Threemendous Sunset

I was having lunch with a couple of mermaids (true story) when the opportunity came to join in the celebrations for Le Meridien’s 3rd anniversary in Jimbaran, Bali.

The theme was 'enchanted garden' and staff transformed the hotel into a wonderland. Fairy lights, flower crowns and mermaid splashes added to the magic.

And as the sun set, fashion shows and fire dancers brought spectacular action.

As a newbie, this was my first ‘major’ assignment. All day photoshoot. Only me & my camera. Massive learning curve!

There was a bit of running and a lot of sweat, but the atmosphere was amazing and the people so lovely, it all felt relatively easy. Inevitably I missed some shots because I couldn’t be in two places at the same time. However I'm pretty confident that my ‘different’ perspective, from the roof, paid off. Luckily for me, there were other photographers on duty also, giving me a chance to seek out the more unusual.

So how does one manage solo? I had two cameras around my neck at all time. Most of the shooting was on my Canon 5D III with a 70-200mm lens. The second camera had the 24-70mm. This covered my base. I went hand-held all the way, apart from a few late evening shots when I used the tripod. There were a couple of chances to download photos to my laptop and do some quick processing to share with my client and social media.

When the evening was done - my work began. Processing and editing photos is a dreadfully time-consuming business. There is so much to learn and I’ve found each session is another chance to improve. Practice makes perfect as they say. I’m sure I’ll look back on my work in a years time and cringe. This is the process of learning though, the process of having a go and putting yourself out there.

Thanks Le Meridien Bali for giving me a ‘threemendous' opportunity to capture the sunset on your enchanted day. It was spectacular.