Half the fun of being a travel photographer—in fact make that 100% of the fun—is the crazy adventures I often get to do as part of my job. Such as this rappel into the “Lost World” in New Zealand’s famous Waitomo Caves.
Before capturing this image I had to abseil down that very line myself, and considering I am normally afraid of heights this was no mean feat! 300 feet (150 meters) into the subterranean limestone that makes up this amazing caving system in the North Island of New Zealand.
Here are a few other shots that were as much fun in the “taking” as they were in the “making”
Swimming with Great White Sharks in South Africa—if you are into wildlife and the ocean then this really needs to be on your bucket list, almost impossible to describe just how this experience made me feel, magic!
I had this shot in my head before I even arrived in Alaska. I couldn’t guarantee we’d see the Aurora Borealis, but I could set up everything else and hope. To be able to keep the dogs still enough for this long exposure shot we had to run them hard that day (which they just love) and so half the fun in this shot was the day spent preparing for it! Running the dogs, setting up the tent with the dogs and sled beside it, waiting outside all night in the icy grip of Alaskan winter… and then the excitement when it all came together and we were witness to the amazing Northern Lights!!
Another shot I had in my head before reaching my destination—the tropical islands of Tahiti. And the bonus? Getting to snorkel on a hot, sunny day in these crystal clear waters amongst gorgeous black tipped reef sharks while I took this shot. Need I say more?
One of my most recent adventures was had in Botswana where I took a series of photos of a pride of lions using a 4×4 remote control buggy which I christened “Car-L”. These shots have been hugely popular and the video about the project went viral, you can watch it here.
This project was so much fun from start to finish, designing and building the buggy, imagining what we might get with it once in Africa, and then the excitement of the results when we watched a pride of eight lions stalk, attack and carry off the buggy!!
I grew up in the mountains of New Zealand and have always been a keen skier. But unfortunately the constant travel required by my work means I don’t get the chance to ski as much as I’d like to anymore. But shoots like this one for Angel Fire in New Mexico get me back on the snow and while I don’t necessarily get much time to ski without a camera pack strapped to my back, I do get to set up and take shots exactly like this one, which is just as much fun!
Being privileged to visit, meet and interact with indigenous people from remote nations all around the world is definitely one of the highlights of my work, and makes getting unique shots like this of a Huli Wigman in Papua New Guinea a very special adventure. Spending time amongst different cultures is a learning experience and I always come home enriched for it.
Specialist travel photographer Chris McLennan was born and raised in the South Island of New Zealand but now spends his time travelling the globe on photographic assignments around the world for his many travel and tourism clients.
Chris has worked in over 40 different countries to date and his award winning images have been published internationally.
Frequently invited to present and speak to industry peers and photography enthusiasts, Chris is highly regarded in the photographic arena—both locally and abroad. Chris boasts endorsement relationships on an international level with many of the top brands within the industry including Nikon, LowePro, Lexar and Manfrotto.
Chris is an Ambassador for computing brand HP, and a member of their international HP Influencer Advisory Board.
You can see more of Chris’s work on his websites: Portfolio
Terrifying beauty: Supertyphoon Haiyan the day before it made landfall in the Philippines. The coast of the Philippines can be seen outlined on the far left of the image. Captured Nov 7 by NASA’s Aqua satellite
Amazing: An astronaut on the International Space Station took this photo on Jan. 10 of an eruption on Sakurajima, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes
Devastating: Running left to right through the center of this image is the scar from the EF-5 tornado that ran through Moore, Oklahoma on May 20, 2013 killing at least 24, injuring 377 and likely topping $2 billion in damages. Captured June 2 by NASA’s Terra satellite
The frozen tundra: Alaska is almost always mostly, or at least partially, covered with clouds, but this rare, cloudless moment was captured June 17 by NASA’s Terra satellite
California dreaming: This image of clouds off the California coast was captured Apr. 14 by NASA’s Terra satellite.
The world’s biggest little city: This image of Reno, Nevada at night was captured Jan 28 by an astronaut on the International Space Station
Pavlof volcano in the Aleutian arc erupts May 18 in this image captured by astronauts on the International Space Station
Live art: Isla Socorro creates von Karman vortices in the clouds above the Pacific ocean May 22 in this image captured by NASA¿s Aqua satellite
Great lake: A cluster of small images in the far northern reaches of Lake Michigan in a photo captured May 24 by the NASA/USGS Landsat 8 satellite
This image sand dunes in Australia’s Great Sandy Desert was taken March 25 by an astronaut on the International Space Station
This image of Princess Charlotte Bay in Australia was captured April 20 by the NASA/USGS satellite Landsat 8
Disappointing: The Landsat 8 satellite, launched by NASA and operated by the USGS, spotted new deforestation (brown rectangles center right) in the Peruvian Amazon on Aug. 28 after American scientists received a tip from colleagues in South America
Awe-inspiring: The Torres del Paine National Park, in Chilean Patagonia, as captured Jan. 21 by NASA¿s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite