My New Photography Website
Hello everyone! I have been absent for quite some time and I just want to give you a few updates. I have been working hard on a new website that displays more of my work and it would be great if you can take a look and let me know what you think!
Check it out here: http://www.benricardphotography.com
Canyoning in Rocchetta Nervina, Italy
A brand new video of mine of my adventures in Italy last week. It was one of the best days and experiences of my life and I tried my best to capture the essence of the day in the video!
Please Like & Share it if you enjoyed it!
-Ben
I AMsterdam.
I finally made it to Amsterdam. That one European city you hear about all the time since you were about the age of 15. Why? Because there is legal marijuana and the Red Light District of course!
So, my objective of this blog post is to erase that image that people have of Amsterdam. The marijuana and the Red Light District is just a fraction of what the city has to offer. Sure, you can argue that it brings tourism which equals business which equals jobs which equals money, but in reality, it’s the wrong kind of tourism because it just brings people that will most likely disrespect the city (Las Vegas, that includes you too).
What I am trying to get to here is that Amsterdam is one of the best cities I have ever been too so far. Everything from the friendly people, to the endless canals, to the bicycles, to the variety of food, to the parks, Amsterdam is everything a city should be. Sure, the marijuana doesn’t hurt. This city has something to offer to everyone. If you enjoy museums, I recommend you check out the Anne Frank House (yes, I never actually realized she lived in Amsterdam), the Van Gogh Museum, and the EYE Museum of film. I also recommend exploring the city by bicycle, which was my favorite part of the city. They truly are the only bicycle city in this world. A fact that I learned from someone I met over there said that the canals are about 6 meters deep (roughly 18 feet), and that 3 meters of it is old bicycles dumped into the canals. Oh ya, and there are more canals than Venice, Italy. So that just gives you an idea of how many bicycles there are in Amsterdam!
Below are some of my favorite pictures from the trip. Of course I had a lot more where that came from, but I want to save some maybe for a future post, depending if you liked the pictures or not!
-Ben
Gourdon: A Hidden Gem on the French Riviera
When one thinks of the French Riviera, they will think of topless women, fancy cars, and kilometers of sandy beaches. Although true, there is a lot more culture and history in the South of France than some (mainly Parisians) might otherwise think. Gourdon is exactly what you imagine when you think of a Medieval French village. It was strategically built on top of a hill to defend it’s citizens during times of war. With only one entrance, this small village hosts one of the best panoramic views in the South. On the clearest of days, you can see the island of Corsica with the naked eye. Gourdon is known for their specialty items such as their fruit shaped candles, fresh goat cheese and seasoned ‘saucisson’. Although not nearly as popular as St. Paul de Vence, Gourdon has become a very popular destination for bikers, hikers, and anyone else who desires to escape the busy coastal cities. But don’t come here just to grab a quick coffee, because that will cost you a small price of €10.50! Please share your hidden gems of the French Riviera in the comments section!
-Ben
Welcome to Nice, France
Enjoy some of my newest photos taken from atop of the world famous Castle Hill in Old Nice. Click here if you are interested about the history of Castle Hill!
Please follow my blog for more pictures from around the world =)
-Ben
My Top-10 Hawaiian Sunsets
About 10 days ago I posted a picture of one of my favorite sunset shots that I took in Hawaii. You can view it here (Hawaiian Sunset at Turtle Bay Resort). In that blog post I explained that about 75% of my pictures from that trip were sunsets (but really, who can blame me?). So, today I am offering you a look at my top-10 favorite sunset shots that I took from that same Hawaii trip. How would you rank them?
10. 
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Please like, share, and comment if you enjoyed this post! Also, don’t forget to follow my blog for more photography from around the world!
Ben
Glowing Grafitti
A few weeks ago, I posted a blog post about the history of our ancient French monastery that has been passed down in our family for several generations. Click here if you want to read about it more and also look back and see the images I took of the Milky Way as well. The images below were taken on the same night. After dinner we decided to build a camp fire from scratch using one of the best fire starters, pine cones. We laughed, we drank, we then played with sticks of burning fire and acted like we were in the movie Highlander. Anyways, please like, share, and comment if you enjoyed these sweet pictures!
Lover’s Beach, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Welcome to Lover’s Beach, Cabo San Lucas, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Only the bravest of adventurers can set foot on these majestic sands because there is no dock, no direct access, and often times large waves to restrict any average tourist from coming. Don’t believe me? Just look at the images below and you will notice that there is not one single person other than myself and my girlfriend on the beach. During the day you can take a glass-bottom boat and try and jump out to swim to the sands, but most people just watch and take pictures from the water. My girlfriend and I pursued a more non-traditional route and walked along the entire peninsula until we reached it. The excursion took us about an hour, but it was an absolutely amazing experience to do it. Have you ever been to Lover’s Beach before? Share your experience in the comments!
Ben
Fun fact of the day: There is a ‘Divorce Beach’ adjacent to ‘Lover’s Beach’. The name ‘Divorce Beach’ was given because of the high volatility of the ocean, similar to an unsteady relationship. 
The Liebster Blog Award
I would first like to thank Kerbey (http://sanceau.com/) for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award, which, apparently is like initiation week for pledges in a college frat house. It is a tradition to pass the baton to new bloggers in the WordPress community with less than 200 followers. So again, Kerbey, I thank you for appreciating my work, even though you are putting me through a grueling series of steps!
So, here is the short list of steps needed to successfully accept your Liebster Award:
1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog. (check)
2. Link back to the blogger who awarded you. (check)
3. Copy & Paste the award to your blog . (check)
4. List 11 Random Facts about yourself.
5. Answer the questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
6. Nominate 5 blogs that you enjoy to receive the award and who have less than 200 followers.
7. List 11 questions for your nominees.
8. Inform them of their nomination by leaving a comment on their blog.
Step 4: 11 Random Facts About Me
- I have both US and French citizenship (thanks Mom & Dad)
- I have never broken a bone (knock on wood)
- I get paid to play Basketball
- Sushi is my favorite food
- I have traveled to more countries than US states
- I played 4 years in NCAA Basketball
- I have dissected a real human in my Anatomy class
- I had a pet chameleon for 3 years
- I played Basketball with Jamie Foxx once
- I like all types of music from electronic to classic rock (but not country, sorry)
- The Great Wall of China is still my favorite monument I have seen in my life
Step 5: Answer the questions asked by the blogger who nominated you
- How often do you blog and why? I blog as often as I can because there is no better feeling than sharing some of your work that random people find just as awesome as I do.
- How do you like your eggs? If you don’t eat eggs, what is wrong with you? I love eggs and I like mine either scrambled or fried. And don’t forget lots of butter, salt, and pepper.
- Did your parents take enough pictures of your childhood? Yes, my mother did a great job of making photo albums. I have an older brother and an older sister and each of us have 3 photo albums each. I always told them that if our house burned down, I would go straight for the photo albums, and then probably my laptop, because that is my other life.
- Who was one of the first authors to impact your young life? Depending on what young means, I will have to choose R.L. Stine with the Goosebumps series. Or a little older would be Agatha Christie with her mystery/crime/thriller novels.
- Do you own a Kindle or do you read books made of paper, as is the natural order of things? Now I own a Kindle because it was a gift after graduating college. That Summer, I read 9 books because it is incredibly easy to access so many on an e-reader. I personally enjoy the feel and smell of a real book but I found the transition was not hard at all.
- How do you feel about magazines? I only seem to purchase them at airports. I end up just looking at the images and kind of ignore the articles. I prefer to read a book or just play a game to pass the time.
- You’ve just adopted a happy golden retriever and an arrogant, Siamese cat from the animal shelter. What do you name them? Rocky (dog) and Bullwinkle (cat). An arrogant, Siamese cat named Bullwinkle? My life would be complete.
- Can you drive a stick shift? This is a great question. I don’t know how to drive stick. In France, almost everyone drives stick and the friends I’ve made here make fun of me for not knowing how to. My excuse is that I just say I am American, and they kind of shake their head. They offered to teach me so I will learn soon.
- If you become an award-winning writer and go on The Tonight Show to pimp your book, and companies start hounding you to endorse their product, which product would you choose to endorse? (I have already disclosed that I would endorse Ross Dress for Less, pieces of gum stuck on dressing room stall doors notwithstanding.) I would endorse Nutella, because there is nothing better knowing that you can have a lifetime of free Nutella.
- Does it bother you that Bart Simpson is voiced by a woman and Miss Piggy is voiced by a man? Well, now that you have taught me something new today, it disturbs me in a way that I will still be able to happily live on with my life even after knowing this information.
- Should men moisturize, and have you ever met one that has? Yes, some of my teammates moisturize before and after games. I personally don’t but I don’t see anything wrong with it, especially if you actually have dry skin.
Step 6: Nominate 5 blogs that you enjoy to receive the award and who have less than 200 followers
- Pretty Girl Pics http://prettygirlpics.wordpress.com/ because who doesn’t like to look at pretty girls?
- Marco from Italy http://orientaljourney.wordpress.com/ because I support anyone who takes big, life risks.
- Kirsty Gail http://kirstygail.wordpress.com/ because I support fellow students who are taking action.
- Christina http://christinamiltonphotography.wordpress.com/ because she is a talented, young photographer.
- Luke Robinson http://blog.mortalcoil.com/ because it is a well written travel blog and fantastic images.
Step 7: List 11 questions for your nominees
- What is your biggest fear?
- What was the last book you read?
- Do you believe in aliens?
- What is your ultimate dream job?
- Do you follow the news? If so, which news source is the most reliable for you?
- What is your favorite place you have traveled so far?
- How many languages can you speak?
- If asked randomly on the street, “Can you point where Azerbaijan is on a map?” Can you do it?
- What is your most played song in iTunes or any other music application?
- If offered Fugu, would you eat it?
- What were you worrying about one year ago from today?
Well, I finally made it. Again I want to thank Kerbey for nominating me and I am more than happy to pass the baton on to other fellow WordPress bloggers.
Hawaiian Sunset at Turtle Bay Resort
When I played college basketball at Chapman University, we took a 10-day trip to Oahu to play BYU Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific University. Fortunately, our program broke their budget a little bit and spoiled us student athletes by staying at the world famous Turtle Bay Resort for the entire stay and let me tell you, it was one hell of a basketball trip! Hawaii is such a magnificent place to photograph that I ended up with over 2,000 images after 10 days. Of which, 75% were sunsets. But who can blame me, Hawaii has some of the best sunsets in the world. This picture was taken from the main pool at Turtle Bay Resort. Please like, share, and comment if you enjoyed this picture!
Ben
Ben Ricard Photography & Film 