Easter Island

Many years ago I spent some time in Easter Island. One day, with a rented jeep, I visited this part of the island, the quarry where Moais where carved before being moved to other areas. Luck or fate, I was the only visitor. Not one single tourist in sight. I decided to sleep there, in the car, and got to visit these beauties in the middle of the night, under a full moon, all by myself. I swear I heard them whisper. Magical.

© Nacho Hernandez

More travel photography in my website.

"If music be the food of love,

play on" - William Shakespeare.

Today is World Music Day.

© nacho hernandez

"Sometimes you have to play a long time

to be able to play like yourself." - Miles Davis

© nacho hernandez

A year ago, in Washington DC

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Or, more exactly, a year and one day ago. I don't think Obama has had much time for celebrations and the initial expectation seems to be wearing thin. Still wishing him good luck.

Rio 2016

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Congratulations to Rio de Janeiro, city which has just been nominated host of the 2016 Olympic Games. The other finalist was my hometown Madrid so my heart was a bit torn, but Rio and Brazil deserve this and I am sure that the 2016 games will be one big party. Hope to be there then.

Goodbye Rio, goodbye Ipanema

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Time to leave, after three months in Rio de Janeiro.
I will miss this rightly called "Cidade Maravilhosa". A lot.

Bad Waters

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

The Tupi indians got it right when they named this beach Ipanema (Bad Waters).

Although the name originally referred to the lack of fish, it also applies to the treasonous undercurrents that often trap over-confident swimmers, sucking them towards the ocean.

Some of them (like today, in the image) have to be rescued by casting a net from a chopper, proving that there is some fish to catch in Ipanema, after all ...

World Photography Day

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Apparently today is World Photography Day, whatever that may mean.

Go out and take a photo to celebrate.

Maracanã

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

If football is a religion in Brazil, Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro is its Sanctum Sanctorum. Most major teams from Rio play in this municipal stadium, one of the biggest in the world. Among them is Flamengo, whose supporters claim to be "a maior torcida do mundo", the biggest fan base in the world.

The keepers of the flame ...

Lazy Sunday afternoon in Rio

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

One of my Sunday rituals while living in the United States was to buy the New York Times and the Washington Post (a few kilos of journalism), and spend a lazy afternoon reading on the couch, sipping coffee or tea.

Now in Rio, I have realized that if I substitute the "Times" and the "Post" for "a Folha" and "o Globo", the coffee for a coconut or a caipirinha and the couch for a chair on nearby Ipanema beach, Sundays get even more relaxing.

The beautiful Rio winter light helps, of course ...

Apollo 11

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Exactly forty years ago today, the command module of the Apollo 11 was orbiting the Moon with Michael Collins on board, while his colleagues Neil Amstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin did the original "Moon Walk".

Today, the only section of the Apollo 11 that came back to Earth greets visitors at the entrance of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC (a museum not to be missed if you are in that town).

Arpoador - Rio de Janeiro

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Arpoador (also known as Arpex by the local crowd) is a rock / beach in Ipanema, and a major surf spot in Rio de Janeiro.

Cariocas also claim that it offers one of the best sunset views in town.

Surf in Rio

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Surf's up.

I am finally in Rio de Janeiro, where I'll be shooting and available for assignments during the next three months (June, July and August) .

Winter is coming but the light is great ...

Farewell Washington DC

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

As I pack and mop my own floors I realize two things:
1. I have accumulated too much junk over the years.
2. I will really miss this city.

I was going to do a list of all the things I like best and least in Washington but, the balance is so overwhelmingly positive that I will just say this: I will always carry this city in my heart.

That said, I am really looking forward to the future. During the next three months I will be based in Rio de Janeiro, and in September I will move to Manila, from where I will cover Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Stay tuned!

Rio de Janeiro

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

I will be based in Rio de Janeiro and available for assignments during the months of June, July and August. Please send me an email if you will need images from this city.

Some photos from Rio already available in my website's archive.

In the photo, Ipanema beach.

March on the Pentagon

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Last Saturday the streets of Washington DC saw the first big demonstration since Barack Obama is President. March 21st was the 6th anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq and thousands of protesters marched to the Pentagon to mark the date.

In the image, a demonstrator carries the American flag upside-down, a code for "distress".

More images of demonstrations in the streets of Washington in my website.

Protest in Washington DC

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Environmental groups lead by Greenpeace organized a march and a civil disobedience act in Washington yesterday. They blocked the entrances to the coal plant that heats the Capitol and the Congress office buildings, as a symbol of their fight against coal energy and to raise awareness about climate change. Very fittingly, when talking about climate change, we had one of the coldest days of the year (in March), and a snow blizzard during the night.

The streets of Washington continue to be a theater where the most diverse groups play out their frustrations regularly. You can see more images of protests in Washington in my website.

A new dawn for the USA?

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

A whoosh of fresh air blew through Washington DC this past week. 1.20.2009 will be remembered as the day when the system in this country was rebooted. It needed it badly.

I think that Barack Obama is honest, committed and has common sense by spades. He is cool too. A big, big change. The bad news for him is that the country is in shambles and the expectations are too high. The good news is that the bar has been set so low in the last eight years that it is almost impossible to do a worse job as President than his predecessor. Even if he tried. So, best of luck to Obama. We all need him to succeed.

In the image, the Washington Monument at dawn, a few hours before Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as 44th President of the United States of America. More images from inauguration week in my website www.nachohernandez.net

Obama's inauguration

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Washington is getting ready for Obama's inauguration. Tomorrow will be one of the biggest days in the history of the United States, and I will be witnessing and taking images of this historic day. Please send me an email if you need photos from the inauguration ceremony at the Mall in Washington DC.

Oh! bama

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez