I will be having a show and tell about my time in Ecuador Oct 23rd at Kevin’s new studio.
7:00
163 Sterling Road, Unit 181
Toronto, ON, M6R 2B2
About equidistant from Bloor and Dundas on the N-S access and Lansdowne and Roncesvalles on the E-W axis
One of my Favourite roads in Ecuador This trip should only take about an hour, but we spread it out over many hours, with stops at waterfalls and vantage points as well as explorations on side roads
At the highest points we are into cloud forests, and at the lowest we are following the river valley.
The Natural Beauty of this land is stunning. Birds, flowers, butterflys, rivers, plants, landscapes… everywhere you go is new, different and breath taking.
From the Pacific Coast, to the Andes and into the Amazon basin, there are new sights to see and photograph. And when you thought it couldn’t be more beautiful around the next bend there is more.
Pictures and details coming soon
Cuenca is a Colonial Centre with a modern infistructure. A Heritage site. A shopping haven, and a refuge for a bustling Gringo Expat community.
Cuenca is a safe city, with a Vibrant Core that takes days to explore.
Podacarpus National Park Wikipedia entry
Podacarpus is a huge Park in the South of Ecuador.
I am in the process of exploring as much as I can, but I have only touched the edges. It is not heavyly developed like National parks in other countries which makes it a bit of a challenge, but also is rewarding in the exploration.
The park ecosystems vary from rain and cloud forests at the edge of the Amazon Basin
To the Dry rain shadow area around Vilcabamaba
This area is supposed to have some of the longest living people on the planet.
I don’t know if there is something special in the air or water, but it is a nice relaxing location.
The town is surrounded by hils, so the senery is tremendous.
The town itself is an interesting mix of old world Ecuador with New Age Gringoism.
Loja is a city in Southern Ecuador. Safe and friendly it is a City with several Universities and a strong musical heritge.
It is high in the Andes so the temperature is temperate, to cool…. the sun can burn you quickly, but you will need blankets at night.
It is a city that conbines modern life with Colonial Buildings.
It has a rich culture that combines Pre-columbian ideas, with present day thinking.
Travel days are when we move locations, but we still take photos. We take our time and stop along the way. We have traveled these routes before so we know the good ( and safe) places to photograph the vistas. We also know some of the back roads that can take us to places not normally seen by tours.
We travel in small groups ( 4 to 6) Though larger tours can be accommodated
Since we are trying to get maximum photograph time we travel with box lunches. This allows us to only have to schedule start times and end time to a day. The rest of the day is flexible depending on the weather and wishes of the photographers
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Other photographers understand when you want to take 20 minutes to photograph a flower or that it may take 1/2 an hour to go 75 meters if you are exploring with a camera.
Security is also a factor when you are carrying expensive equipment. There is safety in numbers
Some are walkers ( like me) who like to walk and explore with a camera. These are usually slow meanders unless a destination is in mind.
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Others like to stay in one place and photograph what and who comes by.
We plan to try and accommodate both styles and types of photographers.
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I am still in the planning and building stages but the goal of my service is to be there to help you shoot the photographs you want. I am there to offer guidance and support for the creation of your masterpiece.
I want my tours to be based around the concept of allowing photographers to produce their own, unique images. We each see differently, and I want to have the photographers explore their own vision.
I am a “good” photographer, and a talented instructor and critic ,so I have been told. I really enjoy helping photographers develop their style, their ablity to see, and their talent, to its fullest. My passion is as much for developing other photographers as it is for creating my own images.