Tokyo Photo Awards 2026
Water is life. Water gives life. I’ve always loved water, I love the way it feels, the way it smells, the way it looks, but also I love the fact that water gives us life. Water gives us people life by providing food and income for many fishermen and their families. One of the most beautiful mornings in my life I set out from the small island of Gili Asahan outside of Lombok, Indonesia in the hopes of photographing surfing at the legendary surf break Desert Point. As many of my life’s great experiences I did something unplanned instead.
When heading out on the fishing boat, I noticed all the other boats around us and realised this was a great opportunity to see, and document, the fishermen’s life at work, at sea. So I did just that. Here is a glimpse into a life unknown for many people. Traditional Indonesian fishing.
I did manage to photograph surfing at Desert Point too. This was in June 2022 when Indonesia had been open for tourists for a very short time. A couple of years earlier there had been international surf competitions at Desert Point but since then the place had basically been just that, deserted. When asking about how to get there the best option for me was to go there by boat since the road was bad, or not good. So, the kind people who had the hotel at Gili Asahan arranged for a fisherman to take me to the surf break.
The small island Gili Asahan was a lovely place to stay, Pearl Beach Resort was where I stayed. The resort was very small and maybe just another hotel on the island. I arrived at the island by being picked up at a meeting point on Lombok by boat. The hotel had a restaurant where I had my meals, and then I did some snorkelling. There’s an artificial reef just outside the hotel where I stayed, it’s heart shaped. I seem to find hearts everywhere.
The memory of this morning have been very present with me, but it’s not until now that I’ve had time to go through the photos when I decided to submit some of my photos to Tokyo Photo Awards I took the time to look through the photos. I felt that I was submitting the same photos to all contests, and I knew I have so many more photos. That’s a great reason for participating in photo contests, you have a reason to go through your archives.
If you have any questions about visiting Gili Asahan, Lombok, or photography feel free to get in touch through the contact form (best option) or leave a comment in the section, and I’ll get back to you!
Leave a comment