Welcome to my portfolio page. Here you can find my latest trips, cultural immersions and assignments. There are Indonesian landscapes. monuments and traditions; Southeast Asia highlights; Indian spirituality; exquisite resorts; and, of course, the best of Indo-pacific underwater world. Lately I’ve been focusing on video making, so don’t forget to check my Vimeo channel.
Diving in Tulamben III – Wide Angle
The wreck itself has some interesting structures, to shoot. Turtles are often seen, and sometimes, the big potato groupers leave their burrows and show up. There is also a resident school of oriental sweetlips which usually allow to get really near.
Hariharalaya – Yoga retreat centre in Siem Reap
I had a chat with Joel, the mentor of the centre, and asked: what’s the point of enduring that sufferance. Are you going to Heaven or something? His answer was something like: your body is like a musical instrument. You can play it in tune or out of tune. I understood those simple words, but they didn’t make much sense to me.
Diving in Tulamben II – Black Water
A DSLr camera usually performs better than a mirrorless, in these dives, due to the superior accuracy and speed of phase-detection autofocus. 60 mm (FF equivalent) or less is what proves to be the best lens choice, with a reasonable Depth Of Field, and small minimum focus distance.
Diving in Tulamben – I Macro
Now, Tulamben stands as one of the top word macro destinations, with many photography oriented dive centers and international competitions taking place. Conditions are good enough for diving and shooting almost every single day of the year - water temperature is usually around 27ºC, though it can vary from 24 - 32. Currents are usually mild and swells seldom reach 1 metre.
Sumba Island – general views and thoughts
Ethnicity, maybe, explains, the Sumbanese propensity for stimulants. Coffee is always strong, cigarettes have unbelievable levels of nicotine (thing about one equivalent to two or three European ones). Petchi (local spirit, similar to the Balinese arak) is drank copiously, either pure or mixed with Bintang beer. Beetle nut is daily consumed, offered for every guest upon arrival.
Trance and possession in Bali
That was the Kris dance, where people in trance pick these curvy daggers and stick them to their chests. If all goes well, they will remain unharmed, but stories about injuries and death circulate, for the ones not acting according to the rules. Notice how the children aren’t scared at all. Instead, they follower the adults, dancing and having fun.
Festival Pesona Tulamben
(...) two evening shows, including traditional dances, and a sort of fashion show...
Jatiluwih rice terraces
Jatiluwih rice terraces are far bigger and more impressive than other, more popular ones (like Tegalalang) - and not yet so crowded with touters and souvenir shops, though it’s very likely to change, shortly.
Cockfighting in Bali
In fact, cock fighting is a "multi-million dollar business", with events happening periodically in every small villages, daily in the major cities, and yearly on Balinese Hindu ceremonies. Business man bet hundreds of dollars in each fight and roosters are illegally imported from Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.