postcards from bali - details

postcards from bali - faces

postcards from bali - the beach

 

postcards from bali - cocktail hour

postcards from bali - ceremony

So my summer holiday is finally over and I've spent this week trying to 'get back into it'. Its amazing how quickly I can shut down and forget about life at home and work - I think it happens the instant I switch the phone onto 'airplane mode' and become uncontactable for a good few hours.

This is the first trip where I've only had a film camera (my beloved Nikon FM2) and it made me really nervous! I really needed to trust (and hope) that I  knew what I was doing as I couldn't see my shots as I took them.

Having shot ten 35mm and a couple of medium format rolls I thought I'd split the images into groups. I hope I've captured some of the reasons so many of us love this fragile little island and its people.

...

I am far from religious, however I do have a fascination with religion and a person's dedication to it. I spent a lot of time watching the Balinese take part in Hindu ceremonies. I was constantly in awe as this was completely ingrained into their everyday lives (this is not a 'go to church every second Sunday because you feel guilty' religion!). As an observer it seems like such a gentle and harmonious way of life and I believe that this might be the reason so many Balinese people appear to be content.