Category Archives: Caribbean

Photographer’s Choice – Gerhard Kalmus

1 Reply

Lush Growth and a Caribbean Sky

Gerhard Kalmus - Tropical Growth in Dominican Republic

Gerhard Kalmus - Tropical Growth in Dominican Republic

Gerhard recently traveled to the Dominican Republic as part of a team from Jefferson United Methodist Church to construct latrines and pour concrete floors in huts in Batey #9, one of the sugar cane centered “towns” populated mostly by Haitians, and one of the poorest areas of the Country. At the end of a week of work, the group was treated to a visit to one of the nearby tropical parks where this photo was made. The scene is well composed with a tree limb serving as a frame to emphasize the hanging vines. One can almost hear the nature sounds in the background.
The photo was taken with an older Nikon ES200 with a pixel rating of only 3.2 megapixels which is certainly sufficient resolution for posting on the web. The ISO was a low 50, the shutter speed 1/150 sec at an aperture of f/5.6

Photographer’s Choice – David Smith

8 Replies

Forty Feet Below: An Amazing Featherduster (and Friend)

David Smith - Featherduster Worm (Sabellidae)

David Smith - Featherduster Worm (Sabellidae)

In June of this year, David traveled to Bonaire, a small island in the Caribbean lying 50 miles north of Venezuela and a part of the recently formed ‘Caribbean part of the Netherlands’. Bonaire has many of the characteristics of Caribbean islands in general but perhaps its main draws for tourism are warm, clear water for diving and windsurfing. David has special gear for underwater photography, the DX-2G Sea & Sea (a waterproof housing coupled with a modified Ricoh camera) which he used to capture the image above. Illumination was provided by a strobe not only for light but to bring out the natural colors of the creature and its surroundings. The featherduster is the main attraction but see if you can also find the ‘friend’.
David captured another creature on the same trip, not as brilliant but the detail is fascinating. Take a close look at his shy “blenny”.