island 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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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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Naoussa, Paros Island – The Cool Kid of The Cyclades

Lisa Michele Burns — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 09:23:11 +0000

Paros Island is where white washed fishing villages, rocky coastlines and olive plantations meet the sparkling Aegean Sea. I like to think of it as the chilled out little sister to the more popular neighbouring islands of Mykonos, Ios and Santorini. It’s rustic, relaxing and ideal for outdoor adventures. Fairy lights hang throughout the colourful harbour village of Naoussa on the islands northeast corner. Photogenic from every angle you’ll find hidden alleys offering Cycladic charm and coves with waterfront cafes and bars. Naoussa is also home to perhaps the cutest harbour I’ve ever photographed. Wooden fishing boats bob gently on the clear teal water as fisherman sit on brightly painted chairs and octopus hang drying in the sunshine. Like many of the Greek Islands, it’s possible to drive around Paros Island in a day, exploring every beach, village and historic sight along the way. In the mountaneous region of the island are the beautiful villages of Kostos and Leftkes. Kostos is a sleepy little village gleaming with brightly coloured fuchsia bougainvillea and a quaint town square. Leftkes was the original captial of Paros and while it’s much larger than Kostos, retains that slow pace and mountain vistas. Below you’ll find...

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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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Beach Photography: How to Take Beach Photos

Lisa Michele Burns — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 06:41:07 +0000

Beach Photography Tips A quick guide to beach photos It’s summer here in Australia and I’ve found myself at the beach every single day. Whether it’s to walk the dog, take a morning swim or photograph a beautiful sunset I find it so relaxing and a great place to test out new photography techniques. Capturing beach landscapes sounds pretty easy but pointing your camera out to sea and hoping the settings are correct won’t create an amazing photograph. It’s all about reading the scene, knowing how to find the best light and composing a creative image to make your beach photo stand out from the millions of others taken this summer. Below are some tips and techniques I use when photographing at the beach which I hope can help you create your own beautiful shots when summer comes around in your part of the world or when you escape to that exotic island you’ve been dreaming of. Beach Photography Settings – Sun and the sand During the middle of the day you’ll see the white sand and blue skies are shining but an incorrect setting on your camera could make that sand really glow and take away the vibrant colours...

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