Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

I lied.

I said in my last post I was going to start sharing photos from my Southeast Asia journey I embarked on last year.

Lying maybe too strong of a word. Let’s just say I embellished the truth.

Here is a blue hour photograph from my trek to Mexico last year after I came back from Southeast Asia. This will be my last photograph (I promise) and from now on I’ll be updating you guys with photos from my Southeast Asia trip.

======================================

If colonial architecture and cobblestone streets sound very appealing then the beautiful Spanish colonial town of San Miguel de Allende fits the bill to be your home away from home (many Americans do). San Miguel de Allende has one of the largest American communities in Mexico with over 7000 residents. It is large enough to warrant its own U.S. consulate.

The ‘wedding cake’ towers of Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel dominates the perfectly manicured main plaza, El Jardin, in the old historic center. I spent many evenings sitting on a bench in the plaza admiring the gorgeous architecture and striking light, all the while consuming my favorite Mexican meal Tacos Al Pastor!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

Facebook | Google + | Twitter | Pinterest | Photography Blog | Travel Photography Gallery

Ring of Fire! National Mall - Washington, DC

Ring of Fire!, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

Sunset on the National Mall in Washington, DC. I took this in front of the U.S. Capitol with my Canon 5D Mark II camera mounted on a small table top tripod. I forgot to remove my UV filter, but as a result it gave me this “ring of fire.” I like making mistakes like this. It is still cold here in DC and waiting for the cherry blossoms to bloom.

I have been busy brokering a budget deal with Congress, working with the State Department on increasing world peace and playing golf with the President. I will be catching up with all of you soon.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

Facebook | Google + | Twitter | Pinterest | Photography Blog | Travel Photography Gallery

Rise of the Silver Surfer - Oceanside, California

Rise of the Silver Surfer, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

Another glorious day ends, along with my series on warm winter days in my hometown of San Diego, California. I hope you guys enjoyed it.

I’ll be posting more photos of San Diego in the future, but at the moment I have so many other photos to share with you guys from my globe trekking journeys.

Here is a photograph I took of Marvel Comics superhero The Silver Surfer at Oceanside Beach. How cool is that?

=============================

With a population of over 1.3 million, San Diego is the eight largest city in the country and the second largest city on the West Coast. Blessed with pristine beaches, diverse cultures, world renown tourist attractions, a strong military presence and near perfect climate it has been declared, "America's Finest City."

San Diego is considered the birthplace of California. Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo landed in San Diego's Point Loma area in 1542, claiming the area for Spain. In 1972 former mayor Pete Wilson gave the city the nickname, "America's Finest City."

Bordered in the North by Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, The Pacific Ocean in the West, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in the East and Tijuana, Mexico in the South, San Diego stands alone as an American paradise.

And yes, San Diego is so cool that The Silver Surfer surfs at our beaches.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

Why don't you join me on Facebook?
Still figuring out Google +
Follow me on Twitter!
I'm over at Pinterest too!
Sam's Photography Blog
Sam's Travel Photography Gallery

The Beauty of Guanajuato, Mexico at Twilight

The Beauty of Guanajuato, Mexico at Twilight, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

For years I have heard about the beauty of Guanajuato, Mexico. Now that I have had the opportunity to visit this lovely city, it has lived up to all of its expectations.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Guanajuato is a colonial-era city situated in a valley that has a labyrinth of narrow, winding and steep cobblestone streets (there are even streets underground). You are guaranteed to get lost, but that is indeed the charm of the city, to simply wander around to explore the city’s shady plazas, sidewalk cafes, historic monuments and all the while admiring the neoclassical and baroque style colonial architecture.

The University of Guanajuato is located right in the historic center which gives the city a youthful atmosphere (there are over 30,000 enrolled students). At night the city comes alive with its vibrant nightlife and callejoneadas, or walking serenades, led by student musicians who strum guitars, serenade bystanders and recite local tales.

This is a bird’s eye view of the city from The Pipila Monument which can be reached by either bus, hiking a steep trail or funicular. Whatever method you choose you are guaranteed a fantastic view of beautiful Guanajuato!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

Why don't you join me on Facebook?
Still figuring out Google +
Follow me on Twitter!
I'm over at Pinterest too!
Sam's Photography Blog
Sam's Travel Photography Gallery

A Great Way to End the Day in Wilmington, North Carolina

A Great Way to End the Day in Wilmington, North Carolina, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

Beautiful Wilmington, North Carolina! No words can fully encapsulate such a beautiful city. Located between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean Wilmington entices you with its distinctive architecture, friendly locals and historic downtown.

In the early 1980’s this sleepy little town was thrust into a new thriving industry - filmmaking. With such popular television hits like Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill and movies such as Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Forrest Gump, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Sleeping with the Enemy, Blue Velvet filmed here, Wilmington has garnered the name “Hollywood East.”

Restaurants, cafes, bars, historic buildings, stores and art galleries line the pedestrian friendly downtown riverfront district. Strolling the area one afternoon, I noticed these trees were strung with lights and I knew instantaneously that this would make for a great “blue hour” photograph.

Looking at this photograph brings back some great memories and a constant question - Why did I ever leave Wilmington?

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

Follow me on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter!
Sam's Photography Blog
Sam's Travel Photography Gallery
Sam's Other Travel Photography Gallery

Lost on Michigan Avenue

The Michigan Avenue Bridge carries Michigan Avenue across the Chicago River. Michigan Avenue is home to famous landmarks such as the Chicago Water Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, and the Magnificent Mile.

Since moving to the Midwest from Southern California, I have visited the city that Frank Sinatra sang as "My Kind of Town," numerous times. The first time I visited Chicago I took this same photo with my old Canon Powershot camera that didn't have image stabilization so it came out a little blurry. I always had the notion in the back of my mind to return to take that same photo. So over this past President's Day weekend I took the three hour drive from my home in Appleton, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois.

One quirky thing about photography is that sometimes a little gadget, rather than a new camera body or lens, can make a huge difference in your image quality. A couple of years ago I was photographing Bodie Ghost Town in the Eastern Sierras of California and I met a fellow photographer who had this strange square device on his hot shoe.

"What's that strange thing you have on your camera?" I asked.

"It's a bubble spirit level. You serious don't know what this is and you call yourself a landscape photographer?" he replied incredulously.

Okay I thought to myself....so after returning from that trip I ordered a bubble spirit level online and my photography has vastly improved along with less time fooling around with Photoshop in trying to straighten out my crooked images. What is a bubble spirit level? It's a little square that you put on your hot shoe that ensures your camera is perfectly level whether shooting in horizontal or vertical position.

What does this have to do with this photograph?

As I walked out of my hotel I put the bubble spirit level on my Canon 50D camera hot shoe. When I got to this location and put my camera on my tripod I noticed the bubble spirit level was missing! I didn't have time to retrace my steps to look for it since I would miss the "blue hour," so I did without it and continued to take a couple of frames for the next ten minutes before my 50D completely froze up! The wicked Chicago cold melted down my 50D! On the LCD my menu screen was on, but I couldn't navigate out of it in addition to my shutter button not working at all.

So once again I turned to my backup camera, the always reliable and phenomenal Canon G9! I am constantly amazed of the incredible image quality that comes from this compact camera (The photograph you see here was taken with the G9). Since I lost my bubble spirit level, I used the G9's grid view to ensure the horizon was level. After freezing in the cold and cursing at myself, I retraced my steps to my hotel looking for my bubble spirit level but to no avail.

So somewhere on Michigan Avenue is my lost bubble spirit level. Somebody probably found it and asked the question, "What is this strange square looking thing?"

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

Follow me on Facebook!

Follow me on Twitter!

Sam's Photography Blog

Sam's Travel Photography Gallery

Sam's Other Travel Photography Gallery