Bermuda's Photo Opportunities

Bermuda’s small size, lush scenery and unique culture and history offer many beautiful outdoor photo opportunities.

Rooftops andWindows: Bermuda’s pastelcolored homes are not only aesthetically pleasing, their details are both functional and unique. The typical stepped roofs collect rainwater for the island’s freshwater supply. Window shutters not only add character to the homes, they protect the windows in stormy weather. Take a moment to compose your shots. Use a long lens and group sections of several roofs or different colored corners of the cottages together. Try cropping small sections of a building, say a shutter or a door, and you’ll create quite avant-garde images.

The Ribbon of Green: Over 800 acres of reserves, parks and beaches have been nurtured and protected by the National Park System through the years. These offer a wide variety of wildlife, lush landscapes and unforgettable views. Try lowangle shots such as from ground level across the flower beds in the Botanical Gardens, the sun shining through a palmetto fan or close-ups of flowers. You’ll have little trouble finding subjects among the rocks and dunes.

Bermuda from the Water: The passage across the harbour into Hamilton is one of the prettiest sights you’ll see. The tiny cut seems too narrow to accommodate mammoth ships, but somehow they get through. The Hamilton skyline, especially at night, with its magnificent, towering cathedral, the Royal Naval Dockyard, with its great stone structures and clock towers, the great lighthouse on Gibbs Hill, and the magnificent beaches, all seen from the water, make great shots.

The Forts and Batteries: The great stone structures are impressive and make great pictures, but you can do even better. Once again, taking time to compose the shot will make all the difference. Try to isolate sections of the buildings for an interesting look: a flight of stone steps; a view of the ocean, beach or village framed by a gun port; or use a long lens across the battlements to draw it all together.

Churches and Graveyards: Churches, headstones and tombs produce good photos, especially if you include some of the strange epitaphs in your shot.

Homes and Gardens: These are always impeccably groomed, tailored and nurtured. Whether private homes or properties belonging to the National Trust, informal or formal gardens such as the Botanical Gardens, they all provide a thousand points of color and light to capture. Always be on the lookout for that little something with a difference. Art is in the eye of the creator as well as the beholder. Don’t be afraid to take pictures in the rain; it never lasts for long and
the results as the sun breaks through the clouds can often be spectacular (Of course, you’ll need to protect your camera from water, but don’t let that put you off). Taking pictures of people bustling along the crowded streets of Hamilton in the rain, umbrellas and Bermuda shorts, can be fun and productive. Good shooting!

Know Before You Go!