Chris Schaefer is a first time participant in my photo~expeditions, and is the fifth to submit samples of his work made during the Bali: Island of Odalan Photo~Expedition ™.
Chris is an attorney, and when asked to describe himself for this post, wrote that he "likes to travel to far away places with professional photographers and hopes for a quality photo now and then. He is educated in nothing related to photography, but enjoys snapping the shutter and seeing what happens."
Having seen the results of his "snapping" as he calls it, I think he did extremely well and surpassed his expectations of having a quality picture now and then.
The above photograph is that of a traditional procession on Masceti beach on the Balinese eastern coast during a melasti ceremony. Melasti is the purification of the Pratima deity and other symbols at a beach, and is a fundamental ritual during a temple's anniversary.
The second of Chris' photographs is of a Legong dancer at the Ubud Palace during a performance. The performance included various dances, such as the Gabor, Baris, Kraton ad the Taruna Jaya. The Legong dance is characterized by intricate finger movements, complicated footwork, and expressive gestures and facial expressions. This dancer in particular used her eyes to convey emotions extremely well.
The third of Chris' photographs was made at the holiest of Bali's religious sites: Pura Tirta Empul, whose sacred spring is said to have curative properties. The tradition has continued unchanged at the temple for a thousand years. This photograph shows how the Balinese place canang (offerings) at the spouts of the springs.
