The good side was that it took no time to choose. I took October issue of Digital Camera World without really examining the content as the other one features new DSLR generation from Sony and new Canon’s entry level 1000D, which I had no interest at all.

Back home I got a pleasant surprise, the issue I chose was Digital Camera World’s special issue of Fine Art Nudes, featuring the issue in detail through about 20 pages, it also gave away a CD with raw images in very high resolution. What a gift. The bad side however was the passion to bring it into practice.

Containing thorough exposure of the issue including engaging models and studios to technical details like lighting, posing, and digital post processing, it was absolutely not at all about pornographic. However I guess amateur like myself can be compared to ordinary human being with professional gynaecologist. Could I manage the other passion if I have a chance to be in nude photography session?

1. Theme
30 years of Bali Art Festival.

2. Object
Qualified photography objects are all activities related to the 30th Bali Art Festival 2008 which can include performing artists during the event starting from the carnival in the opening ceremony on June 14th 2008 through the happening event on July 7th 2008, as well as the visiting audience.

3. Participants
Participation is open to general public without classification and free of charge.

4. General Rule

• Color photo, weather taken in analog or digital.
• Each participants can include up to 10 (ten) photographs.
• Participants have to submit photographs both in print (size 10R) and in digital (in .jpg format, delivered on a CD, file name participantname_title.jpg).
• Detail of participating photographer shall be submitted along on a paper sticked behind each photograph mentioning name, address, phone number, title of the photo.
• Participants are allowed to do minor digital retouching (saturation & cropping). However photo collage is prohibited.
• Last submission shall be received by Tuesday, June 8th 2008 at the following address:
  Panitia Lomba Foto Pesta Kesenian Bali XXX – 2008
  Dinas Kebudayaan Provinsi Bali
  Jl. Ir. Djuanda No. 1 Denpasar 80235 Bali
  Contact person: Widnyana Sudibya – 0361 7869173

7. Prizes
1st winner is entitled to a sum of Rp. 2,000,000.-
2nd winner is entitled to a sum of Rp. 1,750,000.-
3rd winner is entitled to a sum of Rp. 1,500,000.-
4 additional winners are entitled to a sum of Rp. 750,000.- each.

Winners will be announced on the publication board of Bali Art Festival 2008 at Taman Budaya Bali. Each winners will also be contacted by either mail or phone.

Prize will pe distributed on the closing ceremony of Bali Art Festival 2008 on July 12th 2008 at Taman Budaya Bali.

View more results in the gallery.

Many photographers, professionals and hobbyists, locals and foreigners, enthusiastically took this event as a gift. Some of them paid a trip just to take pictures from the event. I was just at no exception.

Unfortunately as I had to go to work in the morning, I came late. I lost the chance to get a space close to the tribune where the parade participants made their performance in front of the honorable invitee which included the president and a number of his ministers, local high-ranking officials, and foreign representatives.

I made the same mistake for the second time. I should have arrange my schedule so I have a full-day off, and therefore can come earlier. Well, as always, regrets come later.

I did what I can do, taking pictures of the line-up at the narrow alley where participants were marching to get to the front of the tribune where they were about to perform. Some of them started to show their actions, but most of them were yous walk. Was it bad? Well, maybe … compared to getting the chance to frame them in action. But taking pictures of them in colorful traditional costume was an amazing moment on its own.

Knowing that it was going to be crowded with not much chance to change lens, my setup was Nikon AF 80-200mm f/2.8D ED N attached plus a Nikon AF 35-70mm f/3.3-4.5 in my pocket. On the spot, in did not use the 35-70 at all.

Having experience from the same event last year, when in most cases participants include at 20-30 people dressed in identical traditional costume, my theme was thin DOF, getting focus locked to one person, with others in identical costume rendered out of focus. My Nikon AF 80-200mm f/2.8D ED N was perfect for this. Both long focal length and wide aperture support thin focus isolation.

I fact I could not leverage too much from focal length. The crowd did not allow enough distance to get the frame more than portrait, I stuck to 80mm in most of the time. The only parameter I could use was aperture. But it was not that easy as well. The event was held at 15.00 PM, when in Bali the sun was still almost as bright as the mid-day. Dragging aperture to the maximum of 2.8 sometimes wanted faster shutter speed than what my camera body could handle.