CLARZZIQUE | Sydney Wedding Photographer » Travel

Merry Christmas 2011!

Clarissa — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 11:57:44 +0000

Hope you all had/will have a festive Christmas with your loved ones!

I sure did… despite the wet/stormy weather here in Vanuatu! We did have a few sunny breaks hence we managed to get some photos!

Gotta prove that we went to a tropical island for holidays by taking photos with Coconut trees :P

We have not gone beach hopping yet as we’ve been busy helping out at my parent’s business before Christmas! Hopefully we’ll be able to go to a beach on Boxing day tomorrow so we can’t wait to get some beach snaps! Boxing Day is all about relaxing (after all the partying)/beaches/family time in Vanuatu! Has nothing to do with sales! Considering myself lucky for missing out on the sales… I get to save money this year :)

Looking forward to the New Year Fireworks at home!

again, Merry Christmas!

x Clarissa

Family Photos at a Farm, in Vanuatu

Clarissa — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:06:02 +0000

Portraiture/Family Photography has always been a joy to capture; mostly because I get to spend 1-2hours getting to know the individuals, and capturing their characteristics. I especially like the idea of family bonding time through photos; we can get up to some pretty fun/crazy stuff!

Prior to my Vanuatu trip, I was contacted by Isabel, sister of a childhood friend of mine whom I’ve known since the diaper days – we practically grew up on the same island! But yes, she was keen on gathering the family together during her visit back in Vanuatu for some family photos. I’m so glad she approached me! because it made my holiday that much more worthwhile!

Her ideas of capturing the photos at her family’s horse stable/farm was a great idea, certainly not a location I’ll often get asked to shoot at! Otherwise, horse riding was clearly a shared family interest. In fact, my first horse riding experience was also with this family, great (frightening) memories getting on the horse mm :)

We only had an hour to get some shots, while trying to stay ‘dry’ in the blazing Pacific sun, it was probably around 30degs that afternoon…

So here’s what we got :)

‘The boys’

Matching white polos’/shirts are a great idea for family photos!

and… I’m a fan of group/family hugs :)

Soon to be newly-weds Ryan and Isabel :)

We shot at the horse stables, so it is already a given that the horses have to be part of the shots!

Meet Sparks :)

The Girls

Sparks is most stylish with his hat :)

Many thanks again to the Lo family for allowing me to spend the afternoon with you!

Port Olry, Santo, Vanuatu

Clarissa — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:58:38 +0000

Next stop on our beach-hopping trip was Port Olry, about 40min drive out of town.

The reason we even bothered going all the way is because they recently fixed up the roads, brand new tar-sealed roads! It used to be rocky, bumpy… basically damaging to any vehicle that drives through it… so Dad wanted to check out the new roads. Such a time saver these new roads, it used to take us about 1.5hrs to get to Port Olry (driving slow to make the ride is comfortable as possible on the once horrible roads).. now only 40mins. Port Olry is a small village near the water, a very laid back village.

Cows – our kind of roadside attraction, much more fascinating than what you see in NSW

The kind of housing most locals live in.

$5 entry per car

Local school/church?

ft. White slim angel

Hope this post gives you an idea of what local villages are like in Vanuatu! Not the tribal types anyway, I haven’t even been to one of those myself :)

Champagne Beach 2011

Clarissa — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:06:25 +0000

Continuing from my previous post, the 2nd beach we visited on my last weekend in Vanuatu is one of my faves. Champagne Beach.

I had visited it twice during my last visit, both times the weather was great. I guess I’m not so lucky this time. It started raining; stops and rains again :( So photos are quite limited, and did more portraits than landscape! The gloomy weather does this beach no justice! It doesn’t really show the soft white sand, and clear blue waters…

It sucks that I left it till my last weekend… but oh well.. there’s always next year :)

Such a rip off…. have to pay about $20 a car to enter the beach… there’s no gate or anyone guarding the box… but somehow the locals know if you don’t pay.. they really will come chasing after you for money…

Just for ‘lol’s… some asian tourist lady and her western husband appears on the beach in a tour bus…. all dressed for… autumn… winter… trench coat, sweater, stockings, boots… I don’t get it.. if you’re so afraid of heat or sun … why go Vanuatu? will just make people ‘LOL’. Remember, the temperature is about 30s.

Part 3: Port Olry :)

Lunch at Lonnoc Beach Resort

Clarissa — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:12:22 +0000

It’s almost a month since being back in Sydney from Vanuatu…. I’ve still got a few blog posts worth of photos to go! This is part 1 of 3…

It was my last weekend in Vanuatu, so on the Sunday, Dad drove us out to Lonnoc, a Beach resort run by locals, about 30-40min drive out of town. Weather wasn’t so great, but I’m glad I managed to get some ‘colour’ in the photos about to follow. There was a difference with this beach resort compared to the others I’ve been to. Because it was run by locals, the aesthetics of the resort wasn’t so luxurious/resort-like but more cultural… if you get what I mean. I hope my photos will explain it better haha…

Weaving is an art in Vanuatu, and this has to be one of the more striking, colourful weaves I’ve seen in Vanuatu (the backgdrop in the photos above). There was sure a lot to look at.

Fresh coconuts, big, big, coconuts that I couldn’t even finish!

The left, we have ‘kumala’ or kumara? fries… is a breed between potatoes and sweet potatoes… and are absolutely delicious! I think we have something similar in Sydney… but can’t compare to these! And on the right is freshly grilled fish – fresh catch.

We had company at our table, 2 baby turtles.. which we almost bought home! But the majority of the family said ‘No’ to pet turtles =( I wish we could get turtles here in Sydney… well it is illegal to begin with.. .

Sisters and I with my geeky camera bag.

Hm yes, my white floppy hat got passed around… who wears it best? :P I reckon mother did.

Then.. it started pouring …. boo :( and we still had 2 more nearby beaches to visit! …

Lonnoc would be a great place to stay if you want a ‘getaway’ and experience local, cultural life in Vanuatu. You’ll get all the adventures you’re after too… nearby blue holes and diving etc.

Part 2 and 3… will cover the 2 beaches we visited on the same day! Stay tuned :)