Just like the migratory birds that fly north or south depending on the time of year, I, too, have my annual migration that finds me flying south to Cancún every August. August is a great time to go, when both the crowds and the prices are low. Over the course of one August getaway, the Caribbean put on a particularly stunning show of color. As shown in the first image, the various tones and shades of blue were quite distinct from foreground to background. It wasn’t until 30 minutes or so later, however, that I spotted a large sailboat coming in from the right, as shown in the second image. The contrast created by this white sailboat is another example of an extreme shift in contrast. And just as with the “lone” flower in the previous pair of images, this lone sailboat is key to creating a more compelling composition.

Both images: Nikon D300S with Nikkor 70–300mm lens at 300mm, f/22 for 1/100 sec., ISO 200