Articles with the theme photography

Summer Photo Contest | The Winners

It’s been a long road since the beginning of the contest (well not too long, but at least a couple of weeks). We gladly received numerous photographs from people around the world. Some sunsets,  families, friends, animals, archaeological sites, beaches, cenotes and more!

Thank you very much for joining us! It’s been a lot of fun and some hard times picking the 10 finalists.  As you must already know, we only received 1 photo of a creative friend (Thank you Matthew Wolff!); but many others from great amateur and expert photographers that have had the chance of visiting Mexico before.
The 3 winners did an amazing job! A lot of friends and family members LIKEd their photos and that’s why they will now have the hard time deciding who is coming to paradise with them (did you think is was going to be easy?).

A photo is worth a thousand words so, here are the winners of our contest and the lucky guys that will receive a 5-day stay in Cancun!

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I LOVE MEXICO

Cynthia Modesto (188 LIKES)

Sylvia Campa  (153 LIKES)

Nikki Snyder (128 LIKES)

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I WANT TO LOVE MEXICO

Matthew Wolff

Congratulations again and keep an eye on our Facebook page and our Twitter account because we’ll have more contests soon!

Summer Photo Contest | The jury and some news

Our photo contest is coming to an end. In a few minutes the finalists for the “I Love Mexico” category and the single winner of the “I Want to Love Mexico” category will be published. As we received numerous photos for the first category, we decided  that 5 photos were not enough, so we will be publishing the best 10 photos. And that’s not all; we are giving the prize (5-night stay in Cancun) for the 3 most LIKED photos! Get ready to LIKE your favorite one, and tell your friends to join and LIKE too!

Now, if you are wondering, who those Yucatan Holidays jury members are, let me introduce them:

If you have a complaint because your photo wasn’t picked, please, feel free to tweet Pamela and/or Kristin.  Good Luck!

Summer Photo Contest | Terms & Conditions

1. Submission implies the author is granting publication rights and copyrights to Yucatan Holidays of the photo they send.

2. The contest is limited to ONE photo per person and per category.

3. Photo specifications: 600 x 400 pixels minimum. So it can be published without loosing quality.

4. The prize is an e-certificate that gives the winner:

• * 5 days / 4 nights of hotel accommodation in Cancun (not all inclusive accommodation) for 2 adults and up to 2 kids (less than 12 years old). You’ll be able to choose between two of our Cancun hotels: Ocean Spa Hotel &  Laguna Suites Golf + Spa
• *Airport – hotel transportation.
• *The chance to upgrade your prize to all inclusive or to our luxury Hacienda Tres Rios resort at a discounted rate.
• *Taxes and activation fee are not included ($169 USD)

Travel Photography: For your next Yucatan Holiday

Whether or not you have a professional camera, it’s important to take care of some details if you expect to return from your trip with a bunch of interesting or even fascinating pictures. Some basic but essential items are lens cleaner, batteries, and a tripod, but more importantly, we’ll give you some advice about how to take a great travel photo (probably not a National Geographic one, but a picture you’ll like to share)! Here are just a few ideas for taking pictures overseas.

What to photograph

This is entirely your decision. You are probably the type of person who enjoys taking pictures of people, trying to capture their culture and traditions. Remember, in this case, always be respectful when you ask your “models” to get ready. If you are planning to take a portrait without asking, try to be discrete, or they may be offended.

Around the Yucatan Peninsula and the Riviera Maya, there are hundreds of perfect landscapes to capture by photograph. Whether it is a shot of one of the amazing beaches along the Riviera Maya, a nature-surrounded cenote, or one of the breathtaking Mayan archaeological sites, the region is ideal for professional and amateur photographers.

If you are an animal lover, you should consider visiting one of the eco parks or nature reserves in the Yucatan Peninsula. Tres Ríos, Xcaret, Xel-Ha, Celestún or Ría Lagartos are definitely the best places to take some awesome animals pictures!

What to consider

Once you have decided what to photograph, you’ll have to consider some aspects to include in your picture to make it really special. Action for example is the key to a great photo. “Capturing action in your photographs adds atmosphere that an otherwise straight-on shot cannot,” says Lola Akinmade, travel photography expert. It’s common to see boring or lifeless pictures from trips. Try to experiment. Look for a nice landscape, and add a special touch of action. You won’t regret it.

Other “musts” in photography (not only while traveling) are composition and balance. Composition is the visual process of organizing the elements of a scene into a balanced and pleasing arrangement. And balance is considered a compositional rule for finding symmetry between the interesting points of a picture. Although composition is largely a matter of personal taste, applying the “rule of thirds” may be pretty helpful for your masterpiece. (Draw imaginary lines through your picture, separating it into 3 rows and 3 columns, and the important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.)

Take advantage of these other ways to take a great photo! Framing is using an object (branches, windows, tunnels, etc.) to act as a frame for your subject or your point of interest, so it directs the viewer’s attention directly to what you want to show. This is great way to get superb pictures. You can play with the color too: take black & white (AKA Monochrome) photos to give a “classic” touch or to evoke a feeling. Consider telling a story or using vivid colors too.

Some Additional tips:

• · Always bring enough (meaning extra) batteries and film!
• · If you’re using a reflex camera, bring all the cleaning and maintenance stuff; usually, digital cameras require less attention.
• · Try to learn some basic words in the language of the place you’re visiting. This can be very helpful.
• · If you are taking night shots, use a tripod.
• · For most pictures, the best is in the natural light of the morning and evening.
• · Consider using 2 or 3 memory cards, instead of one with high capacity; this is to prevent losing all your pictures if something happens with that big card.
• · Let yourself go and experiment with your camera. You’ll probably be surprised in a good way.

How about an amazing shot of an iguana posing over a pyramid in Tulum, or perhaps a group of Mayan women knitting huipiles? The options are endless in this paradise! Visit the Yucatan Holidays website, book your next unforgettable vacation, and remember to bring your camera to free the photographer inside of you.