Minimalist Travel Photography

Travel light, travel right, travel with one backpack. Travel photography is inspiration and exciting, but easy to get carried away for what to prepare for the trip. Of course it’ll be fantastic to take all your kit abroad, but why? Try to streamline as much as possible, having less stuff to schlep around and less things to go astray in worst case. Roll your clothes for more space! With 2 important attributes of packing correctly:

1. Weight for carryon- Airlines have different rules for carryon, which most a 10kg
2. Size for carryon- Check for Airlines rules, I did it with Deuter Futura 38 AC (35L or lower will fit)

My backpack+ another day bag for camera gears (either Lowepro Flipside 200 or Think Tank Streewalker)

I will put my clothes at the bottom, socks, undergarments on side pocket, toiletries on top pocket

then i slot in my day bag into the middle. 

Slot in like this, easy for airport inspection, you just have to pull out the middle kernel. This combination, fit right for carryon, size and weight. 

When I travel, I do it to experiencing the raw culture of the country, more than just taking pictures of things. You need to experience and understand only then you’ll be able to capture the essence of the culture (them), a deeper perspective. I usually take it slowly, one of the reasons I usually travel alone. Photography is an artistic pursuit, but I will prioritize on my movement. I am a travel minimalist, I usually take one body, one lens (sometime 2), if I have enough space, I bring along a film camera. Shooting with one lens, it saves you the hassle of plugging in and out your camera, it forces you into meticulous observer mode, it turns you into approachable of things, then you’ll find juxtapositions or contrasts.

I worry less about which lens to bring, which body to take, I am not on assignment, and this is travelling for godsake! Nikon D700 with 50mm f1.2, I worry less about missing rare photographic shots, I should bring this, I should bring that, blah! So how do I pack lightly? Here are some guidelines, not rules.

1. Plan your trip with research (Weather, Festival/ Event, Travel photo- to know what to expect)
2. A day bag to hold your camera gears (i use either Think Tank Streetwalker or Lowepro Flipside 200)
3. Cut down on camera accessories, take what you need! 
4. Reduce selection of clothes, unless you’re going for fashion show. Are you?

I paid a hefty “price” to fine tune these travel minimalist for years. I’d been over trips bringing the whole drybox, then down to one film body with 50 f1.2. I bring everything and subconsciously I thought I must be able to capture everything! Little did I know, I didn’t enjoy my trip at all, it was a disaster. 

My favorite combination, D700 50 f1.2 and a bonus 20 f2.8, sometimes, a Nikon FE.

REASON?

1. No more gear acquisition syndrome, OCD.
2. Master a single focal length, your eye is your lens.
3. It helps you on the creative side, with discipline! 

You are unencumbered and free to enjoy the atmosphere, people and culture without feeling like packhorse, worry less about security. You can free your mind from having to think about what perspective and lens to take a scene, but you find the essence in details. With one lens, and sufficient experiences, your eye naturally looks for composition that fit before even looking through the viewfinder. Over a span of 4 years, I did this in several occasions, Beijing, Tianjin, Melbourne, Tasmania, Bali, S. Korea, Yogyakarta, Krabi, Ho Chi Minh, Siem Reap, Hong Kong, and Yuanyang.

HOW I DID IT? Here a list of what I bring (exclude winter vacation):

• Camera Gears- in day bag (Lowepro or Think Tank)

-          Nikon D700

-          Nikon FE with 2 extra film rolls (if enough space)

-          Nikkor 50mm f1.2

-          Nikkor 20mm f2.8

-          LEE Filters (0.6, 0.9, Big Stopper)

-          2 extra batteries (Battery charger in big backpack)

-          3 extra 16gb CF card 

-          Cable release

• Clothes & misc.- in big backpack (Deuter) 

-          1 pair of shorts

-          1 pair of jeans+ belt (wearing onboard)

-          1 long sleeve shirt (wearing onboard)

-          1 pair of boots (wearing onboard)

-          5 tee shirts

-          1 pair of flip flop

-          4 pairs of socks

-          4 pairs of undergarments

-       Tripod (I'm using Benro C0680T)- travel angel!

-       Universal adapter & phone charger

-       Toiletries & medicine 

For winter vacation, I will check in my backpack (with winter clothes), carryon camera bag.

Lowepro Flipside 200 fits in Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm, Nikkor 20mm, 3 Lee filters, 2 extra baterries, 2 16gb CF card, cable release

If you wish to fall into my trap, you should know what you’re dealing with. Life and photography, a compromise but it needs to be hard decision. Zoom lens like 18-200 it covers 90% of the shots but do you found joy in this depressing bokeh? Bokeh is my prime, I adhere with discipline, so I keep my 50mm on most of the time, but what happen if I shooting landscape, I’ll just do panorama stitches, and sometime Brenizer method. Keep it simple, find the balance, focus on what you can control. There is no right and wrong, minimalist or what not, this is an article on my packing flow, there are thousand of sites on different recommendations, find the one that suits your needs. I want to be light and free, this is imperative to me, not for everyone. 

What's your balance of travel? 

Live, Travel, Adventure, Bless, and don't be sorry. 

Enjoy the road of life, Happy Travelling 2014! 

JW. 

The "Great" Macro-adventure

Macro is very much like a Pokemon game; you walk around the path, Pokemon jumps out, it is all up to your patience to tame and battle them, then you reach out for your poke balls, "Gotcha!" Sure enough, you're most likely to miss them most of the time.

We tried to catch as much Pokemon as we can, to complete our Pokedex, and to expand it with new found species, Legendary Pokemon. This is fun and adventurous! Almost as soon as i got my first game-boy, the one and only game i bought was Pokemon, i began to be amazed by the daunting life of Ash Ketchum, venturing into the wild, battling Pokemon, leveling up and unlocking awesomeness! i hugged to my game-boy almost 24/7! i nearly went blind for the sake of awesomeness.

And i'd finally realizing my dream, a road trip in search of Legendary Pokemon!
We traveled almost half of a thousand miles; friendship, great foods, chats, and bugs!

++The "Great" Macro-adventure++
Gears: http://heejennwei.blogspot.com/2012/05/nikon-r1-macro-flash-system.html

Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpidae)

Pincer Beetle?

Pincer Beetle?

Fishfly, Neochauliodes dispar (van der Weele, 1906) 

Giant Red Long Horn Beetle (Cerambycidae)

Long Horn Beetle (Cerambycidae)

Indonesian Moon Moth (Actias maenas)

Stonefly (Plecoptera)

Dragonfly (Odonata)

Wasp (Apocrita)

Huntsman Spider on Tree Trunk (Sparassidae)

Rhinoceros Beetle (Dynastinae)

Mating Rhinoceros Beetle (Dynastinae)

Beautiful life of the undergrowth.

JW. 

In the Valley of Eternal Spring

Here lies a historical land of joy and grief, a place burst forth under the form of British colonial; mourn over the outbreak of second world war, where the Japanese invasion in 1941 forced out the British troops and civilians out of the highlands. The Japanese continue to administer the highlands as foresee agriculture as a vital food source for thier troops. When the Japanese withdrew in August 1945, the place went throught a transformation- the Malayan Emergency, a guerilla war fought between Commonwealth forces and Malayan National Liberation Army, Malayan Emergency was a colonial term for the conflict. The communist guerillas operated from jungle camps in the mountains and used the network of aboriginal trails to infiltrate the Peninsula. The biggest and best known of Malaysia's hill stations lies on the northwest corner of Pahang state, bounded by Perak state to the west, and Kelantan state to the north. The jungle clad 1500m high plateau the weather is reassuringly British, unpredictable, often wet and cold; but when the sun blazes out of the sky, the Camerons are hard to beat.

It was once possibly, perhaps one of the most pictureque highlands retreat in Malaysia with lush of green forest and terraced plantation. However, the poor planning and enforcement have led to environmental degradation. Landslides, silted rivers and dams, constant water disruptions and poor water quality have become the norm. REACH!

Such rich heritage goes on waste.

++

Cameron Highlands

Terraced tea plantation blanketed in mist

Top of the terraced plantation

Dendrobium brinchangense is an endanger orchid species

endemic to Cameron Highlands

Native's settlement along Tapah to Brinchang

Most of the aborigines are from Temiah tribe

Brotherly love

Mobile market

Settlement of the Orang Asli

I'm a big fan of Tudor architecture, i can't help it but drawn to the interesting and often asymmetrical Tudor style houses. Here's place lies fronting the valley of eternal spring, The Lakehouse where it illustrate my fascination of Tudor.

In the fight of environmental activities, there're always obstacles but please be faithful that there's hope and it is a utmost importance to preserve our heritage.

something that can't be erase while assimilating development,
we embrace with pride the one thing we could not leave behind: heritage. 

Heritage should not give way.

JW.

In the Shadow of Pengerang

On the southeastern tip of Johor, located a small town with big story, Pengerang.

On May 13, 2012 the Johor government officially flagged off a Refinery And Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project in Pengerang; A project that involves an investment of MYR60 Billion, a capacity to refine 300,000 barrels of imported crude oil. One of the investors of RAPID project, KuoKuang Petrochemical company had finally ended their long running saga at Taiwan, signing an agreement with Malaysia's Johor state government to invest in RAPID project, preceding the move was close due to a fierce environmental protest in Taiwan.

RAPID project is estimated to acquire 22,500 acres of land affecting 4 Chinese Cemeteries, 7 Villages, 11 Chinese Temples, 2 Schools are told to be relocated with compensation. Affected people would be relocated in stages, with the first batch set to move in March next year consist of 3 villages, Sg. Kapal, Teluk Empang and Langkah Baik. Quantum of compensation are still not yet announced until date.

Citing an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study, conducted by Taiwan Chung Hsing University's environmental engineering department, Prof. Tsuang Ben Jei in 2010, showed that the average life span of people islandwide will decreased by 23 days if KuoKuang Petrochemical Project was to be launched. Full story here. And the RAPID Project is much more bigger which means the damage will be rather serious. Relocation of Pengerang's villagers to a new location which merely 5km radius away.

At the tip of Sg. Rengit. 

Rainy day on a wooden pier at Pengerang.

Almost every historical city has a geographical symbol conjures up the trauma of its people. For Pengerang, it is a silver lobster monument placed at Sg. Rengit, right in the heart of Pengerang. From far distance, the town by the seaside is remarkable graceful, sky painted in blue and sea cover in shades of green.

Some piers at Pengerang.

Pengerang main source of income reap from agriculture and fishery, some from running local business (tourism, restaurant). Fishermen here, need not to ventures far into the vast ocean foraging for seafood, especially when spiny lobsters congregate in shallow to spawn; Farmers invested their entire life into plantations, and now, its fruits finally repaying their commitment. But all, were told to relocate, not only affecting their lifestyle but their source of income too!

Such rich land, suffers from catastrophe.

 Fisherman foraging fish and lobsters at bay.

 Villagers passing time at local "community club".

 Enjoying its sea breeze.

Blue wooden house by sea side.

I drove out 350km to Pengerang, to interview some of the locals, taste the dips of local hardships, facing the attempts of losing their root, identity and culture. Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced. Some almost cry, reliving the horrors of reality.

Fume of sighs.

His house by the sea.. 

Land Reclamation at Sungai Kapal. 

The land reclamation and the nature.

Abandoned Ship Workshop.

The Temple of the Sea.

 "We preferred fishing, to a life of idleness on the village, where we were driven against our will. We preferred our own way of living, all we wanted was peace and to be left alone." "The authorities come and brought papers. i could not read them, i don't know how to read. They did not tell me truly what was in it. When i went to a local meeting. The Great Man explained to me, that the interpreters had deceived me, into signing papers i'm not know of. All i want is right and justice for the compensation of my 40 Durian Trees, 40 Oil Palm Trees."

Fish market. 

Pondering upon the land reclamation, looking for a great freedom, an intense and absorbing love for the sea. Reminiscence his days frolicking in the sea. 

His prize.

Young lad and the sea.

The lost land of a 22,500 acres, resulted 3,000 graves buried deep in peace beneath the meadows to be dig out and relocate. Some cemeteries are over a century old, as date engraved on its gravestones.

Archaeologists examining the gravestones. 

One of the gravestones of the Qing Dynasty.

At the cemetery.

Sea view cemetery.

People called her, the "Lobster Princess".

Faith in Supreme Power. 

An old man who runs the cemetery- pro bono!

Spiritual ways- Praying and offering to the Gods. 

The principle of fishing technique here had been pass on from generation to generation, and this generation might not be able to pass on their heritage anymore. The land reclamation had directly affected the water quality, coastal fishing ground, spiny lobster breeding ground, the impacts and threats to the environment.

Here i'd also visited a fisherman's family, as we speak, there was rumble out of the sky, as thunderclouds massed. The breeze of the sea, the smell of the rain, peace never tasted so sweet!

the 3rd generation fisher-woman. 

Worker mending the fishing net. 

Filtering on its commercial value.

Catch of the day.

Worker drying fishing net.

Handmade fishing net.

Thunderstorms massed over the land reclamated. 

They used to pull in dozens of Spiny Lobsters on each trip, after the land reclamation, they caught merely 3 to 5 lobsters a day. And today, they only got one.

Perhaps you have noticed that even the very lightest breeze you can hear the voice of crying sea. This is its prayer to the Gods, who govern the sea, and the well being. The fight for ultimate freedom, the pressure from several governing parties, for now they would pray to the Gods, all things and all beings pray to the Gods continually in differing ways- the spiritual remedy.

 
something that can't be erase while assimilating development, 
we embrace with pride the one thing we could not leave behind: heritage. 

Heritage should not give way. 

#SavePengerang.

Regards,

JW 

Click for Save Pengerang NGO