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On The Road
"Mexico Trek"

May, 2007

Hi and welcome to this edition of On The Road. I have really logged some miles this year, but Mexico as a destination had not crossed my mind until American PHOTO Magazine asked me if I would join fellow mentor Doug Menuez on a Trek to Guadalajara. It was fantastic and offered great people, great photos and great memories. Let's have a look south of the border ..........................

 Image #1 Agave ... This is the Agave plant from which Tequila is made. The town of Tequila is about 90 minutes outside of Guadalajara, Mexico and is the heart of the Tequila making region much like the wine country of California. It takes 8 years for an Agave plant to mature and be ready to harvest and while it looks small it is actually 6 feet tall. The mountain on the horizon is an extinct volcano that dominates the landscape of the Tequila region. Nikon D2Xs, ISO100, 1/640 at f10, Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye Lens, WB 10,000K, Two remote Tandem SB800 Speedlights with Warming Gels at a power output of +3, Lexar 8G Flash Card.

Image #2 Working the Agave Fields ... For those who read my articles on a regular basis, if you guessed this image was a "Drive By Shooting" ...... you are right. I love to make pictures and I waste no time sleeping on the bus while traveling to and from our treks photo locations. This image was shot out the bus window while traveling 65mph. It shows a Jimador or harvester of the Agave plant working the field outside the town of Tequila. Nikon D2Xs, ISO320, 1/2000 at f3.5, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 6700K, Lexar 8G Flash Card. The bus window acts as a giant polarizer filter and tends to add a pleasant tonal quality to the overall image.
  Image #3 Courtyard Dancer ... We were privileged to be invited to photograph the famous Folk Dancers at the Instituto Cultural Cabanas in Guadalajara. This was a wonderful opportunity for all the trekkers to make great pictures in a variety of ways ......... slow shutter, fill flash or stop action. I chose a slow shutter and fill flash. Nikon D2Xs, ISO100, 1/10 at f9, Rear Curtain Sync, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 5600K, One remote SB800 at a power output of +1, Lexar 8G Flash Card.
Image #4 Miguel ... During a break the dancers were more than willing to pose for a portrait. We were standing in the open shade of the Cabanas building in the outdoor hallway that connected the courtyards. This was a perfect location to underexpose my subject by 1 stop and add a shaft of warm SB800 light (power output +1) to define my subjects face and add some drama. My SB800 had a warming gel and a LumiQuest Snoot that had a paper clip pinching the end of the snoot to make a very narrow shaft of light fall across Miguel's Sombrero and face. This technique is explained in greater detail in this month's May edition of Workshop at the Ranch. Nikon D2Xs, ISO200, 1/200 at f5.6, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, One SB800 at a power Output of +1 with Warming Gel and LumiQuest Snoot Pinched with a Paper Clip, Lexar 8G Flash Card.
Image #5 The Fast Caballero ... A highlight of the Trek was the Mexican Rodeo. Great action and color made for fantastic images. I decided to shoot slow shutter speeds and pan all during the afternoon performance. This was one of several pans that ........ well ......... panned out well. I seldom carry a polarizer filter with me so I borrowed one from a Trekker nicknamed Tokyo Whistler. My goal was not to polarize the scene but to cut down 2 stops of light so I could achieve a slower than usual shutter speed of 1/13 at f20. Nikon D2Xs, ISO100, 1/13 at f20, Nikon 70-200mm G VR Zoom with Polarizer Filter, WB 8700K, Lexar 8G Flash Card.
Image #6 Street Band of Tequila ... These gentleman were crossing the street in downtown Tequila about 3 blocks from the Jose Quervo distillery when we asked them to play us a song .......... so they set up and played a song. It was a sunny day but they of course chose to play in the shade of the nearest building. I took a few shots (pictures, not Tequila) using just the natural available light in the open shade, but then I thought why not try an SB800 ........ so I did ........ and I like it the best. Nikon D2Xs, ISO200, 1/320 at f4, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 6300K, One SB800 with Warming Gel at a power Output of +1.7, Lexar 8G Flash Card. I had a local who was crossing the street hold the SB800 off to the side of the musicians. He was glad to be a part of the whole thing.
Image #7 Card Game in Tequila ... This was a wonderful scene of 4 young men playing a card game outside a street bar. I underexposed the scene and then used one SB800 with a warming gel and a pinched LumiQuest snoot to accent the cards with a warm shaft of light. Wow, what a big difference a little light can make. The shaft of light creates drama and a mood to the scene. I love this image. Nikon D2Xs, ISO200, 1/200 at f4, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB10,000K, One SB800 with Warming Gel and pinched LumiQuest Snoot at a power output of +1, Lexar 8G Flash Card. I asked if I could take one picture and was granted permission.
Image #8 Body Art ... Well, no way was I going to teach a workshop and not do some Lightpainting. Steve and Caitlin were two of our group's trekkers. By popular demand the entire group requested that they be our models for the Lightpainting class. They were fantastic! I chose the roof top of our Hotel in downtown Guadalajara and conducted a Lightpainting class after sunset. Each member of the group made a Lightpainting of this striking couple with their colorful body art of tattoos. Steve and Caitlin remained perfectly still for thirty five 30 second exposures so that each trekker plus Doug and myself could make a Lightpainting. Nikon D2Xs, ISO100, 30 seconds at f13, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 6700K, Gitzo Carbon 6X Tripod and Gitzo Ball Head, Inova Xo3 LED Flash Light, Lexar 8G Flash Card. WOW! .......... Let me say it again .... WOW!

  Well, that wraps up another On The Road. I wanted to say thanks to all who made the Mexico Trek a great success ......... First of all, thanks to Doug Menuez who was a fantastic mentor and a real inspiration to all of us. Thanks also to Jamie who helped arrange many of the photo locations and special access for our group. And as always a big thanks to Mirjam who makes the trek happen.

I hope you have enjoyed this trek south of the border ............... See you next time On The Road ................ Adios, Dave

WORKSHOPS and PRESENTATION Schedule


June 27- July 2 ... Sports Photography Workshop, Colorado Springs, Co. www.sportsphotographyworkshop.com

August 1-5 ... Long Island Photo Workshop, Long Island, NY. www.liphotoworkshop.com

August 12-15 ... American PHOTO Mentor Trek to Acadia National Park, Maine. www.mentorseries.com

September 9-12 ... American PHOTO Mentor Series Trek to Tetons, Wyoming. www.mentorseries.com

October 3-8 ... Photography at the Summit, Jackson Hole, Wy. www.photographyatthesummit.com


   December, 2008 (click here)   
Memory Lane

   November, 2008 (click here   
Gone Fishing

   October, 2008 (click here)   
National Geographic Adventure Photography Workshop

   September, 2008 (click here)   
Olympians, Weather and Workshops

   August, 2008 (click here)   
Camp Life

   July, 2008 (click here)   
Lightpainting the Southwest

   June, 2008   
The Kentucky Derby

   May, 2008 (click here)   
A Southwest Tour

   April, 2008 (click here)   
The Endless Winter

   March, 2008 (click here)   
PMA Show in Las Vegas!

   February, 2008 (click here)   
At the Ballet

   January, 2008 (click here)   
One Week of Work



    December, 2006 (click here)    

People of Willoq, Peru


    November, 2006 (click here)    

Lexington, Kentucky TREK


    October, 2006 (click here)    

Training for the Mr USA Title


   September, 2006 (click here)   

"The International Golf Tournament"


   August, 2006 (click here)   

"Tour of Champions Documentary"


   July, 2006 (click here)   

"Northern California, the FBI and Clint Eastwood ..."


   June, 2006 (click here)   

"The 2006 Kentucky Derby"


   May, 2006 (click here)   

"Off the Road Picture Sales"


   April, 2006 (click here)   

Ladies Olympic Figure Skating


   March, 2006 (click here)   

Torino Italy and the 2006 Winter Olympic Games


   February, 2006   (click here)     

"Hey Dave, are you going to the Winter Olympics in Torino and What Equipment Do You Take?"


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The Holiday Tea with Tchaikovsky
presented by Colorado's Classical Youth Ballet


   December, 2005 (click here)   

Landscapes at Pebble Beach:
a look back at 2005


   November, 2005 (click here)   

Lightpainting Landscapes
NFL Football


   October, 2005 (click here)   

3 Day Photography Workshop
Gardner-Webb University, Boiling Springs, North Carolina


   September, 2005 (click here)   

Michelle Kwan


   August, 2005 (click here)   

International Gymnastics Camp


   July, 2005 (click here)   

the Men's US Open Golf Championships


   June, 2005 (click here)   

The Kentucky Derby


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Nevada Photojournalism Day


   April, 2005 (click here)   

John Bolin's "The Thorn"


    March, 2005 (click here)    

Indoor Track and Field

UC Irvine's Paul Spittle and

the Sports Shooter Academy
with Nikon's new DX2


    February, 2005 (click here)    

Broncos Football:
Denver vs Indianapolis

the US Figure Skating Nationals
Portland, Oregon

College Basketball:
Colorado State vs Air Force


    January, 2005 (click here)   

Broncos Football:
Broncos VS. Dolphins

Assignment work:
Wrestling


   December, 2004 (click here)   

A look back at 2004


   November, 2004 (click here)   

Rich Clarkson's Photography at the Summit Workshop &
Moose Peterson's Digital Landscape Workshop Series


    October, 2004 (click here)   

Whitewater Kayaking
Gymnastics and more


   September, 2004 (click here)   

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games
Athens, Greece


   August, 2004 (click here)   

A look back at some wonderful Olympic moments


   July, 2004 (click here)   

USAFA Graduation flyover

US Olympic Training Center - Swimming and Gymnastics


   June, 2004 (click here)   

Last Month the Masters, this month The Kentucky Derby......I love my job


   May, 2004 (click here)   

Masters at Augusta National


   April, 2004 (click here)   

The American Cup Gymnastics

NIKON COLLEGE WORKSHOP


   March, 2004 (click here)   

Indoor Track and Field

 Women's Freestyle Wresting

Rhythmic Gymnastics Nationals

The Glass Flower Ceiling at the Belagio Hotel in Las Vegas


   February, 2004 (click here)   

College Basketball

Women's Waterpolo

Olympic swimmers on their way to Athens


   January, 2004 (click here)   

NFL Football

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Finals

A look back at The Greenbay Professionals


   December, 2003   

Monday Night Football the Sports Shooter Workshop and Luau in LA


   November, 2003   

Photography at the Summit workshop


   October, 2003   

Portraits to workshops to stock image sales


   September, 2003   

Lightpainting in Banf

The World Gymnastics Championships


   August, 2003   

International Gymnastics Camp


   July, 2003   

Thunderbirds

Gymnastics

The Sports Photography Workshop with Rich Clarkson

Velodrome Cycling, More


  June, 2003  

The 129th running of the Kentucky Derby

White water kayakers

The Champions on Ice tour


   May, 2003 (click here)  

PBR Rodeo

Chris Shivers and Little Yellow Jacket ride for $1 Million


   April, 2003 (click here)   

Nikon's featured speaker at PMA in Las Vegas

American Cup Gymnastics

USAFA Women's Basketball

USAFA Swimming

USAFA Boxing

NCAA Fencing Championships


    March, 2003 (click here)    

USOC's Titan Games


   February, 2003 (click here)   

Air Force Basketball

Pro Football Pre-Superball Stock Sales

Swimmers train at the Swim Flume at the USOC

Much more!


    January, 2003 (click here)    

Diving at the Air Force Academy

Denver Broncos VS. The Arizona Cardinals

Olympic Hopefuls Lenny Krayzelberg and Tom Molchow practice at the USOC


 

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