Beach Paradise at Tulum in Mexico

Beach Paradise

Just a bit of paradise at the beach near the Mayan Ruins of Tulum in Mexico, as seen during our 2016 cruise to Mexico. It was beautiful, with just about everything you could want in a beach. But you can probably tell that just from looking at this photo, right?

The only downside of our visit was that we did not have all that much time to spend at the beach. Not that I am complaining, however. I was just happy that we got to go there at all. And I am happy to have some photos to remember it by, too. Memories may dim over time, but photos like this one help to keep those memories alive.

See more from our visit to Tulum in the 2016 Cruise to Mexico Trip Report. And see more about how this photo was created in the About the Photo section down below.

Bible Verse

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. - Psalm 19:1

About the photo

I know what you are saying to yourself: “Hey, Steve! You don’t usually post a square-formatted photo! What’s up?” Or maybe you were not saying that to yourself until just now when I suggested it. Either way, there is a reason why this photo is not the usual landscape-oriented photo that I usually post. And yes, this is not exactly a square, either.

As you can see, this location was beautiful. But it was difficult to get it all into one photo. So this is not just one photo. Instead, it is two photos merged together.

First off, here are the two photos that were used:

Each of those photos had a pretty good view, but neither one of them on its own captured the full scene. Never fear, Photoshop to the rescue!

I opened each of the photos in Photoshop, and then copied and pasted one into the other file on a separate layer. With both layers selected, I chose Edit > Auto Blend Layers > Panorama mode. However, I had to turn the photos 90 degrees because Photoshop couldn’t figure out to do a top-to-bottom panorama. Once the program had put the two photos together, I rotated the resulting photo back the way it should be. The two photos do not line up perfectly, but Photoshop took care of all of that and even blended the colors together. If I had not told you, you probably would not be able to tell that it was not originally one photo. And even now that you know, you still may not be able to see where the blend is. Hint: it is not a straight-across line. I can’t tell just by looking, either.

After the two photos were blended into one, I merged the layers and went about processing the resulting photo as I usually do.

I was really happy with how this photo turned out. And it makes me want to shoot some more panoramic photos in the future, even if they are not your standard really-wide panorama views, knowing how easy it is to put them together using Photoshop.

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens
Date: July 18, 2016
Location: Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico