Sint Maarten/Saint Martin & T2i

Greetings everyone,

I have been a little absent for some time now as I had some misfortune rupturing my Achilles tendon and requiring surgery back in June. This downtime has allowed me to catch up on some photos.

Back in April/May my t2i, 18-55 & 55-250 and I traveled to Sint Maarten/Saint Martin on a job and I captured many photos during the job and afterward where we drove around the entire country through the dutch and french sides of the island.

Here are my favourite 10 photos, all t2i and kit lens after some basic touchup in LR3. As always C&C is greatly appreciated as improvement is always the goal.

many thanks

#1 Cruise ships in Philipsburg (Dutch Side). I have never seen such a busy cruise ship port, on any given day there could be as many of four or five ships plus other mega yachts.

#2 If its one thing islands like this, the US and British Virgin islands, St barts and stuff are very famous for its for boating and watersports. Whilst trying to work these guys and many others always came in our way. They were having some sort of regatta or something. This was actually taken offshore St Barts. This one was 55-250.

#3 Sunset bar at Maho beach, Dutch side. I think this is voted as one of the best beach bars in the world. There is always bustling activity here during the day and in the night for the nearby nightclubs and casinos. During the day there are so many people they spill out all over the beach. The beach does not attract much bathers I would say but more so viewers of the aircraft landing overhead on the adjacent airport runway.

#4 As mentioned before, spectators more enthused with the landing aircraft that the beach itslef. Maho Beach, dutch side.

#5 The site of a natural marine reserve on the french side of the island. This was stitched together from three photos if I recall correctly. There is a stark contrast as you get to this region with a very dry landscape and rough waters of the exposed atlantic ocean breaking offshore on the reefs and rock outcrops which are out of this picture to the right.

#6 Orient Bay, French side. This bay is famous for the nude section to the southern end of the main stretch of the beach. it is generally a very long strech of beach fronted by many little hotels, bars and restaurants. Here is a shot of some beach chairs awaiting patrons. What i found strange was there is no one really when I went there, maybe it was the time of day, middle of the week or the bad weather/rough seas that transpired at that time.

#7 Grand Case, french side. This is a small jetty for the fold who come from their yachts. Many residents in St marteen who I spoke to said this town was one of their favouries to visit on the weekends. it is very quaint, old and seemingly time has past it by. It is another long bay backed by the road running along the bay from which all the restaurants, bars and hangout spots situated. Here also seemed to somewhat abandoned. There were patrons on the beach but many of the establishments did not seem to be well patronized at the time.

#8 Empty beach front restaurant in Grand Case

#9 On the street in Grand Case, a very colourful town.

#10 A fruit vendor's stall in Marigot, capital of the french side.