Jorge Quinteros

Home Away From Home

I love cruise ships and I blame and thank my wife for the infatuation. We’ve been on a total of 7 and the longest we’ve been on one has been 12 days which we flew out to Barcelona to catch as part of our honeymoon. We generally don’t book anything less than 7-days because the highlight of the adventure for us is docking on as many ports as possible and by booking any less than 7-days, you’re unlikely to see as much in 2 or 3.

We have friends that won’t even examine the thought of boarding a cruise, even more so with the most recent tragedy in Italy but my response to them has always been that the only danger of going on a cruise is that you’ll become addicted after your first experience and it’ll be a matter of days right after you’ve disembarked that you’ll find yourself scanning itineraries, making plans as to where to go next.

Photograph was taken as we reluctantly marched back from a 8hr day of touring Costa Maya, Mexico. In some ports, the cruise ship docks intensely far from land for a good reason and this happen to be one of those instances.

Courts at Sea

I’ve mentioned this in the past and simply to reiterate, I have nothing against HDR. In fact, I respect the technique because when executed correctly, the end result of tone-mapping images has potential to communicate a greater sense of a place more than one single photograph can and despite this, I’ve always avoided embracing it.

Why? Well, because I was afraid I would enjoy it too much to a point where I would completely envelop myself around trying to master the technique which in return it would’ve translated to abandoning the free spirited approach I’ve always had towards photographing. I’m not accustom to hauling a tripod around and being stagnant in one spot making sure my shots were bracketed correctly. A tunnel vision of the HDR process would have eventually set in and given me a false sense of who I am as a photographer. I realize I’m probably exaggerating a bit.

During travels or random outings, I’m not tormented by the idea of dedicating a few minutes to take some bracketed shots but that would always take a backseat to the photojournalist/street photography approach that excites me the most.

Writing as oppose to just photographing for this site has given me a reason to pause and think about trivial stuff like this. Initially, photography was all about the experience and developing an eye for the mundane but ultimately it’s also become about being able to stay consistent with making photographs that I’m happy with and can be recognized for.

I’m not sure if I would recognized this photographs as baring full blown HDR characteristics but the attempt was made using Nik Software HDR Efex Pro. As for the location, it was 6am in the morning and we were sailing somewhere in the Atlantic onboard a Carnival cruise ship.

Deck Relaxing in Cannes

I can’t recall the last time we deviated from our customary routine of flying down to Miami to board a cruise ship for a vacation. Most people are deterred by the belief that cruise vacations are all about the free food and gambling but the truth is that those are merely some of the many attributes that characterize being on one.

Advertisements for cruises are no longer filled with photographs of casinos and passengers holding alcoholic beverages the way they use to. Cruises are now literally a floating resort with everything you might expect from one that is inland.

With regard to Caribbean cruises, we have an unwritten rule of not booking anything less than 7-days. For Mediterranean cruises, nothing less than 12-days. It’s the perfect amount of time to enjoy anything without feeling rushed and deprived from amenities that have already been paid for and that you should take pleasure in. Nothing gets more carefree than being on a cruise. It’s one convenient package where if all you want to do is lie back and read your Kindle on the deck, then that’s what you do and that’s what I was in the middle of as we sailed away from Cannes.

Within the Atrium

If it seems as if all I write about is cruise ship experiences, it’s because 90% of my travels are derived from boarding these massive vessels for days and visiting as many destinations within a short amount of time. Do you get to see everything? No but you walk away with an instant appreciation of valuable facts from each place so that you can book a vacation to one or two which you felt most charmed with.

My wife and I have been choosing this form of travel for 3 years. With all that stated, I’ve learned that it’s good to be known for something. Hopefully that something doesn’t involve anything malicious but either way, the fact that your opinion on a subject is valued by many can become quite the ego booster.

I particularly get approached by friends on two subjects: Travel and photography and somewhere in between is the inquiry about the money that’s needed for these 2 expensive pursuits of mine.

First thing is first. You don’t have to be rich to travel. Granted everyone’s way of life is unlike the other persons and priorities practically regulate how we spend our money but consider the amount of people you personally know who make excuses for not fulfilling their life dreams due to fiscal reasons.

I’m a firm believer in that if you want something badly enough, you will make it happen. I believe it was the late Senator Paul Tsongas who said: “No one on his deathbed ever said, I wish I had spent more time at the office.”

The question is: Where do you think people on their deathbed wish they had spent more of their time?

My theory is that they wish they had spent more time with family and friends, more time experiencing great places and events and learning from them. More time experiencing life and all its richness, less time buying things that won’t last.

You’re always going on vacation?

It’s not that I’m rich and it’s not that I’m in enormous debt. If anything, far from both but it all comes down to how people choose to spend their money.

Your excitement might come from a great deal on a $200 blazer from your dearest department store where mine derives from snagging a round trip to Las Vegas from Expedia. You want things and I want experiences. Experiences create memories and memories are long treasured after things have worn out.

On a side note, what sweetens this craze for traveling is having a wife that equally enjoys these enlightening experiences, the meeting of inspirational people and the sure feeling that we’ll learn and grow as a person with each trip.

This photograph was taken as we sat peacefully at 7am having our breakfast like we did every morning onboard. I enjoyed the natural light as oppose to being in the dinning room.

Morning Run

Regardless of how far you choose to travel to escape the daily routine of waking up and going to work, the one aspect you can’t always take a vacation from is being human. Vacation time is generally comprised with activities you wouldn’t normally engage in but it may also include pastimes that you can’t always seem to breakaway from as well.

Often times I return from vacation feeling I need a break to just to recuperate but that doesn’t leave me yearning I should have done something differently so as to avoid this consequence. Just like smokers have a hard time parting from their cigarettes despite their geographical location, the same is true with me in regards to working out. If you’ve every traveled on a cruise ship you should know that you’re doing yourself a favor by visiting the gym but it’s not a practice you can easily instill on anyone.

I rejoiced in waking up at 6am in the morning jogging on the outside track of our cruise ship and it was unlike anything else doing it at sea in the middle of nowhere.

From the Balcony

Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of booking a ticket and going out to explore unknown places on their own. There’s an understandable anxiety that comes with the process which is why people either don’t venture out to do it at all or if they do, they prefer to explore new destinations amongst other people who may share the same uneasiness. This is what’s great about cruise vacations. You have the luxury and comfort of visiting more places than anticipated and amongst people who are eager as you to experiencing new things but in a more structured form.

For the past 3 years, my wife and I have been vacationing via cruise lines and aside from the many comforts that comes with it, the one amenity we enjoy equally as the places we visit is in booking a balcony room on every trip. Nothing quite like getting up in the morning and opening the patio door for some fresh air and a terrific view.  Room service is free, so on more that a few occasions we had our breakfast outside. Balcony rooms are bit more expensive but it’s one of those features you’ll have a hard time letting go once you’ve experienced it once. I took this photograph from our balcony as we sailed away from St.Lucia.