Tropical Fiji Weather
If life deals you lemons. . .pass the tequila and salt!
Well, that’s what I say. Brett seems to think it’s ‘make lemon juice’, but nobody really drinks straight, freshly squeezed lemon juice (apart from sadists) and clearly tequila, lemon and salt are complimentary flavours. Everybody loves the old lick, sip and suck don’t they? But I digress. . .
Headphones in, music playing, disconnected. . .that’s where it’s at right now. We’re 4 days in, and as I type this, ominous overcast skies abound. Rain laden clouds with pendulous bellies threaten to burst and the verdant fijian countryside rolls by out the window of the mini bus. We’re on our way to the Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort, the next stop on our shoot and it’s not looking good at the moment.
It’s been raining, a lot and overcast since I woke up yesterday morning. Hardly conducive to coming away with cracking shots which scream tropical Fiji, but you get that. The plan was get on a chopper, nail some aerials of Denarau, then head out to the Asuau’s, shoot the island and the cruise boat and head back to the mainland.
We did have one stroke of luck, upon boarding the Helicopter, the sun popped out from behind the clouds and we managed to do three circuits of Denarau Island, and get our aerial shots in nice sun. That was to be it. . .after a 45 minute trip with the doors off the chopper we arrived at the Asuau Islands and more specifically Nanuya LaiLai Beach and the Mystique Princess Cruise boat.
Possibly the best photo I've ever taken with a camera phone.
A couple of screaming passes over the boats moored just off the beach and, we had landed.
It was a beautiful island, supposedly where Brook Shields lost her innocence and her swimwear (according to Brett’s script) but in the cold flat, light of an overcast day, it really didn’t look like much at all.
We did the best we could with what we had and actually ended up doing quite a bit of strobist style photography with a 580EXII and 430EX off camera. No sun meant getting a little creative to achieve that sunny look and it ended up working a treat.
Despite the less than ideal weather, we did come away with some decent shots and it definitely wasn’t a write off.
Using a Cokin filter setup we managed to make something decent out of the quasi-sunset and and that was it for the evening, we wrapped, turned in on the Mystique Princess and hit the hay.
I awoke this morning to the gentle roll of our vessel making it’s way back to the port on the mainland. I took a quick look out the window and then at my watch. It was 9am and no wonder that Brett hadn’t knocked on the door earlier, it was disgusting out there. The rain drove in sheets across the choppy Pacific. Bleak, grey and miserable, visibility was down to almost nothing.
Breakfast was short and then it was back to making do with what we had. A setup involving a oiled Fijian native with the national marine flag worked nicely, the strobes killed it again.
Back into port, it was off the boat, into the mini bus and back to the Sheraton to pick up our fearless editor Shawn and Paulina, the co-ordinator AKA Mum. That brings us up to the present and I have to get off the bus, so more after todays wrap. . . . . . . . . . . . .
I’m in the room now, number 518, at Shangri La’s Fijian Resort. It’s a huge place, on it’s own island with a beautiful reef sheltered lagoon right out the front and a meek, but clean, 2 1/2 foot swell breaking against the offshore reef.
This afternoon wasn’t too much of a struggle, even though we started shooting at 5pm and black storm clouds roiled across the ocean out past the reef. It was dark, raining on and off and surprisingly we still managed to pull enough shots out a family dinner scene, the restaurant and the menacing, yet beautiful outlook over the lagoon to create a strong clip. That was it for the day.
We’re still not shooting much else but 5D MKII and the 50mm is still our go to lens. It’s fantastic bokeh and beautiful depth of field, coupled with the full frame sensor is just killing it. I am beginning to wonder how much difference the sensor size will make to the depth of field with an equivalent lens on the 7D. I’m really hoping not too much, as I would hate to regret having already pre-ordered a 7D! 
In closing, we’re extremely disappointed. The clouds have set in and the outlook for the rest of the week is terrible, with thunderstorms forecast everyday. But as I said before. . .
If life deals you lemons. . .pass the tequila and salt!
Terrible working conditions.
You're on the bench this quarter. . .
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