Travel Diary : Indonesia
One of my favorite places on earth, Indonesia lures me back constantly with its beaches, rugged landscapes, underwater wonderlands, and general laid back lifestyle. This trip took me to Nusa Penida and Amed in Bali and the Derawan Islands in Indonesian Borneo.
One of my favorite places on earth, Indonesia lures me back constantly with its beaches, rugged landscapes, underwater wonderlands, and general laid back lifestyle. This trip took me to Nusa Penida and Amed in Bali and the Derawan Islands in Indonesian Borneo. From temples to island life, it has me already eager to get back. This selection could hardly do it justice, but these are some of my favorite frames. Hop over to my instagram to see more travel images and be sure to give it a follow for regular updates!
Nusa Penida, Bali
Derawan Islands, Borneo
Amed, Bali
Travel Diary: Sydney
After two long years of not being able to travel internationally, we finally got a chance to hop on a plane, use the passport and revisit our home from before Saigon. Sydney holds so many memories, friends and, as we found out on this trip, new corners and neighbourhoods to explore.
After two long years of not being able to travel internationally, I finally got a chance to hop on a plane, use the passport and revisit our home from before Saigon. Sydney holds so many memories, friends and, as we found out on this trip, new corners and neighbourhoods to explore. Staying with friends, I got to explore the neighbourhoods of Bondi Beach and Manly where in the past they were merely weekend beach destinations. Always looking at the watch to make sure I got the last bus or ferry back in order to catch the train back to the Inner West, evenings were few and far between. Having the time to slow down and wander the streets gave me a new appreciation of Bondi and Manly’s cafes, lesser known haunts, and general every day vibe. I revisited old familiar blocks and gave all the hugs and made new memories. I tried to shoot previously visits places with new eyes and capture every day life as well as some famous locations for some tourist action. All in all it was incredible be back in the Oz and has me longing to get back as soon as possible!
Prints will be available of these, so please get in touch before these limited editions are gone!
Travel Diary : Hoi An, Vietnam
As most of you know, I help run tours in Central Vietnam with Pics of Asia with one of my good friends, Etienne Bossot. Also, unless you’ve been living under a rock under another rock buried next to Jimmy Hoffa, you’d also know travel has been sketchy and inaccessible in Vietnam the past year or so. So, when I got a chance to finally get back to Hoi An, I told Etienne we had to go shoot one morning
As most of you know, I help run tours in Central Vietnam with Pics of Asia with one of my good friends, Etienne Bossot. Also, unless you’ve been living under a rock under another rock buried next to Jimmy Hoffa, you’d also know travel has been sketchy and inaccessible in Vietnam the past year or so. So, when I got a chance to finally get back to Hoi An, I told Etienne we had to go shoot one morning. I left it up to him and we ended up going back to where it all began for me with Pics of Asia at the fishing village south of Hoi An. Neither one of us had been here in months and months due to the pandemic, and it was incredible seeing old faces, catching up with the fishermen and vendors and having a homecoming of sorts.
I also got a chance to meander around the old town and capture a few frames from one of the most charming places in Vietnam. Rumour has that we’ll be running a 5 day tour this summer, so check out Pics of Asia for a chance to explore some of my favourite places in Central Vietnam!
Travel Diary: Hanoi 2020
Since Saigon is going through its 3rd week of “Social Distancing Measures”, I’ve been going through the archives while redoing and updating my site (hint hint, go take a gander!). In the process, I came across these images from the last time I was in Hanoi last November. One of my favorite cities in Asia, Hanoi offers endless photo opportunities. Hopefully we can all get through this wave quickly and hit the road again for more adventures!
Since Saigon is going through its 3rd week of “Social Distancing Measures”, I’ve been going through the archives while redoing and updating my site (hint hint, go take a gander!). In the process, I came across these images from the last time I was in Hanoi last November. One of my favorite cities in Asia, Hanoi offers endless photo opportunities. Hopefully we can all get through this wave quickly and hit the road again for more adventures!
Nerdery info: all these images were shot with 35mm focal length, save one. Anyone have a guess which one was shot at 85mm?
Fishing Villages in Central Vietnam
Recently, I had the opportunity to hop up to central Vietnam and jump on the tail end of one of our Central Vietnam photo tours. It’s always lovely to get to this part of the country and with Quinn joining too, a stellar day of shooting with friends was guaranteed. As a guest, I got to explore this little area a bit more than when I’m teaching, so it was a chance to see this place with some new eyes and a different approach. Not to mention seeing friends whom I haven’t seen since covid reared its ugly head. Okay, enough prattling, here’s a selection of some of my favorite frames.
Recently, I had the opportunity to hop up to central Vietnam and jump on the tail end of one of our Central Vietnam photo tours. It’s always lovely to get to this part of the country and with Quinn joining too, a stellar day of shooting with friends was guaranteed. As a guest, I got to explore this little area a bit more than when I’m teaching, so it was a chance to see this place with some new eyes and a different approach. Not to mention seeing friends whom I haven’t seen since covid reared its ugly head. Okay, enough prattling, here’s a selection of some of my favorite frames.
Serenity in Lak Lake, Vietnam
Over the Lunar New Year this year, my wife and I had the chance to head up to a location I first visited in 2007. Faint memories of the lake and the surrounding hills had me quite excited to see Lak Lake with new eyes and show my wife what I remembered as storybook countryside. Originally, we were going to stay for a few days and then head down to Con Dao, but covid took care of that, so we stayed put and turned 3 days into 10. With not much to do, I initially thought we may get bored, but that turned out to be the polar opposite of what ended up being such an amazing decompression from the city. Hikes, quiet mornings, mists rising over mountains and lakes…it was everything I remember and more. Largely off the radar, (well maybe not anymore), this little bit of paradise is the cure for what ails ya if the city life starts to be too much.
Over the Lunar New Year this year, I headed up to a location I first visited in 2007. Faint memories of the lake and the surrounding hills had me quite excited to see Lak Lake with new eyes. Originally, I was going to stay for a few days and then head down to Con Dao, but covid took care of that, so I stayed put and turned 3 days into 10. With not much to do, I initially thought I may get bored, but that turned out to be the polar opposite of what ended up being such an amazing decompression from the city. Hikes, quiet mornings, mists rising over mountains and lakes…it was everything I remember and more. Largely off the radar, (well maybe not anymore), this little bit of paradise is the cure for what ails ya if the city life starts to be too much.
Northern Exposure: Ha Giang to Cao Bang. Part 1
What a ridiculous year this has been. Along with every other travel photographer, a good chunk of my travel assignments evaporated in a hurry with covid’s unwelcome arrival. With Vietnam’s borders, by all intents and purposes still shut, international travel is not an option. But, thankfully, I live in a country with so many incredible destinations, many of which I’ve never been. So, a couple of weeks ago, I hit the road with good friend and fellow photographer, Quinn Mattingly for an epic road trip. After flying into Hanoi, we headed north and grabbed motorbikes in Ha Giang city. Over the following 8 days we headed all the way to the Chinese Border and back down to Cao Bang city during the best time of the year - the rice harvest. This area has been at the top of my list for years and with the lack of tourists, it proved to be an incredibly unique time to explore one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
What a ridiculous year this has been. Along with every other travel photographer, a good chunk of my travel assignments evaporated in a hurry with covid’s unwelcome arrival. With Vietnam’s borders, by all intents and purposes still shut, international travel is not an option. But, thankfully, I live in a country with so many incredible destinations, many of which I’ve never been. So, a couple of weeks ago, I hit the road with good friend and fellow photographer, Quinn Mattingly for an epic road trip. After flying into Hanoi, we headed north and grabbed motorbikes in Ha Giang city. Over the following 8 days we headed all the way to the Chinese Border and back down to Cao Bang city during the best time of the year - the rice harvest. This area has been at the top of my list for years and with the lack of tourists, it proved to be an incredibly unique time to explore one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
From epic high mountain passes to the biggest waterfall in Asia, these 500 kilometers were one jaw dropping vista after the other. Pair that with nearly perfect weather and great company, and we had ear to ear smiles the entire journey. Well almost the entire time… The moment where Quinn’s drone decided it wanted to live permanently in the jungle treetops of Ha Giang was a bit of a bummer, but it was nothing a bit of rice wine couldn’t remedy!
Prints are available for most areas around the world so get in touch. Also, please give me a follow over on instagram if you haven’t done so already!
Europe Photo Diary, Part 3: Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve
Part 3 and the final bit of the European jaunt back in May. We spent a couple of weeks meeting up with friends and family in Portugal heading to Lisbon, down to the Algarve and back up to Porto and the Douro Valley. First, I’m a bit smitten by Portugal, so it was challenging to pare the mountain of images down into something a bit more digestible, and even so, I’m not sure I did that. Great food, incredibly picturesque cities, rugged coastlines, wine country, what more can you ask?
Part 3 and the final bit of the European jaunt back in May. I spent a couple of weeks meeting up with friends and family in Portugal heading to Lisbon, down to the Algarve and back up to Porto and the Douro Valley. First, I’m a bit smitten by Portugal, so it was challenging to pare the mountain of images down into something a bit more digestible, and even so, I’m not sure I did that. Great food, incredibly picturesque cities, rugged coastlines, wine country, what more can you ask?
Lisbon
Algarve
Porto and The Douro Valley
