I am currently guiding a Mentor Series Trek to Russia and Estonia. I have arrived a few days early to do some personal photography before the actual trip starts with my guests. Moscow is a huge city, a beautiful city with a lot of traffic. Everything here is large, streets, buildings, city blocks and monuments. If you come to Moscow, be prepared to walk your feet off. Here are a few more images shot in the last few days... more to come.
Energy Shoot in Wattenberg Field
Earlier in July, I spent a full day shooting for a long time energy client. Just north of Denver is a production field know as the Wattenberg Field. I met my client at a local restaurant in the town of Johnstown, Colorado. After lunch, we scouted 4 different oil rigs as well as a frac job and a production area.
After scouting, my client left me on my own to finish the day shooting up to sunset. I selected locations that allowed the best angles to use the sun. The photo above was shot the following morning at sunrise. Shortly after the sun broke the horizon, I pulled out my drone for a quick flight of the same rig shown above.
I've been flying a drone for about 2 years now, don't get enough time or opportunity to use it on assignment. Not only is it fun to fly, I love the perspective.
Here are a few more images for the Wattenberg Field.
Hong Kong
Just after my Mentor Series Trek to Vietnam I went to Hong Kong for some personal time shooting. I had 3 days to shoot, the weather was a bit wet, however I think I got a few nice ones. Here are a few photo that might peak your interest in visiting Hong Kong if you're close by.
Here are just a few more images, I would recommend that you get up early as well as shoot late into the evening. What a super place.
Vietnam 2016 Mentor Series Trek
I've recently returned from a trip to Vietnam with Popular Photography Magazine's Mentor Series Treks. This was my 27th trek guiding for the Mentor Series, I had a wonderful time and I've made many new friends. A Mentor Series trek is a great way to visit wonderful locations with photography in mind. The treks are very well organized and you have wonderful instructors or mentors there to assist you with improving your photographic skills.
We started in the north, Hanoi City. We photographed early morning at the local vegetable and flower markets where farmers from the countryside bring their produce and flowers to the city for sale. Later in the day we wandered through Hanoi's narrow streets shooting local life. We even fit in a pedi-cab ride in the evening.
The following day we headed to Ninh Binh Province, about a 2 hour drive across beautiful landscapes and rice paddies. Ninh Binh is often referred to as 'Ha Long Bay on Land' because of the impressive limestone formations. Later that day we took a second boat ride into a "Preserved Nature Area" of Ninh Binh, Wow! The landscape was fantastic, as a matter of fact a film crew of about 500 were filming "King Kong and Skull Island move. Coming out in March of 2017.
We next took an overnight train ride on the "Victoria Train" to Lao Cai, an 8 1/2 hour trip. When we arrived in Lao Cai we drove to Sapa, here we photographed the local ethnic Hmong and Dao people in nearby villages. I also managed to fit in an hour message for $7.00 USD.
From Sapa we headed back to Lao Cai for the train ride back to Hanoi for an early morning flight to Can Tho City in the southwest of Saigon. Can Tho City is in the Mekong Delta know as the rice-bowl of the Mekong. The rich fertile region allows for 3 crops per year, rice paddies everywhere!
From here we drove about 2 1/2 hours to Saigon, stopping to photograph where every we pleased. Here are a few more images of the region.
We ended our trip in Saigon where we had Vespa rides in the city and we photographed the skyline from a popular terrace top bar called the Chill Bar.
I love these treks! Getting to make new friends and sharing my love of photography with the participants of the trek. If you enjoy traveling and taking pictures, you might want to think about joining me on a Mentor Series trek. My next overseas trip will be in September to Spain and Portugal. For more information regarding that trek and other locations, visit the Mentor Series site.
Shooting your hometown
Feels good to get out and make some photos. It's been cold here in Colorado and we've had a lot of snow. We had a few nice days of sunlight and I decided to take advantage of that by going out and shooting.
Taking the time and shooting your hometown is a good way to stay sharp, testing your metering skills as well as perhaps some new equipment. I spent about an hour walking around downtown before sunset and came up with a few nice images. I then went up to a favorite spot to shoot a cityscape.
The following cityscape involves an in camera double exposure. The moon was rising out of the frame to the left, I first made the exposure for the moon and then the city.
Valley of Fire Mentor Series Trek
Join me this April for a fantastic Mentor Series Trek to the Valley of Fire. Located in the Mojave Desert just about 60 miles from Las Vegas, NV. The Valley of Fire gets it name for the magnificent sandstone formations that appear to be on fire when reflecting in the sun rays.
There is also a Pre-Trek Exclusive: This is only open to 6 people the day before the trek actually starts. Join me for an evening photographing scenic stops along the Las Vegas strip. We'll be shooting the Bellagio fountains, mega hotels, neon signs and its dramatic architecture. We'll be ending the evening at a special location which will provide panoramic views of this iconic location, it also includes welcome cocktail and a digital review session. This extra "Pre-Trek" is only open to 6 persons and costs only $450.00 Contact the Mentor Series for more details.