Waiting for a soul to drift up into my view at the Abdul Gaffoor Mosque - Little India, Singapore

Waiting for a soul to drift up into my view at the Abdul Gaffoor Mosque - Little India, Singapore, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

“A picture can express a universal humanism, or simply reveal a delicate and poignant truth by exposing a slice of life that might otherwise pass unnoticed.” - Steve McCurry

73 Dunlop Street in Little India is the location for The InnCrowd Hostel and my temporary address while I was in Singapore last year.

Just footsteps from the hostel, also on Dunlop Street, is the Masjid Abdul Gaffoor (Malay) for the Abdul Gaffoor Mosque. I would walk by this beautiful mosque everyday to and from the hostel. I would have my camera at my side but never found the perfect moment to make a photograph either because the light was terrible or maybe it was due to my obsession to always look for those “Steve McCurry” moments.

One afternoon I walked by the mosque and the elements of light and composition (I crouched down low to frame the mosque with the footwear in the foreground (when entering a mosque one must be barefooted)) happen to come together. The only thing missing was the human element to portray a “slice of life.”

I remembered a quote from photojournalist Steve McCurry when he learned to watch and wait on life. “If you wait,” he realized, “people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view.”

I waited patiently for a “soul to drift up into my view” and I was rewarded with this storytelling image as this young girl ran across my frame.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Dreaming in Color in the City of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Dreaming in Color in the City of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

The city of San Miguel de Allende is a photographer’s dream. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it has nearly perfect weather year around, picturesque cobblestone streets, colonial architecture or the vivid, bold colors of its historic center.

If you get your news from the establishment media you no doubt have heard that Mexico is polluted, drug infested and the top destination for tourists to have their head separated from their shoulders.

San Miguel de Allende is a sea of calm amid the media hyperbole. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008, San Miguel de Allende almost seems surreal. It has been said it is the Mexican Disneyland. The cobblestone streets are as pristine as walking down Main Street in Disneyland minus Mickey Mouse and screaming kids. Its beautiful church, the Parroquia, and perfectly manicured main plaza, El Jardin, will sooth your senses. For years visual artists have found the city as a haven for their creativity.

I originally planned just to stay in San Miguel de Allende for two days, but ended up staying for four. The warm hospitality of the locals, postcard views and striking light would not allow me to leave. During the day I would wander the crooked cobblestone streets taking in the city’s vibrant charm. Walking in the historic center was like taking a stroll into the past, perhaps it had to do with the fact that there are no traffic signals, fast food restaurants and parking meters.

The beauty of travel photography is that you never know what you will experience around every street corner. After spending a good portion of the morning wandering around the historic center, I came upon this intersection and immediately found the building colors and light spectacular. I was photographing for a couples of minutes varying my point of view and focal length, when I said to myself that all I need now is a local walking into the scene with a bright color shirt.

Be careful what you wish for in San Miguel de Allende because it will come true!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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