11.03.2006

A Round Eleuthera


Far from being round, Eleuthera is more like long and skinny. But that's the nice part -- you can see the ocean all the way round when you are at Glass Window Bridge. The contrasting colors between the deep blue Atlantic ocean and the rich turquoise waters of the Caribbean is definitely cool. Actually, I prefer the adjective "hip", but now I'm dating myself. Or as I told a good friend "This is some of the best 'eye candy' I've ever laid a lens on." I've tried capturing the feel of the site in the form of a photograph for several years now and could never get it to look as cool as it really is -- until now.

I've been working with virtual reality panoramic photography and now have an interactive panoramic 360° shot of the Glass Window Bridge taken from the nearby cliffs. And it doesn't stop there... I have some more panoramics "in the can" I'll be processing and presenting over time. Unfortunately, these are not something you can just shoot and display. I use additional techniques that go into the processing workflow that allow me to capture the wide variance of contrast and exposure. I'd say more about it, but I don't want to make it too easy for the "me too" competitors to copy. (I love what's printed on the back of my official late night desktop snack -- Cheez-Its: "Dude! Get your own box!" Okay... so it doesn't say "Dude!")

I also launched a new page that is an interactive satellite map of Eleuthera. In time, I will populate it with Eleuthera "points-of-interest", Eleuthera vacation rental properties, restaurants, etc. For the moment, I am focused on the navigational functions of the satellite map. This is the kind of programming project that can really soak up a ton of your time. And so does the panoramic photography work. I now have a buzz cut so I don't have to pull out my hair. I don't want to complain, though. For all the years I've spent developing custom programs for businesses and such, this is much more rewarding and enjoyable.

Along the way to developing these latest and greatest features for my Eleuthera site, I also revived my link to the Sam Pedican and the Rage at the Glass Window Bridge story by Marvin Hunt. It's definitely one of my very favorite "stories" from Eleuthera. Mr. Hunt is a wonderful writer -- thank you! I was linking to a news site that had his article on line, but the site disappeared. Luckily, I was able to resurrect it, and with Mr. Hunt's permission, I am now hosting the article along with some of the original images on my "Eleuthera News and Reviews" page. If you haven't read this story and you're a fan of the Bahamas and / or Eleuthera, you have to check this out.

Now that I've accomplished these tasks that have taken many months to do, I look forward to working on some of my other photography work that has yet to see the light of day. And maybe now that I can spend more time away from the computer, my wife might start to remember who I am, doubtful as that is.

Just kidding, honey. Love you!

pj


Copyright © 2006 Perry Joseph

4 comments:

Tom Ranalli said...

PJ -

Hey, thanks for the comment on my Eleuthera blog! Yes, we love it. I have a fairly long journal I kept when there which will take me a number of weeks to transcribe, I think. We always talk about the next time we go back what we'll do, where we'll go, etc. No trip planned yet, but hopefully, not in the too distant future.

Thanks for sending me the links to your pix and blog and have a great trip in March.

Best,
Michael (SoCalVillaGuy)

PJ said...

Thanks for the post, Michael!

Don't miss Michael's trip report on his blog:

SoCalVillaGuy's Eleuthera trip report

Anonymous said...

I just reutrned from my second trip to Eleuthera, friends of mine have a cottage in Ten Bay. I have a hard time describing Eleuthera because, when you are there, words like intoxicating, awesome, beyond beautiful, don't do it justice. To me, peaceful, serene, inspiring are all more appropriate descriptives. It's not how Eleuthera looks, it's how it makes you feel inside. If you let her get under your skin, you will be reluctant to leave, and feel you are home when you return. If the good Lord is willing, I will return soon with the hopes of staying a long time.

Happy and safe travels,

Anne

PJ said...

Well said, Anne.