About the Location: The history of Puerto Rico is complex. Its location in the northeast Caribbean Sea was (and is) of great value to many imperial powers. Its name, translated to “Rich Port” in English, may describe why it has been occupied by Spaniards for centuries, enduring invasion attempts from the French, Dutch, and British, before ultimately being surrendered to the United States in 1898 after the Spanish-American war. Puerto Rico is a wonderful mixture of people and culture, and its size invites you to explore all corners of its beauty.
About the Shot: After visiting the small island of Vieques off the east coast of the main island, I stayed a resort on the north coast of Puerto Rico, about a 45-min drive east from San Juan. The first morning I awoke at the hotel, I walked about 15 minutes down the beach to a little inlet where this palm tree leaned heavily towards the sea. I got up that morning at 5:00am and needed my headlamp to find my way down the beach. I didn’t know what I was looking for until I found it. The relatively calm inlet provided a nice reflective water shot that the small waves in the sea just beyond would not have allowed. As with most sunrises, the color changes by the second, and its truly a pleasure to stand there and snap away as the sky and the landscape emerge from the night sky.
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