Harmony of the Seas Cruise
My First Cruise Experience
November 2021 I was blessed with the opportunity to board one of the largest passenger cruise ships in the world. We traveled to The Bahamas, Jamacia and Haiti. Like most people traveling somewhere for first time, I didn’t know what to expect. There were hundreds of families piling up with their luggage to board The Harmony of the Seas Cruise. I was extremely excited because this was my first time boarding a cruise ship and I couldn’t wait to capture memories that would last forever. Leading up to the trip I was eager to diversify my portfolio. This trip would challenge me to not be a cliché photographer who brings their camera, pointing it at anything to take basic tourist photos. Yes I was a tourist, but I wanted my photos to be more creative. I planned to shoot with purpose so that my photos could tell a story. However, I had to remember to enjoy the cruise and not let my passion take over entire trip.
The plan was to take some shots of everywhere we ported. While we traveled from port to port, I captured the inside of the cruise and its amenities. There was plenty to do from sliding down the crazy waterslides, watching the World Cup on the giant screen they displayed outside, eating endless pizza from Sorrento’s and much more. Whenever I got the opportunity, my goal was to freeze time. It was pretty straightforward because there was so many things happening around me, especially on the cruise. The feeling of stepping outside of a moving environment to capture a moment in time is euphoric. To capture a moment and make it last forever is one of the reasons photography important to me. It’s also why I love to travel with my camera, the art is already there and I get the benefit of making it my own.
If I had to choose one word to describe these photos it would be raw. Whether it was objects or people I intended to capture these images with a basic principle and let the creativity of the photo speak for itself. No editing shapes or sizes to make things appear smaller or larger than they were. The images were exactly what I saw in the moment and how I will always remember them. I aimed to create a feeling towards my viewers to want to travel. At the same time, I wanted them to come up with their own perspective of how they wanted to perceive the images. We all have different experiences in life and that allows all of us to view the world differently from one another.
I am extremely thankful for my family that provided the opportunity to travel on my first cruise, it was one of the most memorable highlights of my life.
