Description
Bora Bora’s lagoon is one of the most photographed environments in travel photography — the combination of the volcanic main island, the circular reef-protected lagoon, and the overwater bungalow resorts creates an almost theatrical tropical paradise. This aerial photograph was made from a helicopter at 300 metres altitude in the 20- minute window after dawn when the lagoon water displays its widest colour range — the shallow reef areas glowing turquoise through increasing depths to deep cobalt blue over the central lagoon channels — before the sun angle shifts and flattens the colour differentiation. The morning light catches the volcanic peaks of Mount Otemanu from the east, casting the western faces into deep shadow that contrasts with the luminous lagoon water. The bungalows of one of the island’s premier resorts form a curving compositional element across the lower register of the frame.
