Loreto City Hall
Loreto City Hall
Loreto at Night
Do not adjust your iPad: Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó (1697) is not, in fact, related to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Cameras love the Baja. How photogenic is this place?! Every time I visit Loreto (and Loreto Bay), which is about three times annually, since our casa was finally completed. For a guy like me, who can’t get enough of the DSLR revolution, it’s a veritable potpourri of stunning landscapes, rainbow wheels of color, and mesmerizing skys.

On each visit I try to capture a different aspect of Baja California Sur.

Previously I’ve challenged myself to capture the people- candid shots of locals and gringos alike; the historic landmarks- there are so many like the iconic Lady of Loreto (Mision), San Javier Mission, cave paintings; the food- tacos pescados (does it get any better?), tortillas, mole. This time I realized I had lots (and I mean lots) of archived shots of Loreto by day, but not much by night. For the last 10 days I’ve taken the Canon EOS T2i with me (the 60D stays home, safe from the desert, dust) after dark to capture what I can.

I’ve also started (to try) to frame shots uniquely as I can. In the past I realize that I’ve been somewhat bland in that regard; squared shots with boring framing, and often violating the vaunted rule-of-thirds. I’m not about to declare victory still, not by a long shot. But at least now I’m frequently reminding myself to think creative when it comes to composition.

If Loreto is stunning by day, she’s magnificent at dusk. I’m particularly amazed at the cloud formations. Drama takes many forms–plays, movies, books–but the sky alone here is a mini-series in the making. I’ve never seen such brilliant stars! The clarity and expanse must be seen to be believed. Of course, it helps when you have the glorious Sierra de la Giganta to the west, and the crystal blue Sea of Cortes opposite.

Here are 21 of my favorites, culled from over 700 shots on my MacBook Pro. Canon EOS Rebel T2i. Canon 18-200mm lens. I’ve also realized that I need to vary my lens; all of these were taken with the telephoto. I need to swap it out for the 50mm in the next few days.

Note: I also post photos on the Stark Insider Facebook page.

Loreto Bay
Loreto Bay - A view across the Agua Viva neighborhood
Paseo, Loreto Bay
Paseo, Loreto Bay
Loreto City Hall
Loreto City Hall
Cactus
Cactus - the Loreto 7-Eleven.
Dusk over the Sierra de la Giganta
Sierra de la Giganta at dusk.
View down Hidalgo, downtown.
View down Hidalgo, downtown.
Dining at La Palapa.
Dining at La Palapa.
Rain clouds forming early Thanksgiving evening.
Rain clouds forming early Thanksgiving evening.
Wine Cellar from the Paseo, close to the Inn at Loreto Bay
Wine Cellar from the Paseo, close to the Inn at Loreto Bay
Starry night, from the tower of our Loreto Bay home, "Casa Del Lagarto Azul".
Starry night, from the tower of our Loreto Bay home, "Casa Del Lagarto Azul".
Dusk
Dusk.
Outdoor kitchen
Outdoor kitchen.
Loreto Bay
European style walkways.
Loreto Bay AV25
Another tower view - my favorite place to enjoy a glass of Chardonnay.
Loreto sky
The Baja sky mesmerizes.
Downtown Loreto
1697 - A Dario Argento set if I ever saw one.
Loreto Bay
Thanksgiving at the Wine Cellar.
Wine Cellar, Loreto Bay
Chatting with the owners Will and Cynthia.
Loreto Bay
Village at dusk.
Wine Pairing - wild edition
There's always something new to learn when it comes to wine pairing.
Clinton Stark
Clinton shoots videos for Stark Insider. San Francisco Bay Area arts, Ingmar Bergman and French New Wave, and chasing the perfect home espresso shot 25 seconds at a time (and failing). Peloton: ClintTheMint. Camera: Video Gear