Yogyakarta Sojourn

It's been almost a fortnight since my trip to Yogyakarta and well, the photos are finally up. Not all coz we took some 400 or 500 shots on the 2 Olympus E-Systems we own between us. The shots on my Flikr album were shot on the E-1. It's my first time using this extensively. It's Olympus' pro system (ie. National Geographic photographers use it) so I was a little nervous about using it. I'm still quite new to the DSLR cameras and whatever photos I took on my dad's old Nikkormat or my F55, it was always instinct as dad never fully explained key concepts like aperture, shutter speed to me as a kid. Drako is trying but you guys who know me also know science bits bore me and don't quite register.

I am pretty happy with some of my shots. I think composition was more the issue to me.It's my artsy side emerging triumphant once again.Most folks would probably have better shots but well, I'm just starting out. Looking at the photos transport me back to the four days at Yogya. Think it's the beginning of my Yogya sojourns for sure! Especially since the Prambanan temple photos were terrible. It was a particularly hot afternoon so the sun was not helping. You will notice that I had more shots of Borobodur and even the HYatt than Prambanan. Lesson learnt - next trip; we got visit Prambanan in the morning.

Indonesia certainly has much to offer and it's a pity that many tourists miss the rest of it beyond Bali, Manado, Danau Toba or Jakarta. But then again, lesser tourists mean better pictures for me! Seriously, I'll never forget what dad said when I complained as a kid, about why we never travelled out of the region. He was right; there's so much of our own backyard to explore. Since coming back, I'm still trying to adjust a little to life back home. It was a short trip but it left an indelible impression on me. It was a sort of homecoming to my roots. Adopted or otherwise, I must not forget that my maternal grandmother was Indonesian so it will remain a part of my heritage.

This is my introduction, if you can call it that. Click on the Flikr link in the next column and you can see all the photos!