Archive for August, 2009

Kihnu Island in the Baltic

Kihnu lies 12 km (7 mi) off the coast of Estonia and is the largest of more than a dozen islands in the reefs and shallows of the Gulf of Riga. It is 16 sq km (6 sq mi) in area with a low ridge running down the middle and only 9 m (30 ft) [...]

Using a Flash Indoors

Over the years, you’ve probably seen plenty of indoor flash pictures that have a pitch black background and a washed-out, overexposed foreground. Many factors conspire to produce these stark, unflattering shots, but one of the major contributors is, once again, your camera thinking on its own. You’re letting it decide when to turn on the [...]

People Pictures: How to Really Get Rid of the Dreaded Red Eye

For years now, film and digital camera manufacturers have been forcing red-eye reduction settings on their customers. Its a series of bright, strobing flashes that’s not only annoying to the people you’re photographing, but doesn’t even work very well.
What causes red eye? In a dimly lit environment, the subject’s pupil expands, revealing more of the [...]

Rottnest Island Western Australia

Sitting on the edge of the Australian continental shelf near Perth in western Australia, Rottnest Island is just 11 km (6 mi) long and 4.5 km (2.7 mi) at its widest point. An iconic holiday destination for Perth residents, with 70 per cent of visitors coming for a day out, the entire island is run [...]

Norfolk Island

A tiny jewel set in the azure seas of the South Pacific, Norfolk Island is only 8 km (5 mi) long, and 1,600 km (994 mi) northeast of Sydney, Australia.
It is the biggest of a cluster of three islands on the Norfolk Ridge, fringed by coral reefs and crowned by pristine rainforest and some of [...]

The Republic of Mauritius

Part of the Mascarene Islands, the Republic of Mauritius is off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, 900 km (560 mi) east of Madagascar. The republic consists of five islands: St Brandon, Rodrigues, two Agalegas Islands and Mauritius itself.
The latter was originally uninhabited, but the Dutch named the island and established a colony [...]

Elephantine Island of the Nile River

Known to the Ancient Egyptians as Abu or Yabu, meaning elephant, Elephantine Island is a truly ancient site resting as it does at the First Cataract of the Nile, and creating a natural boundary between Egypt and Nubia.
Being the largest island at Aswan, it was easily defensible and at one time was thought to be [...]

Aldabra Atoll

Aldabra Atoll is a member of the Aldabra Group, one of the archipelagos of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles. The second largest atoll in the world after Kiritimati, Aldabra is the coraline tip of a volcanic sea mount, coming up from depths of 4,000 to 4,500m (13,120 to 14,760 ft). At 34 km (21 [...]

The Canaries - Islands of the Dogs

The Canaries are a group of seven volcanic islands off the Atlantic coast of North Africa. They cover a total area of 7,450 sq km (2,900 sq ml) featuring some of the world’s most stunning scenery. Each island has its own individual landscape and flora and fauna, ranging from the desert of Fuerteventura to the [...]

The Lake Islands of Sweden

Lake Malaren is the third largest lake in Sweden, next to the city of Stockholm. The lake’s area is 1,140 square km and its greatest depth is 64 metres. Its many islands contain an incredibly rich heritage, a beautiful lush historical landscape with palaces, old churches, rune stones, forty castles, and two World Heritage Sites [...]