Shaadi Faris' photostream  

Hit "L" to get a better view.

Another of my cliched New York shots! Though, this was my first try at a vertorama. I stitched two shots in order to get the tree and the whole of the tower together.

It was a bit of a nightmare getting set up to take this shot as the crowd was absolutely immense. I had to do a lot of preparing in order to get the shots as quick as possible and get the heck out of there. This is where the Sony A77 really shined for me. Having not only the live view, but a built in digital level made it so easy to quickly line up the shots and fire away.

Home of the Rockettes!

Spent New Years in New York and I was really looking forward to all the attractions lit up this time of year. Though, with crowds like nothing I've ever seen before it proved really challenging to get good positioning for photos with the big tripod/camera setup.

Also, I had read stories about overzealous security guards and their anti tripod agenda, and I must say I encountered a few of those guys as well. It's hard to think they see me and my tripod as a threat, but maybe the litigious nature of the US and the risk that someone might trip is the bigger reason behind the restrictions. Who knows.

The Bekaa Valley is Lebanon's most fertile region. It's also a nice escape from the humidity of the coast. I trekked way up to this water tower, high above the village of Karroun. As the sun set, the temperature settled to a comfortable 25C, and the breeze was just perfect.

A benefit of this climate and such arable ground is the abundance of fresh fruits available. I'm a sucker for watermelon and cantaloupe and I couldn't find a bad one in the whole country.

Karoun is a village (can we still call it a village with all those new buildings?) in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, a few hours drive from Beirut. My roots here go back several generations and it's always a pleasure going back for a visit.

I trekked up to a water tower situated high above the village for this shot. It was a hot day and the breeze up there coupled with a beautiful sunset was welcome relief.

Beiteddine Palace is located in a small town in the Chouf district of Lebanon, 50km SE of Beirut. Built between 1788 and 1818, it's now a summer resident for the President.

This stone room, located deep in the palace, gave cool relief from the summer heat that day. I truly loved the detail and symmetry in this room; very pleasing to the eye. The palace also contains fantastic hot baths, reminiscent of a time long since forgotten.