Buddha Statue And Flower, Bali
A bright red flower placed in the hands of a contemplative Buddha statue in Bali, Indonesia.
I've long had a fascination with statues of the Buddha. In particular the gentle, yet stylized representations of the Buddha from Thailand.
As well as the compassion and meditative qualities evident in this artwork it's the expressive and delicate nature of the statues that I find appealing.
The hands, for example, are full of poise. It's no co-incidence that these same traits and characteristics are evident in traditional Thai dance.
Bali | The Buddha On A Hindu Island In A Muslim Country
Interestingly the above image was made in Bali.
Even though the dominant religion in Bali is Hinduism it's common to see beautiful representations of the Buddha in stone and wood throughout the island.
Is it simply a response to meet the needs of the tourist trade? Perhaps it’s an indication of the accepting and inclusive nature of Balinese people.
Photographing The Buddha Statue
I found the above Buddha statue at the entrance to a restaurant high in the hills in the north of Bali.
The image was made with a Canon 5D Mark II camera and Canon 24-105mm f/4 L series lens set 105 mm. I employed a 1/20 second shutter speed and an aperture of f/11 at ISO 640.
The scene was, with the exception of the flowers, quite devoid of color. To highlight the potency of the red flowers I employed Adobe Lightroom to remove what other color remained within the scene.
By moving in close I was able to remove any distracting elements from the background and, in doing so, explore the relationship between the statue and the flowers.
It's a very simple image. Perhaps that's why it works.
Photography | Opportunities Exist Everywhere
If there's a lesson from this post it's that there are opportunities for photography everywhere and everyday.
Whether you’re humping around a big old DSLR kit, a nifty mirrorless camera or your trusty mobile phone photography is always within reach. It's just a matter of doing the following:
Staying positive and opened minded
Being alert to the opportunities around you
Bringing a physical approach to your photography
Being prepared to experiment and, above all else, having fun
In the case of the photo at the top of this post my wonderful driver and I were heading into a restaurant for a well earned lunch when I noticed this lovely statue of the Buddha.
The afternoon was getting on and it was hit and miss whether the restaurant was still serving lunch, but I had just had to make the photograph. Who knows what would happen to the light if I'd waited.
The good news is that I made the photo and we were able to have a quick and very enjoyable meal before heading back out to photograph a temple and then a sunset on the way back to my hotel.
I can certainly recommend Bali as a wonderful destination for travel photography. There are loads of landscape, temple and people photography opportunities for the enthusiastic photographer.
Many Aussies travel to Bali every year. That's understandable as it's close and the people are very friendly.
It took me a long time to get to Bali, but I'm sure I'II return. Maybe I'II see you there.
