Get the Free Good Newsletter

Click Here!
To learn more about the newsletter

 
 

The Lighthouse

Cozumel Lighthouse

I hope everyone had a great weekend! After processing this image, and then looking at the image queued up for Wednesday, I noticed a remarkable similarity. It must have been the mood I was in this weekend when I was processing the photos. I had a lot to do, and very little time, so it seemed like the I would never reach the top. This image is from the little marina on the north end of Cozumel. I make a point of visiting it every time we are there. It is actually along my run that I normally do, so I visit it quite a bit. Almost daily. However, because of the dynamic nature of the clouds on the island, the scene is always changing. I can’t wait to get back this year to see what the lighthouse has in store for me.

Note: Did you know you can click on most images on the site to view a larger version of it. You can then save that larger image as you computer desktop.

Continue for Capture/Processing Notes…

Caribbean Dream

Caribbean Dream

Howdy! I hope everyone had a great weekend! Our softball team took 3rd in the Vail tournament, so it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t 1st either. I decided to start the weekend off by letting Mother Nature do the work. This image was shot earlier this year on the south end of Cozumel island. There is a beautiful shallow reef there, that happens to be one of my favorite places in the world. You don’t have to do much to images when she presents you with something like this. Not much to it. I just hung over the boat to get close to the water, slapped a circular polarized on my lens, and went click. If you are interested in visiting this beautiful place. It’s pretty straightforward.

1) Fly into Cozumel International Airport
2) Take a taxi to the Coral Princess Hotel (where you will be staying).
3) Say hello to Romina, Jaime, Pola, Conchita, Pedro, Victor, Balthasar, and Daniel.
4) Book a snorkel, scuba, or boat trip with Frank at Pepe’s Scuba.
5) Eat breakfast.
6) Jump on the Chime (Frank’s boat) around 8am.
7) Say hello to the boat crew Fernando and Abdias.
7) Enjoy a relaxing 45min boat ride along an incredible coast line.
8) When the boat stops, jump overboard and go for a swim.

A Quiet Night In Cozumel

After yesterday’s post, I decided to continue my theme of Cozumel this week. Normally I try to mix things up to keep it fresh. Because of my love for this little island, I thought I would transport you there today to share it with us. After a day of diving, it is common for us to wander into town for some of the best local food you can imagine. We have our favorite haunts and try our best to make the rounds. Following dinner, we usually take the long way back to our hotel. We will spend hours exploring these quiet dimly lit streets. On this night, I decided to take my little Lumix LX5 with me. There was something exciting about each discovery we found in these little pockets of light. Sometimes it’s the simple clicks that are the most rewarding. Again, if you have a chance to visit Cozumel, take it. You won’t be disappointed!

Also, if you are interested in the Lumix LX5, you can find my complete review here.

Lumix LX5 Night
Lumix LX5 Night
Lumix LX5 Night
Lumix LX5 Night
Lumix LX5 Night
Lumix LX5 Night

Portraits Of Cozumel

Street Vendor Cozumel

If you are a regular here, you know the love I have for Cozumel and its people. The media, portraying the conflict of the border towns as the nature of Mexico as a whole, is doing an injustice to the residents of this small Caribbean island. Cozumel is a beautiful, quiet island. Its people are warm and welcoming. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, take it.

Tip: I have forgotten the photographer that I learned this from, but she said, “When making a portrait of someone, get to within a comfortable working distance, then cut that distance in half.” I applied that lesson in this image.

Movie Time!

It was a long time in the making. Much longer than anticipated. I guess that comes with the territory of new creative endeavors. I shot this movie over the course of 11 days on the island of Cozumel in February 2011. Many of you have seen clips, and provided much needed feedback over on our Facebook page. I really appreciate the comments. It helped me forge this movie. Because the production timeline was longer than anticipated, I didn’t have time to put together a ‘how-to’. If anyone is interested in the making of the movie just let me know. If there is enough interest I will publish a tutorial.

Capture/Processing Notes: Most of the video and time lapse sequences were shot with a Nikon D5000, time lapse sequences were compiled into movies via. LightRoom 3, the music was recorded and mixed using Apple Garageband, and the final movie was edited together using Apple iMovie.

If you’re an email subscriber, you might have to visit the site to view the video. Just click here: www.ligthtasmagic.com

Credits: I would like to thank the Coral Princess hotel for hosting us while we made this movie. If anyone is looking for a great place to stay while visiting Cozumel, I can’t recommend them enough. Also, this is my first attempt at scoring my own soundtrack and I would like to thank my mom for sharing her years of musical ‘know-how’.