Hidden Bali Photo Tour Workshop
From start to finish, Luminous Bali was impeccably researched, planned and executed with a rich, full and unique itinerary that left no photographic stone unturned. — Lee Ann Birkenstock, USA
Are you ready for the best Bali photo tour ever created? Ready to photograph HIDDEN Bali on a photo tour jam packed with rare image making opportunities? We emphasize "hidden" so you know we don't venture anywhere near Tourist Central, which has nothing to do with the real Bali or this photo tour. What multi-major award winning photographer & National Geographic contributor David Lazar has designed for you is nothing less than exceptional. With the help of one of Bali’s finest lensmen & great personalities in Dukun Jawa, along with guidemaster Pande Sura, you are assured of an unparalleled, Bali photo tour experience. No hype.
Beyond Bali’s well-worn tourist spots, Luminous Bali is a 2-island, 13-day journey off-the-beaten-path and into the true heart of the Island of the Gods. Bali may be most famous for its honeymooners, lush rainforests, beaches, ethereal green rice terraces & soaring volcanoes, but the island also incredibly rich from a cultural perspective, and people photography will feature prominently as well.
In addition, this unique Bali photo tour offers two very special events to which you will have exclusive or preferred access and freedom to photograph. They are the exciting and colorful buffalo bull races near Negara, and traditional Balinese Dancers during private dance performances – Ramayana, Fire, Kecak and Legong. This includes portrait sessions in natural settings; an ancient rainforest temple and rice terraces. There will also be an adventure to the neighboring island of Java, where you’ll have the chance to photograph the otherworldly volcano-scape of Mt. Bromo, as well as native Tengger horsemen & horses with breathtaking backdrops.
“David Lazar and his team at Luminous Journeys know what it takes to put together the perfect photo tour. After first traveling with A.P. Soe & then with David Lazar in Bali, I can say they are experts at searching out locations that yield the best photos and are sure to get you there in the very best light… He (David) is very generous with his knowledge of photography and always put our photos ahead of his own. Anyone fortunate enough to travel with David or any of the Luminous Photography team is in for a real treat.” – Susan Flickinger, USA
Luminous Journeys’ “prime directive” is to always put our guests’ image making first and foremost, thereby ensuring the utmost out of your Bali photo tour experience. Any photographer, novice to advanced, stands to gain a quite a lot from working with an outstanding professional and all around great guy like David Lazar. Whatever your goals are for the tour, he will do his absolute best to help you achieve them. These might include capturing certain images, learning more about working with various kinds of light, getting better with camera settings, composition, camera techniques, Photoshop tips & tricks, etc. Image review is also available on request.
Be sure to check out this excellent David Lazar article and photographs about Bali published by Photography Life magazine.
Hotels – Mostly Balinese style 4/5 star. Four nights in an award winning 5-star private villa. Clean 2/3 star hotels in two remote locations. You will not be disappointed even in these, as the settings are spectacular!
Tour Type – Small group photo tour workshop, 4 person minimum, 10 person maximum
Skill Level – Suitable for ALL skill levels, novice to advanced. Novices will never feel left behind, and advanced shooters never held back
Physical Difficulty – Light to Moderate, with minimal mountain walking. One location has 187 steps, and is well worth the effort!
Transportation – 1 internal return flight to Java, late model air conditioned vans w/ plenty of space for legs and gear
Highlights – Hidden Bali Photo Tour
Kecak & Legong Dancers, Private Shoot
Spectacular Mountain Rice Terraces
Traditional Buffalo Race Action Shoot
4 Nights Private, 5-star Villa in Paradise
Java & the Surreal Mt. Bromo Volcano
A Monkey Forest Less Traveled
Balinese Monks @ Hidden Temple
The Tengger Horsemen of Java
The Beautiful People of Bali!
Itinerary Brief
Bali Photo Tour Adventure
Day 1 – Sanur – Introductions & Traditional Dancers!
A “get acquainted” orientation with David is followed by your first privately arranged photo shoot in a nearby temple. Three lovely Ramayana dancers in full costume will peform. Also present will be 20 male Kecak & Fire dancers! The big show & shoot follows, then to an awesome Balinese restaurant for your special welcome dinner.
Day 2 – Sanur – Java – Fishermen Sunrise and a Volcano Surreal
Rise before dawn to catch the picturesque action of a fishermen’s net catching the rising sun… Breakfast @ the hotel followed by a short flight to Java, drive and trek to incredible Mt. Bromo. No worries, the trekking is easy. Afternoon/sunset volcano-scapes suitable for framing ? Your hotel for the night rests beautifully on the rim of a volcano!
Day 3 – Java – Of Volcanoes & Horses
I love the smell of Bromo in the morning! Short drive to a new high angle location for a Landscaper’s dream shoot to delight your senses as well as your sensors. Then meet Java’s master horsemen, the Tengger. You’ll get the chance to photograph the Tengger with their horses with some incredible mountain backdrops.
Day 4 – Java - East Bali – More Volcano Angles - Return to Bali
Awesome mountain locations lined up by our local Java photographer fill this morning. Long afternoon drive back the airport for the short return flight to Bali. Check-in to our gorgeous and tranquil Balinese style hotel for well earned rest and relaxation. Image review during this time for anyone interested, followed by another great dinner.
Day 5 – East Bali – Editing Session - Gamelan Workshop - Tukad Unda! After breakfast a voluntary photography class with David's brilliant Photoshop tutorial. Late morning visit a Gamelan Workshop for some colorful environmental portraiture with a variety or artisans and percussion instrument makers. Lunch followed by an afternoon shoot with local kids at the Tukad Unda “waterfalls”, which is always great fun and makes for striking and joyful image making.
Day 6 – East Bali – Mahagiri - Ancient Temple and Rising Rice Terraces This morning not too early we go to an insider location - an ancient temple ensconced in the jungle - for a unique shoot with Balinese yoga masters. After lunch at a very charming restaurant we head for Mahagiri, in the shadow of Mt. Agung. Here we have two opportunities to capture the stunning rice terraces in the late afternoon light - time permitting. We'll do our best! Then again at sunrise tomorrow.
Day 7 – East Bali – Mahagiri - Pupuan - New Light and a Mohter Temple This early morning brings a second chance at this marvelous rice terrace/volcano-scape, the best combo on the island. Because the hotel is pretty new and built on once secluded private property, the scene is still little photographed, unless you count hotel guests and their mobile phones. Neutral density or graduated filters will be a big help with the contrasting light. After breakfast with a view, Bali’s “Mother Temple”, Besakih, beckons. It’s just 10 minutes away and you’ll enjoy an hour or more of free shooting here. Afternoon drive to the little visited (good for us!) but fantastic rice terrace area of Pupuan.
Day 8 – Pupuan - Bali West - Negara - Glorious Fields, Endless Ocean The Pupuan rice fields are not as well known as one or two other areas, but for our money they are much more photogenic. They are also easily accessible and in addition to going out with David and the group, so you are also free to roam as you will. The photography is pure landscapes, landscapes with a human element. In the afternoon we head for West Bali and a wonderful beach resort near to Negara. Check-in and relax. a rest. David will lead a beach walk and shoot around sunset., or set out on your own if you wish. Dinner at our favorite sea view restaurant rounds out this marvelous day.
Day 9 – West Bali – Central Bali - Buffalo Morning, 5-Star Evening
This is a rare opportunity to capture some incredible culture in action images. We will attend a publicly held traditional buffalo race with VIP photography and behind the scenes access. After the race is free time before heading off to the most beautiful Balinese private villa you can imagine, complete with spa and world class chef. We will sepnd 4 nights here as a way to really soak in the magic of the island.
Day 10 – Central Bali – Private Villa - Of Monkeys & Models
Enjoy a relaxing morning in this glorious setting then set off to explore an off-the-beaten path monkey forest, where macaque families w/ young babies play. Later a chance for image review and editing at the villa. The afternoon is slated for a professional Balinese model to photograph in natural settings in and around the villa. There are still places on the island where women go about their day in the traditional way, and so we will re-create such scenes here.
Day 11 – Central Bali - Private Villa - Of Kings, Gods and Chiaroscuro
Indra, the King of Gods, is said to have pierced the earth at Tirta Empul to create the spring that feeds the ancient purification baths. Photograph Balinese worshippers here and in other ceremonies around the grounds. Fun loving Balinese shooter Dukun Jawa joins us today. Later we'll go to his family home where two Legong dancers perform under rainforest canopy light. Nearby is a river pool where kids leap from a big rock into the water, and you can too!
Day 13 – Departure Day – Checkout – Airport
Late check-out approved until 3 pm. Breakfast included today, but you’ll need to chip in for lunch if you stay late and want to eat. Feel free to take this time to relax and enjoy the amazing surroundings, and we’ll drive you to the airport when you’re ready. The drive is around two hours. You will miss this place!
Day 12 – Private Villa - Rice Ladies, Pool Party, Last Night in Paradise
Sunrise at the spectacular Ceking rice terraces as the first rays of the sun break over them. Lovely ladies and children will provide a human element, as well as engage in portrait sessions. Back at the villa, we’ll have another chance for editing and image review, before an afternoon shoot with local Balinese dancers. Late afternoon brings your farewell pool party BBQ w/ food prepared by our world class chef. Local child dancers will perform, and gamelan music will play…
*We have great confidence that Luminous Bali is easily the best photo tour workshop ever run on the island, and will be a very pleasant surprise even for you hard core travel photographers out there who think it might be too tame or touristy. It is ABSOLUTELY NOT. If David were not excited about this tour, and if we had not gotten such great feedback from some very fine photographer participants, we wouldn’t be doing it for the 11th year 🙂
**Please note the above itinerary is a brief sample only, with daily shooting schedules subject to change. A fully detailed itinerary and 30+ page information kit concerning traveling for photography in Bali will be sent to all registered participants approximately 100 days prior to tour start date.
***All photographs are by Luminous Journeys photographers or participants. Photo Credit: Day 3 – Rahmad Hidayat.
What’s Included in the Price of Your Bali Photo Tour?
Included:
Photographer fees and top English speaking guide during your entire trip included
All accommodation
In-country flights, airport & all tour related ground transport, inc. airport transfers
Healthy, tasty and hygienic meals from dinner Day 1 through breakfast Day 13
Plenty of bottled water throughout
All entrance, zone and camera fees
Local model/location donations
Excluded:
International airfare
Extra drinks @ lunches & dinners (1 soda or fruit juice is included)
Personal purchases
Trip cancellation or medical insurance
Medical expenses
Gratuities – porters, local guide/driver
Indonesia visa fee
End of trip gratuities - photo tour leader
Getting Cultural
More Knowledge – Better Pictures
Original People – The Bali Aga
The Bali Aga are indigenous to Bali and predate recorded history, whereas the bulk of the population arrived from other islands over time dating back some 2,000 years. Youngsters by comparison! The Bali Aga now live mostly in the Karangasem area of east Bali, in two main villages – Tengannan & Trunyan. The latter is more strict and not especially welcoming of outsiders, but both have well preserved ancient cultures.
Tengannan is actually two villages, and with its vast rice paddy terraces the richest. It has only recently opened up to tourists but has clearly embraced its visitors. Tengannan inhabitants tend to be taller than most Balinese, with light skin and refined manners.
Bali Aga villages are protected by a solid wall surrounding the entire village. They have 4 gates, north, south, east and west, and inside each is a giant, sacred Banyan tree. Bali Aga life is even more relion centric than of Bali in general, which is saying quite a lot. Everything they do is in service to others and/or the gods.
Visit this website for more information on the Bali Aga.
Culture of Ceremony
It seems quite true what they tell you, that no day on the Island of the Gods passes without some ceremony somewhere. The first ceremony of every new family compound, is to bless the earth where the family temple will be built.
Every 210 days thereafter, an Odalan ceremony is held in honor of the temple gods. This is true for village temples as well, and each village has a minimum of three major temples. Nobody can possibly keep track of all the ceremonies on the island, and you often happen upon one in progress. There are certain periods where you see more than usual, on full moons in April and October especially.
Children have 10 ceremonies before the age of 20, the first before birth, with 6 more before the ripe old age of 6 months! Menuk Kelih, puberty rites, are performed after first menstruation for girls, and for boys, after his voice cracks. At this point they are considered adults, and in the old days, ready for marriage.
What’s Up with Balinese Names?
It is said that the Balinese tradition of naming children originated as a gentle form of population control awareness, as generally only 7 names are possible.
First born children are all named Putu or Wayan, which have the same meaning but is caste differentiated. Second born are dubbed Made or Kadek, third Nyoman or Komang, and the fourth and supposedly last, Ketut. If a family has a 5th child, they start over again at Putu/Wayan. These are legal first names, and as anywhere nicknames are common, and with 4 million people on the island, well…
And yes, these names are unisex, and it is therefore possible for a brother and sister to have the exact same name, most likely, Putu or Wayan. If you meet a brother and sister named Ketut, you know they come from a huge family! In some areas of Bali it should be noted, the first born name for boys is Gede, and for girls, Luh. The second born name is Nengah, and it is unisex. Balinese photographer Dukun Jawa & son are pictured left. Dukun is a nickname, his real first name is Nyoman.
