THE REASON AITUTAKI LAGOON DESERVES ITS REPUTATION

It doesn’t get much better than this – Aitutaki Lagoon in The Cook Islands.

Here’s a few pictures we captured today (yes, after six straight days of rain and overcast skies, I promise I’ll go to church over Christmas), featuring the jewels in the crown – One Foot Island, Maina Island and Honeymoon Island.

Just stunning.

Photographer’s Tip: If you want the shots that will make a difference, hire a fast boat  (150 horsepower) for the morning to get you around the lagoon at speed. If you haven’t got clear skies to start, forget it because – no matter what you’re packing – it ain’t gonna make a shred of difference if there’s cloud cover or its windy. Head straight to One Foot (that’s the closest) to get there before the crowd, then Honeymoon and Maina islands. The only way I think I could have improved on these aerial shots would have been by spending a day there earlier to work out when the sand bars are more prominent in terms of the tide as I’m sure the fingers of white sand can be even more spectacular when they are exposed. Of course, the drone’s handy but, I can assure you, there’s plenty to shoot on the ground, combining that incredible blue, the white sand and the palm trees. Best month, I’m told, is August (not December!). Oh, and don’t forget the polarising filter.

For some more candid insights into the seemingly glamorous, often challenging but generally rewarding life of a tourism photographer, visit my Facebook page at David Kirkland Photography.