OlyVision #1, September 2017 by OlyVision

#1, SEPTEMBER 2017

O LY V I S I O N LIGHT AND BOUNDLESS POSSIBILITIES

O LY V I S I O N LIGHT AND BOUNDLESS POSSIBILITIES INTERNATIONAL EDITION NO. 1

FOUNDER / EDITOR IN CHIEF

IONUT IGNAT

EDITORIAL ADVISOR MARIA-MAGDALENA MITITELU CONTRIBUTORS ALFREDO UY BOMPING CHRIS EYRE-WALKER DAVID WISSMAN KEVIN CHAPLIN LUCA ROMANO REXER ONG SUSAN PALMER GUTTERMAN WESLEY OOSTHUIZEN Wesley Oosthuizen

EMAIL olyvisionmag@gmail.com FACEBOOK facebook.com/olyvision INSTAGRAM instagram.com/olyvision

OLYVISION Magazine is owned and published electronically by Ionut Ignat. Copyright 2017 Ionut Ignat. All rights reserved. No part of this electronic magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of Ionut Ignat. All images and texts are displayed with the written consent of the authors and no content may be used without their express permission.

I do not remember when I first stepped on the road. Maybe when I was born or when I thought all roads are just for me or when running on the wrong track. You do not really know what path to follow until you leave behind the physical, material plane and you surrender to your being. Everything is designed to control your body away from your path. The road towards me is invisible, long, easy, difficult, revealed, ambiguous, complicated, easy to understand, difficult to follow and endless. The road towards me is full of energy. When I am pursuing it nothing gets in the way and nothing is impossible. An endless source of energy just come into existence and fuel my actions. I live my life as the Sun of my Universe. I love people. I love nature. I love myself and accept myself as I am now. Many do not understand the road I took. They filter it through the knowledge they have acquired in a misguided life. All that is visible is fearless, uncompromising and easy to digest. Nothing remains but the plate. I never run. The dust brought up by the frenzy start is blocking my view from time to time. One grows patience as they begin to go on the right way. For now, I walk alone on the road. There are many others like me and I believe I have not met them yet. But I’m used to walk alone on the street wondering what kind of shape roam around me. Open your eyes. Love the trees, flowers and animals. Never stop enjoying the sunrise every time. Ask anything, anytime. Marvel. Doubt it. Give yourself the world!

„A moral goal … And this moral goal was perfectly consistent with his own principles. … All about a fundamental truth: it was enough for one person to follow these guidelines for the universe to be better. It was not a matter of right. Justice involves recourse to law, and this can be a fickle mistress, always subject to the whims and prejudices of those who administered the laws. No, it was a matter of fairness, that is something much deeper. People undergoing judge must feel its fairness, objectivity. Teg considered formulations like „the rule of law must be respected” were dangerous to the principles that are guiding him. Equity demanded consensus, stability and, above all, loyalty from the first to the last step of the hierarchy. The leadership exercised after such guidelines did not need any outside control. You did your duty because the cause was right. And you did not obey just because it was supposed to be right. You did because it was right at that moment …” - Frank Herbert, Dune

Ionut Ignat, Editor-in-chief

76 6 98 27 120 38 52 74 Chris Eyre-Walker

Olympus Visionary, Australia

Rexer Ong

2017 Total Solar Eclipse

Wesley Oosthuizen

Kevin Chaplin

Alfredo Uy Bomping

Luca Romano

Olympus Legacy

THE DREAM SHOT by Chris Eyre-Walker

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Chris Eyre-Walker is an outdoor, travel and adventure photographer & Olympus Visionary based in Sydney - Australia. Together with his partner he also runs the travel blog thesandyfeet.com www.chriseyrewalker.com www.instagram.com/chriseyrewalker https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwI-I_A76zG6qsQphjXExqA www.facebook.com/chriseyrewalkerphoto 6

Â© Chris Eyre-Walker

Earlier in 2017 I had the opportunity travel to Namibia and go on assignment for Olympus Australia. The goal was to show off the diversity and durability of the OM-D E-M1 Mark II in an extreme environment by capturing both video and photo content of this off-the-beaten path destination. It turned out that Namibia was the perfect place for this assignment. I had never been there before and had very little knowledge of the country. I had, of course, done my research and knew of the places I wanted to see and capture. But Namibia is one of those countries that will take quite some commitment and time to get around. It’s a big country! The perfect road trip country really. Although 90% of the trip was spent on gravel roads, because Namibia doesn’t really have an extensive network of paved tarmac roads. Let’s rather call it the perfect ‘off-roadtrip’ country.

There was one particular shot I was after. So, immediately after landing in Windhoek and picking up the fully equipped 4x4, I set out on the 6h drive to catch the golden sunrise in Deadvlei. Since Deadvlei is inside the Sesriem National Park the gates only open 30min before sunrise. Giving you just enough time to make it to the iconic valley of dead trees at the end of the road. And after a short 20 minute hike through the soft sand my destination appeared between the mountain like dunes. With a few seconds to spare it hits me: I just travelled half way around the world, driven all night and gotten up to see, experience and capture this one particular moment, and it was about to happen, right here, right now!

Â© Chris Eyre-Walker

You see, as the sun rises over the world’s tallest dunes at Sossusvlei, they cast long shadows over the salt pane.

There’s a brief moment where the sunlight shines only on the red sand dune on the other end of the valley

Â© Chris Eyre-Walker

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 21 AUGUST 2017

“EVERYTHING IS OWNED BY SOMEONE, TAKE NOTHING BUT PICTURES AND LEAVE NOTHING BUT FOOTPRINTS”

by Kevin Chaplin

facebook.com/Kevin-Chaplin-Photography-474227872946376/

UK care home, HDR. This was, I hear, closed after the owners were charged & convicted of mistreatment and neglect and went to prison. I think they’ll need to get the cleaners in if they’re planning to reopen.

You have to keep in mind that in Urban Exploring photography, you’re most likely to be on uneven legal grounds if you go into a derelict building uninvited, but the rewards can be stunning for those who do. I suppose you could say that I first started Urban Exploring way back in the 80’s. I was at school, Maggie was in number 10 and there was a massive recession going on. After school and during the long summer holidays we’d entertain ourselves by exploring the abandoned and derelict buildings that were littered

around Cambridge area. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I got my first DSLR that I thought about photographing them. I had seen some amazing images take inside derelict buildings and I wanted to start photographing some myself. I had always enjoyed taking pictures but up until then I had only ever used a point&shoot for anything. But with the help of YouTube, magazines and joining Facebook photography groups I started to get the hang of it.

A Synagog, HDR. Of all the pictures I took there this is still my favourite. I love the simplicity of it.

I now shoot with the fantastic OMD EM5 Mk1, usually with the 12-40 2.8 attached.

I have ever used.

I chose the EM5 because it is great in low light, most of what I do being in dark buildings where natural light is not always available.

It’s the simple things about it that I like the most, things like assigning the buttons to what I want them to do, live view and the bracketing feature - they all save me time when I’m out and time is not something that you usually have in derelict buildings and during concerts.

I am also photographing concerts and the EM5 is perfectly built for my requirements. It’s light, even with the battery grip attached and is the most user friendly camera

I need to get in, get it right and leave.

An old fort house, HDR

Since it was released the 12-40 2.8 Pro has become my favourite lens.

I love how light and dark are playing in my images and I like to try to use it to get a feel of the places I photograph.

I don’t have the time to change primes in the concert environment and I certainly don’t want to be changing lenses in a dusty and dirty building either.

Rather than the studio perfect look some go for, I also tend to do a lot of HDR’s in derelict buildings.

It’s fast to focus, very sharp, light, compact and ideal for me and my needs.

I really think that HDR technique suits these kind of images in much the same way that B&W fits street photography.

A derelict prison in France, HDR

I have to keep my Urban Exploring bag to a bare minimum. Therefore, currently my bag holds my EM5, 12-40 2.8, flash, flash triggers, remote shutter release, torches, screen wipes, filters, spare batteries, memory cards and I have just got a 7.5mm fish eye that I am beginning to love for certain shots. My only weight luxury is my tripod; I think it must be the heaviest that Manfrotto have ever made.

other sources and if something pops up I will go and have a look. You can get a lot of information about these buildings on line and if you look in the right places. Things like, is it wide open? is there a fence? Is there a way in? Is there security? What’s it like inside, is it worth the potential hassle? Are the floors safe? Etc.

I travel the whole country courtesy of my job so, I have often the occasion to go into abandoned places.

Things that help shorten the list of possibilities. That doesn’t mean that everything is exactly as you’re expecting it to be when you get there though. The way in may be boarded up, there may be security, new fence etc.

First, I check out the local derelict buildings with Google and

It’s always better to have a list of possible scenarios.

An old fort house, HDR

Some of my favourite exploratory visits have been during the European trips. The largest building I have been (as in the number of rooms etc.) was a prison in northern France. It was a high security prison near a large town that was left empty after the prisoners were moved to a new built prison some years ago. I was told that during the war the prison was under Nazi control and housed their prisoners too. On our visits there were several thousand Gypsys camped up in the car park and what would have been the front grass area. From our research we knew that they were there, there were no reports of any real problems with them and it was just a case of ‘ignore and avoid them and they’ll ignore and avoid you’.

We got in and spent the next two or so hours going through as much as we could before the light dimmed. The place had been heavily vandalised in several spots, in one cell a fire or something had burnt a huge hole in the solid reinforced concrete floor and then another hole in the cell below. Nevertheless, there were still some nice parts deep inside the complex. My favourite UK location was a private school that apparently ran out of money, closed and the administrators were called in and the most valuable stuff was sold. The building itself is stunning though, with nice big staircases, lovely woodwork, great ceilings and enough natural light. I stayed in there for five hours and only left when the light faded away.

I don’t really go for the industrial stuff, it doesn’t rock my boat that much, but while in Belgium I couldn’t resist this HDR

Dinner time at a Belgian farm house, HDR

ÂŠ Kevin Chaplin

Belgian farm house

ÂŠ Kevin Chaplin

Belgian Farm House, HDR. Some places can tell stories when you see the things that people leave behind

ÂŠ Kevin Chaplin

LIGHT THERAPY by Luca Romano

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Hi, I’m Luca Romano from Italy-Rome. I’m 41, married with 2 daughters. I started photography as a hobby since 2004 when I received my first reflex as wedding gift. http://www.lpwalliance/database/Luca_Romano www.instagram.com/barryromano http://www.eyeem.com/u/16259897 www.facebook.com/barry.luca 52

Â© Luca Romano

I’m an air traffic controller, so I didn’t know too much about long exposure and lightpainting and I started to take photographs of landscapes for years until something happened. About three years ago, I went outside for a night photo session of seascape. I mounted my camera on the tripod and started a long exposure shoot. After few seconds the camera fell down, fortunately without suffering any serious damages and after I saw the light trails on the camera screen I changed my mind about the way of taking photographs. I knew nothing about lightpainting or what it was, but after doing some research I discovered a large community online that helped me to grown up, so I trained day by day on this technique using several staffs like selfmade stick with LEDs, recycled translucent materials like empty plastic bottles, colored glass, light toys and so on. I started to feel like this technique was the most inspiring way to express myself and my sensations, my moods, creating something unique, searching always “The light through the darkness” literally.

It was love at first sight with lightpainting photography.

The hardest part to deal with this technique is how to represent and execute what you are seeing in your mind while being almost blind in the middle of the darkness? Here comes the best part and I thank Olympus engineers for creating the “Livecomposite” mode that helps lightpainters and allows to see in real-time, directly on the screen what you are creating in the dark. It is an amazing feature and with this the chances to improve your own skills are multiplied x 100 times. So, I bought my OM-D E-M5 Mk2 with the Zuiko 12-40 Pro lens and I think that thanks to its lightweight, water and sand proof qualities, is a perfect tool for a lightpainter. In this way I can bring with me more lightning equipment and leave at home the heavier and older reflex camera. As a LPWA member (Lightpainting World Alliance), I can state that lightpainting has endless fields still unexplored. In the last few years it is becoming more popular so, now is a good time to reach bigger audience and spread this technique all over the world.

In the meanwhile I’m still looking for the “light trough the darkness”.

OLYMPUS LEGACY

SEMI-OLYMPUS I

Launched in 1936, the Semi-Olympus I was the first Olympus camera fitted with the newly developed Zuiko lens, which was mounted on a Semi-Proud body supplied by Proud. It was a high-quality camera priced at 105 JPY in an era when a typical starting wage was 75 JPY a month. Credit (text and images): www.olympus-global.com

WORLD THROUGH MY EYES by Rexer Ong

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Rexer Ong is an educator and a cityscape photographer based in Singapore. He is able to capture the beauty of the city with his unique style with the Olympus gear, especially with the live composite function. https://www.facebook.com/rexer.ong https://www.facebook.com/RexersMethod/ 76

My photography journey started four years ago when I was hunting for my first DSLR. After relentless research on the internet on various brands, I decided to plunge my hard earned dough into the Pentax system.

Pentax, a relatively humble brand in the shadows of popular Nikon and Canon, captivated me with its down-to-earth features, outstanding image quality and value for money. It was not too long until I managed to find an used white Pentax K-r with 18-55mm kit lens in Clubsnap from a poly student.

After reading about the highly acclaimed Pentax K30, I immediately fell in love with it. In Clubsnap, I found a 50mm f1.8 manual lens from Ck Ang, an avid macro photographer who later introduced me to the Facebook group -TCCS Photography Club. From that moment on, my interest in photography erupted and I embarked on the “more serious” journey of photo-taking.

I have befriended many photographers from the club by adding them as friends in my Facebook network. Ck was giving me pointers now and then on the shortcoming of my techniques from the photographs I posted and he encouraged me to shoot consistently. Ironically, I have yet to join them in any outing due to my “irregular” working hours of running a tuition center. Hence, majority of my photographs were taken at night, after I knocked off at 10 pm or later. Occasionally, I would drag my older brother, Cheong with me. Being an avid Canon user himself, he has been giving me tips on exposure compensation, f-stopping, composition and handling of the camera.

Â© Rexer Ong

In 2015, I bought an Olympus OM-D E-M10 from an electronic fair hoping that it would get rid of my bottleneck as I discovered that I was not heading anywhere.

I immediately felt at home with the tiny system which came with Olympus famed 45mm f1.8.

I was amazed by its ergonomics and image quality.

I bid farewell to the Pentax system and acquired Olympus M.Zuiko ED 60mm f2.8 Macro lens, Olympus M.Zuiko ED 75-300mm II and Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f1.8.

My creativity started to flow and soon I received my first ever photography awards. Knowing that I needed a second camera body, I bought an used Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the rest faded into oblivion.

Â© Rexer Ong

About My Work Before the Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO was announced, I had been using Samyang 7.5mm fish eye for my cityscape. I was amazed by the city light trails as I found that it brings life to the otherwise typical monotonous cityscape. The live composite function was god sent as it made shooting of live trails relatively easier without having to take numerous images and layer them in post-process. The 7-14mm pro changed my life completely and no later than this year I won a second prize in the national level photography competition with this astonished lens. Without having to lurk around the heavy DSLR system, I was able to go lighter and explore further. Thus increasing the chances of capturing better pictures.

The majority of my images are captured during the blue hour, moment after the sunset. I just have to leave the white balance in auto and the OMD just takes over the job by producing that magical surreal moment accurately. When the light is getting a little bit darker, I will capture the light trails with the live composite function. Most of the time a single shot will get the job done. I always record the images in raw file as it contains the largest amount of information. After adjusting the parameters in Lightroom, I would use GIMP and Nik photo effex for further enhancement of the image. Olympus is a wonderful photography system, a small sensor with powerful features that has brought my photography skills to another level.

GO ALL THE WAY by Wesley Oosthuizen

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Born and raised in South Africa, professional underwater photographer Wesley Oosthuizen moved to Grand Cayman shortly after graduating from high school – a decision he has never regretted. While working as a snorkel guide, he started freediving and was mesmerized by the amazing ocean life that he encountered on a daily basis. After a couple of close calls while freediving, he decided to try out scuba diving. This is when his life was completely transformed. A traveler at heart, Wesley later moved to Taiwan, where he hung up his fins for much longer than anticipated – 13 years – to pursue other avenues such as directing, music composition and video editing. This range of talents eventually brought him full circle back to diving – with skills that were honed and developed. This then led Wesley to starting a production company in Taiwan, which has been operational for around two years now. His favorite way to expose nature’s beauty is through macro photography. Staying in Taiwan has granted him with abundant opportunities to capture unique land and marine wildlife, which has enabled him grow his passion into a profession. Mobile: (+886)0983524333 Email: neominus@gmail.com Instagram: @wesley_oosthuizen 98

There it is. The distant murmur in the background of his boss’s voice droning on about some or other thing in the meeting. Nodding at appropriate times just to give the notion that he’s actually present in the conversation; Roland’s mind is focused on other more important things. His gear. His plan. His adventure that awaits. As he mulls over the logistics of tomorrows dive and smiles inwardly knowing that tomorrow is going to be a great day. An epic day. Conditions are set to be decent. His dive buddy, Jay, reliable. Everything is packed and ready to go. Now it’s just a matter of time before he can punch out and head home. He awakes the following morning at 4am to what would normally be the irritating sound of the alarm. Never on days like this though. That alarm only puts a smile on his face as he opens his eyes. This doesn’t ever feel like work and that’s why he knows that this is his true destiny. It is his drive. It is that which makes him who he is. He meets Jay on time, as usual, at the dive shop. No one is even there yet save the owner, Alex. Alex smiles and greets them enthusiastically. “How many tanks today?” Alex asks. “Four please,” Roland replies. They grab the tanks, jump in the car and they’re off.

They arrive at the site, discuss the conditions, entry/exit points, which route they’re going to tank and dive profiles. Tank out, BCD on, regulator attached, weights in, defog in mask, wetsuit on, dive computer strapped on. They get everything on and in its right place. Now comes the essential piece of equipment. The camera. He pulls his Olympus OM-D E-M5 out. He already put it in its Olympus PT-EP08 housing the night before and has completed a leak test. Attaching it to his BCD dive jacket he and Jay complete their buddy checks, make sure the car is locked and head down to the entry point. The swell is a little bigger than he’d hoped for, but it’s still doable. They jump in, swim to the descent point, take a breather and down they go. Once near the bottom they signal to one another that everything is ok and they start their hunt for creatures. It’s not long before Jay finds a Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta) that has carried a starfish home. These are always fun to find. They are curious little creatures that defend their bounty with such bravery that it is admirable, especially when considering their size. This is a great opportunity to get a good shot as they are far more brave if they have something worth defending. Roland decides his angle and approach as he’s coming up on his subject. Time is never on your side underwater. He gets his shots and moves out the way for Jay to get some more. Then takes his turn again. Satisfied he has what he wants, they continue on their way again.

Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta)

The next find is even more jaw dropping. Roland swims over a small boulder and there staring him straight in the face is the most venomous fish in the world, the stonefish aka Joe Butcher (Synanceia verrucosa). It was so well camouflaged that Jay literally swam straight over it without even noticing. This fish is so venomous that a sting from it can be fatal, and even if it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t survivors have a high chance of nerve damage, which could potentially lead to local muscle atrophy (a partial or complete wasting away of muscle). Luckily with a much larger subject like that Roland doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to get so close to it to capture its grotesque beauty to put himself in any danger.

Stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa)

ÂŠ Wesley Oosthuizen

He rounds a corner on the wall and there shining like a beacon are a pair of Hypselodoris iacula nudibranchs. Every time he sees a nudi he wonders just how they even got the common name that they usually go by, which is sea slug. One gets the feeling of a slimy, unattractive, boring slug when you use that name, yet the colors and variations of nudibranchs are boundless. They are far too amazing for one to dare call them a slug. Roland lets a little laugh come out his regulator as he shoots them, thinking this pair look almost like the Taoist yin and yang symbol, except they are only full of light with no traces of darkness. True purity. True perfection.

Hypselodoris iacula nudibranchs

ÂŠ Wesley Oosthuizen

As Roland turns to carry on his heart jumps.

A Blue-ring Octopus! Small but incredibly powerful.

They have enough tetrodotoxin to suffocate 10 men, yet will only attack as a means of defense. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather keep all that deadly venom for their tasty prey that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re continuously in search of than waste it on a weird looking fish with funny flashing lights.

Blue-ring Octopus (Hapalochlaena sp.)

After playing hide and seek with Mr Blue for a while he continues on and comes across a crowd favorite. Not the false clownfish that everyone just dubs as Nemo these days, but a true Yellowtail Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii). The trick with shooting clownfish isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t to try and follow one around, but more to pick a spot on the anemone and wait for it to come defend its home. Sometimes theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re bold and swim out at you and other times they just show you that they are definitely not moving for you. Either way these little guys will aggressively defend their territory even from the biggest fish just to prove that they are not going to move for anyone.

Blue-ring Octopus (Hapalochlaena sp.)

Clank! Clank! Clank! His buddy is trying to get his attention by banging on his tank. Something has been found. Roland swims over. Jay points up into a crevice. There staring him straight in the face is a Whitemouth Moray (Gymnothorax meleagris). Even though he knows that generally morays just look vicious that if it wanted to it could shred his hands to pieces with its razor sharp teeth. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d seen morays fighting on the reef before and it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pretty. a couple of quick snaps and he signals his buddy ok with his fingers and they continue the dive.

Whitemouth Moray (Gymnothorax meleagris)

Next, an incredibly cute pair of pygmy sea hares (Aplysia parvula) followed by a formidable Peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus). Equipped with the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom the punch from their tail can accelerate quicker than a .22-caliber bullet delivering 160 pounds of force.

Pygmy Sea Hares (Aplysia parvula)

Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus)

He moves on slowly scanning the rocks, crevices and corals. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s met by what looks like a shy lady glancing down. Even though Dermatobranchus ornatus nudibranchs are a fairly common sight in Taiwan they are always worth admiring and when they are in positions like this, who can resist taking a photo of one?

Dermatobranchus ornatusÂ nudibranchs

ÂŠ Wesley Oosthuizen

“Ok, air’s running low,” his inner monologue goes on. As he swims along he sees a giant anemone swaying peacefully in the surge. “Just take a quick look, I’ve got time.” He keeps his body calm, giving smooth strong kicks to the anemone without getting his heart rate up too much. No need to consume more O2 than necessary. There it is. Small but clear as can be. A Porcelain Crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus) combing plankton with its feathery setae from the safety of its home. Careful not to step out too far for fear of losing a limb, from a predator, it starts to retract further into the confines of its fortress considering him as a threat. He keeps his camera in front of his face, drops the brightness of the focus light, adjust his strobes intensity without moving the camera too much. No need to startle this fella more than he’s already feeling. He edges forward slightly with his fins, moves his focus point on the LCD screen, focuses and takes the shot.

Porcelain Crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus)

ÂŠ Wesley Oosthuizen

He then glances at his air. Time to leave and time to leave now. He looks up. Jay is lost in shooting another Porcelain Crab that’s has taken up residency in the anemone. Of course he doesn’t want to disturb him, but they really must go. He taps him on the shoulder. Jay looks up. He taps his hand with two fingers on his palm to signal air, then hold up four fingers. 40 bar. Jay nods and holds his hand out straight in the direction of the exit and they both fin off again. As his head breaks the surface of the water and he knows he’s back. Back in reality, because surely what he experiences down there must be a dream…Yet he knows it’s not. His vision will live on in his future captured in a small, but beautifully put together Olympus OM-D EM5 Mark 1. Through this his dreams can be brought forward for more to see. For more to gain inspiration to find out more about the most awe-inspiring place our world has to offer. The ocean. Our past, our present, our future, our life.

YI PENG LANTERN FESTIVAL by Alfredo Uy Bomping

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Alfredo Uy Bomping is a hobbyist who likes travel and street photography. He is a digital Olympus user starting with the iconic E-1. He also co manage their family business. facebook.com/sean.uy.98 120

The Yi Peng lantern festival is a festival marking the end of the rainy season that is unique to Northern Thailand. It is now held at the same time as the Loy Krathong festival which is celebrated nationwide. The pictures featured here were taken last year at Lamphun located at the outskirts of Chiang Mai city. This privately organized event were toned down a bit as the nation observes the mourning period for their beloved late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. There are ample photo opportunities, but the circumstances proved to be challenging. One of the eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highlights, the mass simultaneous release of the sky lanterns happened so fast that it was over in a few minutes. It was also quite dark and getting the focus and exposure right was tricky. I opted to use the Pen F with the versatile 7-14mm and 12-40mm Pro zoom lenses, so I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to move around the crowds that much. Wide open, I could still get a usable 1/30 shutter speed at ISO 3200 for most of the time. If the light levels were lower though, I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to use my primes instead. Equally interesting are the monks who perform the festive activities. The young ones in particular were very enthusiastic and cooperative. Their participation is both in line with tradition and a kind gesture to tourists. Me and my fellow photographer friends had a great time shooting this event.