The Best of 2005

The year is coming to a close. We take stock and cast a quick glance back. I looked through the photos I'd taken during the year and selected these as my favourites. It's not about their merits as photos; it's just that for some personal reasons, they meant something to me. The vertical shot of the diver is taken in Cebu, Philippines. He's a stranger, but came round the bend just as I was wishing for a subject to fill the scene. The shot of the eagle is at Tenggol, taken from our live-aboard boat. I was testing out the continuous shooting mode. The interior of Morton's was a commissioned work, so that was pretty satisfying. The mating pair of mandarin fishes were from the house reef of the resort I frequent in Manado. I had to be still for about 25 minutes in semi-darkness to get the shy fishes to "get on with it". The underwater camera only works in wide-angle mode, so no chance for the shallow depth-of-field look. The 2 action shots are of young boys; one in Paris, another in Takengon, Aceh; both testing the effects of gravity. At Prambanan, near Solo, Java, a group of dancers are tutored by a remarkable man, who was pretty stern with them. The crashing waves were experienced in monsoon-season Cebu, and after a dive, it can be nauseating. I took the shot to keep my mind off puking. The last shot is a reminder of the 4 or 5 days of drive in Switzerland and Alsace with Venny, Jessie and Lini. The autumn scenery was often spectacular. Sitting in a powerful Audi car wasn't so bad either. It was a good year.

Chup