Exploring Puerto Rico
As I type this out COVID-19 is at an all time high here in NY. Things are ridiculously frightening but I’ve been blessed with some amazing creative friends and keeping in contact with them has been great. During this pandemic we’ve cultivated a community of support and it’s been nothing short of inspiring. What I’ve done with all this free time is go through my hard drives and edit and finalize photo series I’ve haven’t had the time to edit. This is the first one, and I’m so excited to share it!
Early November 2019 my family and I decided to fly to Puerto Rico to visit relatives we don’t see often as well as take a much needed vacation. I am a classic over packer and when it comes to packing camera gear I tend to bring way more than I need or will ever use. I decided for this 2 weeks trip to only bring my phone, a Panasonic Lumix lx100 and DJI Drone. That was it. This may still seem like a lot but it was so difficult to not pack my DSLR, a telephoto lens and a lot of other “what if” gear. What if I needed a flash? What if I needed a prime lens? What if I needed a tripod for long exposures? What if (fill in the blank)? The gear listed was all I was allowing myself to bring and I had to be creative if I needed anything else.
One of the first days I was there I had to explore San Juan. There is something about the vibrant colors, new buildings mixed with the old structure and the unique history that is present in San Juan that excites me. I’ve been to San Juan a handful of times in my life but I’ve never really learned much about the history or taken tours of the old forts like El Morro that were built anywhere between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was a big change of scenery that felt ridiculously refreshing.
The last time I visited Puerto Rico was in 2016, in 2017 both hurricane Maria and Irma destroyed Puerto Rico. The island was ripped apart. It was such a surreal experience going back to places I’ve visited a few years back that now look totally different. El Yunque National Forest was probably one of the most different for me. There were so many trees that were just gone and trails that I hiked just a few years back completely gone. But all of that still did not take away from the beauty that is El Yunque.
One of the last things I did before flying back to NYC in the winter was go to Luquillo beach. It wasn't too far from the AirBnb I was staying at and I couldn’t say no to ending the trip on the beach drinking Pina Coladas and taking photos. Every day prior was way too windy to fly the drone and felt like a waste bringing it but while watching the sunset on the beach the wind died down and I was able to capture a few photos. I think that these are some of the best photos from the whole trip and maybe some of the best photos I’ve ever taken with my drone. I am so stoked on how they came out!
I think as a photographer I can really get caught up in gear and make sure I have the best gear but personally miss so many moments or end up being disconnected from what’s going on around you. This was something I really was trying to avoid while visiting family and it honestly felt great. I have so many phone photos that aren’t the sharpest and have some grain but I was able to be in the moment and just snap the photo and not think about settings, lens, and lighting.
-Julian