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As promised, I bring you On Location: Trinidad. My apologies for the lack of posts as late, but returning from a long trip always warrants a bit of catch-up time. This time around “On Location” is going to follow a different, more interesting (i hope) format, to share with all of you the excellent photo experiences I had while visiting Trinidad.

Trinidad, making up one of the two islands of the country of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost of all the Caribbean islands, sitting only 10.5 degress north of the equator. I’ve found that of the populated Caribbean islands, Trinidad is one of the less well known, especially in the U.S. I would venture to guess that the reasons for this lie in the fact that, where most Caribbean islands are known as vacation spots with beaches and posh resorts, Trinidad thrives on its own natural resources, including natural gas and oil, and does not depend on tourism to survive. If someone does “know” Trinidad, then most likely they know it because of Carnival. Second in size only to Brazil’s, this is the time of the year the whole country “gets its sin on” with dancing, drinking and all all types of debauchery before the holy days of Lent.

Aside from Carnival, Trinidad has many other aspects that make it a wonderful place to visit, take pictures, and take in natural beauty, wonderful people and unique foods.

The Natural Beauty of Trinidad

For an island country, the vast range of scenery you can experience in such a small area, amazes me. From beaches to mountains to rainforests, there is a lot to see on a visit. Along with amazing settings, a huge array of wildlife, inluding unique birds, insects, and lizards, is usually just a stone’s throw away.

The Plants and Bugs

The above shots are just a few of my favorite plant and bug shots from the trip. Most were shot from my 30D with my Nikon Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Macro, paired with my Novoflex Nikon to Canon adapter.

Asa Wright Nature Preserve

Asa Wright is a renowned nature preserve, known mostly for its many species of tropical birds, and the ability to get close to these birds. I spent a day at Asa Wright with Alex Smailes, a friend and photographer who lives in Trinidad. These images were shot with either a Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L, Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L IS, or Canon 75-300 f/4-5.6.

Lopinot Estate

The Lopinot Estate is a historical site in eastern Trinidad with French and British roots. The grounds hold an old cocoa plantation, a 17th century estate home and riverside nature trails. These shots were takes with a Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L and spiced up with a little HDR action.

The Beaches

Although Trinidad is not know for beachside resorts, it does have several gorgeous beach areas. The main beach areas of Trinidad include Maracas, Blanchiseusse, Mayaro, and Toco. The shots above were taken in Maracas, with a Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L and a Sigma 14mm f/3.5 Fisheye.

The People

The people of Trinidad range from a huge variety of different backgrounds including African, Indian, European, Middle Eastern and Chinese along with a large population of foreign workers brought in mostly by the oil and gas industry. To me, the people of the country tell a lot about it, and as a general rule the people of Trinidad are kind, fun-loving people who are always down to tell a funny story or have a lime (a Trinidadian word used always - means hangin out). The group of three guys in the shot above are Trini road workers we met at a roadside food stand on the way to Asa Wright. They spent their lunch break with us, told some funny stories, drank some beers and homemade cane rum, all before 11am. They do lunch right in Trinidad

The Food and Drink

Something about the food in Trinidad is magic. Its hard to explain why, but something about the mixing of cultures, the tropical heat and the natural ingredients come together to make the food unique and excellent. Now, I’m not talking about five-star gourmet here (which is available), I’m talking about down-home street food. Some favorites include: Shark and Bake, Roti, and Doubles. The beverage of choice for any of these would be a "beastly" cold Carib or Stag beer.

Well, that about wraps it up. If you get the chance to take a trip to Trinidad, I suggest going for it. Like I said, its not a beachy resort vacation type place, but the experiences, nature, people and photo opportunites beat sitting on a lounge chair drinking a mai tai any day in my book. Thanks again for supporting Cameraporn.net and let me know what you guys think of the new “On Location” format.