Has Comic-Con come to town already?! No, it is just a passing red trolley getting in the way of my shot of San Diego’s Downtown Historic Gaslamp Quarter.
I have been trying to get a decent shot of San Diego’s Downtown Gaslamp District for years. So last week I headed to downtown hoping to resolve that.
My initial exposures were just of the Gaslamp neon sign and car light trails in the foreground. Nothing too exciting and after looking at the scene I said to myself that I needed something bold to contrast against the blue evening sky. Suddenly, the warning horn went off of a passing red trolley (San Diego’s light rail system) crossing an intersection behind me.
Bingo!
I crossed over the rail tracks and waited for the next red trolley to pass. Knowing that the cars have big, wide windows, I took a couple of exposure from 4-8 seconds, which allowed this unique framing.
Beam me up, San Diego!
Notes: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens, Tripod Mounted
Happy Travels!
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All Rights Reserved. Photos and Text ©Sam Antonio Photography 2014
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Tags: Gaslamp Downtown San Diego Red Trolley California California Travel San Diego Gaslamp District Comic Con Sam Antonio Photography Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon 17-40 Lens Urban Cityscape San Diego Vacation San Diego Nightlife Transportation Mode of Transport Gas Lamp Quarter sign leisure historical america usa travel southern california history historic heart tourist attraction recreation united states of america heritage us tourism attractions united states train tracks warm park mass intersection trees skyline convention-center pacific transit tourist district quarter entertainment center city visitor drive stadium harbour convention structure padres harbor Long Exposure Travel Photography Travel Destinations USA Travel business destination SDCC San Diego Comic Con Comic Convention Comic Con 2014 Red Trolley Downtown San Diego San Diego Photo Locations Night
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“Sunsets, like childhood, are viewed with wonder not just because they are beautiful but because they are fleeting.” ― Richard Paul Evans, ‘The Gift’
I love photographing at Chula Vista Bayfront Park. It is one of my “secret” places to photograph in San Diego and great place to watch a sunset.
Because it is not as well known as other city parks, there are very few crowds. Most of the time I am the only photographer walking around with a DSLR camera and tripod. That suits me just fine so nobody gets in the way of shots like this one.
Happy Travels!
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Tags: Chula Vista Sunset San Diego California Silhouette Sam Antonio Photography Bike Biking Children Trees Peaceful Canon Powershot Childhood Fun Recreation Bicycle Horizon Travel Lifestyle Southern California Sunset Silohouette Water Evening dusk Twilight Chula Vista, CA Playing in Park San Diego Vacation San Diego Sunset Tranquility Silhouette boy riding a bicycle Kid Having Fun Free Sun on the horizon This new Flickr Experience Sucks! Cycle Youth Youthful Fresh Pedal Riding into the sunset United States Bike Silhouette San Diego South Bay Happiness Blue San Diego Scenic
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A night view of Taxco’s Zocalo (city plaza) and its beautiful Templo de Santa Prisca.
Allow me to take you from Southeast Asia to the beautiful country of Mexico. In July of this year I traveled back to Mexico City and explored new cities such as Puebla, Taxco, Cuernavaca and Tepoztlan.
Taxco ("tass-ko") de Alarcón is considered Mexico’s silver Mecca. It is a beautiful Spanish colonial town at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains.
Since the town is located on a steep hillside the locals use Volkswagen Beetle (Bug) taxis to navigate the steep streets. They constantly roam the streets in a single file as if they were on an assembly line. You never have to wait more than a couple of seconds to flag down a taxi.
In the afternoon I wandered around the labyrinth of steep streets looking to photograph the town’s zocalo from a high vantage point. I found this very narrow street and returned in the evening for the “blue hour.”
It was a tight squeeze to setup my tripod along the very narrow street without being road kill as Volkswagen bug taxis were speeding behind me. If that was not enough concern, it started to rain and I was getting nauseated from ingesting all the car fumes.
I wanted to pack up my gear and leave, but I was waiting for the floodlights to illuminate the church. I finally asked a local about the lights and he said they only turn them on over the weekend. I took this last frame you see here before it started to really downpour. I packed up my gear, strapped on my photo backpack and headed downhill back to the plaza.
Here is a really important travel tip if you ever visit Taxco: Do not walk in the rain on a wet and slippery cobblestone street that has a steep decline.
As you can imagine, I lost my footing and was going to land on my back, but as any good photographer would do I protected my gear! With cat like reflexes, I quickly turned my upper torso and landed on my chest as if I was going to do a pushup (the locals were probably thinking who is this crazy foreigner doing pushups in the rain).
With a bruised wrist and ego, I quickly gathered myself up and ducked into the nearest bar to grab a beer.
Photography is not only an expensive habit; it can be dangerous to your health.
Happy Travels!
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All Rights Reserved. Photos and Text ©Sam Antonio Photography 2014
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Tags: Taxco Mexico Zocalo Night Sam Antonio Photography North America Latin America Blue Hour Travel Photography Travel Destinations Travel Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon 17-40 Lens Traffic Light Trails Light Streaks america building hill cathedral housing town latin white view mexican day neighborhood landmark attraction panoramic old village historic church architecture city scenics country house sky vintage central america colonial santa prisca church cityscape outdoor santa prisca prisca guerrero lookout viewpoint parish alarcon heritage temple scape mountain ancient shrine landscape Alarcón
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I don’t always drink coffee when I am in Mexico City, but when I do, it is at Café Toscano de Mercado Michoacan in the Condesa neighborhood. Stay awake my friends!
Question of the day: Are you a coffee or tea drinker?
Merry Christmas my Flickr friends!
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I am little late to the party in posting this photograph from last July, but I guess better later than never.
San Diego Comic-Con International is the world’s largest convention of its kind featuring media, movies, comic books, anime, entertainment, video games and television shows. It is also San Diego’s largest annual convention with attendance peaking at about 130,000 people. The popularity of Comic-Con has led to it even outgrowing our massive convention center. Events now take place all over downtown San Diego at nearby hotels, PETCO Park (home of our MLB team The Padres) and even on the streets of our historic Gaslamp Quarter.
Wandering around the Gaslamp Quarter I spotted Batman at the helm of a 6-passenger bicycle built for bar-crawling. I could not pass up this photo opportunity so I raised my camera and the party started!
Afterwards, I had a chat with Batman and he took note of my Canon DSLR cameras. I told him I was looking to upgrade my camera bodies, lenses and even my Apple Mac computers. He said he would put me in touch with his billionaire buddy Bruce Wayne because he is very generous with his money.
Batman is one cool dude.
Thanks guys for all your views, comments and favs!
Happy Travels!
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Tags: San Diego Comic Con Batman Sam Antonio Photography SDCC Comic Con International Bruce Wayne Candid Street Photography San Diego Comic Con humorous patriotic tourism convention costume america super hero Dark Knight Gaslamp Quarter San Diego Street Photography Street Party Happy Fun
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