Travel Diary: Amed, Indonesia

Right off the heels of my Hanoi trip for work and what has seemed like a whirlwind since the Tet break, I headed back to Amed on the northern coast of Bali for a bit of a disconnect and some diving. If you’re in the area, check out Dream Divers Bali, they’re tops. I haven’t yet taken up underwater photography - diving, for me at least, is about completely not thinking about anything but whats in front of me. I’m afraid if I take a camera underwater, it’s going to start turning into work. With the thousands of dollars that I’d likely spend on strobes, housings, ports, etc etc, I think there would be a nagging feeling in the back of my head that I need to recoup those costs. And I really don’t want diving to turn into work. It’s my zen place…. but maybe I should just let go of the idea that I need to get a return on investment….I’m not there quite yet, so no underwater photography shenanigans.

Anyway, between dives, I had my new toy, the Fuji x100v. I wandered through the small paths and streets around the dive shop snapping away like a tourist. I think I’m confident in now saying I’m happy never taking anything other than a fixed lens camera on my personal travel trips if it’s as capable as the little Fuji is. I didn’t miss my usual kit at all. The smaller camera allows me to have it on me all the time and it’s just so fun to shoot with. Normally, I’d never take the camera out in the airport, but I had some nice light and my camera was actually in my pocket, so grabbing it and taking a few shots was a breeze. Not to mention the in-camera multiple exposure feature which has me a bit excited. That said, I have zero clue what I’m doing in that whole regard, so down the rabbit hole of trying to figure it out I go. Scroll down to the last image to see the first little experiment in that whole kettle of fish. These are just some of the images from the short few days I had in one of my favourite places. For more of these types of images, head on over to IG and give it a follow!

Travel Diary: Hanoi with the Fuji x100v

I popped up to Hanoi recently for a short couple of days and while in between obligations, I tested out my new toy - the Fuji x100v. If you’ve read any of my other blog posts, you’d have read that I’d been using the x100s on a few trips to see if I could mentally cope with the FOMO of not taking my Sony kit. It’s been fun, but wow, I realise now that I was merely dipping my toes into the world of shooting with Fuji system. The x100v is the x100s turned up to 11. Completely different in such a good way. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Sony kit, and will use it whenever its work related, but when I’m traveling for leisure, the x100v is going to be, without a doubt, my camera of choice. Having a fixed lens camera that fits in a tiny little bag doesn’t feel like I’m packing all the kit for a work assignment…. In fact, it feels the exact opposite. I’m not worrying about which lens to bring, how many lenses to bring, which lens I want to use for certain situations…none of that. One lens, one camera.. it simplifies things to put it lightly. Not having to think all of that, it has freed up so much of my headspace and allows me to just shoot for the pure joy of shooting. If I’m being honest, the final image is probably secondary to the actual act of shooting. The process has become some sort of therapy and allows me to be present in the moment. I hope the images reflect that weight of casting off the technical “noise” in simpler more compelling compositions. But even if it doesn’t, that’s quite alright. I’ve had so much fun in this whole process and that’s what matters.

Travel Diary: Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor

Recently, I had the opportunity to hop over to Siem Reap to revisit the temples of Angkor for the first time in 9 years. My previous visit was my first to Cambodia and within 6 months of moving back to Southeast Asia. Needless to say, it was an incredible trip to an absolutely magical place. The temples of Angkor are out of a storybook to say the least. It was a lesson in very early rises to avoid the crowds and to see the temples at their very best. Moments of stillness as the sun peaked through the jungle burned some truly unforgettable memories into my mind. So, when the time came to take a weekender, I was quick to jump at the chance. I wondered how Siem Reap, the city just a few kilometers outside of the temple complex, had changed over the last decade. Had it fallen victim to overdevelopment and lost its charm? Had it survived the pandemic? Would the magic I experienced exploring the temples still be there years later? I had so many questions. One way to find out, right?

I opted to fly into Siem Reap this time and was greeted by a slick, shiny airport. You can tell tourist dollars have been put into it to support this Unesco World Heritage destination. Apparently a new airport is being built now, so I’m curious to see how this one will compare. Siem Reap seems to have weathered the storm of the pandemic with tourists already back, albeit not at pre ‘Rona numbers. Honestly, it feels like a happy medium right now as it felt completely unsustainable the last time I was here. Tour busses clogged the roads, temples felt like ant hills crawling with tour groups - it felt hectic. Not exactly what I envisioned when 1000 year-old sacred temples came to mind. In any event, while tourists are back and the economy has seemed to have rebounded, it didn’t feel like navigating a stampede within the temple complex. Quiet moments were abundant, yet the town didn’t feel like a ghost town like so many other destinations following the last two years. It was a nice balance. I hope the reopening of the world won’t cause this to devolve into the roving hoard of zombies it was pre-pandemic. Here’s to wishful thinking…

As far as photography goes, I made the call to leave the Sony kit at home in favor of traveling fast and light with my Fuji X100S. I picked this little guy up in a trade this year and have been playing around with it around Saigon. While it’s so fun to have a lightweight camera around my neck all the time, I’m not gonna lie, leaving the “proper camera” at home was giving me anxiety. That said, I felt like I needed to rip the band-aid off and jump into the deep end. Immediately, it changed the way I shot and travelled. A small point and shoot is certainly lower profile and almost went unnoticed in the quiet, intimate moments. My back also thanked me as I wasn’t hauling around a few lenses and a heavier camera body. Travel flowed and it felt a bit more free in my movements. The equivalent of a 35mm lens is a perfect walk around focal length and allowed me to focus on the moments in front of me rather than thinking about which lens was the best option for each situation. Liberating, really. Although portraits weren’t in the cards with this setup, I was more interested in street and travel photography so not a big loss there. This camera was more than capable for what I was after and the files were great in the edit. I’d be more than happy printing these in bigger formats. I’m couldn’t recommend giving this a try more.

As always, have a look at my IG and give a follow over there for more images like this. And now on to some of my favourite frames.