sky drama.

If you’ve been to Viejo (old) San Juan, then you’ve no doubt noticed the garitas (sentry turrets). The Garitas line the ancient wall that surrounds Old San Juan and are so iconic to the culture and history of the Island of Puerto Rico, that they even appear on the license plates.

This prominent cultural representation coupled with the fact that they are extremely easy to approach makes them a popular subject to photograph. Everyone who visits Viejo San Juan with a camera has snapped at least one photo (or 50) of these iconic structures.

So how do you snap a unique photo of one of the most photographed objects in the world?

A healthy portion of Puerto Rican Rum helps, but the easiest solution is to pay attention to the skies.

I spent 4 sunsets shooting this location in order to capture the right amount of sky drama. It may have been a wee bit obsessive on my part but I was determined to get the shot just right.

Check out some more HDR Photos of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Technical Mumbo Jumbo:

– Nikon D700 – Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8@ 24mm f/3.3 Iso: 100
– 3×7 Exposure Brackets (-3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3)
HDR Photography Processing & Tone Mapping using Photomatix Pro
– Stitched Vertical Panorama with Autopano Giga
– Post Processing & Color Correction in Photoshop
– Enhanced detail with Nik Software Sharpener Pro
– Sharpened Edges with Topaz InFocus
– Additional (aggressive) Selective Contrast
– Cropped Result
– sky drama

Daily Banana – La Garita del Morro

(move the slider to compare before and after)

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HDR Photo (Pic) - Viejo (Old) San Juan, Puerto Rico - La Garita Del Morro
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