For a photographer, vacations are more than a chance to relax. They often take us to places we might not ordinarily be able to photograph. So, while I couldn't wait to spend some alone time with my new bride on our honeymoon in the Florida Keys, I knew it also presented a chance to shoot outside of New England.
And, with a stunning model at my side, I knew we were in for some great photos!
The second to last day of our trip began with a tour of Fort Jefferson, located in the Dry Tortugas - a group of islands in the Gulf of Mexico, 70 miles off the coast of Key West. This historic structure, made of 16 million bricks in the mid-19th Century, presented tremendous opportunities to explore light and shadow as we ducked in and out of cannon embrasures, armory buildings and lighthouses.
The moat wall presented a particularly good opportunity to capture the wonderful jade colors of the Gulf in contrast to the rusty reds of the building's exterior. Shooting at f/11 to achieve deep focus throughout the photograph, I composed the shot so that the moat wall would move the viewers eye from the foreground to the infinite reaches of the sea.
I shot at 13mm to capture the wide vista that emerged before us and asked my wife to step into the frame to add more visual interest to the foreground (and with legs like that, she definitely added interest!).
If you have to work, it's not so bad when your wife can be there to help you out!