I was born and raised on the island of St. Thomas, one of three major islands that comprise the territory of the United States Virgin Islands. I dub myself the Creative Native, deeply awed by the picturesque beauty of my surroundings, and the compelling history and dynamic culture that give this region its uniqueness.
For more than twenty years, I enjoyed a career as an Electrical Engineer, traveling the world and meeting people of different cultures from all walks of life. As I travelled, I leveraged any opportunity to study subjects and engage with residents in an effort to learn and understand what surrounded me in unfamiliar places. At times, it appeared as though my interest in photography situated me in a world classroom. It also appeared that photography was eclipsing engineering; I had to decide.
In 2017, the islands experienced two devastating Category-5 hurricanes in close succession, resulting in massive destruction. It took some days before I knew how my loved ones had fared. Driven by the need to know, need for change and my desire to pursue photography I wondered if the hurricanes had not inadvertently given me a signal.
After some serious soul searching, I gave up my career, picked up my camera, and returned to my muse, my love, my home, the US Virgin Islands.
I want to explore the Virgin Islands with intention as a native, going to familiar places, eating familiar foods and partaking in familiar cultural events. But I also want to explore the Virgin Islands as a tourist, discovering new places or going to tourist destinations and seeing the islands through their lense. Ultimately, curating a creative and artful photographic collection of our history, diverse cultures and intoxicating scenic views.
I invite you to partake in this movement of moments through time and immerse in this version of the Virgin Islands story.
Always a Caribbean gyal!
Ama D.