My brother-in-law, who lives in Anton (not el Valle de Anton), told me he knew of a waterfall I would enjoy. In Panama, the majority of waterfalls are accessible only by 4WD, often followed by a long hike. This one, he said, was close to the road and we could park on a paved road next to the trail leading down to the waterfall. I was all in.

This was about 40-50km west of Anton on the Panamerican, then north about 60 km. Chorro las Yayas, as the waterfall is named, was indeed one of the most accessible in the country. Once we hiked to the bottom, where I took these photos, we could continue and climb steps back toward the road but stopping at a higher fall. I did not have any decent photos from that, mostly because the viewing area was subject to a lot of spray.

I have attached three photos, the first is here simply to show the two falls at the bottom in relation to each other (there is only one river, but it divides multiple times and water is coming down all over the place. It helped that we are currently in the rainy season---not the rainy, rainy season; that is October and November.) I did not do much post work on this one.

Oh, one other thing: I was hand holding these. Isn't stabilization great? Once I took a look at the steps going down, I was reluctant to haul my Gitzo tripod. I wish I had. Next time. I simply did not have any idea whether it would be worth it.

Everything was shot on my Nikon D850, with a Nikkor 18-35mm lens (this one was at 30mm). The first photo was ISO 320, 1/8 sec at f/4.5.

The second and third photos were shot at 35mm, ISO 640, 1/13 sec at f/4.5.
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Interestingly, they often sail up as close as they can without entering one of the tunnels. Then they walk across the water and rocky/muddy area and there is a walkway in the tunnel. They will often return the same way, just as a tide is starting to come in. I think it has more to do with the time of day of the tides whether they enter the harbor.

Thanks. I go back and forth on which I like better, which is why I ended up posting both.

I was sitting on the balcony reading a book and looked up. Then I ran for my camera. The light was great. These were shot looking west, with the Panamerican Highway causeway coming from Costa del Este reaching land again by Punta Pacifica. The lights at or near the horizon are anchored cargo ships outside the entrance to the canal.
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Nikon D850, Nikkor 18-35 (at 18mm), ISO 160, 3 sec at f/7.1

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Nikon D850, Nikkor 18-35 (at 18mm), ISO 320, 3 sec at f/5

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I am treated almost daily to beautiful light in the morning and at night. This morning was no exception. However, my eye was drawn to a scene almost straight down. There are three passages underneath the Panamerican Highway that have preserved small harbors for local fisherman. The first shot was of one of them at low tide.

The second shot was of part of the same scene but with a longer lens.
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Nikon D850 w/ 18-36mm lens (at 35mm), ISO 100, 1/60 sec at f/7.1

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Nikon D850 w/ Tamron 100-400 (at 200mm) ISO 1000, 1/1250 sec at f/6.3

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The correct answer to every post like this (what lens for ___, fill in the blank), begins with another question: "What do you like to photograph?" The variety of the answers to this post reflect the individuals' subjective preferences in this regard, not any sort of objective answer. No objective answer exists that would be correct for every person.

However, if a person tells me they love to photograph flowers or other tiny subjects wherever they go, a different lens would be a must.

My next question would be: "Do you know how to create a panorama?" I like to shoot landscapes and cityscapes. Many would recommend a wide-angle lens, but I often shoot with a 50mm to reduce distortion and then make a panorama, instead of shooting at 16mm. So the correct answer to the choice of lens is also dependent upon the photographer's skill with the camera and with post-processing.

The choice of a lens or lenses for a particular trip is not a question that lends itself to blog-type answers.

15. Each pair of numbers, xy = (x*y) + (x+y)

Thankful Maxson married Nathan Barber in abt 1753 and they had 11 children. Nathan Barber was my wife's 2nd cousin, 7 times removed.

I made a quick trip up to my home town of Eugene for a memorial service and got up before sunrise to go out in search of interesting light. It was a foggy morning in a lot of places and I pulled a complete amateur move of not packing a spare battery. My camera died before beautiful shots ended, but at least a got a few interesting ones first.

Lane County (Eugene is the county seat) has 21 covered bridges and claims that is more than any other county west of the Mississippi.
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The full-size photo is quite sharp, but I was shooting with a D850 so starting with 45mb RAW

In 1975 I visited the former WWII concentration camp near Mauthausen, Austria, located a few miles north of the left bank of the Danube, across the river from Enns. At that time, the Polish government had sponsored a photographic exhibit in one of the prisoner barracks: "Children at War." It was one of the most tragic and disturbing experiences one could have.

I have returned perhaps a dozen times. Over the past 20 years I have taken many people to Mauthausen. Although Mauthausen was not an extermination camp, an estimated 125,000 prisoners dies there. It is a soul-wrenching experience. Several prisoner barracks still stand, along with many of the administrative buildings, including two cremation ovens and a Zyklon-B gas "shower." Each time I visit I cry, but I keep going back to take others to see and feel.

In the 1960s, many countries established memorials to their citizens who died in this camp. One that moves me is the one from the former German Democratic Republic (DDR). The task of that government, to find appropriate words representing people who were both victims and perpetrators, was surely difficult. The photo here is of the memorial the DDR built. Here is what the words say (left first, then right):

Oh Germany, pale mother!
How your sons have judged you
That you sit among people
A ridicule or a fear!
(Berthold Brecht 1933) [note: this was the year Hitler became Chancellor]

Your sons
Who here fought
And starved
Carried faith
in the true
Germany
Into the future

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Vielen Dank!

I I explained in part 1, I took a small group to Austria. It's something like my 8th time with this itinerary, but I still love the chance to sneak away during the group's free time. As a great photographer once said, look for beautiful light and photograph what it happens to fall upon.

So here are a few more photos. Still doing work on all I shot.
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I got up at dawn to walk to the lake front at St. Gilgen. Wolfgangsee is the lake.

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I loved the mountains peaking through.

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The Rathaus (City Hall) in St, Gilgen. This is about 200 feet from the hotel where I always stay.

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Hallstatt. Perhaps my favorite village in Austria. Continuously inhabited for at least 4,000 years.

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Gosausee, looking at Dachstein in the clouds.

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I was waiting for a tour of Burg Forchtenstein and found this fountain an interesting subject.

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Yes, I believe there are two on the ridgeline. The summit has a large cross on it.

Thanks to everyone for you kind comments. I will post another set later today when I have a little more time.