#TravelTuesday Old San Juan

Back in January my wife and I took a little trip to Puerto Rico and spent an afternoon in Old San Juan. We were there during one of the many festivals the city is known for so finding a vacant street like the one pictured below was rare indeed. Most every block is lined with colorful houses and lively people enjoying the sun and entertainment. Old San Juan, at least on the day we were visiting, and possibly because of the festival, had an astonishing number of police; some on motorbikes, some walking, but at least one every block.

Old San Juan is actually an island that lies along the northern coast of Puerto Rico. It is connected with the bigger land mass by three bridges. Many of the buildings date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1508 Ponce de Leon sailed into San Juan Bay and set up the original settlement named Caparra. By 1509 the original village was scrapped and a new site was erected which was named Puerto Rico or “Rich Port”. By 1521 the title San Juan was birthed.

The Cemetery in the pictures is the “Cementerio De Santa Maria MgDalena DePazzis” and is located on the northern side of the island just east of El Morro. To see more of El Morro you can see my post about it here.

The Streets of Old San Juan

All taken with a Nikon D800 and Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6  

Muckfest 2013 Newtown Square PA

I photograph some local sporting events that are open to the public, like mountain bike races, triathlons, 5k runs for fun, etc. This past weekend I got to experience "Muckfest". A friend of mine contacted me a few months ago and explained that she was entering to raise money for the National MS Society, and asked if I wouldn’t mind photographing her and her team as they became very, very dirty.

Before the event started on Sunday, I was able to hitch a ride with one of the course designer/constructors and had a short tour of what a participant could expect to encounter. The planning, safety and organization of this event appeared to be a massive undertaking, not to mention the actual building of the course. My hat goes off to the people involved.

Suffice it to say that if you decide to play in the mud, every inch of your body will be covered with the brown ooze, from your hair, to inside your shoes, in your ears, your mouth, and often other unmentionable locations I heard people talking about. Muckfest is a grand obstacle course which takes place over approximately 5 miles, mostly in the mud. Participants crawl under obstacles through mud, swing/walk on ropes over mud pits, climb through/over pools of mud, and most eventually end up at one time on another face down in the mud. It’s not for the faint of heart, but....

What I thought was wonderful is that all kinds of people come out and give it their all. I saw athletes running and conquering the course with gusto and spunk, but I also saw people walking and taking their time. Anyone could bypass any challenge they felt was too much. So next time they come to town you have no excuse. Come out and support a great cause.

P.S. While I was out on the course MANY people asked me to take their pictures. If you recognize anyone in the gallery or you yourself participated and found your picture, just drop me an email at GavinBakerPhotography@gmail.com and I’ll make sure you get a copy.

The Late Summer Sun

June brings opportunities for lighting scenes I don’t get to see often during the year. Driving around servicing clients after 5PM, at this time of year yields hours of daylight, and very special sunlight indeed. If I took this picture while the Sun was high in the sky the bottom half of the horses would be deep in shadow and the trees would have dark holes where the sun couldn’t reach. Late in the evening, when sunshine skirts the Earth, light spreads out across the landscape bathing objects in warmth and beauty.

This picture is from the West side of Marsh Creek State Park looking East over a horse farm towards the lake. The Sun was setting at my back (a bit to my left) lighting the horses, lake, boats and picnic area on the opposite shore. The only thing I needed to compensate for was my shadow, so I raised the camera high above me on the tripod, and chose a focal length to get a little farther away.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 @ 50mm f/16 ISO 100 5 image HDR

The Elusive Great Blue Heron

When I first got into photography, I took pictures of ducks, geese and just about any other indigenous bird I could find that would let me. The heron was included in my quests, except that it was not so cooperative. I have driven by the great blue while it stood ten feet from a major road. It would stand regally, unmoved by the whizzing cars. I have parked, gathered my camera, approached slowly, snapping pictures from too far away as I lessened the distance. NONE of these pictures was good. As soon as I reached an ideal photo spot the great bird would have none of it. It would turn and look at me (once I thought it even stuck its tongue out at me) and fly away.

Funny story: I had a great opportunity one morning on a slow country road driving by a pond. A blue heron was fishing right next to a driveway. I figured I wouldn't even have to get out of the car, just roll down the window, stop the car and fire away. My plan worked perfectly except when I pressed the shutter button nothing happened... dead battery :( He looked at me, I groped for one of the spare batteries, and he was gone. Frustrating.

Monday evening I was driving through Phoenixville PA when I saw one proudly surveying the roadway from atop the dam of the Pickering Creek Reservoir. I parked and prepped the camera, including checking the battery. Maybe the distance away from the road lowered me to an acceptable threat level for the heron, but he held his ground. The 300mm Sigma f/2.8 lens was perfect for the job.

Nikon D800 Sigma 300mm f/2.8 @ 300mm f/4.5 ISO 400 1/1000 sec

Little League

I never played little league baseball when I was a kid. My friends and I would play baseball, but not in a structured / coached environment. I was asked recently if I would photograph a game for a friend of mine who was a coach for his son’s team. I agreed.

I’ve watched baseball on TV and have been to a few games, but I hadn’t realized how heady the game actually is, especially from a photographer’s position. Making sure I got pictures of all the players, was easy compared to predicting the action, and I’m sure that the logical conclusions arising from every intricacy on the field are plain to see for someone deeply immersed in the sport.

For instance... players are on first and second bases and there are two outs. If the batter hits the ball, an out at any base (except home) would end the inning. The best odds are at first base because the runners at first and second have taken leads and have closed the gap to the next base by a few yards. Meanwhile the batter has to redirect his concentration and energy from hitting to running to first. If the runners are equally fast this should take longer and therefore be the best place for the final out. Unless of course the hit ball is a grounder to the second base man who would then tag second for the out, or the third base man could do the same if the ball came to him, especially because the throw from third to first would burn away tenths of seconds that a speedy runner could take advantage of. The possibilities seem finite, and yet grow exponentially with every nuance of change.

I have a new respect for not only the kids of little league, but also for the sport of Baseball, and if that’s one of the goals of children's athletics, I admire it.

Nikon D4 Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8@ 160mm f/4 ISO 100 1/1000