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I discovered this place in Architectural Digest one year when my then-girlfriend wanted to go to Thailand. Only problem was I had been traveling a lot and was so not in the mood for another serious journey. It’s not the journey actually, it’s the planes and airports, etc. I can’t stand flying anymore. It drives me nuts. When I was a kid they still permitted smoking in the back of the plane, but they were more considerate of the people they now pack in and treat like cattle. I digress… The point is, I didn’t have to go through hell to get to heaven. If you live in California, Mexico is a quick (and fantastic) getaway, especially if you speak Spanish. Having lived in both Mexico and Costa Rica for short periods of time, my ability to communicate enriches my experience and in turn, my images. Here is the infinity pool at Verana. It’s a decent shot, but the sky is totally blown out. And because the palm trees are in the sky, I’m losing some detail there. I should have used a neutral-density graduated filter. We’ll talk about this at length in the landscape workshop.

The more I look at it, the more I am troubled by the sky. So I decided to just get rid of it all together. There is saying in imaging that says “the eye goes to white” and that’s exactly what kept happening here. I really want the eye of the viewer to stay relaxed and soak in the calming serenity of this space. This cropped version below is more in line with that goal. Read the rest of this entry »