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Melaque Trip Photos and Slide Shows

On this trip, I also wanted to try out a new camera.  After nearly 27 years with the same film SLR camera, from Canon, I went to the darkside and purchased a new Nikon Digital SLR, the D200.  So this trip was also to try and figure out how to use the camera, I am still learning.  I actually spent a day reading the manual, ugh... but I did manage to take about 1,250 images.  So it is not surprising that it is taking about a month to cull through them and come up with about 120 good, or at least ok images.  Also poor digital workflow, on my part, contributed to the delay, but live and learn... 

Here is a first gallery with some of these photos highlighting the trip.

Slide Shows:

Also, below are 4 slide shows with the photos that should run on any computer.  They are not organized by location or in sequence, but rather about a feel for the places I visited, the people I met (who were wonderful, nice, and forgiving of my poor Spanish), and the experiences I had, set music, so please enjoy:  

Send Lawyers, Guns, and Money (Warren Zevon) - contains shots from most of the places I visited, I tried to capture the initial hesitancy, nervousness when landing in an entirely new place where you do not speak the language; feeling like maybe you picked the wrong place (because your preconceptions are meeting reality); and you have not adjusted to the local rhythms.  But at the same time you begin to adjust, see the local color and appreciate the location on its own terms.
Heroes (The Wallflowers) - About half the images here are from the trip to Colima, the rest are mostly images around Melaque, especially of the Sunday night gathering at the Plaza.
Into the Mystic (The Wallflowers) - mostly pictures from the tour of the lagoon, with some pictures of the storm that hit one night.  Also included are pictures from a fishing trip.
Not Ready to Make Nice (The Dixie Chicks) - Some of my favorite images from Melaque, Barra, and Colima.

Notes for best viewing: 

  1. On a high-speed connection, each show will take about 1.5 minutes to download or launch from the web.  The individual shows are from 3-4 minutes long, depending on the song.
  2. Click on the links, save the file to your computer and then double click the saved file once it is finished downloading and the show will launch.  
  3. Its best to view the show in full screen mode ( right-click on the screen and click on the full-screen option- this will also allow access to various playback controls).
  4. Make sure your volume is not muted.  

You may be able to run the show directly from the web (click on the links, select run, and the slide show will launch directly, but be careful because on one computer I tested this and the music was not synching with the pictures very well.  I looked at posting these to YouTube, but the shows did not playback very well, a lot of the resolution was gone.

More Galleries: These galleries contain the individual photos from the slide shows, organized by location.

Melaque - various shots around Melaque and San Patricio, including a shot of the pool at La Paloma, two shots of the alleys downtown that hold a multitude of small restaurants or la fondas.
Melaque Beachfront - A couple shots of the beachfront at Melaque, taken from Carlos's boat, and one shot of the beach taken from the beach steps of the La Paloma.
Plaza at night - Shots taken on a Sunday night as the residents congregate, gossip, and the teens walk around with friends.  Its a local custom in Mexico, still practiced in Melaque/San Patricio.  Included are two shots of a great desert cart on the plaza, delicious.  One photo, is of Jesus (on the left) and his friend, two cabbies in Melaque.  Jesus is a nice guy and was interested in photography.  The shots were taken with available light, while I hand held the camera, a tripod would have been a great asset during this session.
Around Barra - a series of photographs from around Barra de Navidad, including some shots from a top the Hotel La Alonadra.
Barra Storm - pictures from the storm that hit a few nights before I left, shot in low light with long exposures, holding the camera in my hands, sipping a tequila sunrise in between.
Historic Colima - These photos were taken in the historic district of Colima.  It also includes a parade by school students in Chihautlan, on the way to Colima.  The gallery also includes some shots, from the roof of a parking garage just north of the historic district, across the town.  Prominently features are shots within the Governor's and municipal palaces (working civic offices), the Cathedral, and the Teatro.
Jardin de Libertad - Pictures within the main plaza of Colima.
Hacienda de Nogueras - Photographs from around the Hacienda.
Suchitlan and Comala - Pictures of the mask makers in Suchitlan, my guide Ray, and at the restaurant in Comala.
Barra Laguna - Here are pictures from the trip into the Laguna behind Barra de Navidad.  It includes a shot on the the canals behind Barra and of the ritzy hotel on Isla de Navidad.  Included is a picture of my guide, Carlos
Fishing in Manzanillo - a few shots from my fishing charter to Manzanillo, featuring the Capitan and deckhand Ceasar.
Construction in Melaque - A few shots of construction in Melaque, for those interested in how they build in small Mexican towns.  Most buildings are made of concrete, reinforced with steel or wood.  The concrete is mixed by hand, and hand carried or hauled in buckets by pulleys to the upper floors.  Not an easy way to build, and I guess Cemex has not gotten down there yet.

Look for more photo galleries and better edited images in the coming months.

thank you

Two notes:

First, the slide shows were created with ProShow Gold, a great, easy to use application.  I was able to put together the first version of one of these slide shows into under 5 minutes, once I had the photos assembled and the music picked out.  A few more minutes to work through several options, such as slide transitions.  The longest time in assembling the shows was just picking out the order of the slides to match the lyrics and music.  Changing the order of slides was quick and simple.

Second, if you are into photography, look into attending the two day Nikon School.  Its a great investment, reminds you of certain things when taking pictures, an really teaches you about digital workflow.  It travels around the country, so if its going to be near by, take the class.