Yosemite's Picture-Perfect Spot

Nestled within the breathtaking expanse of Yosemite National Park, Valley View stands as a celebrated spot for photography enthusiasts. This viewpoint, situated along the serene Merced River, offers an unobstructed view of Yosemite's legendary landscape. The towering granite cliffs, led by the majestic El Capitan, form a rugged backdrop against the gentle flow of the river, providing an ideal setting for capturing the park's natural splendor.

Photographing Valley View is an authentic experience. From the soft, golden light of sunrise to the warm, soothing hues of sunset, the changing colors and textures of the landscape offer endless possibilities for composition. Here, you can frame the pristine waters, the imposing cliffs, and the surrounding wilderness in your shots, creating images that reflect the raw beauty of Yosemite.

This was undoubtedly one of my favourite spots in the park - I came back again and again to see it in different lights and at different times of the day. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do!

Florida's Silver Springs

The final state park we visited on our travels through Florida was the Silver Springs State Park, which is by far the largest of the three. This is a popular manatee rest stop in the winter months, but what brought us here in the summer was the chance of spotting its resident monkeys. The park is home to non-native rhesus macaques which were introduced in the 1930s with the goal of boosting the springs as a unique tourist attraction. The original plan was to limit them to one small island in the park, but the park owner at the time didn’t know they are very competent swimmers. Now, they have multiplied to far greater numbers and are spread throughout the whole park. We didn’t get to see the macaques in the end - they must have been hiding that day -, but hopefully the native wildlife I did photograph will make up for it!

Turquoise Spring Waters

Continuing along our travels through Florida, we paid a short visit to Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park. This state park is home to several springs, including Peacock, Ginnie, and Little River Springs, which flow into the Suwannee River. It is a popular spot for underwater cave diving, with over 14,000 feet of cave passages open to visitors. Although we stayed entirely above the water during our visit, we did have the rare opportunity of taking photos from the skies for an even more unusual view of this location: the skies! The drone flight did not disappoint, showing just how stunning the clear turquoise waters of the spring are from all angles.

The Perfect Place for a Swim

Madison Blue Spring State Park is a hidden gem located in the north of Florida. The park is home to a beautiful blue spring that flows into the Withlacoochee River. In the summer months, it is the perfect place to enjoy swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving in the crystal-clear waters of the spring, where it is easy to spot schools of fish swimming around the underwater cave system. In the winter, the spring also attracts manatees, due to its much warmer temperatures than surrounding rivers. Here are some of the photos I took at the park during our early morning visit to the summer.

Abel Tasman Surroundings

The Abel Tasman region of New Zealand has many wonderful views to offer - green countryside, perfectly transparent water springs, and orange sand beaches! It is also at the very top of the South Island, meaning it has milder climate than most of the remaining island, and warm summers. Besides, the biggest city in the region, Nelson, has some of the best restaurants and wineries in all of New Zealand. It is no wonder the place is so popular with holidaymakers and retirees!

Below are just a few of my images from my brief visits to the Te Waikoropupū Springs and two of the local beaches…

Walk to Wainui Falls

Don’t be fooled by the images - the Wainui Falls on the West Coast of New Zealand are actually surprisingly challenging to photograph. The waterfall is so powerful at its full potential that you have only a few seconds to take a photo before the front of the lens is drenched! This was the perfect walk for a slightly overcast day, which left an even light on the water and surrounding landscape.

Riuwaka Resurgence

The waters of the Riuwaka River are sacred to the native Māori people of New Zealand, as they are thought to have healing properties. The most picturesque part of the river is the Riuwaka Resurgence at Kahurangi National Park, where it flows from an underwater spring to form a number of rapids and small waterfalls. As with many such places on the West Coast, this is lesser-known spot that offers a peaceful escape from the more popular tourist destinations. A place for contemplating, relaxing, and enjoying the sounds of nature.

Glacial Blue Waters

Glaciers are not only stunning in and of themselves, but also offer an additional feature to the surrounding landscapes: glacial water. Due to the sediments contained in it, glacial rivers and gorges are of a unique turquoise colour. There are plenty of opportunities to see such places in the South Island of New Zealand, and especially on the West Coast. Today, I share some of my favourite images from Callery Gorge Walk and Hokitika Gorge, two truly stunning locations near the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers.

Waterfalls at The Catlins

The South Island of New Zealand has many hidden gems. One of these is the lush Catlins Forest Park. For the lovers of nature - particularly waterfalls -, this is an unmissable travel destination. We spent a few lazy days here, enjoying the quiet surroundings and the incredible views. Below are some of my favourite images of the truly stunning waterfalls of the region.

The Spectacular Milford Sound

Milford Sound is one of the top tourist destinations in New Zealand. This large fjord is known for its huge waterfalls and stunning green scenery. Although my visit coincided with some particularly poor weather (and visibility), the landscapes still provided more than enough content for some once-in-a-lifetime photos. It is definitely worth taking a long cruise of the sound, which travels past many of the waterside waterfalls, and also going for a few walks in the surrounding areas as well.

Skippers Road

Skippers Road is one of the most scenic drives in the Queenstown region in New Zealand’s South Island. It is known as a filming location for several scenes in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, and the river cutting through the canyon below is a popular spot for jet boating. This was a spectacular day-long drive offering photography opportunities both from the ground and from the air.

Kawarau River

The past few months have been so incredibly busy I haven’t been able to continue with my South Island trip blog posts. I have finally found the time to pick this back up, so here are some images of the lovely Kuwarau River and the Roaring Meg in Queenstown. I will keep posting new images from this latest New Zealand roadtrip over the next few weeks. Hope the wait over my hiatus has been worth it!

Porto: An Evening on the Waterfront

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, known for its tile-covered buildings. The city really comes alive at night, when tourists flock to the restaurants and shops on the waterfront. We were lucky enough to stay at an apartment with a perfect view to the canal, which resulted in some great evening photos. To capture the details of the buildings on the other side of the canal, I used a telephoto lens - and of course, a tripod to keep the shot steady!

Douro Valley

The Douro is one of the largest rivers in Portugal, and flows from Spain to near the city of Porto. It is the world’s oldest demarcated wine region, and a World Heritage Site. It was a change of landscape from our travels through the small medieval towns of Portugal. Douro Valley is a great place to relax and enjoy the vibrant green landscapes, a good glass of wine, and some local olive oil to boot.

Karagahake Gorge

My joint new venture with my partner, Two Dusty Lenses, is a travel blog aimed at other adventurous photographers and videographers. To inaugurate the blog, we took a weekend trip to the Coromandel and surrounding areas, following our 2-day itinerary.

The first stop on the short roadtrip was the Karangahake Gorge. Unfortunately it was a very cloudy day, but even so it was a worthwhile stop. My favourite part was photographing the Owharoa Falls, both from the land and from the air. Enjoy!

Taupo: Huka Falls

Having explored Rotorua, we made our way to Taupo. Taupo's main attraction is the Huka Falls, which drains Lake Taupo and joins it to the Waikato River.

The Huka Falls are one of the most visited attractions in New Zealand, so photographing around the huge number of tourists can be a bit challenging. Sadly it is also a no-drone area, allowing only photography from land.

Here are some of my favourite images from our visit to Huka Falls.