We are fortunate that in the Cayman Islands we basically experience summer all year around. However, whether you are taking the leap and travelling abroad or you are staycationing at home, there is a special feeling about the summer holidays that we can’t deny. Traditions, new adventures, warm weather, longer nights, delicious food and simply a slower pace are all wonderful parts of this time of the year.
What kinds of images scream summer to you? Tap into your childhood memories. Summer is the season of nostalgia. Which images transport you to the warmest, sunniest months of the year? Often enough, these are the images we want to hang on our walls to remind us of the carefree days behind and ahead of us. They don’t have to be from the most extraordinary places, sometimes the everyday moments or objects are the ones that signify that summer-feeling the best.
Here are a few ideas from all our different senses helping us experience and remember the essence of summer:
Summer is for barbecues and citrus fruit. Dripping ice creams and roasting marshmallows. Capturing the delicious flavors of summer will help you encapsulate the feeling of the summer months. This could mean visiting the amazing farm at Le Soleil D’or in Cayman Brac, setting up a lemonade stand, grilling in the backyard or simply capturing your kids sharing an ice cream from their favourite Camana Bay ice cream store. Food is an integral part of the human experience and including photos of the foods we eat in summer are wonderful memories and also make great decorations for your kitchen or dining area.
Distinctive smells that are reminders of summer include the smokiness of a barbecue, sunscreen and the salty air of the ocean or the scent of the hot asphalt after a heavy rainfall. Capture your family enjoying those moments but also consider taking some still art images (e.g a freshly picked mango from grandma’s backyard or the most recent sand castle) that you can display around your home to serve as a year long reminder of the endless summers!
The touch and texture of summer can best be captured through detail images. Focus on the summer details such as dirt under the fingernails, the juicy drip of a popsicle, wind blown hair or your kids’ bare feet on the beach.
Sound
Thunder, lighting and heavy rains are a sure sign of summer in Cayman. Try to capture those magnificent thunderstorms or the “aftermath” by letting your kids jump in muddy puddles after a big rainfall. Nothing quite shows as much joy in a child’s face as freely splashing in puddles. Catching your children in action will keep them interested and help you capture authentic emotion.
Sight is the most obvious sense for photography and summers are a great time to work on some landscape photography. With a little more flexibility in our days we can get up a little earlier to catch the sunrise or stay up late to snap some sunsets over 7 Mile beach.
Below are some pictures from the stunning Le Soleil D’or in Cayman Brac beautifully capturing that summer feeling.
Still not sure if you should make an effort photographing your family this summer… here is a little reminder why you should. I recently read an article that pointed out that we only have 18 summers with our kids. Let that sink in… only 18 before they are off to university or another adventure. That is not very much and most of us have already used up a lot of those summers, so pack your camera and get snapping.
