Three-Years Ago (01-March-2015) — Argentina

Gone to See Patagonia 2015 Photography Tour with Thom Hogan. Day 0: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

When I planned this trip, I included an extra day for travel to Argentina to account for weather delays. I almost needed it since it was snowing when I arrived in Dallas to change planes for the international leg of the flights. We finally did take off after waiting to have the plane de-iced. I arrived in Buenos Aires a couple of hours later than expected.  I had the 10 year visa from the last visit to Argentina in my passport, so didn’t have to pay an extra $100 when going through customs & immigration. It took some time to find the driver to take me to the hotel. Once I got to the hotel, I slept until the next morning. It was a long trip.

The next morning I hooked up with several of the folks that would be on the photography workshop for a pre-workshop tour of Buenos Aires. We spent the morning in the La Boca barrio/district. Lots of street artists, colorful buildings, and street art. Also, lots of tourist — and we were warned about pickpockets and  folks that might want to grab our cameras. So we worked the area in pairs, and also had a security guard in addition to our local guide. After lunch we went to the La Recoleta cemetery. Also, a photography rich environment. The sky was grey, and some light rain. I didn’t get as many pictures as I wanted because my Leica T camera stopped working. It just froze after changing the lens. Unfortunately, I only took the one camera with me for the day. (OK, I did take some pictures with a cell phone).



Individual images from the slide show can be viewed here.

Street Art and Atmosphere in the La Boca barrio of Buenos Aires. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 23 mm f/2 lens. (David J Mathre)
Street Art and Atmosphere in the La Boca barrio of Buenos Aires. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 23 mm f/2 lens. (David J Mathre)



Individual images from the slide show can be viewed here.

Four-Years Ago (26-December-2010) — Argentina

Gone to See Patagonia 2010/2011. Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 0: Buenos Aires.

Walkabout in Buenos Aires before the workshop. Bird on Virgin Mary Statue. Image taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 49 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec).

Bird on Virgin Mary Statue in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 49 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec) (David J Mathre)
Bird on Virgin Mary Statue in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 49 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec) (David J Mathre)

Tuesday (28-December-2010) — Argentina

Gone to See Patagonia 2010/2011. Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 2: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

We began the day with a continuation of the intense foundation of photographic principles lecture by Thom. We then got on a Mercedes bus (similar frame and engine as my Roadtrek RV) to spend a couple of hours in the very colorful La Boca (read — a target rich environment to begin the hands on part of the workshop. I have included a couple of example images from this location. [Note, I will not have much time while on the workshop to process/edit the images. I am also not sure if we will have internet access in some of the location we will be visiting.] Following La Boca, we took the bus to the world-famous Recoleta Cemetery. On the way to Recoleta, we picked up Anthony Medici (Thom’s assistant) who had missed his original flight due to all of the snow in the Northeast. We spent 3+ hours taking images in the cemetery. Thom was helping, and challenging us to use the principles he had introduced during the two lectures. Tomorrow is a travel day to Helsingfors Estancia in the western region of Glacier National Park (the one in Argentina, not the United States).

La Boca district in Buenos Aires. Image taken with a D3s and 16-35 mm f/4 lens (ISO 200, 30 mm, f/11, 1/250 sec) (David J Mathre)
Girls playing Football (Soccer) in the La Boca district of Buenos Aires. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 16-35 mm f/4 lens (ISO 200, 30 mm, f/11, 1/250 sec) (David J Mathre)


Monday (27-December-2010) — Argentina

Gone to See Patagonia 2010/2011. Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 1: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Since it is summer in the southern hemisphere, the sun rises very early. I went to “Parque Natural Y Reserva Ecologica Costanera Sur” to take some bird pictures. Unlike yesterday when the path through the park was open, this morning it was closed. The sign at the gate said the park was open at 8:00 AM November to March. When I asked someone at the gate all he answered was mañana (tomorrow). I guess the park is closed on Monday. Since the workshop doesn’t start until later today I continued my walking tour of the city. Even though it was morning, it was still very hot. Later in the afternoon, we had a walking tour of the city led by Fredrico from Wanderlust Expediciones.  Thom then started the official part of the workshop with an intense lecture. The group had dinner at a local restaurant (lots of beef — this is Argentina).

Estacion Retiron during a morning walk in Buenos Aires. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 125, 5.7 mm, f/4. 1/500 sec) (David J Mathre)
Estacion Retiron during a morning walk in Buenos Aires. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 125, 5.7 mm, f/4. 1/500 sec) (David J Mathre)


Sunday (26-December-2010) — Argentina

Gone to See Patagonia 2010/2011. Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 0: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

I arrived in Buenos Aires Argentina this morning. The overnight flight from Miami was quiet, and I was able to sleep. It took about 2 hours to get the $140 tourist visa (good for 10 years), go though immigration, pick up my baggage, go through customs (luggage and carry on luggage all x-rayed), find my ride, and get to the Melia Hotel in downtown Buenos Aires. I spent a few hours walking around taking some snapshots with my Leica V-Lux20 camera. It is very hot in Buenos Aires (~95 °F).  The final image is a macro shot of a spider I found on my shirt when I got back to my hotel room.

Puente de la Mujer (Puerto Madero) Bridge in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 4.7 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec) (David J Mathre)
Puente de la Mujer (Puerto Madero) Bridge in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 4.7 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec) Bird on Virgin Mary Statue in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 49 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec)
Sunglasses for sale on the street along Laguna de los Coipos in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 6.9 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec) (David J Mathre)
Sunglasses for sale on the street along Laguna de los Coipos in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 6.9 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec)
Dolls for sale on the street along Laguna de los Coipos in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 11.9 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec) (David J Mathre)
Dolls for sale on the street along Laguna de los Coipos in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 11.9 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec)
OSX Club sign along Laguna de los Coipos in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 11.9 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec) (David J Mathre)
OSX Club sign along Laguna de los Coipos in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 11.9 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec)
Red Flower Sculpture in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 4.1 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec) (David J Mathre)
Red Flower Sculpture in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 4.1 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec) Doorway in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 14.7 mm, f/5. 1/500 sec)
Spider on my shirt after a walk in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 4.1 mm, f/3.3. 1/30 sec, macro mode, flash) (David J Mathre)
Spider on my shirt after a walk in Buenos Aries. Images taken with a Leica V-Lux 20 camera (ISO 80, 4.1 mm, f/3.3. 1/30 sec, macro mode, flash)