The 10 Best Portrait Spots on St. John

Francis Bay, December, 5:28-5:37pm
[Laying on the beach - 5:28pm]
[Sitting on the rock - 5:35pm]
[Climbing out to sea - 5:37pm]

In the late afternoon the light is golden at Francis, and you can get a variety of different portrait styles in the span of 10 minutes, as above. Really, the light does all the work!

Photo: Red Sunset Photography

f/9 | ISO 100 | shutter 1/320 | Nikon D60

Bordeaux Mountain overlook, May, noon-ish

Bordeaux Mountain on a clear day is a glorious thing to behold. Yes, all the tourists go to the spot right next to Le Château de Bordeaux, and that's awesome as a landscape photo; but, if you go down the road towards Coral Bay a little bit, there's a stone half-wall that's a better place for portraits.

Photo: private collection

Salomon Beach, afternoon

That palm tree is a perfect prop: you can lie on it, sit on it or sit under it.  It's low enough that you can get the entire thing in your photo.  If your girl lies on it, it's a sultry thing; if you sit under it, it casts lovely shadows on your face. Go late afternoon for the longest shadows!

Photo: Polly Judge

Trunk Bay, November, 5:28pm

I call this the "pink light" time--near twilight (between 6:15 and 6:40 in February). The water is a mercurial pink and blue. Trunk Bay is the best, but Cruz Bay beach is also consistently nice, and you get the nice outlines of boats in the background.

Photo: Tropical Focus Photography

f/7.1 | 1/200 | ISO 400 | 24-70mm f/2.8 lens | Nikon D700

Cinnamon Bay ruins, October, 9:30am

How interesting is this!? One look at this photo setup and people will be intrigued.  The near-oval branch configuration is an organic frame. Small children would also look adorable. And, it's a short walk to other great portrait setups.

Photo: Tropical Focus Photography

f/5.6 | 1/60 | ISO 400 | 24-70mm f/2.8 lens | Nikon D700

Cinnamon Bay, May, 6:05pm

Sometimes--many times!--a photo is perfect for the details it leaves out. This is a lively family portrait even through you don't see their faces. The fellow jumping is the icing on the cake--aim for a detail like that. Photo: Tropical Focus Photography
f/16 | 1/250 | ISO 200 | 24-70mm f/2.8 lens | Nikon D700

Cinnamon Bay, October, 4:30pm

Position your model in the water with the unpopulated green expanse of mountain behind. Pumpkin optional.

Photo: Red Sunset Photography (cover photo, Sun Times, October 2007)

f/3.1 | ISO 100 | Samsung NV7 OPS

Caneel Bay Resort beach, February, 5:24pm

Children especially, seem to look natural under the sea grape trees.  I don't know what explains it, but take a look at these adorable children.  Maybe the roundness of their faces and the roundness of the leaves are somehow in balance. Anyway--try this! Photo: Tropical Focus Photography

 f/4 | 1/80 | ISO 100 |18-200mm f/3.6 lens | Nikon D200

Gallows Point Resort, July, 9:21am

Can we say, "Awww!" Cuteness. Our blue/green tropical landscape accented with fuschia bougainvillea, early morning, nice. Gallows has the benefit of being near sea level and landscaped, so you get a more formal-seeming portrait.

Photo: Tropical Focus Photography

f/6.3 | 1/250 | ISO 100 | 18-200mm f/3.6 lens | Nikon D200

Cruz Bay dinghy dock, February, 11:23am

The truth is, human flesh surrounded by our pale blue water is universally flattering, the dock just adds a nice warmth to the composition. And it's a setup that makes the model giddy--you feel like a kid again.

Photo: Red Sunset Photography

f/8 | 1/250 | ISO 100 | Nikon D60

Honorable mention: Skinny Legs restaurant in Coral Bay

Because it's iconic in these parts--the Skinny Legs sign.  Enough said.

Photo: Polly Judge

Honorable close-to-St.-John mention: Jost

If you can get on a boat and be emerging, glistening wet, from the clearest blue water around, you too can look like Brummel. Again, nature does all the work for you.

Photo: Red Sunset Photography, with permission from Sun Seekers Charters (340) 643-5527.

f/9 | ISO 100 | 1/320 | Nikon D60