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

Photographing the Colours of the Cook Islands

Lisa Michele Burns — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:30:14 +0000

Photographing the Cook Islands of Rarotonga + Aitutaki The Cook Islands are a bright, visual playground of tropical tones. From the sea to the sky, you’re spoilt for ever changing landscapes to photograph and if you’re a beach person, this is one place to add to your list! Having visited this corner of paradise three times before, I had a few spots in mind that I wanted to revisit and capture some new creative landscape images Island landscapes are a subject I’ve grown very familiar as my photography career has developed. Having lived on Hayman Island in Australia’s Whitsundays for six years, palm trees and clear water became kind of routine…if that’s even possible!? Always beautiful, but it was necessary to think outside the box to make the palm trees look different every time I photographed them. The same happens when I revisit a destination, I love to look for new angles, new locations and bring some creativity to capturing them in a new light. Luckily the Cook Islands have a kind of mystery to them. Especially the island of Rarotonga which is always offering different conditions no matter how many times I visit. With a lush interior rising in...

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Cook Islands Underwater Photography Workshop

Lisa Michele Burns — Mon, 08 May 2017 20:34:35 +0000

Underwater + Landscape Photography Workshop October 18th – 24th, 2017 From the moment the fresh island air hits your face you’ll feel at home in the Cook Islands. With water so clear you don’t need goggles, where the sun sets over the coral filled seas and palms dangle over the turquoise lagoons, photo opportunities are endless…if you’re into postcard scenes and tropical islands, this is the place for you! The Cook Islands are paradise. Join me for 7 days photographing these Pacific wonders with three nights on Rarotonga and three nights on the idyllic island of Aitutaki. We’ll be glamping, kayaking, snorkelling and soaking up the sunshine while exploring the lagoons and lush rainforests of these two islands. If you’re keen to learn underwater photography techniques in some of the clearest water on earth, I’ll be swimming alongside the group in the lagoon for any questions or to offer some gentle creative advice. There will also be plenty of time for landscape photography, astrophotography and time to capture the warm glow of sunrise and sunset over the water. For all the details please email me via hello@thewanderinglens.com if you’re keen to come along for the adventure. UPDATE: Only 3 places...

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Lagoon Life in Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Lisa Michele Burns — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 00:00:44 +0000

Travel Inspiration – Cook Islands They’re known for tropical sandy shores, clear water lagoons and friendly locals with smiles as big as the sun that shines over the palm trees. The Cook Islands are the kind of place you need to visit at least once in a lifetime. With a warmth in both culture and climate, the islands are the essence of paradise and having even just a few days to experience island life will change the way you see the world. Rarotonga is the most populated island of the group and it’s where you’ll find the international airport and arrive to the sweet serenade of Papa Jake who has greeted every single flight for the past 30+ years . With a volcanic peak at it’s core and dense, lush jungle to the water’s edge, Rarotonga is the perfect place for a first taste of the Cook Islands. You can drive around the island in an hour or so but getting around my bicycle means you get to smell the salty air, hear the choirs as you pass churches and listen out for chickens, piglets and the sound of waves crashing over the reef. The eastern and southern part of...

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Glamping in the Cook Islands: Ikurangi Eco Retreat

Lisa Michele Burns — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 05:23:47 +0000

Let’s begin with the thought of camping…now add in all the little luxuries you could ever want for a night sleeping outdoors. Furthermore add visions of a tropical island lagoon, lush rainforests and twinkling star filled skies. The place you’re imagining exists. It’s called Ikurangi Eco Retreat on the island of Rarotonga. Waking to the sound of roosters, a gentle sea breeze wafting over the sheets and the smell of fresh pastries outside the tent I thought quite possibly I was dreaming. When did camping get so plush? As the first glamping site in the Cook Islands, Ikurangi has set the bar high up in the coconut palms. There’s no roughing it, here you get to experience all the outdoor magic of camping but rest your head on a soft pillow and queen size bed inside a bug-free glamourous safari tent. The best part? A private outdoor bathroom! Thatched walls and a open air decked area mean you can clean your teeth as the palms sway above and use eco-luxe products made from coconut and vanilla while you shower beneath the stars. Unzipping your tent at the front reveals views toward the mountainous core of Rarotonga as chickens roam freely...

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Lagoon Adventures in Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Lisa Michele Burns — Tue, 12 May 2015 08:18:14 +0000

As far as water goes, Aitutaki Lagoon is in a league of it’s own. As our boat glided through the calm tropical ocean, shades of blue glistened above and below the surface. Aitutaki lies to the north of Cook Island’s capital Rarotonga in the Pacific Ocean. If you’re after a piece of paradise, this is it. Away from the crowds and far from any bustle, this island is relaxation served on a tropical fruit platter. Surrounding the main island of Aitutaki is a coral fringed lagoon dotted with palm drenched islands begging for you to pretend you’re castaways. It’s where the television reality mega series Survivor stranded 30 Americans and filmed as they bathed in the warm water, frolicked in the sunshine and roughed it by sleeping under the stars. Sure they had no food but really…what a location to be voluntarily stranded! Over 20 islands scatter the lagoon and on a day trip you can cover at least three with plenty of time to explore above and below the crystal clear water. Grabbing my underwater housing I jumped in the moment the boat slowed down and drifted over coral outcrops. Water clarity was on par with drinking water and...

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Underwater Photography: How to Take Split Landscape Photos

Lisa Michele Burns — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 09:54:29 +0000

Learn to Take Split Level Underwater Photos Underwater photography is growing in popularity and there are so many techniques involved in capturing everything from surfers and whales to waves, the reef or simply the water itself. For the moment I’m going to focus on split water landscape photographs because these are my favourite and are a great way to creatively showcase a destination from a unique perspective. Split water photographs depict a scene half above the water and half under the water at the same time hence creating the effect you’re looking through goggles at the underwater world whilst still keeping an eye on what’s happening up top. In a tropical environment they can showcase amazing water clarity blended against a white palm drenched beaches, aka paradise, or in a lake or creek it can used to show the contrast of a rocky mountain landscape against peaceful shallow water. However you choose to use the effect in your photographs it’s a fun way to look at the world and will encourage you to think outside the box whilst shooting and get seriously creative…trust me, it’s addictive. Derived completely from my own experience in the water, below are some tips and...

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Destination: Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Lisa Michele Burns — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 07:20:10 +0000

If you’re about to spin a globe to randomly pick your next holiday destination, you’ll want your finger to land a little north of New Zealand, south of Hawaii and just west of French Polynesia. Land here and you’ll soon be arriving on the most idyllic piece of paradise that I’ve ever laid eyes upon. The tiny island of Aitutaki is part of the Cook Islands group, an island nation sitting pretty in the expansive Pacific Ocean. Don’t go thinking this is one of those touristy package holiday destinations though. While you can certainly jump in your hotel pool and no doubt order a cocktail or two, the vibe of Aitutaki extends way beyond that of your typical tropical destination. Arriving to warm ocean breezes and the scent of fresh tropical flowers, Aitutaki didn’t have to do much to tell me it was a relaxed island paradise. From the moment I stepped off my tiny Air Rarotonga flight and onto the runway, I felt the sense of community. I’m pretty sure if my host was late collecting me (which they weren’t) that one of the neighbours would have happily let me jump on board their van or ute no questions...

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