Taken by passenger James Ingle, the photograph shows a quintessential New Orleans scene. A wrought iron balcony, strolling French Quarter visitors and passing motorists combine for a lively photo.
But with one click of a button, Joe Restuccia III makes the photograph brighter, more colorful and more concentrated on the balcony. “That’s much better,” James agrees.
On our 12-day cruise aboard the Grande Caribe, an extra benefit is a resident photographer. Joe is giving three classes on photography and is available throughout the trip for individualized instruction. “He is never too busy to stop and answer a question or show us something,” James said.
When he is not out shooting, Joe usually can be found in the ship’s lounge working on his photographs and answering cruiser’s queries.
A professional photographer for almost three decades, Joe also takes photographs during our cruise and shows them on a big flat-screen television in the lounge. At the end of the trip, passengers can buy a disk with photos he has taken on our trip.
“Technically, the class is the whole trip,” Joe said. “I try to make photography easy so people will enjoy it. That’s the whole point. If it’s not fun, you might not want to pick up your camera and use it.”
The first step for any photographer, Joe says, is to become acquainted with the camera equipment. A dedicated Canon user, Joe said that there are many good cameras on the market today and it is important for a person to understand what each camera can do and how to use it.
“That’s rule number one,” he said. “Read the instruction booklet that comes with your camera and learn how to use your camera correctly. “
A well-known stock and travel photographer, Joe lives in New Jersey but has gone around the world to capture landscape and natural life photographs. More of his work can be seen on www.joesharpshotphotos.com.
Photos by Jackie Sheckler Finch
Heidi, Editor-In-Chief
