We love what we do but even the fun parts can wear down our batteries in a year's time. That's why we need an annual recharge. And what better way to refresh ourselves than taking a two week cruise! It's the perfect vacation for us because we spend our year planning our couples' big events and photo shoots, and on a cruise, you don't have to plan much at all! There's no cooking, no driving, no cleaning (hallelujah!) and yet there is so much to do. Plus you get to see so many amazing places in one trip.
Our cruise started in Baltimore, Maryland and then went to Bermuda, Tortola, St. Maarten, Curacao, Aruba, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and ended in Tampa, FL. It was 2 weeks of blissful relaxation even though we did a lot and tried some new things. We could go on forever about how incredible it was but after being gone for 2 weeks, we have some work to do so we will just share some of the photos we took in our travels.
All of the following shots were taken with our new camera, a Sony Cybershot H20, our very first point and shoot ever...yes that's right...EVER! We thought taking our huge, professional DSLR's along would make it less like a vacation and more like work so we left those at home and opted for a pocket-sized camera that also has HD video capability. There were a few times when we wished we had our higher quality cameras but overall we loved the simplicity of the point and shoot, the fact that it weighs less than a pound (compared to more than the 6 lbs of camera+lens we normally work with) and it's video mode. We are by no means videographers but it was hilarious when we would be taking a video horizontally and all of a sudden go vertical for a better composition! As photographers, we do that all the time and don't even think about it but you just can't do that with video.
We tried not to think about work too much but we thought this place would be perfect for a wedding or even just a photo shoot. It's a really old church in Bermuda that was never finished so it looks like ruins.
Brides, could you imagine walking down the center between columns that are hundreds of years old, feeling the Caribbean breeze in your hair. Freakin' sweet!
We tried to avoid the touristy spots of Bermuda and just ventured off on our own when we didn't have an excursion planned. Sometimes we found little hidden spots that were so much neater or more beautiful and unspoiled, like this little cove called Tobacco Bay (bad name, gorgeous place).
Also Tobacco Bay.
Apparently this is where all the money went instead of finishing the "Unfinished Church" you saw above. Though this cathedral was certainly beautiful and grand, we thought the ruins of the other church were much more unique.
A view of the other British Virgin Islands as seem from Tortola. Missed the UV filters on our SLR lenses to cut down the haze but a beautiful view none-the-less.
For the most part, every island we went to seemed to be so divided between really fancy tourist resorts, beach houses and boutiques and the impoverished native homes and shops. There seemed to be no middle-class, but no matter what, everyone was always friendly and happy. Oh and goats seemed to be the most popular pet!
Here is an example of the disparities in wealth in St. Maarten. On the left is the castle-like mansion built by the owner of the island's only casino. On the right, a tangle of what we presume to be water meters for 10 or so homes. Our tour guide told us that the mansion's stone walls cost more than most "nice" homes on the island.
A divi tree on Aruba's pristine Arashi beach. One of the most beautiful beaches and clearest water we have ever seen. We didn't want to leave.
We did zip-lining again (we had done it in Jamaica on our cruise last year and got hooked. But by far one of the coolest excursions we have ever done was riding a dune buggy through a rain forest in Cozumel to a cenote, a sinkhole used by the Mayans for freshwater, that doubled as a bat cave!
Here is what we looked like after the ride to the cenote. With several mud holes on the path, we learned quickly, even though you are having the time of your life and want to scream your excitement the whole time...close your mouth for the mud holes ;) Yeah we ate mud a couple times but what a fun ride!
Here is the cenote/bat cave. Pictures just do not do it justice as it was actually quite beautiful and serene. We even swam in the chilly water which was surprisingly clear and lovely. It was pretty cool to be chillin' in the water with hundreds of bat's hovering above us and occasionally swooping around. And to answer most people's first thoughts, we were not swimming in tons of bat guano...or at least we didn't see it :)
And here is a good depiction of how muddy and dirty our dune buggy got. If you are ever in Cozumel, Mexico and looking for something to do, we HIGHLY recommend doing the Xrails to the Jade Caverns tour. A truly awesome adventure.
Here is a shot just after sunset from the pier in Cozumel. The moon was full and beautiful. Notice they even had a Christmas tree up already.
Well, we'd love to post more but must get back to work. These Christmas cards won't design themselves. Stay tuned for a couple posts from recent shoots. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is looking forward to a wonderful holiday season.
Curtis & Emily
Kismet Photography
Isn't she just adorable with her Santa hat and matching Santa hat booties?!
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