The memorial statue of Red Bird, chief of the Winnebagos, stands guard over the lake and waves goodbye to another sunset at High Cliff State Park in Wisconsin.
High Cliff is the only state park on Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin's largest lake. High Cliff gets its name from the limestone cliff of the Niagara Escarpment. It's also the nearest state park to my home and a great place to experience a sunset. It was a great reminder that Spring has officially arrived here and that this native Californian survived, endured, and suffered through his first Wisconsin winter!
I can finally put away my down jacket, snow shovel, and ice scraper. Now the only thing I have to get use to is that the locals call the coastline along Lake Michigan the "beach." Yes, there's sand, sun and water, but it's lake water and that's not a beach in my book. Give me sand, sun and the Pacific Ocean and we have a beach!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Door County, Wisconsin Sunset
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Another photograph from my Wisconsin series as I take a break from posting my photos from my Philippines trip.
Some of the best sunsets in Wisconsin are in Peninsula State Park located in Door County. It gets very cold in this part of the world so much that bodies of water freeze over (as a native Californian I just find this fascinating). The frozen body of water you see here is Green Bay (yes, as in the Green Bay Packers football team).
As I was driving through the park, on a road that was parallel to the frozen bay, I noticed people walking on the ice and admiring these strange ice formations. They are called pressure ridges which are long cracks in the ice that occur due to repeated heating and cooling. They are also a sign that winter is ending and spring is beginning as temperatures begin to rise.
I have never walked out on a frozen body of water before, but I thought it would be a great experience and besides there were other people on the ice so it would be safe. It was only after I started walking on the ice did I realize that with 45 degree weather (warm for Wisconsin) and the pressure ridges in front of me did it dawn upon me that the ice was thinning out and maybe I shouldn't be out here.
I quickly put that notion aside when I scouted a perfect location that would make for a great sunset shot. When I came back that evening, I was the only one walking around on the frozen bay among the pressure ridges. I was risking death in the event if the ice cracked and I fell in the icy, cold water!
The things I do to get that perfect shot. Please remember I am a professional and do not attempt this on your own!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Dinagyang Festival 2010
On the streets of Iloilo City, Philippines the Ilonggo people erupt in an annual celebration on the fourth weekend in January in a colorful spectacle called Dinagyang.
Colorful costumes, captivating drumbeats, and spirited dancing can best describe this festival, but in reality, Dinagyang must be experienced in person. To be in the middle of all of this excitement: to smell the aroma of Filipino food, hear the drums crashing, and to see the visual display of dancing tribes is why I travel.
The main focus of Dinagyang is a religious festival to honor the Santo Nino, but Dinagyang is much more than that. Its a cultural hodgepodge of Roman Catholicism, Animism, and Islam all mixed into one.
This was the second time I have been to Dinagyang and it surely will not be my last. Photographing during large festivals is always a challenge, but that is what makes it all the more exciting. On the other hand, photographing Dinagyang in the Philippines is far more easier that photographing festivals in the United States. For example, there were no restrictions in getting in the middle of the parade route and photographing the different tribes. It was common for spectators to step off the sidewalk and join the tribal dancers for a photo opportunity.
This is what makes Dinagyang so exciting, to be in the middle of all the action and excitement. To be an active participant and not a spectator.
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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Colorful costumes, captivating drumbeats, and spirited dancing can best describe this festival, but in reality, Dinagyang must be experienced in person. To be in the middle of all of this excitement: to smell the aroma of Filipino food, hear the drums crashing, and to see the visual display of dancing tribes is why I travel.
The main focus of Dinagyang is a religious festival to honor the Santo Nino, but Dinagyang is much more than that. Its a cultural hodgepodge of Roman Catholicism, Animism, and Islam all mixed into one.
This was the second time I have been to Dinagyang and it surely will not be my last. Photographing during large festivals is always a challenge, but that is what makes it all the more exciting. On the other hand, photographing Dinagyang in the Philippines is far more easier that photographing festivals in the United States. For example, there were no restrictions in getting in the middle of the parade route and photographing the different tribes. It was common for spectators to step off the sidewalk and join the tribal dancers for a photo opportunity.
This is what makes Dinagyang so exciting, to be in the middle of all the action and excitement. To be an active participant and not a spectator.
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
Follow me on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter!
Sam's Travel Photography Gallery
Sam's Other Travel Photography Gallery
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Having Fun in Tigbauan!
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In the coastal town of Tigbauan lies a beautiful church whose design was inspired by Churrisgueresque architecture, a form of Baroque.
After admiring the inside of the church with its unique mosaics depicting the Stations of the Cross, I stepped outside to photograph the facade. Behind me were children playing and they were intrigued with my digital SLR camera. These girls jokingly asked me if I could take a photo of them so I turned my camera in their direction and took a photo. They were embarrassed and were about to run away when I stopped them and showed them the photo I took of them on my camera LCD. Their eyes grew big and they screamed, "another one!" After a couple of snaps they got comfortable and began have fun in front of the camera and I eventually got a winner!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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