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The Huaca Arco Iris Temple & The Ruins of Chan Chan in Trujillo, Peru
2007-04-16 23:43:00
Yesterday we were in Trujillo , Peru, our last stop in South America. The ship docked in Salaverry, a very poor, run down port town near Trujillo.I went on an excursion to see the Huaca Arco Iris Temple (also known as the Huaco Dragon Temple) and the Chan Chan ruins, the remains of the pre-Inca Chimú civilisation. There wasn’t much to see at the temple, just some hieroglyphics on the walls and some Peruvian schoolgirls who wanted their photos taken with us.Then we spent 90 minutes at the Chan Chan ruins and only saw a small part of them in this time. The ruins at Chan Chan cover a large area and they say that up to 60,000 people lived here. Everywhere was dry and brown and there were huge jagged mountains in the distance. The walls were built of clay but they were only a metre or so high in most places and it was hard to imagine how they people lived here so long ago.When I’m in places like this I think wouldn’t it be an interesting world if the Spanish conquistadores hadn’t go
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The Third Driest City in the World, Arica, Atacama Desert, Chile
2007-04-13 02:01:00
Today we were in Arica, Chile. It’s exciting to be travelling north up the west coast of South America. Arica is very close to the Peruvian border (it was part of Peru until 1880) in the far north of the country.It’s remarkable how different the north of Chile is from the south. We’ve left the mountains, forests, fjords and cold weather of Patagonia behind and now the landscape is dominated by the bone dry Atacama Desert , one of the driest deserts in the world.It was a beautiful warm sunny day today, no surprise perhaps as Arica is the third driest city in the world with barely any rainfall (only Aswan and Luxor in Egypt are drier). The city is built in a valley and surrounded by low brown hills. We took a taxi to the top of one of the hills to visit the fortress of El Morro. The views over the sea and the town were quite incredible. Condors flew above and below us and came close enough to see their distinctive pink heads.There is a museum in El Morro telling the story of how the
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Pablo Neruda's House, La Sebastiana, Valparaiso, Chile
2007-04-10 01:49:00
Yesterday was our final stop in Valparaiso, Chile. We decided to go to La Sebastiana, it used to be Pablo Neruda’s house but is now a museum. Pablo Neruda is a famous Chilean poet.The town of Valparaiso is built on 45 separate hills that overlook the port and the sea. Cable cars (ascensores) go up and down the steep hillsides. House s are scattered across the hillsides in a colourful jumble of wood, stone and tin. Most of the town, like much of what I have seen of Chile so far, is desperately poor. I’ve heard stories of the beauty of Valparaiso but the reality is different.It looked very simple to get to La Sebastiana on a map, just take a cab to the ascensor Espiritu Santo, go to the top, walk to the museum....there was a shuttle for the crew outside the port terminal. The lady driver said yes, she would drop us off at the ascensor. But she took us instead to ascensor Concepción and told us to walk left at the top and that we would come to the museum.We asked a man at the top for


Coyhaique and the River Simpson Valley, Chile
2007-04-06 01:26:00
Today was our last day in Puerto Chacabuco and I went on a tour to Coyhaique and the River Simpson Valley . Coyhaique is the capital of the region and some 70km from Puerto Chacabuco. The road there leads from Puerto Aysen and winds it’s way between dramatic mountains, damp forests and icy cold rivers. It was a foggy morning and the valleys were misty like a scene from a Tolkien novel.Our guide Caterina explained that Puerto Chacabuco had been built in 1966 after the course of the river that led to Puerto Aysen changed. The road we were using had only been built in 1980. Before then travel was very difficult and the journey from Puerto Aysen to Coyhaique took 8 hours.We made a brief stop in the Simpson Valley to take photos and see a museum, then made our way to Coyhaique. Not much time to look around but it seemed pleasant enough, with nothing special or spectacular. It rains much less and gets more sun than Puerto Chacabuco because it’s away from the coast.On the way back we stopp


Old Things and Useless Junk in Montevideo, Uruguay
2007-04-04 20:20:00
One of the things that fascinates me about Montevideo is the number of old things and seemingly useless junk that is sold in small shops and street markets around the city. Who would buy this stuff, I wonder, and what would they use it for, and why is there a market for it? It seems very strange to me.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePress
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Bahia Lapataia, Tierra Del Fuego National Park, Ushuaia, Argentina
2007-04-02 00:14:00
Today was our last stop in Ushuaia . The weather was superb with clear blue skies and brilliant sunshine. Our best day for ages. I wanted to share this photo of Lapataia Bay in the sun.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePress
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Cerro Tronador and the Ventisquero Negro Glacier, Bariloche, Argentina
2007-03-30 01:58:00
Last November, before I joined the ship, I spent a week in Bariloche, Argentina . Bariloche is in Patagonia and one of Argentina’s busiest resorts. In the winter people go to ski and in the summer to see the spectacular scenery.I went on a tour to see Cerro Tronador and the Glacier Ventisquero Negro . Cerro Tronador is 3554m tall and on the border with Chile. The glacier descends from the side of the mountain and it’s bottom half is black. It was incredibly cold. An icy wind howled off the glacier and I could only stand in front of it taking photos for a few minutes.Cerro Tronador is in the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi. It’s a great area for trekking.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePressCerro Tronador Black ice from the glacier Ventisquero Negro Glacier Cerro Tronador Ventisquero Negro Glacier


The Missing 50 Kilometres
2007-03-24 20:20:00
This is too funny. My friend Iani sent me this photo from La Quiaca: Hey! We're in La Quiaca. I wonder how far it is to Ushuaia.....Now compare it to my photo taken in Ushuaia:Hey! We're in Ushuaia...I wonder how far it is to La Quiaca...Where did those missing 50 kilometres go? Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePress
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Rock Cormorants in the Falkland Islands
2007-03-24 00:18:00
We were back in the Falkland Islands a few days ago. The sun was shining for the first time in months. I caught the bus to Gypsy Cove. There weren’t many penguins but on the other side of the cove I saw some Rock Cormorants sitting on a rock by the edge of the sea. I approached them slowly and carefully, taking photos. They weren’t bothered about me at all and I ended up getting within two metres of them. The best photos are below.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePress


A Dolphin in Puerto Madryn, Argentina
2007-03-23 01:10:00
It was an amazing day today in Puerto Madryn. Warm, sunny, perfectly clear blue skies. Water that shimmered in the clear sunlight like an impressionist painting of the mediterranean.We saw a dolphin swimming by the pier. It was leaping out of the sea and slapping the water with it’s tail.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePress
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Ushuaia and the Tierra del Fuego National Park, Argentina
2007-03-22 01:05:00
Three days ago we were in Ushuaia , Argentina . It started off a beautiful sunny day, the first for a long time. The wind was fierce but in the shelter of the town the sun was pleasantly warm.Carlos and I decided to catch a bus to Tierra del Fuego National Park. Carlos is from Cozumel, Mexico and has been struggling to cope with the cold temperatures in this region. In Cozumel the temperature rarely drops below 25 degrees celsius.The bus left Ushuaia and made it’s way along a dirt track into the park. It dropped us off close to the Bahia Ensenada. It was a short 1.4km walk to the bay. An easy walk with lots of downhill, which meant lots of uphill on the way back. The blue skies had disappeared and I felt some drops of rain.But it was worth it when we got to the bay. It’s a beautiful setting. The sea was a dark gray and on the opposite sides of the bay were black snow covered mountains. Above the mountains, dark clouds and streaks of falling rain. It was like someone had drawn the sce
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La Fiesta De Casabindo
2007-03-16 21:14:00
I took these photos in August 2004 in Casbindo, a small village in Jujuy Province in the north-west of Argentina. It was a very interesting experience and makes a fascinating story. Details below:On the 15th of August every year in the remote Andean north-west of Argentina the tiny village of Casabindo holds it's unique fiesta, celebrating the ascension of the Virgin Mary. One of many colourful local festivals held in the region during the Pachamamma (earth mother) celebrations of August the local people, whose ancestors lived in the mountains before the arrival of the Spanish, combine elements of Christianity with pre-Colombian rituals in a colourful fiesta that lasts the whole weekend.It's difficult just to get to Casabindo, at over 3300m above sea level the winter temperatures can drop to -30 degrees celsius overnight. I got a lift in a van from a tour company based in Humahuaca, the nearest town on the tourist trail. We arrived Sunday morning to a small village of mud-brown adobe
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Pumpkins & Quincy Market in Boston, Massachusetts
2007-03-15 19:44:00
Last October we visited Boston , Massachussets on the Norwegian Dawn. In the spring, summer and autumn it’s a very charming city. I liked autumn in New England, we had lots of sunny weather and clear blue skies. The red, orange and brown foliage colours made everywhere look very beautiful. Like a modern fairytale, with a touch of New England romance.Beacon Hill is one of my favourite parts of Boston. I like wandering around looking at the old buildings. One of Boston’s appeals is it’s history. I also like spotting places I know in the Nicholas Cage movie National Treasure. For instance the chase scene in Quincy Market .I also liked the charming habit of putting pumpkins out on doorsteps. This is something I saw all over New England and Nova Scotia, Canada. The pumpkins went very well with the warm red brick of Beacon Hill and other old parts of Boston.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePressPumpk
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Cormorants, Sea Lions and Penguins at the Bottom of the Earth, Ushuaia
2007-03-05 01:34:00
I like learning. Here are some interesting things that I learnt on my tour today in Ushuaia :· The highest ever recorded temperature in Ushuaia is 31 degrees centigrade.· The wages in Ushuaia are twice as high as Buenos Aires.· Houses and food are much more expensive in Ushuaia than Buenos Aires. This is because construction materials and food are trucked in from Buenos Aires which is over 3000km away.· The southern end of the Pan American Highway is at Lapataia Bay in Tierra Del Fuego National Park. The northern end is in Fairbanks, Alaska over 18000 km away.· The population of Ushuaia is 60,000 people.· Sea lions can walk on their flippers. Seals can’t.· A café con leche costs 6 pesos in the cafeteria by Lago Roca in Tierra Del Fuego National Park.· Our tour guide Lucas was born in Buenos Aires and doesn’t have a girlfriend. He does however have a great time being a guide.Our tour took us by bus to Lago Roca and Latapaia Bay in Tierra del Fuego National Park. At Lapataia
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No Evidence of Global Warming in the Falkland Islands
2007-02-21 19:38:00
Yesterday we called in again at the Falkland Islands and I signed up for the Falkland Battlefields tour. The Falklands are of course famous for the 1982 war between Britain and Argentina over the sovereignty of the islands (known in Spanish as Las Islas Malvinas).With so much talk in the media over the last few weeks about global warming I was beginning to think we live on some sort of revolving oven, with melting glaciers, rising sea levels and increasing desertification. So what would the Falklands Islands be like in the middle of summer? Blazing sunshine? Lashings of highly dangerous UV rays? No, I arrived on the dock huddled up against the rain, freezing wind and sleet. It was so bad that our guide Frank kept apologising for the weather and he told us it was their worse summer season here for years.There were three jiggers (asian fishing boats) in the harbour. They were small and rusty and I jokingly said to someone as we passed ‘How would you like to work on there?’ We learnt
Read more: Evidence , Global , Global Warming

Shooting at 55mm in Puerto Chacabuco, Chile
2007-02-13 01:39:00
I decided to shoot everything at 55mm in Puerto Chacabuco. Normally I like to shoot at wideangle and my telephoto lenses are vastly underused. I like wideangle because of the perspective and it forces me to get close to the subject. Everything looks amazing through a 24mm lens. But the time had come to force myself to shoot telephoto, so I set my zoom lens to the top end (55mm or 88mm on 35mm), not high as telephoto lenses go, certainly, but a huge difference to the wide angle to normal focal lengths I normally shoot at.The world certainly looks different through a telephoto lens. I had to look for a different type of photo. I wanted to utilise the foreshortened perspective that all telephotos have. Puerto Chacabuco was an ideal location for this because of the many interesting things to photograph; tin houses, greenery, flowers, the nearby mountains, and all the textures and interplays of light and shadow they offered. (The sun came out and it wasn’t raining! At last!)People had the


An Online Story About Puerto Chacabuco, Chile
2007-02-12 02:07:00
I’ve just had a story published on the Timesonline website. To see it go to the Timesonline Your World website and choose South America from the continent list on the right, then Chile, and the story is titled The Most Unusual Church and the Biggest Rhubarb I’ve Ever Seen. You can also read it below:The Most Unusual Church and the Biggest Rhubarb I’ve Ever Seen – Puerto Chacabuco, ChilePuerto Chacabuco is a small port on the south western coast of Chile. It’s a regular port of call for our small cruise ship in the South America season. It has a beautiful setting, the town is surrounded by forested hills which rise out of the sea, and behind the hills are jagged, snow covered mountains.On our first visit I walked around the town, and like the other Chilean towns we have visited so far it most of the people live in small, colourful houses built of corrugated iron or tin. It’s a quiet, peaceful place. There were christmas decorations hanging in many of the windows and lots of


Approaching Puerto Chacabuco, Chile
2007-02-10 19:41:00
These photos were taken from the deck of the cruise ship in the evening as we approached the small Chilean town of Puerto Chacabuco, which lies at the end of a narrow fjord. This part of Patagonia is very beautiful. Forested mountains rise out of the water, clouds swirling around their peaks. It’s cold and windy even in summer. And it’s absolutely vast and underpopulated. No doubt there are many secrets and hidden things waiting to be discovered; impenetrable forests, unclimbable mountains, uncrossable rivers. There could be new types of animals, unknown flowers, maybe fairies or mythical beasts. Anything is possible here. It’s mysterious, wild and hidden. All I know is that I will never truly know what is there.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePress
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The Fish Market and Santa Claus in Coquimbo, Chile
2007-02-01 19:23:00
Coquimbo was a one off port of call for us on our 18 day South America cruise. North of Valparaiso, the hot dry sun was a welcome change after the cold weather of the south.Coquimbo is another Chilean coastal town surrounded by hills and tin houses. Wide concrete staircases led up the hills. It was dry and brown and reminded me of the Pueblos Jovenes in Lima, Peru. Once again I was surprised by how poor the town was.The bay was full of small wooden fishing boats. There was a fish market in the port. Fishermen were landing and weighing their catches on the dock. Unwanted catches were cut up and left for the seagulls. There were a lot of people around watching. The seafood was then being sold in the fish market.In the main square in the town were some tall palm trees with narrow trunks and a giant christmas tree. A toy santa claus was climbing up the tree on a ladder.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at Cafe
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The Magellanic Penguins of Gypsy Cove, Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
2007-01-25 23:27:00
It was our busiest day yet in Port Stanley with three cruise ships visiting on the same day, bringing 4000 or more visitors. A local company provides a shuttle service to Gypsy Cove, a nearby bay home to a colony of Magellanic Penguins . Along the way we passed by several shipwrecks including the rusty but otherwise nearly intact Lady Elizabeth in Whale Bone Cove. It was a cold bleak day with a howling, icy wind, more like the middle of winter than summer.The bus dropped us in a small gravel car park. The beach was a wide, white streak between the grey sky and the dark sea. There was a small tea shop run by a Filipina lady, and the start of the cliff top walk. The beach was fenced off because of land mines left over from the war, and it’s because people don’t go down to the sand that the penguins nest here. I have read that the land mines are made of plastic and therefore undetectable, and that the penguins are light enough to walk over them without setting them off. The lady in the
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A Weekend in Tandil, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
2007-01-25 00:22:00
Before I joined the ship last November I spent a weekend in Tandil, a small town five hours south of Buenos Aires by bus. We didn’t have a lot of time there, but we did have a day to walk around the town and see some of the sights. It was hot and the sun was very strong. By late afternoon we came to these stones which are just outside the town. Giant boulders lay scattered around a tall outcropping of rock, and we climbed right to the top for magnificent views of the town and surrounding countryside. It was peaceful, and as the sun went down, became chilly very fast. This is a popular spot and sadly, there was a lot of graffiti. Rock formations near Tandil My beautiful girlfriend Lili, TandilMagical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePress
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Strawberry Fields, Central Park, New York
2007-01-19 00:09:00
Last autumn I spent an afternoon wandering around Central Park in New York taking photos. I love Central Park for it’s enormity and beauty right in the beating heart of New York. It’s full of the energy of all the people that go there and there always seems to be something new to discover.I was heading back to 5th Avenue as twilight approached when I came across Strawberry Fields . It’s a memorial to John Lennon who was shot outside his apartment near here. There were people sitting on benches around a mosaic in the ground that spelt out the word IMAGINE. Flowers and small pumpkins had been placed down.I found it touching that the imagination and words of one man still affected so many people. I took some photos of the memorial and the people that were there.Magical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePressMagical Places Fine Art website


The Most Unusual Church I’ve Ever Seen – Puerto Chacabuco, Chile
2007-01-18 23:56:00
We were back in Puerto Chacabuco again. This little port fascinates me. It’s rained every time that we are here and it’s summer. I can’t help but wonder how it must be to live in this cold, damp and isolated place. It’s very beautiful but can the beauty make up for constant gloom and low temperatures?I went on a tour to a park called Aiken del Sur. It’s a few minutes drive from Puerto Chacabuco and privately owned. Our guide Tim had an interesting story. He was English but lived in Coyhaique with his Chilean wife. He met her years ago while volunteering in Chile with Raleigh. He’d learnt Spanish and had a business making furniture. He told me in the winter all the roads here were impassable because of the snow, and that no-one or anything could go in and out. And that every time he went to the supermarket in the winter, there were less things on the shelves.The park was very beautiful and we followed a narrow trail that ended at Barba del Viejo (Old Man’s Beard) Falls. Al
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Tierra del Fuego National Park, Ushuaia
2007-01-12 02:06:00
A few days ago I went on an excursion to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. It’s just 12km from Ushuaia , a short trip by bus. Along the way we passed by the world’s most southerly golf course, which our guide said lies under a metre of snow in the winter. Even in the middle of summer the weather was cold and cloudy, but our guide described it as a ‘beautiful day’ in Ushuaia. At only 1000km from Antarctica, I suppose this is as good as it gets.The national park, of which we only saw a small corner, was stunningly beautiful. Our first stop was the Bahia Ensenada, and we had time to walk along by the water. The path twisted up and down between gnarled moss covered trees and large grey rocks. Across the water were snow covered mountains.Then we went to Lago Roca. There was a large campsite by the lake with lots of tents and families having barbecues. It was Sunday and a lot of local people were enjoying the park.To finish we had a short stop at Bahia Lapataia. There’s a wooden b


Punta Arenas, Chile, Revisited
2006-12-26 02:22:00
Punta Arenas Revisited We were back in Punta Arenas a couple of days ago. The weather had improved, a little. It was sunny but there was an icy cold wind down by the sea. I took some photos of the tin houses that most people live in there. I walked down to the sea again to one of the most run down areas. There were houses with old cars out the front, sometimes just one, more often several, sometimes in a pile. I saw piles of car batteries, scrap metal, half a van and old car parts. One house had a sports car under a white tarpaulin out the front.I saw a young guy working on his car, and it struck me that I had come all the way down to the bottom of the earth, nearly all the way to Antarctica, to see something remarkably similar to what one would see in council estates all across England. It seems that some things don’t change much, regardless of place or culture.Magical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePressMagical Places Fine Art websiteOur ship the Norwegian Crown over the colourf


Traversing the Panama Canal, Panama
2007-04-19 20:54:00
Yesterday we passed through the Panama Canal . It’s an amazing experience. The canal is a staggering engineering feat especially considering it was built nearly 100 years ago. Thousands of men died in it’s construction in the stifling heat of the Panamanian jungle.The canal is not simply a channel connecting the north and south coasts of Panama. The center of Panama is hilly and the canal rises up over the hills and down the other side. Ships are moved up and down in a series of locks. In the center of the canal is Gatun Lake, a huge man made lake used for holding the rain water that flows in and out of the locks.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePress Cargo ship in the Gatun Locks. There are two channels side by side and we were going through the other one. The water is draining from our lock to lower the ship.These metal vehicles drag the ships through the canal. They're called 'mules'. The


A Sunny Day in La Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
2007-04-24 21:04:00
Today is beautiful and sunny, perfect for walking. Here are some things that I saw today in La Plata.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art online shop at CafePressShrine in a park in La Plata.Doorway in La Plata street.The very impressive cathedral in La Plata.
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El Catedral de La Inmaculada Concepción, La Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
2007-05-04 21:16:00
Yesterday I went to visit the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the centre of La Plata. La Plata is a planned town like Canberra, Australia and Brasilia, Brazil. The city was officially founded on November 19, 1882. Construction of the cathedral soon began and took over 100 years, with the towers finally being completed in 1999. Inside the cathedral it’s easy to see why it took so long, the quality and detail of the construction is absolutely breathtaking.Underneath the cathedral is a museum with photos and information about it’s construction. There’s also an elevator that takes visitors to the top of one of the towers. There are views over the city of La Plata and it’s also a good place to see close up the details of the external construction of the other tower. I was amazed to see statues on the other tower so high above the ground in a difficult to appreciate position.Here are some photos from my trip (the ones with blue sky were taken a few days earlier).Magical Pla
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A Random Assortment of Street Photos in La Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
2007-05-09 01:03:00
La Plata is a suprisingly interesting town to walk around and observe the everyday things going on in the streets. Away from the centre there’s lots of quiet and tranquility. I like the old things, old cars and trucks, old buildings etc. I like the way there’s lots of small neighbourhood shops. I like it when I see a horse pulling a cart. I like the evenings when the kids are on their way home from school, people are coming back from work and the streets are full of life. It’s a little like small town England 30 years or so ago.Magical Places Fine Art websiteMagical Places Fine Art online shop at Imagekind
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Purchase Fine Art Photos of Central Park, New York City For Sale on Imagekind
2007-05-13 23:13:00
Last fall I spent some time in Central Park, New York City, taking photos. I was entranced by the beautiful warm autumn colours, the clear cool air, the super sharp light and the continual flow of people walking, cycling, playing sports, sightseeing, busking and so much more. Central Park is a magical place, a spellbinding mix of energy, light, nature and people.I’ve just added these fall photos of Central Park, New York City to my gallery on Imagekind. Imagekind, if you haven’t seen it already, is a great site for artists and photographers. It provides a print on demand service, so anyone who would like to purchase one of my fine art photographic prints can order them from Imagekind, and they are printed when someone places an order. They also offer framing. Click on the link below (or one of the photos to the right) to go to the gallery.Magical Places Fine Art online shop at ImagekindMagical Places Fine Art Photography website
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