David Wolfe Caribbean Photographer Blog - Cayman Islands

Cayman Islands Department of Tourism Features David Wolfe Photography

David Wolfe — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:27:38 +0000

I’m pleased and honored to have my work featured in the current Cayman Islands Department of Tourism advertising campaign targeting the UK market. The ads were conceived and produced by Mr.h, a relatively new partner for the Cayman Islands DOT. Living in the Cayman islands is certainly a special privilege. There is nothing quite like the feeling you have arriving at the little air strip in Little Cayman for the very first time; nothing that compares to swinging in a hammock under the coconut trees on a Cayman beach; nothing as breathtaking as a view of Stingray City from the helicopter or as awe-inspiring as the Cayman reefs from a submarine. Hopefully, these ads depict a genuine sense of what its like to experience these beautiful islands up close. They feature local talent, including My Personal Chef, Hansel Rankin, who created that yummy Caribbean Lobster dish. Many thanks to : Mr.h, Cayman Islands Helicopters, Cayman Islands Submarine, Ristorante Pappagallo, Cayman Airways, Cotton Tree, and Little Cayman Beach Resort. Click on the thumbnails below this ad to see the entire series.

Grand Cayman – Round the Island Portrait Adventure

David Wolfe — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:42:29 +0000

So, I just had a call from a very nice lady named Nancy who says, “Hey, David, we’re coming to the Cayman Islands on the Norwegian Pearl (that’s a cruise ship) and were wondering if you can take us around the island for some fun portraits?” Well, sure, Nancy! Happy to!. We’ll pick you up at the cruise ship dock, drive you around to some of our favorite beaches, docks, coves etc, and make you feel like movie stars. We’ll even stop and open some fresh coconuts so you can have a refreshing drink! Here is little slide show with a few of my favorite photos from a recent wedding portrait excursion around the South Coast of Grand Cayman. After a fun day, we went back to my house and they wound up jumping in the pool! Even my little yorkie got involved in the action! We let them dry off and they actually helped edit the photos and got back on the ship with a DVD of all the high res images. As an added service, we upload the photos to our SmugMug Gallery so they can easily order prints of the highest quality and have them delivered straight to their door. Want something more? Just let us know. Happy to oblige.

National Gallery of the Cayman Islands – A Dream Realized

David Wolfe — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:26:58 +0000

Thanks to those pictured here, that dream is now a reality.

The Board and principle donors and supporters of the Cayman National Gallery on the steps of its impressive new home.

Helen Harquail - The evening's guest of honor - long time patron of the arts in the Cayman Islands - in 1997 donated the 4 acres of land and substantial funds for the purpose of building a permanent home for the National Gallery along with an additional 8 acres to form a cultural village on which the Harquail Theatre currently sits. Helen received a well deserved standing ovation from those in attendance.

Principle Donor and National Gallery Board Member, Susan Olde

Julia Hedges with Ariane Dart (National Gallery board member and patron). Ariane also represents The Dart Foundation who are principle project donors.

Bendel Hydes - Cayman born, New York based and internationally recognized, Bendel Hydes is Cayman's premier artist. His latest works form the first major exhibition in the Gallery's new space. Pictured here with Jackie Doak ( COO Dart Enterprises), Nancy Barnard (past director of The National Gallery), and Gallery supporters Lisa Robertson and Tracy Swartz.

John Doak (National Gallery Building Committee member) and wife Jackie.

Founding Chairwoman and patron, Carol Owen with her husband, John Owen, Past Governor of the Cayman Islands

The current Management Board of The National Gallery sans Henry Harford, Chairman.

National Gallery Director, Natalie Urquhart with Leslie Bigelman (Founding Director) and Nancy Barnard (Immediate Past Director)

David Byrne (Walkers - project donors) and Director Natalie

Project Donors, Frazier Lindsay and Peter Small of PWC with Director Natalie Urquhart

Kim Tibbetts and Cheryl Moore of Maples (project donors)

Natalie Urquhart with Connor O'Dea and Sheree Ebanks of Butterfield (project donors)

Director Urquhart with H.E. Governor Duncan Taylor.

Sophie Ebanks and Tanya Campbell of Deutsche Bank- project donors

National Gallery Supporters Patrick and Theresa Broderick.

Andreas Ugland (National Gallery Board member and past chairman) and wife Natalie, capital project donors, with a sculpture by Housai Knecht.

The new gallery has ample parking and grounds designed for multi function use.

Lynn Smith-Moore, Melissa Wolfe (my lovely wife), Jackie Hansen and Vivian Bould

Mary Brandes, Polly Tibbetts and Director Urquhart.

Engagement Portraits – Pedro St. James – Grand Cayman Island

David Wolfe — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:46:48 +0000

My wife and I manage another photography business called Better Angle in the Cayman Islands and are lucky enough to have recruited Janet Jarchow as our lead photographer. JJ and her fiancé, Nick, are getting married in her home country of Germany later this summer. Meanwhile, they wanted to have some engagement photos here in the Cayman Islands. With all of our busy schedules we finally gave up trying to organize a day on their boat in the North Sound and settled on an early morning shoot at Pedro St. James. Formerly known as Pedro’s Castle, this venue has become a favorite for early morning portraits. There is no one around and a variety of great backdrops and settings to work with. Be advised that, in addition to photographer costs, there is a photography fee of $50 imposed by the venue and an admission fee of $8 per person. I think its worth it because you basically have your own private outdoor studio. Congratulations JJ and Nick! hope you like the photos!

Engagement Portraits & Family Photos in The Cayman Islands!

David Wolfe — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:30:20 +0000

Carrie and Mark were just engaged and vacationing with Mark’s family in Grand Cayman. Mark’s mother, Jane, wanted to do something really special for them and asked me for engagement pictures prior to a family photo session that we had pre-arranged. I met the couple at a secluded beach and spent an hour photographing them; then gave them a ride back to the Treasure Island Resort to meet the rest of the family and spend another hour on a portrait session with the whole group. Everyone had a great time and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Carrie and Mark might ask me to photograph their wedding in Kansas City on September 22, 2012!

Family Holiday Beach Photos – Grand Cayman Island

David Wolfe — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:22:24 +0000

I’ve really been having fun with the family photos this week. With bookings every morning and evening during the holidays, I’ve been challenging myself to do something new and special for each group I work with. This family was staying at Seven Mile Beach Resort but, wanting to get away from the crowds, we took a 20 minute cab ride to a remote local beach without the holiday crowds. Due to the pre-sunrise arrival these photos really have a special feel. It doesn’t hurt that they could start a modeling agency within their own family! This was a one hour shoot.

Jet Flys Through WaterSpout – Passengers Unharmed – Parasail Makes Narrow Escape!

David Wolfe — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:13:51 +0000

Aside from cropping, this photo is un-manipulated. Just as I was beginning a family portrait session at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, a passenger jet began final approach to Owen Roberts International Airport. Viewed from Seven Mile Beach, the aircraft appeared to fly directly through the funnel cloud. Meanwhile, the parasail boat seems to have barely escaped being sucked up into a tornado on the surface of the water. I’m sure both craft were well out of harm’s way but it must have been a thrilling ride for everyone!

Christmas Eve Portraits – South Sound – Grand Cayman

David Wolfe — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:05:27 +0000

Family portraits are my favorite job and, living in a beautiful destination like the Cayman Islands, I get to a lot of them. I love it when people take advantage of a special occasion like a 50th wedding anniversary or significant birthday to get the whole family together and take pictures. I photographed this family a couple of years ago when they were staying at the Cayman Castle. This year they rented a private home in South Sound and asked if I could come back and work with them again. Of course the holidays are always a busy time and Christmas Eve was the only day left in my schedule. When working with large families I try to get a good portrait of the matriarch and patriarch, a few good photos of each of the family groupings, and some great pictures of all the kids. It was great to see these guys again and I’m really pleased to share a few of my favorite photos from this 1.5 hour session.

I Shot the Playboy Centerfolds in Vegas!

David Wolfe — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 02:50:56 +0000

OK. So I didn’t shoot the pictures that actually appeared in Playboy Magazine but I did photograph the actual Playboy Centerfold Models at the Shoot the Centerfold photography workshop in Las Vegas this past weekend. Playboy photographers Arny Freytag, David Mecey, and Jarmo Pohjaniemi were the course instructors. Also on hand were Playmates Jessa Hinton (Miss July 2011), Ashley Mattingly (Miss March 2011), and Olivia Paige (Miss September 2010). Senior editorial staff for Playboy magazine were also there to review portfolios and answer questions. This was a great opportunity to network with other top photographers and share ideas and insights. I learned a lot, made a few friends, and will certainly attend in the future.Jessa Hinton (Miss July 2011) models on a 30 light set created by veteran Playboy photographer Arny Freytag.
Arny Freytag demonstrates lighting and posing techniques.Playboy photographer, Jarmo Pohlaniemi, and his crew work with Playmate Olivia Paige (Miss September 2010). The course instructors and their crews could not have been better. Attendees could ask questions of anyone at any time and information was shared freely without reserve. Miss March 2011, Ashley Mattingly, lights up a set created by Playboy photographer David Mecey. The models were all approachable, professional and fun and worked extremely hard for all three days.
Of course the Playmates couldn’t keep their hands off of me and kept begging for a photo. I finally relented and agreed to pose with them. What else could I do?

Northern Lights in Temagami

David Wolfe — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:40:37 +0000

Each summer I’m fortunate to spend some real quality time with my family in a very special place called Lake Temagami. The lake is protected by a an agreement called the SkyLine Reserve effectively limiting the cutting of trees or any development on the mainland. Translation: no car noises, no light pollution, and water clean enough to drink (in fact we do.. all summer long!). We have a cabin there on Bear Island accessible only by boat. Its more like camping than like being at a cottage. For the first three years we had no running water and no electricity and lived out of a cooler, hauling drinking water in buckets from the lake and cooking on a propane bar-b-que. Today, two solar panels and four batteries provide enough power to run a small water pump and a few reading lights at night. Still no telephone or internet and we do our business in a two seater outhouse! Below is the view from our primary dock which faces due north. That’s the Aurora Borealis. Look closely and you can make out the big dipper low near the water. It really is an amazing experience. What you don’t get in this picture is the sound of the loons which sing to us every night, so I’ve also added a 30 second video below the image! Turn up the volume and watch this amazing natural phenomenon.

Listen to the haunting calls of the loons during this amazing display of Northern Lights as seen from our north facing dock on Bear Island, Lake Temagami, Ontario.