Q: What is special about Miavana from a photography perspective?

A: The lodges and main area boast awesome design from every angle. Everywhere you look you can see another moment you want to capture. It’s the different light too. At luxury Miavana, things look different especially in the main areas.

You have got archways everywhere, you’ve got waterways, palm trees in the sand and intricate stonework.

Also in Madagascar you’re privileged to be able to photograph a lot of stuff that you’re never going to see anywhere else in the world, like certain types of chameleons, baobab trees, most things you see there are endemic to the island which is special for anyone not just photographers!

Q: What were your top 5 experiences at Miavana?

A: Every day was magical. So it has been really tricky to choose just five experiences out of a month of living in Madagascar.

1. The first one was flying over the island and out to the ocean in a helicopter to capture aerial footage of Nosy Ankao as a remote island and its surrounding beauty. Along the way we were blessed with a whale watching opportunity, spotting a mother and her calf happily playing. We hovered for a while to capture this wonderful moment with whales on film.
2. Another favourite would be deep sea diving and snorkelling, even just off the shore infront of the resort’s bar. Right on your door step the water offers an abundance of fish and it’s not uncommon to have hundreds swimming all around you. This was awesome for me.
3. I did about 5 or 6 dives at Miavana and I enjoyed every one. I managed to do some underwater video work which I love. The most poignant dive was just off the side of the boat with a mother humpback whale and her calf who were playing on the surface.  Imagine putting on your fins, snorkel and go pro camera, diving into the waters with these enormous and serene creatures just 7 metres away? There were some nice shots as the mother whale was like an iceberg, just popping through the surface and then this colossal beautiful animal could be seen below. You certainly get a sense of vulnerability and you can hear them communicating underwater – it’s so loud and resonates right through your chest.
4. Seeing my first ever lemur was also a massive moment for me. They are such fascinating creatures and I was surprised how relaxed they were around people. The lemurs we were with one day in this beautiful forest were fascinated and would come up and investigate you, truly awesome.
5. Fifth, certainly not last has to be a day trip to Manamphao.  There were thousands of Turins that nest there and you can sit in amongst them. Tens of thousands of Turins fly around you, even the chicks running around on the ground get quite close. I thoroughly enjoyed that experience.