I have recently returned from a trip to Jamaica to stay with family.
I thought about taking my DSRL. But decided to take a bridge camera instead. For a few reasons. The DSLR is bulky and heavy. And people tend to get a bit intimidated when it's a family trip and out comes the "big camera" as it's called. In a more formal setting. Like the recent studio session it's okay. Everyone expects and is prepared to be photographed. But around the house or family trips. Everyone just stiffens up.
The Bridge camera is okay in good conditions. It's customisable and flexible to an extent. I take it with me cycling. Pretty much all of the pictures from my biking adventures are taken with it. But I miss my main camera. It's slow. Slow to turn on and be ready to shoot. Slow to capture the picture after the shutter button is pressed. But the worst part is the wait for it to save the picture to the card. Even with a fast one it just takes too long. When taking a family portrait, I realise someone blinked. Everyone starts getting bored while they wait for me to take another shot. If I have been using the DSLR a lot and go back to this one. It really frustrates.
I'll use this post to show the other, travel photography style shots I took. I wanted to show a flavour of my trip. Not just beaches and palm trees.
There is ackee and sugar cane. I have eaten a lot of ackee. But only from a can. In Jamaica it was growing in the garden. From a can it doesn't have much flavour. But fresh, wow, it is a whole different taste. Then there is the beer. Red Stripe. Sitting on the veranda drinking Red Stripe in 28 degrees and sunny weather. Whilst listening to Heart FM on internet radio. It's freezing cold at home. It can't be beaten. With only the dogs barking at people walking too close to the fence disturbing the peace.
I just took it really easy for the two weeks. So I didn't take a lot of pictures. But the ones I did take have some thought behind them. I hope it shows. Let me know what you think.
This visit got me thinking about a career in family holiday portraiture. How good would it be travelling the world photographing a family's holiday? I had it all planed. The contract would say how many hours a day I would follow them around. How much time I would spend each day processing the days pictures. And how many they should expect after the holiday. Just think of all the great places I would see.
But then the two weeks we're up and it was back to work.
Ackee growing in the garden
Ackee and sugar cane
And the guard dogs, taking it easy
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