According to a recent Flickr poll, yours truly was voted the top travel photographer of 2012. How did I achieve such excellence? Perhaps it was due to my creativity, my intuitive vision or maybe because I shoot with cool Canon gear.
Or it could be that I travel to places most people have never heard of.
Take for example Angkor Wat. Located in the exotic country of Cambodia, I played Indiana Jones for a day as my local Cambodian guide and I trudged through the steamy jungle for over three hours to find this magnificent Khmer temple.
So there we were in complete solitude admiring this magnificent structure. I put my Canon gear through the paces as I quickly realized I was one of the few photographers in the world to captured this amazing place. It was time of spiritual joy, aesthetic pleasure, and deep contemplation.
I was in photography nirvana.
That was the Angkor Wat of my travel dreams.
This is the Angkor Wat of travel reality.
I photographed Angkor Wat at sunrise over a period of two days and both were a bust. This was taken on my second attempt and it was just a tad better than the first which isn’t saying much. I was there in May which happens to be the hottest part of the year. It was hot, brutally hot. The weather was terrible and the light was flat. With no decent clouds in the sky, I didn’t get the trophy shot of Angkor Wat at sunrise with the stunning morning light reflected off the clouds and a perfect reflection in the pond.
Instead I shared my early mornings with throngs of tourists all aiming to get the same photograph that a million photographers have captured before. Through it all I endured sharps elbows to my lower back as people jockeyed for position, sand flies in my face, the brutal heat with a slap of humidity and the constant harassment from the vendors demanding I have breakfast at their “five-star” outdoor dining establishment.
So this was my view of Angkor Wat...tourists wandering around in the frame, an ugly scaffolding that begged to be torn down and pathetic clouds with a hint of some morning light coming from behind the temple.
Thanks to Apple Aperture I was able to bring back to life the beauty and splendor of the heart and soul of the Khmer Empire - Angkor Wat Temple.
P.S. I really was awarded Flickr’s top travel photographer of 2012. The polling just happened to be skewed in my favor. I was the only one polled and I voted early and often! Hmm? Sounds like the 2012 American presidential election?!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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Christmas fireworks show (12/6/2021) at the Hotel del Coronado as seen from across Glorietta Bay. Merry Christmas!
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Tags: festival resort historic del romantic christmas time christmas film sea architecture happy sky background victorian bay of water event christmas festivities coast diego year roof america accommodation coronado night sky holidays american glamour building san explosion display landmark party christmas holiday light vacation star holiday - event new luxury california fireworks rich romance san diego travel hotel celebrate illumination colourful holiday usa fire tropical seaside United States of America
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This is Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo, Queretaro's most beautiful baroque church with a pagoda-like bell tower. They usually have a lighted water fountain show in front of the church in the evenings, but with my luck they ran out of water when I made this photograph!
Thanks guys for all your views, comments and favs!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography 2018
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Tags: tourism historic building church architecture travel history tourist landmark mexican queretaro mexico facade religion catholic christian christianity religious vacationing vacation sightseeing santa rosa viterbos white cathedral window north america steeple exterior attraction belltower catholicism colourful architectural colonial journey Sam Antonio Photography
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“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV)
I celebrated Christmas 2020 in the beautiful colonial city of Guanajuato, Mexico. This was a view (12/10/2020) of the colorful Basilica of our Lady of Guanajuato and a Christmas tree in the historic center.
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Tags: christmas ornament archangel church guanajuato monument cultural hope christmas decoration mexico holy christianity photography color image architecture catholic design faith mexican worship tin spirituality building cathedral religious old christmas tree baroque historic prayer latin america catholicism outdoors culture religion famous night colorful historical christian travel spiritual sanctuary history landmark guanajuato mexico christmas san miguel de allende basilica detail
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The Kensington neighborhood was founded in 1910 featuring streets with English place names such as Rochester, Sussex, Marlborough, Norfolk, Hastings, Middlesex and Canterbury. Its sign, hanging over Adams Avenue at Kensington Park, is a replica of an original 1953 sign that did not survive attempts to preserve it. Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune
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Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography 2017
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Tags: Kensington Neon Sign Night San Diego California Urban Landscape Cityscape street light illuminated downtown bright symbol store signage action traffic scene travel urban city road color blurred motion advertising glowing marketing business advertisement restaurant display colorful sidewalk outdoors background car lights lifestyles district transportation transport vibrant vehicle Sam Antonio Photography
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