. However, this photo is by far my favorite of all your images I looked at. Once again, excellent job!

Thank you!! I waited a while for a wave and was just about to give up with this one came.

It is a memorial to a fisherman lost at sea. It's hard to tell the scope of it from this shot, but it stood almost 7 feet high.

-Trish

saurora · March 18, 2006

Super series, Trish. I toured your gallery as well. You have a good eye and the colors are so pretty and not-over processed. I like that a lot. That boat on the beach is a catch...oh, and the memorial on the rock..well, they're all super! What lens do you mostly use?

Dee · March 18, 2006

These are really nice
I read a little about your philosophy of photography on your blog, and your Myers Briggs "score" ... I'm an INTP... if that means anything...

But your photographic philosophy of shooting "found objects" made me really chuckle to myself. I hate to move even a leaf because I think it's "cheating." And waiting for the right light... it took me awhile to realize that carrying just a white piece of paper could help my photos so much (especially of things in the woods). Then I started reading about what other photographers did to improve their photos, flash, diffuser, reflectors....and I wondered why I couldn't seem to do that either.

Finally figured it out, sort of... I kind of feel "found objects" are a gift to me for taking the time to look -- and to manipulate them would be to spoil it for other "found object" seekers.

Even writing it down here doesn't make any sense...

So in my old age I've loosened up a bit and I'll clear away some twigs or leaves or blades of grass and consider it liberating the object for others to find...

And of course in photoshop the inner artist in me goes just wild as I try to deal with the imperfections of light and bring out what I could have seen "if only." If only the light had been better, or I had been there earlier or later...

With your Mexico photos I think "early morning" was the key there with the light. Those colors were so neat... you know, the light was so good for the colors I don't think photoshop is needed at all! And makes for much less work too.

And what was with the line up of bottles with straws in them?

Pelicans were great, looks like they are a bit tamer in Mexico...

Oh, and I hate to "clone stuff out" too and I agonize over it sometimes and get a little resentful when people suggest it. But, again, I'm trying to loosen up a bit and give it a try.

As for the palm fronds I think I would have cloned just that one long one that was discecting the image in half and left the ones on either side. How's that for a compromise?

Anyway, I enjoyed the photos!

spider-t · March 18, 2006

saurora wrote:

Super series, Trish. I toured your gallery as well. You have a good eye and the colors are so pretty and not-over processed. I like that a lot. That boat on the beach is a catch...oh, and the memorial on the rock..well, they're all super! What lens do you mostly use?

Thanks Saurora!

This was the first trip where I broke down and packed all my favorite lenses.

Nikon 70-200mm 2.8
Nikon 50mm 1.4
Nikon 24-120mm VR

And I don't walk around with a bag, so I only take one lens at a time.

If I was out for a 'shoot' in the pretty light, I'd have either the 70-200 or the 50. But if I was out for a 'day', I'd have my 'walking around' lens, the 24-120 (which is the one I used for the boat on the beach shot).

I also brought my lensbaby, but once I arrived and unpacked, I realized I had forgotten the charger for my camera. And there's just no use pulling out a lensbaby unless you're going to chimp away on your LCD. It stayed in my bag to conserve battery life.

Here's a plug for the Nikon d70. It already has great battery life, but once I turned off my LCD I got an entire week of holiday shooting on less than two batteries. I never even had to touch the third.

Cheers!
Trish

spider-t · March 18, 2006

Dee wrote:

I read a little about your philosophy of photography on your blog, and your Myers Briggs "score" ... I'm an INTP... if that means anything...

But your photographic philosophy of shooting "found objects" made me really chuckle to myself. I hate to move even a leaf because I think it's "cheating." And waiting for the right light... it took me awhile to realize that carrying just a white piece of paper could help my photos so much (especially of things in the woods). Then I started reading about what other photographers did to improve their photos, flash, diffuser, reflectors....and I wondered why I couldn't seem to do that either.

Finally figured it out, sort of... I kind of feel "found objects" are a gift to me for taking the time to look -- and to manipulate them would be to spoil it for other "found object" seekers.

Even writing it down here doesn't make any sense...

So in my old age I've loosened up a bit and I'll clear away some twigs or leaves or blades of grass and consider it liberating the object for others to find...

And of course in photoshop the inner artist in me goes just wild as I try to deal with the imperfections of light and bring out what I could have seen "if only." If only the light had been better, or I had been there earlier or later...

With your Mexico photos I think "early morning" was the key there with the light. Those colors were so neat... you know, the light was so good for the colors I don't think photoshop is needed at all! And makes for much less work too.

And what was with the line up of bottles with straws in them?

Pelicans were great, looks like they are a bit tamer in Mexico...

Oh, and I hate to "clone stuff out" too and I agonize over it sometimes and get a little resentful when people suggest it. But, again, I'm trying to loosen up a bit and give it a try.

As for the palm fronds I think I would have cloned just that one long one that was discecting the image in half and left the ones on either side. How's that for a compromise?

Anyway, I enjoyed the photos!

Hey Dee! I recognize that coast. We must be neighbors! :-)

And that totally makes sense that "found objects are a gift for you for taking the time to look". It's like if I move something, then I am being ungracious. Saying the gift is not beautiful enough.

But you're right, this stuff does sound odd once typed it out. :-)

The line of bottles with the straws in it is very 'Mexico'. Everyone there drinks sodas in glass bottles (with straws). This shot was taking behind a taco stand in the morning. The bottles were in stacked crates to be sent back for refill. No one had taken the straws out. It looked so crazy, all those matching straws with the sun shining through them. I took a bunch of shots. This was my favorite.

The pelicans were getting the fish heads tossed to them now and then while the fishermen cleaned their fish. It was definitely odd being so close to a pelican.

Thanks for the comments and sharing your philosophy!
Trish

Mexico Trip Photos

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