Since we’ve been on “lock down” as we await the outcome of this whole Coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to start taking some travels back in time through some previous adventures. Over the years I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience some amazing places, and for this first “Quarantine Journey” I’m heading back to Iceland 2015.
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Recollections, reviews, discoveries, and future plans.
QUARANTINE JOURNEYS | Iceland 2015
EXPLORE | Spain > Platja Coll Baix
I was fortunate enough to be told about this hidden beach and I'm really hesitant to share the location out of fear of people overcrowding and ruining it. At the same time it's an amazing place and people should have the opportunity to appreciate it. It's called Platja Coll Baix and is located on the northern side of Mallorca near Alcúdia. It's only accessible by hiking 2-3km or by boat. When I arrived there were only 3 other people on the beach and a single boat anchored in the cove, while I was the only person actually in the water. The visibilty was amazing and the water temp was perfect. I highly recommend bringing fins because even though the water may look calm, you never know what kind of currents are coming through these places. I actually lost a friend down in Mexico a few weeks ago after he was caught in a riptide. He was a strong swimmer, but didn't have fins on. Anyway, fins (I was using Churchills) and a quality mask (I was using a Riffe) will make the experience much more enjoyable. After hiking and climbing over some rocks to get to the beach, jumping in the water was a refreshing reward. Up to this point this beach is definitely one of my favorite spots I've been to.
TRAVEL | Spain > Mallorca > Montuïri
View from my walk into Montuïri from my house in the countryside.
For the past 6 weeks I've been living on a finca (country estate) 2.5 miles outside a small town called Montuïri on the Spanish island of Mallorca (also called Majorca) in the Mediterranean Sea. Mallorca is part of the Balearic Islands located off the east coast of Spain which includes Menorca, Cabrera, Ibiza, and Formentera. Over the past 8,000 years the archipelago has changed hands and has been occupied by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, and Moors. You can see the historical influence from each of these civilizations as well as the religious influence from times of Christian and Muslim occupation.
Everywhere you go on the island you hear a mix of Spanish, German, Swedish, Russian, Swiss, Italian and English being spoken. Even though Mallorca is part of Spain, Catalan is the preferred language of choice by the real locals. Street signs tend to be in Catalan or Spanish, but not both.
So far my experience here has been pretty cool and I'll have more specific posts focusing on each experience. I was supposed to fly back to San Diego on May 18, but decided to stay longer so I'll probably be adding quite a bit of content over the next month. Here are some photos of the area I've been living in.
Elephant Roadblock
I've been busy working on a nonprofit rhino anti-poaching team in South Africa called RHINO 911. I had a few days of downtime 2 weeks ago so I stayed in Marakele National Park for a few nights. As my buddy and I were leaving, this elephant decided to block the road and forced us to go in reverse for about a kilometer.
South African Sunset
Last night's sunset.
Build Your Legacy
Add to your legacy everyday by setting and accomplishing your goals. We're all writing our own autobiographies whether it be on paper or through conversations and activities. The question is . . . will your tale be exciting or mundane when it's told?
Thank you Gage Golightly for the notebook, it accompanies me on all my travels.
Get Outside
Director Amon Barker grew up exploring the mountains, valleys, and deserts of New Mexico and developed a passion for the outdoors. He was drawn to photography in order to share his experiences with the landscape. Along the way he met others with a similar connection to the environment even when living very different lives. When we came up with the concept for the Human Nature short it was very simple. We wanted to create powerful images of the natural world that would remind viewers of their connection to the land and it's personal meaning to them. We hit the road on a series of production road trips and the story of the edit unfolded through our journey. None of us will forgot the moments along the way. View more by visiting: www.apresvisuals.com License our work at:
https://app.nimia.com/profile/apresvisuals/ Full Credits Director: Amon Barker Production: Après Visuals, Amon Barker, Karissa Tuthill Cinematography: Amon Barker, Tim Barker, Brian Morrison Talent: Demi Petersen Editor: Amon Barker Original Music: Madelaine German, Adam Schmidt Sound Design: Scotty Beam, Cleod9 Music Titles: Eric Bucy, Kailey Tuthill, Scott Sutton
Source: http://apresvisuals.com
The Old New World
Source: https://vimeo.com/seccovan
Urquhart Castle | Loch Ness, Scotland
This was taken about two weeks ago while I was traveling through the highlands of Scotland. I stopped at Loch Ness for the night and took this photo just after the sun had fallen behind the hills to the southwest. Urquhart Castle was built in the 1100s and changed hands many times through out its history.
Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness in Scotland
TECH TIP: Getting the Shot with Corey Rich: Using Graduated Neutral Density Filters
http://www.adorama.com Life is all about balance. And the same can be said for photography, especially when it comes to exposing for the highlights and the shadows. In this episode of Getting the Shot, photographer and director Corey Rich discusses an image he captured of two mountain climbers approaching the iconic mountain Cerro Torre, located in the southern part of Argentine Patagonia.