I took this photo at the monkey forest in Ubud, Bali, in November 2015. It grabs my attention every time I see it, and I consider it one of the best photos in my collection. I like its simple composition with a blurred foreground and background emphasising the main subject. The monkey’s eyes gaze directly at the camera, compelling the viewer’s engagement, and the face is a little tilted, creating tension.
I also like that the photo is almost all brown, including the monkey’s eyes. Brown is one of the blandest colours in photographs, and it pleases me that I could create a strong image in an unexciting part of the colour palette.
A Facebook photographic group of which I am a member had a colour theme a couple of years ago. Week by week, they went through a lot of colours, encouraging members to post photos that featured red or yellow or blue etc. I am a pretty slack participant on the club page, but I waited for the call for brown photos, thinking that I would post this one. Eventually, brown came around. On the day I went to post this photo, my computer died, and the group never got to see it.
On the same trip to Bali, I took the photo above, and I let one get away. The pic was taken on the Campuhan Ridge, a walk trail to the north of Ubud. On Sunday afternoons, it is a delightful social scene, with local couples strolling together, or young singles promenading on the lookout. As this couple sat together, she leaned into him and created just the touch to tell the story of Sunday afternoon on the ridge.
But I missed another opportunity. A couple were on the ridge, holding hands and walking along together. No vehicles are allowed on the ridge walk, not even scooters, but the couple must have arrived by scooter because they had helmets on. As they walked, there was a moment when their bulbous helmet heads bent together and touched, and they walked with this curious non-contact indicator of intimacy. But by the time I got my camera sorted, the moment was over. You can’t win them all.
Back home in Australia, I continued to enjoy making the most of local subjects. Sometimes, like the leaning girl above, it’s the little touches. In the photo above, I like the effect on the image of the small red and blue beach umbrella. It somehow signifies a relaxed atmosphere on the beach and emphasises the fact that this beautiful location (Lowlands Beach) is spacious and uncrowded, even though it is hemmed in by rocks. You just have to be lucky to have someone put up an umbrella on such a beautiful day, but when they do, it is great to be able to take advantage and capture the image.