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I'm back from Mexico with some new photos! I visited some areas that were devistated by a direct hit from a category 5 hurricane last October, so my choice of scenic beaches was rather limited. Also, most archeolgical sites in Mexico have a strict rule outlawing tripods on site. Can you believe it? No tripods! Is this standard practise at ancient sites? They even have big signs with a photo of a tripod with a slash though it. And they do not allow photography at sunrise and sunset either! They are are only open from 8am-5pm and guards patrol the grounds during off hours.
So..... all I can say about how I managed to get this 3/4 second exposure was that...um... it was hand-held at mid-day - LOL! (Pre-planning an escape route through the jungle does not hurt either... It came in handy, I'm serious!)
This is the El Caracol observatory in the older (Maya) section of Chichen Itza in Yucatan Mexico. It was built sometime after 600 AD by the Maya. A few hundred years later, the Toltecs took over the site and built many newer structures. This building looks very similar to many modern observatories, but it was mainly used to mark the passage of the seasons and longer periods by the way that the structure was built and aligned with the stars.
3/4 second exposure @F8 with ND grad 0.6 All colours here are natural and not saturated nor altered.
| Title: | Ancient Observatory |
| Username: | 
PatrickSmith |
| Uploaded: | 18 Jun 2006 - 5:19 PM |
| Camera: | Canon EOS 5D |
| Lens: | Canon 17-10L @17 |
| Recording media: | RAW ISO 50 |
| Tags: | Architecture, Chichen itza sunset, Landscape / travel |
| Votes: | 133 |
Comments
Welcome back Patrick, even with all the restrictions I am sure you had a blast and got some stunning shots! I like the brooding sky with the contrasting sand colored structure, gives it the feel of something old, nice work and look forward to seeing others from your trip! Spot on! Click!!!
Greg
very nice lighting and golden tones. and this image proves that if there is a will.. there is a way to capture a beautiful image regardless of restrictions. well done!
Thanks for your comments!
Yes Greg. It was a great vacation and I got just a few a few decent shots too. But I didn't see a hill higher than 15 feet tall the whole time! Nor a temperature below 25c (77f) either.
Jan, I got the 5D almost two months ago. Even now, I have just 300 frames taken, but I hope to give it a good workout later. Great camera and it saves me lots of PS time too. Sneaky? Me? Never...
Yes Tommy uh... the mid-day light was superb LOL!
Patrick
looks very good... the (looks almost hand painted) sky is so beautiful that it actually completely dominates the rest of the image. Find this photo distinctively different from your previous ones though. Almost as if taken at mid-day and without a tripod.
salt in the wounds
salt in the wounds
la la la
li laaaa
;o)
(sorry, bad taste, but couldn't resist :o)
Strange set of rules. You did well to get this one Indiana Jones eat your heart out.lol
Allan
Patrick, this is a fantastic shot. Sue and I were on the Yucatan in 1998 and NONE of the resrtictions you mentioned were in place. We were all over the ruins at Chichen Itza and at Tulum. At that time there seemed to be a distict lack of concern for the ancient buildings. There was a cable in place that you could hold to help you climb the to the top of the Pyramid (at Chichen Itza). That cable was digging a natch into each of the steps.
It sounds like they have finally taken notice of the damage taking place. However, it sounds like they are now going to the opposite extreme. -=Walter
beautiful image
- the colours and sky detail make it really spectacular
Good to have you back.Been to a few of these sites all be it quite a few years ago.(1978)
I was posted to the jungles of Belize for 8 months as a soldier,and actually lived in a Pyramid temple doing a observation post for a month(We were counting all the Dekota`s that landed and soldiers) Nummbers on a small airfield just over the border into Guatamala.When we visited Mexico there wern`t any big hotels on the coast,let alone restrictions o photography.(my only camers was a kodak disk ) i`ll have to dig out a couple of shots.
Great shot,you just imagine a game of basket ball with a human head taking place.
A lovely image with beautiful colour and textures, I enjoyed reading the description too, sounds like you had a great time out there,
Chris.
Excellent harmonizing colors in this beautiful shot. Great detail for working without a tripod.. um. I also found the same problem when visiting Gaudi's buildings in Barcelona, but I can understand that with so many people visiting it becomes a safety problem.
Maybe the Mexicans got infected by the safety obsesion of their neighbors up north.
Antonio
Have a well deserved RC on me, mate ; )
Good to see you back, Patrick...
So you purchased a NEW lens from Mexico?? Never heard of that lens?? LOL...17-10 ???
I was just about to order a trip to Mexico, but now that you told about that NO TRIPOD and NO SUNSET SHOOTING thing, I better stay here...and its expecting from +30 to + 32 C for the next five days : (
Hot, hot, hot : (
BTW....Wonderful shot again...and waiting to see more from your Mexico vacation....
Must hurry.......later.......
Jouko
PS I really clicked before Vintage Red
Thanks for your comments!
LOL Koen... salt in the wounds? It sounds like you were swimming in the same coral reef as me!
Yes Walter, the restrictions seem to be extreme now. It has somethign to do with people making money off the photos, and they do not want that. And the photos they do sell there are... well never mind!
You are right Gill, but it was not easy..
Kim, it sounds like you had quite an adventure. I'd like to see the old ones.
Yes Chris, I had a great time!
Even worse Antonio. At least I can set up a tripod next to the Golden Gate Bridge without security officers rushing in to confiscate my kit!
Ade, if you ever get a chance. Stay at Mayaland. It is awesome and better than the website would indicate.
LOL Jouko, yes it is a new lens and very difficut to get. But it makes great skies for you! I'll catch up in a few days. I am way behind on work now!
You're right pater....
Patrick
Looks like the ancient forces are gathering in the clouds above. Great detail in the stonework.
Well worth all the hassle, stunning atmospheric capture, love the broody sky and warm light on the stone.
Tracy
I got my click in before the servers were changed earlier but my comments were lost - so here I am again.
Hope you had a super holiday Patrick and I am sure you have many more wonderful shots like this to impress us with. Looking forward to seeing them all.
Jeanie
very cinematic light. Surely you must have spent hours removing the hundreds of other tourists from this picture? 
Mike
Thanks for looking!
Yes Eric, I was waiting for an alien spacecraft to descend!
Jeanie, I also had troubles with lost comments. Thanks for dropping by again. I'll catch up soon.
Thanks Keith. It was a rather disappointing trip from a photographic perspective. I was always looking over my back. And not only are there no tripods allowed (if they can catch me) but you are not allowed to climb on any structure, so all of those chances for perspective and other more creative shots are gone. What is left are just shots on the rather boring ground. And the hurricane pretty much swept away the beaches leaving chaotic rocky shorelines with dead trees. And since there are no rivers nor mountians on the whole penninsula, it was difficult to find much of interest. Still, I managed a few modestly decent shots.
Well Mike, that would be true while the park was open but.....um.... never mind...
Patrick
Welcome back, hope you had a good time!
That's quite the sky in this shot. Too bad they were making it so hard to get photos. Did they have a 'No ND grad' rule too? Ah well, I suppose it gave you a new challenge, if you're not able to hang precariously off cliffs to get the shot you might as well sneak past guards with your illegal tripod.
Thanks for looking!
LOL Mark. Thanks. Tripod? What's that? And funny you should mention the ND grad rule. I thought the same thing, as even on the actual mid-day shots I got (hand held for real on those ones) I still used ND grads!
Patrick
Very dramatic sky Patrick and the ancient setting is a fine interesting fg...hope you had a good time and got lots of photographs. Nice crisp exposure under the restricted conditions.
Doug.
welcome back Patrick...uhm..this image does not look like the classic " Patrick Smith " image..from the thumbnail..but when its in large view ..its that classic " Patrick "..
great job ..I been waiting for you to comeback w/ your images...hope you had a great time , and didn't drink too much water..or Tequilla.
alex
Thanks for looking in!
Yes Ted LOL - I have a very steady um... hand!
Jan, it is still a beautiful place with lots to see. Just don't come after hours unless you are a fast runner!
LOL Alex, no Tequilla. It is way too hot. One tour guide sad that hard liquor sales are very slow because they all drink cold beer there!
Patrick
Patrick sky is so beautiful, lovely warmth .....worth an undercover operation if this is the result.
Paul
. . .I feel that the footfalls of a thousand tourists is more likley to do damage than three thousand tripod legs . . .do they actually think that photographs will harm the site . . [ rob the ancient's of their souls?] . . . after all it was created by people who looked to the skies at sunset /rise 
. . .
. . glad you escaped OK ! . . . evading the deportation order may be harder . . .LOL
thanks for your ongoing support and comments . . .
Mike.W
Thanks for your comments!
Yes Brian, I may use a slightly different format with less foreground. It's a good idea.
No problem Dennis. What you are probably noticing is me looking over my back constantly. LOL - That may hamper the creative process!
Mike, they just don't want professionals making money from the place. At least, that is their official explanation. And they have closed off all the structures from people being able to walk on them. So no photo opps there either.
Thanks Barbara, it was difficult to hold still for 3/4 of a second - LOL!
Patrick
Pat considering all the circumstances you still managed to pull off a beauty with that great sky adding a nice glow!Don't get why they get so hung up when people take some pic's as i can understand inside but out! Happen to me at Boscobel in Cold Springs outside of the home!
stay well
tonymarq
Thanks for your comments!
Tony, I'm not sure why either. It does have to do with pros making money but I'm not sure why that is a problem. It is just more promotion for the area and the existing shots they sell are mostly regular touristy looking shots.
Chiris, hopefully it will not happen in your area!
Patrick
Looks like a fascinating place, it's a fabulous sky you caught there.
Simon
Wonderful shot there Patrick. Good to hear you had a good holiday despite restrictions....I'm sure they didn't prevent you from taking breathtaking shots!
Patrick a wonderful shot, shame about not being able to get sunset/rise :o(
Angie x
Thanks for looking!
Sandy (cameragirl), yes, it did nto stop me, but it did hold me back a lot. There were many creative angles that I had to walk past because of the restrictions.
It is Cesie, and lots of birds too!
LOL - Iain, I literally had thought of that on more than one occasion!
Patrick
Was here several years ago Patrick, none of the restrictions you mention were in place then. You have captured Chichen Itza ( or as my youngest daughter called it when we were there " Chicken Tikza") wonderfully, thoroughly deserving of all the attention its received.
C
Very sharp with no sign of blur. Looks like you have good steady hands Patrick.
Love the natural tones.
Looking forward to more from Mexico!
Atu
Blimey Patrick, this is superb... looking forward to the rest already. Stunning work and its always a pleasure to view your stuff. helen
Thanks for looking!
Yes Chant, they put the restrictions in just a few years ago. There was some graffiti and other problems. And of course, nobody should make money from any photo taken here...
LOL Atu... yes, I must have very steady hands. No motion blur even in the 4300x3000 version!
Yes Janet, I do seem to seek out danger even if it is not my intent at the time. And yes, those mid day colours really pop, don't they LOL! No CCTV either.
Martin? What restrictions? Everywhere in Paris? Or just in a few spots?
I agree Paul LOL!
Patrick
It took 3 minutes to scroll down! Another superb shot Patrick, you must have super steady hands; shame about tripod ban, but does that include a monopod with the little legs I wonder? Maybe next time I come over, we can meet up and have a coffee. Thanks very much for trawling through my shots, it's always nice to get comments from someone who has been to the same places.
Hi Patrick
Stunning shot, love the sky - very atmospheric. Looks quite violent too. Love the bit about planning your escape route through the jungle. I laughed my socks off at that one - but it does help if you can run in the first place eh. I'd have to lie down and plead insanity. lol
I'm back over in Carmel in October and cant wait.
Tanya
Hey Patrick, hope you enjoyed your visit to Mexico. I've always had a desire to go there and photograph the Inca and Mayan ruins. Maybe one day. Great image here - I especially like the moody sky - did you use any filters to achieve the effect or was it "as seen".
Splendid lighting and composition.
Richard
Thanks for your comments!
LOL Angela, that would be great. Have a stick with three little legs and see if I can call it a monopod! Or just jam a stick into the ground. Yes, drop on by the next time you are around. There are other EPZ'ers in the area too. We could have a meet!
Well Tanya it is funny now, but I wasn't laughing at the time! Carmel in Octomber? Can't beat it!
Thanks Nik, the stone is slightly dark, so it was hard to get light at this time. Ome others to have a little more light however.
Richard, only the 0.6 nd grad. No polarizers or anything like that. It is a great place and you should go. I can tell you where to stay if you do go.
Patrick
Thanks Charlotte. It was awesome! If you have questions, ask away...
Tom... well I will say that it was just before the evening light show, but I'll leave it at that! I have many shots with no people....
Patrick
Beautiful shot! Lovely colouring and lighting. Very nice composition and the details are spot-on! Lovely description too... I can see why tourists digging their tripods (present company excepted of course) into anchient flooring could get them a trifle annoyed, but why the sunrise/sunsets? People are strange.... Maybe they get to sell more postcards?
Very well caught!
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