Island paradise: A travel photographer&#39;s guide to Tahiti

as someone already stated - "lost opportunity". tahiti is much more than the white man dream of surfing, diving, spearfishing or jumping on a slack line and a romance with the local girls. it's just food for the western cliche of what the pacific islands are.

Aug 14, 2017permalink

Teila Day

The reality is that many westerners aren't interested in beyond what is cliche' to many others. Most reasonably intelligent people know there's more to a location than pretty trees and lovely waterscapes and the typical tourist areas; but so what if people don't care to see that? Many people just want to get away from their local climate, and enjoy what *they* (not others) consider enjoyable.

There's a *lot* more to New Orleans, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and NYC than the typical tourist will ever see. However reality is all the other stuff isn't what a lot of tourist care to waste their time experiencing. The same goes for other points around the globe.

Aug 14, 2017permalink

agreed although, i guess, the level of ignorance varies from location to location. tahiti, with her image built almost entirely on myths of an "island paradise", bounty coconut bar, promiscuity of tahitian women etc. might be one of the extreme cases. it's a false image and i don't think it should be advertised.

Aug 14, 2017permalink

User3787089555

Tahiti is more interesting when photographers bring a hot girl and shoot bikini for her...

Aug 14, 2017*permalink

Henry McA

There are places on the interwebs for such things, you moron.

Aug 14, 2017permalink

"bring a hot girl" - this actually reflects the reality. Teva Sylvain who's a tahitian postcards monopolist is very often using french models and not tahitian ones for his shots. and, precisely, it is to make it "more interesting" or make it fitting better the cliche. see "Tahiti Beyond the Postcard: Power, Place, and Everyday Life"
By Miriam Kahn"

Aug 14, 2017permalink

arhmatic

I like this. Simple and unpretentious.

Aug 14, 2017permalink

I've been to Tahiti four times and feel that you can truly aim the lens in almost every direction and get a nice shot. Part of the reason is the culture shock, so even the most basic things are suddenly interesting. It also helps there's blue skies and blue waters and green trees everywhere. CPL recommended to really kick the colors up.

Don't just stay on the main island, either. Take the ferry across to Moorea, or go further to one of the atolls like Tikehau where things are even more primitive. Amazing pictures await.

Aug 14, 2017permalink

so you've been four times and you've seen nothing. i guess you spent your time in a mosquito free resort, sipping your chilled hinano beer, looking at the dance shows tailored for westerners and, while falling asleep in your air-conditioned room, thinking that you were experiencing the real tahiti.

Aug 14, 2017permalink

And you know nothing, as clearly evidenced by your comment. I went to Tikehau (do you even know where that is?) and spent a month there. And yessir there were TONS of bugs (locals called them no-no's). The locals used a mix of coconut oil and herbs to ward them off, but they had the unpleasant sensation of being overly sticky. Either I chose to let the bugs bite me, or I slept with a greasy body.

I can also tell you that I went from island to island on small planes that acted like buses and had to sit ON the plane WITHOUT air conditioning for 30 minutes in between stops, and the local "airports" were nothing but extra-large bungalows and the baggage check was just a counter that you slid your stuff across.

I went to the deepest parts of Moorea where they log monstrously-tall trees for construction. I've even ventured off to Manihiki (study the map, wise guy) to eat lobsters for free... cos I actually have friends over there!

Aug 14, 2017*permalink

Have you even been to the other side of Tahiti? Do you know where Arue is? Have you gone snorkeling in one of the outer atolls? Do the names "pahua" or "maoa" mean anything to you? (They're local names for shellfish, BTW.) I guess it helps that I have friends throughout the French Polynesia who take me to places you can't even pronounce, much less imagine. So go back to your cave and don't comment on anything you know less than nothing of. Your macho gimmick might have worked on an average tourist, but unlucky for you, you ran into someone who knows the place very well.

I came here to give advice based on my real-life experiences, and I caught a troll instead. Another day on DPR boards.

Aug 14, 2017*permalink

i’m very impressed with all the hard core things you’ve done (like eating lobster for free) and i’m happy that by describing your cutting edge experience you’ve implicitly admitted that the snapshots presented in this article don’t reflect the real complexity of life in the polynesian islands. so maybe you've seen something rather than nothing although you should have made it clear in your initial post. better late than never though and i might forgive you (appreciate my generosity).

Aug 14, 2017permalink

Re the foundations of my statements – you might be surprised but there are more people having friends out there. me too – in moorea. I stayed there a few times for a couple of months (last time april/ may this year) and I know its ins and outs. i also did lots of island hopping. my friends include expats but also locals. I also had a privilege to interact with the kids at the primary school in papeete (one of my friends is a teacher and I was asked to give some presentations on “life in the west”). so, yes, i know what i’m talking about.

Aug 14, 2017permalink

Then you can appreciate that we're in the same boat, and you can also understand why I didn't care much for your initial comments. Imagine if you offered advice to people and someone simply "assumed" you just killed all your time in a resort.

I merely offered advice to all fellow photographers to where to go, I didn't think I needed to first list my extensive experience to validate my words. To make up for that: I was there when there was that firemen's strike earlier this year, and I was also there way back when McDonald's opened for the first time (1999? too long ago) and the line was like 10 blocks long.

Initial misunderstanding aside, I look forward to talking more about Tahiti with you in the future, such as comparing favorite dishes (fafalu!?) and such. A bientot.

Aug 14, 2017*permalink

i simply struggle to understand why this sort of photography is advertised here. photography which relies on/ repeats stereotypes of an idyllic paradise where the reality was and is very different – moruroa, riots of 95, colonialism etc. is it because the pictures are technically flawless?

anyway, fafaru only for the brave ones and i must admit i'm not one of them. i guess i won't be very original but for me poisson cru and uru chips (ideally home made) rule! nana and apologies for directing my outburst into your direction.

Aug 14, 2017permalink

picnut

This is the kind of conversation that turns people off to forums.

Aug 14, 2017permalink

@Don, hey, if you know fafaru and the term nana, you're hardcore and for real. I hate fafaru myself and only use it to prank newcomers. Have a good day.

Aug 14, 2017*permalink

RamD

Don Mario - Doesn't sound like you know what you are talking about. Sounds like you are a blowhard.

Aug 15, 2017permalink

Michael M Fliegel

Really lovely photos. Great content. Well done!

Aug 13, 2017permalink

RussellP

A good article and great pictures. Not quite the full guide I expected from the heading but enjoyable and informative non the less. Agree you can take pictures all day and this applies to all the South Pacific islands. A CPL helps too. Thanks.

Aug 13, 2017permalink

babart

I haven't the slightest idea how "cheesy" would refer to a photo, since I've never tried to eat one. Interesting photos from a very interesting locale. Thanks!

Aug 13, 2017permalink

NoMirror99

Thanks for going to all the pleasure of shooting in paradise! And thanks for sharing!!! Absolutely lovely!

Aug 13, 2017permalink

Thank you! It was a fun trip 😉

Aug 13, 2017permalink

Yake

Lovely photos. Unlike some critics here, I am not immune to beauty.

Aug 13, 2017permalink

Thank you!

Aug 13, 2017permalink

Saurat

Exotic locations = boring, cheesy photographs fit only for cheap calenders and the lobbies of third rate hotels.

Aug 13, 2017permalink

Well I prefer to think of my photos worthy of appearance in an occasional mid-range priced calendar :( But hey, I'll take any calendar! Thanks for looking :)

Aug 13, 2017permalink

maxnimo

Hard to believe, but lots of people like cheesy, especially with corn.

Aug 13, 2017permalink

eno2

Nice!

Aug 13, 2017permalink