Photography in Bali

•Bali is a photographer’s dreamland. The range of subjects available here is amazing, the light is consistent and the people are open to being photographed. Looking back on my time in Bali there have been some memorable photographs and many more that were not worth printing. Writing article means getting out during daylight hours, grabbing some opportunistic shots, re-sizing them for the article later on. There are a couple of things I do that work and a few things I do that don’t. Here’s my view on photography in Bali.

•Camera:
The better the camera the better the photos, one would think. That’s not always the case, but its certainly a factor. My cameras are usually cheap compacts that are light and handy. The current model, Canon Power Shot A420 is 4mpxl, which is okay for website snaps. If you want to take a ton of photos, the larger each image is, the less will fit on a flashcard. Its possible for to take over 870 with my large photo format, which is very nice. Also the 4mpxl image takes up less space on my hard drive, is easier to upload (Flickr etc.). When people buy cameras with a super heavy photo capability, in some ways they are limiting themselves. If my goal was simply to take beautiful photos, I’d buy a better camera. For fast web stuff, I don’t really need one.

•Camera On Hand:
Small compacts means you can always have them on you. My camera has a small ‘bendy’ tripod, meaning I can set it on top of something solid and use the 2 second timer and a high ASA to make the most of dim light. Its never a question, ‘shall I take the camera or not?’ as it can fit in a bag, under the motorbike seat or in the pocket of my pants. When riding a motorbike I hang it around my neck.

•Power Supply:
Sony cameras come with their own re-chargeable batteries. One of my first digital cameras was the Sony Mavica (14 times optical zoom!). The Mavica was a decent camera, except for the floppy discs it took and the batteries. When those things run out, you are in trouble. The Canon cameras, PowerShots etc. take AA batteries, so when my re-chargeables are empty, I have the option of picking up a pack of Duracells and getting more shots.

File storage:
People often complain about file storage, especially those on long trips. Of course there are photo sharing sites like Flickr, that allow you to upload your shots and download them later, but what if you are in a place where the internet connection sucks? One solution that I have been telling people about for ever, is a portable hard drive. My WD hard drive plugs into a computer via a USB cable, there are no other cables needed. Drop your photos from the camera onto a hard drive (whenever you get a chance to use a computer). No getting online, no uploading, low expense / frustration. My WD had 40gb of space an weighs about 1lb, (7″ * 4″ * 1.7″ in the case).

•Camera Security:
A cheap camera costs less to buy, is easy to keep on you and easy to store. In a hotel you are best off using the room / hotel safe if you value your belongings. A friend of mine had his family’s cameras / iPods taken from their hotel room and it was most likely hotel security. Before you leave home you might want to send yourself an email with the serial number of your camera in case you lose it.

•Camera care:
Bali is hot, dusty, high humidity, with traffic fumes, pollen and other assorted goodies designed to kill your electronic devices. Best bet is to keep your camera in its case. Never place it on the dashboard of your car as it will get cooked. One time I left my GPS on the garden path to get it to track, while I was taking a shower. On my return the thing was hot, with the display fogged up. It still works fine, but I won’t be doing that again.

•Buying a camera in Bali:
Bali is not the place to buy a camera. There are shops on Jl. Legian in Kuta as well as places in
the Discovery Mall, but prices are always going to be higher than Singapore / USA etc. You can pick up a perfectly good compact if you have to.

•Getting your camera fixed in Bali:
This is even more of a no no than buying a camera. Camera shops in Bali are not like the ones in the UK / USA. They sell cameras, but don’t fix them. You have to wait till you get home or over to Singapore. A friend of mine knows a Chinese guy in Singapore who can take apart a large Nikon lens and clean between the elements, putting it all back together like new. You won’t find that here in Bali, but if you pass through Singapore its nice to know that kind of expertise exists.

Situations in Bali that have worked for me:
Photo opportunities in Bali include Balinese ceremonies, shots of rice terraces, beaches, street vendors, sarong vendors and kids. People who haven’t been to Bali, but who frequent travel message boards sometimes get bent out of shape on the issue of taking photos. When you come to Bali you’ll realize its a non-issue. If you are just snapping a few general photos of a group scene, nobody will notice, you don’t need written consent from them all. If someone does notice and alerts the rest, stop for a second, smile, wave and gesture as if you want to take a photo. In 95% of cases they will respond with a smile and you’ll know its okay. If someone does not want their photo taken they will either look the other way, or shake their hand at you. It really doesn’t take much common sense to figure out what’s right and wrong.

In close up situations, where the subject doesn’t speak English, simply do what I already suggested in a non-threatening manner and respect their response. In Bali I almost never have a problem taking a photo of someone and in many cases people say “Thank you.”

•Where to take a photo in Bali:
There is a great photo around every corner in Bali, just not the same photo. In high density Kuta you have an environment rich in people, street life and the unexpected. Coastal areas can be great for sunsets and in the rice terraces you may be rewarded with an angle or object of interest that makes the shot.

•When to take a photo in Bali:
Every photographer knows that around dawn and sunset are the 2 best times to take photos. The light changed rapidly and here in the tropics, super fast. The other day I riding back from Canggu around sunset and the reflection across the flooded rice fields was a glowing orange! Light coming in at an angle is softer than the powerful midday sun, which casts shadows so strong you can’t see half of someone’s face. Most of my shots are taken at the wrong time of day, because my aim is more to document than be creative.

•How to take a photo in Bali:
A friend of mine showed me some of his shots and said “Now why does this photo give you a sense of peace?” Hard to encapsulate the exact answer, but a good photo will often draw you eyes to it and give a feeling of peace. Compare that to a cluttered, busy photo that is unbalanced and its obvious what he is talking about.

A few tips I follow are:
Don’t put the subject in the middle of the shot.
Try to trim the ‘visual fat’ by focusing in to cut out the unnecessary stuff.
Use portrait format (camera on its side) for solo people shots.
Trim the top / bottom of a landscape shot to focus in on the points of interest.
If the background is super bright (beach etc.) you might wasn’t to use a flash for a portrait, even in the daytime.
Use a tripod in low light conditions.
Look for interesting shapes in the photo, rather than one tiny object.
In landscape shots look for an interesting foreground object.
Its better for you to move to find a good angle than to rely on the zoom.

There are many good tips and the BootsnAll travel photo message board is the place to get them.

Enjoy your travel photography in Bali.