Tropical Sunset (Mexico)

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Foggy Morning in the Black Forest (Near Freiburg, Germany)

I shot this picture in the early morning. The forest was almost completely covered by the fog, but the clouds were moving fast and I decided to wait and see if something happened. After a few minutes, the wait was rewarded. The sun opens a space in the clouds, creating a wonderful play of light and color. I shot three images with different combinations of shutter speed and aperture. I chose this one and made minor changes in Photoshop. The Black Forest (Schwarzwald, in German) is a beautiful wooded mountain range in southwestern Germany, bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south.

Popocatepetl Volcano - 1 (Mexico)

The name Popocatépetl comes from the Nahuatl words ‘popōca’ (it smokes) and ‘tepētl’ (mountain), meaning Smoking Mountain. Nahuatl is a group of Uto-Aztecan languages, spoken by an estimated 1.5 million Nahua people, leaving mostly in Central Mexico. It is an active Volcano located in three different states in Central Mexico: Puebla, State of Mexico, and Morelos. At 5,426 m (17,802 ft) it is the second highest peak in Mexico, after the Pico de Orizaba at 5,636 m (18,491 ft). Popocatépetl is the most active volcano in this country having had more than fifteen major eruptions since the arrival of the Spanish in 1519. So, it is not unusual to see large column of smoke ejecting from its top. I took this picture from the city of Cuernavaca, capital of the state of Morelos, early in the morning. The partly cloudy sky and its light effect created a beautiful surrealistic scene.

Murten Lake (Switzerland)

I shot this beautiful sunset Swiss a few minutes after sunset. The silhouettes of the boats in the small harbor of Murten were doing a pleasant contrast to the reflection of the water. There is a bit too much black in the foreground of this photograph, but at least it shape adds depth to the image. Lake Murten (‘Murtensee’ in German, ‘Lac de Morat’ in French) is located between the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud in the West of Switzerland. With Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Bienne is part of the so-called ‘Pays des Trois-Lacs’ (Country of the Three Lakes) and the smallest lake.

San Anton Fall (Cuernavaca, Mexico)

In a southern neighborhood of the Mexican city of Cuernavaca, in the state of Morelos, there is a natural area called ‘Salto de San Antón’ (San Anton Waterfall). It is a large ravine with a 36 meters high cascade, with its water coming from a small tributary of the Zempoala River. This site is especially interesting during the rainy season, when the waterfall was the most spectacular. In the cave around the waterfall lives a colony of birds, called ‘vencejos de cascada’ (waterfall swift). They build their nests behind the falls and fly spectacularly around them. You have to shoot a lot of photographs to catch the right moment, but it's worth it. rforte_CuSF070112.

Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)

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Flying in the storm (Ruitoque, Colombia)

A few years ago I found myself on the Ruitoque plateau, fifteen minutes from the city of Bucaramanga, capital of the department of Santander, where you can enjoy paragliding. A storm was approaching, but this did not stop most people to jump from the plateau in the middle of the elements. This yellow paraglider made a dramatic contrast with the dark clouds. Did this guy survive? I leave the answer to your imagination.

Cascade (Mexico)

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Popocatepetl Volcano - 2 (Mexico)

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San Anton Waterfall - 2 (Cuernavaca, Mexico)

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Dawn in Yucatan (Mexico)

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Tide on the shoreline of St. Andrews (New Brunswick, Canada)

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Windy Winterstorm (Virginia, USA)

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Mediterranean sunrise (Alassio, Liguria, Italy)

The sunrise, the sea, the seagulls and the Gallinara Island made a perfect set for a photograph. This small island in the Ligurian Sea is one of the largest breeding colonies of herring gulls in Northwest Italy, and an icon for Alassio and the nearby town of Albenga. Early in the morning, when the tourists and the locals have not yet invaded the beaches, the cries of the seagulls and the sound of the waves seem to bring us back to the origins of the town of Alassio, in the 11th century, when it was a small fief in possession of the Benedictine monks.

San Miguel’s Harbor (Cozumel, Mexico)

I took this picture at the end of a full-day stop at the island of Cozumel, in Mexico, using my small Canon G12. This stop was part of a cruise through the Caribbean, which included The Bahamas, the cities of George Town (Cayman Island) and Ocho Rios (Jamaica). The sunset, before leaving for Miami (Florida), gave us some spectacular scenery.

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View from Il Borgo di Campi (Cinque Terre, Italy)

Cinque Terre, Italy. This spectacular view is from the terrace of the hotel Il Borgo di Campi, close to the town of Riomaggiore. (Yes, it is the same terrace where I shot the picture “Glasses at Sunset”, see the gallery Conceptual and Abstract in this website). The Cinque Terre, meaning “Five Lands”, is a rugged portion of the Italian Riviera Ligure, named by the Liguria region. It comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. These villages, with the coastline and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a very popular tourist destination, along a beautifully isolated six-miles stretch of one of the most seductive corners of the Italian Riviera. I composed this picture in the morning and the colors where saturated and bright. Actually, you can make great pictures almost always in this place, even in a cloudy or a foggy day, and contrasts and light are fascinating at any time.

Storm approaching at Vernazza (Cinque Terre, Italy)

Vernazza is said to be jewel of the Cinque Terre National Park (see my picture View from Il Borgo di Campi for more information about this Park). Although is very difficult to suggest a fair ranking among its five villages (Monterosso, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, and Vernazza itself), no doubt, this village with its natural harbor, overseen by a ruined castle and stout stone church, is a wonderful site and an excellent spot for photographers. The approaching storm with its dark clouds helped me creating a dramatic image from the height of the close hill.

Manarola (Cinque Terre, Italy)

Another great view from the Cinque Terre, Italy. Manarola is the right combination of Cinque Terre qualities: a deep narrow gorge with steep sides, bookended by a little harbor on the west and a tiny hilltop church square to the east. Maybe this image is too much post-card classic, but the colors were so nice in late afternoon that I could not resist to shoot it. As I already explained in a previous image, the Cinque Terre National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most seductive corners of the Italian Riviera. See my photo View from Il Borgo di Campi in this collection for something more.

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