How I Got This Shot - the Story Behind my Mexican Sunset Series
In May of 2019 I got the chance to visit Mexico for the first time in my life; a trip that would set off a passionate love affair with this beautiful country and its people and traditions. One of the first places I had the opportunity to discover was the small island of Holbox in the Carribean. Wonderful doesn’t even begin to describe this beautiful paradise. The trip to Holbox took me through the jungles of the Yucatan from Playa del Carmen to Chilquilá, where I took a ferry for about half an hour to arrive to the island.
Holbox is a place with many natural wonders, and being a small island, you can easily discover it all during your visit on foot or by bicycle – a dune buggy, if you fancy. The island is a favorite place for flamingos to gather and feed, which brings many bird enthusiasts to the western-most corner of the island, fittingly named Punta Cocos or Coconut Point. The more adventurous can even have a real life encounter with alligators during a canoe trip through the many lagoons spread along the southern coast.
There is no shortage of hammocks on the island, reflecting the laid-back, easy going lifestyle that is the main selling point of this holiday destination. You can even lay in a hammock right in the azure blue sea all day if you so wish. What captivated me most on the island were the beautiful sunsets at the beach. I found Mexico to be the place with the most incredible sunsets I have ever seen, and Holbox has been far the prettiest place for sunset gazing so far. The ever calm, crystal clear waters reflect the unreal orange, pink and magenta colors that manifest during the hour preceding the sunset. It’s a surreal feeling, as if the sky and the earth merge into one giant orange ball that completely envelops anything that comes into contact with it.
At first I couldn’t even bring my hands to press the shutter as I thought it is impossible to capture such beauty. The strong orange light of the sunset seemingly sucked all the color away from the people and birds bathing in its warm rays, creating sharp silhouettes that look magical and mystical in the pictures. I feel that these pictures that came from it can only do so much justice to the real thing. But they became some of my favorite photos that fill me with the feeling of happiness and joy that I felt on the island and hope that it communicates some of that to the people looking at them too.
If you like these pictures and would like to see them hanging on your wall, or give it as a gift for a friend, you can order a print from the store.
