Bits n' pieces

Skyventure

2012-02-02T14:19:00.001+08:00

Every day thousands of tourist get on a bus and visit Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples. Memories are made and pictures taken.

However, gods do not see the temples from a bus, they see them from above. One man went on a quest to give us mere mortals a god-eye view of the area. Eddie Smith came to Cambodia to fly archaeologists around the country on ultralights. He ended up starting Skyventure to give tours of the Angkor area.

He flies an ultralight plane. Imagine no windows, no doors, cloth wings and the wind in your face. You can reach out an almost stroke the faces at Bayon.

So while the crowds are pushing and shoving like ants to get that "perfect" vantage point, enjoy the serene yet adrenaline charged experience of seeing like a god.

Only had around 20 minutes to do this. This is a real business here in Siem Reap. Eddie is very friendly and accommodating but extremely busy. His business partner is in the hospital (not as a result of flying. Completely unrelated) so he has to run the whole show by himself at the moment.

It was very windy and cloudy so I went with hard light in order not to waste time securing softboxes and the like and to simulate the sun. I like the hit on the visor. Decided to go with tungsten balance for the helmet pic my way there because I wanted a blue sky instead of overcast. When I saw he had a blue shirt it was the "#$@! me!" moment.

The Key

2012-01-16T14:12:00.001+08:00

The Key, a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

Photography is my key:
To express what my mind creates.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T13:21:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year!, a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

Looking forward to a great one!

...at peace...

2011-10-24T11:29:00.001+08:00

...at peace..., a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

At the Joe McNally workshop in Singapore.
Thanks to Joe McNally, Louis Pang and the crew for a great time today.
Model: Steven Dasz
Strobist info: 1 580EXII in an Ezybox above the model.

Peace...

2011-10-18T21:04:00.001+08:00

Peace..., a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

Love the sunsets here.

Along came a kitten.

2011-10-14T12:28:00.001+08:00

Along came a kitten., a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

Strobist info: Flash diffused with a white ダイソ umbrella camera left.

...where all your wishes come true...

2011-10-08T14:20:00.001+08:00

...where all your wishes come true..., a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

Pub Street, Siem Reap, Cambodia

...I was walking in Gion when...

2011-10-05T20:18:00.001+08:00

...I was walking in Gion when..., a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

LEGO geisha up to no good... ;)

Who's there?

2011-10-04T11:04:00.001+08:00

Who's there?, a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

Looking up at a frosted glass floor at Oasis 21 in Nagoya, Japan at night.

Water everywhere.

2011-10-03T11:32:00.001+08:00

No words needed..., a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

Last week the town was flooded for the second time this year. One week spent
wading to get anywhere.

Still, life went on as well as it could.

Motivation, a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

Motivation - What drives you to kill your boss for making you drive in a flood with a gas tank in the back.

Moo you!

2011-10-02T16:50:00.001+08:00

Moo you!, a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

My resident cow. Thinks it owns the place.

Cattleya

2011-10-01T13:47:00.001+08:00

Cattleya, a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.
Taken a while back.

Barnyard Sumo...

2011-09-30T12:29:00.001+08:00

Barnyard Sumo..., a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

The underground scene is always busy. Money, alcohol and gorgeous women are all part of it.

...golden...

2011-09-29T11:04:00.001+08:00

...golden..., a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

Lan Anh.
Fujifilm Proplus II 100.

He just finished feeding the monster...

2011-09-28T14:56:00.002+08:00

He just finished feeding the monster..., a photo by Jorge R on Flickr.

Ferris wheel at 60 Road, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Lighting info: 1 speedlight from camera left, TTL, zoomed to 85mm, lighting the ticket stand and the people.

I can fly...

2011-09-28T14:31:00.001+08:00

Last year I took an ultralight flight over the Angkor area in Cambodia with SkyVenture. It's a great way to see the temples and surrounding area. Beats a tour bus any day. I've had these pictures sitting in my hard drive for a year and finally got around to posting them.

Who needs windows?

My original plan was to take off for a sunrise over the area, but the weather had other ideas. There was a thunderstorm so we had to wait for it to clear. After we took off and headed to the temples more clouds rolled in and visibility dropped to zero. The pilot descended until we were out of the clouds but then we were dodging cell phone towers, so we had to return to base.

The sky cleared after an hour and we took off again. Once again as we headed towards the temples more clouds rolled in. To the south the sky was clear so we flew down towards the Tonle Sap. It wasn't so bad there and saw some amazing views.

The local countryside during the rainy season.

Kraom Mountain

The flight was over too soon but it was unforgettable. Because of the improvised flight plan, I don't know the name of some of the temples I flew over. Trying to find them on Google Earth. I recommend this to anyone wanting to see a "different" Angkor.

...the road...

2011-09-28T14:14:00.000+08:00

...the road..., originally uploaded by Jorge R.

Your every day drive...

I saw the light.

2011-09-28T14:13:00.000+08:00

I saw the light., originally uploaded by Jorge R.

One of those happy mysterious mistakes one makes with a camera.

The Sculpture

2011-08-25T13:51:00.003+08:00

The sculpture itself isn't important, but what it represents is. In Siem Reap, Cambodia there is a project called Artisans d'Angkor. There, Cambodians learn traditional handicrafts that were almost lost during their recent history. Not only are the lost arts saved but the craftsmen use the skills learned to earn more. This craftsman creates sculptures for private clients during his weekends. This particular one is for a Chinese client.

Strobist info: 1 flash in softbox at 1/8 power camera right lighting the sculpture from the side. 1 flash with hard light on a VAL lighting the craftsman to accentuate his muscles.

Featured on Strobist.

The road not taken.

2011-06-15T15:32:00.001+08:00

I purposely got lost today. In the Cambodian countryside, without Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. I was riding on some dirt road enjoying the fresh air, amused by all the children running out and saying hello. I love how Cambodians will take anything on a bike or motorcycle.

This poor girl must have been freaking out at the crazy foreigner tailgating her lol.
Of course bikes and motos aren't the only things on the road.

The downgrade.

2011-06-15T15:30:00.001+08:00

Just moved to Siem Reap and I don't need all the monster features of my previous phone. I wanted something light and small for calls and SMS.

I got a Nokia C1. It so simple it's great and a lot better than carrying the brick I used to lug around.