Spectacular sunrise in Flores in Guatemala. I was traveling with a friend, and we decided to get up early to see the quiet town of Flores before anyone was out. We probably left our hotel room by 5 and walked 15 minutes into the main part of town, where we waited for the sun to start peeking out through the sky. The combination of the haze and the reflection, coupled with some decent long-exposure on the shot (which worked particularly well, since there wasn't much of anything moving), made the sky turn red behind the silhouette of the tree. Needless to say, getting up early that morning worked out quite nicely.

Sunrise in Flores, Guatemala. After getting up really early to head into town before the sun was up (see previous photo for full recap!), I waited a few minutes to try and catch the sun rays bouncing off the water with a fishing boat. I saw what I thought were a lot of fishermen the previous evening when we got in to Flores, so I assumed they might be out early in the morning. Fortunately, some made their way out soon after sunrise, and I was able to capture the image of one boat here.

Sunset on the docks in Lago Atitlan in Guatemala with a fisherman in the background. This ended up being one of my favorite towns in Guatemala. The scenery was beautiful, and the weather was perfect. My friend and I were hanging out with some people on the docks as the sun started going down. I noticed the next dock was empty, and the sun rays were bouncing off the water quite nicely. I waited for the one boat to get in to the frame, and took a long-exposure shot, using the dock as my tripod. The result is the red tinge in this photo. It ended up being just the shot I wanted to end a nice conversation with locals on the docks at the end of the day.

A bird looking at the Pacific Ocean just outside of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. I had to sneak up quietly behind it, as I didn't want to rely on my zoom lens too much. It didn't end up mattering, as the bird was quite content to just sit there and watch the waves of the Pacific Ocean hit the coast.

Beginning stage of sunset along the Pacific Ocean on a beach in Pacifica. I hiked along this stretch of the beach in Pacifica for a while with grad school friends who live nearby. The view was spectacular. I noticed a couple playing around in the distance while I went up the hill. When I came back, they were still there, and the sun was starting to go down. I didn't want to intrude much, because the scene itself was what I wanted to capture, but I made sure to get them in the frame as they went near the water. I had to wait a few minutes for the sun to get just low enough to get the right reflection, and by that time, fortunately, there was nobody else there except them. It made for the exact shot I wanted.

Sunset on the Aegean Sea in Kusadasi. My college roommate and I traveled thru Turkey for a little bit. We stayed in a great spot in Kusadasi while visiting Ephesus. We noticed the sun was going to set on the Aegean Sea when we got back in the evening from visiting Ephesus, so we grabbed some delicious kabobs and pide, set up our tripods, and ate dinner while taking photos off our balcony. Hard to beat that.

Sunset on the Aegean Sea in Kusadasi. My college roommate and I traveled thru Turkey for a little bit. We stayed in a great spot in Kusadasi while visiting Ephesus. We noticed the sun was going to set on the Aegean Sea when we got back in the evening from visiting Ephesus, so we grabbed some delicious kabobs and pide, set up our tripods, and ate dinner while taking photos off our balcony. Hard to beat that.

A boat left in the water at sunrise in Kusadasi, Turkey. In the morning (following a pretty epic day in Ephesus and eating dinner while photographing a beautiful sunset), my college roommate and I got up pretty early and headed out to the beach to shoot some photos as the sun came up. While the sunrise itself wasn't spectacular, given the angle, I did manage to get a handful of cool shots of old boats in the water, like this one.

Pigeon Valley in Cappadocia. Not much to say that the photo doesn't convey. This is the most incredible landscape I've ever seen. Ridiculous rock formations, valleys, and a great sense of calm all around, even though it is a tourist spot (but not that crowded, as its in the middle of the country). The highest point in the left corner is where I shot a sunset from the following day.

Hot air balloon going up at sunrise in Cappadocia. I was on the road by 4:40 am to head out for my own hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia. They go up around sunrise, as is evident in this photo. Its something to see, as you have vast open fields filled with balloons being inflated as the sun rises above the spectacular landscape of Cappadocia. While waiting on my balloon, I saw two women trying to take photos while a balloon was rising behind them. The sun also managed to just break free of the clouds. I waited a minute for the balloon to get just past the sun to create a light silhouette and took the shot. Fortunately, the women were also still there, and managed to strike a playful pose at that exact moment.

Early morning balloon ride in Cappadocia. I was up and on the road by 4:40 am the morning of my balloon ride. Its a pretty surreal feeling to be up in the air above this incredible landscape at sunrise with (possibly) hundreds of other balloons as well. I managed to grab a spot at the edge of my balloon, which made for better shots. However, it was also at the edge of my balloon, so I was extra cautious lest I not fall out! It ended up being a great day for the ride for photography, as there were dark clouds in the sky with the sun occasionally peeking out. This didn't make for the best balloon ride, mind you (it was also windy, and we ended up riding to the side of the breathtaking landscape), but it was perfect for taking shots. This is the best photo I took in the air, as I captured the sun breaking free and hitting some of the landscape while the clouds engulf the sky.

Sunset over Cappadocia from the top of Uchisar Castle. After a full day of travelling through Cappadocia, our tour guide offered to take us to the best sunset view. 2 buses and a bit of a walk later, we were at the base of Uchisar Castle, the highest point in Cappadocia. We climbed to the top and patiently waited for the sun to dip below the horizon while enjoying an incredible view of Cappadocia. The sky was also just incredible that day, which made this sunset even more fantastic.

Devrent Valley in Cappadocia, where the rocks look like animals

Photographing a balloon ride from the top of a hill at sunrise in Cappadocia. The day after I went up in a balloon, I woke up two fellow travelers at 5 am and we walked to a high point about 15 minutes from our hotel. From there, we waited for the balloons to show up. In this shot, I waited until the sunlight was in a particular spot with the terrain to create a natural silhouette of the balloon. It was reflecting off the terrain in odd ways, creating a very colorful sky for a few brief moments, until the sun rose higher.

Hot air balloons in the air as the sun rises in Cappadocia. Hot air balloons flying over the Cappadocia landscape as the sign rises behind them. The day after I went up in a balloon, I woke up two fellow travelers at 5 am and we walked to a high point about 15 minutes from our hotel. From there, we waited for the balloons to show up. The sun was at an angle in this shot where it was deflecting off the terrain and basically shooting beams of sunshine out - I just had to wait for the two balloons to be in the frame and pray that the beams were still there! Fortunately, they were.

Fishermen watching the sun set on Rawal Lake in Islamabad. I used the fisheye lens to capture this shot. Rawal Lake is pretty crowded, but I wandered to this corner of the park and saw these two fishermen finishing up their work as the sun started going down. The reflection off the calm water caught their attention, and I managed to get them looking off to the Margala Hills in the distance.

A boat on the famous Tigris River. At the end of a pretty long day of meetings and incredible sight-seeing, our group of academics got a great surprise to be taken for a boat ride on a body of water. We were told a few minutes after departing that this was the Tigris. Yes, that Tigris. The 45 minute boat ride was fantastic, and there were so many beautiful views. This one is my favorite, given the clouds, sun, shade, and boat.

Camel overlooking the ruins of the University at Harran in southeast Turkey. On a particularly hot day (close to 50 degrees Celsius), we took an afternoon break to stop by the ancient city of Harran. After looking at the fenced-out ruins of the famous university, we walked towards a village nearby. En route there, I saw 3 camels just hanging out. I quietly got close and framed the one above with the ruins in the background. I think it was too hot for him to be bothered with a photographer lurking nearby, so he just stayed there.

Sun going down on the red sands of the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan