Photos of Nature's Beauty taken in Jamaica

On this page you'll find beautiful pictures of nature and natives of Jamaica taken in and around the island. Jamaica is known for its lush vegetation, its beaches and its warm hospitable natives. With my camera I have freelanced and captured a few images I consider to be very beautiful.

Have you ever stopped to take a closer look at nature?. The clouds, the sea, the sand, the rain, the rivers, the bird, flowers, plants or the animals we often take for granted. They are beautiful, not only are they beautiful but everything serves its purpose in the cycle of life. There is no way one can be in Jamaica and not appreciate nature. We are a blessed nation and I am grateful that I am so blessed to be a part of this cycle of life. I appreciate Mother Nature more than anything. We live, eat and breathe because of her. Thank you Mother Nature and thank you for my island Jamaica.

Jamaica has a rich and diverse culture blended from around the world. Africans, European, Indian, Germans and many more. So strong is the diversity of Jamaican people that it is the subject of our national motto "Out of many, one people". Here in Jamaica people have black skin, white skin and shades upon shades of brown skin. Kinky hair dominates but there is also, straight, curly and Taiwan hair. The Jamaican people are inherently warm, kind, welcoming and friendly. Take note; they tell it like it is.

Above in the photo are Jeniel and Maurissa, in their school uniform.

Wearing uniforms to school is a part of the Jamaica's culture. It is compulsory for every student, kindergarten through to Secondary/high school to wear a uniform to school. This includes same color socks, shoes and hair accessories.

During national celebrations it is customary to wear the nation's costumes, which is called the Bandana. (Bandana: red striped fabric)

On this day Jamaica celebrates its' heroes.

The above photo shows students of Epsom Basic School in Portmore St. Catherine, dressed in Bandana costumes. They recited poems, sang folk songs and danced to the beats of the drums knocked by their teachers. It was fun to see the little ones in action, bringing to life our past while sustaining our culture.

On the day I took this photo, I fell in love with Jamaica and mother earth AGAIN.

I went outside and the earth felt like its mine, I owned it. I was just loving everything about the day. The weather was perfect, the sky was beautiful and the temperature was easy on us twas not too hot or too cold, it was just right. The wind was soft and cool. The air was crisp and clean. The grass was green and fresh, the trees sang along with the birds and for that moment I wish I could freeze the day and keep it that way forever. I looked up at the sun and it was hidden behind the trees, piercing through the leaves. I ran back inside, got my camera and I thought " What a perfect portrait".

This photo was taken in Montego Bay Jamaica, at a popular location know as "Dead End". It is called "Dead End" as it is the end of road. When coming from the opposite direction the Montego Bay Hip Strip ends right here. Beyond that is Sangsters International Airport. If you should arrive in Jamaica at the Sangster's International Airport, Montego Bay you would have seen this beach and road immediately before the plane hits the runway.

This photo shows the shadow of my daughter Maurissa, on the Waves Beach in St. Catherine Jamaica. Her arm are stretched out and she wears a smile, unfortunately the smile can't be seen in the shadow :-)

My husband and daughter Mikaela, made castles from a sanitary cup at the 'Waves Beach'. They both had fun doing it

Look out world, my aspiring architect built castles from cup. Can you imagine what she will build with the right tools and material? She felt good after making this, her first masterpiece.

As I sat watching my husband and the girls having fun, a lot of other activities happened simultaneously on the beach. This is just one of them, Here is a Caucasian soaking up every bit of sun she could. Oh what a good feeling!

Also on the beach, was this horse and it's owner. It gave the girls a scare at first, but soon it was all smile.

Horse back riding was available for a small fee.

Even though I am a citizen of Jamaica, each time I travel from one point to another I am in awe at Jamaica's beauty. Therefore I do not leave the house without my camera, as I know there will be something beautiful to snap on my journey.

While traveling the mountainsides from Kingston to Montego Bay, I took a lot of photos, this was one of my favorite shot.

This beautiful rich-green plant was seen on the compound of the Big Apple Rooms in Montego Bay, Jamaica. As you can see it has big leaves and the these big leaves are surrounded by smaller curled leaves on the edges. I don't know the name of this plant, I just think its uniquely beautiful.

On the day this photo was taken,we took the girls out for a drive. Tuck away in a corner of St. Catherine is Rodney's Arm, a cool and cozy hang out spot overlooking the sea. We pulled up there and sat for a while. Before long it started to rain and we returned to the car. As we sat waiting for the rain to stop, I admired the beauty of the water droplets on my window, I thought what a great photo this would make. It was just cutt for the taking, and here is the result.

As the sea gulls and other birds went in and out of the water fetching fish, Mikaela quietly watched their every move. At this point in the photo her eyes followed a pelican out of the water and into the sky.

The window, patterned with water droplets from the rain caught her attention and she tried wiping them off. When that didn't work, she switched focus to the birds.

The Jamaican Otaheiti Apple or maple apple is indigenous to the Pacific Islands such as Tahiti. This fruit has one large seed and is usually pear shaped with a dark red skin and white flesh; sometimes it is seedless. I have realized that the darker the skin is, the sweeter is the apple. The Otaheite apple can be enjoyed in many ways. When I was a child I would slice the apple into small pieces and have it with salt. That tasted good. The plant may be used as a remedy for diabetes and constipation.

Coconut comes from the palm family. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut.

'Jelly' so called by Jamaicans is green coconut. The Jamaican coconut plant is one of the most valuable Jamaican plants to man. It is a primary source of food, drink, and shelter. The water inside, when cooled makes a refreshing drink. The fermented water which is usually called 'meat' can be used in a variety of dishes such as, grater cake, rice and peas, porridge etc.. the leaves are used to make house and so much more.

Above is a photo of myself holding one jelly/coconut and drinking another. A coconut/jelly is often kept cool in an igloo and sold along the street side of Jamaica. When this is purchased, by request, the top is usually chopped off by a machete to create a hole in order to reach to the liquid inside(coconut water). A straw is then inserted and the delicious water is enjoyed.

If you're a 'yardie' (Born Jamaican) like my husband and I, you'll just put it to your mouth and drink it. When all the water is removed from the coconut is usually chopped open in order to reach the chewy, translucent, jelly-like food product inside. This jelly is produced by the fermentation of coconut water. Jelly is then scraped from the inside and eaten. A refreshing treat. The longer the jelly stays on the tree the firmer the the food/ meat will become.

Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and also the major food in the national dish. It is borne in clusters on an evergreen tree. In Jamaica, Ackee is most often prepared with codfish (saltfish). This is delicious and can be eaten with a variety of side dishes. Dishes like, Roast breadfruit. yam, dumplin and banana, bread, bammy, rice and a lot more.

Jamaica's National Dish

INGREDIENTS :

* 1/2 lb. Saltfish (codfish)

* 1 dozen ackees

* 1 small onion

* 1 teaspoon black pepper

* 1 sprig thyme

* 1 crushed garlic or 2 teaspoons garlic powder

* 3 slices hot scotch bonnet pepper

* 1 small red sweet pepper

METHOD:

1. Soak saltfish in water to remove some of the salt or boil in water for 5-7 minutes.

2. Clean the ackee. Remove the seeds and all traces of interior red pit from the ackees.

3. Wash ackee five times

4. Cover and boil until moderately soft.

5. Drain, cover, and put aside.

6. Pick up (flake) the saltfish and remove all bones.

7. Sauté thinly sliced onions and sweet pepper rings.

8. Remove half of the fried onions and peppers

9. Add saltfish and the ackee, and turn the fire/stove up slightly.

10. Add black pepper

11. Pour in to serving plate and garnish with remaining onions and pepper slices

12. Serve with boil banana and/or fried dumplings

For more Delicious Jamaican Recipe Click here, Or click on one of the books below

Dunn's River Falls, in my opinion is Jamaica's most famous location national treasure. The water, rich in natural minerals, created steps down the length of the river, giving the Dunn's River Falls a unique shape. Visitors to the fall, both locals and tourist climb 600 feet up and enjoys every moment of it.

In this photo my husband takes a beat of freshness.

Just reviewing these photos gives me that rush that makes me wanna get up and go to Dunn's River Falls again and again. Its awesome, crazy, fun, refreshing, all that and more.

You'll get a combo when you visit Dunns River Falls. This includes, mineral bath, massage (sit under the falls and allow it to massage your body), meditation (from the sound of the water), rock climbing, Jamaican crafts, wedding ceremony if you so desire and lots more. Did I mention that it flows into the sea? Oh yes it does, therefore you have fresh and salt water in one place to enjoy.

If you don't know your way around, fear not. There is more than enough trained tour guides there to assist. So take a trip., you'll be glad you did.

It was mid afternoon, the clouds filled the sky taking away the warm golden sunshine from us, but not for long. The sun fought back. As I sat there watching nature I smiled, each time the clouds went over the sun the rays would just spread out around the cloud and made even a dark cloud look good. I imagined the sun saying, "Cloud, you can't stop me from shining".

It was just beautiful I had to take a picture of it.

It had just finished raining when I cracked the window and looked outside. This is what I saw, a perfect sunset, right between the walls of my neighbors houses.

This shot was taken from the hills of St. Andrew, Jamaica. The scenery was breath taking by day and it got better as the evening ended. Once again I was in awe at the beautiful colors of nature.

This is my most loved jewel. It was given to me by my husband as a birthday gift. Saying I cherish and treasure this camera is an understatement. I take it everywhere with me. This Nikon L100 camera works well for me.

Modes: Back Light, Beach/Snow, Close Up, Copy, Dusk/Dawn, Food, Landscape, Museum, Night Landscape, Night Portrait, Panorama Assist, Party, Portrait, Sports, and Sunset which I like the most.

Another awesome thing about this camera is that I've been using 4AA Rechargeable Duracell batteries for the past 20 months, all I do is recharge them and slip them back in and they are good to go. I am yet o buy another battery pack, this is incredible.

Want one?, I think you should get one, you only have that much memory. Make more memories with Coolpix Nikon L100

Thank you Nikon