Locations
Once again I visited Indonesia, and took about 2,000 photos in Java (Jakarta and Ayer Island, Pulau Seribu), Sumatra (Medan, Berestagi, Danau Toba and Samosir Island) and Bali (Kuta, Sanur, Ubud, Kerobokan, and Tanah Lot).
I was incredibly fortunate to have blue skies on each island for almost the entire trip. January is the rainy season after all.
Sumatra
Sumatra is the safest island – no civil strife. However, always avoid one-lane and mountain roads at nite. There’s a lot of logging and fuel trucks on the road, and disabled vehicles aren’t marked with lights or flares – invisible at nite.
Kijang (Jeep-like SUV)for the day including pro driver and gas is 650,000 Rp ($75).
Bali
Photographers are welcome to photograph almost anything and anywhere, including people, religious ceremonies and hotel lobbies. Airports are ok as long as you don’t act creepy and security isn’t watching you.
Kijang for the day including driver and gas is 300,000 Rp ($35) from Travel Restu Bali.
Jakarta, Java
The exception would be Jakarta monuments at night from the street, although it is ok from Gambir Station (50 cents admission) and inside the Monas park. Definitely do not photograph the Presidential Palace in Jakarta at night. Carry your passport when photographing at night in Jakarta.
Pulau Samosir, Danau Toba, Sumatra – Nikon D200 with 18-70mm lens
Tongging Falls, Danau Toba, Sumatra – Nikon D200 with 18-70mm lens
Equipment
Normally I use a hand-held (or rested) Canon S400 digital camera when in Indonesia, but on this trip, I used a Nikon DSLR and tripod.
I own a lot of Nikon equipment, but wasn’t comfortable carrying it around a poor country, and on-and-off multiple airlines.
So I travelled light, with a Nikon D200, 18-70mm lens, and 50mm/f1.8 lens with a holster-style triangular case. Lenses have a UV filter for protection. For a camera backup, I used the Canon SD550 7 MP digital camera.
In Jakarta I bought a Slik carbon-fiber tripod and pistol-grip ballhead. CF is expensive and fragile, so I hand-carried it through airport inspection, which invited scrutiny – I was informally questioned in Medan Polonia Airport by a plain-clothes senior immigration officer in the seating lobby.
For image file backup, I used my Compaq notebook, and ended up filling 60 GB of hard disk space plus 3x 4-GB CF cards. This notebook has a cd burner, which turned out to be handy for making cds on request.
Technique
I shot in NEF and JPEG Fine formats. The JPEG files averaged 5 MB, which is too large for distributing or hosting online, so next time I will prolly choose a smaller file size. (Under 200 KB is ideal.)
Generally I shoot in Aperture-priority mode. I like doing 2 or 3 safety shots, even with a tripod. Often I use fill flash even in daylight.
I did not use lens hoods, although I do use a hat between the camera and sun when possible.
Gear Comments
The D200 is a nice-handling camera with the convenient 3-kings settings control (QUAL, WB and ISO). The only problem is that the C-S-M focus mode switch is easily moved by my left hand, meaning I have to double-check it every time I put the camera down and then pick it up.
The 18-70mm lens produced acceptably sharp photos on a tripod at all focal lengths. I expected more from the 50mm/1.8 lens though. Next time I will take a longer lens, as I missed a few long shots across lagoons.
The D200 has a moderate number of focus control points for use when mounted on a tripod, which wasn’t really enough for composition in complex 3d scenes.
The tripod is light enough to be comfortable, although getting in and out of the Kijang SUV, or extending-collapsing it is a real hassle. The locking knob is not captive, so it fell out once. That’s inexcusable. The bubble level was often in a position to be not viewable, and going portrait orientation is tricky. The ballhead was strong enough to maintain grip while weak enough to be force-positioned, which worked out well for me.
Issues
It is difficult to find lens cleaning supplies in Indonesia, so bring your own lens cleaning fluid, microfiber cloth and Q-tips. The pink bottles of cleaning fluid you find in Ambassador Mall in Jakarta or Playfair in Medan leave residue on lenses and filters!
Photo gear will attract attention, since Indonesia is a poor country and most people aspire to own a digital camera or camera phone.
I only saw one other visitor carrying a tripod (a young man at Tanah Lot in Bali), so you will attract attention if carrying one.
Filters are very useful, especially circular polarizing and graduated neutral density.
Pulau Seribu is on the sea, so carry rain gear at all times to protect your camera from salt spray and rain. It only takes a little spray mist to make your filters and lenses unusable until cleaned.
I used the self-timer on 5 seconds for group photos including myself. I’d recommend a longer time to avoid sprinting back and forth. It’s too hot for that.
Use sunscreen and hats or you will suffer from deep burns.
Lessons
Using the tripod was worthwhile. Sharper images, lower ISOs, no need to chimp for sharpness.
Should use filters more often for landscapes: ND, CP, color enhancing.
When shooting models, focus on the eyes, avoid distracting backgrounds, ask them to apply make-up for smoother skin.
