Not Quite a Year in Provence

Not Quite a Year in Provence
Originally uploaded by Sam Antonio Photography

There are two types of weather reports here in Wisconsin: cold and arctic. As a result, there hasn’t been any photographic opportunities of late so I’m going to post another photo from the archives.

Over the New Year’s weekend my sister asked me why I never printed and framed the photo I took of the lavender fields of Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque, near the town of Gordes in Provence, France. So I went searching in one of my older hard drives. Upon opening it in my photo browser it brought back many great memories.

That was a wonderful trip I took to France with my sister and her husband in July of 2003. My friend, Randy, was getting married in Provence, France and he asked me to travel there to be his best man. The wedding ceremony was held at the Eglise Notre Dame de I'lmmaculee Conception Catholic Church in Generac, France, a little town south of Nimes.

While in Provence we retraced the steps of the Roman past at the Pont du Gard, looked for Van Gogh's ear in Arles and held on to our money belts in Avignon.

Inspired by Peter Mayle's book "A Year in Provence," we spent a day joyriding in the Luberon region discovering the hill towns of Fontaine de Vaucluse, Isle sur la Sorgue and Gordes.

Just a short drive outside of Gordes, this is the Provence you see in guidebooks and on PBS specials. After a whole day of driving looking for the Provence lavender we were rewarded with this incredible postcard view.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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A Cool Oasis in the Anza-Borrego Desert

A Cool Oasis in the Anza-Borrego Desert
Originally uploaded by Sam Antonio Photography

Palm trees and water in an austere setting of rocks and sun-blasted vegetation? Yes, its true and you can find this oasis in San Diego’s Anza-Borrego Desert.

The Borrego Palm Canyon trail is a very easy three mile round-trip hike along a rocky canyon that will take you to one of the last remaining naturally occurring native California palm groves.

Your patience and effort will soon be rewarded you with a gorgeous view of the palm tree lined, waterfall fed oasis!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Into the Wild..The Desert Wildflowers in Anza-Borrego

Into the Wild..Desert Wildflowers in Anza-Borrego
Originally uploaded by Sam Antonio Photography

Just two hours drive from San Diego is Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The park occupies over 600,000 acres making it the largest state park in the lower 48 states. The desert comes alive in late February to early April when the wildflowers bloom.

Henderson Canyon Road is the best place to see the wildflowers in all of Anza-Borrego. Here you will see the wildflowers carpet the desert floor. It’s an amazing sight to see.

This was taken with my handy dandy Canon PowerShot G9 camera. Over the years I have owned many Canon cameras such as the Digital Rebel, 20D, 50D, 7D (work camera), 5D, 5DMKII, PowerShot 100, PowerShot s400, PowerShot G1, PowerShot G9, PowerShot G10, PowerShot SX1 and many more other cameras I can’t remember at this time.

If I had to take one camera for a trip I would take the G9 for its versatility, compactness, incredible depth of field and stunning images it produces. It has always come through for me whenever it’s bigger brother (20D, 50D, 5D, 5DMKII) has failed me in the field for one reason or another (i.e. dead batteries, inclement weather, general meltdown, etc).

I had to get down and dirty for this shot! Laying on my belly with my G9 with the fill flash on and with the exposure compensation dialed to -1/3 I was good to go!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Happy New Year 2011! Font’s Point Sunrise

Happy New Year! Font’s Point Sunrise
Originally uploaded by Sam Antonio Photography

Font's Point stands among one of the lesser known "classic" photo opportunities in the American Southwest desert. The viewpoint is located in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (which is California’s largest state park) in San Diego County. It is spectacular at sunrise when the golden morning light hits the Borrego Badlands.

To reach Font’s Point I had to drive on a soft and sandy four-mile primitive road which is great with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, but in my old Toyota Corolla it was a tough proposition. In the end, the effort was well worth it.

So here’s sunrise of a new day for a new year. I wish everybody great light and wonderful travel adventures for 2011!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Hovenweep: A Glimpse into the Ancestral Puebloans

Hovenweep: A Glimpse into the Ancestral Puebloans
Originally uploaded by Sam Antonio Photography

Hovenweep National Monument is far from everything.

Located in the Four Corners area in a remote area on the Colorado/Utah border, Hovenweep (a Ute/Paiute word that means "deserted valley”), is both compelling and mysterious.

If you love long, dusty roads, solitude and ancestral Puebloans then Hovenweep is right up your alley.

I hope everybody had a great Christmas! Besides the fact that Santa didn’t deliver a Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens to under my Christmas tree, I still had a fantastic time with my family.

Have a wonderful New Year!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Obsession and Claustrophobia at Mesa Verde National Park

Obsession and Claustrophobia at Mesa Verde National Park
Originally uploaded by Sam Antonio Photography

Mesa Verde National Park, located in the southwestern corner of Colorado, is a great interactive place. One of the more adventurous cliff dwellings of the ancestral Puebloan people is Balcony House. This cliff dwelling is only available on a ranger-guided tour and involves climbing a 32 foot ladder, crawling through a 12 foot-long tunnel, and climbing up a 60 foot open rock face with two 10 foot ladders to exit the site.

While on the tour I waited in line to crawl through a narrow 12 foot-long tunnel, a woman in front of me froze up and screamed she was claustrophobic. After making a scene she turned to me commanded that I go before her. I happily obliged and squeezed my way through the tunnel being careful not to damage my Canon 5D camera all the while listening to the woman behind me continue to whine and complain.

At the conclusion of the tour we had to climb two ladders to exit the site. I stayed behind the rest of the tour group to get some unobstructed views of the cliff dwelling before heading up. I then spotted the annoying and claustrophobic woman approaching me so I decided to get to the ladders before she did.

As I approached the first ladder, I paused for a moment to adjust my camera around my shoulder and not before Ms. Claustrophobia shrieked, “What’s the matter?! Are you afraid of heights?!”

“No, I’m just adjusting my camera so it won’t swing unnecessarily against the wall and break into pieces” I calmly replied, “you do realize the entire tour group scaled a 32 foot ladder to begin the tour?”

“Oh, you must be one of those types really obsessed with photography!” she snorted.

I turned my back to her and started to climb the ladder.

“By the way please stay behind me at least 150 to 200 yards. Annoying people make me claustrophobic. Thank you.”

She yelled back some expletive but I kept a smile on my face the whole time.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Keeping Strictly to the Straight and Narrow in Durango, CO

Keeping Strictly to the Straight and Narrow in Durango, CO
Originally uploaded by Sam Antonio Photography

A couple of years ago I traveled to Southern Colorado that proved to be one of my most memorable and productive photo trips. It would open the door for further exploration to the American Southwest and begin a lifelong love of photographing this magical part of the world.

In the charming city of Durango a great trip I would recommend to anyone would be the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train ride. This spectacular train ride will take you through some beautiful forests and breathtaking canyons. Make sure you bring enough memory cards (or film) because the final destination takes to the photogenic historic mining town of Silverton.

Quick tips: Sit on the right hand side in one of the open box cars toward the end (this is for the train departing from Durango). The only downside is that you may get cold (layer properly) and get soot all over your clothes from the locomotive’s smokestack. Also, you have the option to take the train for the return trip to Durango or take a bus. I took the bus because it was much quicker (keep in mind the train trip from Durango to Silverton is very slow for scenic purposes (over three hours). With the extra time saved I was able to squeeze in an hour or so of camera time at nearby Mesa Verde National Park.

Now living in the Midwest I yearn for a return trip to the Southwest to photograph iconic landmarks and discover new ones.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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