Sand and Sky

That is the island of Lombok in the background...Mount Rinjani, actually. Mount Rinjani is an incredible hike, but a tough one. When you get to the top, there is another volcano inside the caldera and a lake...I have not been there yet, but have seen photos...an incredible sight, and supposedly there is a unique ecosystem around the lake that only exists in that location...it is on my bucket list to climb...one of these days..

Reef On Fire

Sorry for no post yesterday....we had a three day weekend out here.

Thanksgiving went well...hope you all had a great weekend as well...

Doesn't this photo look like fish running from a fire?

Happy Friday!!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!! We had a great time last night, and all 70 or so people left with stuffed tummies! The turkeys were the best I have had!!

Here is the last of my underwater fashion series...I do have a couple more, but thought you might be getting tired of these...but if want more, I can share a few more with you...

Have a great weekend!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving for you Americans out there!! I know that not all of you are Americans, but even if you are not, it's still a great day to say, "Thanks" and enjoy a nice day with family and friends. I am hosting a big dinner tonight....I have over 70 people coming over. We have the tents set up at the house, and my wife, Tika, is picking up SEVEN turkeys this morning....I will start cooking at 1:00...we deep fry the turkeys, and each one takes between 30 and 40 minutes, and it is the most delicious turkey you have ever had....it is for sure the way to go...can't wait. In any case, I hope you all have a great day today...it is one of my favorite American holidays!!

To continue with my series of "Underwater Fashion"...here is round 4...one more tomorrow, and will then get back to my usual stuff....

Underwater Fashion No. 3

On a totally different topic...are any of you on Google+ ? I am writing my thoughts about G+, and will share them in a post in a couple of days...my thoughts might spark an interesting conversation on Google+, so stay tuned...

Here is my third entry from my underwater shoot last Sunday...trying to get two models with their eyes open, no bubbles in their nose, not too much hair or scarf in their face, enough light on their faces, the right expression, etc. while they are holding their breath is no easy task....got lucky with this one...

Underwater Fashion No. 2

I converted this one to black n white...you wouldn't even know it was underwater if it weren't for the pose...you would need an elaborate system of cables if you did a shot like this on land...

Underwater Fashion

I was asked if I could take some photos of a couple of models underwater this past weekend. I am an underwater photographer, but this is the first time I have taken photos of "people" underwater, and in a pool. I am used to being in the ocean taking photos of fish and reefs. It was a great experience, and challenging. Taking photos of people underwater is not as easy as it looks...and it is even more work for the model...

This week, I will post my results starting with this photo of Nathasya below...

Article On Steve Huff's Website

I can't believe I forgot to tell you guys about this...

A couple of weeks ago, Steve Huff published an article I wrote about the Leica M9. I had written a story soon after I purchased the M9, and this was a follow-up story about my first 16 months using the Leica. The article was well received, and it even sparked interest on the Leica Forums where one thread ended up being over three pages long. Most of the comments were about my style of photography and not about the article itself.

Leica users are a funny group of people. I would coin most of them to be more traditionalist who prefer no post-processing, and black n white images straight from the camera. Their Messiah is Henri Cartier Bresson, and images that stray from the "HCB Look" are not images worthy of a Leica. They have a diabolical hatred for anything HDR or anything even looking like HDR. They are the snobs of the Photographic world. Ok, I am kidding for the most part here...after all, I am a Leica user too. However, there is some truth to what I am saying here...and that was evident in some of the comments I received about my style of photography...

In any case, have a read if like, and let me know what you think...

CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK...

Photo below courtesy of KenRockwell.com

Low Tide In The Gilli's

My daughter, Kayla, said to me when she saw this photo..."Daddy, it looks like the Earth". Amazing what kids see...

Have a great weekend!!

Papua Sunset

It's Raining Fish

I was looking at this photo last night, and at first almost tossed it because of the over-exposed part at the top, but then thought it looked cool...it is like a "rain fall" of fish tumbling over the reef...what do you think?

Fun With Lightroom

I processed this photo totally in Lightroom...I am getting close to the point of not really needing Photoshop...most everything I do can be done in Lightroom except masking and blending layers...still use Photoshop for that...

Another Healthy Reef

There is all this talk about the coral reefs dying around the world, bombings, cyanide poisoning, and coral bleaching...it is true, these things are still going on, but rarely is the good news being reported. There are healthy reefs around the world, and reefs coming back to life...there is some good out there, and it should be celebrated...

Sardines Reef

I don't know what it is about Bat Fish...they are just so cool, and fun to take photo of...some of them get real curious, and will come right up to you almost asking for their photo to be taken while others are shy and go a running when you approach them...I guess they are like people!

Have a great weekend!

The Reefs of Lombok Are Alive and Well

Nuff said...

Storm Approaches Lombok

Most of the time during my trip last week, the skies were void of any clouds...makes for pretty days, but boring photos...so, I was sure to pull out my camera when I saw this storm approach...

The Good Ole Clown Fish

The Clown Fish is probably the most popular fish to photograph underwater. It is addictive. When I find a small anemone with clownfish, I will sit there for sometimes up to a half hour trying to get the perfect shot...they are quick little guys, and dart in and out and above and behind the anemone, so I set challenges for myself...can I get three in one frame, can I get them framed against the underside of the anemone, can I get them in a turn, etc...it is really fun, and it is really difficult to get a bad shot of a clown fish...they are all so cute...its kinda like taking a photo of a really pretty girl....tough to get a bad shot...

So below, are a couple of my challenges met...I was able to get three in one shot, but didn't like that photo as well as these...the top photo was my challenge to get two fish against the underside of the anemone...the bottom photo was my attempt to get a fish in a turn and against the underside of the anemone...

Back From Lombok

The trip to Lombok was great...the weather was nice, the diving good, and a great escape from the hectic life in Jakarta...

Still going through my photos, but here is one I quickly edited...

Another Shot Inside The Egg

Here's another shot inside the Egg on the ground floor. This was the last photo I took before being kicked out of the building...they closed at 5:00, and I begged the guard to let me take one last shot. It was dark inside, so my exposures were really slow...amazing how 12 seconds can feel like an eternity....I am sure it felt the same way to the guard who was standing there waiting for me to finish...but you know the best part about shooting in China? No-one bugs you about using a tripod...it is really nice. If I were in the states taking a similar photo, I would have been for sure been harassed about my tripod in a public place...what's up with that anyway?

Inside The Egg

I couldn't get enough of this building...you had to pay to get inside, and I waited until the last hour to go inside. I didn't want a lot of people running around. They closed at 5:00, so I went in at 4:00, and pretty much had the place to myself...cool.

It is tough to capture this amazing place with one photo...you need one of those 360 degree cameras to capture it all..but wow, what an amazing place!!

The Forbidden City Moat

I posted this photo on Google+ last week, and commented how I saw this scene and was reminded of a photo I saw on Trey Ratcliff's, Stuck in Customs Blog. I was wondering if it is cheating to take the same photo?? I remembered liking his shot, and when I saw the same scene, I wanted something similar. I am usually not like that...I like to find my own shots, but is it cheating in some way in taking the same photo that you have seen somewhere else?