Eleuthera

[ Soft music plays ] Narrator: The art of seeing is such an extraordinary sense.

♪♪ As photographers, the pictures we take are expressions of reality.

♪♪ Painting with the light and the shadows.

♪♪ We have come to re-envision the Caribbean Islands.

♪♪ East of the bustling city of Nassau is an island with raw natural beauty.

And one photographer goes there in search of the perfect photograph.

♪♪ ♪♪ The island of Eleuthera has a unique charm that comes from its natural beauty.

It is a long, very thin island that separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Great Bahama Bank.

The island's main road is called the Queen's Highway, and it runs the entire length of the island.

Eleuthera is an island in the Bahamas that is just a beautiful place.

It is known for pineapples, hence why I called myself an Eleuthera pineapple.

It's really the heart and the core of the Bahamas.

When you go there, you literally fall in love with the place.

It takes a while because it's a little bit different than other islands in the Bahamas.

But I think, by Day 2, everyone is mesmerized by everything to do with Eleuthera.

Eleuthera actually means "freedom."

♪♪ Narrator: This is an island that, at times, can feel untouched and forgotten by man.

It has some of the Bahamas' most distinctive landscapes and has attracted many of the world's best photographers, eager to capture the stunning beauty of the island.

[ Camera shutter clicking ] ♪♪ For photographer Melissa Alcena, this is a return to her family roots.

A part of my family hails from Eleuthera, and I feel a real connection to the island.

I feel most at home when I'm here.

Narrator: Melissa Alcena is a Bahamian portrait and documentary photographer who finds her inspiration in photographing portraits of working-class Bahamians in their environments.

Melissa's portraits are not just beautiful, but they also tell a story.

♪♪ When you look at her images, you can feel yourself connecting with the subject.

She has a way of connecting with them, and you see it in the subject's eyes.

♪♪ I appreciate her work because it's -- it's so raw, and you feel like you can reach through the photograph and just touch the person that she's taking a photo of.

And Melissa's strength is is really capturing how natural the person that she's looking at and photographing better than anybody else.

♪♪ ♪♪ I live in Nassau, but I do have a small piece of land here in Eleuthera, and I've been spending more and more time here, enjoying the views, connecting with the people.

And I'm just really drawn to the island.

♪♪ The kind of shot I'm envisioning is photographing somebody who I feel depicts Eleuthera in my mindset.

That's somebody who works the land, that's someone who has a connection to the earth.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ And as soon as we got in, we got our vehicle sorted.

♪♪ Knowles: Oh, my gosh.

Governor's Harbour is where I spent the majority of my time growing up.

Even though my house is in Palmetto Point, me and my sisters always claim we're from Governor's Harbour.

It's a very small community made up of, like, the actual Governor's Harbour area, and then Cupid's Cay.

Has a lot of history, beautiful people, amazing people, and it's just, like, a very nice place to be a part of -- like, the scenes and the views from it.

The houses are amazing.

They have a lot of history.

My favorite part of Governor's Harbour is when you're driving in from Governor's Harbour Airport into the harbor.

Like, the scenes when the the tree is clear and you could actually see the harbor with the sailboats and the churches and all of the buildings.

It's literally beautiful.

♪♪ ♪♪ Tippy's is a great, great place.

Tippy's is Elliot, man.

Elliot is, like, literally the life of Tippy's when you walk in.

He is always singing.

♪ My lovely island bartender ♪ ♪ She loves to make drinks for you ♪ ♪ No one can make a mojito like my Aisha panda do ♪ Tell me, how does that taste?

Mmm, it's so good.

It's so refreshing.

Ah.

You know what?

We put a lot of -- This is my third one.

He just sings everything, like, as loud as he can.

And you know, interesting -- I don't know if he mentioned this -- Elliot's been singing from he's a kid.

♪ We cook it slow ♪ ♪ We cook it savory ♪ ♪ That's how we do our chicken ♪ He used to be in, like, church choir, so he's literally been singing his entire life.

And I'm so happy that he found a space where he can literally just do that, which is what he's so good at.

He's a performer.

♪♪ We started driving through the island, which was beautiful, gorgeous.

Narrator: Stocked and ready, she begins her trip northward on the Queen's Highway.

Along the way, she hits a few key locations.

♪♪ In that area is where, like, you'll find the pineapples, you'll find the silos.

So, the silos are really cool because they were where the grains and the wheat from back in the day was stored for the farm animals.

And so Eleuthera used to be the biggest exporter of pineapple in the world.

So, before the Dole pineapple farm moved to Hawaii, Eleuthera had it.

So that's why we really hold on to Eleuthera pineapples, because, like, we have the best pineapples in the world, obviously.

♪♪ ♪♪ You come down this hill, and then it's just, like -- ah!

-- this beautiful view of Gregory Town.

And what is really cool about Gregory Town -- it's really down-home.

Like, you know, the community is really, really close.

You can always find someone outside, doing something.

Like, this is where the cliff diving happens, where they jump off of like 40-foot-, 50-foot-high cliffs, into the ocean.

And they have smaller cliffs, as well, in the harbor.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Alcena: I think the Queen's Bath is pretty magical.

I find it quite serene.

It's just got these, like, natural pools.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Knowles: So, the Glass Window Bridge, I honestly -- a lot of people say it's, like, the eighth wonder of the world, just because it's the Atlantic meeting the Exuma Sound.

A lot of people think it's the Caribbean Sea, but it's actually the Exuma Sound, which is a part of, like, the ocean that is from Exuma and meets Eleuthera.

And the two waters connect underneath.

People always ask, "Well, why is it called the Glass Window?"

Because it's just a bridge and you just can see both sides.

But if you are on the water, and you're on the water on a boat, and you look through, underneath the bridge, it literally looks like a window.

So, unless you're in the water, looking at the glass on the bridge, from the actual boat at the bridge, you can't really understand, like, "Oh, why is it a glass window?

Where's the window?"

It's from the the boat -- boat's point of view, looking through from one side of the ocean, through the actual window to the other side.

♪♪ Narrator: Melissa makes her way to what many consider the crown jewel of Eleuthera and maybe all of the Bahamas.

♪♪ ♪♪ Alcena: I got off at Harbour Island, and the first thing we did was we got situated in our golf carts and we just kind of drove around looking at the coastline.

Narrator: Harbour Island is known for its English colonial-style buildings, streets lined with flora, and pink sandy beaches.

♪♪ Golf carts are also the best way to move around this picturesque island.

Alcena: Briland is the city of Eleuthera.

That's the -- Man: How did you call it?

Briland?

Bril-- Oh, yeah.

Not Harbour Island.

You don't call it Harbour Island.

It's Briland.

It's a must that you call it Briland.

So, Briland is the city.

Briland is the busy, fast pace if you want to go, you know, "nightclubbing" and, like, you know, have a lot going on all the time.

Anytime you get to Briland, there's always something happening -- a party, a lunch, something, anything you can find.

And it's, like, the nightlife.

So -- But it also it has a lot of culture, too, obviously.

Like, that's the whole -- Bahamas has a lot of culture.

♪♪ Ah, but it's busy.

Even with the golf carts, everyone's always dashing through one corner, dashing to the next, you know, have something to do.

But I find that anytime I've ever gone to Briland, someone's always made sure you're good.

"Do you need anything?"

Very hospitable.

Very, like, nice, kind people, you know, looking after one another.

And I think that's the whole community of Eleuthera -- Like, looking after each other.

♪♪ Narrator: Harbour Island, or Briland, is one of the first towns established in the Bahamas.

The Eleutheran Adventurers settled here around 1650.

Their ship wrecked on a nearby reef, known as the Devil's Backbone.

And Preacher's Cave is where they found shelter and held church services.

Eventually, Harbour Island was founded and became one of the original capitals of the Bahamas, before Nassau.

It's here that the culture of the Bahamas shines through and why Melissa is compelled to explore the island.

You know, Harbour Island is such a beautiful place.

I just started to look around for inspiration, see if there was anybody that I could find to photograph.

♪♪ And as we're driving along, we see a lot of people coming out of church, because it's Sunday, everyone's attending Mass.

And I run into this young father with his son crossing the street, with really cool hair.

He's got his sunglasses on, with a really awesome blue tint to them.

♪♪ And his son is just adorable.

And I had to take a photo of him, so we stopped.

I asked permission if I could take his photo, explained what we were doing here in Harbour Island, and he was totally into it.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] ♪♪ So we found a spot that was kind of shaded, under a tree.

Meanwhile, as we're taking these photos, you can hear, like, a Mass going on in the background.

-[ Speaking indistinctly ] -Perfect.

Excellent, guys.

This preacher is just going at it.

It was just so awesome.

It was such a Bahamian moment.

♪♪ Narrator: For Melissa, her passion is to capture the humanity of Bahamians, that is a truer representation of their culture.

I'd say I'm very intentional with showcasing Bahamian life in the everyday.

It is my main goal when I'm taking photos in the Bahamas.

I feel like there hasn't been a lot of imagery revolving around our lives and who we are unless there is a disaster or an ad for something to do with tourism.

So I think it's important to give more insight into who we are through the eyes of a Bahamian.

Narrator: As Melissa continued to explore Harbour Island, she spotted an enchanting moment she felt compelled to capture.

♪♪ So, then, we continue driving.

And because people were coming out of church, we ran into this beautiful little girl who was skipping down the road.

She had beads in her hair.

I love beads.

It kind of brought me back to when I was a little girl myself and I used to rock them.

I love your daughter's braids and that she's skipping around.

Girl: Thank you.

So I asked if I could take her portrait, and we found a beautiful spot, which was a kind of abandoned house that's going to be worked on.

And I took her portrait there.

♪♪ [ Camera shutter clicking ] ♪♪ She was so smiley.

She was totally into it.

And I think I got some really good shots.

♪♪ When I'm trying to evoke emotion or feeling from one of my photographs, I start looking to see if I can find the most authentic version of that person, in that space, in that time that I'm spending with them.

And I think it's really important to give people a portion of myself, as well.

I feel that, you know, if I want this person to be looked at as more than just a prop, I want to humanize them, I have to treat them a certain kind of way.

I tell -- I talk to them about myself.

If they don't know me already, I develop a rapport with them, because I think that's really important.

And during the shooting process, I'll also engage with them, letting them know what they're looking like while I'm taking the picture so that they have confidence and trust in me, and we're also working together.

It's more of an exchange instead of me just taking from them.

And in between all of that back-and-forth, there's just a couple moments where you look into their eyes and you see, and you just know that that's the shot.

You are so cute.

♪♪ [ Camera shutter clicks ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Narrator: Excited by her first two models, she moves to a quintessential location on Harbour Island.

♪♪ Alcena: So then I went to Pink Sand Beach, and I started looking for areas that maybe I could feel inspired to photograph somebody in.

Um, and it was kind of difficult.

Uh, I was looking for a spot that maybe had a bit more foliage, but we were at the beach, so it was kind of difficult to find that.

Um, I had a backdrop, and I wanted to position the backdrop behind an area that had a lot of greenery to it.

But we eventually found a spot, and I thought, "Maybe I could make this work."

♪♪ Narrator: These pink, sandy beaches have attracted many fashion icons for the past 40-plus years, and one hotel was at the center of the fashion-modeling world on the island.

♪♪ This hotel was a popular location for high-fashion magazine photo shoots.

In fact, the headquarters for one popular magazine was set up here, instead of New York, because of the weather in the winter.

Many famous supermodels began their careers here, sharing rooms and meals in this cozy and quaint hotel.

♪♪ Alcena: So, then I met up with my friend Dorlan, and I was really excited to work with him, because I feel like he represents a new generation of Bahamians.

You know, he's an educator.

He works on a farm.

And I think it would be really cool to capture him in this -- in this spot that we found at Pink Sands Beach.

♪♪ So, then Dorlan met up with us, and I asked him if he would bring a rooster.

♪♪ There are just roosters everywhere.

When we were driving around, earlier in the day, I saw so many of them, I felt it would be wonderful to include that in our imagery, because you see a lot of them on the island.

And because he works on a farm, it worked out really well.

He brought this beautiful rooster named Rocky, who had a great demeanor, surprisingly.

♪♪ And we tried to set up a backdrop, and it just didn't work out.

And I was kind of worried about it because I really had my mind set on this particular shot.

But then, as we continued to kind of move through the area, we found a shot that kind of seemed like it would work better with the backdrop, and proceeded to try to capture that.

[ Camera shutter clicking ] ♪♪ And at the end of the entire thing, the shot was better without the backdrop altogether.

And that's kind of how photography is.

You know, you set something up with a certain intention in mind, something maybe malfunctions, you problem-solve through it, and -- boom -- the shot that you get is even better than you planned out.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] ♪♪ Narrator: While on the beach, Melissa would take the opportunity to photograph one of Harbour Island's most famous inhabitants.

♪♪ Alcena: And then, of course, you know, Harbour Island's second mascot, which is Marty, who I photographed before.

♪♪ Beautiful man of color, on a horse.

You can't miss this man.

Okay?

He's bareback, riding down the beach on a horse.

He has a commanding presence, but he's also one of the sweetest people you'll meet.

He's super personable and just loves riding his horses.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Indistinctly singing ] It was so amazing.

In fact, I was really excited that I got the opportunity to photograph him again.

And I did so on his favorite horse, which he named Briland.

♪♪ I thought it turned out to be such a beautiful image.

♪♪ ♪♪ Like, it's always a pleasure photographing Bahamians on the whole.

And I think Marty is just such a cool presence.

that getting to photograph him a second time was just, like, the icing on top of the photographic cake.

[ Chuckles ] [ Camera shutter clicks ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Narrator: So, what has the Eleuthera taught us?

♪♪ Perhaps it's that one finds the spirit of the Bahamas in the Family Islands.

♪♪ Yes, I feel like I really got what I set out to achieve.

I think I got a better shot, actually, than I planned for.

And I'm really happy with the lighting.

I'm really happy with how Dorlan, you know, posed with Rocky the rooster.

Like, I really thought it was gorgeous, and I'm really excited to edit it and see how it turns out.

♪♪ ♪♪ Narrator: And maybe Eleuthera's real treasure are the people who call this their home... ♪♪ ...and who have chosen to keep the natural qualities that make this island so unique in a vast archipelago of beauty.

♪♪ ♪ It's time to ride, it's time ♪ ♪ Ay ay ay ay ♪ ♪ Are you in the sky?

♪ ♪ Are you in the sky?

♪ ♪ Are you in the sky?

♪ ♪ Ay ay ay ay ♪ ♪ Are you in the sky?

♪ ♪ Are you in the sky?

♪ ♪ Are you in the sky?

♪ ♪ Here alone on this road again ♪ ♪ Ride on, ride on, ride on ♪ ♪ If I never see home again ♪ ♪ Ride on, ride on, ride on ♪ ♪ Ay ay ay ay ♪ ♪ Are you in the sky?

♪ ♪ Ride on, ride on, ride on ♪ ♪ Ay ay ay ay ♪ ♪ Are you in the sky?

♪ ♪ Ride on, ride on, ride on ♪ ♪♪