Sunday, April 28, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
MAGICAL WATERS OF FIJI
Chris McLennan has been a visitor to and photographer of Fiji for nearly 20 years now, which makes his ongoing dedication to capturing beautiful images of these stunning islands all the more impressive. Like people often say, “it must be something in the water” that keeps him coming back.
So what makes the tropical waters of Fiji so special? Perhaps it is their clarity – in a world overflowing with people, smog and pollution the sparkling waters of Fiji promise a “cleansing” not only of the body but of the soul. Or maybe it is the accessibility? From the resort pool to the white sand beach, nowhere in Fiji need be too distant from their gentle murmur. Or more likely, it is simply the luxury of casting adrift from the pressures of land, to float once again as we did before birth.
Enjoy Fiji from beneath the surface!
“The Magical Waters of Fiji” as published in Explore Fiji Magazine February 2013 – Anniversary issue.
All images copyright Chris McLennan. Words by Catherine McLennan.
THE BEAR ESSENTIALS
It’s not uncommon at rural landing strips around the world to buzz the runway before landing to ensure no grazing cattle, wandering wildlife or other ‘native guests’ are in the path of the landing plane… But buzzing the beach to clear the foraging grizzly bears in Alaska was certainly something different! And yet it’s a common theme to my arrival into Silver Salmon Creek Lodge as part of the “Alaskan Grizzly Bear” photo tour that I run each year in the Lake Clark National Park area.
RADIOPOPPERS PROVIDE THE “POP”
On a recent photography assignment I was creating some very hi-res animal portraits at the Auckland Zoo. These images are part of a project I am doing in conjunction with some of my sponsors and the Auckland Zoo, which will bring exposure to the great breeding and in-the-wild conservation projects that the Zoo is involved with.
The resulting images will be on display for the first time ever as part of Auckland’s Festival of Photography during an exhibition I am holding at Shed Five in Wellesley Street, Auckland (open daily 8th to 21st June 2013).
Getting these portraits was a load of fun, and certainly an educational experience as I spent time with the keepers and learnt more about not only the individual characters I met and photographed over the four days of shooting, but how their role at the zoo often played a very important part in the survival of their species in the wild.
From patting a friendly rhino on the head through to photographing a curious lemur who kept grabbing the front of my camera lens, I certainly came away with some great stories to share. But I wanted to share with you how I used my radiopoppers to provide light on a dull day.
My last shoot day at the zoo was very dark and gloomy with regular bouts of heavy rain. Not ideal conditions for animal portraiture. I decided to add some light of my own but I am always very reluctant to use on camera flash. Instead, I rigged my radiopopper PX transmitter to the D800E.
The real beauty of this is that no extra Speedlight or transmitter is needed. The radiopopper sits on a small bracket in the hotshoe. You simply switch the D800’s popup flash into commander mode and away you go. The system is just so simple and reliable which allows me to focus my attention purely on my subject and the composition of my image.
I used a single Speedlight mounted on a pole with the Radiopopper PX receiver and Greg who was assisting me was able to position the Speedlight to the side of the animal I was shooting. This provided nicely pleasant side lighting without being too obvious, but added the much needed “pop” on this very wet and dull day.
Claudia Simon, Director of Marketing, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts
April 25, 2013 11:45 PM
Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, with 100 hotels in 16 countries worldwide, has made a strong commitment to Mexico and the Caribbean and will open its latest property, the Iberostar Playa Mita on the Riviera Nayarit, later this year. Iberostar will begin taking reservations for the resort in May. The company will operate a total of 10 properties in Mexico after the new property opens. In the Caribbean, Iberostar features three resorts in Jamaica and six in the Dominican Republic. We spoke with Claudia Simon, Iberostar’s director of marketing, about the new Iberostar Playa Mita and other company developments in the region.
What’s new with Iberostar? We started off the year with five of our resorts receiving the AAA Four Diamond award. Our teams were ecstatic about that since it shows our strong dedication to outstanding quality and superior service and amenities. New to the AAA Four Diamond list is our family property, Iberostar Paraiso Maya in the Riviera Maya. In Jamaica, Iberostar Rose Hall Suites and Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose Hall were honored for the second year in a row. Lastly, Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraíso and Iberostar Cancun were once again honored with the AAA Four Diamond award.
