Photos and Videos

Dozens of people are saluting Lesley G for her just-posted Trip Report in the St. John forum at Virgin islands On-Line.

She was there during Festival and enjoyed the island from Cruz Bay to East End.  It was her fifth visit to the island in three years. “I just couldn't believe how quickly and easily I fell into the pace and the "feel" of the island. I was hook, line, and sinker within minutes,” she said in an e-mail.

She explained that the eight-minute project was her first encounter with the iMovie program, “So, here's a little Monday morning escape, or what can be better described as My First Ever Go At iMovie So Please Be Kind.”

It contains the usual as well as the unexpected. “There's beaches, people, dogs, food, and booze,” she said.  Also sunsets, dinner plates, and parasailing.

The video is really a slide show of stills.  To my taste it unfortunately uses the awful “Ken Burns” effect, made famous by his interminable PBS documentaries – pictures are forever sliding up and down and in and out.  But the simple fact is that Lesley took a lot of good pictures, met a lot of people,. and had a lot of fun.

“I guess that brings me to why I love it: the people,” Gallacher added. “While the beaches and water are stunning, the animals and driving amusing, the fact that I've made friends is the best part about each return. It truly is a place where I feel at home.”

Take a break and watch at http://vimeo.com/5465159.

From YouTube, about 30 seconds of a bananquit taking a bath.

That's all it is.  Some wing flapping; some water splashing.  Nothin' special.  But I dare you not to smile when you watch this video, uploaded by MyLife3636.

Did you know that the bird on the Virgin islands seal is a bananquit? Details here.

A quartet of photographs focused on St. John are included in the finalists of the Department of Tourism’s “Share my USVI” competition.  DOT says it fielded more than a thousand submissions from locals, vying to take top prize of $2,000 and a new digital camera,.

The contest invited pictures from locals only.  They were grouped among five themes: Visiting for Business, Romance, From My View, Culture and Heritage and Activities and Adventures. 

 Lisa Etre, one of St. John’s best known painters showed she has multiple talents, by submitting “Keepin’ de Beat.” It is one of three finalists in the Culture and Heritage category. 

A photo of one of St. John’s beaches is also up for voting.  I Like My Tour Under water Please was taken by Max Schanfarber for From my View.

In the children’s competition, two St. John pictures are including in the final voting.  They include a picture of Bannaquits at feeding time (whenever you put sugar into a coconut) and a portrait of a man sitting on the porch of an abandoned Maho Bay building.

The photos can be seen at www.sharemyusvi.com.

After breakfast, Mrs,. Inquiring Iguana feeds her charges.  Bits of fruit, lettuce, even ChexMix, sometimes.  Here's what it looks like … with Mrs. I.I. heard stage directing the photographer in the background. 

About 60 seconds of nothing really, but then, what the heck … we're here and in shorts … and you're there, cold.   

🙂

I’m always on the lookout for great photos of the island.  Came across this one from TrevinC, an experienced photographer in Seattle, Wa.  Odds are you have never seen a photo as vibrant and rich. 

Trevin used a technique called high dynamic range imaging (HDR).  There are more on his Virgin Islands Flickr page. 

The photo is actually a composite of a number of images of the scene, but which were exposed at different speeds and aperture settings.  You can forget about the technique – just enjoy the results.