Hello my friends,

Greetings from Antigua Guatemala!  Day one and I´ve been blissed out all day with how wonderful things are, and how things just work out so divinely!   It seems every time I travel I end up meeting the most divine people- people who end up becoming lifetime friends, like my dear friend Juan Carlos in Guatemala.   And this trip is off to a very good  start indeed… on the plane I sat next to a wonderful man who just made me smile from the moment I met him.   He invited me to photograph his huge ranch in Costa Rica, and when we parted I had that little feeling in my belly like- oh yea, I´ll see you in a few months.  funny.

And last night as I was leaving for the airport  I realized that I didn´t have a charger for my Canon 5D batteries.  This was a huge problem since the stores were closed and the charger was at home (7 hours away).  Without the charger, I couldn´t do the work I came to do… and I knew it would be hard to find in a store here.  So, we checked out a few stores in Guatemala City to no avail.  And then 10 minutes after arriving in Antigua, I met yet another wonderful man named Phil who happen to have a canon camera too…  I was totally overwhelmed with gratitude when he told me to keep the charger for the rest of my trip, and mail it back to him when I get home. Can you say miracle?

I spent the rest of the day taking in the beauty of Antigua, talking with fabulous people, and working out details of an upcoming photography workshop in Antigua next year.  This is really the perfect place to learn photography- it´s a photographers dream…. textures, details & beauty everywhere.  Soon  I´ll be headed up to Pana to work with the amazing group of volunteers at Safe Homes For Children. There´s lots of work to be done, and I´m so excited about the chance to work with this great group!

Although I´m so anxious to show you photos, my internet is snails pace… so the photo blog my be photoless for a week, but I promise to make it to you with some amazing photos soon!

Blessings!

Melanie Soleil – Essence Photography