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A young lady gave me permission to photograph her while we strolled the beaches of Huatulco. If you like sandy beaches, warm sun, and good people, Huatulco is the place to go.  Not that I am a connoisseur of such things, but my short visit there was certainly inspiring. Pronounced wah-TOOL-koh , the town is located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, along the Pacific coast, near the town of Santa Cruz.  Huatulco itself used to be a small fishing village, but its prime location and excellent beaches have been a magnet for tourists and the cruise ship industry.  We were there only for a day, half a day, actually, but we enjoyed strolling along the sandy coastline. The area around Huatulco has 9 bays and 36 beaches.  Some are close at hand, some require transportation to get to, and others can only be visited by boat.  Whatever your whims, there is a beach for you.  For more information, click here . Safety is important.  My research tells me that Huatulco i...

Photo of a giant red-winged grasshopper I took while visiting El Salvador We were visiting a Maya temple on one of our cruise excursions.  While everyone else followed the guide, I took photos with my camera of the structures and the animals I found.  As I approached the tour group, I saw a large flying something descend into the crowd.  I watched as the biggest grasshopper I ever saw landed on a woman's jacket.  Her scream was palpable.   In a mad panic, she flailed her arms in a desperate attempt to dislodge the creature.  It then flew off to a temple wall where it remained for some time.  I watched it with great interest - even though it was fairly far away, it could be clearly seen.   It then flew to a tree branch, high up in the canopy.  The above photo was taken at that point.  The actual image is inverted, as the insect was hanging upside down.  I think it looks better this way. It has a wingspan of almost 10 inches...

Two members of the shark family swimming along the shimmering, sandy ocean bottom. Hypanus americanus , the Bahamian stingray, is a common species in this part of the ocean.  Although not physically located in the Caribbean, the Bahamas are strongly associated with it.  I photographed these rays while visiting Half Moon Cay, one of the 700 islands making up the Bahamian archipelago. I love the marble-like streaks of light that cut through the image.  They are caused by the water's irregularly shaped surface that bends light, causing some areas to be brighter than average and other areas to be darker than average. Southern stingrays are not generally dangerous.  They are rather docile members of the Condrichthyes, the family that makes up the sharks, rays, skates and sawfish.  Their "bones" are made of cartilage and are not ossified into hard, calcified structures.  Stingrays do have a tail barb that they can use to defend themselves if they feel threatened....

A composite image - three photos combined into one. Our life, who we are, is a collection of genetics (the material to work with) and experiences (what we have gone through).  We are, in fact, a composite, kind of like the photo above.   To push the analogy further, consider the images I took during the cruise we just finished.  Where we were, what we saw, and the ship we were on all make up the "genetics" of the trip.  You can't take photos of Africa when you are near Central America.  Similarly, you are born with genetics that, to some extent, will predispose you to certain outcomes.   Then there are the images that were taken, the 3500 or so photos I took during the cruise, the people, and the events.  I focused (literally and figuratively) on the things I liked - the things that I wanted to photograph.  This represents the things in life you pick out of all that is around you.  Your interests, who you wish to associate with, and...

Queen Conch Snail - I photographed the diver as he plucked it out of the water. Ever seen a 12-inch snail that weighs 5 pounds?  While visiting an island in the Bahamas, I photographed a diver who pulled a queen conch snail out of the water.  I have seen the shells before, often fairly beat up and not nearly as colourful as this one.  What's impressive is that the snails may live up to 30 years old. Queen conch snails have two problems.  The first is that their shell is attractive and used by collectors and jewellery makers.  The second is that the snail itself is edible; in fact, it is downright tasty.  It has been compared to abalone, which is popular in the Pacific Northwest.  And, just like abalone, over hunting has reduced the numbers to concerning levels.  Because of this, the species is now protected.  If you find or buy an empty shell, you are allowed to bring up to three back into the US.  In Canada, you have to meet specific ex...

Vincent and Claudia at Halfmoon Cay with the Nieuw Amsterdam behind. Dramatic lighting has a way of making a scene pop when it may otherwise be somewhat ordinary.  In the scene above, the Holland America ship is illuminated by the sun against a dark sky.  The couple in the foreground are highlighted against the dark sea behind them. This was photographed in Alberta 22 years ago - the dark skies making an ominous background. The problem with getting these shots is that everything has to be just right.  You need a heavily overcast sky with breaks in the cloud cover to illuminate your foreground while your background is dark.  You can do this with flash, but the problem is that a flash will only illuminate the subject and not the entire foreground.  There are exceptions, such as the photo I took of my wife while staying in Hawaii overnight on a cruise ship. Night provided the dark skies while artificial lighting illuminated the foreground. The contrast between for...