About this page

like father like son

Hello, I’m Dan. I like to take photos.

I’ve always had an interest in photography as far back as I can remember.  Growing up in a rural town in Upstate New York did not give me a ton of exposure to photography as an art form or expression, but photography was brought to me mainly by my family photo albums. My mom shot film with an old Pentax rigged with a 35mm lens and produced those kinds of classic photos that would scream out vintage 80’s American kids with hand me down clothes of the 70’s. Think classic tones, soft focus, and timeless captures.  I must have collectively spent a few weeks of my life thumbing through the pages and viewing framed classics in the little nooks of our house where the best portraits lived.  My initial experiments with photography came in High School with the utilization of disposable cameras and messing around with friends.  Once in a while I stumble upon the trove of pictures I took throughout the years and am instantly transported back to my youth.  Throughout college I forgot how much fun taking photos was and for stretches of time I’d forget to use the point & shoot I had purchased with the thought of taking pictures (of course).  I didn’t even bring a digital camera to New Zealand for a study abroad program, and relied instead on grabbing pictures from people I spent time with over there. Eventually after college I was gifted my first DSLR, a Nikon D40.  I was hooked from there.  My camera now goes with me most places regardless of if I have a good reason to bring it or not.

So along comes this blog.  It was created for two reasons.  #1: To have a place to put my pictures and write out my thoughts.  #2: For others to enjoy.  I’ve generally received positive feedback about my perspective, which adds fuel to the fire.  My goal is to constantly learn new techniques and capture images the way I think they should be, or at least try.  I think that any form of creative expression is a positive asset to the human experience.

Everyone has a story to tell even if they are unknowingly the subjects of a photograph (my favorite stories are found here).  I take into consideration that everyone I see, everyone I meet, and those I don’t all have a story to tell with their very own perspective on life.  I take interest in how they came up with their version of the world and how they fit in it.  I think we all have the ability deep within to create an environment of our choosing and salute those that take the initiative and make it theirs.  I feel it’s quite easy in this ever-evolving society we live in to fall into obligatory routines that can and mostly hinder personal growth and journeys that could otherwise lead us to truly finding out who we really are.  I’ve spent a few years wondering what kind of world I want to live in and how I can create that environment. I’m constantly working on putting these thoughts into action.

Thanks for stopping by.  If you want to contact, feel free to reach out at drajter@gmail.com

-Dan

 

 

99 thoughts on “About this page”

  1. Hi Dan,
    I am a fellow blogger and write on wordpress at http:info4youonmexico.wordpress.com. but I have a lot of trouble downloading my photos to where I want them to go and I have tons of pictures. Any suggestions? We are near Puerto Vallart by the way and you should not miss visiting the Pacific side with the fabulous Ocean,
    Warm regards,
    Charlotte Ortega

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    • Charlotte,

      I don’t think we are going to make it to the west coast as we have already moved eastward to Guanajauto. I hear it is beautiful there though. As far as the pictures go I just keep the best ones on the memory card and delete the rest. I put transfer small batches onto the computer to see how they look and go from there. I brought about 5 memory cards so when I fill one up I label it and will either mail it back home or hang onto them and hope I don’t lose them. We’ll see what happens!

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    • Dear All,

      It seems this blogging thing is just a global wide family.Fantastic. I continue to travel between Canada and Mexico my polarized worlds divided between the rich and the poor, the vibrant and the beige, the exotic and the mundane. I love my world, my life and the privelege of sharing not only my stories, but my resources day to day. Follow my blog on info4youonmexico.wordpress.com and give me some feedback.

      Warmly to all,my home in Mexico is in Mezcales, Nayarit and you are welcome to visit,Ican’t imagine anyone wanting to come to Oil and Gas City Calgary?

      Charlotte Ortega

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      • Thank you for stopping by, and more importantly for the open invitation to your home Charlotte! That is a very gracious offer and proves to me that Mexico is once again one of the most warm and open places to be. Everyone who we got to know always invited us into their homes and wanted to show us a good time laced with hospitality. I’m not headed up to Calgary any time soon, but if I ever end up there I’ll definitely say hello.

    • Hi Dan,

      Happy February to you! Your blog clearly shows your love of travelling as well as your dedication to and delight in bringing your many journeys and experiences to your readers. Hence, SoundEagle would like to congratulate you on the consistency and quality of your blogging endeavours. That you believe that most if not all of your readers wade through most of the contents in your long posts is another cause for celebration and also a testimony to the strength of your blog. Bravo!

      The only but important suggestion from SoundEagle to you here is that the size of your text be increased by at least one or two notches, as your font is quite small to read comfortably, even if/though some of your readers may know how to increase the font size in their chosen web browsers.

      If you are interested in SoundEagle’s multidisciplinary blog at http://soundeagle.wordpress.com, where Art, Science, Poetry, Music & Ideas can be free to mingle and roam, please kindly visit and comment on whatever strikes you as good or bad, excellent or problematic. Thank you.

      All the best!

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      • Greetings! Thank you for the in depth reply to my questions on feedback! I would love to be able to alter the font but I will have to invest some money into upgrading my blog in order to make these changes. Pretty soon I will probably go that route, but for now I’ll have to deal with the size. Thank you for stopping by and I’ll check out soundeagle!

      • You are very welcome, Dan! And you have SoundEagle’s admiration.

        Isn’t it great to be able to travel to various places and blog about what you like? My only concern is that flying leaves such a large ecological footprint.

        SoundEagle would also like to commend you on your English grammar, and also on your politeness and care that can be felt in the expressiveness of your prose. 🙂

  2. your blog was on the main home page and i started following you, since i am currently in guatemala, and plan on busing up and flying back home from guadalajara in august. looking forward to reading about your travels, let me know if you´d like any travel advice about costa rica, guate or ecuador!

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  3. I visited Mexico a few years ago and I really enjoyed my visit. Have you ever been to Guaymas(?)? It’s by the Sea of Cortez and it’s a beautiful place. There’s an island nearby, full of nothing of seals, you can visit. If you have some time, visit it. Enjoy your vacation.

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  4. What an awesome way to express your talents. I salute your efforts to live in the world you create. if only everyone had the same vision as you the World would be a wonderful place with amazing captured moments. I’m working on my talents and love photography. I will follow you to Argentina

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  5. Thank you for sharing your pictures, your feelings about the wonderful places you visit … and, most of all, your perspective 🙂
    It’s great!!
    G.

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  8. Follow your dreams and follow your heart. It will lead to great things. I’m celebrating my 10-year anniversary of taking the leap to change my life and now I am living the live I’ve always dreamed of. It’s possible. Buena suerte y bien viaje!

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  9. Hey there DR. I just began my blog on here for about the same reasons you did. I love taking pictures and posting the ones that speak a thousand words. I love looking at other people’s photographs as well. You have been blessed to capture the beauty of many parts of this world. I look forward to seeing more.

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  11. Hey Dan, your blog is amazing, and your trip and pics even more!!, I’ve started to improve my skills in photography getting ready for my trip to my country (Mexico), South America and then the rest of the world. I want to see for myself this wonderful world and show it to other, you’ve been an inspiration, I’m your fan and hope you be my fan one day 😉

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  14. Hello there, I love your photos, they are great! I also have a photography blog and I was wondering if you could tell me how you were able to add a page that when clicked went to another website, like your tumblr. I’ve been trying to figure out how to do that for my flicker page. Hoping you could help. Thanks.

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  16. Your blog is fantastic, from the beautiful photographs to the way you turn a phrase and share your thoughts, I’m hooked. Please keep up the good work (and maybe come visit me at beantraveling.wordpress.com). Cheers!

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  17. I’m so glad I have found your blog! Truly inspiring! Love your perspective and the destinations are just so wonderful and colourful! What lenses do you use?

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  18. I made my blog because I’ve been following “the right path” my whole life and I still haven’t found happiness. You’re an inspiration. I hope I’m brave enough to take chances like this one day! 🙂

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    • It’s never to late to be the person you want to be. That’s an extremely cheesey quote from Benjaman Button, but it’s one that resonates in my head sometimes and helps remind me to take the reigns. I hope your path is transformative, don’t look to hard for happiness but help pave the way for it to come into your world. Thanks for the kind comments, for following, and best of luck.

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  20. Hi Dan and Elissa!
    Thanks for leaving us your blog address this morning. We look forward to following your progress south. We have one too, if you guys want to look at any of the spots we’ve visited in Ecuador and Peru: http://www.becandthebeast.com. Very nice to meet you both!

    Que le vaya bien,
    Rebecca and Bob

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  21. Hello,
    Great blog. I enjoyed your article. I was hoping I could publish something on your site.

    I look forward to hearing your feedback.

    Thanks,

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  22. Just found your blog and started clicking around…great posts! I have a similar idea for a trip, but it was the opposite of yours–starting in Buenos Aires and working my way up. At first I wasn’t sure if I should save Central America for another trip…but then I saw your pictures. Looks amazing.

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    • I would definitely recommend getting to Central America and not skipping it. There are some countries there that have more a cultural presence than others, but it might not compare after seeing South America. Countries that are on the definite must see list in Central America are Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. I wasn’t particularly impressed with Costa Rica, Panama, or Belize very much and didn’t really spend any time in Honduras. But if you are going up, DO NOT skip Mexico. It was an amazing and beautiful place filled with a wonderful array of culture, food, and diverse environments AND was completely safe. Consider it, but give it at least 2 months to explore. Thanks for coming by!

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  24. Great blog, love the pictures and the info on where you went and your experiences there. I’m on a backpacking journey around the world, going to Mexico through to Chile in December, and enjoy reading what’s good to see. Thanks again! If you want to check out my blog, the address is http://lifepono.wordpress.com

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  25. Ah, I’d love to see that end of the world, and your blog kindled the wanderlust even more… one day, one day. Thank you for this! If you ever want any storytelling by a traveller in Eastern Europe, maybe my blog can repay you for the pleasure yours has given me – bridgekeepingtraveller.com 🙂

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  27. Everyone has a story to tell. My thoughts exactly. I love your tagline: Chasing the world. I recently returned to the States after living in Asia for three years. What I realized while abroad was that the more you see, the more there is to see. What am amazing site with amazing pictures. I’ll be back soon. And often.

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    • I like how you view the world as well. Life is short, and we are fragile beings in reality. Checked out your post on how not to die, I think this speaks on that. What an incredible event to live through. Asia must have been amazing. Southeast Asia is on my bucket list, which I’ve found out is actually pretty easy to access, you just have to be willing to go for it. Thank you for the kind words and compliments, and do stop by again.

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      • Speaking of Southeast Asia, I was just going to invite you to come see my side of the world. Am sure your camera will not be resting here as well. Travel safe and keep shooting for the moments. 🙂

  29. I find your blog inspiring! I also wonder what people’s stories are, and would like to find out as much as possible. Your pictures help me get in touch with other realities, that I did not know of before. Thank you and keep on doing what you are doing, you are really good at it!

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  33. I love your blog and your photography! I’ve only just started my own here recently, and am so inspired to show the world as many amazing sights as I can so I have recently bought a new camera! I’d love it if you could give me a few pointers on photography if you have a chance to check out a couple of my photos :). The posts I’ve done so far haven’t used my new camera but hopefully I’ll be posting new ones soon using the photos I take with it! 🙂

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  34. have just spent the last few hours trawling your pages! absolutely love your photos, and your travels! been to a few of the places you have been, dreaming of visiting some more too. thanks for sharing, have decided to follow your journey! are you going to peru? if so, i think your photos are going to be AWESOME from there, since its so photogenic there! greetings from australia! anna 🙂

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  35. Hey!
    My name is Joey Petrila, i’m 14 years old, have lived on a boat for over 8 years of my life, and have just started a blog on a current trip I am doing through Europe for the next 2 months. I was wondering if you could help me out by reblogging maybe one of my posts? Thanks anyways, and good luck on your trip!

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  36. Dan, this is amazing rich blog. I would like to use some of your images on my blog which probably you won’t be able to read coz its Arabic as I am from Saudi Arabia. My name is Shaker Wadinly. My blog “Shakertainment” is for E-entertaining news in Arabic and I find your trips as exciting for readers. If you wanna take a look please do not hesitate .. you might need to use Google Translate.
    http://www.wadinly.com

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  37. Hi Dan,
    you have a really great blog full of posts and AMAZING photos.
    I’m happy I discovered it tonight. I added it to my favorites (at the top of the list) and I will definitely be back to read it again. I hope you can find a few minutes to see mine.
    See you soon!

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  41. Great blog. Just checked your link to Instragrid and the sites developing it’s version 2, so your images aren’t showing. Maybe switch it to the general instagram site?

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  50. Hi Dan,
    How do you like the music there? The Mexican’s have their own sound and very nice at that. My blog is about music and the places I have been. You learn a lot from every place you go to. Have a listen to my music and enjoy. You can access it by clicking on the album cover on my web page. That will take you to iTunes and if you click on the album cover there you can sample the music for free.
    Leslie

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  54. Hi Friend, happened to stumble on your blog. Amazing photos and stories, brother. Love to spend time on your blog when I get surrounded by drab office work. On another note, can you share your camera specs and the lenses you have been using?
    Greetings from India!

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  55. Hi Friend, happened to stumble on your blog. Amazing photos and stories. Love to spend time on your blog in the middle of drab office work. On another note, can you share your lenses specs?
    Greetings from India!

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  56. Hello – what gorgeous photos you take. Great to see we have a Kiwi connection too 🙂 Do you feel comfortable taking your SLR throughout Central America? We were going to take a small point and shoot but looking at your gorgeous photos, I wonder if I should be risking taking my SLR regardless!

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    • Sarah,

      That’s totally up to you and what you feel comfortable doing. With that being said, just about everyone traveling has some sort of image capturing system that they use to snap pictures, you just have to be wise about it and keep it close by. I bought a hand woven over the shoulder bag in Guatemala that I kept my DSLR in at all times and rarely used my holster bag. It doesn’t feel comfortable at first, but after you get a sense of the scene your intuition on appropriate situations for creating images develops. The best feeling is when you first arrive to a new destination, and that bit of familiarity disappears that you had from the last town. I find that my images from the first day in a new place are often erased, and as I learn the way the life ticks along I become more comfortable and more intimate with the subject.

      They do take up a bit more room in your backpack too. It depends on what kind of images you want too. How long are you traveling for? If you bring your SLR, bring lots of memory cards 🙂

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  57. Hello Dan!

    Let me know if you need any tips on Argentina or Chile!

    You are in the midst of a wonderful experience, and I am a little jealous you get to do it! This was a wise choice, I will follow you! Best,

    AP

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  60. just stumbled across this blog. I’m in colombia for the next few weeks on the end of a 3 month brazil, ecuador, colombia adventure. loving your pics 🙂 do you have an instagram account?

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  61. Aloha Dan, you have an amazing blog! We look for passionate travelers and outdoor enthusiasts to share their experiences with our community. Our blog, Outdoorjunkiez builds from ambassadors representing a new brand of community and would love to share a favorite story of yours. If interested, shoot us an email, outdoorjunkiez@gmail.com / we are working to get our OJz members free swag and love to share the blogs they already have to help share the love. Mahalo from Hawaii! – Jane and Drew (co-owners)

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  63. Hi Josh, Just wondered if you have had a chance to check out my blog on Mexico.I am a Brit but Calgary Canada is home now with a chunk of time spent in Mexico in the Winter warming my aging joints.I have some interesting cultural tips and photos too. Warmly Charlotte Ortega

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  67. Hey Dan, I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, as I’m on my own travels and it’s been very helpful. Also, I’ve started an (eventual non-profit) organization called The Wandering Samaritan (http://thewanderingsamaritan.org) and I think you’ll like it. Basically, takes the Penny Karma concept (which I was initial considering) and tries to expand to all international travelers. It’s still in the early stages with new website coming soon, but I think you’ll get the idea. I’d love to have a chat if you’re into it…we share the same spirit there and I’m looking for new applicants. Keep up the good work! -Jason

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  69. Gotta say, this blog is definitely worth the follow – great job , loving all the beautiful photography and stories! 🙂
    Apart from my blog, I’ve got a project called Showzee (http://www.showzee.com) that might definitely interest you, take a look and if you fancy it, request an invite and I’ll fast track you!

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  70. Dan, thank you for sharing!

    Your pictures are just outstanding, both unusual and very pertinent, deep and powerful. They capture and haunt viewer’s mind…

    Work of quality and, God damn, what a talent!

    I’ll definitely take a ride,

    Cheers,

    Ekaterina

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  72. Wonderful images and stories. Glad to have stumbled upon this blog! We just came back from Argentina and this definitely inspires me to work on my photographs a bit more..

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  74. Loving your blog, great photos and full of inspirations! Will definitely keep up to date with your travels and feel free to check out my startup http://www.showzee.com – i think you’d really like it – we focus on sharing journeys, adventures & experiences 🙂

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  75. Wow amazing blog! You have some talent with the camera too, your pictures are just incredible! I love flicking through your travel tales, they are so interesting and inspirational. I am a fellow traveller and there are so many places on your list which I have not been to yet, I will have to make sure I check in here before I get around to ticking them off my list!
    Love the blog and keep living your awesome life!

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  76. Hey Dan,

    Glad I found your adventures blog. Your photos and insights do just what you intended! Don’t let up on your lust for adventure and fine photography.
    Guatemala and Ecuador are high on my list. Hopefully, next fall after apple season I can coerce Mitch into a drive to SA.
    Your and yours are always welcome at the apple orchard.

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    • Hey Jim!
      Glad you found the blog too! Its been a side project for a while, still playing catch up on the trip a few years later but I’m determined to finish it! I have lots more to add after I get to the end and play catch up to get up to speed.

      I don’t think Mitch will need much coaxing to go along with that plan, what an awesome adventure that would be to share that experience father/son style. I’d recommend flying down & getting around either by public transportation (super convenient/easy if you are ok with roughing it from time to time) or buying a beater when you are down there. Lots of time can get chewed up driving from the US down there (plus like 10 border crossings & having to ship your vehicle from Panama to Colombia can chew up a good amount of time), and we spent 3 months in Colombia alone, such a beautiful country. Mitch gets around quite a bit himself, I almost went to Morocco myself this year and saw he was over there a few weeks back (might still be there?). I’m currently in Greece for about 3 weeks savoring a nice little break.

      We missed apple season this year due to multiple September weddings chewing up the weekends and my lady started Graduate school, but we’ll be around next fall for sure!

      Thanks for the note & I hope all is well!

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  77. Awesome blog! I am brand new to wordpress with only 2 posts under my belt and zero knowledge of coding and embedding. However, I leave tomorrow for a month long trek through Europe. I am looking for followers who can help me out! My brother is a website designer and will be helping learn and grow when I return. But, consider following my site and helping me get started http://www.goodvibetraveler.wordpress.com Thanks and look forward to following you!
    Jen

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  78. I just found your blog and am so glad I did! Beautiful photographs and well written posts. I’m looking forward to learning more about places I know very little about. Thanks for sharing! (Side note: I’m also a scientist/photographer/travel writer)

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