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Here’s a shocker: I love bringing my camera with me when I go on vacation.

Actually, when I bought my first dSLR, I considered not taking it with me to a trip to Europe and India. My dad was adamant that I NOT take it with me, claiming that evil people prey upon my camera and would snatch it even before I finish deplaning. I was THIS close to listening to him when I stopped and thought about it: why else did I buy a camera if not to record moments I might not ever experience again, in places I might not ever return to? Did I care that I was going to a place that’s foreign, dangerous, or hazardous? I decided that I would never get “the shot” if I was scared to bring my camera with me.

So, since then, I’ve pretty much lived to the rule of “always bringing my camera”. I’ve brought it with me to mountains in India, glaciers in New Zealand, and beaches in Brazil, amongst other places. I’ve tried to carry my camera despite thought of it potentially getting stolen or damaged by the elements. As it turns out, that last image of Brazil was taken in water that was chest-deep; I would have never been able to capture that shot had I been scared that I would drop my camera in the water.

All that being said, when I take my camera on vacation, I try to balance between taking photos and experiencing the moment. I actually try to do the same any time I’m out in nature, but I feel that its especially important when in a foreign place because I never know when I am bound to return.

I especially try to balance between taking photos and experiencing the moment when on vacation with others. I know it must be a real pain when people wait for me to get a shot or two… and are still waiting a couple hundred clicks later.

So getting back to the title of this post: I’d like to thank my beautiful girlfriend for putting up with my obsession during our trip to St. Thomas, and allowing me to capture a few shots.

We, like most people who go to St. Thomas, went to the island to RELAX. And by relax I mean, wake up late, eat, drink, beach, drink, sleep, and repeat. We didn’t move a muscle — so, neither did my camera. Luckily, our resorts offered enough pleasing sights to capture a couple shots.

This first one is from our first hotel, the Marriott, Frenchman’s Reef. Probably the nicest thing about this hotel is the view offered from the bar outside. I caught these two photos when we arrived at sunset our first day:

Sunset from the hotel, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

Sunset from the hotel, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

The next day, our first full day at the beach, we wandered down the beach to one of many points of rocks. The sun in the background provided quite a nice silhouette of the building and trees… and a passerby :

Bird over rocks, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

The rest of the day we spent just lounging at the beach. On the way back to the hotel, we were greeted by a one of a host of friends we didn’t know would be staying:

Iguana, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

Yes… that’s an iguana. One of several that were roaming the hotel. We learned that the island is densely populated with iguanas of all shapes and sizes. Looking at these creatures up close felt like a journey though time: they look like they could be straight from prehistory. Especially interesting is the variety of colors on the skin:

Iguana, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

The next morning, I woke up early to see if I could catch other interesting sights around the hotel. As my eyes gravitated towards the trees, I found dude just hanging out:

Iguana in the trees, St Thomas USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

This next shot was quite a challenge. Our hotel was situated on a cliff, and below it the gorgeous, turqouise water (that the Carribbean is known for) gently pushed up on the rocks. I angled this shot to show the perspective from the cliff, complete with the water, trees, rocks, and… their overseer.

Iguana in the trees, St Thomas USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

I wish I had a better angle, but sometimes you take what you can get.

I kept wandering around the hotel until I found a rather intruiging scene, as the morning sunlight shone a spotlight on an outlook to the water:

Sunrise Spotlight, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

I kept the foreground dark purposefully so to show the sliver of orange light that I found interesting.

That same day, we ventured out to Yachthaven, a local community square with shopping and restaurants at the pier. There, I captured this shot to emphasizes the columns under the buildings and the rocks below them. And of course the beautifully colored water:

Yachthaven, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

Later that day, we switched to the Wyndham Sugar Bay hotel. We didn’t do this because we were unhappy with the Marriott, but because (thanks to an airline error) we were able to extend our vacation by one day with no extra cost and the Marriott had no vacancy. It all was a blessing because we really enjoyed our extra day and the better ameneties at the Wyndham.

Sugar Bay was really quite striking. The rocks and coral in the shallow part of the bay created quite a contrast with the bright turqouise in the intermediate depths and the dark turqouise in the deeper trenches. The water was set with a background of blue and green mountains that stretched really far into the distance. The finishing touch to the scene was a small island of green trees in the foreground, and a cream colored building that overlooked it all:

Sugar Bay during the day, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

Of course we had to get a shot of ourselves against this beautiful background:

Sugar Bay, St. Thomas, USVI

The really interesting part about the bay was how different it looked at dusk. As the sun set, it dulled the colors of the water, turning it brackish with only a hint of blue. At the same time, the sun illuminated a large rock against the island of trees, warming the rock into an orange color, and painted the clouds pinkish blue, allowing contrast against the white boat in the distance:

Sugar Bay at dusk, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

On our last day at the island, we visited Magen’s Bay, which is world-famous for its crystal clear and warm waters. Unfortunately, the day we arrived, a cruise ship dumped about 3247193 people off to enjoy themselves and ruined any chance of us relaxing in peace or me taking any meaningful photos of the landscape. But, we made do with what we had.

We walked along the edge of the bay until we reached the forest, where finally I saw a shot that could include some of the 2382039209 people. The scene, which included a cascade of rocks against the blue sky and turqouise water, was more than enough reason for these kids to enjoy the moment:

Magen’s Bay, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

I shot the next one a little closer up, highlighting the texture of the rocks and blurring out the background of crystal water and the mountains:

Magen’s Bay, St. Thomas, USVI (click for larger version or purchase)

After just a short while at the bay, we had to head to the airport to get home. But not before I took at least one shot of my model:

Sugar Bay, St. Thomas, USVI

St. Thomas was a blast — another vacation where I brought my camera but still tried to balance photography and the experience. I can only hope that anyone who goes on a trip with me is as gracious as my girlfriend was when it came to snapping away at the scene — because Lord knows I haven’t been able to stop.

So, following up from where I left off last time…

We wanted to stay pretty active during our vacation, so after we went ATV riding, a few of us went scuba diving (including me) and a few went golfing.

Now, one of the pieces of advice I give and almost always follow is ALWAYS BRING YOUR CAMERA IF YOU WANT TO GET “THE SHOT”. But of course, that day I didn’t listen to my own advice. I thought, “Hey, we’re just going to go scuba diving. I can’t take my camera in the water and there will be nothing to see”. I had conveniently forgotten that there’s a BOAT where you can store your camera, and I bought a waterproof camera bag so that in case the bag gets splashed, the contents are still good. AND I had conveniently forgotten that we were going to travel by boat past the famous El Arco to get to our scuba spot.

Long story short, we sailed right past some pretty incredible sights, including a group of sea lions laying out near the arches and a single sea lion right next to our boat on a lonesome rock. Missed both shots. Good work, Navin. The whole time I kept muttering to the guys on the boat: “We need to come back here we need to come back here”. Not only because the sights were really gorgeous, but because I didn’t bring my camera!!

Thank my lucky stars, we went back the next day. This time, not for scuba diving, but to visit two famous beaches near the Arch: Lover’s Beach and Divorce Beach, which are on opposite ends of a thin strip of sand and mountain. Lover’s beach is the side on the Gulf of Mexico, and has generally calm and beautiful water… suitable for lovers. Divorce beach is on the side of the Pacific Ocean, and generally has fierce currents and waves… and is as rocky as a spoiled marriage. Clever huh? In the middle of the two beaches are huge rock formations that take very interesting shapes.

Enough description… here are some pics:

El Arco del Cabo (click for larger version or purchase)

El Arco del Cabo (click for larger version or purchase)

One thing about Cabo is that there are pelicans everywhere. You’ll notice them if you look very closely into the distance in the shots further down in this post. I’ll point them out too . Pelicans are quite graceful birds; long, formidable, and agile. I didn’t get a single REALLY NICE shot with a pelican, but here are a couple to note. The second one might take you a half second :

Pelicans in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Pelicans in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

After our really scenic boat ride, we arrived at Lover’s beach. This was by far my favorite spot and favorite time of the entire trip. This beach was so beautiful. The sight in the distance was Neptune’s finger (a famous rock formation) within warm, crystal clear, turquoise and blue water. The beach was surrounded by towering rocks that formed a cove that provided shade to beachgoers. Also up the beach, towards the city were several amazing rock formations. See for yourself:

Neptune’s Finger from Lover’s Beach (click for larger version or purchase)

Neptune’s Finger from Lover’s Beach (click for larger version or purchase)

In this next photo, you can see how the rocks, formed like a cove, provide shade from the sun:

Neptune’s Finger from Lover’s Beach (click for larger version or purchase)

So many times when I try to get a shot, I really get aggressive and try to get in the element of the environment I’m shooting in. For example, if I’m shooting a tiny bug or frog, I’ll get way down on the floor with my cheek on the mud. Sound like fun? Well in this case, I kept getting closer and closer to the waves, trying to get the perfect shot. Because this was “Lover’s Beach”, I thought that the waves were pretty calm and I would be fine. Needless to say, the water almost took me and my camera out. Check the evidence here:

Uhhh CLOSE CALL!!

When the wave crashed, I backed up and nailed my heel on a rock, falling backwards. I and the cam survived though! But a funny thing happened: a couple people saw me almost die. I brushed myself up off of the sand after and yelled out to them “I’m OK don’t worry!”, to which a lady responded, “Who cares about you, how’s your camera!”. Great minds think alike, lady.

I thought that was a good time to take a break and take some shots of the guys. Oh Nana, thanks for the bunny ears. I look much more attractive this way.

Lover’s Beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Lover’s Beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

After that, I wandered around the area between Lover’s and Divorce beach and found a bunch of interesting rock formations:

Rock formations on Lover’s Beach (click for larger version or purchase)

This next one was in a quarry (for lack of a better word), right in the middle of the two beaches. The scale of these rocks is really what struck me:

Rock formations between beaches

After I finished exploring that area, I wandered over to Divorce Beach. It was much different than Lover’s Beach in that the water was much darker and rougher, and there was less to see except for the openness in space. Not to worry, I still found a couple subjects to photograph:

Rock formations on Divorce Beach (click for larger version or purchase)

This next shot was completely unexpected. As I was shooting the open space, I noticed a lone woman walking down from Lover’s beach into Divorce beach. For some reason I had missed her as she had walked the (pretty far) distance. But I was able to catch her in motion right before she faded over the horizon of sand. Luckily, she was wearing a color that provided good contrast against the blue sky:

Lone woman on Divorce Beach (click for larger version or purchase)

Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much time at Lover’s and Divorce beach as I wanted. I barely got enough time to take these pics and play a couple games of catch with a football we brought. We had to get back on the boat and back to the hotel to get ready for a sunset cruise we haggled for (along with everything else in Cabo) and thought would be cool for our last night.

The sunset cruise did not disappoint. We sailed around Land’s End, El Arco, and Neptune’s Finger while the sun sank and painted the each site with dusk hues. I like this next shot because of its hues and also the way I feel my eyes lead through the cascade of subjects from Neptune’s finger to Divorce Beach. A bit more contrast (though quite hard if not impossible) might have helped to make the cascade a bit more dramatic, though:

Neptune’s Finger, cascading towards Divorce beach (click for larger version or purchase)

Like I mentioned, we sailed past El Arco and I got as close as I could with my lens to the sea lions that are perpetually lazing there. They’re still really hard to make out — good thing now I got my 200mm lens to reach a little further next time:

Sea Lions around El Arco

Now we weren’t the only show in town who thought of a sunset cruise amongst these beautiful subjects. At first, I thought these boats would be a nuisance when I was trying to set up my shots, but they actually made for somewhat compelling complements. I got one of El Arco without any boats but then decided to use the boats to help make some of the other shots:

El Arco (click for larger version or purchase)

El Arco (click for larger version or purchase)

Surrounding mountains in Land’s End (click for larger version or purchase)

Surrounding mountains in Land’s End (click for larger version or purchase)

I thought this one was cool because it showed a little pathway from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean:

View to the Pacific (click for larger version or purchase)

A similar one with no boats. I like the varied depths of the subjects and how the shadows and light presented them:

Another view to the Pacific (click for larger version or purchase)

Now, from the beach, the mountains around us looked big, but not extremely large. But as we crept away from Land’s End, the venue from the boat told a completely different story. Each of the mountains we saw was massive and scattered in different places the Land’s End. This was a very dramatic scene, especially against the setting sun. The last two pics are some of my favorite from the trip; I’d recommend clicking both and viewing them at their largest (X3) size to view all their details.

In this first one, you can see just how massive these mountains are by finding the two pelicans flying to the left of the mountain and into the distance, and the other pelican above the third mountain I like this shot because of the sheer scale of the subjects, the mist in the distance in the bottom left that tells you there’s another set of huge mountains there too, the way the mountains cascade down in size, and the reflections on the water from the sun behind the mountains. Whew. Still, it was a better scene in person.

Mountains in Land’s End (click for larger version or purchase)

This last one MAY just be my favorite. Similar to the last shot, what strikes me is the scale of these mountains. If you look closely to the right and left of the peeking sun, you can see a couple pelicans which will help you reference the mountains size. The next thing I like about the shot is the peeking sun. I was lucky to get the shot right at the moment the sun broke away from behind the mountains and into my lens. I like how the sun created a more dramatic silhouette of mountains and very light, but visible, reflections on the water, which help to draw scale. The last thing I like about this shot is the boats on the right. Again, I think capturing these complements helps with scale but also provides another area of interest in the photograph.

Silhouette of mountains in Land’s End (click for larger version or purchase)

After I got these shots, the sun went down and it was time for good old fashion ‘drinking and eating in another country’. Cabo was a hell of a time and I really would like to go back sometime… Since this time we went for Mani’s bachelor’s party, maybe next time we’ll go to celebrate Mani having his first kid. Seems like he likes that idea…