Shooting the world, one country at a time
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Showing 6 posts tagged Fiji
Whilst we were filming the choir in church singing, I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, a boy in the pews struggling to stay awake during the service and swung my camera around to film him. We’ve all had this experience! I remember burying my head in my hands to catch forty winks at church in the attempt at looking like I was deep in prayer.
The stunningly diverse landscape below me was hard to comprehend, a heady swirl of a million shades of blues and greens and browns, it was at times hard to tell where the horizon was, where the sea ended and where the sky began. The doors of the chopper were wide open, and the wind was lashing against my face. The sun was still quite low in the sky, casting shadows on the landscape, the perfectly blue sea offered up its treasure trove - a million sparkling diamonds on the surface. Clichéd, but truly this was Paradise.
Check out the aerial photos of Fiji and the rest of the Fiji series.
Fijians just have a knack for music, they are without doubt one of the most naturally musically-inclined people I have met (Filipinos are pretty high up in the list as well). Everywhere we went, there was music. At dinner, someone would be strumming the guitar in the corner, in a queue, someone would be humming a tune to themselves, at church, the singing was glorious, and the congregation would be in full belt. Music seems to be fundamental pillar of Fijian life and culture.
This duo were singing at breakfast at the Sofitel and I asked if they would mind doing a rendition for me by the beach and they were more than happy to. I don’t know what the exact title of the song is but I call it ‘The Bula Song’.
*Bula, which literally means ‘life’, is a a word imbued with a variety of meanings, chiefly, ‘hello’ or ‘welcome’.
Check out the aerial photos of Fiji and the rest of the Fiji series.
I staggered off the plane after 24 hours spent either in the air or transiting at airports to a crisp, mountain-fresh breath of air. I was in Nadi, the capital of Fiji, a collection of 333 islands in the tropical South Pacific. The first word I heard was ‘Bula!’ from the immigrations officer, not typically the friendliest of people.
A tropical paradise in every sense of the word, but Fiji’s greatest treasures lay not in the glorious beaches, the islands dotted about a never ending cobalt blue sea or the chilled out island life, but in the warmth of the many Fijians we met on the trip. Laid back, generous and hospitable, most Fijians are genuinely welcoming to outsiders, and I don’t remember ever seeing anyone stressed out.
Taking portraits in Fiji is almost too easy, despite a foreigner pointing his camera at their faces, most of my subjects are more than happy to oblige with a smile, the resulting photos are my tribute to the faces of Fiji.
Check out the aerial photos of Fiji and the rest of the Fiji series.
The stunningly diverse landscape below me was hard to comprehend, a heady swirl of a million shades of blues and greens and browns, it was at times hard to tell where the horizon was, where the sea ended and where the sky began. The doors of the chopper were wide open, and the wind was lashing against my face. The sun was still quite low in the sky, casting shadows on the landscape, the perfectly blue sea offered up its treasure trove - a million sparkling diamonds on the surface. Clichéd, but truly this was Paradise.
Check out my aerial video of Fiji and the rest of the Fiji series.
