Underwatercolors.

Not sure how I took this shot, but it was during a rag doll session at the Balangan break here in Bali. This was during the formative weeks of my surf photography endeavors about a year ago. Whilst it may look confusing I see a peace in the colors and textures of the image, it's as much like trying to make head or tail from the confusions we find ourselves in on a daily basis.

Nothing can be more confusing than trying to weed one's way through the maze of social networking and media related minefields these days. The number of people out there looking to suggest they have 'all the answers' to 'all your problems' seem to proliferate with a rapidity rivaled only by the reproduction rate of the common fruit fly! I really do believe in the prospect of earning a crust online, I welcome that option and as more and more people sit at home plugged into their respective computers it's a fair assumption that one day they are going to look at finding a way for that to pay. Given the workload with liquidmocean though I can't really afford hours spent scouring the net for potential schemes, there's just too much dross to weed through. A lot of cool stuff, don't get me wrong, but a lot of useless stuff too, maybe in the majority.

The only option I have found useful thus far is the automation system I use for my Twitter. When I first started with that networking option I just couldn't get it. It turns out to now be one of my favorite networking tools, it takes its time to grow on you but once you 'get it' and you realize just how massive the potential is then it just puts you onto another thought plane of possibilities. I'm riding that Twitter High at the moment, as if you couldn't guess. So like the image I guess, there are clear patches in the confusion, you just have to take your time to find them, and when you do, then I'm sure you will appreciate them even more. Ohh, and if anyone wants to follow along, here's my twitter....

This image was taken with a Canon EOS500D using a Canon 10-22mm EFS Lens stuffed into a Liquid Eye surf housing.

Cheers, catch up soon for more Ocean imaging.
Mark
liquidmocean

A Liquid Caress.

Some things go hand in hand as being the norm. Peanut Butter and Jelly, Bananas and Strawberry Yogurt (or is that just me?), the Sunday crossword puzzle, ticks on my dog and the role the Ocean plays in our lives. Each for our own reasons we decide our comfort level with the watery medium and set about our adventures within, on and around its magnetic embrace. Personally I've been snapping the Ocean for a number of years with only recently taking to the water for the surf photography. Apart from keeping me in shape it is hugely satisfying, the buzz when dueling with waves, the constant evaluating of a situation; "Am I in the right spot"? "Oh crap, here we go again" normally followed by a deep breath and a rag doll ride through what can only be termed as 'Madam Aqua's' spin cycle.

Sharing more and more imagery of the Ocean I've been approached on an increasing number of occasions with the suggestion that I should exhibit some of my work. I must also divulge that I also shoot liquids in all guises. The catalyst for everything imaging with me has always been the Ocean. Witnessing its sublime motion, its nuances in retaliation to energies meted upon it has always fascinated me. So I took that to a level where I could study liquid elements at a more manageable level.

Starting with simple water droplet photography I would sit for hours snapping dripping taps (faucets for our north American buddies) and splashes. This then led to the acquisition of laser timing devices that I could program to create water droplet collisions and such forth. Playing with detergents and naturally occurring elements also allowed me to further investigate the World of liquid art. Some of these images can be seen at my imaging site: Poetry in Mocean

What started as a deep fascination with the Ocean has now triggered the desire to show my work to a larger audience. It may take a while to organize everything but the idea is to create an exhibition of imagery that will be displayed here in Bali, I have yet to decide a name for the exhibition but it will, no doubt, be once again inspired by the liquid characteristics of the Ocean. More information will be posted on the progress of this as and when it becomes available.

This image was shot with a Canon EOS500D with a 17-85mm lens at 17mm (yeah, close) all stuffed into a Liquid Eye surf housing.

Cheers,
Mark
liquidmocean

Why Spot X?

I was quite amazed recently to hear of dramatic actions being taken to segregate zones of coastline for use by traditional surfers and Stand Up Paddle Surfers in Hawaii. Being able to catch waves far earlier than the standard surfer the SUPS meant that a bias towards using these longer heavier boards was becoming an issue on established surf breaks. It got me to thinking; "Is the Ocean actually that crowded with surfers that there needs to be measures such as this taken"?

Likewise, I always thought of surfers to be the peace loving, nature appreciating, easy going 'dudes' we have been led to believe. Stereotypical characters, unfazed by the hectic cacophony of life so long as there are bands of liquid energy to be ridden on any given day. To an extent I had an awakening this past year in witnessing the other, darker side of Surf sports, that of tribalism and frustrated violence.

Now I understand that if you're on a wave and you get dropped in on then you have the right to be frustrated. The Golden Rule in surfing is to NOT take a wave of someone already riding it, to do so is to incur the wrath of the surfer claiming that to be 'their' wave. As with driving a car, you look both ways at a junction before pulling onto the main road, likewise with surfing, make sure the wave is available before jumping on. Makes sense. The arguments and fights I've seen this year borne of frustrations of people who believe to have had 'their' waves stolen by lesser beings has been quite the revelation.

On the other hand I've also witnessed a certain tribalism where waves are concerned. Take our 'Spot X' here in Bali. This spot is not a surfers wave, it's a shore break, direct at times onto sand. For anyone to surf this would require them to be super fast and also quite crazy. So my buddy introduced me to the place, he's been 'sponging' this location off and on for a number of years, always being careful to try and mask his entry and exit spots. Well we were out there a week or so ago and along comes a local surfer, cool, nothing wrong with that. With any locals one has to respect that this is maybe their home break and that they normally have right of way. OK, so we're in the water, no exchanges, along comes the swell. My buddy goes for the wave, the local starts paddling and when he failed to get the wave started shouting obscenities.

His diatribe was cut short by my buddy who's grasp of Indonesian is almost perfect having lived here for the past 15 years. After failing to catch another wave our admirer left the water some ten minutes later to then stand on the beach and shout and scream at us one last time before disappearing off in the direction of the next break. When we eventually left the water I asked my buddy the words of the exchange. The gist was that we were only visiting and that we should not take any wave that this guy was even thinking about riding, hmmm OK, time to brush up on those telepathy skills. Whilst this was a mild interaction there are many a story of severe beatings being dished out by locals on any 'visitor' arriving at 'their' break uninvited or without financial recompense.

The desire to keep breaks such as this quite to the masses is therefore the reason why places are often called 'Secret Spots'. There are many tens of surf breaks on the island of Bali, each host to outbreaks of frustrations borne of the transgressions as mentioned above. All we can do is hope that when people do walk past our own little 'Secret' is that they realize its lack of surfability and keep on walking.

Image taken with a Canon EOS500D fitted with a Canon 15mm f2.8 Fisheye Lens (fitted to a cropped sensor this lens is more like a 24mm hence the lacking of the accentuated edges). This rig is then slotted into a Liquid Eye surf housing.

Cheers, catch up tomorrow for more Ocean imaging...
Mark
liquidmocean

'Vanishing Point'

The small wall of water building in front of me was shaping up to be one of the bigger waves of the morning. As I was also shooting on a beach break where the sand rose up at an incline from the shoreline meant there was the potential for what is called backwash, the energy transference of water from waves already broken on the beach encountering those still to break. This can give rise to some pretty spectacular affects on the lip of the wave, the part that hits first! I could normally get a feel for the backwash as I would be facing out to sea watching for the incoming and then feel the water rise up from behind, from the shore side, this would be my cue to check any waves on the point of breaking. I was stood right at that meeting point. Standing right on that knife edge interface between artistic aesthetic and pain.

I'd been in the water with my buddy for about an hour when I saw this one coming it was shaping up in every way to be a very nice way, albeit from the direction that meant it would be an empty wave shot. My 'model' was just too far away from the approaching wave so I just hunkered down to wait and see what developed with this one. Forming nicely I was on the verge of snapping when I felt the telltale backwash make it's presence known, the water rose around to my mid section and met the incoming wave head on. Where you can see the intended lip of the wave you can also see the effect of backwash in that outreaching fan of spray. This in itself is a 1/640th of a second in time. The following 10 seconds were a maelstrom of darkness, of rushing water, of immense pressure, of body slamming into sand madness, but it was worth it.

I guess the same is with this roller coaster of a ride we call life. For every positive there is a payoff. A necessity in order to get to the 'cool beans' elements we each enjoy with our respective goals and hobbies. This moment for me can only be used as a mere introduction of the beauty the Ocean holds. My fascination with it's water characteristics, the infinite formations of its moods is something that enthralls me, drives me on to continue in my discovery of its unbridled winsomeness.

This image was shot with a Canon EOS500D fitted with a Canon 10-22mm f3.5/4.5 EF S lens all stuffed into a Liquid Eye Housing.

Cheers,
Mark
liquidmocean

'Ma' Nature dishes out the Bitch Slaps!

Not sure about you guys n gals but I had a great weekend. A friend of mine had been on at me about a particular little spot he knows in Bali where when the correct conditions allow it gives rise to some incredible wave and rolling wave photo ops. I got the nod on Friday, things were looking good for Saturday morning, so with cameras prepped and ready I crashed out to images of nice big wave sets with cool barrel shots, I never realized just how much pain a 2ft wave could inflict!

I arrived at 'Spot X' on Saturday morning at around 7am, great light and a beautiful Ocean. This allowed me to get a good look at the subject for my imagery. OK, so it's a shore break, and I mean a shore break. These thick lipped little gems were literally barreling onto the sand at times, an incredible opportunity to get some different aspect shots of waves. Now there's no way these waves could truly be called surf waves, they form and then just roll over and close out with such rapidity meant that I spent most of the morning on my arse getting slapped repeatedly by such beautiful waves, I never knew I was into S&M until now!

We were happy with the wave shots from Saturday but on my return to the house and halfway through sorting out the imagery I got a call from my buddy to say that Sunday's prediction should be even better, and he wasn't wrong. Whilst the swell height had dropped a little and the tidal range had increased the lack of small onshore breezes meant that the Ocean was just flat like a mirror with the waves just rolling in perfectly. With the added issue of backwash, previous waves in the sets sliding back down the beach and into the Ocean to collide with the oncoming waves, gave rise to some pretty spectacular wave formations. It was all going perfectly, until mother nature decided to just let me know who was in charge here.

For all of this imagery I was standing in waist high water, reading the waves to know when to duck, when to dive through or when to crouch and wait for the impact. Well the image above was taken just a millisecond before that nice thick lip made contact with my, Gath helmet wearing, head. She knocked the crap out of me. I was literally picked up and taken over the top of the wave, almost like an aquatic body slam and placed firmly and squarely onto the beach, an involuntary sand blasting by the rushing water and it was over. The sweet lady left me as she receded back into the Ocean, taking with her a sizeable chunk of flesh from my right hip.

Check out the photo albums of both these days encounters over at my facebook page. Check here for Saturday's encounters and then here for Sunday's belters.

The image was taken using a Canon EOS 500D fitted with a Canon 15mm f2.8 fisheye and housed in a Liquid Eye surf housing.

Cheers and check back tomorrow for another Ocean Photo of the day.
Mark
liquidmocean

What's in a name?

I guess the most important thing in business is corporate image, your name, logo or catch phrase. Look at the many hundreds, if not thousands, of businesses that set up everyday hoping to become the biggest and best at what they do. Expectations and ambition are good, so long as kept within manageable targets. Take our name for example, liquidmocean.

I get people spelling it wrong as can be expected, some even believe that I'm the one making the grammatical error, and I've been drawn on that a few times! I seem to have a flair for coming up with titles and catch lines for brands and items so after a while I came to conclusion that this spelling would best suit our whole idea.

The 'liquid' element coming obviously from the Ocean, the one thing that unites everyone, both here and those who follow our facebook Page, 12,600 and counting. Then there is the 'mocean' deal clincher. This is an intentional typo that plays on the word 'motion'. Put together liquidmocean, intentionally all lower case, therefor represents a brand that celebrates the Ocean and the effects of the many sports that people enjoy, in, on and around it's watery embrace. I still get, and am sure that will never change, people taking a bit of time to get around the concept of the spelling but once the penny drops, and it does in most cases, the reaction is always positive.

I'm hoping that reaction will also carry over for our intended products. "What's in a Name" is also the title given to this our latest Tee Shirt design. As we're based on the island of Bali I thought it only best to create a Tee that heralds this unique surf destination. Emblazoned across the chest are 50 of the more prominent surf breaks of the island. On this the Black T-Shirt option the writings are in White and Red. The red elements being the form interrogative for the design and then two words, Bali and liquidmocean, marrying up once again the island the company as we wish to become synonymous with the island before we start looking to market further afield. 

Cheers all, more Ocean related accounts tomorrow,
Mark
liquidmocean

P.S This shirt is selling like hotcakes at the moment so we know it's popular. We're giving one of these away with every order over $45 for the next month so check out the Dudes and Chix pages here to find other cool items too!

Tunnel Vision.

I had to laugh. It was recently suggested that I am fanatically tunnel visioned when it comes to the marketing of liquidmocean. My dogged 16 hour computer days, staying in touch with the social media platforms, scouring for opportunities to get the name out there without taking on any kind of spammy attitude is difficult. It's all down to hard graft, no saying could be farther from the truth than; "You only get out from it the results reflective of the effort you put into it". To that end I guess yes, you could suggest that I walk around with cardboard toilet rolls stuck to my eyelids!

The goal of many surfers for example is the pinnacle experience of 'getting shacked' or being inside the barrel of a wave as it rolls it's energy over a reef or sand bar. I've personally never experienced it, I'm not that mad, but the elation I hear each time I see someone achieve that is infectious. Not just from the surfer but just about anyone within sight of the surfer. Yelps, salutes and celebratory profanities abound. Quite rightly so, the act of taking on nature, and in this instance, winning, albeit for a split second in time, must feel pretty bloody mental to say the least.

And so it is with such determination that I look to promote, run and guide liquidmocean, in a fun, personable and approachable way. My goal is to be enveloped, in as much the same way as the tube rider, with the social support of you, our followers, by those of you that share the passion for the Ocean, as liquidmocean is after all intended to celebrate the unity of an Ocean fraternity.....hope to sea you there!

The image above was taken on the Serangen Reef Break in Bali using a Canon EOS 500D fitted with a Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro lens. The rig was housed in a Liquid Eye surf housing made here in Bali. The surfer in the Tube is 'Tuzi' a local surfer and buddy of mine.

Cheers, check back tomorrow for more accounts of Ocean devotion.
Mark
liquidmocean

Volcanic Sunset over Bali

Today's blog post is one of those short, sharp reminders as to the incredible aesthetic of the Ocean, plus I'm pushed on the workload and am off to see a mate and his wife who've just had their first baby, busy times.

Living on Bali which is firmly slap, bang in the middle of what is known as the 'Ring of Fire' or in other words one of the most volcanically active zones on the planet, often gives rise to evenings bathed in the incredible hues of sunset's such as this. The reason is due to the added volcanic sulfur aerosols hanging in the air, the sun reflecting off of these then tend to turn the skies crazy colors of red and purple. If any of you in Europe can remember the eruption of the volcano in Iceland recently then here's an account as to why you all enjoyed so many incredibly colored sunset's.

On this day in question the neighboring island of Java had been experiencing some pretty wild activity from Mount Merapi which accounted for the added sulfur particles in the air. My wife and I were with a buddy who had just flown in to Bali on a stopover from a recent dive vacation in Ambon. The evening was spent at a small bar in a hotel on the southern part of Bali. 12 year old Chivas Regal, good company and this vista! It doesn't get much better than that.

Taken with a 5DMkII using a Canon 24-105mm f4 L IS at 24mm using a 6sec shutter speed to get the motion blur of the waves.

Cheers,
Mark
liquidmocean

When the Ocean lands on your head!

I started in water photography about nine months ago. At first waist high waves seemed ridiculously massive but slowly I got used to that and started pushing the envelope. Living in Bali means there are many opportunities to get in the water and snap away. My mettle was tested one fateful day at my then favorite beach break. Me and a buddy rolled into Balangan, the only break I'd been in the water at until then whilst learning the aspects of surf photography. With no channel and at times a good current I selected this beach to learn in sometimes tough conditions other than for the waves. On the day in question the regular wave height was around head height with the freak sets rolling in at well overhead. Taking comfort in my own perceived abilities I headed for the water, big mistake.

I paddled out between the sets, I'd been sat watching the surf for about an hour so felt confident, but knew I had to be waaaaay out there as some sets were breaking outside of the bay turning everything into zero buoyancy mush. So I'd been hanging back having elected to use the 70-200mm set at 135mm so as to allow distance and time for me to get out of the way from any large bruisers. Well I got caught out. I got too deep into one set and then saw the wall of water that was steadily growing and heading straight for me. I knew my lungs were about to be tested. The first wave hit, being fresh I had the ability to get down under it and came up OK into bubble infested non floaty foam! Taking a breath I looked out and saw the second wave ready to attack, it rolled in and broke about 10m in front of me, ducking down I got hit by some of the turbulence, enough to break the security lanyard I had attached to my wrist and camera. My last thought at this time was camera. I surfaced in a maelstrom of water currents and foam. By this time I was getting tired, I could see some guys on sticks just 50m away outside of the impact zone keeping an eye on me. They'd seen the camera go and were focused on maybe one of them having to come in and get me only when it was safe for them to do so.

By this time I was farked. Its a strange thing to not appear to expend so much energy but I guess its also a fact that fear can drain strength, or maybe that is resolve. My background is military, British Infantry and French Legion, I don't consider myself a nutter crazy bastard but I have been to some crazy places, seen crazy shit and had to deal with situations that can also test one's psyche. I consider myself level headed and methodical when it comes to dealing with extreme situations. The third wave was forming. It was a huge bitch and looking intent on slamming the hell out of me. But inside I went calm, I knew what I was looking at. Yes, an image of my beautiful wife flashed through my mind, plans we have for the future etc etc. All the life stuff lined up and made an appearance in just a few seconds of reflection, for some reason I had thoughts and memories spinning through the void of my cranium that had been locked away for years.

I am not a religious man. I've seen what some people can do to each other in the name of religion. I cannot get my head around an all loving entity that supposedly created us all equal, especially not in one that has a beard. I believe there are possibly spirits and forces at work on the planet that are and will remain unexplained. As I faced down this third wave I found myself just looking at it. In times of severe stress people will always appeal to a power they may never really believe in, as I did. Just before trying to get under this last wave I uttered the words; "Please God, not this way". I guess I looked like a wide eyed duck trying to get under this beast, I got caught by the turbulence and went for a lung stretching ride across the flat rocks and reef of the bay.

With eyes firmly shut, it closes out the pain? this trouncing seemed to last an eternity. I kicked up. Surfacing with lungs crying for air I gulped down the clear life liquid and started to realize I had been under a while and, oh shit the next wave should be heading in. I turned expecting to see my next tormentor. The Ocean was flat, completely calm, not a ripple. Had my words been heard? No idea but there should have been more waves coming in if the pattern of that days sets were to remain identical. I had enough time to collect my resolve and swim out into much deeper water, shaken, stirred but otherwise OK. I lay over the deep water collecting my thoughts, gulping down air and listening to the surfers who were amazed at that last "Set from Hell" that had pretty much cleared the whole bay. A few asked if I was OK, and asked if I could make it back in OK.

Half an hour later I headed in. I could time the waves OK and going back in anyway is a much easier task. I made it to the beach completely drained. Fortunately for me a surfer on the beach had seen me go out and then found the camera washed up on the shore. Thinking the worst given the conditions he kept a hold of the rig but was my welcoming committee on the beach as I rolled in.

I spent the next two hours in a beach Warung drinking fruit juices, calming down and just getting my head around what had just transpired.

I now know my limits.
Cheers,
Mark.
liquidmocean

A morning swim.

It's been a while. I've been working on many of the different aspects of the business here in Bali, I realized it had been almost a week since my last dip. One of my favorite breaks here is found on Serangen Island, just south of the tourist enclave of Sanur, on Bali's eastern coastline. Now, seeing as it is supposed to also be the off season for the wave due to the shifting trade and westerly winds there were surprisingly few people out on the water. The other reason attributed to the fact that it was low tide and this reef break at low tide gets real shallow. Make a mistake and it's burger meat for lunch! The waves were not particularly huge, small offerings really in comparison to this last couple of weeks where incredible swells have been enjoyed by many throughout Bali.

Hitting the water at 7.10am I was able to take it easy waiting for the first swell set, it rolled in, liquid thunder to the reef. It's so impressive to see such a large body of water standing up, only for it to crashing down around your ears, the noise is incredible, the awesomeness of nature combined in a pure and very real display of power and grace.

I managed a couple of hours in the soup. Happy to take that time to relate to the things going on in my life right now. Able to place things into context and seek answers.

This shot was taken with a Canon EOS 500D in a Liquid Eye surf housing. I used a 60mm f2.8 prime lens which on this cropped sensor (factor of 1.6) means this acts more like a 96mm prime, if one existed.

Until more liquid adventures,
Mark
liquidmocean

Everyone's doing it...!

The day of rest, Sunday. I'd been working my fingers to the bone, wiping off the ink from the keyboard, the fourth one thus far, of my trusted iMac. All manner of tasks set before me for the week dutifully addressed and managed. It's a cool ride to see the formation and taking shape of the company, it does mean long nights, aching eye sockets from the constant glare of the screens and of course the copious amounts of coffee.

So today I strode out to the beach, like is there anything else? The wife and hound in tow to get some air and salt from the Kuta region blasted into our scalps. I guess its similar to when you buy a new car, especially of a specific color. Before having that car how many of that future car and color of that car did you notice on your daily transport schedule? Not many I guess. So how about once you're sat in that new car of the specific color? It seems like every second car is the same, right? Same with this issue right now. We're setting up the small Ocean sportswear brand and now seeing as I am more involved with the whole surf aesthetic it seems like I notice how many people are surfing. It seems everyone and their uncle are hitting the waves.

Grandmothers, toddlers, teenagers and their fathers, hip dudes and sexy chicks were all present this morning at some time or another during the two hour stroll. I don't know about you but I can count around 9 surf boards in the picture above, taken during that stroll, and this was only the image to the front of me, the same behind and more people in the water.

It's great to see so many people connecting with the Ocean, proving it's never too late to learn.

Cheers,
Mark.
liquidmocean

Contemplation

Ever since I can remember, I've had this affinity with the Ocean. Growing up in social care on the south coast of the UK back in the day I would often, in times of strife, leg it down to the shores and sit by, walk along, stare at or even talk to the 'watery lady'. I always seemed to find my solace there. The sounds of the frigid southern English waves washing along the Dorset coastline would help me to deal with my demons of the moment, the cool sea breezes dancing around the *goosebumps they formed.

And so it has always been. Even though I took quite a hiatus during my 12 year military stint, part of that was also spent close to the Ocean, the Red Sea in fact during a posting to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, I always came back to the Ocean. My departure from the military saw that affinity rekindled. Living in places such as the Canary Islands, Micronesia, Palau and now Indonesia where in each location it's been pretty much impossible to not see the Ocean everyday.

This past week has been a roller coaster of a ride, hitting some high points as well as some pretty lows, but this is normal for everyone I guess. Life can't be always on the up, there has to be a balance. Much like the surfer in the recently snapped image above, taken during the first rounds of the Oakley Pro 2011 on the Canggu Beach here in Bali, one can use the Ocean for inspiration, as a medium for relaxation. I'm wondering what this guy was thinking at this moment? Looking for peace, emptying his mind to concentrate on the task at hand, looking for an answer to a personal issue? Who knows? One thing that is certain though, the draw of the Ocean is strong in all of us. It affords us the opportunity to think, free of the clutter, noise and dirt that otherwise surrounds us on a daily basis.

When did you last stroll along it's shores?

Cheers,
Mark
liquidmocean

*Goosebumps being the term used in the UK, and maybe elsewhere, for the effect of cold on exposed skin, also 'Chicken Skin' is an oft quoted term.

Things I Sea....

So I tend to float around the Ocean waiting for waves to form. My sponsorship of a local surf rider here in Bali means I get to spend about two to three mornings a week in the wet stuff trying to get images of him that could then be used for promotional media for the company. It's great fun on days when there are cool waves, high waves (but not too high) when a barrel forms and you can get inside, inspiring photography of that genre depicts a sport of adrenalin and action. And then between the set waves you have the lulls. It's during these times that I have time to think.

There's nothing I like more than the feeling of awe when in the company of big waves, not on the scale of Hawaiian breaks or anything like that but in my short experience within wave photography, those moments when an amount of water stands up that just seems so inconceivable is just an amazing thing to see. The power, the raw ferocity of it is just stunning. Equally though I get the same fascination when watching small waves, even ripples. With crashing towers of water there is the power, with these smaller waves there are the shapes, the crests and the droplets. I like to see them as wild Ocean stallions with Manes comprised of silver linings, their galloping to the shores only to slow at the reefs and sandbars of the World.

In a World gone mad, it's nice to dream...

Cheers,
Mark
liquidmocean

It's a dog's life, or is it?

Living in Bali certainly has it's perks. Take a peek back through some of the posts here and you'll see it's a pretty cool place. Many is the time I get responses to wall posts over on the facebook page like, "Oh, it's so cool that you live in Bali" or "Man, you got a cool deal". Yeah, I'll have to agree that on the outside it looks pretty darn great, but the things that brings everything back to reality with a resounding 'Thwumpf' is that even bills need paying in paradise. Now yep, it's true that life here is cheaper than in the western World, but still not that much of a difference when it comes to basically just living.

In the west we look at disdain toward people going through trash cans and garbage. Imagine what it must be like for the society class who are publicly recognized as scavengers. I recently read a story in a Newspaper from Jakarta where it mentioned a fracas at a snack bar between a Street Cleaner and a Scavenger, I tried to picture that one but couldn't. So I'm not really sure what this blog post is about really other than the fact that to get by out here some people have to put up with some pretty unsavory working conditions.

Take the ladies in the above image. I took this photo at the Cucukan Beach region of Bali. I'd never seen the micro industry before but at low tide the whole village would come out on to the pebbled beach and sit huddled at the waters edge filling up bucket after bucket of pea sized small black pebbles worn smooth and shiny by the constant wave actions. Once filled it would be the ladies who then ferry the bags of stones back to the processing points in the village. These pebbles are then used in ornamental bathroom tiles and fixtures. It seems the term "It's a Dog's Life" doesn't resound true as it seems the dog in this photo may have been dealt the best hand.

Camera: Canon EOS 5DMkII fitted with a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS Zoom lens.

Cheers, and catch up tomorrow for more Ocean memories.
Mark
liquidmocean

WasSUPS? It's almost Summer....

I'd never really heard too much about the sport of Stand Up Paddle Surfing or S.U.P.S as it's called, makes sense I guess. A buddy of mine, 'Jenkie' called me up one day to ask if I'd like to take some snaps of him and some friends out on a reef close to Sanur as the swell was supposed to be hitting. Never one to shrug the chance to get into the water I responded with a very fast "Hell yeah"! Using a much larger board and a Paddle the rider is able to get faster take off speeds and withe the larger board is able to catch waves much earlier, farther out than conventional surfers. Yep, you guessed it, this pisses off the regular surfers off BIG TIME. It's weird, the surface of our Planet is 75% covered by water and yet so many people get into so many arguments about a wave?? Never understood that.

Anyway, we were slapping down the images at the OKA Point surf break close to the channel entrance of the island of Serangen in Sanur, Bali when we noticed the waves hitting along the region of what we call 'Shipwreck Point'. A sad sight awaits most beach strollers in this region. A nice sandy beach, great fun for the kids, nice water, and a recently wrecked tug boat on the reef, not cool.

Mother nature provides. The waves breaking around the stern of the ship were fun, shoulder to head high sets, all good, hard to swim in and deceptively powerful. I spent a couple of hours getting tossed, bruised and scraped by the elements but in the end 'What doesn't kill you only makes you better'! A great day, and more to come. The season is on the way, the sun is warm and the predicted swells will soon start. Fingers crossed.

This image was taken with a Canon 500D, Canon 60mm f2.8 in a Liquid Eye surf housing.

Cheers all, more Ocean celebrations tomorrow.
Mark
liquidmocean

Mr. White, I presume?

From where I was standing on the back of the boat I couldn't really get a good look until it was a matter of feet away from me. The first thing I noticed was the effortless grace as it sliced through the water, no apparent effort expended as it cruised past, that dark eye seemed fixed, calculating, observing. I felt a chill. This was my introduction to a White Shark. I was on a project in South Africa to attach National Geographic 'Crittercam' systems to these amazing creatures, to see what they get up to when left to their own devices, without the company of people. Personally, and strangely for me, I preferred the company of people at this point.

It's hard to shake the media conditioning when faced with such an awesome predator. Of course the shark probably wouldn't have even surfaced if we didn't have a pungent slick of chum emanating from the back of the boat. We were, after all, located in False Bay, Cape Town, where just a few hundred meters from us, and unfortunately downwind, was a rocky outcrop known as Seal Island. Home, at this time of year, to 70,000 Cape Fur Seals the island served as a birthing station and public toilet for these Great White Shark bite sized fur balls of blubber and noise. Yes, the Jaws soundtrack was reverberating around my head and yes, the line "We're gonna need a bigger boat" almost left my increasingly dry throat.

The project though was a great success. We managed to attach around 17 cameras on different sharks over a two week period which also allowed us to get a very sneak peek into their otherwise very private lives. I came to appreciate the sharks as the incredibly adapt and consummate predators that they are, not the mindless killing machines the media would have us believe. They are dangerous, yes. Would I hug one? No, but they do deserve their place in the Oceans. After all, they were there a long time before we ever were!

This shot was taken with a Canon 400D (R.I.P) and a standard 18-55mm kit lens. Location: False Bay, South Africa.

Cheers, more Ocean memories tomorrow.
Mark
liquidmocean

Got any Weed bro?

One of the things I've always wanted to do was to help out some children who may not have the best of chances in life. Not that I am by any means affluent, I have to seriously watch the pennies as anyone these days, but, with a small company that promotes the Ocean and Ocean sports I think it only fair in a location such as Bali where life can be cheap, to give something back and help a youngster out. My fledgling company, liquidmocean, is now the proud sponsor of a cool young Balinese surfer Kadek, or 'Dek' as he likes to be called, originates form the Padma region of Kuta.

On a whim, and a call from someone who wanted some images from the small island of Nusa Lembongan to Bali's south Eastern coastline, I took Kadek over for a weekend so he could get some different waves whilst I was off snapping. Seemed like a good plan.

I never realized such a micro industry existed on the island. Seaweed Farming. The green, brown and beige stuff is everywhere. Every low tide the people head out to the reef shallows to tend and harvest their patches, this means bringing in mountains of the stuff to be cleaned, dried and shipped off to the mainland. Be warned this stuff is also very bloody slippery!

We had a great meal, invited by the Brit managers of a particular dive shop. Hearty laughs, a few Vitamin B's (Bintang's, the local Brew) and some good conversation. Making our way back to the hotel though I decided to walk along the beachfront, bad move. With no coastal lighting it's hard to see the seaweed, the slippery as hell seaweed that's been left on the top of the seawall to dry. I went down like a sack of potato's! Landing on God knows what I put a pretty big gash in my right heel. Not happy. The result was three weeks out of the Ocean, which for a in water surf and Ocean photographer is not exactly conducive to being good news. If you ever head out to Nusa Lembongan then be warned, this stuff waits to ambush ya!

Today's image of a Seaweed Farmer's canoe with Bali's active volcano Mount Agung in the background was taken with a Canon 500D using a Canon 24-105mm f4 L IS USM 

Cheers, more tomorrow,
Mark.
liquidmocean

Heading to work...

So here I am blogging on a Sunday morning, planning the day ahead, tapping me bunions to some old Andy Moor podcast's from March 2009, good stuff. It's gonna be a beach day, but which beach? The biggest obstacle being traffic! Yep, Bali is famed for its clogged streets and traffic lines, the drivers, I use the term loosely, are something else. I'd like to maybe head out to somewhere different to find a new place to run the dog.

The above image was taken about a month ago on a trip to a new spot, Cucukan (Choo-Choo-Kan) on Bali's east coast is a small town, tucked into some coastal rice fields, a nice spot, laid back and isolated. If only the roads on Bali were as uncluttered as the coastline. This guy going to work with an outboard engine strapped to his otherwise traditional fishing Canoe.

Well wherever we end up you'll be sure to hear about it. One's thing's for sure, the cameras will be cocked and ready for action, land and surf.

Cheers, until tomorrow,
Mark.
liquidmocean