Lots Of Photography And Video From Costa Rica To Come

Do you have to get a work visa? I just read a really great wedding photography book and 1/2 the book is about destination weddings. He talks a lot about how you're only allowed a certain amount of camera gear or it's taxed based on the cost of it, about how you need certain visas and documents, and about medical care before the trip.

Robert, sounds like a great trip.  I am jealous, especially since you will be in warm weather during our cold months.
Check in with us when you get time.

For the next 2 months while I am away from home, I have to get used to a quite different approach to editing my images as I do not have Photoshop on my Macbook. I was hoping that Lightroom (which I have installed on the Mac) would do what I wanted, but that is not the case - - - and so I am attempting to get used to the Open Source Software GIMP and it's functioning. Most of the PS tools are there - some aren't - - - but the difficulty of switching from a familiarity and comfort level I have with Photoshop from hours a day working with it, is proving to be the same challenge that I had when I moved from years of using Corel Photopaint, to Adobe Photoshop a couple of years ago. Oh well - I am of the opinion that being put in difficult situations many times expands our abilities. Probably more than anything I am missing my handy and efficient specialty Windows programs like Irfanview, Porta, etc along with the custom PS actions I have created - that I use on a daily basis for fast conversion, layout and manipulation  of images for web use. 

Being I am unable to converse in Spanish yet and am very shy about approaching people and intruding on them, I finally got the nerve up and simply held my camera up and smiled and nodded my head to the natives I came across today - as if to ask if I could take a picture. They nodded back letting me know it was OK, posed (which I will work around in the future) and then chuckled when I showed them the picture on my camera screen. For the mot part everyone was cooperative in letting me take my pictures without having to sneak them or use a long lens  so they wouldn't see what I was doing. I found that my Olympus E-510 with 12-60mm f2.8 is a perfect companion to this type of street shooting - providing wider angle, faster operating, dead accurate focus where I wanted it, and a fast zoom for increased light capture.


These 2 young men were sitting at the bus stop with their crates of eggs and were pleased to have me take their picture - - - as were the different food vendors in the Central Market. The man with the bananas, actually grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously with a huge smile after I showed him what I had taken. I wish I had a photo printer here so that I can take them back a copy - I may have to check into getting one or finding a place to print them for me:

















I PREFER PEOPLE TO SCENERY

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Thanks Ryan. Actually it hasn't been high on my list - - - but now that I am here, I may have a hard time coming back. I was really just wanting to get out of the cold for a while and be able to shoot pictures without the paranoia that has enveloped North America - where it is almost impossible to shoot comfortably in public. If my living could be made down here, I don't think I would go back (except for the problem of seeing our children and grand kids). It is the closest thing to paradise.

I wanted to go to Central America for the old street culture and all the photo ops that would provide and for the kids on the street's eagerness to have their picture taken. We also wanted to go somewhere cheap - not tourist places. Initially it was going to be Nicaraugua - but we could fly cheaper to Costa Rica and so decided to go there instead - - - actually, I agreed. Good choice on Anne's part.


Of course - internet was  a prerequisite - - - and all countries have it accessable. Fortunately where we are staying in La Garita, we have it in our home and all around the 5 acre property. The cost of our plane tickets was $700 US return for the both of us - and the cost of our dwelling here at Norma's Villas is $525 US per month. It was something we could afford to do.

I really love the ones in the market.  Have a great time!
(My uncle lives there.  If you see a super tall Gringo, it's him!)