First weekend of May is a big one on the island due to the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon. As usual I was photographing the event for Action Sports International. This year I photographed the swim start off a boat, the swim finish and the runners at Buccaneer. The atmosphere was classic St. Croix high energy good vibes all the way. As usual this very tough race afforded some surprises and dramatic moments, such as two time world Ironman champion Craig Alexander wiping out on the bike and Terenzo Bozzone winning the race. Yet the highlight of the weekend for me was to hang out with my good friends and awesome sports shooters Jennifer and Eddie. A few of the images we shot appear in this article .
Ironman 70.3
May 5th, 2010A week of food photography
April 27th, 2010This year I was one of the three event photographers for The St. Croix Food & Wine Experience. The St. Croix Food & Wine Experience is a series of events that this year was held from April 13 -17th, 2010 here on St. Croix. The event has been named one of the Ten Best International Food and Wine Festivals by Forbes Travel and it is truly an amazing showcase of diverse cuisine and wine.This year marked the events Tenth Year Anniversary. Local chefs, as well as celebrity chefs and top wine makers from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Texas, Georgia, Oregon and abroad supported this prestigious series of event. I had the pleasure of photographing two very special dinners.
One of the dinners, held at Tutto Bene featured Chefs Adam Calzonetti, Scot Hill, Jennifer Cornell, Jeannette Wright and Dino DiNatale, fondly known as “the Culinary Crucian Exiles” reuniting for a Feast appropriately named ‘The Homecoming’! This was a great fun and fast paced event. I was impressed by how smoothly these 5 chefs worked together. It was a joy to watch and photograph them as they worked with such accuracy and speed, creating their culinary magic on plates. You would think they work together all day, every day!
The second dinner was hosted by Jody and Brent Mays at their beautiful Estate Annaly. Featuring Chef Kevin Rathbun and Winemaker Kent Rosenblum, the intimate dinner took place in the historical sugarmill. This was a fantastic dinner to photograph as it afforded so many great subjects from happy hosts and guests enjoying the event, a beautiful estate, grand views from atop the sugarmill over the rainforest, an outstanding chef at work and the colors and shaped of the beautiful dishes he created. I was very fortunate that the chef insisted I taste each course after photographing them! I will not soon forget this food, especially the incredibly velvety Chocolate Terrine with olive oil and seasalt paired with the lucious Rosenblum Cellars Late Harvest Rosie Rabbit Zinfandel!
As in previous years, I also attended the “Taste of St. Croix” event as well as the “Wine in the Warehouse” event, both of which were great successes this year. The proceeds from all the events are donated to the St. Croix Foundation. a great 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation that strives to fostering economic and social development here on St. Croix and throughout the Territory.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
March 17th, 2010Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Here on the island we celebrated it a little early (this previous Saturday). Our dive club CRABBS took the chance to be in the parade and spread information about the dangers of the invasive Lionfish that we are seeing. After the parade the crowds gathered on the boardwalk for a banna swinging party to the tunes of Kurt Schindler. This is what it looked and sounded like.
Regatta
February 21st, 2010The original plan this weekend was to photograph our local kitesurfers racing for the first time in the St. Croix Hospice Regatta. But the wind did not kick up to the required minimum 12 kts for the kiters to race. Instead me and two of the “stranded kiters” Kasey and Mikey headed out in Kasey’s boat to check out the sailboat racing. This was probably the most fun I have had shooting this annual regatta, because besides the great fun company and the excellent shooting platform it really rocked to have a “boatdriver” who just so happens to be a great photographer himself. It appeared like the boat was moving “by mindcontrol” but of course it was Kasey positioning it for the best frames. I really enjoyed the weekend, but I am still very much looking forward to a chance at shooting racing kitesurfers.
Carnival 2010
January 3rd, 2010Carnival Time again! As I was shooting the parade amongst the smiles, glitter and whinin hips, it suddently hit me – I have done this for 11 years now! Over a decade! Although I still miss the cold beautiful quiet nordic Christmas of my native Finland incredibly much at this time of the year, I have really grown fond of the Carnival and do need this fix of color, music, taste, movement to bring in the new year as well. I live with one foot in each polar opposite culture and it is all Irie!
By the way, if you like me really feel happy and like bouncing when you listen to the music to this video you should head over to strokaville and learn all about the Fabulous Stroka Band!
Shooting Tempo Turns 4
November 15th, 2009The night of November 14 was a busy one for me. After the Queen Louise Gala and Auction I zipped off to shoot the Tempo Turn 4 consert for one of the magazines that I particularily enjoy doing assignments for. This concert, which was the 4 year birthday celebration for the Caribbean television network Tempo Networks LLC, was hands down the most professional, high quality music production that I have ever seen put on anywhere in the Caribbean. This is my 3rd year covering the Tempo concerts and each year I have been amazed at both the uncompromising professionalism of the organizers, the friendly, smooth, efficient and accomodating manner in which everyting is handeled, the camraderie amongst the artists and the press and all the organizers the joyous and disturbance free vibes in the audience. What makes these events so special is the ever permeating message, carried by Tempo networks CEO Frederick Morton and all the contributing artists, of unity and non-violence. It is inspirational to see a charismatic local role model such as Mr. Morton, instilling the value of education, community, self respect and non-violence here in the Caribbean. Amont the many artists featured this year, I had an opportunity to photograph dancehall legend Shabba Ranks as well as Ziggy Rankin, CeCile, Tarrus Riley, Iver George, Madda Nile and also my new fun and ultra talented friends from Curacao, the band Guess of Fire.
Big Thanks to Ruth Blyther who came along and assisted me with ” all my too much stuff” while also networking with artists and trendmakers in her quest to save the oceans!
American Airlines Golf Charity/Queen Louise Home Auction and Gala
November 14th, 2009The Queen Louise Home for Children is the only facility in the VI to serve abused neglected and orphaned children. I was very happy to be able to contribute in a small way to the 24th Auction and Gala Fundraiser on November 14 by donating some of my work to the auction. Four of my underwater images were auctioned in the live auction and three additional underwater images were auctioned in the silent auction. To be honest, when I first discovered that some of the images had been selected to be featured in the live auction I felt both honored and a bit anxious. Luckily, the images did sell and generated a nice sum for the good cause. I do not know who the generous collector who purchased the images is, but I am hoping that they are enjoying the images as much as I enjoyed making them, and I am sure we both enjoy the good feeling of having been part of a wonderful event that helped benefit one of the most needed and well-run organizations on the Virgin Islands. Big thanks to Brandi Sheffield who invited me to be part of this event!
Shooting scary people
November 1st, 2009
Although nature, travel and sports photography is where my interest lay, sometimes I just like to shoot friends and people having fun. Bringing a big camera rig to parties, especially if you are there to let your guard down a little and have fun, is not the best idea. And if you are at a crowded Halloween party wearing a large spiny lionsih costume, then shooting becomes nearly impossible. This is the reason I did not photograph very much at this years VICARE Halloween party; I was too busy trying not to poke out peoples eyes with my numerous 3 ft spines. I only brought out the camera for about 5 minutes at the very end of the party.
Last year the costume was a little less complicated, hence the longer slideshow:
New Ireland sing sing group
August 13th, 2009Presenting images at The Nature Conservancy/CRABBS 8/11/2009
August 10th, 2009If you happen to be in the neighborhood, you are welcome to come see some of my underwater and landbased images from Papua New Guinea at the Nature Conservancy, on Tuesday 8/11/2009. The event starts at 6:30 PM, but the presentation probably starts about an hour later. TNC is located in Estate Little Princesse (St. Croix) close to “five corners”. This is also an excellent opportunity to become familiar with a fantastic group of divers, the Caribbean Reef Association of Bubble Blowers of St. Croix (of CRABBS dive club for short). Everyone is welcome!
By the volcanoe
July 30th, 2009
Volcan Tavurvur
Shooting Ironman 70.3
May 6th, 2009The St. Croix Ironman 70.3 is one of my favorite events to shoot each year. This year was my 5th (?) year shooting the event with Action Sports International, the company that holds the contract for official Ironman photography. I really like the fast pace of the photography, all the incredible energy from the amazing triathletes and positive vibes from how the community comes together for this event. Over the years I have become good friends with the other ASI photographers, so it is so very nice to get to see them, shoot with them and take them around St. Croix for some island adventure. On top of it all I feel that I learn something new every year and I think my sports shooting skills benefit a lot from the interaction at these events. At the every least I come back, sunburned, sore, crusty, tired, but very very happy and inspired each year! For all of you who have asked for images: the official images from the event can be found at http://www.asiorders.com.
Underwater here in St. Croix
March 16th, 2009St. Croix is a secret diver paradise. We don’t have very many dive tourists, and these days we don’t have many tourists at all. Yet we have what I would dare say is the best diving in the Caribbean. We have it all, steep walls, swimthru canyons, shallow colorful reefs, the deep abyss, wrecks, pelagics and the most awesome macro critter diving under the Fredericksted Pier. The best thing is that it is never crowded. You can have your divesite to yourself. And all of this is a few finkicks away. There is no need to get on a boat if you dont wish, just wobble down to the beach or pier and splash in. Of course we have several really great dive operators who can swoop you away in their boats to sites further away. Anyway, this is why I chose to stay and live here on St. Croix. I have dove here for 11 years and I don’t know how many dives I have done. But I know this: I am not bored yet!
Underwater Milne Bay
March 5th, 2009Just put together a quick slideshow with some Milne Bay shots, I can’t wait to return to Papua New Guinea this summer!
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Sailing, Kiteboarding, whatever…
March 5th, 2009This year’s St. Croix International regatta got to do mostly without me. I went out to shoot it just for a little bit. The “pressboat” this year was an inflatable dinghy which was not an appropriate shooting platform in 6 ft waves. Instead I and John took out our sailboat, which with its 1.5 ton keel is a considerable more stable shooting vessel in this kind of conditions. I rolled around in the seas for about one hour upon the wave action, but after a few saltwater baths I decided to head over to shoot some kitesurfing action instead. It was a good call! My friend Kasey, who is a great kiteboarder, was a willing model. I can’t wait to go back to shoot more now that my head is full of new ideas on how to shoot it this sport. Oh, and I want to take lessons in Kiteboarding too, but as I can’t afford breaking any bones before this summers shooting expedition in Papua New Guinea, the lessons will have to wait until August.
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Seahorse city
February 3rd, 2009The Frederiksted Pier is like a box of choclates – you never know what you’ll get. Sometimes its frogfish, other times batfish, octopus, eels or turtles. The only thing that is for certain is that something interesting will show up. Last Saturday I went diving with my old divebuddy and critter spotter extraordinaire, Doreen and co-critterspotter-extraordinaire, George. Dorren insisted that we kick on the surface aaaaaaallll the way to the end of the pier and decend just exactly at this one paricular pylon for a rendez-vous with an orange seahorse. I was secretly thinking “yeah right”. Well – what can I say. The large orange seahorse was waiting exactly where Doreen said it would be. After pointing out the orange seahorse to me she found 5 additional seahorses in quick succession. My heart was jumping with joy, I had forgot how much fun it is to dive with Doreen. Not only is she a great critterspotter, but she photographs as well and is OK with my sluggish pace as opposed to most non-photographer buddies.
