We are thrilled that Picante is building a new restaurant on the island, but that left us craving Mexican food during our recent trip, and we had already hit up Blanchard’s Beach Shack for tacos several times. Picante was always good for one, sometimes two, visits each trip, so we headed down to Shoal Bay East to try out Olas Tacos. To get to Olas, just park at the parking lot just up the hill from Shoal Bay East. From there, a sign will lead you down the path to Olas. My husband started out with a margarita, but I went for my regular, a rum punch. At Olas, the…
-
-
I am pleased to report that I have been recognized with an Honorable Mention Award in the category of Cultural Photography in the North American Travel Journalism Association’s 34th Annual Awards Competition. The image recognized was “Market Craftsman,” an image taken in St. George’s Market on Grenada. This was the first competition I have entered since being sidelined with breast cancer, and it means so much to me to be recognized. Many thanks to the NATJA Awards Committee. The image was captured in June 2025 with a Fujifilm GFX 50R and the Fujifilm GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR lens. For medium format, the setup is extremely portable and perfect…
-
Sometimes you hit a dry spell in photography where you are looking for some inspiration – anything to light the fire and get you shooting again. On this vacation, we were returning to a place we have visited before, staying at the same resort we had stayed at before, and I needed a bit of spark to pull out my camera instead of another rum punch. So I reached for my Fujifilm GFX 50R and switched the image size aspect ratio setting to 65:24 and prepared to see the beach in a new way. One very cool feature is that although the camera does apply the mask in the 65:24…
-
I was listening to a podcast recently and heard that some of the most expensive repairs are the result of sand getting into your gear. Traveling to the Caribbean, I am familiar with the fact that sand gets everywhere. I have learned not to change lenses at the beach, and am careful in cleaning lenses afterwards so as not to grind bits of sand into the lens coatings. Having just invested in a very nice tripod (read more about the tripod I selected here), I wanted to do what I could to minimize sand and seawater getting into the locks. In the past, I had resorted to using plastic bags…
-
Note: Links in this post include affiliate links, and I receive a commission on purchases. Thanks! An important part of traveling for me is not only relaxing in some of the most beautiful places in the world, but also taking time for my primary hobby, photography. But I was stuck in a rut. I found myself shooting the same thing over and over again. My Canon 24-70mm/f 2.8 lens was on the front of my camera most of the time, and I found myself seeing and shooting the same compositions on nearly every trip. I needed to break out. When we last traveled to Nevis in 2011, 1745 of the…
-
Sometimes you have to jump right in, even when you may not think you are experienced enough or talented enough. It was back in 2011 that my husband convinced me to enter the Caribbean Travel + Life Photo Contest, and it turned out that I won the grand prize. But that competition was primarily for amateurs. I was eager to get to the next level, but not sure I was able to compete. Last fall, I decided to take the plunge joining NATJA, the North American Travel Journalists Association, hoping to learn something from the talented people in that organization who make their living bringing you great travel articles and…
-
Four years ago, I wrote “Taking Better Travel Photos” to provide helpful tips to improve your travel photography no matter what gear you use. I am excited to announce that I recently updated the book, including information on rules of composition, and providing additional information on “hot spots” for great photographs throughout the Caribbean. Some people say the rules are meant to be broken, but the rules are rules for a reason. They can help you find a shot when you can’t decide how to compose it. Knowing the rules will help you frame up better shots, and if you decide to break the rules for a particular effect, go…
-
Happy 100th birthday to the National Park System! In celebration, we visit Dry Tortugas National Park with this guest post from our friend, Andy Stenz. Andy is a photographer and blogger who I met many years ago when I first became involved in our local community of photographers here in Wisconsin. He has discovered the beauty and warmth of Hawaii, and soon will become a permanent resident on the island of Oahu. He loves to travel – – he’s now exploring Europe with his lovely wife, Jessica – – and was kind enough to share with us his visit to Dry Tortugas. Enjoy! And be sure to follow Andy on Instagram…
