Cayman Islands Photographer- www.CourtneyPlatt.com

Mermaid Sighted on the Kittiwake Shipwreck

2011-04-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

It was one of those really amazing dives when it seemed that almost anything could happen on the Kittiwake, but all we saw was this mermaid hanging out in the pilothouse. Other than this and the big Black Grouper I had photographed earlier, there really wasn't much else worth working for. So I snapped one of the mermaid and called it a day. It made an amazing image from a great first effort with Kimberly Parker. Click to see larger!

Christian Heritage Monument Groundbreaking

2011-04-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight the Honorable Premier of the Cayman Islands, McKeeva Bush led a devotion and groundbreaking at the George Town site of the future Christian Heritage Monument. A number of church leaders led prayers in honor and glory to God, while the FBC choir led voices in praise. Thank you Lord!

Kittiwake Black Grouper

2011-03-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

I went back to the Kittiwake yesterday looking for the Goliath Grouper that has been sighted off-and-on over the past three weeks... and found a large Black Grouper instead! No mistake, this is a different and also very large fish. It was admiring itself in the mirrors of the lavatory, just as several other fish have done.

Because large groupers like this have become so rare in Grand Cayman and they are immeasurably valuable in real tourism dollars, it would behoove us to guard them jealously if they should move in permanently. Poaching inside the marine park in the 80's stole the biggest attractions for diving tourism that we had at that time. "Sweetlips", the Goliath Grouper on the Oro Verde shipwreck, and the stars of Waldo's Reef: Waldo, Waldine, Wilber, Wilma, Stubby, Blackie, Benji and Snaggletooth, were all poached by a spearfisherman and a fisherman. Two selfish men took the crown jewels of Grand Cayman... gems worth untold $millions$ in diving tourism had they been left alone. Big stars like these attract professional photographers, who get published, which brings more divers. That's how it works! No photo ops, no free publicity, fewer divers. Law enforcement assigned specifically to the Kittwake would be a smart move if these fish appear to make permanent residence. It would be cheap insurance for the potential economic returns. These few big fish are like real-life unicorns, they've become so rare In Grand Cayman now.

I specialize in Portraits

2011-02-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

I specialize in Portraits on location...

Kittwake Night Dive

2011-01-20T21:35:00.000-08:00

Jeff and Toni, staff divers from Divetech were excellent slaves (strobe slaves) for a full moon night dive tonight on the Kittiwake shipwreck in Grand Cayman. It was a gorgeous night... calm and clear. A barracuda, eagle ray and school of horse eye jacks shyly greeted us as we dropped in on the stern. Click on images to see larger.

Kittiwake underwater photos, first day of diving

2011-01-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

I made my first dive on the Kittiwake with the media group yesterday. I was exited to shoot her fresh and will be excited every time I return to document the changes that will occur. She is now open to the public and the fish have already begun to investigate. This was just the day after sinking and already I saw two barracudas, some bar jacks, a big school of horse eye jacks and a stingray. There is some prime, brand new real estate on Seven Mile Beach and it's free for the taking. It is going to be fun to observe who moves in and when as the years progress. This is THE perfect home for big fish such as groupers, snappers and jewfish (goliath grouper). Each new fish on the wreck will have a very real monetary value to Cayman's dive tourism. If we could hire them to work on the wreck we would, but we'll have to be patient and wait for nature to take it's course. Once they do move in, we should protect them like the National Treasures that they are. Sweetlips, the Goliath Grouper who lived on the Oro Verde for about three years, greeting divers to see if handouts had been brought was speared illegally. Such laws need enforcement to back them up. That single fish could have brought millions of dive tourism dollars to Cayman all by itself. That species is not only very rare now, but also normally too shy to approach for a photo. It was a huge thrill to hand feed that gentle giant and every professional underwater photographer who had heard about it yearned to come to Cayman to photograph it. And so in memory of Sweetlips and the hope of another such amazing animal for the Kittiwake I include a shot of her at the end of this sequence of images. I may find out now who doesn't read my captions if someone thinks I saw a Goliath Grouper yesterday. ; ))

Most of the ship can safely be dived without special equipment except the lowest stern-most space, which Jay Easterbrook tells me will make a good tech dive. Light can be seen from about every other space, but you will still need a flashlight and ample air in your tank to safely enter much of it. There are plenty of little projections to bump into, so proceed with caution and a good sense of spacial awareness. If you are famously klutzy it might be wise to stay outside or in the big spaces.

Click images to see larger and go back in my archives to see aerials of the Kittiwake sinking, arriving in Cayman and her interior spaces while she was still dry.

Pool's open! This is Sweetlips, our once cherished Goliath mascot of the Oro Verde in the mid-80's

Sinking of the 250' long Kittiwake, Grand Cayman 5 January, 2011

2011-01-07T00:04:00.000-08:00

Click through this sequence to see a mini slide show "movie" of the sinking. It was an awesome sight to see the unstoppable forces in action. It's a bit like watching a train wreck. The retired US Navy Kittiwake, was finally sunk in Grand Cayman on Wednesday, 5 January, 2011 around 2:15 PM after a 7 year struggle by a determined and far sighted team of volunteers and donors led by Nancy and Jay Easterbrook of Dive Tech. The 250' long submarine rescue vessel is now a spectacular new dive site off the north end of Seven Mile Beach in 58 feet of water, just a ship's length away from "Sand Chutes", a spectacular wall dive site. Hat's off to Jerome and Rob of Cayman Islands Helicopters for getting me there just in the nick of time after a 4 hour flooding process!

EX-USS Kittiwake, USN retired submarine tender

2011-01-02T22:27:00.000-08:00

It looks like I will indeed be going up in the helicopter for the sinking of the Kittiwake, which will definitely be very exciting! This is a momentous occasion for the diving and tourism industry here. I can tell you that being a resident photographer since 1983, I am pretty pumped about this new photo opportunity. I shot over 1,200 frames from the helicopter just on the Christmas arrival aerials. Imagine what I'll shoot on sinking day! Here are a few frames of the interior from the air as well as clean-up day on the dock Saturday.

As interesting as the Kittiwake may be right now, the real value is in experiencing how it looked newly sunk so that we can appreciate seeing it change over the next 20 or 30 years, God willing we have long lives. It'll be fascinating to observe who moves in and when. Of course, if the first fish is a lionfish, it won't live very long! I've already been fortunate to watch the Carrie Lee, Oro Verde and Doc Polson mature. Of those, the Carrie Lee and Doc Polson have had the most astounding rate of growth on them and became very colorfully photogenic within 10 years, continuing to amaze even more so each year. Sadly, we've collectively fished out the vast majority of the big groupers, snappers and barracudas that once inhabited all of our wrecks. I expect this wreck to do at least as well on the sessile organisms and perhaps attract or raise up the biggest fish we have left. Just a theory. This ship is way bigger than any others before it at 250' long! It is the first shipwreck since the Balboa, in George Town Harbor, on which divers at each end will be beyond visibility of the other. The pilothouse will only be 15'-20' under the surface... it's gonna be awesome! It's very size will make it a serious challenge to photograph well, which always makes great photos seem all the more rewarding. Time to put the brain into gear!

Click on images to see details!

Publish Post

Kittiwake arrives at last! Merry Christmas to Nancy, Jay, the Kittiwake team and all of Cayman!

2010-12-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

Your ship has come in! I'll post again when I know for sure when the sinking will happen, but it'll be very soon now!

Kittiwake arrives at last!

2010-12-28T00:11:00.000-08:00

The long anticipated arrival of the Kittiwake, a retired US Navy sub tender destined to become Grand Cayman's newest dive site occured on Christmas day. This means that a sinking is soon come! A norwester, currently stirring Cayman's west side, is the latest in a long string of factors that have delayed the big event. Scheduling of the sinking can occur only after final inspection, which is pending the weather. It will happen as soon as possible on or shortly after this coming Sunday.

FBC Christmas Cantata 2010

2010-12-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

The First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman's choir raised the roof for God last night with Heavenly sounds of worship. There will be one more performance on Sunday night at 7PM in case you missed this one. Praise the Lord and give thanks!

Bioluminescence Kayak Tour

2010-09-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

A relatively recent addition to Grand Cayman's eco-tour offerings is a night-time kayak tour into bioluminescent hot spots with guide, Tom Watling. It is a bit of a technological challenge and trick to capture the dim blue glow that we easily see with our eyes, by using a long exposure while the guys are frozen via a tiny flick of tightly directed flash. It's not as easy as it sounds. Tom did his best "glow angel" in the shallows to show off the intensity of the glowing microbes lighting up in response to his movements. Bioluminescence featured heavily in the forests of the epic 3D film, Avatar, which totally thrilled me.

Destination Cayman Wedding

2010-05-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

Daniel and Kristin used family connections to access a Grand Cayman mega-home at which to base their backyard marina view destination wedding. This sunset portrait was made on the back of a Red Sail Watersports catamaran cruise with service to the house. I could tell by the bride and groom's ebullience when I delivered their images tonight, that they all were having a great time, basking in each other's love and in Cayman's sun. Copy and paste these links to her wedding blog if you'd like to see what she has to say. She was clearly excited to have me shoot her wedding! Keep a watch for her reaction to the pictures once she finishes going through all 1,100 of them!
http://miss-kriss.blogspot.com/2009/11/swoon.html
http://blog.weddzilla.com/2009/11/houston-we-have-photographer.html
http://miss-kriss.blogspot.com/2010/05/wordless-wednesday-wedding-edition.html

Engaged while freediving in Grand Cayman... a unique proposal

2010-05-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

Ren Chapman proposed to his now fiance, Ashley at a depth of 45 feet during a competition practice breath-hold dive in Grand Cayman. Ashley was taken completely by surprise, but responded perfectly and instantaneously with a big yes! This series of images were made during the single breath-hold dive of the actual proposal. Her heads-up response to Ren's surprise is a testament to Ashley's comfort level while freediving. Hats off to Ren for inventing a truly unique proposal scenario! She was so surprised that she points at herself after reading the "will you marry me" note as if to say "who, me"? As testament to Ren's confidence, there is 6,000' of water below them while he places the gorgeous blue star sapphire ring on her finger! Click on images to see larger.

Happy Birthday Stacy!

2010-05-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

My sister and I have birthdays just 9 days (and 2 years) apart. She loves to dive and likes to celebrate our birthdays with a week or two of diving in my backyard, which is what we are doing right now. She is also my best U/W model because she has the right stuff (AKA she pays attention and will do whatever I direct her to do, knowing that it will be worth it)... and she looks good doing it.

Sunrise Wedding for Kate and Pete

2010-05-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

I am not a morning person, and this was my very first ever sunrise wedding. It was a wonderful way to begin the day! Congratulations to Kate and Pete. I had to get up at 3:30 Am to make it to The Reef Resort at the East End by 5:30AM... I think I'll have a special fee for that next time.

5 April, 2010 Grand Old House Wedding, Lauren and Patrick

2010-04-10T01:28:00.000-07:00

Lauren and Patrick were joined in holy matrimony by Lauren's uncle, Pastor Dave Jorge of First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman at Grand Old House Restaurant. The party was bathed in the Love of Christ, warm afternoon light and a pleasant breeze on the sea side deck. Pastor Dave's incorporation of Lauren and Patrick's names into the instructions of Corinthians 13 was a refreshing and meaningful twist on scripture's guidance regarding marriage. As usual, the food and service were superb. Here are a few representative frames from the nearly 700 shot in 3 1/2 hours. It was beautiful! Congratulations and thank you to Lauren and Patrick! I appreciate the honor of selection for service on your big day.

Yap and Palau in Micronesia

2010-03-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

It seems time to show off a bit of the Creator's glory with a few frames from Yap and Palau Islands in Micronesia. They have such a plethora of both large and small photogenic forms of life there! As always, click to view larger. Enjoy!

Cayman Arts Festival

2010-03-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

The Cayman Arts Festival was, as usual, a fantastic opportunity for us to hear a number of world class musicians performing in Grand Cayman. Here are just a few frames from the 6 events between Feb 5th and 13th, 2010, that I had the pleasure to attend and documented for the organizers. I'm pretty sure that I speak for the majority when I say that the solos from 9 year old and 12 year old violinists from Youth2Youth were among the many high points of the week.

Cayman Islands real estate

2010-02-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

I've been too busy shooting since returning from vacation to post, but here is one from a realty shoot I am in the midst of right now. I'm shooting 3 properties for Kass Coleman of Remax Realty and she always has some of the finest listings on the island. Yes, there are some Photoshop tricks involved in images like this dusk version, but it's worth it, don't you think!?

Last ski day at Heavenly

2010-01-28T21:07:00.000-08:00

My last ski day at Heavenly Valley was the perfect finale with clear blue skies and sweet snow. Here is a great shot that a local photo pro named Eduardo Deschamps caught of me trying my best to "ski my legs out" in the final hours. Nice shot Eduardo! I couldn't even stop for lunch it was such a beautiful day on the slopes! Thank you God!

Heavenly Valley ski trip

2010-01-27T21:24:00.000-08:00

The clouds broke briefly today at Heavenly Valley. Professional photographer Barbara Williams saw me shooting at this spot and offered to shoot this frame of me amid snow frosted trees with Lake Tahoe in the distance below, using my Nikon P6000 pocket camera... perfect for skiing snap shots. It's been a memorable trip and images like this will keep them secure. I'm glad I didn't need to haul my Nikon D3 for it.

Thanks Barbara! I love the shot!

Heavenly Valley skiing

2010-01-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

The skiing phase of my vacation is mid-way now with two days done and two more to go. It's been snowing a lot, but the sun broke today for the second shot, of me made by a kindly bystander. I'm totally stoked by the beauty of the frosted trees and sweeping views... and, oh yea, the skiing! God is great! Thank you God!

Stacy and Molly the cat

2010-01-20T00:43:00.000-08:00

My sister and her cat Molly helped her husband Barry entertain several close friends tonight in my honor. I'm getting entertainment saturation this week with Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, Love (by Cirque Du Soleil), Blue Man Group and more. If it stops snowing in time, I'll be skiing next week!

3 yr old Portrait

2009-12-24T15:43:00.000-08:00

I just shot the most cooperative 3 year old I've ever run across. EJ did what he was told, where he was told to do it and cheerfully performed for Grandpa and Grandma, who knew just how to elicit his best smiles! We were literally finished in 10 minutes. Merry Christmas!

Family Portraits on Seven Mile Beach

2009-12-24T11:14:00.001-08:00

I can't be certain, but I suspect that a family member was grossly disrespecting the photographer behind his back at this moment!

It was a busy and gratifying night for me as I rushed from sunset family portraits on the beach to the Crighton's yard for Santa. I love my job!

Santa at the Crighton's yard

2009-12-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

Once again Santa made a stop at the Crighton's Christmas yard for the delight of hundreds of children last night. There was so much energy in the crowd that the power line blew off the pole on the street, leaving half the yard in the dark for several hours. That didn't stop everyone from having a wonderful visit with Santa though and a good time was had by all. The Red Bay Church carolers also stopped out front to sing a few songs on their annual island tour aboard a converted flat bed trailer.

FBC Christmas Cantata 2009

2009-12-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

The First Baptist Church choir lifted hearts and voices to God beautifully on Friday and again on Sunday, Dec.11th and 13th, 2009. It was, once again a glorious night of worship as we celebrated and revered the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who died for our sins so that we might repent and gain eternal life with God. Thank you Jesus!

copy and paste this link to download a high res show with music:

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/793822234/355417ca61fed0e1ded819106d9425d6

-Or-
Double-click the pictures below , then choose the full screen option (without music)

FBC Christmas Cantata 2009

2009-12-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

2009-12-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

A young Hawksbill Sea Turtle came in for a close look, 100' down at a site called Sentinel Rock, Grand Cayman today. This guy seemed absolutely oblivious to the bubbling aliens in his way and swam right over me.

Orange Canyon, Grand Cayman

2009-12-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

The dive week continues with a great macro dive on Orange Canyon and on the Wreck of the Doc Polson in Grand Cayman. A Fairy Basslet yawned at the right time for me at Orange Canyon and a Coney (small grouper species) posed stoically on the pilot house of the Doc Polson, while a big green moray took a walk about and a rarely seen school of Blue Parrotfish browsed through.

Milk Conch, Jawfish and Coral bleaching

2009-12-07T23:09:00.000-08:00

I'm doing a bit of diving this week. Here are a few selects from today's dive at Royal Palms ledge off Seven Mile Beach. I think there is good hope for the bleached corals as the water has noticeably cooled and I still see live tissue on most of the corals I saw today. I suspect the extensive bleaching that occurred this summer may well have been the worst to date in Cayman since I arrived in 1983. This white anemone is normally solid yellowish green, but has bleached too. Several other cnidarians have bleached as well as the hard corals.

The Milk Conch and Yellow Headed Jawfish were more common sightings, yet always wonderful creatures.

Enjoy!

Pirate's Week Fireworks 2009

2009-11-13T19:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight's opening fireworks show for Grand Cayman's Pirate's Week 2009 was yet another spectacular pyrotechnic display on a cool, breezy night in George Town Harbor. Wow!

Click to see big!

Aerial Photo 10,000 feet Grand Cayman

2009-11-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

Wow, I finally got up to 10,000' in the helicopter a few days ago for this spectacular view of Northwest Point, Grand Cayman. With the doors off, I am standing with one foot on the skid and exposed to the violent downwash of the rotors... it was like being flash-frozen. It was a surprise aspect of the experience, to become numb cold in the tropics. The pilot is demonstrating what he could do if I were to fall out.

Destination Wedding at Reef Resort

2009-08-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

I had another beautiful, intimate wedding at the Reef Resort, East End, Grand Cayman tonight. This was for Ryan and Rachel Stein. Congratulations and thank you for having me with you!

Click to see big.

Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park

2009-08-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

My sister Stacy and her blond friend Lori took a day off from diving today to visit Grand Cayman's wonderful and lush, Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. The Cayman style "Rankine Cottage" is a great place to make a fun portrait. The park is in full bloom right now and a must see for any visitors. Click to see big.

2009-08-03T23:49:00.000-07:00

This one is for Nat, my latest blog follower and favorite scuba instructor. Nat is a superb technical diver and taught me the Evolution rebreather closed circuit system. You can feel safe learning any kind of diving with Nat from basic scuba to mixed gas. You'll find him at Dive Tech.

Yes, this is a Frogfish and not a sponge. Shot at 90 feet, Big Tunnels circa 1990 on Velvia film. It was really this red! Click to see big!

Wedding at Grand Old House: Jennifer and Matt

2009-08-02T16:24:00.001-07:00

Jennifer and Matt had a lovely, intimate destination wedding at Grand Old House, Grand Cayman on the 4th of July! Here are just a few frames to tease you with. Enjoy!

Seven Mile Beach Family Portraits

2009-08-01T20:21:00.001-07:00

I had an amazing shoot with this family at one of my favorite (secret) locations on Seven Mile Beach. It is the only spot where trees come so close to the water on Seven Mile Beach, making it ideal for backgrounds. There are some chickens now as well who act more like hams than chickens!

Family Portraits on Seven Mile Beach

2009-07-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

I just had a wonderful location portrait shoot with a family of four on Seven Mile Beach. The 3 year old girl was the normal tough one if we tried for a pose, but created delightful surprises that could never be choreographed. The second image is a splice of two frames, using layers and masks in Photoshop to blend two faces from one frame into another... magic!

Mangos with Willie Ebanks

2009-07-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I live for summer and delicious fruits (candy from God).

I was in the candy store today on Willie Ebanks' farm in Hutland. This is Willie with one of his precious grand daughters, Julie picking Valencia Pride mangoes.

I'm in heaven until the mangoes run out in September/October.

Peter and Norma Davey Wedding

2009-07-16T15:49:00.001-07:00

My Good friends, Peter and Norma Davey were married in the intimate setting of Heart of Cayman's wedding gazebo in West Bay as the last light of day was fading. Only My Nikon D3 could have done as well with this very, very dim light. We moved on to a lovely dinner at Eduoardo's Restaurant with just a few of their close friends. Sweet!

Jennifer and Marc's wedding

2009-07-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

And yet another perfect intimate destination wedding was put on by The Reef Resort, East End, Grand Cayman! This one was for Jennifer and Marc. What they did different that was very cool is that the 20 or so friends and family went elsewhere for dinner while Jenn and Marc got on with the romance! What a great idea! They were already spending lots of time with everybody else on this wedding/honeymoon, so why not enjoy each other in the torch light and get to it?!! This could set a new trend!

Ed and Mel's Wedding

2009-06-20T22:48:00.001-07:00

Kelly and Dave's Wedding

2009-06-19T16:32:00.001-07:00

It was yet another gorgeous Grand Cayman wedding, this one at a beautiful private house on the south coast.

Enjoy!

Touch of Thai Spa opening

2009-06-18T01:11:00.001-07:00

Suladda May has a new canvas on which to apply her art, it's the Touch of Thai Spa in the new building across from Edouardo's Restaurant, Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman. I think it will be popular. View this little slide show...

"Growing on Our Traditions"

2009-06-14T01:31:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed a beautiful day today at Boatswain's Beach, Grand Cayman as locals put on a nice demonstration of past cultural traditions of the Cayman Islands. There was rope making, plaiting, caboose cooking, a sugar cane mill, marbles and even soldier crab races! You really missed something sweet if you missed this show, put on by an incorporated not-for-profit group, The "Cayman Islands Traditional Art Council" (CITAC).

Their next event will be held at Boatswain's Beach on July 18th. You can contact Adonza Harrison if you have any questions and would like to stay informed.

Cayman Islands Photographer- www.CourtneyPlatt.com: Destination wedding Grand Cayman

2009-06-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Cayman Islands Photographer- www.CourtneyPlatt.com: Destination wedding Grand Cayman

Destination wedding Grand Cayman

2009-06-06T20:48:00.001-07:00

Locals Jay and Cat chose to have their destination wedding right in their own back yard, at The Reef Resort, in the remote East End of Grand Cayman.

I truly love covering small weddings like this one, in which everyone there gets a chance to actively participate in the beauty of the moment in some memorable way. I shot over 850 frames in the 4 hours allotted. That's the equivalent of 23.5 rolls of 36 exposure film! 24 rolls of film would have cost the clients $864. When I was shooting film, budgetary constraints limited how often I'd snap the shutter. As a result, it was very rare to ever shoot more than 14 rolls of film even on a humongous, 300+ guests, 12 hour wedding shoot. 14 rolls is 504 pictures, which is a lot when you consider that you are looking for the best 80 to 100 for an album! I shoot three times that number in the same time now. Yet, I get far more than three times the number of "winners" as a result of experience and the many new tricks that come with digital capture. It all means that every frame in the final, edited album will be wonderful. There are even far more important advantages of shooting digital vs film than frame counts at weddings as well as in all manner of a working photographer's situations. Some are real dreams come true for the experienced shooter. I'll try to point them out in future blog editions. Enjoy!

2009-06-05T02:36:00.000-07:00

I've made the classic mistake of telling my sweet, innocent, 2 1/2 year old house cat, Pixel that he is the King of Beasts. That's just supposed to be a euphemistic term of affection, but he has obviously taken it seriously. The Doberman Pinscher that he chased today is a "stranger" being walked by a neighborhood girl. Pixel was merely extremely lucky that this particular Doberman shares a house with a cat. Now, how am I ever going to teach this overconfident King of Beasts to respect dogs?!! Click to see dirt flying behind the dog! This was a full-tilt run for life that would have looked good on the Serengeti! I fear this amazing cat may not live long, but I'm loving the way he lives!

2009-06-05T02:21:00.000-07:00

Pixel the cat has the helpless Doberman cornered now! This has to be titled "Defiance"!

... OK then, possibly, "Overconfidence".

Pixel just wants to make friends. Lucky for him, that's all this leash-less dog wants too. These two only just met, so I'd say Pixel has mighty big ones for a cat who's been neutered!

Had I not shot these images I'd be inclined to suspect Photoshop, but these are straight up! Click image to see big.

Baptisms at Smith Cove

2009-05-31T23:08:00.000-07:00

Another big event today was the baptisms at Smith Cove for First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman's Neil Brown and Alma Connor. This joyful celebration follows directly in the wake of the passing of our dear sister in Christ, Debbi Kelly yesterday... both being occasion to thank God for His Grace. Our prayers go out to Deb's husband and family still in the States. You'd have to have better control of yourself than me to have gotten through today's sermon with dry eyes! It was a wonderful day filled with thanks for His mercy and love.

Agouti

2009-05-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

Staying up too late once again to process a few selects from this juvenile Grand Cayman Agouti portrait shoot arranged with its caretaker and surrogate mother, Denise Bodden. This may be my favorite frame shot right in the corner of my tiled living room, where I created a natural looking setting from materials found just outside. This little guy seems quite happy to be mothered by Denise! Agouti's, AKA Cayman Rabbit, are extremely shy in nature as they are still sometimes hunted as food.

Click to see large as always.

Another fabulous Reef Resort Wedding

2009-05-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

When you live in Paradise... local residents, Kat and Jay, took their "destination wedding" at home in Grand Cayman at the fabulous The Reef Resort, East End. They all had so much fun that I shot nearly 1,000 pictures! Can you say "photogenic"?

Linda Locke: Coordinator

Mike Flowers: Food and Beverage team manager

Andrew Bacon: DJ and MC/Humor

Courtney Platt: Photographer

Performance Freedive Team/clinic

2009-05-19T00:39:00.000-07:00

Kirk Krack and Mandy Cruickshank are in Grand Cayman again for their annual shot at new records and freediving clinic. It is always awesome to watch the world record holders in this insanely gutsy, physically and mentally challenging sport stretch the envelope yet again. The depths and times they are achieving these days boggles the mind, but these are the best of the best.

Today was a gloriously glassy day out on the water. Because they dive deeper than the deepest coral reefs grow, the guide line apparatus drifts in open pelagic waters about 6 miles offshore in water over 6,000 feet deep. Hmmm, no sharks today... that's odd.

This was just a little play, blowing air rings at the end of the day. Kirk blew a ring through another ring while Carol actually swam through one of her rings as it rose.

Pixel the cat seaside

2009-05-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

I live near the water on North Sound and have been taking my cat, Pixel out for walks lately. He's very smart, quick to learn and willing to follow me... very dog-like when we go outside. Otherwise, he is a house cat, but he can do "stand", "sit" and "roll-over", following me from room to room like a puppycat. My sweeeeeeet.

North Side Wedding May 9th, 2009

2009-05-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

An intimate little wedding on the North Coast of Grand Cayman, this rental home venue is so photogenic that I literally never used flash even once, even after sunset! Of course, the Nikon D3 is the only way I could have done it, with it's ultra low noise, high ISO capability. Everything after sundown is ISO 3200... awesome!

2009-05-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Right at home with the Southern Stingrays at Grand Cayman's "Stingray City"- Sandbar, my sister had a great day with our flying rubber disc puppy dogs of the sea. Not bad for someone afraid of mosquito bites! These rays are so inured to human contact, even being stepped on all day, that the only way to get stung by one is to carelessly sweep your own hand into a passing ray's barb.

The Sandbar site is so shallow you can stand up and never even get your head wet.

2009-05-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

I just shot the most wonderful, intimate destination wedding at a large, private rental home on Grand Cayman's north coast. This gorgeous house overlooks a small sandy cove on the azure/tourqoise/cobalt of the clearest water the Caribbean has to offer. Heather and Vinnie Burke certainly enjoyed their big day and stay here.

2009-05-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

Kirk Krack and his Performance Freediving Team are here from May 6th thru June 7th for training, competition dives and an attempt at a new women's record for Mandy Cruickshank. Here is a shot from a previous year.

I always look forward to watching their amazing feats of breatholding to unimaginable depths, taking unbeleavable times to go the distance. These are truly world class athletes.

2009-05-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

My lovely sister Stacy is visiting and diving with me to celebrate our birthdays (May babies, 2 years apart). We dove on Orange Canyon and the wreck of The Doc Polson, just off Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman today. This image is Stacy at the stern of the Doc Polson, showing why she is my most published underwater model.

Grand Old House Wedding Cake

2009-04-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

Shot on film in the old days, flash bounced off the white ceiling indoors at Grand Old House gave the perfect natural feel to a perfect natural moment of bliss among the revelers while the cake is cut. One from the archives!

Courtney with his camera equipment

2009-04-16T02:01:00.000-07:00

This is me getting ready for a recent interview with our local TV morning show, Daybreak 27. I put some of my equipment together to show some of the evolution of cameras that I've used over the years, leading to Nikon's latest digital gear. I am always updating to remain on the leading edge of technical capabilities, which keeps it exciting, but also keeps the cost of providing high end service, well, high end. The blue backdrop is my latest and favorite background for portraits and can go to any location as well as the portable, high powered studio flash units.

View the interview video at http://www.cayman27.com.ky/news/item/1530

The cat in my lap is my good buddy and confidant, "Pixel".

Welcome to my world of imaging

2009-04-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

The purpose of doing this blog is to share with you what turns me on about photography so much and why I think I have the best job in the world. Sorry if that suggests that yours isn't ; ))

It is my intention to regularly update this site with a combination of freshly excavated material from the analogue archives, and of course my current exploits.