Mirrors of Mammoth

Mammoth Lakes in California, is a photographer's dream, especially when it comes to its serene lakes reflecting the quiet beauty of the Eastern Sierra. The still and clear waters of these lakes provide a tranquil canvas for those seeking moments of calm and visual simplicity.

Photographing the lakes in Mammoth Lakes is a study in capturing reflections. From the glass-like surface of Twin Lakes to the mirror-like symmetry of Lake Mary, these bodies of water offer a quiet backdrop for the surrounding landscapes. The stillness of the lakes enhances the clarity of reflections, creating a straightforward and unembellished visual narrative. It is truly a breathtaking, once-in-a-lifetime sort magical place.

Last Stop in Aotearoa

The Nelson Lakes National Park was the final destination on our travels through the South Island of New Zealand. The region is known for its large lakes with crystalline waters. In the winter, it also serves as a ski destination, nestled perfectly between the lakes and the surrounding alps. An excellent way to end our time in Aotearoa, and one of the very final places we had left to see here.

Keep an eye out for my blog posts over the next few weeks to see what I’ve been up to since moving all the way from New Zealand to the United States!

Lake Matheson Reflections

Lake Matheson is an especially reflective lake due to the dark sediments in its water, which create a perfect mirror on a still day. But beware: even the tiniest bit of wind will cause ripples on the surface of the lake and ruin its picture-perfect reflections.

I must admit that, during my recent trip through the West Coast, I fell in love with this location and this is probably my favourite place in all of New Zealand. I visited this stunning location not once, not twice, but on three separate occasions. Funnily enough, my best images of the lake were all from my very first visit, on a cloudy but still day, both before and during sunset.

Sunrise at a Marine Reserve

The Tauparikākā Marine Reserve lies in the West Coast of New Zealand, on the way between the cities of Wanaka and Queenstown and the Franz and Fox glaciers. Although I had been planning to visit for some time, I must admit this spot completely surpassed my expectations. In only a few short walks, it guides you through a stunning beach, a gloomy swamp, and surprising views over the wetlands. It’s almost like someone decided to take a selection of New Zealand’s stunning scenery and collapsed it into a single location. Well worth a visit!

A Few Days in Queenstown

Beyond The Remarkables mountain range and Deer Park Heights, Queenstown also boasts many other landscapes. In this post I share a few more of my favourites from my last visit, including views over Shotover River and a pink sunset across the lake.

Bonito: True to its Name

The beauty of this place is in its name: Bonito is the Portuguese word for beautiful. This town is an ecotourism hub in the centre of Brazil, with no shortage of activities and sights to see. Some of my favourite attractions in Bonito are its caves, the Blue Lagoon Grotto (Gruta do Lago Azul), and its waterfalls. Although I don’t have any images to share from it, Bonito is also home to the Buraco das Araras, or Hole of Macaws, a huge sandstone sinkhole where hundreds of scarlet macaws (and other species, in smaller numbers) live all year round.

A Lake Tekapo Sunset

Lake Tekapo and its quaint Church of the Good Shepherd is one of my absolute favourite locations in New Zealand. I have visited a few times in the past, capturing a stunning purple sunset and a snowy morning in the area, but something about this place keeps calling me back. Below are some images of my latest visit, where I enjoyed a serene golden hour by the lake.

Arrival at the Catlins

The next step in the South Island roadtrip was the Catlins Forest Park. This was a long drive down from Te Anau, stopping by the peaceful Fortrose Beach before a relaxing sunset over the bay near our accomodation. The Catlins is a less popular tourist destination in New Zealand, but as you will see from my next week’s blog post, it is vastly underrated. The region is brimming with majestic waterfalls and luxuriant forests which remain undiscovered by many.

The Desert on a Canvas

The Atacama Desert put on a show for us one afternoon. This was one of the most fantastic light I’ve ever seen and resulted in some beautiful imagery of the Altiplanic Lagoons. I’ll be looking to print some of those to decorate my home - and I will make these available as canvases and metal prints for anyone interested.

Altiplanic Lagoon Landscapes

For the final two blog posts on the Atacama Desert, I am sharing my images of the Altiplanic Lagoons. This place was a stark contrast to the rest of the desert landscape, with lakes peppered throughout the arid landscape and sparse, brightly-coloured vegetation surrounding them. It also seemed to be a hotspot for wildlife, that gathered around these lagoons in greater numbers than anywhere else on the Atacama landscape.

Stormy Skies and Flamingoes

One of the highlights of our travels through Chile was a day out at the Altiplanic Lagoons of the Atacama Desert. The morning began with some wildlife photography, including several species of flamingoes posing in front of an incredible mountain range. The skies were a deep, rich blue, suggesting a storm was on its way. Luckily for us, the weather held up all day long and the oncoming storm provided some truly magical light.

Laguna Colorada and Termas de Polques

Our final stops in the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve were Laguna Colorada and Termas de Polque. Both spots amazed us with their scenery and provided yet another opportunity to see wild flamingoes.

Both these locations provided excellent opportunities for flying the drone and getting some aerial images, although we did keep it quite high so we didn’t interfere with the wildlife.

Here are some images from both land and air of these two locations, our last stop in Bolivia before we headed to Chile’s Atacama Desert.

Lagoons at Eduardo Avaroa National Park

Besides the stunning wildlife, the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve is dotted with many spectacular lagoons. Following on from Laguna Hedionda, we made our way through several more, such as Laguna Charcota and Laguna Verde. Most lagoons provide the opportunity to spot flamingoes, as well as other local wildlife.

Sunrise with Flamingoes

During our trip through Bolivia we stayed at a small hotel on the edge of Laguna Hedionda, home to hundreds of wild flamingoes. We had planned to photograph the sunrise at this location but upon our arrival it seemed like that wasn’t going to happen: there was torrential rain and a thick cloud cover over the mountains. Luckily for us, the cloud cover brought fresh snow onto the mountains and then swiftly disappeared by the next morning. It was an extremely cold shoot at 5am, but definitely worth it!

Keep scrolling for some beautifully pink-tinted skies and similarly pink flamingoes.

Snow at Lake Tekapo

The next day at Lake Tekapo proved to be a lucky one: we woke up at 5am to find that the town was covered in deep, fluffy snow. We headed out before sunrise to catch The Church of the Good Shepherd in the snow, and captured some aerial photography in the surrounding area.

The change of weather was a pleasant surprise. Over the span of three days, we had a beautiful purple sunset, followed by an almost-clear starry sky, and a snowy morning.

Mount Cook National Park

Our visit to Mount Cook National Park was an unlucky one, as the weather changed dramatically from the previous day and Mount Cook was nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, the views from the Hooker Valley Track and Tasman Glacier Walk were still breathtaking.

Here are some of my favourite images from a very cloudy day at Mount Cook.