Travel Diary- St. Barths

If you know me then you know St. Barths is one of my favorite places on Earth!  I recently had the chance to visit a friend who lives on the island while her husband was out of town, so I naturally jumped at the opportunity!

I stayed in Corossol at her apartment, a quaint local fishing village close to downtown Gustavia and right near Corossol beach. While my friend had to work, I rented a car to traipse around the island, explore, take photos and visit many of my favorite beaches on St. Barths.

If you are looking for some of the best beaches on St. Barths here are a list of my favorites:

1. Saline Beach- Absolutely gorgeous and my favorite on the island. Be prepared to hike over a few small rocks and up a hill to get there, but it is totally worth it!

2. St. Jean- St. Jean has two beaches, separated by Eden Rock.  If you stay on the beach by La Plage/Tom Beach Hotel, you have great views of planes taking off right above you.  The other side of the beach is where Nikki Beach is, where you can drink, eat and party on the beach and dance on tables!

3. Flamands Beach- Stunning views, but be prepared for the wind and rolling surf on that side of the Island.  Cheval Blanc hotel is on the beach, an AMAZING spot for lunch!

4. Gouverneur- It is a bit of a drive to get there, but the remote and private feel is well worth it, not to mention the views!

5. Shell Beach-  Just above Gustavia, this beach is well known for being covered in, well, sea shells.  Although the famous Do Brasil restaurant has been taken over, the new jaunt, Shellona (see what they did there) has a great beach vibe, greek food and the great sunset and beach views.

6. Grand Cul de Sac- The water is warm and relatively calm and is bordered by a shallow bay.  There are some great hotels and restaurants on this beach- Hotel Le Toiny, Le Barthelemy Hotel and O'Corail beach restaurant. You can also hike through paths behind the beach to the other side, with some great views across to the beach and hotels.

Bisous

St. Jean Beach

St. Jean Beach

Gustavia Light House

View above Gustavia Harbor

View above Gustavia Harbor

View above Gustavia Harbor

Gustavia Harbor at Nightfall 

Gustavia Harbor at Blue Hour

Gouverneur Beach

Gustavia Harbor

Gustavia Harbor

Corossol Beach

Corossol Beach

Somewhere in St. Barths

Driving around the island

Grand Cul de Sac

Hike to the other side of Grand Cul de Sac

Gouverneur Beach

Corossol Beach

Saline Beach

Shell Beach

Happy place- Saline Beach

Corossol Beach

View from O'Corail- Grand Cul de Sac

Nikki Beach- St. Jean

Flying in on St. Barths Commuter

Saline Beach Entrance

Nikki Beach

La Plage Bikini Brunch + Rodan + Fields Lash Boost- St. Jean

Eden Rock, St. Jean

Saline

Gouverneur

Gustavia Harbor

Overlooking Gustavia harbor

Rodan + Fields Big Business Launch

I have some BIG news folks!!!

I have started a new business, and after doing a lot of soul searching and research over the past few months, I took a leap of faith and I’m really excited to announce that I have become a part of Rodan and Fields! 

I thought about it for a long time, feeling fearful of doing something way out of my comfort zone; when I realized this is a no-brainer for me: I get to enjoy these awesome skincare products, challenge myself with entrepreneurship, help my friends and family find a healthier and redefined self, all while allowing me to work from home and being able to set aside some extra money that will help me pursue and grow my photography business and my passion for travel, and I’m sure you all know how much I love to travel!

The momentum and credibility of this company has grown exponentially over the last few years, and I’m so excited to no longer be on the sidelines. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Rodan and Fields, they are the world-renowned dermatologists who created Proactiv, America’s #1 acne brand. Rodan and Fields is now the #1 skincare line in North America and has skincare regimens that address anti-aging, sun damage, melasma, blemishes, scarring, and eczema, amongst other skin concerns including an amazing lash growth serum!

I’d love to be a resource for you or anyone you know that may be interested in the products or business of Rodan and Fields. Whether near or far, I'm just a click away! My only regret is that I didn’t start sooner, but as the African proverb says, "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

https://youtu.be/On8hYv-qcZk

Get in on #HydrationNation the #R+F way!! 

Bisous

If you aren't using Lash Boost, you NEED to.  Look how long my lashes have gotten!!!!! #LashBoost

Bisous

Long Exposure Photography - Los Angeles

Last week I booked a flight to Los Angeles at 9pm for a 9am flight the next day.

Why, you ask? Am I really that spontaneous?

Well, yes, but not quite.  I became and AUNT and I had to meet my new nephew! I know I may be biased, but he is seriously the cutest little thing ever!! I cannot yet share any pictures of the little nugget because I was told I am not allowed to, so instead I will show you some of my photography from the trip.

I obviously took the opportunity while in California to shoot as much as possible, mostly at sunset, although sunrise would have been awesome too since I was sometimes up while getting used to the time change.

I have been to Los Angeles a hundred times, but as I said in previous posts, I never really took advantage of it from a photography perspective, so I wanted to make sure to take full advantage this go-round.

Tripod and camera in hand, I set out to photograph long exposures of some famous and well known spots around Santa Monica and Malibu.

See my pictures below and let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations for other photo worthy spots in the area for the next time I visit (which will be often since I want to see my little man!)

Bisous

Santa Monica Incline Overlooking the PCH and Santa Monica Beach

Palm Trees in Santa Monica 

Cars speeding down the PCH at Blue Hour in Santa Monica 

Light Trails on the PCH 

Santa Monica Pier at Blue Hour

Santa Monica Pier at Blue Hour

Stopping waves under the Santa Monica Pier

Water under the Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Pier at Blue Hour

Santa Monica Pier at Blue Hour

Point Dume

Views of Point Dume looking to find my brother surfing

Point Dume, Malibu

Point Dume, Malibu

Point Dume, Maibu

Point Dume, Malibu

Point Dume, Malibu

Point Dume, Malibu

The Struggle is REAL REAL

I have been trying to shoot as much as possible recently to essentially re-learn my camera.  I was a photojournalism major at Boston University, and after a few years working for Lucky magazine I somehow got wrapped up in the commercial real estate corporate America life for 6.5 years and lost my creativity and a bit of myself for awhile.  But now I am back!  After putting myself and my passion aside for way too many years and dealing with insufferable heartbreak, I made the decision to quit my corporate job in Chicago and travel to escape life for a bit.  I think I took some great pictures on these travels, but unfortunately it wasn't until I returned back home to my parents house and had lots of time to sit, contemplate and overthink that I realized that I not only want to get back into photography and pursue that as a career, but that I NEED to.  I look back and realize all of the wasted photo opportunities that I had, not only living in Chicago, but while traveling to London, Dubai, Cape Town, Mauritius, Florida, LA, Vegas, Palm Springs and Sun Valley, that I did not take full advantage of to the best of my ability.  But, that's ok, I can always go back to these places and I will, plus many many more!

It has been super hard to take good blue hour shots here in Connecticut and New York recently because, as some of you may know, spring time can be very rainy and cloudy here, and it has been! It has been over cast most days/nights and very cloudy, which can be great lighting for normal pictures, but not for blue hour long exposure shots, when you are actually trying to capture that moment right after sunset or before sunrise when the sky turns amazing colors!  And to top that off, my lens is bent, so my filters don't really fit properly.  Must. get. this. fixed. but really don't want to miss shooting opportunities...ugh the struggle is real!

Anyway, I am hopefully off to LA soon, since I am going to be an aunt!!!! And am so looking forward to shooting A LOT while I am out there, even if my lens is still bent, because obviously I need it with me while I am out there, Canon will have to wait to evaluate the issue, and the cost (sigh).

Bisous

Photography- Desaturated vs. Saturated Images

In an attempt to shoot blue hour at a local town park, I learned a good lesson- check where the sunsets because that is where the sky changes color!  I took a photo of this tree in high school, when i really fell in love with photography, and had it framed in my apartment for years.  I attempted to recreate it during blue hour, however did not get the results I wanted.  Here are the desaturated, black and white photo and the slightly saturated photo, which shows the color of the sky that my camera picked up, not seen by the eye! Pretty cool!

Bisous

Long Exposure Photography Part II

Loving long exposure photography and learning to use an ND filter.  It is amazing what you can do with this incredible technique!!  Take a look at some of my most recent work!

Bisous