Borneo Bootcamp 2015 Journal: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Registration is closed. Email me if you wish to be notified for the next bootcamp!

After months of planning, I am pleased to announce the very first macro photography bootcamp in Borneo. This is an intense, specialized workshop designed for those with basic to intermediate experience, a feverish passion in macro photography and entomology, and a strong desire to elevate their skills to an advanced stage. At the same time, this would be a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself into the rich biodiversity of arthropods, reptiles and amphibians of Borneo’s pristine rainforests.

For those who are completely new to macro photography and are interested in an introductory workshop, please contact me at [email protected] to register interest instead. Note that I will normally respond to emails within half a day. If you did not receive any reply, please resend your email in case it got lost!

If Borneo is too far for you, I will also be a co-instructor on the other side of the globe at BugShot Belize in August 2015 together with Alex Wild, John Abbott and Thomas Shahan.

Duration

24 to 28 June 2015 (Wed-Sun, 5 Days 4 Nights)

Costs

Trip cost available only when registration is open.

Price includes:

• Daily workshop lessons and sharing sessions
• Access to Borneo’s pristine rainforests with about 10 field trips.
• 2-way airport transfer via minibus
• Accommodation in air-conditioned jungle cabin with common toilets for 4 nights (3 beds per room)
• Shared WIFI access at accommodation and on the road, good for WhatsApp and checking email
• Local breakfast, lunch and dinner during the stay
• All entry fees to park and trails
• Camera permit
• Tips for local staff
• Pre-trip advice and meetup session to assess equipment and get to know travel mates [optional]
• Dedicated Facebook group for follow-up advice and discussions

Price excludes:

• Airfare

  • From Singapore

    Singapore – Johor Bahru (JB) – Tawau*

    Approx S$100 on AirAsia

    AirAsia customers can book free shuttle bus services from Singapore to Senai Airport in Johor Bahru and vice versa. It is faster and cheaper than flying via Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu.

    Departure
    1. 0600: Board Cross-Border Bus from Kranji MRT, Queens Street or Newton Circus to Malaysia CIQ
    2. 0700: Board Sky Shuttle Bus at Malaysia CIQ at Bay 24
    3. 0900: Check in at Senai Airport
    4. 1040-1320: Flight from JB to Tawau* (AK5596, 2h40m)

    Return

    1. 1200: Check in at Tawau Airport
    2. 1345-1620: Flight Tawau* to JB (AK5597, 2h35m)
    3. 1700: Board Sky Shuttle Bus from Senai Airport to Malaysia CIQ
    4. 1800: Board Cross-Border Bus from Malaysia CIQ to Kranji MRT, Queens Street or Newton Circus

    CIQ – Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex

    * Tawau is near the eastern coast of Borneo, there is no direct flight from Singapore.

  • From other parts of the world, please fly via Kuala Lumpur

    Kuala Lumpur – Tawau

    International participants arriving via Kuala Lumpur should take the 1000h-1255 (AK5746) flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau via AirAsia on 24 June 2015.

• Photography equipment (bring your own gear!)

Requirements

1. Burning passion in macro photography
2. Keen interest in arthropods, reptiles and amphibians
3. DSLR or a good mirrorless digital camera
4. Dedicated macro lens capable of 1:1 magnification, preferably between 60mm to 105mm
5. Close up filters: Raynox DCR150 or Raynox DCR250
6. External flash
7. Wireless trigger and additional external flash (for back-lighting)
8. Tripod
9. Laptop for post processing lessons and sharing session
10. Powerful lightweight torch for night shoots
11. Basic proficiency in Adobe Photoshop

Accommodation

Some things that you should know about the accommodation. Note that this is an old jungle cabin and not a luxury stay!

• All rooms have 3 beds and are air-conditioned with ceiling fan
• Each room has 2 power sockets only, please bring multi-plugs for charging your batteries
• Separated male and female common toilets and cubicle showers
• Showers are not heated, they can get cold at night!
• You may wash your clothes – there are shared clothes lines for you to hang your clothes out to dry
• There is no fridge, but we can loan a kettle from the park office
• They do not provide free internet, but I will provide basic WIFI access to be shared at the cabin.
• A small shop selling snacks is accessible in the day
• Meals will be at a common “canteen” area where you can also buy drinks
• Lessons will be in a sheltered common area just in front of the rooms

Tips for the Trip

• Get a lightweight but powerful torch light for searching in the night
• Get spare batteries and chargers that can handle multiple batteries
• Borrow extra memory cards from your friends 🙂
• Rig a focusing light on your camera instead of holding a light with your hand
• Do more field shoots prior to the trip, note down any problems that you face
• Bring a hat, it blocks the sun from your eyes while shooting
• Bring leech socks (can also be purchased from park office at RM10)
• Bring mosquito repellent
• Pack light – it is a considerable walk from vehicle drop-off point to the cabin

Schedule

	Day 1 24 Jun	Day 2 25 Jun	Day 3 26 Jun	Day 4 27 Jun	Day 5 28 Jun
7am	Board Cross-Border Bus at Kranji MRT, Queens Street or Newton Circus	Free time	Free time	Free time	Casual shoot around cabin
8am	Board Sky Shuttle Bus at Malaysia CIQ at Bay 24	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
9am	Check in at Senai Airport	Field Trip	Field Trip	Field Trip	Free time / Packup
10am	Flight from JB to Tawau (1040-1320) You may wish to buy in-flight meals at approx RM18				Brunch
11am					Minibus to Tawau Airport
12pm					Check in at Tawau Airport
1pm		Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Flight from Tawau to JB (1345-1620)
2pm	Minibus to supermarket for personal grocery shopping	Field Trip	Field Trip	Field Trip
3pm
4pm	Check in at jungle cabins
5pm	Welcome to Borneo Bootcamp!	Free time	Free time	Free time	Board Sky Shuttle Bus to Malaysia CIQ
6pm	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Special Dinner / Awards	Board Cross-Border Bus to Kranji MRT, Queens Street or Newton Circus
7pm	Lighting Composition Finding subjects Focusing techniques Tips	Photo Review	Photo Review
8pm		Image Processing Basic Focus Stacking	Advanced Techniques Ultraviolet photography Backlighting	Q&A / Open Discussion
9pm	Night Shoot	Night Shoot	Night Shoot	Night Shoot
10pm
11pm

Note: Schedule may be subject to changes.

Field Trips

• All trails are just a short walk from the cabins.
• The terrain is relatively flat – there is minimal to no climbing involved in the trails.
• Participants may be split into 2 groups during field trips, each led by an instructor or assistant instructors.

Ground Rules

As with all trips, there are ground rules to follow. By signing up for the trip, you agree to the following rules.

1. Observe shooting etiquette

   1. Finders shoot first

      The one who finds the subject will have the right to shoot first, the rest who are interested to shoot should take a “queue number”.

   2. Share your finds

      Share what you find with others, and let everyone take a basic shot before going closer for high magnification shots.

   3. Slow shooters shoot later

      If you know that you take very long for your shots, let other faster participants shoot first.

   4. Keep volume low

      Do not shout or talk loudly when others are shooting, loud noise can scare skittish subjects away.

   5. Be magnanimous

      It is common for subjects to escape or disappear when you are shooting. It will happen to everyone, so refrain from blaming anyone when it happens, be magnanimous and move on.

2. Specimen collection

   This is a photography workshop and not a collection trip for entomologists. Please discuss with me via email first if you really need to collect specimens.

Pre-trip Session

There may be a short pre-trip meetup at least a month before the trip.

• Assess camera equipment, determine what to buy or change
• Get to know fellow travel mates

Registration

Seats are limited, and secured only after confirmation of payment. To register for this bootcamp, contact me at nicky@bay.to with the following details. This page will be updated should all the seats be filled. Register early to avoid disappointment!

• Name in passport
• Passport expiry date
• Nationality
• Gender
• Contact number
• Emergency contact
• Any medical condition that I should be aware of
• Room preference: Single/Double/Triple
• Room mate preference if attending with a friend
• Arrival timing at Tawau Airport
• Dietary restrictions (if any)

• Payment mode

  • Bank transfer (Singapore banks only)
  • Paypal (Invoice in USD, +5% surcharge, please provide Paypal account email)
• Camera equipment details
• Describe your macro photography experience, and online portfolio if available
• Your expectations for this bootcamp

If you are absolutely keen on this bootcamp but are not available during these dates, contact me regarding your interest so that I can notify you for the next bootcamp.

Have questions? Ask below! Alternatively, send me a message on Facebook.

Meanwhile, here are some shots that I have taken at the bootcamp venue recently. However, as all macro photographers would know, there is no guarantee in sighting any particular subject as some are only prevalent during certain months of the year.

1. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)

   Some of the most colourful shield bugs could be found here. We found one just outside the toilet.



2. Lantern bug (Pyrops whiteheadi)

   The venue is home to at least 3 different species of lantern bugs. Sighting them is not difficult, but getting an angle to photograph them depends a lot on luck!



3. Lantern bug (Pyrops sidereus)

   Some of the lantern bugs have distinct host trees, and the chances of finding them would be much higher with an experienced guide.



4. Huntsman spider (Sparassidae)

   This giant and colourful huntsman spider was spotted just 50m away from the cabins.



5. Golden blue ant (Polyrhachis sp.)

   These ants were brilliantly coloured with a metallic blue abdomen.



6. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)

   Unfortunately we also found many shield bugs infected with cordyceps fungus.



7. Longhorn orb web spider (Macracantha arcuata)

   Probably the longest horns on any spider in the region, the longhorn orb web spider is a common sight near to the cabins.



8. Harvestman (Opiliones)

   Who would have imagined that a harvestman could be blue?



9. Giant river toad (Phrynoidis juxtasper)

   Some of the toads by the river were huge, spanning 20cm in length.



10. Rhino beetle (Dynastinae)

    This rhino beetle flew to us near the cabin, which gave us the opportunity to take some wide angle shots when we were checking out on the last day.

View the findings from the previous trip here:

Tawau Hills [ Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 ]

UPDATED: View the journal for this trip here:

Borneo Bootcamp 2015: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

• bootcamp
• borneo
• malaysia
• sabah
• tawau