On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Had A Dream' speech on August 28, 1963.
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Special Price for all my Friends...Individual Photo Workshops for only $395!
Special Price for all my Flicker Friends...Individual Photo Workshops for only $395!, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.
Speaking of photographs, Washington, D.C. is a very photogenic town and you’ll be taking your fair share of photos of the memorials and monuments. You’ll be taking photos of other tourists too, whether you want to or not.
Everywhere I went people would ask me to take a photo of them in front of some memorial or monument. I don’t mind doing so for people, but not when I’m behind the lens trying to compose a shot of my own.
I would have my Canon 5D Mark II on a tripod and just a like a magnet, tourists would swarm around me to ask to have their photos taken of themselves with their camera. So I would have to take a couple of steps aways from my gear hoping somebody wouldn’t grab it and run away with over $3,900 dollars worth of photo equipment. Sometimes they would be a couple of yards away from where I had my tripod mounted gear, so I would have to gather it up and take it with me and then go back and reposition everything.
One night I was photographing at the Reflecting Pool in front of the U.S. Capitol. I got there a little late so I set up really quick and just starting shooting with my eye glued behind the camera eyepiece. Sure enough, out of the corner of my other eye some guy was standing right next to me and asked to take a photo of him and his friends.
Are you kidding?
No, I’m not busy at the moment and the blue hour only last a couple of minutes. Let me stop what I’m doing so I can photograph you guys with your Android phone and then later you can post your photos to Facebook of you guys doing the “holding up” pose of the Capitol.
The worst offender was when I was shooting here at the Marine Corps War Memorial. I was position further back from the Memorial and on top of a four foot concrete block so I could include both the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol in the frame.
“There’s a guy with professional equipment. Could you take a photo of me and my girlfriend?” Some stranger asked in the dark.
Being the nice guy I am, I stepped down from the block and took a photo of them, but one wasn’t enough. They wanted one vertical, one with funny faces, standing back to back, etc.
He asked how the night time mode on his camera worked and if I could take another set of photos with it on.
“$495 dollars,” I stated.
“What’s that for?” He replied.
“That’s my fee if you want my full time instruction,” I indicated.
With a puzzled look he asked, “Why the amount of $495 dollars?”
“$495 dollars sounds much more marketable than $500 dollars. Cash only please,” I demanded.
I left him with his girlfriend in the dark still bewildered and trying to figure out the night time mode on his camera.
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Arlington Memorial Bridge at Dusk - Washington, D.C.
Another three in one photograph.
From the banks of the of the Potomac River you can get a great view of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, The Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument all in one frame.
The Arlington Memorial Bridge not only links the state of Virginia with the District of Columbia, but also the Civil War era North and South.
On one end you have the Union’s Lincoln Memorial and across the Potomac on the Virginia side you have the Confederacy’s Robert E. Lee Memorial.
Some of you have commented on the recent watermarks on my photos. It’s there for a reason. People have been using my photos without my permission or compensation. If you want to use my photos please let me know and I would be more than happy to share them with you. Just drop me an email.
Don’t steal! The government hates competition!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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From the banks of the of the Potomac River you can get a great view of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, The Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument all in one frame.
The Arlington Memorial Bridge not only links the state of Virginia with the District of Columbia, but also the Civil War era North and South.
On one end you have the Union’s Lincoln Memorial and across the Potomac on the Virginia side you have the Confederacy’s Robert E. Lee Memorial.
Some of you have commented on the recent watermarks on my photos. It’s there for a reason. People have been using my photos without my permission or compensation. If you want to use my photos please let me know and I would be more than happy to share them with you. Just drop me an email.
Don’t steal! The government hates competition!
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!
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Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Dangers of being a Travel Photographer
I was standing in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. when I took this photograph between honking cars and speeding bicyclists. I was arrested by the local police because they considered my tripod a dangerous weapon. I was handed over to the Department of Homeland Security, interrogated and labeled as an “enemy combatant” ready to be renditioned to Guantanamo Bay.
That wasn’t even the bad part.
My poor Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera was scanned, swabbed and fingered by some unsavory guys wearing pink shoes, purple smocks and white gloves.
I finally yelled out from the top of my lungs, “Photography is not a crime!” and handed them a copy of this:
Find out your rights as a photographer by clicking this link
They put a black bag over my face and forced me into some vehicle. After an hour or so I was then thrown out of the vehicle and found myself in some place called Freedom Plaza back on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Yes, it’s tough being a travel photographer.
I also have a wild imagination.
None of this is true (but this could be the next Dan Brown novel) with the exception that I really was on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. taking this photograph from Freedom Plaza.
This is a great location to photograph the U.S. Capitol with a city view. It looks like I’m standing in the middle of the road, but actually Pennsylvania Avenue takes a slight bend where the plaza is at so you have a direct view of the Capitol with the traffic coming straight toward you.
If for some reason when you come back to my blog and it hasn’t been updated for a while, then you’ll know the U.S. government has really temporarily relocated me to Guantanamo Bay!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
Why don't you join me on Facebook?
Still figuring out Google +
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That wasn’t even the bad part.
My poor Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera was scanned, swabbed and fingered by some unsavory guys wearing pink shoes, purple smocks and white gloves.
I finally yelled out from the top of my lungs, “Photography is not a crime!” and handed them a copy of this:
Find out your rights as a photographer by clicking this link
They put a black bag over my face and forced me into some vehicle. After an hour or so I was then thrown out of the vehicle and found myself in some place called Freedom Plaza back on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Yes, it’s tough being a travel photographer.
I also have a wild imagination.
None of this is true (but this could be the next Dan Brown novel) with the exception that I really was on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. taking this photograph from Freedom Plaza.
This is a great location to photograph the U.S. Capitol with a city view. It looks like I’m standing in the middle of the road, but actually Pennsylvania Avenue takes a slight bend where the plaza is at so you have a direct view of the Capitol with the traffic coming straight toward you.
If for some reason when you come back to my blog and it hasn’t been updated for a while, then you’ll know the U.S. government has really temporarily relocated me to Guantanamo Bay!
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
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Tuesday, September 4, 2012
A City of Monuments, Memorials and Criminals
It’s been about two months since I returned from my amazing journey in Southeast Asia, but that does not mean I have stopped traveling. Since my return I have traveled to Chicago, Wisconsin and the nation’s capitol Washington, D.C. where I was all last week.
So let me give you a warm welcome to Washington, D.C. otherwise known as the District of Criminals!
I have a confession...I am a recovering political junkie. I use to eat, sleep and talk politics, but thankfully Washington, D.C. cured me of that. The crime, corruption, graft...and I'm just talking about the halls of Congress! Apart from that, Washington, D.C. is a wonderful city, especially if you can squeeze in a visit between its frigid winters and humid summers. Unfortunately, for me that seems like the only time I visit Washington, D.C.
For Washington, D.C. and its politicians it is all about access. Thankfully, for tourists you have free access to all the monuments, memorials, Smithsonian Museums and even the zoo! As a result, you may want to try to squeeze in as much as possible on your visit.
So here’s a photograph where I squeezed in three in one!
Three icons most people recognize of Washington, D.C.: The Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Monument and The United States Capitol. I took this shot in front of the Netherlands Carillon. What and where is that you may ask? It's right next to the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial which is across from D.C. in Arlington, Virginia.
If you take a trip to the nation's capitol just watch out for your wallets, not from the street thieves, but rather from the members of Congress who are full of bloated promises and quick with a phony smile.
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
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So let me give you a warm welcome to Washington, D.C. otherwise known as the District of Criminals!
I have a confession...I am a recovering political junkie. I use to eat, sleep and talk politics, but thankfully Washington, D.C. cured me of that. The crime, corruption, graft...and I'm just talking about the halls of Congress! Apart from that, Washington, D.C. is a wonderful city, especially if you can squeeze in a visit between its frigid winters and humid summers. Unfortunately, for me that seems like the only time I visit Washington, D.C.
For Washington, D.C. and its politicians it is all about access. Thankfully, for tourists you have free access to all the monuments, memorials, Smithsonian Museums and even the zoo! As a result, you may want to try to squeeze in as much as possible on your visit.
So here’s a photograph where I squeezed in three in one!
Three icons most people recognize of Washington, D.C.: The Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Monument and The United States Capitol. I took this shot in front of the Netherlands Carillon. What and where is that you may ask? It's right next to the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial which is across from D.C. in Arlington, Virginia.
If you take a trip to the nation's capitol just watch out for your wallets, not from the street thieves, but rather from the members of Congress who are full of bloated promises and quick with a phony smile.
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
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Ready for Take Off in Kon Tum, Vietnam
Meet the Spiderman of Vietnam or otherwise known as the Airplane Boy.
He was featured in a photo blog I did a while back. Read the story HERE.
In a sense this photo makes me sad because I’ll probably never get a chance to meet this young man again. I’ll always wonder what the future will hold for him.
Will he continue to live in poverty?
Will he leave his village and head for the big city?
Will he get a decent education to handle the challenges of an every increasing global economy?
Will his ethnic minority tribe ever be assimilated into the Vietnamese majority?
I pray his future would be one of optimism and opportunities. May it “take off” and know no bounds.
Stay tuned for more of my adventures in Southeast Asia.
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!
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Sam's Other Travel Photography Gallery
He was featured in a photo blog I did a while back. Read the story HERE.
In a sense this photo makes me sad because I’ll probably never get a chance to meet this young man again. I’ll always wonder what the future will hold for him.
Will he continue to live in poverty?
Will he leave his village and head for the big city?
Will he get a decent education to handle the challenges of an every increasing global economy?
Will his ethnic minority tribe ever be assimilated into the Vietnamese majority?
I pray his future would be one of optimism and opportunities. May it “take off” and know no bounds.
Stay tuned for more of my adventures in Southeast Asia.
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!
Sam's Photography Blog
Sam's Travel Photography Gallery
Sam's Other Travel Photography Gallery
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Apsara Dancer - Angkor Wat, Cambodia
"The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie." -Agnes de Mille
Apsara dance is the traditional Cambodian dance that was practiced in the royal palaces. This traditional dance almost went extinct during the bloody reign of the Khmer Rouge.
The Khmer dance is characterized by intricate finger and body movements (i.e. flexibility) which usually convey a story or message.
What better way to understand Khmer history than photographing an apsara dancer at historical Angkor Wat. On this particular morning a celestial dancer descended from the clouds to be my model at the Bayon temple. I don’t what kind of story her fingers were telling me that morning, but I think it had to do with a gratuity.
Stay tuned for more of my adventures in Southeast Asia.
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!
Sam's Photography Blog
Sam's Travel Photography Gallery
Sam's Other Travel Photography Gallery
Apsara dance is the traditional Cambodian dance that was practiced in the royal palaces. This traditional dance almost went extinct during the bloody reign of the Khmer Rouge.
The Khmer dance is characterized by intricate finger and body movements (i.e. flexibility) which usually convey a story or message.
What better way to understand Khmer history than photographing an apsara dancer at historical Angkor Wat. On this particular morning a celestial dancer descended from the clouds to be my model at the Bayon temple. I don’t what kind of story her fingers were telling me that morning, but I think it had to do with a gratuity.
Stay tuned for more of my adventures in Southeast Asia.
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!
Sam's Photography Blog
Sam's Travel Photography Gallery
Sam's Other Travel Photography Gallery
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