Illiads Oddysea and Caribbean Click Cruise

Coincident Shakespeare Track

• This voyage was also coincident with a "Shakespeare at Sea" cruise track, organized in association with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.
• Because I was fully occupied presenting and attending the intensive photography workshops, I did not attend the Shakespeare seminars, but the OSF company was actively performing and teaching concurrently on the same Holland America vessel.

Key Memories & Photography Milestones

• Half Moon Cay: At Holland America's private island, I followed my personal tradition of taking the very first tender ashore, walking the two miles of beach to the far end, and relaxing on "my own beach" in solitude for an hour before other passengers caught up.
• The Helicopter Medical Airlift: During a sea day, one of the ship's entertainers suffered a burst appendix. The Coast Guard executed a medical airlift to Puerto Rico. I put my new image-stabilized long-zoom lens to the test, taking high-quality shots of the helicopter rescue.
• St. Thomas Ritz Carlton & Lizards: Neil Bauman and I visited the brand-new Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas. While relaxing at the bar, we watched nine wild lizards emerge from the adjacent woods, which I happily photographed.
• Circular Mirror Selfie Class Assignment: On board, I discovered a circular mirror art piece that reflected back in a circle. Finding the absolute center point, I took multiple self-portraits. After showing the shots to my photography class, finding the center spot became a formal workshop class assignment.
• Spooky Nassau Selfie & Contest Win: In Nassau, I staged a creative "contest image" using the on-board mirror art and an eBay mug. Experimenting with tile mirrors, I lowered the camera and flashed myself in the face. After 60 attempts, I captured a haunting, perfectly lit Halloween portrait that won my division in the cruise's photo contest.
• Pirates of Nassau: I also wandered ashore to the Pirates of Nassau tourist trap, spending two hours chatting with the local bartender over Captain Morgan and Coke.
• Church Street Station Train Photos: After docking in Fort Lauderdale, I rented a car and drove to Orlando. While waiting at Church Street Station, I took 150 shots to capture 23 clear pictures of a vintage steam engine alongside a modern train, testing my hand-held half-second exposure capabilities.