Nancy and I had gone with some friends on a diving holiday at Bonaire, the divers’ “Mecca” in the southern Caribbean. After two dives each day (sometimes three), our habit was to return to our lodgings, clean and hang the dive gear, take a shower, then turn our rented truck in the general direction of the bars and restaurants of Kralendijk, the attractive waterfront capital (and center of the nightlife) on this lovely Dutch island.
Nancy and our traveling companions on most trips prefer that I not bring the camera when we go to drinks or dinner. They have learned all too well what happens when I have my camera. (In a nutshell, they do a lot of waiting … or proceed to drink and dine without me.) But there are always a couple of outings when I insist on bringing the camera. This was MY day, and the weather was perfect (as it usually is on Bonaire).
As we pulled onto the waterfront street in Kralendijk that afternoon, the view was breathtaking. The air was crystal clear. The water was so clear that the cruising fish and the bottom were clearly visible, seemingly all the way out to sea. Our truck abruptly found its way to a barely-legal stop at the side of the road, and I was out. This is exactly what we saw. Taken quickly, hand-held, and no fancy post-processing required. Just a polarizing filter to bring out the colors and cut down on glare as the late afternoon/evening sun brilliantly illuminated the boats and sea. I took way too many photos that evening. This is probably Nancy’s favorite.
(Nikon D200, Nikkor wide zoom at 30mm, f/10, 1/250 sec. shutter, ISO 500, available light and handheld)
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