Reymon de Real PhotographySOUTHERN CHARM
Posted on June 6, 2018
Savannah, Georgia was never on my bucket list…In fact, I’ve watched a number of movies filmed in this town and listened to friends rave about it and still the place never stirred any desire for me to visit. Yesterday, I started this road trip to Pittsburgh (another place missing on my bucket list) and Savannah became an inevitable stop for the night en route to Asheville, North Carolina. I booked a hotel right on the river district and was totally dismayed by what I saw. That section of the town was uninspiring and didn’t look the way I expected it. Anyway, I decided to give Savannah a chance so I started walking farther into their historic district and glad I decided to do so. Block after block of historic homes surrounding beautiful neighborhood squares astounded me. Thankfully I brought my camera with me so I immediately got busy taking shot after shot. The photo above is of the Forsyth Fountain and is my favorite of the dozens I took. I am also including other photos I took around town and hope you guys enjoy looking at them.
THE CHICAGO HARBOR LIGHTHOUSE
Posted on May 25, 2018
A few years ago I found myself in Chicago, Illinois to attend a reunion with some of my former classmates from Physical Therapy school. It was my first time to the Windy City so I was keen on visiting and photographing every prominent landmark around the city. Fortunately, my former classmates organized tours that took us to almost every tourist spot in Chicago. One of them was a cruise on Lake Michigan, which took us far out into the lake to adore the magnificent Chicago skyline. During the sail away the cruise narrator pointed out this lighhouse at the end of the breakwaters, which was originally built to mark the mouth of the Chicago River until it was moved to it’s current location after the breakwaters were extended. I took multiple photos of the lighthouse but unfortunately immediately forgot about it after the trip. Four days ago I was going through my old travel photos and found this of the lighthouse. I also noticed how pretty this specific photo looked with the cirrostratus clouds in the background. What’s most interesting is that I discovered this photo exactly 6 years after it was taken in May 21, 2012…some would say it’s just pure coincidence but it could also mean fate just reminding me that my friends and I are up for another reunion.
ORANGE BEAUTY
Posted on April 5, 2018
I found myself standing in front of an orange flamingo with a dilemna on how to photograph such a lofty animal. I didn’t want to photograph the entire bird from head to foot and look like the poor bird’s yearbook photo so I tried squeezing my creative juices to capture the beautiful bird in a different way. My first few shots failed to give justice to the majestic animal before me until the flamingo started twisting its neck to pluck on its feathers at times burying it’s head out of my view. I immediately focused my lens to the flamingo’s body capturing more details from the symmetrical and asymmetrical patterns of the feathers, the elegant curves of the neck to the fading colors from rich orange to ivory white. These close-ups allowed me to capture the flamingo’s private moment without intruding into it’s personal space.
TULIPANO ROSSO
Posted on April 1, 2018
I was at the grocery one day and saw this bouquet of tulip buds on sale at the flower section. I never bought tulips before as I was under the impression that they are too sensitive and easily wilt. I prefer flowers that can last for days as I definitely want my money’s worth. Anyways, I went ahead and bought the tulips and they ended up looking great on my dining room table. A few days later they finally bloomed and I thought they really looked pretty so I took multiple close up shots of the flowers. I wish I had a macro lens on my camera but I guess what I have right now isn’t too bad. Now that spring has come I look forward to buying more flowers to decorate my dining table so expect more flower close ups in my future posts. Happy Easter everyone!
PASTEL PARADISE
Posted on March 27, 2018
I was on a cruise to the Western Caribbean last week and our first port of call was the southernmost point of continental USA…Key West, Florida. I’ve been to this island multiple times and for me the best part about visiting Key West is the scenic drive through multiple keys (islands) and seeing the beautiful blue waters on both sides of the highway. Since I only had a few hours to enjoy Key West before we set sail to our next destination, I decided to limit my walk around town to a few of my favorite stores. Unfortunately, my favorite soap store, Fantasea, along Duval Street closed business a few months ago. I also planned to eat lunch in Blue Heaven but the wait time for a table was more than an hour so I ended up eating somewhere else. The only itinerary that I actually got to experience was the Key West Butterfly Museum where I was able to take a lot of photos that were featured on this page a few posts ago. I decided to return to the ship earlier than planned and found myself on my stateroom balcony staring out at this resort island across from the ship. I also noticed a pinkish haze in the atmosphere, which contrasted well to the blue waters of the sea, reminding me of the pastel colored soaps I used to buy at Fantasea. Key West is magical when seen on land but I was amazed how magical this island looks as well from the air.
MONOCHROMATIC PARIS
Posted on February 21, 2018
Paris is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world and to capture in a photograph the very essence of this city is quite a challenge. I have an extensive collection of photographs from my last trip to the City of Lights but I’ve been struggling how to present them in a cohesive manner. I did notice a lot of street scene photos in my collection so I decided to group together a few of my favorites and present them all in black and white. The monochromatic effect creates a timeless and romantic feel to the photographs as if they were all taken in a different era. From the magazine kiosks and roadside cafes to the charming neighborhood shops and magnificent tree lined boulevards, it is definitely very difficult not to fall in love with this city.
CITY Of BLUES
Posted on December 23, 2017
One of my favorite times to take a photograph is around twilight…that point where the last rays of the sun fade away and everything around turns a deeper shade of blue. For the photo above, I scheduled my climb to the top of the Rockefeller Center in New York City so I’d arrive at the viewing deck a few minutes before sunset. Luckily, I found a spot where I could extend the lens of my camera out of the glass partitions. I held on for dear life to my spot as other tourists were pushing their way to the front for a chance to take an unobstructed shot of Manhattan. I got pushed and shoved with my face flat on the glass but held on till I got the photos I wanted. I guess my patience paid off as I was able to capture multiple photos of the sunset with one of them featured on this page a few posts ago. This one I decided to save for this time of the year due to the chilly atmosphere the photo exudes. One would think this photo was taken on a cold snowless day in winter…however, this photo was actually taken on the last few weeks of summer just before autumn said hello. I personally like this photo as it captured three of New York’s most famous landmarks: the Empire State Building, the Freedom Tower and the Statue of Liberty in the far distance.
HEART OF ROME
Posted on July 12, 2017
Friends of mine are currently touring Italy and browsing through their pictures brought back pleasant memories of my vacation to this exquisite country last year. I immediately revisited my photo bank of the trip and discovered a good number of photographs worth posting in this page. My trip brought me to Rome, Florence, Tuscany and Venice before flying to Spain for the second half of my vacation. These places are rich in history and culture and my hundreds of photographs will never be able to give justice to the spectacular beauty I saw in person. So the next series of photos on this site will feature photographs from my Italian trip beginning with the Colosseum right in the heart of Rome, which was recently cleaned up for a fresher look. This architectural wonder has become the city’s symbol and I captured it using my iPhone7 Plus in Pano mode in order to photograph the entire subject in a single shot.
PEGGY’S WINDOW
Posted on June 23, 2017
During my trip to Venice a few months ago, I visited the Peggy Guggenheim Collection to view her vast treasury of artwork ranging from Picasso and Metzinger to Dali and Brâncusi. The museum is a famous destination in Venice with its main entrance accessible through the Grand Canal. Peggy bought the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, which is an 18th-century castle, in 1949 and started showing her art collection in 1951. While exploring the museum, I happened on this window with a great view of the canal but interestingly curtained by a patterned metal grill. I pulled out my iPhone 7 Plus to photograph the outside view incorporating the patterned grill to create a layered effect on my photo. I thought it would be nice to capture Venice and the Grand Canal through Peggy’s window.
ANCIENT REFLECTIONS
Posted on February 26, 2017
The highlight of my trip to Granada, Spain was a visit to an ancient palace called The Alhambra. This gigantic complex of walls, palaces, courtyards, gardens and pools was created in the mid-13th century around the end of the Muslim rule in Spain. Alhambra literally translates “The Red (Female)” in reference to the red clay used for the construction of the buildings. The complex is also filled with jaw dropping Islamic art and architecture reminiscent of the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace, both of which I visited in Istanbul, Turkey a few years ago. The photo above was taken at the Court of the Myrtles, named after the myrtle bushes surrounding the pool. At the center of the photo is the northern chamber, a portico with 6 beautifully decorated arches and a tower all magnificently reflected into the pool. The tower is actually part of the Comares Palace, which was the official residence of the king. I tried taking photos of the courtyard at various angles but I realized the best way to capture the courtyard was from the middle at the end of the pool. I used my iPhone 7 Plus to take this photo using the Pano Mode for a wider capture. A friend insisted that I visit the Alhambra while in Granada and I’m glad I listened to her.
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS
Posted on November 7, 2015
While exploring London’s Piccadilly area after an afternoon tea at the Browns Hotel and a little shopping at Fortnum & Mason, I noticed this interesting art exhibition featured in the middle of this huge courtyard. Apparently, I have stepped into the Royal Academy of Arts complex. The RA is an art institution focused on the creation, enjoyment and exhibition of visual arts. Unfortunately, I had a show (Miss Saigon) to catch so I decided not to get inside the museum. This photo is my sole reminder that I was once in the Royal Academy of Arts complex.
Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette
Posted on September 14, 2015
Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette is one of the most visited artwork at the Musee D’Orsay. People always flock in front of it to take photos as well as bask in the beauty of this amazing work of art. I was lucky for a moment when people stepped away from the painting leaving me a few seconds to snap this photo.
LOUVRE MOMENTS
Posted on September 13, 2015
The best part about being in a museum is seeing a diverse array of people around you. While some are seriously scrutinizing the arwork, others are just busy posing left and right for their next profile picture. Below are a few photos I took of people who caught my eyes because of how they look or because of what they were doing. Aside from art watching…I was also busy people watching.
