In Mexico again and travel-blogging here; and Phogging via iPhone here.

{From Mexico by Skip Hunt}

Travel blog post made from Mexico City here; Doing pretty much everything via iPhone on this trip although I am also carrying an LX3 compact.

{Mexico by Skip Hunt}

Just published a fresh journal entry & abstract from Coatepec, Mexico here.

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Austin, TX based member Skip Hunt is a wandering soul attempting to break the chains & surf free atop wavelengths within the visible spectrum. View his website, travel blog, tumblr, or aamora.com.

One of the images he has on aamora.com is the one to the left, titled “The Birds” . This photograph will be hanging in the Smithsonian from July this Summer until Feb 2011!  Congratulations, Skip! Click here to find out more.

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Skip recently pointed out to us that  “there’s been an uptick in upscale bars using the plasmas & lcd screens to display curated local artists. One such venue contacted me for a slide show for this purpose and I put this together for them:

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Skip also sent us the video below. He tells us he made it “just for fun… shot with a little flip-style Kodak video cam at 60fps to make a smooth slo-mo of this girl hula-hooping… mixed it with some ambient drum circle audio from the same event/party.”:

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We’re always pleased when Skip returns to aamora. This time it’s as our newest member!  His photography is remarkable for its beautifully vivid color, incisive composition and varied locales, including Mexico, Guatemala and South Africa. You will be well rewarded by checking out more of Skip’s work at skiphunt:visualartist .

Seven Days:

San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico

by Skip Hunt [part 2]

(continued from [Part One]

{Kremlin}

. . . His eyes got big when he saw my camera and then he started yelling at me. Photos were prohibited!

I took photos of candles. He looked extremely worried. I gathered it was going to be his neck for leaving his post. He forced me into the churches main chamber; a large group of French tourists & indians were praying on a floor covered with pine needles & candles.

Two rough looking Chamula elders grabbed my arms; they escorted me through the church & out the front to a gatekeeper with a police radio. They screamed at me, demanding to see my camera. I showed them the candle photos; they commanded I delete them.

{Elpotrero}

Looking really worried, angry and upset, one with a cowboy hat & radio had a look like he’d caught a good sized fish. He called the police; they answered back that they were on their way.

{Ruina}

They demanded my passport. The cowboy hat demanded money; I told him no. I told him I didn’t take photos inside the church and that I just took photos of some candles by the bathrooms and that I’ve now deleted them.

He grabbed for my camera. I yanked it back. I’d done nothing wrong. If they didn’t want photos taken by the bathrooms they should put up a sign. He pointed to the sign above the church, I again explained I didn’t go inside the main part of the church.

My heart was racing a million beats a second. I was glad the police were on the way. Hopefully I could find one who spoke English and explain that I knew & respected their rules.

The cowboy hat said I needed to pay for going inside the main part of the church. They dragged me through the church against my will. I had no intention of going in. He was now saying I took photos inside the main part of the church and changing the story.

I began to wake up and realize there was no way in hell the police were going to take the side of a filthy American gringo; as soon as they got there it’d be all over.

At best I would get out with only being held and some money extorted… perhaps even lose my camera. At worst… well, I didn’t want to think about that. I started walking. They yelled for me to stop. I told them great and have them come and get me.

{Orange Crush}

Soon I was around a corner and had dodged into a shack. It looked like they sold tequila but no one was in there. I took out my ball cap, put on my sunglasses, and put on my over-sized rain coat and went back out onto the street. The collectivos were by the main plaza.

I noticed one full collectivo heading out and flagged it down. They squeezed me into the front by the driver to collect just one more fare and we were off.

Whew! That was a close one!

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Austin, TX based member Skip Hunt is a wandering soul attempting to break the chains & surf free atop wavelengths within the visible spectrum. View his website, travel blog, tumblr, or aamora.com.

{Zuzu's Feather, Bacalar}

Climbed atop a hill to a church, the source of all the non-stop explosives being launched over San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico.

I thought from the carnival booths, flowers, taxis decorated with balloons & streamers someone important was getting married.

I made a few images of the magnificent color cache before me.

{Perfect Storm)

{Iglesia de Campeche}

I told the tourist couple from Holland what I found out; we agreed it seemed kind of strange.

We continued chatting for a couple hours about traveling, mystic experiences, the Amazon and so on. They are older than me and seemed like the typical package tourists. But looks were deceiving; they had just as exotic tales to tell as I & I’d say they even one-upped me on several levels.

{Macaw}

The level of connection I think we all felt for each other seemed as if it were destined and we ended our chat with a promise to meet up again in Holland. So far, among the coolest people I’ve met on this trip and I’m looking forward to seeing them again in Holland one day soon.

After we parted, I saw a group of three men and a couple Chamula Indian women drinking some clear liquid out of a large glass coke bottle. I was getting tired of being seen as nothing more than a camera toting, soul stealing, alien tourist with pockets full of money to be tricked out of.

{Menage, Playa del Carmen}

As I walked over toward them the women hid their faces when they saw my camera.

A larger Indian man wearing a large hairy black poncho vest thing and a cowboy hat answered my question about what they were drinking.

It’s called Posh and it’s VERY strong.

They poured me a small glass and I sipped it down as best I could even though I wasn’t up for drinking just yet.

Because I did drink, they all seemed to accept me instantly as just a curious fellow human being instead of a tourist.

Their eyes were all glassy and they couldn’t get over the fact I was drinking their Posh with them.

That felt pretty good so afterward I saw one Chamula family standing nearby getting ready to try out a carnival shooting game. I asked if I could take some video and they paused before saying no. Then the Chamula with the shaggy black pancho said something to them, I’m guessing that he said I was ok, and then they agreed to let me shoot a bit of video of them. Score!

{Vallerea}

Many of the indians think a photo steals their soul etc. And it’s rumored that several years ago they stoned a foreign couple to death for refusing to respect the rule about no photos inside the church.

I’d been there many years ago and the town has grown into more of a small city. You now have to pay for a permit to go inside the church and since I’ve seen it before and wanted to save my pesos, I decided to just make a few images of the front of the church instead.

I noticed an open door and some burning candles (velas) just inside so I took a quick photo. No one was around and there were no signs prohibiting entry so I just stepped right in to get a closer shot. The velas were all in front of case with three or four saint statues inside. I snapped just one more and then an older man came in from a side door that appeared to go into the main church’s chamber.

His eyes got big when he saw my camera . . .

(to be continued)

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Austin, TX based member Skip Hunt is a wandering soul attempting to break the chains & surf free atop wavelengths within the visible spectrum. View his website, travel blog, tumblr, or Aamora.

Michael Van der Tol has created another slide show for us, with contributions from aamora members and guests. Slip off your boots and enjoy….

These Boots – aamora from Michael Van der Tol on Vimeo.

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Michael Van der Tol, founding aamora member, lives in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia. His photographic work focuses on rural & landscapes. View more of his work on his website on his blog or here on aamora.

Founder of aamora, Aaron Schwartz, is a photographer, actor, lawyer, writer, and flaneur based in Toronto. You can view more of Aaron’s work at his website, on JPG Magazine, or on aamora.

Aamora member Rhio9 is a photographer & musician. Enjoy more of his wonderful work by checking out his photo blog, his photographic books on Blurb, or take a look at his past contributions here on aamora.

Vancouver born Marie Wilson, was one of the first aamora.com members. Marie is a writer, photographer, artist, actor, mother & muse living in Toronto. View her work on her website, on JPG Magazine or on aamora.

John Linton is aamora’s floundering member living in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, the state with the biggest name and smallest size. View more of John’s work on his Flickr stream, JPG Magazine or aamora.

These images were first taken from HD video I shot with a very low shutter speed and moving the camera around for motion blurs of neon on Fremont street in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I then pulled frames out of the video stream that I felt worked well as abstract stills.

I then compiled them back together into this slide show with a slight Ken Burns motion effect.

The original set of frames can be seen in the “vegas blur” gallery here.

(Music: “That’s My Name” ~ Steinski)

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We’re always pleased when Skip returns to aamora. His photography is remarkable for its beautifully vivid color, incisive composition and varied locales, including Mexico, Guatemala and South Africa. You will be well rewarded by checking out Skip’s work at skiphunt:visualartist .