The U.S. Virgin Islands are an American territory in the Caribbean known for beautiful sandy beaches, coral reefs, and sparkling clear water. Some of the islands are mountainous due to their volcanic origins. Others are relatively flat and formed by exposed reefs as ocean levels lowered. The latter is how the Florida Keys were formed as well.
Note: The photos don’t really follow the narrative…just sprinkling them in.
Basking in a tropical climate, temperatures for the Virgin Islands average temperatures hang around 90 degrees all year long during the day and dip into the mid-70’s during the evening. The three main islands are Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas. There are a number of smaller islands as well.
Archeologists believe the Virgin Islands were originally settled by Native Americans originating from South America around 1,000 BC. Europeans first discovered the islands in 1493 during Christopher Columbus’ second exploration of the New World. Over the next few centuries, Spain, Britain, France, and the Denmark would each stake claim to these islands.
Denmark established settlements on St. Thomas and St. John in the late 1600’s and purchased St. Croix from France in 1733. The islands officially became colonies of Denmark in 1754 with sugar plantations being the primary economic driver. Most of those plantations exist today only as ruins and are scattered about the islands.
The United States eventually purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917 after 50 years of ongoing negotiations. Today, tourism is the primary economic driver of the Virgin Islands’ economy. Rum production is also notable (along with its consumption).
And I need the program you process them in. 😎😄
Image processing…me? Guilty as charged! 😛 My primary program is the NIK collection. It is free photo software from Google that used to cost something like $500. Not that my photos are worth writing about, but I’m amazed by how much more I can get out an image after working with different enhancement and light correction features in NIK. It saves a lot of bad photos, ha!
Oh thank you!! Good to know and I will check it out. I can’t help but edit photos. Even if they look good I have to figure out a way to change them. 😄🤔
I just can’t get over how beautiful all of your photographs are. I need to get out more and see the world… the places you visit are gorgeous!
Thank you so much for the kind feedback ☺️Sometimes what the camera comes back with as a photo isn’t what I saw or felt in the moment. So, I do work with these images a bit to infuse them with the emotion I felt when seeing these sights. I’m glad the magic of the moment comes through…thank you. ✨
Hello David,
Thanks. I am really enjoying these great photographs.
All the best, Laurence.
Thank you Laurence, glad you enjoyed the photos and really appreciate you taking a moment to share your reaction.