Author

Sean Chin

Photography, Travels

South American Paradise

Words cannot begin to describe the paradise that is Iguazu falls. I was fortunate to be able to visit both Brazilian and Argentinian sides to gain as much perspective as possible. From my experience, I don’t think anyone could cover the complete scope of the falls with one shot. If that is what you are after, I suggest taking a video from a helicopter tour.

Let’s be clear, Iguazu falls isn’t just one, two or three waterfalls such as Niagara. It is made up of many varying in different heights and widths. And because of its astonishing geological features, it was named one of the natural New Seven Wonders of the world in 2011. I think what makes Iguazu so spectacular is just how much fresh water is pouring over the huge cliffs. As you can see from my photos, the landscape looks like curtains of white rapids hanging in the air.

There are differences between the two sides of the falls however. From what I experienced, the Brazilian side “Foz do Iguacu” features nice buses that take visitors from the entrance of the national park right to the falls with a moderate amount of walking on level terrain. On the other hand, the Argentinean side “Puerto Iguazu”, does not have air conditioned tour buses, but features a lot more advanced walking and hiking trails. Don’t get me wrong, but sides offer absolutely stunning views and when you think about it, to see the Brazilian side of the falls you have to be standing on the Argentinean side and vice versa. Thus, I would recommend exploring both sides of the falls for the full experience.

If you happen to be traveling as a family with young children or seniors, I would suggest visiting the Brazilian side for sure or just the superior circuit of the Argentinean side.

As I mentioned, the Argentinean side features a lot more walking in the form of different levels such as the superior and inferior circuits. The inferior one takes you right up and close of the mighty waterfalls and you will definitely get soaked and exhausted when the day is over. For some reason, I decided to even go the extra mile and venture onto San Martin island, which is a short boat ride to a rock formation in the middle of the falls. Warning, the climb up is extremely steep and it is not for the faint of heart. I admit that I am not the fittest fellow you will meet, but I recall being extremely tired as I have never walked or sweat so much in my entire life. But was it worth it? Y-E-S.

Photographer’s Note: I captured most of these shots of Iguazu falls with the Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8. Either leave this baby on all the time or bring a secondary body and telephoto lens. Trust me, you do not want to be switching lenses in this kind of environment. 

To keep updated with awesome content, you should follow me on Twitter here: @SeanChin

2013/04/18
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Photography, Travels

Colours in Rio

Inspired by the photos and articles in National Geographic, one of my goals on my trip to South America was to document the favelas in Rio. A favela is a pretty much a shanty town that were built in the late 19th century by people that had no where else to live.

I found that there are actually more a two dozen of these tight communities, the largest being Rocinha, housing over 70,000 people. However, I adventured into the second largest one called Complexo do Alemao. This favela is considered very safe by the BBC. One could not ask for a more safe, sophisticated and modern cable car system for such as community. It is almost awkward, but is a way for locals to get from their homes to work in the city. Otherwise it would take people ages to travel outside of the town.

The government imposed aggressive measures in the “pacification” strategy. The plan was to get all of the drug lords and gangs out of the favelas to boost the safety of Rio because the upcoming World Cup and Olympic Games.

Despite being homes for the poor, the housing structures are just so colorful and when bunched up together like they are, it just makes for an epic photograph. If you plan on traveling to Rio de Janeiro, I highly recommend that you visit a “pacified” favela. It really opens your eyes to the real Rio experience in my honest opinion.

FULL PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY FROM RIO.

To keep updated with awesome content, you should follow me on Twitter here: @SeanChin

2013/03/28
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Inspirational, Photography

Omo Child and Steve McCurry

My all-time favourite photographer Steve McCurry was at it again, making stunning images of different cultures. This time, Steve helped out Omo Child by documenting their lifestyle, clothing and spirit.

From their website:

“OMO CHILD’s mission is to provide a safe, nurturing shelter and education for rescued children in the Omo River Valley of Southwest Ethiopia who were declared Mingi. These children will be future leaders in their tribes and communities. Our immediate goal is to raise money to care for our children. Operating our shelter is costly and is dependent on supporters just like you.

Mingi is the ritualistic killing of infants and children in the Omo River Valley of Ethiopia. We work to raise awareness about Mingi and hope to see it eliminated.”

2013/03/25
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Photography

International Recognition

I am proud to announce that one of my photos from a safari in South Africa was actually nominated for a prestigious award. Although I did not win outright, it truly is an honour to be noticed on the global stage of other great photographers.

The photo above entitled “Springboks” gazing was taken at Inverdoorn Game Reserve and was included in the International  Color Awards’ Photography Masters Cup nomination round up in the Wildlife category.

Stay tuned to see what happens in my creative endeavours throughout 2013 and beyond!

2013/02/22
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