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Larissa Rolley

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Tahiti Travel Consultant
Chicago DMC Travel
Photo, Video & Drone
Photography for Travelers Course
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Travel, culture, & photography

Entrepreneur | Tour Operator | Drone Pilot | Photographer | Videographer

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Enhance your life through art & travel.

Partner Choose Chicago & Tahiti Travel Specialist.
Click here for a virtual tour of Tahiti!

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Join me. Take a look around my site. I created it as a way to share my joy with you. From the unexpected beautiful image to brighten your day to the latest news on events, my list is the first to know what’s new, travel specials, and what’s going on. And since I know you appreciate being the first to know, I invite you to sign up here and get a photo from Tahiti to use as a zoom background : click here to join me

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Larissa

Follow me on instagram to see some of my travel photos and inspirations:

larissarolley

Travel, Voyages & Creativity
Chicago, Tahiti, the World
✈️ drone pilot
Connecting Cultures with a polyglot soul.
#LifeIsBiggerThanBorders
👇🏼

As we head into February, let's take some time to

As we head into February, let's take some time to embrace our curiosity and find the wonder in each and every day. Be inspired by the amazing possibilities the month has to offer and never lose our curiosity!

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.
—"Old Man's Advice to Youth: 'Never Lose a Holy Curiosity.'" LIFE Magazine
― Albert Einstein

Sunset along Marine drive in Mumbai on a hazy even

Sunset along Marine drive in Mumbai on a hazy evening.

It was a beautiful evening along Marine Drive in Mumbai. The sun was setting and the hazy sky glowed in muted oranges and purples. The wind was gentle and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore was soothing. Everyone was in a relaxed mood, taking in the beauty of the moment.

Throughout the golden hour, people began arriving. They were all taking photos of the glorious sunset at Marine Drive. Some were taking selfies, some were taking pictures with their friends, and some were just taking pictures to capture the moment. The scene was truly magical. Everyone was having a great time, enjoying the beauty of nature, and each other's company. The sound of the sea, the laughter, and the clicks of the cameras made it all even more special.

Soon, the crowd of people had become a mosaic of different perspectives. Each person had their own unique perspective and each shot was a masterpiece. The crowds of people created a unique artwork - they had all made a small part of the Marine Drive in Mumbai a bit more beautiful and unforgettable.

As the sun set, everyone went their separate ways, but the memories of that evening lingered in their minds. The sun eventually disappeared from sight, and the crowd slowly dispersed. But the memory of the beautiful sunset on Marine Drive in Mumbai will remain with each person forever.

Watch more sunrises together than Netflix.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I'm so honored to have had the opportunity to meet

I'm so honored to have had the opportunity to meet an inspiring group of ladies from Kashmir. They made the journey all the way from their homes near the border with Pakistan to Pune, India to learn about starting their own businesses. I'm excited to see what they achieve in the future!

Organizations like DeAsra Foundation, CEED (The Centre for Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Development) - Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, and Aseem Foundation gave these 15 women entrepreneurs from Jammu & Kashmir a chance to take part in training in Pune to secure livelihoods through their bakery projects,

These ladies have taken a fantastic step toward their dreams and it's inspiring to see. I hope to see them again.
Let's keep celebrating their success!
Here are just a few photos to share with you.
#womeninbusiness, #womenbusinessowners #womenentrepreneurs #india

Check out these organizations as well.
Development Through Friendship Aseem Foundation @aseemfoundation #developmentthroughfriendship #JammuAndKashmir
DeAsra Foundation #massentrepreneurship
@ceed_gipe
@godbole_pradnya
@gipe_official

Instagram post 18193168231243111

Instagram post 18193168231243111

Morning at the Sassoon Docks, the biggest fish mar

Morning at the Sassoon Docks, the biggest fish market in India, if you go to Mumbai you should check it out!
#visitindia #sassoon #fishmarket #solotravels #solofemaletravel #mumbaicity #bombaydreams #traveldeeper #lifeisbiggerthanborders #solowomentravel

START India - wonderful exhibits at the fishing po

START India - wonderful exhibits at the fishing port - Iwish I could invite all of you to see it!
#mumbai #startindia #sassoondocks #streetartworldwide

At sunset on the island of Tahiti, a lone standup

At sunset on the island of Tahiti, a lone standup paddle boarder in the distance is silhouetted against the gorgeous sky. The flowers of the purau tree shimmer in the golden light, inviting artists and travelers alike to come explore this stunning paradise.

Are you ready to explore the world and all its possibilities? This New Year's Day, take a moment and let your imagination run wild. Let's create a beautiful masterpiece of the year before us. Make it your own, and make it something special, Let's make this new year 2023 a year to remember!

December - décembre - Titema La Terre est ronde

December - décembre - Titema

La Terre est ronde pour que l'amitié l'entour.
The Earth is round for friendship to go around.
- Pierre Teilhard De Chardin

Enjoy your friends this holiday season.

November! Novembre Novema La couleur évoque toute

November! Novembre Novema
La couleur évoque toutes ces nuances pour se faire voir. @sonia_lahsaini
Color evokes all these shades so to be seen.

Look at the nuances of orange, blues, and greens,
do you have a favorite new color here?

Flowers float on the waters of the lagoon.
Sea hibiscus or beach hibiscus. These blossoms live for only one day. They start out as a bud and open as a lemon yellow by mid-day. As the day progresses, by sunset, they turn into a vibrant orange color, Later in the afternoon, they start falling off the tree to the ground or to the water. The tree produces new flowers the next day. They grow well in salty areas and are all over French Polynesia.

#purau #hibiscus #tahiti #frenchpolynesia

This is my last day taking over the @wpanyc Inst

This is my last day taking over the @wpanyc Instagram account. I appreciate this opportunity to share my work with this incredibly talented community. Take a look there to discover other photography work and follow.

Here are some images from my series 'Glimmerance', Capturing how light is reflected across the urbanscape revealing other patterns, like another layer of reality passing through ours. What can a city do with this light show that happens every day?⁠ Can architects incorporate this in the design phase?

The first image is just a single rectangle of light reflected. Scroll through to see large patterns when sunlight bounces off of a whole facade of windows.

From the 'Glimmerance' series
(using this word from Karen Loew who wrote an article about the reflected sunlight in cities)

I'm delighted to do an Instagram takeover of @wpa

I'm delighted to do an Instagram takeover of @wpanyc for the next 3 days. thanks to Vivien for giving me this opportunity to share my work with this talented community. Check out their Instagram feed, discover new artists, and give them a follow!

A lot of my artistic journey has been about exploring the intersections of travel, culture, and creativity. I also believe that art can be healing—including art that celebrates beauty and joy.

The first images I am showing there are based on my time over the past 10 years spent in French Polynesia. I fell in love with a common flower there called the 'purau' flower. Often growing near the water, the flowers only live one day and start falling from the tree in the afternoon, floating along the water. The next day, the tree produces more flowers. I try to capture the color and beauty I see in these often-overlooked flowers.

from the 'Fleurs de Purau' series

C H I C A G O View of Chicago in the fall down the

C H I C A G O
View of Chicago in the fall down the lakefront from Belmont Harbor, been a couple of weeks since I took my drone out to see some of the autumn colors from above.

The world is a big place and it's easy to feel lik

The world is a big place and it's easy to feel like our actions don't matter. But the truth is, everything we do has an impact. And when we work within our communities, we have greater impact. Our oceans are a perfect example of this. They cover 70% of the earth's surface and play a vital role in regulating the planet's climate.

Have you ever stopped to think about the resiliency of the oceans? The oceans have a profound impact on the entire planet, even in areas that seem very remote from the sea. It plays a vital role in regulating the Earth's climate. The waves roll up on the shoreline, cleansing and soothing us.

This short video explores the interconnection between all of nature on Earth and the planet itself. It is a reminder of how our actions in one part of the world can have a ripple effect on the health elsewhere on the earth. I have included the town of Cefalu to remind us that our actions work best at the community level. As it is a big tourist destination, it is a nod that everything in the tourism sector needs to evaluate its sustainability and resilience within the communities as well.
Images are from around the world, from the South Pacific Ocean to the island of Sicily. I try to show beauty to inspire others to act in ways to encourage the resiliency of the oceans.

Many thanks to The Post Carbon Institute for their exploration of the relationship between sustainability and resilience in the most recent Think Resilience Course! And thanks for creating the What's Next for Earth? project, bringing people together from around the world in a creative way. to share their ideas and visions for the future of our planet.

October! An image from my 2022 calendar of French

October!

An image from my 2022 calendar of French Polynesia inspired by the local 'purau' flower floating along, while in the background, a child dances with joy into the water during the golden hour.

Makes me crave being there right now to feel the black sand and the salt water.

Do you enjoy learning a language as part of your travels?
In French Polynesia, French and Tahitian are used frequently, and other languages are used as well on other islands.

Octobre - in French
'Atopa - in Tahitian

There is only one you. And there will never be another. That is your power.
Il n'y a qu'un seul toi. Et il n'y en aura jamais d'autre. C'est ton pouvoir.

- Mel Robbins

So 'my moon' of Neptune was captured by Nasa Webb,

So 'my moon' of Neptune was captured by Nasa Webb, you can see the names pointing to each moon.

'Larissa' was a nymph, and a lover of Poseidon (Neptune in Roman mythology) God of the Sea. Poseidon was the younger brother of the Greek god Zeus. The Greek origins explain the use of Greek names for the other moons.

'Thalassa' means the sea.

'Triton' a sea god, a son of Poseidon, younger than Proteus, often represented as a mer-man. The main symbol of Triton is a conch seashell that he uses to control the tides.

'Galatea' was a sea nymph who attended to Poseidon.

'Hippocamp' was a mythological creature half fish/half horse - Poseidon's sea/horses that pulled his carriage underwater.

'Despina' - In Greek mythology, Despina was the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon.

'Proteus" - a sea-god, son of Poseidon, older than Poseidon's other son, Triton. He represents positive connotations of flexibility, versatility, and adaptability

My kind of vending machine ! Champagne at all tim

My kind of vending machine !

Champagne at all times, to celebrate every moment!

Philadelphia, founded by a Quaker who placed love as the foundation.
##phildelphia #brotherlylove #moetchandon #vendingmachine #celebrateyourself #celebrateeverymoment #ritzcarlton #phillylove

"Where flowers bloom so does hope." - Lady Bird Jo

"Where flowers bloom so does hope." - Lady Bird Johnson

Here is my contribution to ART-IN-PLACE 2022 - a collaboration between CNL Projects and Terrain Exhibitions that invites artists to exhibit an original work of art outside their homes or from a window visible to the public. @cnlprojects @TERRAINEXHIBITIONS

You can find more information https://www.artinplace.net/ and explore more art.
This collective action provides artists and community members in Chicagoland neighborhoods (and beyond) with a sense of hope and connectivity through the experience of public art. we would like ART-IN-PLACE to serve as a means to provoke and promote and reflect on our current climate.

We want to resist the normalization of overwhelming ongoing violence -- including not only overt gun violence, but the multifaceted violences of anti-Blackness and racism, transphobia and homophobia, gender-based violence, violence and harm done to Disabled people, the exploitation of the earth -- and the sense of powerlessness that this can cause. We do this by organizing. One way we can do that in our field is by using public art to start conversations and build connections in our neighborhoods.

ART-IN-PLACE 2022 will run from September 1 - October 15. It is for all artists and all media with artwork that is clearly political, yet knowing that art of any kind in public can be healing -- including that which celebrates beauty and joy.

Grateful for the fantastic printing by Printlab
And finally, a big thank you to the folks at Yarnify for allowing me to use their window and participate in this event. Stop in and say hello.

Celebrating National Photography Day!! Get out and

Celebrating National Photography Day!!
Get out and photograph something
On your camera or on your phone 🙂
In 1837, #Chicago chose the motto "Urbs in Horto" (City in a Garden)
#NationalphotogaphyDay #chicity

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About
Contact
Tahiti Travel Consultant
Chicago DMC Travel
Photo, Video & Drone
Photography for Travelers Course
Boutique