Indonesia, Travel Blog

Dusk at Uluwatu Bali

This is one the famous temples in Bali, Pura Luhur Uluwatu, taken shortly after sunset. I took this in December 2007 during a vacation in Bali. The temple is located at the top of Uluwatu cliff about 70 meters above the Indian Ocean on the southern tip of Bali. The spot where I was offered a drop dead view of the waves crashing against the base of the cliff.

The sun had gone down below the horizon and the sky was getting darker fast. The wind was strong and it’s getting cold. I had butterflies in my stomach and I had to squat down to minimize the impact of the strong wind on me. I felt that I was going to be blown away by the wind. I was only few meters away from the edges of the cliff (both in front and behind me) and at that height, I didn’t dare to stand especially because of the strong wind that evening. I had to collapse my tripod legs all the way when I shot this using my 70-200mm lens zoomed all the way to 200mm so I could fill the frame. At ISO 200 and f/11, the shutter speed was more than a minute so I could get more lights coming in to the full frame sensor of my trusty Canon 1Ds Mark II.

I took few shots and the sky was already dark when I finished packing up my gears. I felt that I got more butterflies dancing in my stomach knowing that I still had to walk back on the path along the top of the cliff, very near to the edge, to the parking lot where I would be picked up by the driver whom I hired to drive me around. Next time I go there, I will make sure I have my flash light with me.

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