WORLD PHOTO DAY – This past Saturday we celebrated WORLD PHOTO DAY by paying tribute to our amazing team of talented photographers from around the world. Our campaign ran throughout the day on Facebook and Instagram and was so successful that we decided to share the collection on Think Orange™. Please explore and enjoy, and feel free to share.
ALGILA ORTIGIA CHARME HOTEL – Our preferred hotel in Syracuse on our Sicily Photo Adventure, and the one we love the most is the Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel on Ortigia Island in Syracuse, Sicily. There is something very special about the Algilà. We stay at hundreds of hotels around the world on our photo adventures, and Algilà is right up there with some of the best. Perhaps it’s the European elegance, charm and wonderful location, combined with the level of comfort often found in bed & breakfasts.
PHOTOGRAPHING MODERNIST BARCELONA – Anyone that knows me knows that apart from my love of photography, there is nothing I love more than a bit of nostalgia. With this in mind, I thought it a good idea to write a few lines about combining two of my favorite subjects – Photography and the Modernist movement. More importantly however, is how to create interesting images by using your own creativity and artistic vision, instead of just capturing postcard type shots. Having lived in Barcelona for 15 years, my appreciation of Modernist works has only increased, and it is the Catalan form of Modernism in particular that I find so photogenic.
VENTURING TO CUBA FOR THE FIRST TIME. I researched many different photography focused trips to Cuba and quickly settled on Photo Workshop Adventures (PWA). PWA seemed to be very organized. Michael Chinnici was our trip leader, and he has made multiple trips to Cuba over recent years. I don’t mind finding my own way around certain destinations, but Cuba is a place where I wanted someone with experience to help me find great photo opportunities and Michael was the perfect person to do that.
VIETNAM – A DAY IN THE LIFE (A focus on Hanoi). Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi has been in existence for more then 1000 years. It hasn’t always been the capital in this once-divided country, but it has always played an important role in the region. Modern Hanoi is a bustling cosmopolitan city with beautiful historic hotels, great French-inspired cuisine, and local designer shopping boutiques. Spending a day in Hanoi requires a curious mind, good walking shoes, a hearty appetite and plenty of space on your camera memory card. Walk with me, as we spend a day in Hanoi.
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY (and why we shoot what we shoot). Much has been written about both the fetishization of the local people that travel photography often captures and on the voyeuristic aspects of tourism generally—slum tours in developing countries (or “poverty photography”) being a prime example. I admit that I struggle with these criticisms whenever I travel. Am I obligated to depict some reality, tell a story, or just present something pleasing or interesting to the viewer?
GRAN HOTEL MANZANA KEMPINSKI LA HABANA. Originally built between 1894 and 1917 as the first European style shopping arcade in Cuba, Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana is situated in the heart of the old Havana with a direct view of the Capitol and the Great Theater of Havana and amidst UNESCO World Heritage sites. The famous Castillo del Morro is accessible within a 10 minute drive. Experience the first true luxury hotel in Cuba.
LEARNING TO CAPTURE GOOD WILDLIFE IMAGES. When I registered with Photo Workshop Adventures Shetland Islands Adventure in 2013, I was totally ignorant of the daunting task I was attempting. I had just become interested in photography following my retirement and had been on one PWA Adventure in Arizona.
We have been impressed with Leonardo Dalessandri ever since he released his video titled WATCHTOWER OF TURKEY. Leonardo traveled over than 3500 km traveled in 20 days, capturing landscapes from the bluish tones of Pamukkale to the warm ones of Cappadocia, the all passing by a great variation of colors, lights and weathers through six other cities.
Our preferred hotel in Cappadocia Turkey is the Yunak Evleri. A spectacular hotel consisting of 7 cave houses with a total of 40 private cave rooms dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries and crowned with a 19th century Greek Mansion.