My Top Ten Photos of 2012
I didn’t move around a lot in 2012, spending the year in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. Moving slowly did allow me to dig a little deeper into the places I visited than I might have otherwise. Here are ten of my favorite shots from the last year.
Weathered window in Utila, Honduras — I love texture and color and this wonderfully worn shutter has both. I had to wait for a cloudy day to get the shot I wanted, avoiding direct sunlight that would have washed out the color.
More Texture and Color from Copán de Ruinas, Honduras — This beautiful mountain town is home to the Mayan ruins of Copán and dozens of delightful details like this.
Morning light on the lake at Coba, Mexico — While waiting for the park to open so I could go roam about some Mayan ruins, I was drawn to the warm colors of this small lake.
Day’s end at the Temple of the Great Jaguar, Tikal, Guatemala — I had just enough time to capture the last of the light on this massive pyramid before the security guards ran me out of the park.
Sunset on Lake Peten, El Rematé, Guatemala — Sometimes the photos take themselves. I stepped out of my hotel room and found this nice conjunction of color and composition. All I had to do was push the trigger.
Beans for sale, Antigua, Guatemala — I can’t visit a market without taking a hundred photos. I love this one for the clean lines, wonderful textures and muted colors.
Lakeside dock, Flores, Guatemala — Flores manages to pack a lot of visual impact into a tiny island. I passed this dock every morning as I walked about — later in the day it would be packed with backpackers and tourists sunning themselves.
Yucca plant, Antigua, Guatemala — It was midday when my buddy Joe and I decided to explore this ruined church so most of my shots from that day were washed out and bland. Luckily, I discovered this lovely yucca plant sitting quietly in the shade so I walked away with at least one ‘keeper’.
An intricate alfombra, created for Semana Santa (Easter week) , Antigua, Guatemala — I’m still astounded by the amount of color and detail visible in these ‘carpets’ made of sawdust and other organic materials. I’d like to tell you that the gentleman in the middle of the shot was praying or meditating, but he was actually taking photos just as we all were. More photos HERE.
A penitent and incense burner, Antigua, Guatemala — Easter week in Antigua is an experience unlike any other, you can find cheap Caribbean vacations on Expedia to visit the country at this time of the year. Thousands and thousands of Catholics parade though the cobblestone streets at all hours of the day and night — astounding.
What was your favorite photo of 2012? Leave a link in the comments. And have a happy 2013.
-Wes
Steller photos, Wes!!
Thanks, Pam — I hope you have a great 2013 :)
What a good-looking year you’ve had! Especially love the market pic – makes me want to put my hand right inside it and grab some of those beans and spices! Have a fab 2013. Delia
PS I think my fave pic of the year has to be of the beautiful people in Bali – http://worldinwords.net/the-people-of-bali/
Good work Wes! My favorites are tied at the carpet photo and the sunset on Lake Peten. Happy travels in 2013!
Great photos Wes. I can never go past a melancholy-looking pier without taking a shot either.
The last one is my favorite.
As always, just awesome awesome stuff, sir! Love the Guate stuff – we used to be able to climb those pyramids!
Thanks, man. Yeah, they roped the Jaguar Temple off a few years back after having a couple of tourists die while taking the fast way down. You can still climb several of them, though.
Some really nice pictures there!
Hope you are having a good time home for the holidays :-)
Vince
Awesome photos!
Carolyn.
Awesome pics Johnny. I particularly like the walkway out to the lake in Coba, just the way everything is uneven yet it appears perfect! What set up do you use? I’ve been experimenting with my iPhone but also have an older Rebel XT (need a new lens though)
I have a Canon T2i with an 18-135mm lens that I use for 90% of my shots. I just upgraded my iPhone so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do with it.
While the iPhone certainly won’t replace that awesome bit of kit you are going to love the convenience.
Love all the Guatemala photos! Can’t wait until we are there this July! It seems most travelers skip Central America, so it’s great to read all your posts! Keep up the great work! We will be in Tulum, Mexico Feb 8-18 if you are in the area!
Oh, cool — enjoy Tulum. I’ll be down south at the time, either San Cristobal or Oaxaca. In Tulum, inspect the ATMs carefully — I had my card skimmed there and it was a pain to clear up…
Nice to know :(.
Thanks for the heads up!
Very nice, untraditional shots here. The Semana Santa and Beans in Antigua really caught my eye, but they’re all great.
Great Photos. My favorite is the one of the “carpet” in Antigua, followed by the sunset over the lake with the horse. I went to Semana Santa 10 years ago (wow, has it been that long?) and those photos bring back good memories. Good luck in your travels next year.
Love the photos – great as usual! You have inspired me to purchase a DSLR camera and to learn to use it (typically I just use my iPhone or a Canon point-and-click camera, and then play with the color and light later on my computer). My favorite from this series is the picture of the shutters… I don’t know why, but the colors and the peeling paint make me want to pack my suitcase and just go – anywhere! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Love that last pic, and the amazing colors in the second one.
Love that part of the world – thanks for bringing back memories. I actually lost all my photos from Tikal and most of Guatemala, devastating!! Some of my fave pics this year are from Papua New Guinea, truly a photographer’s dream: http://www.rebeccaandtheworld.com/ausandoceania/papua-new-guinea/goroka-festival/ and http://www.rebeccaandtheworld.com/ausandoceania/papua-new-guinea/mt-hagen-show/
Enjoy! :-)
Great set of photos. My favorite is probably the one of the beans in Antigua. Something about the lines and colors really catches the eye!
Wow! Great photo! I’m happy that I found this portal and your blog :)
Love no. 5! The shilohette of the animal in perfect place. Lovely shots :)
Love the Beans for Sale. You can’t go wrong with beans :)
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Great shots, I would need a few more hard drives if I lived in Guatemala for any length of time. I took so many pictures in the month I was there I almost need more space the way it is. Such a beautiful place!
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Wow. I visited Tikal and was also fortunate enough to be in Antigua during Semana Santa. The alfombras were breathtaking.
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