Bali pt 2 - central bali

Coming straight from the sedate, tranquil countryside of west bali to Ubud was a bit of a shock to the system. We were used to seeing a grand total of maybe 50 people per day, and arriving in what felt like the seething, sweaty masses of a big town was overwhelming. It appeared we had traded the hypnotic warbles of the call to prayer and sublime, empty landscapes for the endless entreaties of street vendors and masses of travellers. 

Try as I might, I cant think of much to say of Ubud, and it left little impression in my mind other than being a nice town similar to what you'd see in one of a hundred places in SE asia. Its a beautiful place, particularly the surrounding country side, the cuisine is as mouth watering as it is cheap, you can get massages as good as anywhere on the planet for the cost of pack of incense in Sydney, but still, for whatever reason, the place itself just didn't make me feel much of anything.

The highlight of this part of the trip was easily a sunrise hike up Mt Batur - the second largest mountain / volcano on the island - the peak of which sits at the not so dizzying height of 1700 m (Mt Warning eat your heart out). Sitting on top of a mountain in the - welcomingly after a few weeks of inescapable humidity - frigid pre-dawn air, watching the sunrise with Bali's highest peak, Mount Agung, able to be seen in the distance over a sea of cloud was one of the most breathtaking, ephemeral vistas I've ever seen. Perhaps because of the shelf of cloud directly below us, with a layer of lower clouds over the ocean, it quite literally looked like we were watching the sun rise of the edge of the world (photos below). It was the kind of sight the word majestic was invented to describe but fails utterly at doing so.  

Feeling inspired and stunned and everything in-between and beginning the scrambling descent back down the mountain, I asked our guide who ferries droves of people to the peak everyday where our particular sunrise rated in his experience. He thought for a second and replied 'Hmm, maybe 3 out of 10'.

Context is everything.

Bali pt 1 - west bali

This holiday was a long time coming. I booked cheap airasia flights a little under a year ago for ALT's birthday with the intention of a) going to bali (...obviously) and b) providing motivation to progress my surfing skills from abysmal to somewhere between complete kook and applaudably eager but pitiably lacklustre grommet. 

To help facilitate b, a quick bit of googling suggested the apparently oft overlooked and quiet fishing village of Medewi in West Bali. All I could find on the place was a few forum mentions here and there that promised great, easy waves, and a few sparse websites for accomodation options (of which there are about 6 in total).

With that, we booked a few nights accomodation in a house in the neighbouring village of Pulukan, and before you know it were getting whisked from Denpasar airport through the night, with ALT occasionally waking from slumber, groggy and terrified as we flew passed another truck on a blind corner. 

For me, nothing beats arriving to a new destination in the dark, and waking up to watch the sunrise slowly reveal your temporary home for the next few days. This particular sunrise didn't disappoint. We were nestled in amongst fields of rice paddies, in the far corner of a tiny little Muslim village with layered hills lining the horizon.

Following our directions to Medewi after the first of a silly amount of nasi gorengs, we wandered through the village, down the hill, passed the rice paddies and over the bridge to our first glimpse of what we had journeyed so far for. Rolling 6 to 8 foot lefts coming like clockwork down the point breaking for a couple of hundred metres, the very definition of gentle giants (I've since heard them referred to as nanna ramps - new favorite idiom). Heaven.

The next 96 hours were passed in a haze of long walks, longer surfs, home made balinese food, the ever ubiquitous crowing of roosters and the ritual sounds of call to prayer wafting through the air.

A couple more stories are smattered throughout the photos below.

Also, ALT nailed a few whoppers.

This is Made (pronounced Muh-day). Made is a legend (I throw that word around a lot - but he deserves it). He surfed the same point break almost daily for 34 years, until a big swell, a wipeout, and a burst eardrum stopped him getting in the water. The only time he ventures out now is to teach beginners to surf, and uses homemade ear plugs (i.e. balled up pieces of paper) to keep water out of his ear. He was genuinely over the moon stoked whenever anyone finding their feet got up on a wave, and would paddle around the line up giving everyone who was new tips about where to sit and take off, pushing all the learners onto waves, even those who hadn't paid for lessons. He also makes a mean condensed milk coffee and has a habit of saying 'uh-oh' whenever he sees a big set coming.

Incidentally, we were wondering why we were meeting so many Balinese named Made. Turns out the Balinese have a distinct naming system whereby a persons name corresponds to which child they are (Wayan = first born, Made = second born etc) with generally only a few variations for each. Lots of people probably knew that already. I didn't.

Pulukan point. This is a big old rock shelf which juts out of the headland. The place comes alive around sunset when the heat of the day starts to subside. Fisherman come to fish (duh) and local kids arrive 3 and 4 to the scooter to play soccer on the sand. Apparently in winter when sunset coincides with low tide, bunches of families come to sit in the warm water of the shallow rock pools that form with the receding tide and have been baking in the sun all day to escape the cool (Bali averages a low temp of just 23 C in winter - evidently this is freezing enough to necessitate a natural spa bath).

The boat is a monument to Indonesian independence from the Dutch. 

Incidentally, the place is beautiful af. 

Indecent exposures

So, I recently bit the bullet and purchased an old film SLR off of gumtree that I had had my eye on for a while. These are a few shots from the first roll I got developed after chasing a few sunsets and sunrises.

Confession - it was actually the second roll of film I shot. When I first got the camera, I got all excited and took it camping down the coast, had a few early rises down the beach, and then took it to the camera shop all giddy to get it developed. Turns out I loaded the film wrong and it was completely blank. #newb.

I love the whole process of shooting film. It forces you to slow down and think about everything you are doing and why. The anticipation of not knowing exactly what you are going to get (except for when it comes back blank). The lack of editing. What you take is what you get. 

For the photo nerds, these were shot on a Nikon FE-2 with a 50 mm 1.8D on Portra 800 - generally overexposed a stop or two. Film retains highlights unbelievable well. 

Summer down South

Hot days. Cool nights. Campfire cook ups. Long empty beaches, long empty waves and long hours on the road.  New friends and old. Sunsets and moonrises. And stars.

And oats, so many bowls of oats. 

A selection of shots taken over a week and half camping up and down the south coast down to Melbourne and back. It was a quintessential Australian summer road trip, and the editing reflects how the days exist in my mind - hazy, soft, and blissful. The south coast is stunning. 

home pt 1

home pt 1

her

her

her II

her II

monitoring

monitoring

kings of the bush

kings of the bush

moby

moby

moonrise

moonrise

south coast country sunset

south coast country sunset

wanderings

wanderings

bedroom

bedroom

kitchen

kitchen

adopted 

adopted 

dry leaning

dry leaning

bermagui I

bermagui I

bermagui II

bermagui II

Morning Story

Every day has its own story. As of late I've been actively trying to keep that in mind when I head down to shoot, as opposed to just around for pretty pictures. After all, telling stories is what this is all about (at least in my uninformed, uneducated opinion).

Take the old man above. He was standing right there when I first stumbled down bleary eyed onto the beach at about 5 30, pumping little hand weights together with a resound clack, staring resolutely at the sea with a mix of longing and stoicism (with the occasional grimace I might add), and he was still there at 6 15 when I took this shot just as the sun was peaking over the north heads. He must have been pushing 80 and here he was, down the beach well before the sun camp up, working up a sweat and doing weights in the morning sun. If he can do that, it made me realise we have absolutely excuse to wake up in the morning and chase whatever it is that we are after. It also made be really want to have a chat and hear his story, but he looked pretty focused, and Humans of Bondi this ain't.

The rest of the morning passed, as it is want to do, in a particularly golden fashion.

Bonus shots at the end of a particularly ludicrous sunset spotted on the way down to Canberra last Friday.

i thought these two made quite a good pair - was following them around for longer than is probably socially acceptable to try to get a good shot before the sun came up as it initially looked like it was going to be a boring, dull, grey morning......

i thought these two made quite a good pair - was following them around for longer than is probably socially acceptable to try to get a good shot before the sun came up as it initially looked like it was going to be a boring, dull, grey morning......

...then this happened.

...then this happened.

resolute

resolute

contrast - about 50 m down the beach from the guy above was a bunch of nippers doing their early morning training runs. for whatever reason this kid seemed intent on not sticking with the pack.

contrast - about 50 m down the beach from the guy above was a bunch of nippers doing their early morning training runs. for whatever reason this kid seemed intent on not sticking with the pack.

advance

advance

feet

feet

the return

the return

in flight

in flight

all orange everything

all orange everything

energy

energy

morning stories

morning stories

tread softly because you tread on my dreams

tread softly because you tread on my dreams

canberra sunset - fun fact, this was taken on the side of the Federal highway with trucks and lorries flying past at 110 km / hr mere metres away. its all about perspective

canberra sunset - fun fact, this was taken on the side of the Federal highway with trucks and lorries flying past at 110 km / hr mere metres away. its all about perspective

wut, how.

wut, how.

INSTAGRAM @THESALTYSHUTTER

Vin and Milly are both pretty creative. Vin makes - and obviously plays - guitar. Milly is an artist and is building her own business through it. Their wedding was aesthetically beautiful, but it also had a hell of a lot of heart. Vin, Milly, and a surprise performance to a new wife in the kitchen that brought the house down.
Next week I’m going to do a big story to try and do this day justice, but for now enjoy Kate’s clearly unexpected transport down the aisle.
They say friends are the family you choose for yourself. Coming into my 30’s this has never been more evident. The people you grow up with, the people you live with, those who you have shared drunken adventures with and consoled through heart-wrenching break ups. Those you’ve fought and argued against and loved and without whom the narrative arc of your life wouldn’t be quite the same. This day really brought this home. Hayley and Rory met in high school, out the front of an old demountable, and became acquainted in the way that only school kids can (“hey, you want to sit with us?”) and quickly became fast friends, before becoming more. They both love the outdoors and camping, and the quiet, shared solitude that often comes with both of those things. So they decided to get married in the Victorian high country, at the foot of Mount Bulla, only a few minutes drive from one of their favourite camping spots, with just a select handful of twenty or so people they love most in the world. People they had years and years of shared time and experience with. They wanted no fuss, no frills, just to be married and to throw a party to celebrate. There was not even to be speeches until Jack, one of their mutual best mates (who also walked Hayley down the aisle) insisted on doing one to mark the occasion. There are so many parts of this day I want to draw attention to, from the beautiful - Hayley shedding a tear at some of Rory’s words as they shared a moment against the backdrop of an outlandishly picturesque sunset over the Victorian hills - to the absurd - Jack snatching the bouquet from out of the air much to the chagrin of one of Hayley’s best friends, who quickly snatched it back - but I think this time I will let the images tell the rest of the story.
These two have one of the best how did you meet stories I have heard in recent times. Out at a bar with friends one night Honey spotted Jairo across the way and thought he was cute. Sometime later they struck up a conversation which - due to Jairo’s recent arrival from Brazil and at the time very basic English - went something like this “Do you have a boyfriend?”, “No”, ' “Do you want?”, “..No”. Somehow Jairo convinced Honey to let him take her out to lunch the next day and told her he would pick her up, whereafter she ended up waiting at home for over three hours wondering where he was - her first introduction to Brazil’s more relaxed social norms around what constitutes being on time. Fast forward a few years and a whole bunch of both English and Portuguese lessons later and here they are as Jairo broke down 10 seconds after starting his speech like a hip hop MC as he explained how Honey’s family had given him the sense of family and belonging he had missed since moving over from Brazil. This one was a great reminder of a lot of things. Of the importance of family and community, of being yourself, of the unexpectedly life changing things that can happen when you take a chance. Of how weddings can be this beautiful platform to share words and gratitude with all the important people on your life. Of living life like Tupac. Bonus shots of the rest of the speeches because they were f***ing great. Link in bio to the full shebang.
I say this a lot - but weddings are about so much more than a place and a dress and some flowers and all the accoutrements that typically surround the occasion. I’m not saying these things aren’t important by any means, but they are important inasmuch as how they reflect you, what you hold dear, the memories and things and places you choose to invest your time and energy into in order to bring yourself, and those around you, joy. Lana and Andy had originally planned to get married on the shore of Lake Crackenback near Thredbo as it is a place they have spent a lot of formative time together, exploring and riding bikes and generally having a great old time, and as Andy’s family has a property in the country nearby that is close to his heart. They were both unbelievably excited about it all. However, only 2 months out from the wedding they got the news that Lana’s dad was ill and needed to start treatment immediately, and so wouldn’t be in a position to be travelling when the wedding was scheduled. And so they set about re-organising every part of their plans, moving the wedding lunch to the backyard of Lana’s parents place, with the ceremony being held in a park a couple of hundred metres down the road. The snow and the backcountry and that part of the world mean immense amounts to both of them, but I think they would both agree that nothing about this day could possibly have been anymore meaningful, or been the cause of anymore joy than it was. It was honestly one of the most tender and jubilant weddings I’ve been a part of as of late.
WARM & HUMAN People often ask me to describe my style and I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to distil what I try to do every weekend. I think I’ve got it down to two words. Warm - in both temperature and feeling. Human - because the stories, the relationships, the backgrounds, the interactions, the personalities and the histories that people bring to the event is what makes each wedding, each love story, unique. Much like my photos, these thoughts and the way I convey things are imperfectly expressed, but one of the best things about this job is the fact you’re always reaching a bit higher, always learning a bit more, always trying new things. This is a photo of a little unheralded moment taken just after a ceremony, of Honey and a few of her newly minted husband Jairo’s closest friends wholeheartedly embracing, a moment that I love and that I feel exemplifies what I think is most important in this silly excuse for a career, at least for now.
Lana & Andy getting some quality alone time, riding their mountain bikes from the ceremony back to their house for lunch because why the hell not. Am gonna be sharing a whole lot more of this one this week.
Relationships can be defined by different characteristics. Some are intense and cerebral, some are quiet and comforting. These two, to me, are defined by a shared, unrestrained joy of being. I always actively try to make the photo-shoot part of the day an affirming experience, an addition to the day that you’ll fondly look back on as opposed to something you have to get through, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone have quite this much unadulterated fun as these two. That doesn’t say, however, that it wasn’t without depth of feeling, as you can clearly see here.
Little renassiance girls I’ve been very quiet on here lately enjoying my first proper break since last year after the chaotic excitement of the last 6 months and being able to socialise again on the weekends. Looking forward to having the time to share a whole lot more stories over the coming few weeks.
2.5 minutes in the life of Honey and Jairo - a short story AKA 4 03 to 4 05 PM
☝🏼me waking up to this news. These two all round trendy legends just landed themselves on the @hellomaymagazine website 🖤 - this was legit one of my favourite weddings to date for a whole bunch of reasons - link in bio if you want to go check it out or are planning a wedding and looking for some inspo. Also, special shout out to @hellomaymagazine for going to the trouble to explain that my name is Dane - I’ve legit had guests and family members at weddings think my name was Salty before 😂 - go figure. Second special shout out to @thewildside__ for making the venue look a million bucks.
Another one of those images I love that I’ve been sitting on for a million years but haven’t had the courage to post for whatever stupid reason. Bec and Todd, sharing an intimate little conversation exactly a year ago today. Happy anniversary legends! This is also my first weekend off since February, so hooray for me.
Weddings, by and large, tend to be more about the amalgamation of a whole bunch of smaller moments than the large ones - of little interactions with loved ones and each other as opposed to the pronouncement of being married or any grand gestures. They also tend to be about so much more than just the relationship at the centre of it all. I’ve said it before, but one of my favourite things about weddings are that they’re also an excuse and reason to celebrate ALL the love in your life. To critically think about and thank all the people that have gotten you to where you are, shaped the way you view the world, or have just been there for the highs and the lows. Davida’s dad Greg was diagnosed with early onset dementia over a decade ago, and they obviously remain close to this day. Davida wanted to honour and give space for him on the day and so organised to meet up with him before the ceremony, and for him to meet her at the top of the aisle and walk her down the aisle to, along with her mum, give her away to Matt. Whilst these were poignant, beautiful moments, it was the unplanned interactions and long embraces they shared throughout the rest of the day that spoke the loudest to me of the depth of feeling and love there. There are other stories that deserve to be shared from this day, like the time they set aside to spend with Matt’s 99 year old grandma after the ceremony who watched from her wheelchair from the balcony and the life story that got her there, it was the way Davida’s mum silently stood and didn’t take her eyes off of her for a long stretch amidst all the chaos of Davida’s friends fawning over her and helping her get ready, and so many others. When I share posts like this, I’m super conscious of trying not to exploit some kind of heart-tugging-emotion-porn. There’s great joy in these moments and, for me, these are the stories that stick with me the most in the months after the fact - and I imagine for the people in them too. This is the stuff I strive to do justice.
I normally like to provide a bit of context, but I honestly have absolutely no idea what Matt & Emma we’re talking about here at Gunners Barracks after the sun went down a month or so ago. Maybe the fact that she thought he was insufferably arrogant the first few times they met, or the fact she thought he was Greek for the first few months they were dating - which he’s not. Clearly having a rough day.
A series of photos of Kevin and Valerie shot in the car park under Jones Bay Wharf. I’m sometimes apprehensive to post stuff like this as I feel it somewhat goes against the grain of my focus on storytelling and honesty, but more and more I’m enjoying playing with scenes like these. Trying to look at things differently and maybe come away with a unique perspective on a venue or a location that’s been shot thousands of times. I realise most of my captions are about explaining the context and history behind the people in the images, or a bit of advice that’s come from having seen so many weddings (I just realised I’m shooting my 100th wedding next month, so that’s pretty cool), and this one is mainly about me which I try to avoid as that’s not what all this about. But in this case I thought I’d explain a bit of what’s going on in my head at the moment. I - of course - will always put documenting first and foremost, but documenting and being creative aren’t mutually exclusive and I’m learning to embrace that. Would love to know what you think. Also just blogged it for those who want to take a look - link in the usual spot.
Post ceremony stoke and hugs. One of the biggest things people forget to plan for is making time for this to happen. This is always one of the best parts of the day, we should never disappear straight after the ceremony to take photos, you need to give space for all the big love and embraces that are coming your way.
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