Underwater Tunnel

For the last four days, I was on the island of Putri in "Pulau Seribu" (Thousand Islands). It is about a two hour boat ride from Jakarta. It is another world out there. Putri is famous for its underwater tunnel. There are huge Trevali swimming around the enclosed area. There used to be some white tipped reef sharks swimming around, but they were let loose a few years ago.

A Village By The Sea

This is one of the villages in the Cinque Terre...but I can't remember which one...I think it is Vernazza. The coolest part is that I am taking this photo from the top of a castle that overlooks the sea and the village.

Jungle Above The Water

Not something you see every day. Coral, sponges, and the jungle...a REALLY unique dive site!!

Bat Fish in Black n White

I am off to the islands for a few days...will be back on Wednesday...

Some underwater photos do well in Black n White...I like this one...

Ponte Vecchio Bridge

I had heard of this bridge before visiting Italy, but it is much more incredible being there...like most things...I had read in my tour book that the Germans were ordered by Hitler to destroy every bridge in Florence during WWII. However, the German that was in charge of this area was a history buff, and didn't have the heart to destroy this bridge, so it was saved.

Golden Light In Cambodia

I remember this moment well. My buddies and I were out on Tonle Sap Lake outside of Siem Reap, when this little girl came paddling up to the dock of our floating restaurant to sell her bananas. For less than a minute, the sun was low in the sky and sprayed this gorgeous light on the girl's face. I took about 15 shots of her before the light disappeared. This is my favorite of the bunch I took...

Flat Worm Cruises The Reef

You don't see worms like this on the surface, but underwater, there are thousands of varieties of flat worms and nudibranchs. In Papua, I find a new one every time I go there...I don't know the name of this one, but aren't the patterns and colors amazing?

Deep In Thought

I am headed back to Papua in a few weeks...one of my favorite places on the planet. This man is Komoro. They live on the coastal region, and have their own culture different from other tribes in Papua. They are wonderful people. I had a hard time deciding whether to keep this photograph in color or not...I like the black n white version though...the light is just right...

Fireworks Under Water

Even after more than 4000 dives, I still get amazed at the variety of creatures and the colors underwater. It is another planet down there...

Gotta Make A Living Somehow

Some empty wall space, a couple of coolers, some pots and pans, an empty bench...what do you have? A small "Toko" (store)...with what seems like millions of these small tokos in Jakarta, ya gotta wonder if people can actually make a living selling snacks and cigarettes...I guess they do...

Sorry for not posting a photo yesterday....It was "poker night" with the guys last night, and I got home late, and then had to work this morning....ya, I know, excuses excuses excuses....I did manage to break even last night, so that is a good thing!!

Have a great weekend!!

Where The REALLY Big Trucks Hang Out

I had the opportunity to visit one of the largest copper and gold mines in the world, Freeport, located in Western Papua. Although it was not nice to see the high mountains of Papua being carved out of the Earth, it was a fascinating tour. These trucks were incredibly large. To give you some perspective, those tires are 13 feet high, and cost over 42 thousand dollars each. The truck is 24 feet tall, and can carry over 380 tons of dirt. Pretty incredible machine...

Amazing Birds of Indonesia

The birds here are really like no other in the world. If you are a bird lover, then you gotta make a trip to Indonesia. This is the Lesser Bird of Paradise. I had the opportunity to see this one while on a dive trip in Papua. It is not easy to get good photos of these guys as they are always hopping from one branch to another...I got real lucky with this one. I am not a bird photographer, but I certainly have respect for those that are...it is tough!!

Some Cool Rocks At Pulau Belitung

I love stormy clouds...especially in black n' white. For those of you that think I added drama to the skies, I didn't...this is how the skies actually looked...dark and scary. These rocks were on a small outcropping of sand, and we were on a small boat cruising from island to island...we had to break for shore, however, when we saw this storm approaching...the seas got pretty rough, but luckily, we made it back to shore before the heavy stuff hit...the rock formations on Belitung make this place a really unique place to visit...it is only a 45 minute flight from Jakarta...

Lets Go Diving

It has been an amazing couple of days for me. A couple of days ago, I wrote a guest article for Steve Huff's blog about switching from my Nikon to the Leica M9. It has generated over 100 responses on his blog debating the Leica M9, DSLR cameras, and most of all, HDR photography. As you know, I am a big fan of HDR, and use it quite often. The reaction on his site about a couple of HDR photos I posted ranged from really negative to really positive. I find the psychology of it all very interesting. Why does HDR stir so much emotion with photographers and spark such heated debates? I am sure Ansel Adams went through the same thing with his darkroom techniques....photographers at the time said he was over the top with his dodging and burning, yet he is perhaps one of the most famous photographers of our time, and is known for his dark room techniques whether they are over the top or not.

Just yesterday, I received an email from my Dad that I was mentioned on the famous blog, Instapundit. (I was also told via a comment on my last photo I posted). I had a HUGE spike of hits to this blog, so thanks very much, Instapundit. My Dad is a huge fan of yours and checks your blog daily....he also just bought the new Lumix camera on your recommendation. I hear you are a fan of underwater photography, so I devote these two photos to you....cheers!

Have A Great Weekend

It's been a long day today...Indonesia celebrated Idul Fitri today, and that meant visiting friends and family all over the city. We had some people over for lunch today, and now we are ready to pack it in for the day...

I leave you with one of my favorite images from my last trip to Raja Ampat...these are huge sea fans that grow from the banks of limestone cliffs...the only place in the world (that I know of) where you can dive in the ocean and look up through the water and see trees...

Headed Back To Papua

I'm headed back to Raja Ampat in October...still looking for two more people to join me...wanna come? Truly some of the best diving in the world!!

I just visited Steve Huff's website. He published my article about switching from my Nikon to the Leica M9. I included some recent photographs I took in Italy and Jakarta. Some really interesting comments...especially about my photography and use of Photoshop and HDR...go to Steve's site and read the article and comments...let me know what you think...

The Little House In Venice

I took countless photos of the canals in Venice, and most I ended up deleting...but this one, with the little house in the middle, caught my attention...I kept wondering...what came first? The tall buildings or the little house?

Getting The Bajais Ready For Business

The Bajai is an icon in Jakarta. There was a move some time back to get rid of them because they are loud, slow, and pollution machines...but somehow they have survived the test of time, and still wander the streets. I like them, and Jakarta would not be the same without them...

The Big Schooners At Sunda Kelapa

I just love these boats. All of them are wood, and are painted in terrific colors. I don't think I will ever get tired of walking around this area of Jakarta...

Sorry for missing my post last night...I really try my best to post a new photo every day, but I have been slack this week...I will be taking the weekend off too, so see you on Monday!!

Blue Skies In Jakarta

Despite Jakarta's bad reputation as a polluted city, sometimes we have beautiful blue skies. The downtown area looks so nice when it is like this...