Finding Peace in Bali by Emma Begley

Today, we’re featuring a beautiful photo essay from film photographer Emma Begley. Scroll below to view the images and read more from Emma about visiting Bali…

Analog cameras and films used: Canon A-1 (Find at KEH Camera or on eBay) | Kodak ColorPlus 200 (Find on Amazon), Kodak UltraMax 400 (Find on Amazon)

Connect with Emma: Instagram

Finding Peace in Bali

By Emma Begley

I spent ten nights recently in Bali with my partner. We travelled around some of the lesser known parts of the island in search of peace away from the July high season crowds.

After plenty of research, we settled on three regions as a base to explore the local sights and stunning scenery. Very early into the trip, I found myself in awe of the never ending greenery, flora, and abundance of colors all catching my eye, presenting plenty of photography inspiration.

Bali has a reputation for its natural beauty and generous hospitability, but what I hadn’t expected was the diversity of emerald green and jade foliage, endless rice fields, and serene mountain view points.

The conditions for our trip were variable with days of cloud cover, especially in the mountain region of Munduk which would flip between grey skies, drizzles of rain, then glorious sunshine all within the space of a day.

Due to the unpredictability, I opted for my trusted go to film stock. Kodak ColorPlus 200 and Kodak UltraMax 400, shooting mainly in manual or aperture priority mode on my Canon A-1.

The overall results were mixed, however, this is part of what I feel makes film photography so appealing, the constant learning process and reminder that there’s no such thing as perfection when it comes to film photography as each negative tells its own unique story.

I personally find it very liberating to let go of the need for control and trust my instinct to shoot whenever I get the urge or feel inspired. A lot of the time my favorite photos are actually the ones I wasnt expecting to be good, like the extra shot of the same scene from a different angle or a quick photo of local life unfolding without the time to frame properly or fix the settings.

My Canon A-1 was a very special birthday present from my partner a few years ago, and it’s been my only experience using a film camera. I would describe photography as a personal hobby which brings me a lot of joy just through slowing down, being intentional and present when deciding what to shoot.

Places like Bali offer plenty of inspiration for those who enjoy documentary style photography as you can really encapsulate the feel of the place and its local culture, offering endless photo opportunites.

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