Top Ten Pictures

As anybody who knows me can attest, I have a bit of a photography habit.  If you only know me from my blog, I sure hope that you would have guessed that.  We are home now and it crushes me that I will not be adding any more images to my folder labelled Sabbatical.  Finality allows one thing though, a chance to reflect.  So, here is my attempt to select 10 images that I believe are my best.  Not only technically strong, but that capture the essence of the trip.

In no particular order, here we go...

Nikon D3 w/ 28-105mm @60mm - f/16, 30sec, ISO 200

Right off the bat, I lied to you, this image has absolutely nothing to do with what our trip was about.  We allowed exactly one tourist day for NYC on the way down and didn't even stop on the way home.  More than the city itself, we were impressed that our course would take our boat right through the centre of it.  So, either this or the Statue of Liberty were our favourite parts of NYC.

Nikon D3 w/ 70-200mm @70mm - f/8, 1/2000th, ISO 800

May we never tire of dolphins.  These guys are the true highlight of the Intra-Coastal Waterway.  All my previous experience was that dolphins like to ride on bow waves.  I even brought special camera mounts to capture images from this awkward location.  Lucky for us, they liked to ride our stern wake, it makes for awesome viewing.  Down in the cockpit you are so close that you can feel the mist from their blow hole.  A rather shocking experience for Macara when that happened for the first time.  Anytime that we were in the ICW and somewhat close to an inlet, we would be on the full lookout.  I chose this picture, because not only would they enjoy a ride with us, often they would look up at us.  I never did catch it, but on a few rare occasions, some of the young ones would end their ride with a celebratory flip.  I guess Sea World doesn't have that market cornered.

Nikon D3 w/ 300mm + TC17 - f/4.8, 1/800th, ISO 800

An ICW must for us was to find the wild horses that inhabit only a select few areas.  We found 3 at Cumberland Island, just north of the Florida border.  Some may say it is just a horse, but to know that even a few are living wild, makes the world a slightly better place.

Nikon D3 w/ 70-200mm @150mm - f/8, 1/160th, ISO 200

You will rarely see me take a picture that is as candid as this.  This was a wedding party that had come to see the Nurse sharks at Compass Cay Marina, where we were staying.  It was actually the wedding photographer fussing over this shot that made me pull my camera out of the bag.  Oh well, it's my cross to bear.  

This trip was many years in the making.  The planning actually started long before Macara was even born.  Now, I could not imagine this trip without her.  She has grown so much, physically and socially.  Here she was having no problem hanging out with the big girls and telling them all that she knew about sharks.

Nikon D200 w/ 16mm fisheye - f/9, 1/250th, ISO 200

Did somebody say sharks?  Yep, I love 'em!!!  It was Kerri's and my love of diving that introduced us to the Bahamas.  It was the sharks, the rays and the turtles that kept us coming back over and over again.  It was these dive trips that planted the seed for this sabbatical.  This is my 'bucket list' shot.  An adult Tiger shark up close and personal.  No cage.  Clear, warm water.  It doesn't get any better than this.  Check out our You Tube channel if you can't quite figure out how close she is.

Nikon D200 w/ 12-24mm @12mm - f/8. 1/250th, ISO 200

Yes, more diving would have been nice.  That is always the case.  But, any less snorkelling would have been a crime.  Sharing our love of the ocean with this beautiful little girl, priceless.

Nikon D200 w/ 12-24mm @18mm - f/4, 1/250th, ISO 200

Thunderball Grotto of James Bond fame with my daughter and my parents.  We had the place to ourselves.  A day that I will never forget.  

Nikon D3 w/ 70-200mm @78mm - f/9, 1/800th, ISO 200

We didn't spend all our time in the water.  There were a few nice beaches to see.

Nikon D3 w/ 70-200mm @70mm - f8, 1/640th, ISO 200

What can I say, the girl loves to fish.

Nikon D200 w/ 12-24mm @12mm - f/8, 1/250th, ISO 200

I like to lobster.  It's easier to get good pictures of them inside the marine park.  Unfortunately, you can't take these ones home for dinner.

Who's kidding who?   You knew there was never a chance that I could wrap this up at just 10 pictures. Let's keep going...

Nikon D3 w/ 28-105mm @56mm - f/8, 1/320th, ISO 200

Getting dinner prepared fresh, dockside.  I miss conch salad a lot.  If anybody knows how to get conch (legally) in Canada, please let me know.

Nikon D3 w/ 70-200mm @200mm - f/4.5, 1/100th, ISO 400

The girls take a turn at checking the crab traps.  Blue crabbing is fun and they are tasty.

Nikon D3 w/ 70-200mm @110mm - f/8, 1/200th, ISO 200

All that clean living is good for you.

Nikon D3 w/ 16mm fisheye - f/8, 1/30th, ISO 200

Hold on a second!!!  That beer barely made it to March.  It wasn't all clean living.  I am pretty proud of that packing job though.  Eighteen cases of beer in the engine room, not bad if I say so myself.  There was another 12 cases elsewhere and some wine and some rum and some whiskey.  No wonder we had such a good time.

Canon  SX30 IS - f/4, 1/800, ISO 160

More of that less than healthy living, but damn they look happy.  This was life under the tree for over a month on Chat 'n Chill beach.  You'll notice Macara is nowhere to be seen.  There were kids in Georgetown.  Image compliments of Julie.

Nikon D3 w/ 70-200mm @70mm - f/7.1, 1/250th, ISO 200

She's a good kid with a ton of stories to tell.

I started writing hoping to be able to chose just ten images.  No dice, but I couldn't change the title.  Top Sixteen Pictures just didn't sound right.  There are a lot more images in our Photo Gallery, not to mention the videos on our YouTube channel.  Someday, I will sit down and figure out just how many pictures I took on the trip.  Not enough, but you get the idea, we had fun.

More to the fact that I don't take candid photos.  We met a lot of great people over the year that you don't see here.  If we tipped a glass with you in the last 12 months, I hope that you are doing well.  May our wakes cross again someday.  Cheers!