This photo, taken in Porto Palermo, Albania, contains the fortress of Ali Pashe Tepelena, an Albanian ruler during the 1700s. The fortress, in case you can't see it, is located in the small island in the middle right side of the photo. And yes, the picture was taken from a moving car. While taking photos from the car, train, or any other moving vehicles, the closer objects will be shown as the most vague, which explains why the blurriness is especially visible on the bottom left corner of the picture, cleverly covered by my signature. The ones in the remoteness, such as the mountains and the tiny fortress, will be vague the smallest amount. And in case you're thinking that the picture looks ill-composed, that the fortress could have been more of a focal point, and that I should have probably taken the time to get out of the car and take a proper picture of a national treasure with great cultural significance, well, maybe you should stop being so critical! It's the thought that counts.

I took this photo in Durres, Albania, just half an hour drive away from the capital city of Tirana. It was early summer, which explains the lack of crowds there. The focal point here is the tree, as it breaks the otherwise peaceful, if not dull, imagery and it provides for a place for the eye to rest. Another thing to remember is that horizons should never be sloping, but should almost always be horizontal. This photo is best enjoyed when having Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" playing in the background, while imagining an inadequately clothed Helena Christensen look-alike dancing around. Imagination, it's a good thing.

Here's a photo taken in Dhermi, Albania. Travelling and getting out in nature to capture some of the amazing beauty that you see is one of my favorite things to do and photograph. Being able to afford to travel and to find the time to get out is a different story. (Subtle hint: Click on the ads to the right.) It also comes down to being lucky while scoping out different locations, as oftentimes they are rarely the magical places that you expect them to be after hearing your grandparents fondly describing them as such with tears rolling down their wrinkly, tubby, smelling-like-freshly-baked-cookies cheeks. Mmmm. Freshly baked cookies.

Night photography can be a fun activity. That is, if your definition of fun involves taking photos in the coldest part of the day and waiting for long periods of time for the right exposure. The results, however, can be rewarding, as the camera is able to pick up details that will often escape our human eyes. This photo is best enjoyed if stared at pensively from different angles with squinty eyes, preferably while having some Shakira playing in the background. Yes, Classy is my middle name.

This photo was taken at a rocky beach in the south of Albania. Walking there can be tricky and a bit of a pain. This was a shell I almost stepped on while going for a swim, but instead I decided to take a photo of it. Then, I furiously and repeatedly stepped on it, breaking it into tiny little pieces. No, I actually brought it home with me and managed not to break it. True story.