Jeff McCormack
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A sailing ship in silhouette against an orange sunsetBlue-washed houses of a hillside town seen through leavesA wide waterfall under blue sky and cloudsA glacier above a still lake edged with spruceDark mountains above a loch under heavy cloudA sailboat on the river with the city behind
Aruba

A photographer's journal

Heartease Man

My little piece of Jamaica, and the places I've carried my camera since.

Begin the journal

Before you wander

Most of these pictures were taken on the way to somewhere else: a sailing ship against a setting sun, a stairway in a blue-washed lane, a waterfall too big for the frame. This journal is five short chapters. Start at the first, follow a place that catches your eye, or let it surprise you.

Heartease is my home town in Jamaica, where it all started.

  1. 01 Golden hours
  2. 02 Blue lanes and old stairs
  3. 03 Water, ice and thunder
  4. 04 Creatures and curiosities
  5. 05 Green, grey and still
  6. 06 Contrast and shadow

Light

Golden hours

Some evenings the sky does all the talking. A red sun sinks into the Caribbean on the wedding trip, haze turns the Moroccan desert to gold, and an Australian bay goes quiet under a heavy lid of cloud.

An orange sunset over a bay
Australia Orange pours out beneath a heavy lid of cloud, and the bay goes quiet.
A red sun setting over a calm sea
Aruba On the wedding trip, the sun sinks to a red coin and the sea turns to slate.
Sunset over the desert hills
Morocco · 2025 Desert haze softens the sun into a pale disc above the hills.
Mountains at dusk above a dark sea
Alaska Mountains turn blue as the day ends, the water black beneath them.
The sun sinking through desert haze
Morocco · 2025 Light leaks through the dust as the sun sets over the desert.
The sun touching the horizon over the sea
Aruba The sun touches the horizon, and the whole beach holds its breath.

Keep wandering: ArubaMoroccoAustralia

Lanes

Blue lanes and old stairs

A spur-of-the-moment birthday trip, and the blue city was amazing. Walk uphill and every turn is a different blue: doorways frame stairs, stairs lead to more stairs, and plants crowd every ledge.

A long blue staircase lined with potted plants
Morocco · 2025 A staircase climbs between potted plants, every step a different shade of blue.
Narrow lane with plants hanging between blue walls
Morocco · 2025 A lane narrow enough to touch both walls, with vines spilling over the top.
A red geranium in a pot against a blue wall
Morocco · 2025 A red geranium against a blue wall: the only argument in town is colour.
Blue stairway behind a white metalwork gate
Morocco · 2025 A white scrollwork gate and a stairway that asks to be followed.

Keep wandering: MoroccoPortugal

Elements

Water, ice and thunder

Iceland keeps its water loud: falls over black rock, rivers heaving through rifts, a crater lake the colour of a swimming pool. In Alaska the same water goes still and white, and turns into glaciers.

A waterfall tumbling over dark rocks
Iceland A waterfall drops beside a wall of dark basalt, and the spray hangs in the air.
A wide waterfall under blue sky and clouds
Iceland A broad waterfall under a rolling sky, loud enough to feel in your chest.
A glacier meeting the sea
Alaska A glacier reaches the sea, and the ice has nowhere left to go.
A turquoise crater lake in red volcanic rock
Iceland A turquoise crater lake in a bowl of red volcanic rock.

Keep wandering: IcelandAlaska

Company

Creatures and curiosities

Not everyone in these pictures is a person. An eagle holds the high ground on an iceberg, an iguana sits perfectly still, and in Cuba the cars are as much the locals as anyone.

A bald eagle perched on an iceberg
Alaska A bald eagle holds the high ground on a lump of blue ice.
An iguana in green grass
Aruba An iguana, perfectly camouflaged until it moves.
Red flowers with a lorikeet
Australia A lorikeet in red flowers. Hard to say which is more colourful.
Camels resting under palm trees
Morocco · 2025 Camels take the shade and wait for the heat to pass.
Yellow coco taxis parked at the kerb
Cuba · 2016 Coco taxis lined up at the kerb, like toys left out in the sun.
A teal vintage car on the road
Cuba · 2016 A teal classic cruises past as if the decade never changed.
An orange convertible on the seafront road
Cuba · 2016 An orange convertible on the seafront road.
An iguana beside a green pond
Aruba Another iguana, sunning beside the pond.

Keep wandering: ArubaCubaAustralia

Quiet

Green, grey and still

To finish, somewhere to slow down: Highland cloud rolling down a green glen, giant sequoias with the sun in their crowns, cherry blossom hanging over still water in Washington.

A green glen below rain clouds
Scotland · 2024 Highland cloud rolls down a green glen.
Giant sequoias with sunlight in the crowns
Sequoia National Park · 2014 Sunlight in the crowns of giants.
A domed memorial framed by cherry blossom
Cherry Blossoms, Washington DC · 2019 Cherry blossom frames a domed memorial across the water.

Keep wandering: ScotlandSequoia National ParkCherry Blossoms, Washington DC

Where it started

Contrast and shadow

A 35mm Pentax never left my side, and the first black-and-white film got me hooked. The contrast and the shadows did it. Here are a few frames from this journal, turned back into black and white.

Dark mountains above a loch under heavy cloud
Scotland · 2024 Dark mountains and a pale loch: Scotland, in black and white.
A sailing ship in silhouette against an orange sunset
Aruba The ship becomes a pure silhouette.
A waterfall tumbling over dark rocks
Iceland The basalt wall and the white water, all contrast.
Narrow lane with plants hanging between blue walls
Morocco · 2025 Light and shadow down a narrow lane.
A medieval tower on the river's edge
Portugal A medieval tower, edges sharpened by the sky.
A teal vintage car on the road
Cuba · 2016 Chrome and shadow: the same car, no colour needed.

Keep wandering: ScotlandIcelandPortugal

The atlas

Every place, one tap away

Twelve places so far, and the camera is still in the bag. Pick one and stay a while.

Man in a cap and sunglasses wearing a lime-green jacket outdoors

About

Jeff McCormack

My mission is to inspire, nurture and mentor young men and women wanting to enter Science Technology Engineering & Math. My life experiences has inspired and motivated me to become a conduit and provide support for the underrepresented young men and women wanting to pursue their dreams. And take a few pictures along the way.

A 35mm Pentax never left my side. The first black-and-white film got me hooked: the contrast and the shadows did it.

Heartease is my home town in Jamaica, where it all started.

Get in touch

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Contact

Say hello

info@jeffreymcc.com