Swimming with whales, snorkeling with colourful fishes, cruising with Orangutans - are these listed in your bucket list? Imagine fulfilling all these as part of your job while you get to help in the preservation and conservation of the wildlife?
Stella Chiu-Freund takes pleasure in doing all of these as she documents and works with her multi-awarded wildlife photographer and conservationist husband. With a background in advertising, producing radio and TV commercials, Stella ventured into the freelance world producing video documentaries back in the Philippines prior to meeting her life partner Jurgen Freund.
Stella Chiu-Freund herding a school of yellow line scads in Raja Ampat in West Papua, Indonesia, January 2010. Source: Supplied by S Chiu-Freund
Stella, now based in Cairns in Queensland, produces photo stories with her husband Jürgen Freund, an internationally acclaimed wildlife photographer.
The couple has spent more than 20 years of working together documenting nature and wildlife. One of the most memorable experience that the husband-and-wife tandem had was when they did an 18-month straight photographic expedition for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) from 2009 to 2010 through to six Coral Triangle countries: the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste.
Believing that visual communication is a powerful tool to tell stories, the two aims to capture stories through photography and filming nature and wildlife.
Stella and Jurgen Freund n a restricted island sanctuary at the Tubbataha Bird Islet, Palawan. (Supplied by S. Freund) Source: Supplied by S. Freund
In an evening that would celebrate nature, Juergen Freund, with the support of Stella Chiu-Freund, will present images and stories many of which were from the Philippines' underwater world in a presentation called "Celebrate Nature with Juergen Freund" in Canberra on 09 August.
This mid-August the two be leading two groups of people in a photographic tour in Tonga. "Swimming with humpback whales is one of the most amazing experiences one can ever have" as part of the Wild Diaries' Wildlife Experiences with a Difference.
Stella Chiu Freund (right) with husband Juergen Freund in one of their underwater expedition. Source: Supplied by S. Freund
What can we do to help preserve our world? "Be mindful in all that you do in the everyday. Learn as much as you can (about the environment and wildlife) and adjust your life accordingly, and see the world as well," encourages Stella Chiu-Freund adding that volunteering a month somewhere can change someone's life as well as someone's attitude.
