Wildlife Photography in Bali: Tips for Amazing Shots

Bali, the Island of the Gods, is a dream destination for photographers. With its breathtaking landscapes, vibrant culture, and diverse ecosystems, this Indonesian paradise offers a plethora of opportunities for photography.

My wife and I are fans of Bali. The island belongs to Indonesia and is located just east of Java and south of Borneo. Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country: almost 85% Muslims, about 12% Hindus and a few Christians and Buddhists. In Bali, the majority are Hindus, and they live in harmony with each other and the rest of Indonesia. Indonesia is located where some tectonic plates meet, so there are often both earthquakes and volcanic activity. During our stay, we had to leave our room when our mattress in the bed started moving from side to side at night. We were very scared but were reassured by the staff who said that this happens often.

We had bought a round trip that included the stations of Ubud and Lovina. The former is called Bali’s art city, but in my opinion, it is a bit overrated, but it is a nice city to walk around and there are many other attractions nearby. We walked near the monkey forest in Ubud, but when we saw how the monkeys behaved at the entrance, we were not supposed to enjoy anything. You have to wear a hat, glasses and cameras, and because I don’t know the body language of monkeys, I am not supposed to enjoy anything.

We visited the beautiful Tegallalang rice terraces near Ubud, where there were beautiful landscapes to photograph. We also went to the famous and very sacred temple of Tanah Lot, which is located on a cliff a little northwest of the capital Denpasar. If you want to go to the temple, you have to walk through the water, which is 1 meter deep at its deepest point. We didn’t do that, but I got to talk to and photograph many of the pilgrims.

We took a trip to Mount Batur, one of Bali’s large active volcanoes. You can hike all the way up the volcano, but we made do with it from a distance. The largest volcano and also still active is called Mount Agung. We only saw it from a long distance in the haze on the distant horizon. The Balinese believe that the gods live on volcanoes, so they are very sacred and are worshipped. Hinduism in Bali is a variant of Indian Hinduism with its more than 36 million gods and divine beings in Hinduism. So that’s a joke. To be a harmonious person, one must be in harmony with both the gods and the demons, so everyone should send offerings to both sides every day. Offerings to the gods are placed on altars that are found everywhere; in every home, on the street and in temples, which are found in all sizes everywhere. By the way, all temples have a “birthday” about 2 times a year and it is celebrated with large offerings and ceremonies. Offerings to the demons are placed on the ground where they are devoured by wild dogs, mice and worse.
In Ubud, we met a young couple dressed in very beautiful traditional costumes, when walking around in a temple. There were a couple of photographers around them. We got talking, and it turned out that the young couple were getting married, and that the pictures were to be used as official wedding or engagement pictures. I was allowed to participate, and I took some  nivce pictures of the beautiful couple.

Around Ubud, we also went to a cockfight. It is a somewhat bizarre thing to strap a long razor-sharp knife to the rooster’s rear spur and then let two roosters fight each other to the death of at least one. You can think of it whatever you want, but since it exists, I also think it is OK to photograph it. I know that cockfighting is prohibited in Bali, but it happens in several places. Maybe the police turn a blind eye to it, if they get a share of the profits. There are only men in the arena, my wife was the only woman. It is not a place for gambling addicts because large sums of money are bet by those present men to the providers of the bets, who shout and scream and excite the many men. The atmosphere was intense, and a lot of pictures were taken. 

To round off the religion, we also visited a Buddhist temple near Lovina. Here there was peace and quiet, and we were able to refuel for the further journey. I am not a big consumer of sunset pictures, but I did manage to take a few here at Lovina.

This last thing has little to do with Bali. On Flores, another Indonesian island three large islands east of Bali, lives Anthony Arno, commonly called Yanto. Our son and daughter-in-law visited Indonesia a few years ago. They bought a boat trip to an island to see Komodo dragons and Yanto was their guide. They became such good friends that Yanto was invited on holiday in Denmark for a whole month. Here we met Yanto, and he was a really nice person. I think he is the only Indonesian who has ever attended an ice hockey game and then skated in our local arena. Yanto has now built up a good business with his boat trips, and our son has made a nice website for him. The address is Indonesian Boat Trip.

I have a blog article called Balinese Prayer.