The Peace Hill Ruins jut out between Hawksnest Bay and Denis Bay within the boundaries of the Virgin Islands National Park in St. John. Formerly a windmill site, the short hike up the hill is very rewarding with panoramic views of azure water up and down the coastline. I think it is one of the nicest, overlooked sites in the Virgin Islands National Park as people tend to pass by moving from lounging at Hawksnest Bay and hurrying to take the familiar mandatory snapshot at the Trunk Bay overlook.
I set up within the ruins and composed the shot trying to feature some of the native flora and the expansive views while using the curve of the arcs to frame them. This image is a composite of three shots exposed for the different areas. I can’t see how you could do this without HDR.
Peace Hill is a tranquil place and unlike many of the other ruin sites on the island stays relatively cool as it sits at the end of a peninsula. There are opportunities for everything from panoramics to macros so bring your backpack. Anyone in reasonable physical condition can hike the short trail. Bring decent shoes. The trails of St. John can be rough if you are footing it in sandals.
Seestjohn.com is a good resource for hiking information on St. John.
My Equipment Bag for this shot
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, Heliopan Polarizer, Benro Tripod, Cable Release, ScanDisk Extreme IV 8GB CF, Really Right Stuff ballhead
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Peace Hill Ruins
The Peace Hill Ruins jut out between Hawksnest Bay and Denis Bay within the boundaries of the Virgin Islands National Park in St. John. Formerly a windmill site, the short hike up the hill is very rewarding with panoramic views of azure water up and down the coastline. I think it is one of the nicest, overlooked sites in the Virgin Islands National Park as people tend to pass by moving from lounging at Hawksnest Bay and hurrying to take the familiar mandatory snapshot at the Trunk Bay overlook.
I set up within the ruins and composed the shot trying to feature some of the native flora and the expansive views while using the curve of the arcs to frame them. This image is a composite of three shots exposed for the different areas. I can’t see how you could do this without HDR.
Peace Hill is a tranquil place and unlike many of the other ruin sites on the island stays relatively cool as it sits at the end of a peninsula. There are opportunities for everything from panoramics to macros so bring your backpack. Anyone in reasonable physical condition can hike the short trail. Bring decent shoes. The trails of St. John can be rough if you are footing it in sandals.
Seestjohn.com is a good resource for hiking information on St. John.
My Equipment Bag for this shot
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, Heliopan Polarizer, Benro Tripod, Cable Release, ScanDisk Extreme IV 8GB CF, Really Right Stuff ballhead
Share on Facebook