Meteora Valley
Photo of the Day
My gallery of photos of Meteora, Greece is now online and in celebration of that fact, today’s photo of the day shows the Roussanou Monastery perched on a cliff overlooking the valley in Meteora.
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Millstone at Longshaw Estates
Photo of the Day
Autumn colours add magic to the forests surrounding Longshaw Estates in the Peak District and the abandoned millstones hiding beneath the trees.
More of my photos of the Peak District and the English midlands are available here.
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Vintage Car in Cuba
Photo of the Day
Here’s another of Cuba’s famous vintage cars. I couldn’t resist these classic machines especially not when they were backlit by Trinidad’s warm sunset glow.
A full Cuba gallery will be coming soon.
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South Stack Lighthouse at Dusk
Photo of the Day
Here’s another shot from last Easter Weekend. This is the South Stack Lighthouse on the Western Coast of the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales.
Giant cliffs loom over the rocky peninsula where this beacon shines out into the water and when the light spins around, it casts an eerie glow back onto the land. My camera didn’t pick up the light returning back to the land and though I probably could have done a longer exposure to show the spotlight’s streak upon the cliffs, I thought it would have started looking pretty artificial, so I went for this classic view of the lighthouse at dusk instead.
Please visit my Wales image gallery to see more photos of North Wales.
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Llynnau Mymbyr to Snowdon
Photo of the Day
Last weekend, good weather and an even better hotel deal prompted a last-minute trip to North Wales. Among the many gorgeous spots visited was Llynnau Mymbyr, a pair of lakes nestled in the mountains of Snowdonia.
This photo takes in the view westward across one of the lakes to Snowden, the highest peak in Wales still covered in its winter snow.
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Vinales, Cuba
Photo of the Day
The energy of the Cuba’s capital, Havana, is relentless. Overwhelming sound and life inhabit every street. If you want to escape and take a little rest from it all, there’s probably no better contrast to Havana’s high pace than the tranquil Vinales Valley in Pinar del Rio province where giant limestone mogotes tower over placid farms and a small town that serves as a base to explore the region’s natural wonders.
This photo is the classic view of the Mogotes of the Cordillera de Guaniguanico mountain range at sunset. This viewpoint at the Hotel Los Jazmines is a popular spot for good reason – it’s the perfect place to take in one of Cuba’s most iconic landscapes.
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Vintage Car in Havana, Cuba
Photo of the Day
I’m not a car buff, by any stretch, but I couldn’t get enough of the classic cars in Cuba. From an age where form could trump function, the lines of these lumbering machines never failed to capture my attention.
Cubans like to brag that they have the best mechanics in the world. With the embargo in place that has kept them from updating their vehicles, they’ve had to make their cars last and last for a long time. When you know that you may never own another car, you do everything you can to make sure the one you had stays in good working order. And if it’s the source of your livelihood you start caring for it like a baby. A majority of these classic cars are cabs for hire and for a cheap fare, you can catch a ride in a little piece of history.
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Roussanou Monastery Above the Clouds
Photo of the Day
To mix things up a little, we’re going back to Greece for today’s photo of the day. This one is the Roussanou monastery in Meteora, Greece.
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Mother and Daughter in Trinidad, Cuba
Photo of the Day
Life seems more public in Cuba. The warm climate helps, but even more important, I think, is the sense of community and the tradition of close-knit extended families. Visits to neighbours are constant. As a result, a walk down a Cuban street sees more of daily life happening out in the open than in many other parts of the world.
Getting to see that family life shared so openly is one of the joys of wandering through Cuban cities. Here, Mother and daughter share a stroll up one of Trinidad’s cobbled streets as the sun sets behind them.
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Baseball in Old Havana
Photo of the Day
After a long trip back from Cuba yesterday, I’m back home with a hard drive full of new photos.
There will be more to come from Cuba in the next little while, but I also plan to mix it up with photos from Greece as well as recent shots from the Peak District (and who knows where else). For now, here’s a little glimpse into Habana Vieja, Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that features eclectic architecture and the incomparable energy of its residents.
Here, one of the island’s many vintage cars serves as a back stop for teens aspiring for the big leagues in baseball-obsessed Cuba.
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Meteora Monastery above the Clouds
Photo of the Day
I’ve finally had a chance to go through some of my photos from my trip to Greece and I wanted to share one from incredible Meteora. This is the Holy Monastery of Varlaam. In the background, right in the middle of the shot, you can also see the Holy Monastery of Rousanou peeping through the clouds (make sure to click the image for a larger version).
Meteora is one of the most spectacular landscapes I’ve ever visited and I took this trip for the express purpose of getting shots like this. I had five days there and the weather really didn’t cooperate with me most of the time. This fleeting break in the clouds lasted for a half hour at the most, but it certainly was a perfect 30 minutes and I tried to make the most of it. After these clouds were swept away, the sun took over and made a nice change from the cloud and fog that had been hounding me for the previous few days.
This weekend, I’m lucky enough to be heading to Cuba for two weeks to escape the dreary Manchester winter for a little while. I expect my access to internet to be a little bit sporadic there, so please be understanding if I don’t reply to any questions or comments immediately. In the meantime, if I do get any access there, I might be able to post an update or two on my Instagram feed or on my Facebook page.
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Autumn at Longshaw Estates
Photo of the Day
Though winter is almost officially upon us, I don’t presently have any newer images to fit that theme, so here’s one from a short while ago that clings to autumn and just won’t let go. These fiery leaves come to you from Longshaw Estates in the Peak district.
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Autumn Mushrooms in the Peak District
Photo of the Day
As autumn winds down, today’s photo of the day brings a bit of vestigial life in the form of some diminutive mushrooms at one of my favourite spots in the Peak District: Longshaw Estates. I’m no mycologist (yes, I had to look that up) so I’m afraid I can’t tell you what kind of fungi we’re looking at here. They’re small, they’re cute, and from the looks of it, a little bit slimy. Anyone know what species we’re dealing with or does that just describe most mushrooms?
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Calgary Stampede Fireworks Panorama
Photo of the Day
The view of Calgary and its skyline from Scotsman’s Hill is classic, but when you throw in the fireworks of the Calgary Stampede grandstand show, the sight is even more stellar.
Watching the fireworks from Scotsman’s Hill was a mandatory part of growing up in Calgary, so I had been to this exact spot plenty of times before and I knew roughly what I wanted to try to capture. I got there early, since I know the prime spots fill up fast. After all, you can watch the chuckwagon races from up there for free – crowds start forming hours before the fireworks begin.
So, that leaves plenty of time to watch the chucks, dodge mosquitoes, check out the sunset, set up the tripod and chat with fellow fireworks aficionados.
On this particular night, the threat of rain hung in the air the whole evening. We were mostly spared the drizzle until the fireworks began and the rain made taking photos a bit awkward. Water on the lens wasn’t really the effect I was going for here, so my umbrella was open above my camera and I had a cloth handy to clean my lens when errant drops got through. The result is that I didn’t get quite as many shots to choose from since I spent half my time keeping my gear dry, but I managed to get enough to piece together the panorama below.
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Bow Lake
Photo of the Day
On my recent trip through Banff National Park, the weather left something to be desired. Considering how relentlessly sunny Calgary had been, I had hoped that the trend would continue further west. On this occasion, that wasn’t the case, but there are ways of making some interesting pictures even if the light doesn’t cooperate as you might like.
One of those ways is to give the scene a more mysterious feeling by substantially lengthening the exposure time. Thanks to a trusty 10-stop neutral density filter, exposures become long enough to smear the clouds and turn water into glass.
That’s just what this shot of the blue glacial waters of Bow Lake needed to bring it to life. The brilliant colour of the lake is the star attraction in this shot, but the mountains beyond are nothing to sneeze at either. The mostly overcast day, however, just wasn’t all that flattering, so the ND filter came out of the bag of tricks and the more ethereal result is what you see here.
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Please visit my Southern Alberta gallery to see more images from this region.
Castle Mountain at Dusk
Photo of the Day
One of my favourite sights in Canada’s Banff National Park is Castle Mountain. The giant, imposing tower of rock looms over the landscape like the fortress of a villain in a fantasy story.
I had hoped to get more help from the sun and clouds for this image, but would have to be satisfied by a sultry glow on the horizon while the blue of dusk descended.
This view was actually overshadowed by the trip back to Lake Louise. While driving along the Trans Canada Highway, we approached one of the wildlife crossings that arch over the road and allow animals access to either side. As we got closer, we saw right at the edge nearest us, a grizzly bear slowly loping across the bridge and we drive directly underneath him!
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Moraine Lake Panorama
Photo of the Day
Today’s image is from one of my favourite places in the world: Moraine Lake in Banff National Park , Alberta, Canada.
The colour of the water is unrealistically blue and in it are reflected some astonishingly beautiful mountains, the Ten Peaks. If this place doesn’t stir you even a little bit, I feel bad for you and your dead soul. Even if landscapes aren’t your thing, you have to draw a line somewhere and just succumb to that voice inside you that’s trying to get out and say, “Wow.”
Due to this natural beauty, Moraine Lake is a big draw for photographers and the scene has been captured in most imaginable ways. I haven’t however, seen a lot of panoramas that pull back a little bit and frame the grandest part of the scene with the surroundings. The morning I was there didn’t quite yield the sunrise I had hoped for, so I felt I needed to do a bit more than just the standard shot. This place deserves the effort.
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Photos of Burano, Italy
Photo of the Day
To supplement my photos of Venice, I’ve now also added a gallery of photos of Burano, Italy, an island north of Venice in the Venetian Lagoon. Bright, airy and bursting with colour, Burano has a wholly different character from the moody chiaroscuro that dominates much of Venice. The rainbow colours make the whole town feel like a playground.
Please visit the gallery to see more.
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A Walk in Venice
Photo of the Day
I love this couple. I don’t know them, but for the short time that they appeared on the top of this, one of Venice’s many bridges, they blew me away just with how much character they radiated.
As I wandered this particular Venetian street, I was first struck by the quality of the light glowing from the backs of every person that climbed this bridge. That was my cue to set up shop and wait for the right person or people to enter the frame to fill out the scene and make the most of the brilliant rim light.
A while later, my patience was rewarded by this couple.
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Grand Canal Sunset
Photo of the Day
Today’s photo of the day is another one from magical Venice. My full gallery of photos of Venice is now available for your viewing pleasure.
For this image below, I snuck through one of the narrow back alleys that seem to lead nowhere in an effort to find this view of the Grand Canal with the sun setting over it. After the alley widened nearer to the canal, I found a small restaurant/bar lived at the end of this tiny side street and its patrons were happily watching the skys colours reflect in the canal while sipping on a drink and dangling their feet off the jetty. What seemed like a secret to me was, of course, not so hidden for the locals.
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Grand Canal Panorama
Photo of the Day
This classic view from the Rialto bridge is a favourite among visitors and locals alike. You can’t blame them – it’s one of the best places to witness Venice’s magic.
This has to be one of the most photographed spots in Venice, so it’s a challenge to come up with something different from every other photo that has been repeated in the same location. By making this a panorama, I know I haven’t exactly broken new ground, but it’s a least a little bit different from the norm.
The wider format allows for a greater sense of place. It includes more of the surrounding buildings and the paths teeming with pedestrians along both sides of the canal. Gondoliers moving across the waters add to the interest of the evening scene.
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Running through Venice
Photo of the Day
Of course, Venice has its share of picturesque scenes apart from canals. In today’s photo of the day, a young boy sprints through Venice’s narrow alleys while the sun creates dramatic light and shadow in the background.
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Ethereal Venice
Photo of the Day
Walking in Venice sometimes feels like a dream. It’s such an otherworldly place it often doesn’t quite feel real. Today’s photo of the day was an experiment to try to capture some of that dreamy mood.
The strange blurring in this photo is the result of doing a long exposure in the middle of the day with the gondolas moving slightly in the foreground. Thanks to a brand new 10-stop neutral density filter
If you don’t know how a neutral density filter works, here’s the idea: essentially, you’re just putting some dark glass in front of your lens. That means that less light is reaching the sensor, so in order to get a properly-exposed image, more light will somehow have to be let into the camera. Usually, with an ND filter in place, that is achieved by lengthening the exposure time. So, with a 10-stop filter, you have to let in a lot more light and you get get exposures of one minute or more like this one.
What I like about this result is the mix of sharp subjects with the blurred. The long exposures turns the gondolas into ghost ships on top of a silky-smooth sea with clouds appearing to dart past in the sky, but the poles and buildings all remain completely sharp and solid.
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Before Dawn in St. Mark’s Square, Venice
Photo of the Day
With my well-located B&B, there was only four bridges in between leaving the door and reaching St. Mark’s Square, one of the central landmarks in Venice. That made it easy for me to roll out of bed before sunrise to try to capture the square in the blue pre-dawn light. Well, as easy as it ever is to wake before dawn.
The advantage of being awake at this hour is, of course, there’s no one else around. A shot like this would be pretty tricky to get in the evening with throngs of tourists crowding every available space in the marvellous square. Instead, the only other people around seem to be photographers with the same goal of catching that elusive tourist-free shot.
In this shot, you get The Doge’s Palace on the left side of the image with the distant campanille of San Giorgio Maggiore across the water. I shot this with a long lens that has compressed the perspective considerably making the tower appear much closer than the 500 metres away that it actually is.
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Darby Sawchuk is a Canadian-born photographer who currently resides in Manchester, England. He has travelled to over 40 countries and is always adding more to the list. He creates stock for multiple agencies and is available for assignments.
+44 0790 992 8932
