Maldives Archives - Photo Tips, Creative Photography + Travel Guides - The Wandering Lens

The Maldives: A Snorkel Safari in South Male Atoll

Lisa Michele Burns — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 08:00:21 +0000

The Maldives. Two words that conjure up visions of luxurious over water bungalows, sparkling swimming pools and white sandy beaches. You’ll find all this and more on over 1100 dreamy islands dotted within the atolls, 105 of which are home to hotels and resorts. One thing everyone needs to do when visiting the Maldives? See the underwater world! While each resort will have a swimming beach that’s the definition of paradise, there is nothing quite like jumping off a boat into the ocean and exploring an open ocean reef. While staying on Kandoomafushi Island in the South Male Atoll I booked a boat trip to ‘Turtle Point’ to photograph underwater in the Laccadive Sea. The 45minute boat trip was reason enough to take my entire camera bag, passing exotic islands and local fishermen in their traditional wooden Dhoni boats. What I was excited about though were the turtles…surely being named ‘Turtle Point’ was an obvious hint at what resides below the surface!? Arriving at Turtle Point I was a little surprised to see it was actually a spot in the middle of the ocean, no nearby islands, no beach to swim to, just water for as far as the eye could see. Jumping off a boat is...

The post The Maldives: A Snorkel Safari in South Male Atoll appeared first on Photo Tips, Creative Photography + Travel Guides - The Wandering Lens.

Escape into the world of W Retreat Maldives, Fesdhoo Island

Lisa Michele Burns — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 10:35:14 +0000

Imagine a world where you have a soundtrack perfectly composed to your tropical surroundings, echoing as you float from pool to beach to boat. As my seaplane landed on the turquoise waters at sunrise, the W Maldives Retreat and Spa sat like a beautiful mirage in the distance across the lagoon. Approaching the island shortly after landing the water suddenly turned from a deep ocean blue to a crystal clear aquatic wonderland so perfect I wanted to jump in fully clothed! The W Retreat Maldives is one of the hundreds of island resorts dotted across the coral atolls of this island nation in the Indian Ocean. Based on Fesdhoo Island, the W has its own chilled out vibe, something unique that makes it stand out amongst the rest and that is evident throughout the world of W Hotels globally. It’s simply cool. Each room has a surround sound system allowing the customised tunes to play as you slip into your private pool, bath tub or as you lounge on your rooftop deck. The décor is hip and trendy but still so damn comfy you don’t even need to leave your little oasis. I stayed in the Beach Oasis, a luxurious...

The post Escape into the world of W Retreat Maldives, Fesdhoo Island appeared first on Photo Tips, Creative Photography + Travel Guides - The Wandering Lens.

The Maldives – One&Only Reethi Rah

Lisa Michele Burns — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 09:08:18 +0000

The Maldives. These two words conjure up visions of lush palm beaches and coral atolls. A dream destination infamous for honeymooners, luxe bungalows and more importantly crystal clear water perfect for photography! As my flight from Singapore descended my head was stuck to the window in the hope of seeing one of the 1,190 coral atolls that make up the island nation of the Maldives. A communal ‘oooo’ echoed around the plane as we all saw the shining teal seas glistening upon strips of sand and reef visible for miles. Ahoy, paradise! Malé International Airport (Ibrahim Nasir Airport) is located on its very own island making the transfer to anywhere an exciting first adventure. Ferry boats and seaplanes line the terminal building waiting patiently in the surrounding waters to take honeymooners to the hundreds of island resorts or nearby Male City. I was visiting the country for the first time to photograph at three island resorts, each unique in their styling and location within the atolls. First up was One&Only Reethi Rah, this incredible resort in North Male’ Atoll had been on my radar for a few months and I knew it would be the ideal place for underwater photographs....

The post The Maldives – One&Only Reethi Rah appeared first on Photo Tips, Creative Photography + Travel Guides - The Wandering Lens.

The Maldives : An underwater photography dream

Lisa Michele Burns — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 10:37:50 +0000

Hello from the sunny island nation of the Maldives! I arrived five days ago and it’s taken me this long to pinch myself and realise I’m actually here. Really. The first two days were spent in utter disbelief that this paradise exists, taking thousands of photographs to try and convince myself it’s reality. Below is a small collection of images from my Instagram feed @the_wanderinglens where I’ve been sharing my adventures from the One&Only Reethi Rah resort both above and below the water. Shortly I’ll be posting a guide on how to take underwater photographs and it will be filled with examples from this trip…including turtles which I was lucky enough to swim with this morning!

The post The Maldives : An underwater photography dream appeared first on Photo Tips, Creative Photography + Travel Guides - The Wandering Lens.