One of the things that surprised me the most about the Cayman Islands was how close the houses were built to the roads.  I am not exaggerating at all when I say that I feel the front doorway of this house is five feet from the road.  If you doubt me, consider this: I took this photo while standing in someone’s front yard across the street.

As I was driving around the island location scouting, I saw this house and decided to investigate.  It was a great location for photos because, thanks to its proximity to the road and the sea, I could stand out in front of the house with a model standing on the back porch, and in that photo I’d get to see the road, the cars on the road, the front of the house, the inside of the house, the model AND the Caribbean behind her.  It was great!

Several days later, my team went back to the house to shoot and we were greeted with a surprise: a dead cat.  My best guess is that the cat had died two or three days earlier and it picked the most centralized position of the house in which to die;  just off the main hallway.  We attempted to make the best of it, but there’s only so much work one can get done while standing four feet from dead body.  After about 10-15 minutes, we called it and vowed to return at some point in the future.

Now, whenever anyone asks about this location, it always starts out with the person asking, “You know, that one house by the Sea?  It was greenish?  It was near a major road?”  My face will remain blank until the person sighs and says, “The dead cat house?”  And then, suddenly, all is clear again.