I Am A Celebrity!

Sunday, January 18, 2026

2015 - Return to the Mediterranean

Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015

FINALLY. OUR (triumphant?) return to the Mediterranean! In 2013 we had excitedly booked, planned and departed for our first ever visit outside the continental U.S. It was the dream trip of a lifetime for me. And even though it didn't work out the way we planned it, looking back, it was still a dream trip. With planned visits to Venice, Turkey, Greece, Rome, and Italy's Amalfi Coast, we fulfilled the majority of those destinations. With a voucher for the cruise that didn't complete, we were now - in 2015 - getting ready to embark on the one that would cover those places we missed out on. Our "makeup" cruise.

Port of Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

THIS CRUISE added a fun spin. For some time, we had been talking to our friends, Paul and Linda, about joining us on a cruise. This time, they decided it was time! At first, we were planning to do something we hadn't ever done (and still haven't) - a back to back (B2B in "cruise talk"). They didn't think they could take that much time, so we were going to do the first leg (being 10 years ago, I don't even remember what it entailed - probably some of the Italian or French Riviera), and then they would join up with us for the 2nd cruise. A funny thing happened on the way to the cruise, though. My son decided to get married. In Tokyo. I was still working full time at that point, and I just didn't think I could do 20 or so days in the Mediterranean and a week in Japan, having already take a week in the Caribbean earlier in the year. It is one of two times I made that call and have "kicked myself" since. I think I could have taken the time and it would have been just fine. But ultimately, we dropped one of the B2B legs.

WE FLEW from Michigan to Barcelona, Spain where we would board The Emerald Princess.

We fell in love with Barcelona!

OUR CRUISE would go from Barcelona to Provence, France; Livorno, Italy (for Pisa and Florence); Civitavechia (for Rome); Montenegro, and finally finish in Athens. But as we now pretty much routinely do, we planned 3 days in Barcelona before departing. Barcelona had been the terminal stop on our "aborted" Royal Princess Cruise back in 2013. But we had not planned any real time there, flying out the same day we were to dock and disembark the ship. So this was a bonus to our "makeup" cruise.

The Catalonian National Museum of Art - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015

WE HAD no idea. We fell in love with Barcelona! By now, my wife had become expert in finding and booking tours - covering all the important details. This time, she arranged for a pickup at the airport and a 1/2 day tour of the city before dropping us at our hotel. There were two "rain events" on this cruise. Otherwise, we really had great weather, especially as we headed east and then south. The first event was the day we arrived. We had showery conditions most of that day. I was sporting a new "travel" camera (I had carried it for our week in Japan earlier that summer, too). It was a very small, compact Sony RX100 and I was having fun with it. I took the shot of the windshield of our van as kind of a "fun" photo, but it shows the weather we started with. Fortunately, it didn't last. We saw the Olympic Village, a drive-by of the La Sagrada Familia, the Catalonian National Art Museum, a view from high above the city, and another drive-by of Parc Guell (where we had tickets for later).

The influence of Gaudi can be seen everywhere in the City - this scene was about a block or two from our own hotel - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

FOR OUR stay in Barcelona, we chose Hotel Diagonal; fittingly, on Avenue Diagonal, which runs diagonally through the city center. It was modest, but clean and had a really nice - small rooftop bar area that we were able to use a couple of the nights. It was also very centrally located for most of what we planned to do while in the city. We had a full schedule. Following our drive-around introduction to the city, we had a walking tour scheduled for later that afternoon - early evening. Part of our tour was spent in the Gothic Quarter, where we saw the wonderful old Gothic Architecture of The Cathedral of Barcelona (one of few places in the city where Gaudi's influence isn't the central feature - because it was built long before his time).

Cathedral of Barcelona - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

THE NEXT morning, we had a Gaudi walking tour of the main parts of the city where much of Antoni Gaudi's architectural influence can be seen. Later that afternoon, we were booked for Parc Guell (a proposed luxury housing complex by wealthy industrialist Eusebi Güell, who commissioned Gaudi to design it).

Gaudi Architecture dominates the center city (with the exception of the Gothic Quarter)
Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

THAT BRIGHT red and yellow flag that prominently adorns so many of the Barcelona buildings in not the flag of Spain. While Barcelona is part of the nation of Spain, it identifies much more strongly with its history as Catalan. The dominant flag here, is the Catalonian flag. While Spanish is the official language, Catalonian is fluently and frequently spoken by Barcelona residents - and is taught in Barcelona schools as a co-primary language along with Spanish. Students of history and geography will know that Spain is more or less divided into 4 distict regions, whose history and culture are each somewhat unique. All were at one time separate kingdoms. There is strong sentiment for Catalonian independence and in the several times we have visited Barcelona, there have been huge, spirited (but always peaceful) marches and demonstrations for Catalonian separatism.

Catalonian Flag - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

ALONG WITH the prominent and unique architecture of Gaudi and his followers, the residents of Barcelona have some interesting, quirky, and often humorous touches to the city. I thought the museum below might be fun and interesting to visit, but before I could suggest it to my compatriots, I noticed the flashing orange street sign warning me not to cross over. Omen? Maybe. 😑

Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

OUR PARC Guell visit later that afternoon was our other "rain event." We had looked forward to a couple hours in the complex. I said "proposed" above, because the complex never really left the ground. Only two homes were ever built there. But before it stopped, there were several public buildings and spaces completed. The entire complex architecture was in Gaudi's signature style of no straight lines and a lot of natural shapes and forms - along with some - well - "gaudy" decorative touches.

Parc Guell - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

WE WAITED in a line for our time, and watched the skies as they grew darker and darker. Almost as if choreographed, just as we walked in, the skies opened up and dumped a deluge of rain on us. We were able to crowd up under the main pavillion of the complex as we watched literal rivers and waterfalls develop over and through the stairways and passages. It was forecast to continue, and we - regrettably - decided to abort the tour. I was able to make just a few photographs, mostly from where we stood under the pavillion.

A very rain-soaked Parc Guell - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

HEADING BACK to the motel to dry out, we had a "pub-crawl" style food and drink tour scheduled for that evening and kept our fingers crossed that it would stop raining. Fortune smiled upon us, and the rain stopped. It was the last serious rainfall we would see for the remainder of our trip. The evening was cool, but comfortable. We met our "leader" in a plaza about a block from our hotel, and he led us on a fun trip around the center city (I don't think we were ever more than about a half mile from our hotel). We were in Barcelona, on a sort of a pub-crawl. So what would you expect for the food portion? Of course. Tapas! It was a fun evening. So much fun for the 4 of us and our guide (we were in a larger group, but as the evening wore on, they fell off from us) that we kept going past our time and to a couple places we hadn't been to. He was a young gentleman (I would say college age), and when we began buying, he was more than glad to show a few more of his favorite spots. All good things, though, must come to and end, and it eventually did. When we asked him to help point us toward our motel, he pointed kiddy-corner across the street and said "its right there." 😁

Performance Hall - Palau de la Musica - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

WE WEREN'T done yet. I had a business associate who spent a month every January in Barcelona, and he gave me a few "must see" spots. He actually headed up one of the State Government agencies back in Michigan that I had frequent contact with. Rich and I had done a couple speaking engagements together, and hit it off. In his spare time, he sang in a barbershop quartet (and they were really good). So he was musical. I had played in the band and orchestra in high school, so we had another thing in common. He told me that we had to see Barcelona's crown jewel of the city's performance scene: Palau de la Musica. The performing center was not designed by Gaudi, but you would think it was. The designer of the performing center was an Catalonian architect from Barcelona: Lluís Domènech i Montaner, whose designs were from a similar school as Gaudi's unique spin on art nouveau architecture. With its copious art nouveau touches, and very colorful and grandiose decorative and design features, it is probably the most beautiful facilities of its kind that I have ever seen.

Palau de la Musica - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

ONE OF my law partners later decided to spend some time in Barcelona during Michigan's coldest, grayest part of the winter. He and his wife went to Barcelona for a 3 - week winter getaway, and I put him in touch with Rich (with whom he was alread professionally acquainted) and he consulted Rich at length. My partner's wife is a very talented professional voice teacher and performer. And Dave (my partner) is a hobbyist organ player (who built his own synthesizer organ which allows him to download the "sounds" of different unique and famous organs). One of the highlights of the Palau de la Musica tour is a few minutes of its world-famous organ (it is played automatically somehow). Dave was fascinated with that and when they were in Barcelona, they attended a couple live performances there. But perpaps more germane - Dave found and acquired the application for the "sound" of that organ.

Palau de la Musica - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

THE ARCHITECTURE is impressive, from the performance hall, to the lobby space (note the guilded stairway up to the balcony seats in the hall), to even the outdoor spaces. I couldn't get over the colorful columns lining one of the porches of the main lobby. It was a memorable morning. Over the years, I have had the privilege and pleasure to see the inside of some pretty remarkable buildings - I doubt I have ever been in one more beautiful and memorable than this one.

Sagrada Familia - Barcelone, Spain
Copyright 2015 - All Rights Reserved

OUR TIME in Barcelona was rapidly coming to an end. The next morning, we would board the cruise ship, bound for the Mediterranean and more adventures. But before we did so, we had one more "must see" spot. If you are an admirer of history, art, or architecture, you cannot visit Barcelona without seeing the granddaddy of all churches: the famed "Sagrada Familia." The largest unfinished Catholic church in the world, construction in 1882 directed by architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. The original design and plan for for a Gothic Revival building. Shortly after contstruction began, Villar and the project commissioners came to significant diagreement on materials and costs, and i89n 1883, Villar resigned. Antoni Gaudí took over as chief architect, and completely changed the design, adding his Art Nouveau forms to the original Gothic design, and creating a mix of the two styles. Gaudí devoted the rest of his life to the curch, and is even buried in the church's crypt. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete. Even today, in 2025, 100 years later, the church remains incomplete. The current plan is to have it substantially completed in 2026, by the anniversary of Gaudi's death. Time will tell.

Sagrada Familia - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

WE HAD tickets for entry, which included a ride up one of the elevators that flank the main entrance, all the way to the top (for a presumably commanding view of the city). Unfortunately, when we arrived, we were informed that there had been an unscheduled closing of the elevators. We assumed maybe due to windy conditions, but we later learned that we were pre-empted by someone or group apparently more important an/or influential than us mere tourists.

Sagrada Familia - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright 2015 - All Rights Reserved

STILL, THE remaining parts of the tour were pretty impressive. In addition to much of the Gaudi forms in the interior of the church, the stained glass - both in terms of color and grandeur and for their strategic placement, directing light at appropriate times of the day, was amazing. As you can see, it really is difficult to capture the massive structure, inside and out.

Sagrada Familia - Barcelona, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2015

IT WAS a great few days in Barcelona, which became our absolute favorite European City. This brief account doesn't really cover the depth of our experience. In addition to learning so much about the art and architecture of the city (dominated, of course, by Antoni Gaudi), our hotel was just 2 blocks from Las Rambla, a boulevard that winds through the city, with outdoor seating restaurants, shops, entertainers and people watching! We enjoyed the tapas style food, and just doing some bar-hopping in some of the small bars around our hotel. We walked back down into the Gothic Quarter on our final night to find a recommended restaurant where we had a splendid seafood dinner (my wife and I would spend more time and learn much more about the Gothic Quarter and the history of the old city when we stopped again in 2019 for an overnight stay in the port). We capped off our last night - it had finally cleared and there were even stars in the sky - up on our rooftop bar. We had a leisurely time frame for boarding our cruise ship the next day - just minutes by taxi or uber from our hotel. And we were just getting started!

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Photography On A Cruise Ship

Miami Skyline from the top Deck of our Celebrity Reflection Cruise Ship
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

MOST READERS know that I am an avid photographer. I have been writing a blog primarily dedicated to my photography for 20-some years: LightCentricPhotography Blog. I started this second blog a couple years back as I realized that a lot of my more recent postings have centered around our travel, and in particular, our cruises, around the world. As I sometimes got deeper into the weeds about the cruises, I felt that it was getting too far away from the theme of photography. While travel is obviously an important part of my own photography, I didn't want to over-emphasize cruises. But I still wanted to talk about them!

What better way to illustrate them, though, than with my own photographs?

WE LOVE to cruise. Since we started in 2010, we have been on 21 cruises (that's in 15 years, with a couple years in between when we didn't cruise at all). We have 4 more already booked. I have carried a camera of some description on every one of them. The two blogs will continue to interrelate, but this one is supposed to focus more on cruises, cruising, and those aspects of my travels. What better way to illustrate them, though, than with my own photographs? In this post, I want to talk a little about how I have approached photography on and around cruise ships, including some of the advantages and disadvantages presented by this manner of travel.

Alaska Inside Passage from the balcony of our Diamond Princess Cruise Ship
Copyright Andy Richards 2010 - All Rights Reserved

THE GEAR

IT ALL started with Alaska, which was - of course - primarily about the scenery. So my photography in the beginning was really an extension of my landscape photography which I had been doing for many years. Just always on terra firma. I had done some research about shooting from a water-based platform. I knew that we would often be moving, sometimes in multiple directions, and that the ships' massive engines would produce vibrations. For those who don't know, unplanned motion of any kind can be the death knell to a good, sharp, image. There are some workarounds for some of it. Fast shutter speeds can help cancel out the blurring effect of the ship's motions (but probably not the engine vibrations). Image stabilization technology (had been in binoculars for years, but weren't in very many lenses or cameras back then) has become pretty much standard in cameras. Today, my cameras all have "in-body image stabilization, or IBIS, which makes a big difference with handheld shooting. I have been a tripod zealot my entire photographic "life." Against my normal predilections, I would have to shoot handheld for a lot of my images, in order to combat the motion inherent in a ship on the water. When we were stopped, I was able to use a tripod (like shots of the glacier in Glacier Bay).

There really is no "right" or "wrong" camera for photography on a cruise ship

AT THAT time I was using a Nikon DSLR ("digital" Single Lens Reflex) camera. I brought that - along with an assortment of lenses, and a relatively large, sturdy tripod along. Traveling with that kind of gear poses its own challenges. There are two of them. First, the luggage issue. Carrying a lot of gear - especially the tripod - requires large checked bag size luggage and often some dissassembly of the gear for each trip. Cameras are expensive and delicate, so I don't usually put them or the lenses in checked luggage. This dictates and limits our carry-on baggage. The second challenge is just lugging them around. As cruisers know, much of cruising and much of shore time involves either excursions or walking around the ports where there are a lot of people. A tripod just doesn't mix well with either of those circumstances. Nor does it fit in particularly well on a crowded ship deck. These days the only reason I carry a tripod is for night shooting, or for the off chance that I will have some time alone on shore (e.g. on an overnight). Over time, I also grew weary of lugging the big, often heavy DSLR and lenses around.

Margerie Glacier - Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
From our upper deck balcony of the Diamond Princess
Copyright Andy Richards 2010 - All Rights Reserved

THERE REALLY is no "right" or "wrong" camera for photography on a cruise ship. Like almost all travel these days, the majority of people use their smart phones to photograph and even to video events on and around the ship. What I have learned is that travel photography - even for the more serious shooters - is always a compromise. I am personally not (yet anyway) satisfied with the results or utility of my smart phone for 98% of the shooting I do. I want something more. If you are a serious photographer, you likely will, too. I have carried everything from a full DSLR, lenses and a full tripod, to a small "point and shoot," handheld only. They have all worked to varying degrees. Today, I carry the smallest so-called "full frame" camera available that will accept interchangeable lenses; and mostly a single zoom lens that covers medium wide to medium telephoto views; and an ultra small, carbon fiber tripod which I use for any long exposure imagery (like night time) I make. They travel small, and very well. If that is still too much for you, perhaps try one of the so-called "bridge" cameras. My personal favorite (and recommendation) would be the Sony RX100vi or vii (which gives you 24-200mm equivalent zoom capability). This tiny little camera has all the "bells and whistles" that a modern day DSLR or Mirrorless camera does, in a very compact (think: pack of cigarettes size) little body. I carried it exclusively for travel for a couple years and was generally very pleased with it. Sony only very recently released a "full frame" version of this diminutive little body. It has two holdbacks for me. First, it has only a "fixed" 35mm lens. Second, it is very expensive ($5,000). Almost twice the cost of my Sony A7CR!

Sunset from the upper stern deck of the Celebrity Edge - Naples, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

SHOOTING

I HAVE mentioned before that when on a cruise (or really any family type trip) finding the time and place to shoot photos can be a challenge. Other than the possibility of a nice image or two from the ship in the port you are at, most of the time when you have interesting subjects, you are on shore during the middle of the day (even on cruising days when there might be nearby scenery, you are generally in the middle of the day, and on a moving platform). Unfortunately, that is often the time of day when the light for picture-making is at its most unflattering. That doesn't mean I haven't made some nice images. I have a few images during our sailing in and out of the narrow passage to Stockholm Sweden where I got some pretty nice images. I especially liked the images of other nearby vessels. Sometimes the shots of shorelines are difficult to compose and shoot, because they are moving past rapidly. The other boats are often more direct on, making the speed seem much less.

Celebrity Apex leaving the pier as the sun begins to set over St. Kitts, West Indies
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

PHOTOGRAPHERS KNOW know that the "best" light for shooting is usually either very early in the morning and very late in the afternoon, into the evening. But on a cruise, a couple things happen to thwart photography at those times (especially the afternoon/evening time). First, there are times when you have left the dock by the time the evening light turns nice. Perhaps just as often, however, the nice light is happening just as you are casting off and sailing out of the harbor. So if there are worthy subjects, it pays to stay around the upper deck for that event. And sometimes, even when you have left land (and any photographic subject behind), you can still catch a gorgeous sunset off the stern of the ship. I caught a couple of them during our 2024 Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Apex in January.

Sun Setting as we cruise away from the Ft. Lauderdale Cruise Port bound for The Caribbean
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

SECOND, AND often the more likely culprit: the nice light happens during the same time people are being seated in the dining rooms (which means you have to make choices between dining with family and friends, or making pictures. I usually find a way to get a little of both in during the cruise).

Sun Setting over the Port of Athens, Greece - From Princess Royal Princess
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

THE OTHER "nice light" time of the day is early morning from just before sunrise until the sun gets high enough above the horizon that it starts to become too bright and harsh for good photographic results. Unfortunately, again, it is not very often that I have been able to get off the ship, or find my way to a good spot for photographs during that period. But occasionally, we get lucky, with the conditions. The shot of the street in Denmark, below, was one of those times we arrived at our destination on shore before we lost all the nice early morning light, and the bank of taller buildings acted as a filter.

Copenhagen, Denmark
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THE MOST common cruise pattern is for the ship to move to (or at least toward) the next port during the night. Sometimes you will reach the port and dock overnight, which at least may give an opportunity for early morning light shots from the cruise ship deck. But more often it seems that the ship arrives in port during that period of nice light and by the time it is docked and cleared by local port authorities for passengers to come aground, the "good light" has passed on by.

Port of Piraeus - Athens, Greece
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

THESE MORNING arrivals do, however, often present some opportunities for shooting from the cruise ship deck. The shot of the Tug above, the opening image of the Miami Skyline and the Skagway, Inside Passage shot were all made in the very early morning light, as we approached a port. As you sail into port, you can move around the deck more or less freely. I made some nice images in the early morning light as we sailed into Tromso, Norway on the Celebrity Apex in September, 2025. But the timing of the cruise may also dictate the parameters of "nice light." In the northern hemisphere, in the west (U.S. and Canada mostly), days are shorter and light lower angled during the fall, winter, and early spring. Summers mean much earlier sunrise, later sunset, and a much longer period of high angled, harsh light. That phenom is going to translate to your cruising, but it is useful to keep in mind where you are traveling. We spend a fair amount of time in the Caribbean, but those cruises tend to be during "our" winter months, and I have found the light to be consistently good during morning and evening hours.

Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

ONCE YOU are docked, shots from the ship deck is another story entirely. There are two considerations that I find often drive my photography. The first is the direction of the light (no matter what the quality is). Usually your subject is either the shoreline, buildings, beaches, marinas, etc. Sometimes it will be other ships, or parts of a harbor that are in a different direction. If the sun is rising behind your subject, it is going to generally yield poor results, with hazy, glary and extremely contrasty exposure. If you are fortunate enough for the sun to be lighting the shore objects, if you get out early enough you can get some good results. Or, if you get out before light, the city and harbor may still be lighted, which can make for nice images. Finally, you might get cloudy or foggy conditions.

Early morning sun, filtered by fog, on our approach into the harbor of Sokcho, South Korea
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

THE SECOND issue with being docked is that your view will be obstructed, at least partially, both by the ship and its structures, and by nearby ships, or obstructions of the harbor itself. If the light is conducive, I will shoot anyway, sometimes using these obstructions as elements in my frame. Either way, it is fun to try to find shots in and around these challenges. And you still have the high perspective of the ship deck to shoot from (more on that subject below).

Copenhagen, Denmark - Celebrity Apex
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

WHEN AN object appears to be obstructing your shot, sometimes I think it makes sense to consider that the offending object itself might just be the subject of a photo. On a recent stop in Nassau, Bahamas, walking around the ship in the early morning, just shortly after we docked, I made the image of these three ships docked along side of us. Shortly afterward, a fourth (MSC) ship joined the entourage, slipping into the emption berth between the Norwegian and Holland America ships (I had watched the Holland America ship docking just a bit before I made this image. The shot wasn't as good, though, because the MSC ship was so large that it pretty much blocked the Royal Caribbean ship furthest away.

Holland America Eurodam - Nassau, Bahamas
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

AS I came up on deck the morning of our stop in Nassau, this Holland America ship was backing into the berth adjacent to us. I knew once it finished, it would obstruct our view (and hence, my shot) of the Atlantis Resort, but in the morning, that shot would be directly into the sun. Fortunately, we have been in the Bahamas multiple times, and I have had other opportunities to photograph the resort. But the ship here was bathed in the golden, late morning light, making the shot worth taking in my view. And from our top deck, it gave me a nice perspective (as I will discuss below) for the shot.

Multiple Cruise Ships in Nassau, Bahamas
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THERE IS one more challenge, as illustrated by the "tension" between dinnertime and good shooting light and subjects. That is family and friends. I don't mean that in a negative way by any means. But anybody reading this who is a serious photographer knows what I mean. Family excursions do not mix well with dedicated, serious, photography that involves "working a scene." Whether we are on an excursion or just doing sightseeing on our own, it is not the time or place to set up and really "work" a spot. I have had to learn to be quick, making many shots in places where I would love to have had more time and in some instances a tripod. Life is full of compromises. I have resigned myself to the realization that there are two kinds of travel for me: "dedicated" photo trips," and everything else - including cruising. That is o.k. It has actually been kind of a fun challenge to adapt my photography to the need to be with and blend with the group. Dedicated trips can be about me and my fellow photographers and our photography. Cruises are about family, friends, culture, and seeing the world, and photography can be a small, but still vital part of it. An additional positive for me is that it switches my focus from my established genres, like landscape and wildlife, to "travel photography." For me that has been a positive that I wouldn't now give up. And I have been fortunate to get some pretty nice images over the years.

Caribbean Sunset - St. Maarten, West Indies
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

SO WHAT is unique about photography on a cruise ship? I can think of a few things:

TIMING and OPPORTUNITY

SEASONED PHOTOGRAPHERS know that the best conditions for photography often happen at inopportune times. Often the best lighting conditions happen early in the morning or late in the afternoon to early evening. Also, nightime can produce some magical images. There are two challenges to this. First, these times often interfere with meal times. I know that the few times when I have been able to catch a sunset off the back deck of a cruise ship, most people have left for dinner. And lets face it, meals are one of the primary "events" on a cruise ship. The second challenge is excursions. It is very rare that you will be out on an excursion during the "nice light" periods - around and just after sunrise, and at sunset. That just doesn't fit the timing of docking, departure and excursion in general.

Tourists on the Street in Pisa, Italy - Emerald Princess - Mediterranean
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

I HAVE learned that I have to make the best of what are often not the best lighting conditions. Looking for shady areas is one way to work with it. Remember that the angle of the sun will strongly affect your pictures, often creating harsh lighting and strong shadows. It is important to be aware of where the sun is and how it is affecting a scene or people you want to shoot. Also remember that while the old adage is "keep the sun over your shoulder," for people shots, that also means that your subjects will be squinting directly into the sun. But with some planning and thought, it can be done. Another aid, if your camera/lens combo will accept it, is what is known as a polarizing filter. That filter can sometimes (it doesn't always) ameliorate the effects of harsh sunlight.

The bridge here in Sokcho, South Korea, reminded me of the Platt Street Bridge crossing the Hillsborough River here in Tampa. Both Bridges have the capability to change the color of their lighting scheme, and if you wait patiently, you will have several different colored bridges from a single outing.
Sokcho, South Korea Port
Copyright Andy Richards 20204 - All Rights Reserved

THE THING is, there are just many times where you will get in front of subjects you might never again see or have the opportunity to photograph. So you photograph them in the "bad" light, the best that you can. Probably the best comment on this subject I have ever heard was made by the late, great, Bryan Peterson. I am paraphrasing, but he says: "Great light rarely saves a poor composition, but great composition can overcome poor light." These circumstances motivate me to keep on shooting during these trips, even when conditions aren't the best; even when I would probably not bother during a serious landscape photography outing (the title of Peterson's Adorama TV spots is "You Keep Shooting"). Modern digital recorded images and modern processing software helps us mortals deal with some of the bad light situations, also. The shot on the street in Pisa has been processed using Photoshop to give it just a touch of a painterly look. I really like the image itself and will likely never have had an opportunity to do so in better lighting conditions. So I made the best of what I had in front of me. And I have a memory. And the key here, is that shooting during a cruise (both on and off the ship) abounds with photographic opportunity!

Holland America Westerdam aft top deck - Fukuoka, Japan
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

SOME OF my favorite photos have been taken from (and sometimes on) the ship deck at night. In order to do it successfully, you will probably need a tripod as the length of exposure necessary at night will make it nearly impossible not to have your hands and body's natural shake make the images turn out blurry. I have had some limited success with my cell phone - and with some of the newer modern cameras that have "anti-shake" technology. But nothing is going to beat a tripod in most cases, and even with the best of "stabilization tech," you are very unlikely to get a sharp night shot. For this purpose, I carry a very small (would fit in carryon baggage) carbon fiber tripod, which has worked very well for me over the years. It is important, though, to realize that the purpose of a tripod (or similar accessory) is to "ground" your camera to keep your body's natural motion (shake) from affecting the picture. As such, if the tripod is "grounded" on a moving, shaking, or vibrating platform, it is probably not going to help, and will perhaps even be a negative. The vibration of a cruise ship's huge engines, or the movement of the ship on the water may very well negate the benefit of a tripod. Something to think about.

Port of Fukuoka -Hakata, Japan
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

NIGHTIME SHOOTING provides a number of opportunities to be creative in your photography, so when a cruise ship is motionless in a harbor after sunset, it is time to get your gear out and go to work. The dark often visually filters out "clutter" that can render a relatively clean and pleasing image where the daytime version will not. Black is known by artists to be one of the best backgrounds and frames for color. The artificial lighting can yield multiple and often interesting color variations, and strong sources of artificial light (like street lamps and lamps around bridges and harbors) can render with a star effect. Contrasts - especially with colors - stand out more, too. And if the scene is a water scene (which most from cruise ships are), there are some wonderful opportunities for reflections.

PERSPECTIVE

La Verdon sur Mer; France - from the deck of Regal Princess
Copyright Andy Richards 2021 - All Rights Reserved

THIS IS one of my favorite things about photography from a cruise ship deck. If you have done any street or cityscape photography, you know the challenge of getting tall buildings and objects high in the air to look right in a photograph. Tall buildings tip backways and sideways. The wider the lens angle, the more they tip. It is a paradox. Wide angle lenses are designed to help us get more of a very tall or very wide subject in the picture. They to do that they distort things. You may also know that one of the tips to getting better images of these subjects is to your your camera viewpoint up high, so you aren't tilting it upward to catch the top of the subject. Another thing is to try to get back from your subject some. But we know that in cities, there is only so far you can back up, and it is often not possible to get up to a higher viewpoint. That is where modern day cruise ships excell. They are very tall and and often moored a bit away from the subject. They allow you to get a high up perspective on many tall or high objects that you just cannot get any other way (except today, possibly with a drone). I love that. I take advantage of it as much as I can. I am not sure there would be any other way (other than a drone) to get the same perspective shot of the cruise ships below than from the deck of a tall ship (like a cruise ship).

HEIGHT COMBINED with distance sometimes allows you to see a creative opportunity that might not be possible any other way. As I stood on the upper deck of the Celebrity Apex (one of Celebrity's largest ships), I spotted the solitary church steeple off in the distance in the very small, beach community of Warnemunde, Germany I saw that by moving to my left, I could frame the steeple within the large ferris wheel in the foreground. I don't know any other point of view where you could do that.

FOR THE very same reasons, is also possible to get wide angle shots without clutter in the foreground and without lens distortion of some views that might not otherwise be possible. In 2021, in the seaport of A' coruna, Spain, I was taken by the pattern of sailboats in the harbor. From our unique, high perspective on the top deck of the Regal Princess, my wider view lens compressed them in a fairly tightly packed together group of boats. The image, shot with my smartphone, also illustrates why smartphone cameras don't satisfy my standards. While this can easily enough be blamed on me and not the technology, I rarely use any manual settings on my smart phone when I do use it. Instead, it is my "point and shoot." In this case, even though there was plenty of bright sunlight, the Samsung S23 algorithym decided for me to use a wide operture (f2) at a low ISO speed (25). Had I shot this with my camera, I would have used a small aperture and tried to do a better job of achieving sharp focus throughout the frame. But you can still see how the perspective from up high is unique.

THE HIGH perspective is also one of the only ways I know (other than drones, hot air balloons, or maybe helicopters) to get that "birds-eye" perpsective - almost as if you were flying above your shot. I made the shot below from the top deck of the Celebrity Apex in January, 2024, of the Old San Juan Harbor, in Puerto Rico.

ON A recent cruise, while we were in port in Nassau, Bahamas, I was able to make the image below with a medium telephoto zoom lens and some additional cropping, to emphasize colors and shapes I saw. From the top deck of my cruise ship, I was on a level with this 2 story rooftop, which gave me the perspective to be able to make this shot work to my vision.

I HAVE learned, over the course of 20 - some cruises - that photography from a cruise ship presents unique and special opportunities for the photographer, in spite of some serious compromises. Enough so that I would certainly encourage any photographer - with the right preparation (both mentally, and in terms of equipment) to give it a try. Until next time . . . .

Sunday, December 28, 2025

2025 - A Short One (Bahamas)

LATE IN the summer of 2025, some friends let us know that they were going to be doing a 5-day cruise in November and and suggested that we consider joining them. Circumstances combined to make it a no-brainer for us. We are retired (and looked forward to the freedom to make spur of the moment decisions like this one). The cruise sails out of Florida and back, making it easy for us to drive to the cruise port.

As experienced cruisers would expect, however, it is basically a tourist trap with 100's of "trinket" shops and a few bars

THE SHIP was the Celebrity Summit. There were 2 stops and 2 1/2 "at sea" days. The stops were Nassau and Bimini, Bahamas. For those who may not have been to either of these stops, there are basically 2 things to do in Nassau: gamble or go to the beach. Bimini narrows it down even more. One thing: the beach (I put snorkeling in that category). Otherwise you can "explore," or bar - hop in Nassau. Clearly enough, this cruise was not about the itinerary. Nassau is under 200 miles from Ft. Lauderdale. Bimini is only 50 miles. So even our sea days involved mostly sailing around the Atlantic off the coast of Southern Florida.

As experienced cruisers would expect, however, it is basically a tourist trap with 100's of "trinket" shops and a few bars

WE HAD a stop on the Celebrity Reflection in Nassau back in 2021. Since then, they have expanded the cruise port both in terms of ship berths and onshore facilities. As experienced cruisers would expect, however, it is basically a tourist trap with 100's of "trinket" shops and a few bars. Bimini had an almost 3rd World feel. The port area is very small, with just a few obligatory tourist shops. The draw here is the crystal clear waters and beaches.

SINCE THAT is the extent of the shore activity, I will focus this blog a bit more on the ship. Celebrity currently has 3 ship groups or classes. In 2000, Celebrity launched the Celebrity Millenium. At that time, they began the process of retiring their much older, smaller fleet of ships. In 2001, the Celebrity Infinity and then the Summit were launched. In 2002, that last in the Millenium Class, the Constellation was launched. They have since all been upgraded and refurbished at some point, but 25 years is a long time and a pretty old ship in the cruise ship industry. In 2008, they would step things up with some (at the time) state of the art designs with the Celebrity Solstice. There are 5 ships in the Solstice Class, beginning with the Solstice and from 2008 to 2012 the Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette and Reflection. Then in January of 2018, an "edgy" new ship class, beginning with the Celebrity Edge was launched. There are 5 ships in the Edge Class, including Edge, Apex, Beyond, Ascent and ExCel. We have cruised on the Edge Class the most often (8 cruises on Edge, Apex, Beyond and Ascent), and the Solstice Class next (7 cruises - 5 on Reflection and one each on Equinox and Eclipse). We have been on only two Millennium ships (Summit both times).

Bimini had an almost 3rd World feel

OUR FIRST cruise on the Summit was back in 2014, only our second Celebrity cruise experience and 4th cruise overall. Our expectations were different, as was our cruise acumen. We joined 4 other couples on that one, cruising out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with stops in St. Croix, USVI, St. Kitts, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Thomas, USVI. There were excursions on a few of the stops, and in general, even when we didn't, we would explore the island ports on our own. I don't remember a lot about the Summit back then. It did have the signature Martini Bar with the ice topped surface, that we had experienced on our first Celebrity (Reflection) cruise. The ships were quite similar except that the sunset bar on the two newer classes is separated from the buffet's rear eating area and on its own (a huge improvement, in my opinion). In the years immediately following, that would be more of an issue for me, as sometime between the 2014 and 2015 cruise I began smoking cigars. I have noted here in the past my feeling that Celebrity treats cigar smokers better than its competition. The recent Summit Cruise in 2025, completely validated that sentiment. There were 3 smoking areas. Two of them were really nice, and the third, still adequate. All were conveniently located near one of the ships several bars.

THE COMBINATION of being "off season," only 5 days, and a smaller, older ship, our cruise was less than full (I would estimate only about 60% of capacity). Some things about that are in favor of the cruisers. Less crowds. Generally a higher ratio of service to passenger. No long waits at the bars. No issues being seated or accomodated in any of the restaurants. No overcrowding in the buffet. Generally, room on the chairs in the pool area. That was our experience. Relaxing and enjoyable. We found the rooms to be clean and relatively modern for the most part. The Millenium ships also have the old-style outdoor balconies.

ACCOMODATIONS WERE good for the most part. There are some nice bars and lounges aboard, including Cellar Masters (which has morphed from a wine bar to a full bar with a very robust liquor selection), The Martini Bar, The Rendezvous Lounge, each with upscale decor, comfortable seating, and well-stocked bars; and The Sunset and Mast Bars on deck 11 (as well as two other bars at each end of the pool area - deck 10). I was quite impressed with the liquor selection aboard; perhaps the best of any of my recent Celebrity cruises, including a good selection of mid and higher end bourbons, gins, and other whiskeys.

I HAVE not been on a Solstice ship for some time, and probably won't again until February of 2027, when we are booked on the Eclipse, so I don't know what their complete smoking accomodations are these days. I know that my experiences on the Reflection and Equinox were very good. I really like the Sunset Bar setup on the Solstice ships, and that is where the primary cigar smoking is there. For the most part we have been on these ships in fair and warm weather, so things like wind, rain and cold haven't been an issue. On the Edge ships there are 3 very good cigar-friendly areas in different spots on the ship including one large area that is under cover. I had no real idea what to expect on the Summit. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Though unexpected by me, there are 3 smoking areas on the ship. All are at least partly under cover, though only one (the smallest and least comfortable on deck 10 near the pool) is completely under cover. The others are really just fine for warm weather cruising. One is on deck 11 on the port side immediately adjacent to the Mast Bar above the pool deck. It is a circular area with seating both in and out of the elements and is - interestingly - toward the front of the ship. The Mast Bar was well stocked and it was probably our most popular cigar smoking area. The third area is out on the deck just between the Martini Bar and Rendezvous Lounge on the Starboard side of deck 4. It is a small, L-shaped seating area, but when the sun was beating on the port side of the ship, a nice spot to get in some shade and have a smoke. Both the Martini Bar and Rendezvous are conveniently close by.

HAVING READ frequently on social media reports on some of the ships and cruises, I had rather low expectations for the food quality on board. We have (and continue to) had mixed experiences on all cruise ships we have been aboard, particularly since the Pandemic of 2019-2020 which we all know has drastically changed the industry. We did on board the Summit, too. But surprisingly little. I have to say that the food was better and more consistent than on my last couple Edge Class ships. We ate in the MDR 2 of the 5 nights and for breakfast 2 times and lunch on the final sea day. The food was very good. My wife and I ate in the buffet for dinner 2 times. That is way more than we would usually do - especially on such a short cruise, but it was just the way things fell. I was pretty satisfied with the quality - especially for a buffet. I would say that the times we ate lunch in there was equally good. Breakfast is - well - breakfast. In terms of quality. They are still serving powered scrambled eggs. That needs to stop industry-wide, in my opinion! Years back I looked forward to scrambled eggs, bacon and shredded hash browns in the buffet on all my cruises. Occasionally, I might break that up with eggs benedict. These days I go to the custom stations and get fried eggs, benedict, or omelets. It seems kind of silly for me to ask them to scramble them for me, but I suspect they would. On that point, I was again very pleasantly surprised that they had 4 different prepare to order egg stations on the Summit. Great plan!

BOARDING AND disembarking (both on boarding days and on shore stops) were handled with Celebrities usual efficiency. We had a later boarding time and wanted to leave early. We walked both on and off the ship with no wait or lines.

I HAD a couple items to point out in the after-cruise survey, but there is one major issue we all had (and for some reason I cannot explain, I completely forgot to raise it in the survey - I need to figure out a way to go back in and point this issue out). Thinking about the demographics of most Celebrity Cruises, I would say the average passenger is between 50 - 70 years old. We still like to party but we are probably a bit more on the sedate side. With that, the live music in the atrium area and the poolside area is very nice - and very loud! Too loud. When we have to yell to have conversation sitting right next to someone one deck up from the pool deck and at the opposite end from the band, there is something wrong with that. When you have to yell to have conversation with staff in the guest relations desk, it is too loud. Way too loud. Programming people need to re-think their logistics. And production folks and bands: making it louder doesn't make it better. Just sayin.' 😏

OVERALL, A good and fun cruise and - given the right itinerary and cost, we wouldn't hesitate to sail again on the Solstice.