Java Lights, from my first trip to Indonesia. This was a stunning experience, climbing Bromo, mount Ijen and a visit to
Borobudur, one of the biggest Buddhist monuments in the world. Shot in 2019.
Stock footage available HERE
In 2023, after the world shut down, I was able to return. The main focus of this trip was to swim with the graceful manta ray. After a few snorkelling sessions, which I absolutely loved, I headed to Nusa Peninsula. I had to wait until my second snorkelling session until I witnessed these magical creatures, a memorable experience.
I’ve always been apprehensive of scuba diving, knowing the pressure under water and concerns of things going wrong. It may well be time to overcome that fear for my next trip.
Here’s the first part on my 2023 reunion with Java’s Volcanoes. This time I brought my time lapse rig to add a bit of motion. The whole trip was frustrating, breaking two motor cables – yes, my spare cable also (thanks dynamic perception..) and loosing my drone. I managed to get one cable repaired by an old school electrical engineer in Propolingo, which thankfully saved the day.
Hiking up Ijen at 2am, I was the first at the iconic trees and set up a star lapse, delicately lighting the tree. Later I was joined by two Chinese photographers who were polite. However, one had a red head light on which ruined the last part of my shot. Soon others came with flashing head lights, then the tour guides wanting to take selfies with their clients by the tree we were photographing. All in all, a frustrating experience.
A quick move to some other trees worked well, firing off a few quick motion lapses as the sun rose. Looks like I will have to return to this magical place once more 😉