Photo of the Week by Ellen BaronePhoto of the Monthhttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2012-01-27T14:46:40ZSquarespaceLas Isletas, Lake Nicaraguahttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2011/12/6/las-isletas-lake-nicaragua.htmlEllen Barone2011-12-06T19:19:36Z2011-12-06T19:19:36Z
One of the most memorable features of a visit to the lakefront colonial-era city of Granada, Nicaragua, is Las Isletas, the miniature archipelago of 365 tiny islands situated in bordering Lake Nicaragua. 

Net fishing, Las Isletas, Lake Nicaragua. ©Ellen Barone. 

 

Only minutes away from the city center, a short boat ride transports you into a rich natural landscape eons removed from bustling Granada. 

I captured this photo of a local family out fishing late one afternoon during a stay at Jicaro Island Ecolodge, a tranquil island retreat situated on one of the Isletas.  More Photos

 

About Ellen Barone: Consumer travel expert Ellen Barone is the founder and publisher of EllenBarone.com and YourLifeIsATrip.com. Learn more here and connect on Twitter at,Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

]]>Day of the Dead, Oaxaca, Mexicohttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2011/9/11/day-of-the-dead-oaxaca-mexico.htmlEllen Barone2011-09-11T17:00:44Z2011-09-11T17:00:44ZThis month’s featured photography comes from photographer Eric Mindling of Traditions Mexico. 

Once a year, for the first two days of November, daily routine is put on pause in Mexico for the Day of the Dead festival. Food is made in abundance, graveyards are swept clean, tombstones washed, home altars built, and the flor de muertos (marigolds) fill every home and cemetery. It is moving, beautiful, respectful, and all about death, family, and remembering. Those who are alive, cry and sing, laugh and gossip, or stare into the skies, beside the graves of their beloved on the night when the spirits of the dead are believed to return for the party and annual feast of their favorite foods.


Oaxaca, Mexico. ©Eric Mindling/TraditionsMexico.com 

 

Day of the Dead is an all-inclusive community celebration, with friends and extended family at the tomb, and most of the villagers in the graveyard for the same purpose. Hundreds of candles, thousands of flowers, soft voices, a night sky, the spirits of the deceased in the air, and the spirit of those alive everywhere. And though the moments may be happy or sad, Day of the Dead is, above all, a celebration; a party of remembrance, appreciation and eating and drinking. And as with any good party, everyone is welcome.

]]>Exmoor National Park, South West Englandhttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2011/6/27/exmoor-national-park-south-west-england.htmlEllen Barone2011-06-27T19:01:05Z2011-06-27T19:01:05Z
If there is an image of mine that captures the raw, wide-open moorland of England’s Exmoor National Park, where Britain’s oldest breed of pony runs wild, it is this one of a young foal among the heather, bracken and gorse fringed landscape.

 

©Ellen Barone, 2011

I came across the foal (and her mother, see below) above Porlock during an eight-day, 68-mile walking vacation across the dramatic open spaces, rugged lanes, historic hedgerows, and green fields of Dartmoor and Exmoor in South West England. Shooting from the hip as we hiked, I stopped, tapped the shutter a few times, then moved on. 

It wasn’t until later, when I downloaded the shoot at home, some 5,000 miles away, that I discovered this lovely image and relived the magic of the moment. 

©Ellen Barone, 2011.

 More Photos

 

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]]>Baja Yacht Cruise: Mexico's Sea of Cortezhttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2011/4/1/baja-yacht-cruise-mexicos-sea-of-cortez.htmlEllen Barone2011-04-01T22:40:18Z2011-04-01T22:40:18ZI’m just back from hosting a photo-themed adventure yacht cruise in the nature-rich Sea of Cortez - “Mexico’s Galapagos.” Bountiful wildlife combined with a unique landscape of desert and sea make this remote region an ideal location for a photography expedition. Click thru to view the complete gallery of images from the voyage. 

 

 

NEXT UP, Hawaii! Who’s in? To learn more, visit www.AmericanSafariCruises.com.

 

photos ©2011 Ellen and Hank Barone. 
]]>Myanmar, Southeast Asiahttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2010/11/17/myanmar-southeast-asia.htmlEllen Barone2010-11-17T12:00:31Z2010-11-17T12:00:31ZThis month’s featured photography comes from photographer Allie Almario of Myths and Mountains. 

 

“I’m pagoda’d out,” I confessed shamefully to my guide.

After nearly a week in beautiful Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) on a research trip for Myths and Mountains, my adventure travel company, I’d spent the last few days in a whirlwind kaleidoscope of golden temples, sacred stupas, and stunning pagodas, each more beautiful and more interesting than the last.  But after traipsing through dozens of them, I wanted to focus more on the people and culture of Myanmar.  On our way to Inle Lake, my guide asked me if I wanted to stop and visit a small monastery.  

   words + photos © Allie Almario 

Since I was wearing shorts, I quickly changed into a longyi, the Burmese fabric which is wrapped tightly around the waists of both men and women.  I had just purchased one for the equivalent of $2 in a small shop in Mandalay, and my guide there had a tailor bind it and shorten it for me for $1 in under an hour.  Proper respectful attire? Check.  Shoes off?  Check.  Now I can enter the monastery.  Inside, the old wooden planks of the floor creaked underneath my feet.  I found a dark corner where I could sit quietly without disturbing anyone, and got my camera ready. Noted wilderness photographer Galen Rowell once said something akin to “Look for the light, and you’ll find a photograph.”  It’s advice I take with me wherever I go.  

]]>Isle of Mull, Scotlandhttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2010/10/11/isle-of-mull-scotland.htmlEllen Barone2010-10-12T01:14:35Z2010-10-12T01:14:35ZIt was pissing down rain, I was soaked to the bone, and I couldn’t have been happier. Why? Because I had an afternoon in an unfamiliar place with nothing to do but search for photographs. 

©2010 Ellen Barone.

It would’ve been easy to blow off the day and wait out the rain in the cozy comfort of the nearest pub. But the weather provided a challenge, the opportunity to reschool my eyes, to increase awareness and get creative. 

There were four of us - two fellow travelers, me, and Sam Jones of Islandscape Photography, our guide for the day. Without Sam’s intimate knowledge of her island, the warmth and off-road access her Land Rover provided, and my waterproof point-and-shoot, the rain might have gotten the best of us. But instead, we ended up playing with the rain, dancing with the saturated colors it accentuated, finding joy in letting go of preconceived images and uniting with the scene that was there. In this case, what was there was magic!

The colorful scene begged to be photographed. We forgot the rain, tuned out the cold and enjoyed the process of composing. We changed viewpoint, moved in closer, further away, played with the lines, shapes, colors and rhythms of the subject. And, best of all, for a rainy afternoon on the Isle of Mull, we made time to see. 

Read more in my article Photographing Scotland at National Geographic Traveler.  

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]]>Nilgiri Biosphere, Indiahttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2010/8/4/nilgiri-biosphere-india.htmlEllen Barone2010-08-04T14:36:40Z2010-08-04T14:36:40Z This month’s photography comes from photojournalist D.K. Bhaskar.

Covering an area of 5500 sq. km. in the states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, India’s Nilgiri Biosphere begins in the Nagarhole National Park of Karnataka and the adjoining Wayanad sanctuary of Kerala. The moist deciduous forests and teak plantations harbor abundant populations of gaur, spotted deer, sambar, and wild pig which support a sizeable number of carnivores such as tiger, leopard, and wild dog. The forests of neighboring Bandipur National Park and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve complete the quartet of sanctuaries famed as a prime habitat for Asian Elephants. 

photo © D.K. Bhaskar of DewWorks

During a monsoon time trip to Bandipur and Wayanad, a friend and I left our jeep and waited by a water hole for nearly four hours without a sighting of even the common spotted deer. It was a disappointing morning. As we prepared to pack up and leave, a small herd of elephants walked right next to the bushes where we were sitting. On hindsight, it was a dangerous situation and we were lucky to escape unharmed. Why they chose to walk next to us is still a mystery.

However, when they entered the water we had a beautiful view of the young calf learning to drink. Young calves learn from their aunts, uncles, cousins and nephews, imitating everything the sub-adults and adults do. I love this picture for its simplicity, animal behavior, the majesty of the elephants, and the environment. Just a few minutes after the elephants left, we heard the alarm calls of a bonnet macaque and were pretty sure a predator was around. Tiger? Leopard? We never saw what was hidden in the nearby forest.

 

Professional photojournalists D.K. Bhaskar and Eric Lindberg lead cultural and nature photo tours to India. Their next trip will be a unique journey across South India. For more information visit: www.HolbrookTravel.com

 

]]>Gig Harbor, Washington USAhttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2010/5/6/gig-harbor-washington-usa.htmlEllen Barone2010-05-06T16:42:20Z2010-05-06T16:42:20Z© 2010 Ellen Barone. Sunset Beach, Gig Harbor, WA. Textures by ghostbones.

A few weeks ago my New Mexico neighbor and I arrived in Gig Harbor, Washington, on a scouting mission for her new home. I had a vested interest in visiting the community.

A few years back I’d met Paula, from Gig Harbor, on a yacht cruise in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. On an easy evening kayak together, she’d regaled me with stories of her idyllic life on Point Richmond Beach in Gig Harbor. Paddling through turquoise seas, she told of quiet morning walks along the beach, of neighbors who waved a friendly hello but maintained a respectful distance, misty winter days, organic gardens and glorious sunset views of Mt. Rainier. 

The place stuck in my memory as somewhere I’d like to visit one day. So, when my widowed neighbor asked me if I’d like to come check it out with her, I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed. 

Gig Harbor in reality had the same Norman Rockwell charm I’d imagined. It’s a place where healthy, happy people carrying recyclable shopping bags walk the harbor behind tail-wagging dogs. Where locals stop in for fresh seared tuna salads and basil pesto bread at Susanne’s Bakery & Deli. Or drop by the Java Clay Café and indulge their inner kid at a DIY pottery studio in the back while regulars sip the daily grind over the day’s gossip. 

I loved it!

But, Paula?

She’d moved the week before we arrived, according to her neighbor.

 

]]>Bhutanhttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2010/3/6/bhutan.htmlGuest Blogger2010-03-06T15:55:22Z2010-03-06T15:55:22ZThis month’s featured photography comes from photographer Kim Walker of UniquePhotoTours.com

 

Hidden high in the Himalayas, between northern India and Tibet, is Bhutan, a peaceful, idyllic country whose mantra is national happiness. Cliffside monasteries, medieval fortresses, lavish temples and Swiss Tudor farmhouses dot rural landscapes of terraced rice fields, mossy forests and snowy peaks. Isolated from the world by choice, Bhutan curbs modernization and mass tourism to protect its sacred heritage and preserve its culture. Only approved groups are permitted in this intriguing land where red-robed monks and villagers alike embrace ancient traditions, mythology, astrology and Buddism in their daily lives. The photo above is Taktsang, or Tiger’s Nest, one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in the Himalayan World. The temple is perched on a granite cliff 2,000 feet above the valley floor. According to legend, Guru Rinpoche flew across the mountains on the back of a tigress to this ridge, meditated in a cave for three months, and converted the people of Paro Valley to Buddhism.  

 

]]>Destination Everywhere: Celebrate What's Right With The Worldhttp://ellenbarone.com/photo-of-the-week/2010/1/15/destination-everywhere-celebrate-whats-right-with-the-world.htmlEllen Barone2010-01-15T15:56:48Z2010-01-15T15:56:48ZDo you believe the vision of the National Geographic? I do. A world full of wonderful people, inspiring landscapes, purpose and passion. I know this, because like the picture photographer Dewitt Jones describes in this inspiring video, I’m doing my best to live it. Each trip, whether it’s across the globe, or in my backyard, opens me to nature’s bounty, the kindness of strangers, the beauty of our blue planet. I hope you see it, too.

Take a few minutes today to watch, listen and open your heart to what’s RIGHT in the world. It’s worth it. You’re worth it.

Celebrate What’s Right With The World

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