Hangin' in the Kampung
You don't see skies like this in Jakarta very often.
I just happened to be in the right place at the right
time with my camera to snap this photo.
Not a bad place to hang out...sip a beer, and nap in a boat...
North Jakarta, Indonesia
January 15, 2005
Happy or Not
On that same day (from the photo above),
these boys were sitting on a balcony in a
torn-up chair.
The expressions on their face says it all.
North Jakarta, Indonesia
January 15, 2005
Late Afternoon Smile
I was sitting with my buddies on a house boat
sipping beers, and waiting for the sunset.
A little girl pulled her canoe to the
the deck of the house boat
selling bananas.
The late afternoon sun
was shining on her face.
Being addicted to light,
I jumped from my seat to grab some photos
of the little girl. She couldn't have been
a better model.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
February 17, 2007
Simply Shy
I was just ready to go home
from a long day of visiting
various sites around Angkor
Wat. It seems a photographer
always gets his/her best shots
when you are packing up to leave.
I spotted this little girl playing with
a hat that a tourist had given her. She
was trying it on with her brother (pictured below).
I took my long lens out, and shot her
secretly from a distance. Gotta love the light.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
February 18, 2007
The Little Brother
This is the "little brother"
of the little girl pictured above.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
February 18, 2007
Light From Above
Even with Underwater Photography (my true passion),
the light can be perfect. Usually, I have to
take my own light (two strobes) down with me, but
on this occasion, the perfect blend of ambient light
and artificial light made for a nice photo.
The photo was taken at a very unique dive location
in Papua, called "The Passage". Near the surface of
the water, are huge fan corals, and just above the
water is the jungle. Hard to believe your are in the
Ocean.
Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
June 16, 2005
For more of my underwater photography,
please check out my underwater gallery
Manta
One of my favorite Manta shots.
This guy was about 16 feet wing tip
to wing tip. He hovered over me just inches
from my camera. I used my 10.5mm fisheye
lense to capture his whole body. The water
color and visibility that day was priceless.
A truly memorable dive day.
Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
June 15, 2005
The Elusive Mandarine Fish
You have to wait until dusk
to capture these little guys.
First you have to find them.
They are shy and elusive. They pop
out of their staghorn homes just
when it is getting too dark to see them.
If you are lucky, you have your lens pointed
in the right place, your settings are correct,
and the photo is in focus. After a few hundred
attempts, you may get lucky with the
perfect shot.
Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
November 5, 2006
A Swim Through Paradise
Getting this shot was tougher
than it appears. The current
that day was raging, and I had
to wrap my legs around a large rock
to keep in place while Mike swam against
the current. After four tries, air running low,
we called it a wrap, but I got the shot.
Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
November 7, 2006
Santorini
Without a doubt, one of the most
photogenic places on Earth. It is truly
tough to take a bad photo in Santorini.
If you haven't been there, GO !!
Yes, there is some photoshop work on this shot...a new sky was added.
I do not usually manipulate my photos this much in photoshop, but I
was using this photo as an example of how to change a sky in my photoshop
class that I teach, and liked it so much, that I decided to share it in my
gallery. I am not trying to fool any of you... aa haaa...
Santorini, Greece
July 18, 2006
All Smiles
It was one of those moments.
Several kids all crammed into
a small grass hut...too shy to come
out with the others until they saw
my camera. All at once, they tried
to cram as many faces into the small
doorway as possible. Notice the small
sets of eyes behind the others trying
to sneak a peak.
I took the photo with my fisheye lens,
and got as close as possible to the faces.
Irian Jaya Highlands, Indonesia
February 9, 2005
The Beach
This is one of my all-time favorites.
I was taking a walk down the beach
after my morning dive. It was like
walking on my own private island.
When I saw the palm tree hanging over
the water, I knew I had the post-card type
beach shot.
Kri Island, Papua, Indonesia
December 27, 2003
Life Goes On
One of the most emotional trips I have ever taken.
Aceh, just a few months after the terrible
tsunami of 2005. I went there to shoot the kids
of Aceh for a book called, "Letters From Aceh".
I only had two days to shoot, and on our last
day, we went down to the pier where a few ships
were turned on their sides. I thought this shot
said it all about the attitudes of people in Aceh.
Total destruction all around, yet everyone kept smiling.
Life goes on...
Aceh, Indonesia
May 2005
A Komoro Chief
On a trip to visit the Freeport Copper mine
in Irian Jaya, I had the opportunity to visit
a Komoro tribe in the Irian Jaya lowlands near
Timika. I just love this guy's face.
Irian Jaya Lowlands, Indonesia
June 13, 2007
A Komoro Boy
Here is a small boy from the same tribe.
Irian Jaya Lowlands, Indonesia
June 13, 2007
An Aquarium
The current was raging, I mean REALLY raging.
I was like superman flying over the reef.
I saw this small school of fish near a coral head
that I just had to shoot.
With every ounce of energy, I tried my best to
spread my strobes out as wide as possible
and to control my camera and my bouancy
in the raging current. It wasn't easy, but
the reward was worth the energy spent.
Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
June 17, 2005
My Favorite Clown Fish
Everybody knows of Nemo...
He is the famous clownfish made famous
by Disney.
Clownfish are also very popular amongst
underwater photographers. They make for great
photos. They are very quick swimming in and out
of their host enenome that they share a symbiotic
relationship with. I spent most of my dive huddled
next to this little guy taking hundreds of shots. Most
did not make the cut, but this one is my favorite.
Manado, Indonesia
April 10, 2005
Alone in the World
On my trip to Aceh after the
devastating tsunami, I met this
sister and brother in one of the
deserted streets. They told me that
they had lost their mother and father
to the "big monster" that came ashore
the day after Christmas in 2005.
Aceh, Indonesia
May 2005
Just Had a Swim
This one is from my Komoro gallery.
We were on the river, and I was just watching
the kids jumping in and out of the river. His face
just exudes fun, don't you think?
Irian Jaya Lowlands, Indonesia
June 13, 2007
Rainbow at Victoria Falls
My buddy and I only had two days at Victoria Falls
in Zimbabwe. The summer we went, they had heavy rainfall
in Botswana, so the falls were just bursting with water.
That is a good thing, but not so good for photographers
as it was difficult to see the falls with all the mist
in the air. Therefore, I had to turn to different angles.
The mist in the air casted a nice rainbow against the
cliffs of the falls where I caught this shot.
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
June 14, 2004
Elephant Crossing
There is something about being
in a small boat, and only 10 feet
from a herd of African Elephants
swimming towards you. Nervous? You bet
I was...but that didn't stop me from firing
several shots with my camera. For some reason
viewing through a camera lens takes all the fear
out of a situation.
Botswana
June 18, 2004
A Row of Zebras
We were at a water hole in Namibia.
A couple of zebras were drinking water
while keeping a careful watch for lions
and other predators. Then a couple more came
until there were six of them. I waited patiently until
the moment all six had their heads down, and fired the
shot. Somehow, I think the animals being zebras, the
photo looks better in black and white.
Namibia
July 2, 2004
My Daughter, Kayla
I couldn't create a "favorites" gallery
and NOT include a photo of my daughter,
Kayla. Kayla is now three years old. I have
an entire gallery of Kayla since she was
a week old until now, and would like to
continue to add photos until she grows up.
That would be a cool graduation present, ya?
Jakarta, Indonesia
Manado Kids
This is one of the first shots I took
with my new digital camera back in
2002. I had just changed over from
a film shooter to a digital shooter
with my Nikon D1X. It was a tough
transition, but I have never looked
back to film since.
Manado, Indonesia
March 24, 2002
Mount Bromo
This photo was chosen as the NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals)
photo of the week. It was a nice surprise.
You never know in Photography when you will fire off
an award winning photograph.
This photo was taken hand-held after I jumped out of the
car for a quick shot as we were heading down the mountain after sunrise.
I had just spent the last couple of hours with my camera on
a tripod carefully composing other photos of this same volcano.
None of the carefully taken photos came out nearly as nice as this
spontaneous shot...that is photography for ya.
Mount Bromo, Indonesia
August 18, 2007
Two Boys
This is another photo from my Asian Portraits Gallery.
It is one of my first attempts of using Corel Painter
with my photography. I liked the way it came out, and
I am tempted to go back and retouch some old photos
from the past to try out some new techniques.
Papua, Indonesia
February 12, 2005
Somber Eyes
As long as I am showing some of my favorites from my portraits,
I had to include this shot of this little girl. I had just
finished a three day trek through Sapa, North Vietnam when
we came to a small school in the mountains. I am not sure
why she looked so sad, but her expression is priceless. Amazing
how a single expression can say so much about her life.
Sapa, North Vietnam
A Kayaker's View of Alaska
This is actually a photo of myself taken by my
good buddy while on a Kayaking trip in Prince
William Sound, Alaska. We were wondering how in
the world we could capture on film what we were
looking at while sitting in our kayaks. Believe it
or not, the real view was even more spectacular.
Prince William Sound, Alaska
August 2, 2002
Blue
This photo is from my Santorini Gallery. I have always
loved the color blue, and this photo is blue. I am not
really sure why I like this photo, but it just appeals to
me. Maybe it is the ocean, or the broken wall...anyway, I
like it.
Santorini, Greece
July 13, 2006
One Face
This has been a popular photo from my friends
at NAPP. This was taken during the funeral
of an important chief in Papua. The funeral lasted
four days. The men would gather together to mourn
the chief, and the women would gather in a different
spot. This is one guy who seemed to stand out from
the rest of the crowd.
Papua, Indonesia
February 11, 2005
Anenome Shrimp
I couldn't resist another popular
photo from my friends at NAPP. This particular
shot won the Editor's Choice Award a while back.
These small shrimp are only the size of your finger nail.
Pretty tricky to get photos of the little guys as they
move around the anenome and are not really cooperative models
when a camera the size of a house (to them) comes poking around.
Raja Ampat Islands, Papua, Indonesia
August 24, 2006
Sea Snake
This is a memorable shot. I had just finished my dive,
and I was doing a decompression stop with just a tad
bit of air left in my tank. I was looking down, and saw this
sea snake come out of the coral. I debated whether it would be
worth the effort to drop back down and take the photo or not. With
just a few breaths of air left, I dropped down quickly, took one shot
and then headed to the surface. My jaw dropped when I finally saw
the photo on my computer. All is was perfectly in focus and properly
lit. What a lucky shot.
Raja Ampat Islands, Papua, Indonesia
June 17, 2005
The Lion Gazes
This is from my Africa gallery. I remember the morning well.
I had been on Safari already in Botswana for almost two weeks,
and we had not seen a single lion until this morning. This lion
was the first one I had ever seen in the wild. I couldn't believe
my luck that there were no other safari jeeps near-by, and the lion
cooperated by posing in the near perfect morning sun, and with a stare
that would go clean through you. I like this lion shot.
June 21, 2004
Botswana
Lone Palm
This photo was taken shortly after the
devastating tsunami that occurred the day
after Christmas in 2004 in Aceh. Nothing was
left standing except this lone palm tree.
Aceh, Indonesia
Self Portrait
I am coming to the end of the gallery, so thought
I would include a photo of myself. "Pemilik rumah ini
masih hidup"....means "the owner of this house is still
alive"...of course, most people that lived near the ocean
were dragged away by the huge waves. There was not much left
of this house, but at least the owner was still alive.
Aceh, Indonesia
My Wife, Tika
I will end this gallery with probably my most
popular photo...it has had over 6000 hits over the past
year. I guess people on Pbase.com like photos of girls
in bikinis...I should put this photo as the cover photo
on ALL my galleries....everyone would click on my galleries then, right?
Anyway, this is my wife, Tika. I took this photo in Koa Samui, Thailand
while on vacation back in 2003. Tika is the most patient wife a man could
ask for, and is a great model. You have to be patient when you travel
with a photographer....right?
Koa Samui, Thailand
June 28, 2003
