A week in Havana, Cuba
We had the opportunity to go to Havana, Cuba for a week. Being French-American, we are subject to the embargo imposed by the US on Cuba. Which means that we cannot engage in any commercial relationships with Cuban nationals. However some companies have been licensed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to provide people-to-people Cuba travel for U.S. citizens. People-to-People travel is an initiative allowing U.S. citizens and permanent residents to travel to Cuba on a limited basis to participate in cultural experiences and have direct contact with the Cuban people to learn more about them and their culture, while they learn about the American way of life. It’s not tourism, it is more rewarding as it is a real cultural exchange. In our...
Photo Spot series: Death Valley National Park (Racetrack)
Death Valley National Park is far away enough from cities that it requires a three day weekend to go visit. But that’s the point, Death Valley has some of the most amazing sky you will ever see. That’s because there is no light pollution, the air is very dry, no clouds, perfect for some night photography. Our plan was simple, leave Friday night from the Bay Area and come back Monday night, lodging was also simple: we would camp. We’ve been to Death Valley once before and specifically to the Racetrack, so we had a good idea of what to expect. This time I was interested in getting deeper into Death Valley by following some of the off road trails. In order to do that and being safe, we had two 4WD cars with high clearance and we would follow each...
San Francisco Photo Spot series: Aerial images of San Francisco
It’s really hard to find images of San Francisco you have not seen before. A few months ago, I met with a helicopter pilot (a photographer himself) and he was complaining that no one thinks of using helicopters for taking pictures. First it’s expensive, second it’s dangerous (strapped on the side of helicopter), third you need a very clear day to make it worth it. Then the stars aligned and I booked a 60-min open door helicopter ride with him. The day was very clear and I’m pretty pleased with the results. After the first flight I was hooked, I love aerial images. Especially for San Francisco where the nice views are over the bay. So when last summer, the America’s cup AC45 races were in San Francisco, I had the chance to get...