The land underground - Chaaktun

Although I had never been to Playa Del Carmen, Katie had been there before a few years back and was itching to go back. While describing the local area to me, she told me about a cenote and the importance it held to the Mayans. Instantly I had ideas in my head of a bride floating through the water of a cave and put a plan in motion. I contacted a local model named Valeria who was interested in my ideas and agreed to work with me. I was a bit nervous, as I honestly had no idea what I was getting into and wasn't sure what would come out of it. I had even started to have second thoughts about it and just doing a shoot on the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean to "play it safe". When we met in Mexico, my model Valeria couldn't have been more helpful and professional, especially in such a "photo unfriendly" environment. We decided on Chaaktun Cenote, which in Mayan means "rain of stone". While the cool of the cave and the water was refreshing compared to the heat of the day, it wasn't quite warm in a wet wedding dress. Once we were set up, Valeria was amazing! At one point she remarked on how much equipment I brought with me and that she was amazed that it was all waterproof. I had a good laugh at the waterproof bit as I swam around holding a camera and lights precariously above the waterline trying not to think of the cost of a camera dip. I think it might be time for a waterproof housing. In the end, the shoot was far more difficult that I imagined but incredibly rewarding. Being able to work in such a beautiful and unique location with such a cultural significance was amazing. At one point I almost felt like turing the camera off and simply staring into the cave in awestruck stupor. If you ever find yourself in the Yuactan, you really owe it to yourself to check out a cenote such as Chaaktun. I love my job.

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A much needed vacation!

Yesterday was a long day. I woke up with before the sun, loaded up in the car, traveled on three airplanes through a few time zones, loaded back up in the car and drove until today. But it's okay -- I'm still living on the buzz of a great vacation. For the past week, Katie, Tyler, Sophie and I have been in Playa Del Carmen Mexico with her parents enjoying a much needed break from the workload. We stayed in first class accommodations and spent most of our time exploring the local area. Tyler spent about 12 hours of each day swimming in the pools and ocean (he takes after his father) as we relaxed as a family. We visited Xel-Ha and Xcaret -- both amazing places that simply would not exist in the states. Imagine going to a water park where a sign pointed off a cliff and told you to jump into the water below (what lifeguard or saftey rail?). I love Mexico! As we traveled, I kept my camera close by as I was constantly inspired by new sights and people. I think Katie got tired of hearing me say "I gotta get a shot of this! Keep walking and I'll catch up!" Thankfully I have a very loving wife! Years ago when I would skip church to go surfing, we would say that we were busy getting baptized in the Church of the Pacific. This must be the Church of the Caribbean.

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