The colors of twilight. I love them. They make me happy :D. I love the subtle yet vibrant colors and the silhouettes of the mountain islands. Sunsets here in the British VI are truly a blessing.

I call this one Road to Rest. Can’t you see the promise of just the most relaxing, calming day at the end of the road.

I Love empty roads like this. I wish I could have gotten a bit more height to catch more of the beach and water, but I am pretty happy with it otherwise. This was my first trip to Anegada…even though have lived in the British Virgin Islands all my life. Funny right. Well, at least I finally got there. Better late than never :D

A mini lesson on lighting :D . One tree, tree different looks.

Well, after discovering this fantastic tree at Nanny Cay the other day I decided to give it my full attention and show how the difference in lighting can really give an image a completely different feel.

The top image was taken at sunrise. Ambient lighting was low and so the tree showed up more as a silhouette since there was not enough light to brighten the foreground and the front of the tree. Its a gorgeous tree though so a silhouette works well with it. One important thing to remember when taking silhouette shots that too many photographers seem to forget is that the Shape is vitally important. If everything is clumped together it is going to look like a giant clump as a silhouette. Look for subjects that have nice lines and form when going for a silhouette shot :D Moving along…

The middle image was taken on a completely overcast day . It actually started raining a few minutes after I took this shot. Because it was so overcast, the lighting was beautiful and even throughout the image, giving a really airy and relaxing feel. Don’t you just feel like taking a nap under the tree :D

The bottom image was taken early in the morning still but the sun was higher up than in the top image. There was more overall ambient lighting and so the foreground was more lit. Because of the position of the sun there was also beautiful shadows being thrown by the tree in the foreground.

Lighting is obviously one of the most important elements in photography. Learn to see the light and more importantly Feel the mood it creates. Imagine different scenarios based on different lighting situations and then go out and capture them. Pick one subject and re-examine it again in a different light and you will be surprised and more often than not excited over the results you get :D

Fail, Fail, Success!!

We head out this beautiful morning intent on trying for another beautiful Tortola sunrise.I was completely prepared this time with galoshes and tripod in hand. Unfortunately it was rainy and overcast and 30 minutes later we were on the way back home. On the way back we noticed that there was a bike race in progress and as the bikers sped by , I briefly entertained the thought of maybe getting a few shots of them in action. It was a fleeting thought and soon forgotten until J sped up, passed them then stopped the car and told me to get out and snap a few shots when they passed. Flustered and unprepared with my plaid pajama pants and over-sized galoshes on I fumbled with my camera , jumped out with just enough time to turn on the camera before they sped by. Turns out my camera was still set from our sunrise excursion so there was a 2 second timer delay plus exposure bracketing  so the camera tried to fire off 3 shots. FAILURE!

Did we give up. NO. Time for round two. J sped up again and managed to pass them once more and pulled ahead with enough time to pull aside and let me jump out. I managed to get the 2 sec. timer off, but the exposure bracketing was still in effect. The bikers rode by, and the camera fired, fired, and fired once more, all while I panned and hoped for the best. Success!!! I think the one guy that was in focus recognized me from the last stop, or he just couldn’t get over my plaid pants and galoshes.

The moral of this story, Don’t Quit even if you feel you are not prepared for the shot. Learn your camera, learn your techniques and that way if you find yourself in a spot with literally seconds to act you automatically know what to do with what you have to make the best image possible :D

Valentines day confusion I think….

Here in the Virgin Islands we are blessed (and I mean that sarcastically ) with an abundance of mosquitoes, just intent on making life miserable for all who encounter them. And these critters are built tough, biting you through jeans and other articles of clothing that you swear should be able to protect you from them.

Yesterday I think all the roses created a problem for some, this little one included. I am sure his little lance got stuck in the petal because he was there on that petal for quite some time. Either he was stuck or he was just completely determined to get blood from it one way or another.

Well, I hope nobody got stuck like this little one, swearing that you found the perfect match, latching on only to find (after way too long) that they were not what you thought they were and no love would flow back no matter how determined you were to make it work. Having to fly away dejected and empty….. Rather, I hope everyone’s day was filled with LOVE either for family, friends or yourself :D .

Get up and just DO IT….is what I have been telling myself for months now. Going through my portfolio I realized that I did not have a single sunrise photograph. I think I tried once a few years ago and then life got the better of me. I mean, who has the time or energy to get up at 5 in the morning to go out and photograph a sunrise :D.

Well, finally this morning I decided to just get up and do it. It almost still didn’t happen because as it got closer to 5:30 I had mentally decided to cancel the excursion when my husband got me up and made me get ready to go (thanks J). We didn’t go too far, and of course I forgot my tripod, but I think all things considered it worked out well.

So, I will be trying this again, with more setup and consideration. It is nice to get up really early sometimes and to watch the absolute glory of the sun rising. So if you have been kicking the idea around in your head to go out and do the same I highly recommend it :D

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You know when a scene or image just calls to you….

On a typical Sunday drive through Carrot Bay I drove past this boat and palm trees like I have on many other occasions. For some reason though this time I felt compelled to stop , go back, and get my camera out. Maybe it was the light, or maybe it was the clouds, but it demanded my attention. I am sooo glad that I listened to that inner voice.

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A simple tug boat on the calm waters of Baughers Bay, British Virgin Islands. I loved the reflection of the boat in the water as well as the beautiful colors of the day.

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Lovely. #rainbow, #island, #Sunday