The Famous Wharariki Beach

Wharariki Beach, or “that beach on the Windows desktop background”, as it is more commonly known, is one of New Zealand’s best kept secrets. As it is in the northernmost tip of the South Island, getting there from the Abel Tasman region takes a little bit of time, patience, and planning. I tried to leave plenty of time during my visit, allowing for two sunsets and a sunrise, but the weather was having none of it. Despite the overcast mornings and evenings, and the almost constant rain, we managed a partly cloudy mid-morning visit. It’s not all I had hoped for from this detour, but it was still certainly worth the trip.

The West Coast from Above

A bird's-eye view always reveals a different perspective on the landscape and brings out the true scale of the place. I had a few opportunities for aerial photography during my road trip through the West Coast of New Zealand, and I think these images really show off the untamed beauty of the region. The images below were taken near Tauparikākā Marine Reserve and Cape Foulwind.

A Fort in the Atlantic Ocean

Just a short boat ride from Peniche, on the coast of Portugal, lies the Berlenga Grande Island. The island is famous for its red fort, sitting in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and connected to the island by a narrow bridge. The Fort of São João Baptista das Berlengas was originally built as a monastery, from which monks could assist the regular shipwrecks in the area. However, the plan soon proved insurmountable - the monks regularly contracted diseases, were unable to contact the mainland, and were attacked by pirates. The ruins of what was once the monastery were restored as the fort we see today, which is now open for visitors in the Summer months.

Cape Carvoeiro

Cape Carvoeiro sits at the westernmost point of Peniche, perched over the Atlantic Ocean. We visited this spectacular location on the way to Peniche, and then again on the way to the Berlenga Islands. The wind was suprisingly calm on that day, which provided an excellent opportunity to fly the drone over the area and get a bird’s eye view of the place.

Atacama's Valleys

This weekend, I’m sharing a few more highlights of the Atacama Desert. First, some aerial photos of the Death Valley, followed by an incredible sunset at the Amphitheatre in the Moon Valley. The Atacama is one of the most unusual landscapes I have ever photographed, and I would have loved to spend longer there to capture more of its arresting beauty. I hope to be back there again some day soon!

Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache and Surroundings

The blog has had to take a bit of a hiatus lately, but will be back up and running every Saturday for the next few months.

This weekend I am sharing some of my favourite images of the incredible Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache we photographed at the Atacama Desert. I hope you enjoy these images of spectacular hidden lagoons and alien moon-like landscapes.

A Sunset to Remember

Although I expected a much more dramatic sunset, our evening in Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia was nevertheless surprisingly pretty. The low clouds resulted in a pastel coloured sunset unlike anything I had ever seen before. The mirrored effect on the ground caused by a thin layer of rain added to the surreal landscape of the salt flats.

I only wish I had spent more time there to capture a variety of sunsets, as the merged land and sky makes for some truly spectacular scenery. Here are some of my favourite images from that evening.

If you are interested in travelling to the Bolivian salt flats as a photographer, make sure you check out our guide on Two Dusty Lenses to help you plan your trip.

An Expanse of White

Following on from La Paz, the Bolivian adventure followed onto the Uyuni Salt Flats. We had sunny and dry weather when we arrived, resulting in an otherwordly infinite white landscape as far as the eye could see in every direction.

This was an incredible destination and if you’d like to learn more and plan your own trip to Uyuni, I recommend that you check out our travel guide for photographers over at Two Dusty Lenses, which reveals all the best tips for an unforgettable trip to Bolivia.

But before you head on over and start booking your flights, I hope you enjoy the photo selection below!

Walking on the Moon

I recently had a chance to explore Bolivia for the very first time. The first stop of the trip was the capital of La Paz. In between several rainy days, we squeezed in a lucky visit to Valle de la Luna under a blue sky. This was a great place to explore a completely alien landscape from both the ground and from the air, with aerial photography.

Here are some of my favourite images from this location. I will be posting more selected photographs from the rest of the trip - including the famous Uyuni Salt Flats and the Atacama Desert - over the next few weeks, so stay tuned for more!