Full of Color

It was right after I took this photo when I saw the two Hammerhead Sharks cruise right by me...I was in shock as I had never seen Hammerheads in Indonesia before...sorry, no photo of them!!

Lion Fish

From what I have heard, the Lion Fish has become a nuisance in the United States...they are still relatively uncommon in Asia though and a gorgeous fish...

I am off to the Turks and Caicos today for a week...internet there is expensive, so I will not be making posts after the weekend...but I will make a couple of posts in advance for the rest of the week...

Black and White Underwater

I usually prefer the colors underwater, but every now and then, a black n white underwater looks cool. I am leaving for the Turks and Caicos tomorrow. I have never been there before, but look forward to a new place!!

Return To Virginia

So, it was a LOOOOONG trip to the States...3 hours to Bangkok, a two hour layover, then 15 hours to Los Angeles...a night in the hotel, and then 1 hour to Las Vegas, two hours there, then another 4 hours to Virginia...23 hours total in the airplane. We were a wreck with our internal clocks all messed up, but after the weekend, we are now semi-adjusted to the new time.

The first thing we noticed is the lack of traffic. I hear my Dad complain about the traffic, but when compared to Jakarta traffic, it is nothing...well, nothing really compares to the traffic in Jakarta which must take the award as the worst in the world.

So far, very relaxing...nice to be back in the States...

and oh...I got a new ipad!! Woo Hoo!!

Another Bat Fish

Have a great weekend!!

I have hopefully arrived in the States, and will enjoy my first weekend back home in Virginia!!

Bat Fish Cruising The Reef

I like wide angle underwater. It is more of a challenge. Anyone can get close-up photos if you can find the right subject...it is pretty much point and shoot when doing macro work. With wide-angle, on the other hand, there are more factors at play...light, getting close, subject matter and composition. It is not easy. Strobe light underwater only travels about 2 or 3 feet before being lost which makes taking photos underwater all the more difficult...

On A Jet Plane...

The weather for my dive trip last week was pretty much like this (below) the entire time. This was actually a quiet moment...most of the time, the wind was blowing hard and it was raining...

I am most likely on a plane headed to the other side of the world (The States) as you read this...looking forward to seeing family and friends...will head back to Indonesia in late July...

Trevally On The Hunt

We were out looking for Mantas, but the Mantas were not around...so what to do, what to do?

I know..."lets head over to the old jetties by that island out there"...

So, that is what we did...on the swim over to the jetties, I saw two Hammerhead sharks. I had never seen Hammerheads in this part of the world before...I was so shocked, I didn't get a photo, but they were too far from me to have gotten a good shot anyway...but VERY cool to see Hammerheads cruising the reef. In any case, we headed to the jetties, and there was the usual HUGE mass of fish under the pier and these Giant Trevally hunting. I could have watched them for hours...they would gather outside of the school, and then they would dive into the school of fish like lightning sending the huge school of fish in a panic...very cool to watch.

Back From Raja Ampat!!

I am back from my dive trip.

It was great diving, but the weather was really crappy. It was really windy and rainy the entire week...that made for some really rough conditions when it is usually calm as a lake. Since the weather was so bad, I didn't get to do any flying either...a bummer. I will have to wait until October to do some flying...oh well.

Here are some Striped Sweet Lips that I just love to photograph. I had to wait for the right moment when every fish was facing the same direction...that took some patience. I wish the fish would listen to my instructions!! They just don't cooperate like good models are supposed to do...

I am flying to the United States on Wednesday, so I will only have a couple of posts this week, but will get a few more underwater shots up on the blog before I leave...

Taking A Week Off

I am off to the airport in about 15 minutes from now. On my way to Papua for some diving and flying...so, there will be no posts for the next week...see you next week!!

Hope to get some new underwater photos and some photos from the air....

Have a great week!!

Fishing Indonesian Style

This always cracks me up when I see it happening. People will go to these little concrete ponds stocked with fish. They bring all of the fishing gear. When they catch a fish, they pay for it, and then go home (unless they want to catch more)...I guess it is a nice way to spend the day with your friends...

Old Tree

Just messing around with Nik's Silver Efex Pro...I still use the old version, but will upgrade to the new version this summer. For some reason, I can't purchase the new version on-line from an Indonesian computer...I guess they figure all of us in Indonesia are software thieves...

Boys Being Boys

Incredible the differences between boys and girls when it comes to taking their photo. Girls will automatically strike a pose usually turning their heads...boys like to use hand signals to display their "coolness", and under no circumstance will they cock their heads to the side like girls...funny.

How About My Grand Daughter?

I actually wanted a photo of the wood gate against the red door, but this proud grand father wanted me to take a photo of his grand daughter....so, why not?

A Boy On His Pink Bike

My internet has been up and down lately. It wasn't working at all yesterday, and today, it is working but super slow...one of the drawbacks of living in Jakarta. Life would be perfect here if it weren't for traffic and slow internet connections....fix those two things, and I will never leave...

Sitting Around

I sometimes wonder with the millions of little stores like this all over the city, how do people actually make a living? But somehow, it all seems to work out...

Peeping Through