If Andy Warhol were watching an Ambergris Caye sunset . . . .

Four versions of the same sunset, each shot with a different filter, within seconds of each other. Just playing with my new toy, an Olympus point-and-shoot camera.

Can you tell I have a new camera to play with?

Rose brought me back a waterproof Olympus TG-870 “Tough” from her recent visit to the States for daughter Caira’s graduation from Arizona State. The camera has all sorts of artsy filter options on it (Kind of like an iPhone camera) plus a bunch of options for different shooting conditions.

Can you tell which image is the “natural/normal” setting? (I can’t remember.)

Watching the Belize sunset, you travel easily and gently through the wide range of emotions each of these photos might elicit, as the colors across the sunset canvas shift from blues to grays to burnt-and-brilliant oranges to an array of reds — and the water changes from blue-green to a burnished metallic blue. And eventually all falls to black with a stunning pattern of stars above.

Sunset is my favorite meditation.

As soon as the currently brewing storm passes — come on rain!! — I plan to take the camera out to the reef. It even has a couple of settings specifically for taking underwater photos. I always wanted to take underwater photos with a “fisheye” lens. It just seems like a natural thing to do.

I also like the idea of a camera that is waterproof, dust proof and shock proof. Living here on a salty wind-kissed island is hard on things like computers, coffee makers, toasters and especially cameras. This little point-and-shoot seems made for the island. All those “protections” may give it a fighting chance of lasting more than a year.

These photos were taken at sunset on what we call the Lagoon Side of the island. That’s where the water is calmest and shallowest. Excellent for fly fishing, crocodile watching, kite/sail boarding and plopping down into four inches of soothing Caribbean Sea with a drink in your hand. And, of course, sunset watching.

On this night (Wednesday) we were up at The Truck Stop for the weekly dinner and a movie (“The Big Labowski”).

Not a bad night — great food, funny movie, good friends and a beautiful sunset.

 

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