THIS IS ST. MARTIN & ST BARTHS
If you’ve ever wanted to forget your swimsuit and the rest of your clothes for a week or more, head to St Martin. St Martin is the French side of St. Maarten. Live the nudist lifestyle amongst others who enjoy the same and have no shame doing so. There is no shame in nudity is there? No.
Orient Bay is predominantly featured in the video presentation at the beginning of this blog post. And it’s at Orient Bay where you can be naked and no one cares because everyone else is naked, too. There are a couple of other nudist areas in the Caribbean, but St. Martin is the best.
Hurricane Maria literally wiped out Club Orient, the nudist resort, but it is slowly being rebuilt. The beach, however, remains open.
I never thought I’d write about nudity in public so enthusiastically. I’m a rather reserved and conservative kind of guy. When I talk to people about going to a nude resort and/or beach, I’m always met with nervous laughter or complete surprise that I’d do such a thing. Such a thing?
Here’s the deal about going to a nudist resort – it’s no big deal. I will write about this topic in greater detail later in another blog post. As there are images in the slideshow with hints of nudity, I’m touching upon the subject now.
There is much more to see and explore in St Martin. The hilly terrain takes you through a lively landscape that you’ll thoroughly enjoy. When you are high on a vista, you’ll see all the way to St Barths and Anguilla. The views are incredible.
You can find a secluded beach and think you have your own private beach for the day. The feeling of being alone on a stretch of sand with calm waves coming ashore is second to none. Be who and what you are as you’ll be the only one there.
Almost all of the touristy sort of fare you’d expect to find on a Caribbean island is found on the Dutch side of the island which is St Maarten. If you want shops, duty free shopping, nightclubs or a casino, you’ll need to drive across the island for that.
When I’ve visited St Martin, I’ve stayed mostly at Orient Bay to enjoy the abundant sunshine, white sand beach and the peace and quiet.
Photography is not allowed at the nude beach and rightly so. There are plenty of other photo opportunities all throughout the island. Consider the following iPhone travel photography tips for any tropical island you choose to visit –
1. Switch it up Don’t stick to one photo orientation: For better options, take a vertical and a horizontal shot every time. On an iPhone, turn on the grid feature (in Settings, under Photos & Camera) for well-planned composition. You can capture more of the scene when you shoot horizontal, and the rule of thirds (a photography concept that says images that are divided evenly into thirds are more visually appealing) is more easily followed with the grid—just line up the point of interest with the gridlines. You want the focus of your photo to be at the intersections of the gridlines (four points near the center of the shot). Vertical shots may offer a different perspective, though, so take the time to do both! You never know which angle will prove most Insta-worthy. And, if you’re shooting for Instagram, it’s easiest to take a rectangular photo and then crop in—it gives you more options for your final post than a square shot might.
2. Use a filter Polarizing filters on cameras cut out the glare and increase saturation and contrast in colors. You can’t get the same effect in editing, so consider investing in a lens filter that easily attaches to your phone. Or put the lens of polarized, clean sunglasses in front of your camera (hold them close!) and then shoot. Just know that whatever tint your sunglasses have may affect the final colors of your photo, but that can be adjusted in editing. If you’re on the clumsier side, you might want to enlist a friend to help hold the glasses in place while you shoot.
3. Shoot from the water line or underwater Most pictures are taken from the beach looking into the water, but you can switch it up and take pictures from the water of the beach for an unexpected angle that’s all but guaranteed to bring in the likes. Pictures of the water from the water also pop in Instagram feeds—see the proof below. With some waterproof cases, this is easy enough, but for underwater photos (like when you’re snorkeling) make sure to get a pressurized case.
4. Find a composition anchor Shots of water and sand are beautiful, but a pop of color from something like a bird, a sailboat, a palm tree, or a beach umbrella adds visual interest to any beach shot. Refer back to rule #1 for placement: You want your anchor to line up with the intersecting gridlines.
5. Use burst mode to catch great action shots The burst mode on the iPhone can capture several photos within fractions of a second—all you have to do is hold the button when you take a picture. Use this function to capture crashing waves, jumping whales, or any other moving beach scenes. All the photos taken in the burst will be grouped together in your photos, so you can pick the best.
6. Check your exposure Use the AE/AF lock on your iPhone to ensure the bright beach sun doesn’t overwhelm your photos. Select the brightest part of your photo and press/hold on the screen. Once the AE/AF lock is enabled, a yellow box will appear. Slide the exposure bar that appears next to the box up or down to get that bright beach day vista just right.
7. Stick to the shadows (or not) Lighting is 99 percent of what makes a great image. Shadows can introduce great effects to a photo, but depending on what you’re shooting, you may want to avoid them. For objects, consider shooting in direct sunlight, so the shadows stand out and make your photo distinct. For people, consider shooting in the shade, or from under cover: The lighting won’t wash out your subjects or cause heavy shadows on their faces. And don’t get discouraged by a cloudy day at the beach (it makes for dreamy lighting).
8. Don’t zoom The zoom function on most phone cameras only degrades the quality of the image. Instead of zooming, move as close to the subject of your photo as possible and explore it from different angles. Avoid zooming in when cropping your photos, too: This also makes the image fuzzy and lowers its quality.
9. Invest in a portable tripod $40 seems like a small price to pay for a tripod (try the JOBY GorillaPod) that lets you actually appear in your photos. An added bonus is increased stability in all your photos, though in a pinch you can always use two hands when shooting for more stability and better focus.
10. Keep your lens clean Salt air and the hot sun can create a film over your phone’s camera lens, so make sure you wipe it before taking photos—just be sure whatever you use is dry and sand-free (Coastal Living’s pros carry microfiber cloths with them, but a dry sleeve can work just fine). It’s worth the extra second of effort for clearer pictures!
11. Don’t forget video Photos are amazing, but nothing beats listening to the sound of ocean waves when you’re back at work dreaming of another getaway. Filming horizontally is a must here, especially if you plan on uploading your videos to any social media platforms. (Note that Instagram stories and Snapchat look best with vertical video, though.)
12. Edit There are countless apps out there that you can use to edit your photos, and Coastal Living’s photo pros recommend downloading at least one (try A Beautiful Mess, Photoshop, VSCO, Camera+, or ColorStory). Use them to slightly increase the contrast, reduce highlights, and bump your vibrance/saturation to make your photos pop. Slightly is key here: Over-edited photos can detract from the image itself and degrade its quality.