our thoughts are with chile

This morning, our minds are drawn back to the beautiful, amazing, awe-inspiring nation of Chile, which was rocked by an 8.8-mag. earthquake in the early hours of today. So far, it sounds as though the death toll is low, surprisingly -- probably in great part due to the modernization and solid building structures found in the busy, busy capital city of Santiago. Our hope and prayer is that it remains that way and that the more humble, coastal towns like Coronel, Puerto Montt and Vina del Mar remain safe from the tsunami threat...

A look back @ Chile, from our cruise there last year.




Our friends traveled there far more recently. You ought to take a look at the Schmutz's photos while you're browsing...

More Wildlife in Sudamerica

As promised, little by little, we're adding to our online gallery of South America shots, including these three from the chilly Otway Sound in Patagonia. The color was good/accurate in each of the following photos when shot, but I still felt like there was something missing, so I built a new setting in Lightroom to enhance the blues and blacks out on the ocean. What I ended up with, somewhat by accident, was the smoky blue that you'll notice in the first and third shots below.

Down where the temps rarely top 55 degrees Fahrenheit, I can imagine on some days it's pretty hard to get your hands steady and warm enough to shoot (thank goodness for Image Stabilization). It wasn't too bad the day we were there except as you got down close to the water's edge. However, at one point during the shoot, I did have to position the 100-400mm lens against a post to keep it from blowing in the wind and to keep me from tipping over. Crazy.







PS--the 1000 or so penguins at Otway Sound didn't at all seem put off by the "real" birds that were swooping in over 'em (except maybe this guy).