Melbourne Mini Worlds

Recently I was inspired by an article I stumbled across, that showcased a collection of Mini World images. You have no doubt seen some before, and may have been left thinking to yourself, "How did they do that?" Its not that difficult if you are prepared to take some time and experiment. You can view a complete collection that I am building HERE. Prints are available for purchase at Red Bubble.

South Wharf - Melbourne

St Kilda Pier - Melbourne

The Sandbar Cafe - Albert Park Beach - Melbourne

The Conservatory - Fitzroy Gardens - Melbourne

Is there a secret? Well not really. I took my inspiration from an article titled Awesome Mini Worlds Photographs From Planet Earth. What equipment do I use? A very wide angle lens, I use a Nikkor 16mm that captures a fisheye image, mounted on a Nikon D800. I have managed to successfully capture great images both using a tripod and more recently hand held. Here is a handy tutorial video:

This image was captured in a single 360 degree pass. This was achievable simply because with the 16mm Nikkor, I didn't need to angle the camera up or down to get the complete effect. This image was captured last week - hand held:

People walking across a bridge at South Wharf

Ubud - Central Bali - the Real Bali

I remember the first time I visited Bali, there were fewer people, Kuta was the central tourist area, and the place was less built up than it has become today. Many visitors to Bali raeley venture north of Denpasar and even if they do, its on a day trip. Ubud has been one place that people have been visiting for years, and even it is is becoming a little over developed.

But, that is not to say that Bali has lost it charm. Far from it. If one is prepared to venture away from the main tourist haunts, there is a magnificent paradise for a photographer.

On my last trip I discover the Valley Panorama at Rendang, which overlooks the rice fields with Mt Ganung Agung dominating the horizon. The day I was there, it was cloudy.

Ganung Agung Volcano as seen from Rendang

Needless to say, this is a spot that I will return to. With a little bit of planning and a check to see what the weather is doing this could be quite spectacular in the right light.

In 2012, we stayed at a place in Mas, about 15 minutes drive from Ubud called Puri Puncak Bukit. This villa was built by a couple of Australian retires as a piece of paradise to go to in Bali. It is literally right in the middle of the rice fields you can only get to it via  a narrow path. 

Ubud itself is full of colour and variety. The market is well worth a visit and there are plenty of photographic opportunities everywhere.

Every time I return to Bali, I discover something new. One needs to get in the right creative mood and remember to always have their camera on hand. 

How to Publish an Online Photo Album

Every time I travel somewhere I always put an album together. As an Apple iMac perosn, I use the iPhoto to put the album together, convert and save it as a PDF, then upload it to Yudu - an online publishing service.

Here is my latest Album of Bali and Lombok in 2912:

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Digital Publishing with YUDU

I started putting these albums to together after a trip to Vietnam in 2008. And this was the result:

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Digital Publishing with YUDU

Creating a photo album in iPhoto isn't all that difficult. The hardest part is sorting out what images one want to include. There are a wide variety of formats to choose from and Yudu is a free service with an option to upgrade to Yudu Plus so that you can sell your publications online. This is a step I haven't taken yet.

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Publisher Software from YUDU

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Publishing Software from YUDU

Nusa Lembongan - a Hidden Treat

The island called Nusa Penida lies off the east coast of Bali. At the eastern end of Nusa Penida lies a much small island (two islands actually) - Nusa Lembongan.

Lembongan is small enough to walk around. Most tourists come across on tour boats from Sanur every day, and after they depart the island returns to a quiet paradise. This place is a paradise for divers - particularly if you like the idea of diving with Manta Rays, as I did while I was there.

Diving with Manta

This is one place to which I must return. There are some spectacular cliffs around the island that warrant further attention, which I didn't get to on my last trip. The people who live here are all Balinese, and things move at a relaxed pace.

The tidal movement here is significant. When I was there, the tide was in at sunrise - several metres deep, only to have totally receded by the end of the day at sunset, leaving all the loacl fishing boats left high and dry on the reef that surround the island.

Harvesting seaweed is the major activity for locals here, along with tourism, diving and fishing. During the day the surfers enjoy a riding the standing wave that breaks over the reef.

Next time you visit Bali, or if you are thinking of going there, then add a few days at Lembongan into your itinerary.

Lombok - the Next Bali?

Bali has changed a lot over the last 30 years, since the time that I first started going there. The next island to the east is Lombok, and to be honest I think that it has a lot of untapped potential.

Like Balil, Lombok is dominated by a volcano - called Rinjani. Lombok isn't overrun with tourists and is very under developed. The roads are very quiet and life moves at a slower pace here.

Mt Rinjani

There are several spectacular waterfalls that one can visit in Northern Lombok. There is a restaurant at the start of the walk down to the two waterfalls in this area. You must be accompanied by a local guide.  It appears to be a way to create work for the locals. But, when you get to the waterfall I visited the day I was there - the walk down was certainly worth it.

Waterfall near Senaru

The shot above was captured with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens at 29mm, so that I could capture the grandeur of the cascading water. I put my wife in the picture to give the viewer some idea of the scale and hight. 

One of the other things we saw while we were there, was a group of macaque monkeys that live in the area. I was able to get close enough to capture one with a 300mm lens.

Curious monkey

On the way back to where we were staying on Lombok, at the Puri Mas Hotel, our driver took us via the Monkey Forest. A road winds its way through the hills in this area, and there are literally monkeys everywhere. The greatest challenge is finding a place to park your vehicle beside the road, in order to get out and get up close and personal. We were there late in the afternoon. The light wasn't great. Next time I'm back at Puri Mas, I'm going to dedicate a lot more time to this area.

Finally, a few words about Puri Mas. From here you get some great shots of the sun setting over Bali. This image gives you some idea as to what I mean.

Bali as seen from Lombok Nikkor 70-300mm @ 180mm

At the end of the day the local fishermen are heading home and it easy to capture a shot like this one.

Lombok Fisherman at sunset

Does this place have photographic potential? I think so.

Sunset Point - Gilli Trawangan

The Gilli Islands

Every evening one of the best places to visit is Sunset Point, on the southern tip of Gilli T. You can walk, ride a bicycle or catch a chidomo to get there. Trawangan isn't a big place as you can see from the map above.

On the way there are lots of photographic opportunities, and the island is a "hussle bustle" of activity, with people having a good time in the various restaurants and bars that dot the road that circumnavigates the island. As you get further away from the busy area, on the east side, things become quieter and distinctly more relaxed. That's not to say that Gilli Trawangan is not already relaxed, it is certainly a lot more tranquil than the over developed Kuta Beach area in Bali. Gilli T, is different - very different. No cars or motorcycles for a start!

Gilli Trawangan - the Other Kuta

If you travel to Bali, as many Australians do every year, one tends to forget that there are other paces one can visit. As a frequent visitor to Indonesia over the last 25 years, this is a trap that we fell into until just a few years ago.

Gilli Trawangan

In 2011, I took my first trip to Lombok. Then, armed with a Nikon D3s I discovered Gilli Trawangan. One of three small islands located off the north west coast of Lombok, Gilli T as it is colloqually know is the largest of three small islands, the others being Gilli Meno and Gilli Air.

There are no cars on Gilli T, its bicycles, walking or horse drawn Chidomo (taxis) if you want to explore or go anywhere. Gilli T is more colourful than Kuta Bali, in fact as a destination it has a much friendlier feel about it.

In 2012 I ventured back to Gilli T and captured these with my Nikon D800.

I shoot only in RAW and have discovered that the D800's wide dynamic range produces sharp images with plenty of depth. All my images are processed in Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Nik Software's Complete Collection adds to some amazing results.

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