Indonesia Photo Tour
August 6 - 19, 2025
One of the great costumed festivals in the world takes place every year in Jember, Indonesia on the island of Java. The colors, pageantry, and wild designs set to disco music creates a scene unparalleled anywhere. Jim's wife, Dia, obtains VIP passes for our entire group so we can go behind the scenes and photograph the participants getting ready for the big parade. This amazing photo tour also includes exotic Bali as well as the most beautiful big city in the world, Singapore, where we stay in the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. You'll be able to swim in the infinity pool 57 stories above the ground! And the views of the city are dazzling from the top of the hotel. This is truly a photo tour not to be missed.
What you will learn on this tour:
How to photograph festivals
How to set up travel shots
Capturing beautiful portraits
What camera settings are best to get sharp pictures
Getting the best architecture photographs
Using HDR for twilight and night photography
Understanding the advantages of auto ISO
How to photograph birds in flight
The best approach for photographing butterflies
Itinerary
Day 1, August 6, Wednesday
Fly from your home town to Jakarta, Indonesia (airport code CGK) and walk to the Anara Airport Hotel located in Terminal 3. Don't forget you'll cross the International Dateline coming from North America and you'll lose one day. That means if you depart from the U.S. or Canada on August 4, you arrive on August 6. We meet as a group in the hotel lobby for a meet and greet at 6 pm, and then we'll enjoy a welcome dinner. Overnight Jakarta.
Day 2, August 7, Thursday
After an early breakfast, we take a short flight from Jakarta to Jember, East Java. At the hotel, Jim will discuss the activities for the next two days as we photograph one of the greatest festivals in the world. He will advise you about what lenses to bring, how to photograph the costumed models as they are preparing for the parade, and the best vantage points during the main event. Overnight Aston Hotel, Jember.
Days 3 - 4, August 8 - 10, Friday thru Sunday
The Jember Fashion Carnaval (this is the Indonesian spelling of 'carnival') has no limits in the creativity of the costumes. Thanks to Jim's wife, Dia, we will have VIP passes to go behind the scenes and photograph children and young adults as they dress and make up for the main event. This will produce stunning portraits. The passes we have also entitle us to have the best seats when the parade starts. The entire procession marches and dances to disco music straight toward our cameras! The colors, the pageantry, the exotic makeup, and the sheer creativity is virtually non-stop, and for sure you'll take so many great pictures that your camera will be smoking!
We will photograph the festival on Friday and Sunday, the best two days for photography, On Saturday, the 9th, we will photograph some spectacular waterfalls. Overnight Aston Hotel, Jember. 4 star.
Days 5 - 9, August 11 - 15, Monday thru Friday
After breakfast we depart from Jember by van and drive to the airport in Surabaya. We then take an afternoon flight to Denpasar, Bali, transfer to our villa in Bali in the late afternoon. For the next several days we photograph one of the most unique cultures on the planet. The day to day schedule has to be flexible because Jim arranges private shoots with dance companies and Balinese dancers, and this depends on the weather and their availability. During our time in Bali, though, we will photograph amazing rice terraces, Balinese dancers posing in a jungle temple, the Monkey Forest where you will have up close and personal encounters with dozens of long-tailed macaques, a Barong dance performance, a private shoot with dancers doing the Kecak Fire Dance, a spectacular bird park, an equally spectacular butterfly park, and a classic Hindu temple set in Lake Bratan. Every night, you will stay in a stunning villa with your own private pool. Overnight Ubud, Bali.
Days 10 - 12, August 16 - 18, Saturday thru Monday
Following breakfast, we take a flight to one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Singapore. Before we transfer to our hotel, Jim shows you where the unbelievable waterfall is, show at right, inside the airport! It makes a great picture. We then drive about 20 minutes to our hotel, and after lunch we start exploring this remarkable destination. First, we visit Little India and capture the dazzling colors of this city within a city. Then we photograph the area around the Marina Bay Sands Hotel that includes the ultra-modern Science Center, the famous Merlion, and the incredible Garden by the Bay. Our twilight photography session this evening will be in the Garden by the Bay, an enchanting experience that will yield some of the best architecture photography you've ever taken.
Other great destinations are the Temple of the Buddha Tooth Relic, views of the stunning Marina Bay Sands Hotel, and various angles for classic night photography. Overnight Swissotel for two nights, and then we change hotels to the Marina Bay Sands for a completely different view of this impressive city. You will want to photograph the outrageous cantilevered infinity pool on the 57th floor at sunrise!
Day 13, August 19, Tuesday
We transfer to the airport this morning for our return flight home, knowing we've taken some of the best travel pictures ever. For North Americans, we regain the day we lost in flying to Indonesia as we cross the International Dateline traveling east.
Tour cost: $7595. Includes all lodging based on double occupancy, all meals, all ground transportation, all entrance fees, cost of the private shoot with Balinese dancers and others, VIP passes at the Jember Fashion Carnaval, and photo instruction.
Single supplement: $1250
Not included: International airfare to Jakarta and from Singapore to home, international airfare from Denpasar, Bali to Singapore (about $250), the internal flight from Jakarta to Jember (about $325), and the internal flight from Surabaya to Depasar ($70), Bali, alcoholic beverages, items of a personal nature, and travel cancellation insurance.