Portland Bight

This had to be, in my opinion, the best weekend shoot i have experienced thus far in my first year as a photographer.

The trip was made to Portland Bight...for those of you who dont know the history behind Portland Bight, here's a short and sweet history lesson...


Portland Bight is an island located about three miles south of Old Harbour. In 1940, an agreement was made between the US Govt and the British that, in exchange for 50 '1914-18' vintage destroyers, the British Govt would lease for 99 years to the US various tracts of land which would enable them to to create a series of military bases throughout the British Crown territories in the Caribbean and North Atlantic. These bases were to be established in Antigua, Bahamas, Bermuda, British Guyana, Jamaica, Newfoundland, St. Lucia and Trinidad.


This agreement was signed in 1941, after the fall of France in 1940, when the Spanish Regime was becoming increasingly hostile, and the French Vichy and West African authorities refusing to co-operate with the British Government. As a result, the American Govt became increasingly worried about the possibility of a seaborne invasion into the Caribbean, and a threat to their communication through the Panama Canal.


We started out the trip from the shore of the fisherman's village in Old Harbour...the sun rising, casting a glow in the sky, and clouds...

ISO 400 | 1/800 | f/11

ISO 400 | 1/2500 |f/11

We decided to travel in an anti-clockwise direction, going with the light. Making our way around the bay, we came around a bend to see a station, where it seems they used to either cut or store sugar cane (I can't remember)...

ISO 400 | 1/2500 |f/11

ISO 400 | 1/320 | f/11

In making our way back from this location...would you believe it? Two rainbows emerged in the sky... :)

ISO 400 | 1/1000 | f/11

ISO 400 | 1/1000 | f/11

After the initial craze we all had for capturing these beauties, there was a definite moment of silence as we took in nature's beauty....God's beauty.

ISO 400 | 1/640 | f/11

ISO 400 | 1/1000 | f/11

On our way to one of the islands in the bay...our trusted guide shuts off the motor...and it took maybe a minute for us all to ask....uhm, why are we stopping? He pointed in the distance and said: because there's a squall coming, and we need to watch it....

ISO 400 | 1/1600 | f/11

 So there we were...waiting to see where the squall would go. I had already placed the all weather cover over my camera bag...when i felt it. One drop, then two, then three...suddenly there was a mad rush - get the ponchos! cover the gear! lol! And then it really came down....
It was great fun...sitting in a fisherman's boat, in the middle of the open sea, hunkered over our camera gear, in the pouring rain...surrounded by friends...life doesnt get any better than that :)


Soon after the squall cleared...and left the brightest bluest skies i had seen in some time...i mean...such clear skies...such beautiful clouds, you had to just take the time and wonder in its awe and beauty...

ISO 400 | 1/500 | f/11

ISO 400 | 1/800 | f/11

ISO 400 | 1/1600 | f11

The three images above show where the naval base used to be. If you were to walk a little further in you would find remnants of the base still there.
Now, while there are no more US soldiers present on the grounds of the Island, there were instead a large number of soldier crabs, who made their home on the base :)

ISO 800 | 1/20 | f/6.3

ISO 800 | 1/20 | f/6.3

ISO 800 | 1/50 | f/5.6

ISO 800 | 1/800 | f/5.6

The beach itself was full of shells, stones, pieces of coral, and the shells of sea urchins...you could almost imagine the number of years that have passed, the number of storms it has braved, and survived. The last two images are of a very interesting shell that i found on the beach...and as i sit here writing this im cursing myself for not picking it up and taking it home to shoot!!!

ISO 400 | 1/1250 | f/10

ISO 400 | 1/1250 | f/10

These are just a sample of the images i captured during the almost 5 hours we were touring the Bight, i plan to post a sequel to this entry, so look out for it!!


Till then...