Fiji
Note: Temporary placeholder images are currently being used while final photographs and film scans from the journey are being edited and processed.
Before Departure
Fiji. It had been some time since we traveled internationally, and honestly, this was probably the most disconnected I had ever been from planning a trip. Life had been life-ing. The months leading up to departure moved fast, and before I knew it, the plane tickets my wife purchased months earlier suddenly became real about two weeks before takeoff.
My first thought wasn’t excursions or beaches. It was my camera gear.
My G Master lenses have been out of commission for a while now after being quoted repair costs close to 70% of their original value. Truthfully though, I had already been interested in moving toward prime glass and film photography anyway. Slower, more intentional photography had been pulling me in for some time.
At the time, my Sony A7III setup was limited to a Sony Zeiss 55mm and the Sony FE 28–70mm stock lens. The 55mm is great for certain situations, but not exactly what I’d reach for when thinking about landscapes and environmental shots. I packed both anyway knowing they probably wouldn’t get much use, and I ended up being right.
So now I’m sitting there thinking: alright… what do I actually have?
A month or two before the trip, I randomly came across a Leica Z2X in a vintage shop which still feels crazy to say out loud. I had already wanted to experiment with film photography, and unexpectedly finding a Leica felt like the perfect excuse to finally commit to it. I grabbed Kodak Gold 400 along with Portra 100, 160, and 400 and figured that was enough to get started.
Then I started digging through older gear I hadn’t touched in years.
First: the DJI Mavic Air 2. Old, but still capable.
Then: the GoPro Hero 7 Black. Also old, but still useful.
Both had been sitting long enough that the batteries practically felt like they were in hibernation, but after charging everything up and updating firmware, I was back in business.
“Culture Travels”
And of course, good old reliable: the iPhone 13. I know we’re on the iPhone 17 now, but I’ve never been someone who upgrades every year just because a new one comes out. Besides, the camera on this thing still holds its own, and I already knew I’d end up capturing moments with it that I genuinely loved.
Once everything was packed into the Lowepro ProTactic 250 AW backpack, cameras, film, drone, tripod, filters, chargers, and accessories, I was finally ready for the 13-hour flight from Dallas to Fiji.
The journey began.
Arrival & Cultural Experience
The first thing you notice stepping off the plane is the humidity.
Then the sound.
Different dialects being spoken everywhere, not just by locals, but travelers too. I barely heard any American accents at all. A lot of British and Australian sounding travelers mixed into the atmosphere, which honestly made the experience feel even further removed from home.
We landed around 5 AM, so the drive from the airport was dark, but once we arrived at the hotel and walked out toward the beach, the island started revealing itself. Our room sat maybe 50 feet from the shoreline. By the time we checked in, the sun had fully come up and you could hear birds going back and forth with each other while the ocean rolled in behind them.
The clouds looked enormous and impossibly clear. The vegetation was intensely green. Even the air smelled different, clean, humid, natural. No city smell. No traffic smell. Just ocean air and plant life.
Outside of the resort areas, you could see how weather and island conditions shaped the infrastructure. Buildings and homes carried the wear of the environment, and traditional village areas still existed throughout parts of the island which added to the feeling that Fiji hadn’t fully disconnected from its roots.
Now, I’m not really a beach person. I’ve always leaned more toward mountains or sprawling cities like Tokyo, but given how fast life had been moving before this trip, Fiji felt tranquil in a way I didn’t realize I needed.
Hearing the ocean constantly. Feeling the wind. Slowing down.
We started learning some of the local customs early on, including the use of the word “bula,” which carries several meanings ranging from a simple greeting to something much deeper culturally and ceremonially.
While visiting a local shop in Nadi, we were invited to participate in a traditional kava ceremony where they explained both the cultural history behind it and how the body responds to it physically. For people unfamiliar with kava, it’s a drink brewed from the root of a plant that produces a mild relaxing effect and a slight numbing sensation in the mouth.
But more than anything, what stood out were the people.
Everywhere we went, people were welcoming, helpful, conversational, and genuinely kind. Whether it was recommending places to visit, explaining traditions, or simply greeting us warmly, the hospitality felt authentic rather than transactional.
One thing that genuinely surprised me though was the music.
Our taxi driver was playing early 2000s hip-hop and R&B, Nelly, Ne-Yo, Mariah Carey, Plies, and somehow this man knew every word to “Bust It Baby.”
Even at bars and restaurants, similar music kept popping up.
It was funny but also strangely fascinating hearing music I grew up on playing thousands of miles away on an island in the Pacific Ocean. It made me think about how culture travels and how certain eras leave fingerprints no matter where you go.
Landscape & Visual Reflection
The landscape honestly wasn’t quite as mountainous as I expected, but to be fair, we stayed primarily around the Denarau and Nadi region near the port areas and didn’t explore some of the more remote islands or interior sections of Fiji. This trip was intentionally more about slowing down than aggressively exploring every corner of the country.
Still, the environment was beautiful.
The ocean water was warm, the sunsets were unreal, and even rainy or cloudy days somehow ended with dramatic light breaking through the clouds over the palm trees. Every evening felt different.
You could literally stand at the shoreline during sunset and just exist in the moment.
No notifications.
No deadlines.
No rushing.
Just the sound of water and wind.
This trip reminded me how important travel really is, not just to see places, but to experience different people, customs, energy, and perspectives. That’s what makes life feel full.
More importantly, it reminded me why I created Videre Studios in the first place and how much I had neglected feeding that creative side of myself.
Here we are.
I’m back.
The Gear & Process
So how did the gear hold up?
Honestly? Better than expected.
The iPhone still produced images that captured the feeling of the island surprisingly well; the featured image of this blog actually was captured with my iPhone. The drone footage turned out incredible and ended up becoming one of the strongest creative tools I brought with me. I also completed my first GoPro time-lapse which, while not perfect, still felt rewarding because it pushed me creatively.
The Sony A7III was probably the biggest mixed experience for me.
There were moments where I could clearly see the image I wanted in my head, but simply didn’t have the lens setup to fully execute it. That became frustrating at times because some of the photos ended up feeling visually flat compared to the emotion I experienced while actually standing there.
Out of maybe 50 images from the Sony, only about five really felt worth keeping to me personally.
But honestly, that was okay because this trip naturally evolved into more of a film and drone-centered experience anyway.
And the Leica?
Man…
The Leica Z2X may be considered a basic Leica camera, but I already know those images are going to be special. At the time of writing this, I still hadn’t developed the film yet, but there’s something exciting about not immediately seeing the results. It forces patience back into photography.
I primarily shot Kodak Gold 400 and Portra 400 throughout the trip and I’m genuinely excited to see how those images turned out once developed.
I also attempted some astrophotography one night but completely forgot my remote shutter release which basically ruined my long exposure plans. Still, even failed attempts feel like part of the process.
Final Reflection
“Are you a photographer?”
This trip did a lot more for me than simply provide nice scenery.
It helped me reconnect with nature, disconnect from work, slow my thoughts down, and engage with photography in a meaningful way again.
At one point while flying my drone near the Crowne Plaza resort in the Wailoaloa Beach area, one of the staff members asked me:
“Are you a photographer?”
Without thinking, I answered:
“Part-time. I’d love for it to be full-time.”
But afterward, I started thinking about why I answered that way.
Truthfully, I think part of me still struggles with fully claiming that title because photography hasn’t become my full-time profession yet. But a close friend of mine, another artist, reminded me that being a photographer has nothing to do with whether someone pays you. It’s about how authentically and intentionally you engage with the craft itself.
That stuck with me.
Photography has always been deeper than simply taking pictures for clients. For me, it has always been about observation, emotion, storytelling, and connection.
There honestly isn’t another activity that brings me the same level of peace and fulfillment as holding a camera, editing images, and putting meaningful work into the world.
So here I am:
redesigning my website, rebuilding my photography journal, revisiting film photography, and finally sharing the experiences I’ve wanted to document for years.
Maybe becoming the kind of photographer I aspire to be happens next year. Maybe it takes ten more years.
Who knows.
But I owe it to myself to fully pursue this craft and see where it leads.
And maybe the most interesting part of all is that before leaving, the same hotel staff member asked if I’d send over some of the photos I captured around the resort.
A small moment.
But sometimes small moments are exactly where bigger journeys begin.
Soundtrack of the Journey
Just a Dream — Nelly
Music has always been tied to the way I experience photography and travel. Certain songs become attached to specific places, emotions, and moments in time, and whenever I revisit the images, I hear the soundtrack that came with them.
For Fiji, that song was Just a Dream.
Hearing early 2000s hip-hop and R&B throughout the island unexpectedly became part of the experience itself, and on the ride back, our taxi driver played this song while driving along the shoreline. Something about it perfectly matched the feeling of the trip; reflective, peaceful, nostalgic, and slightly surreal now that I’m back home looking through the images.
Sometimes the photograph captures the scene.
Sometimes the music captures the feeling.
Equipment Used — Fiji
Cameras
Sony A7 III
Leica Z2X
GoPro Hero 7 Black
iPhone 13
DJI Mavic Air 2
Lenses
Sony FE 28–70mm
Sony Zeiss 55mm
Film Stock
Kodak Gold 400
Kodak Portra 100
Kodak Portra 160
Kodak Portra 400
Support & Accessories
GEEKOTO 79” Carbon Fiber Tripod
3 Legged Thing AirHed Switch Ball Head
3 Legged Thing Ellie Universal L-Bracket System
Lowepro ProTactic 250 AW Backpack
Astronomik SII 12 nm CCD Clip Filter
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