portraits from Lotim

Lotim is a contraction of Lombok Timor which means East Lombok. It is the site of my frequent forays in Lombok for it is here that seaweed abounds. Production is healthy in this part of Indonesia thanks to a reef protected from strong winds and a steady ocean current action that facilitates nutrient circulation.


girl with a comb, Kaliantan



giggling girls in Kaliantan



man with bushels of seaweed, Kaliantan


Seaweed does have its season in Lombok. Heavy monsoon rains in December to March disrupts production in that drying of the wet harvests is interrupted frequently so farmers tend to lie low during this period. By May and onwards though, farmers get busy expanding production so by middle of the year, cultivation would already be in full swing.


woman sorting seaweed, Kaliantan



woman cleaning the seaweed harvest, Kaliantan


It is June now so perhaps I should pay Lombok a visit once more. Could be a good time to do more portraits too.


smiling at Serewe



woman spreading seaweed on the sand for drying, Serewe

Seaweed time in Indonesia

For people in Northern Hemisphere, there are four definitive seasons- winter, fall, summer and spring. Not from where I live in tropical Asia. We only have the wet and the dry season, yet at all times, temperatures would still be moderately warm by most standards.

Summertime in perennially sunny Southeast Asia is defined as that period of no rains, that intermission between stormy monsoons. This time is important in agriculture, or more particularly in seaweed farming.

Seaweed mariculture is agriculture but not on land but at sea. Growth-out period is around a month and a half, afterwhich the harvest is dried openly under the sun to be dried to commercial moisture levels. Drying time takes 2-4 days, depending on weather. Obviously, the stretch of dry season termed “summer” in Asia is favorable for harvesting. Cultivations cycles are planned to peak during this time to take advantage of the heat that allows faster turnover.

This series of pictures are taken in regions that are two of the seaweed hotspots in Indonesia: Bali and Lombok


Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia

Ironically and fortunately, the farms of Nusa Dua also happen to be located in beaches that are beautifully pristine and heavily favored by tourists. Hotels practically are facing these farms. Tourism and seaweed farming seem to cohabitate together. For now.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/5.6, 205mm, ISO 400, -1/3EV
at Sawangan, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/5.6, 300mm, ISO 100
at Geger, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/5.6, 300mm, ISO 800,
at Sawangan, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia


Serewe Bay, Lombok, Indonesia

It would be difficult to outdo Serewe Bay in East Lombok when it comes to spectacular sandy beaches, what with numerous outcropping islands and steep cliffs spread over the bay. Roads are still rough though and visitors, if any, are sparse. While still a whispered secret among beachcombers in the know, these beaches are only a heartbeat away from commercial development.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/2500s, f/5.6, 190mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
at Sumerang, East Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1600s, f/5.0, 190mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
at Serewe, East Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia

the heavenly beaches of East Lombok- part 3

continued from part 1and part 2 and more in part 4 and part 5

portraits at the beach

Artificial lighting is not my forte. I have a speedlite, the entry level 430ex, but I rarely bring it in my travels as my bag, saddled already with 3 additional lenses, has become too heavy for me. Not having any external flash does not inhibit or preclude me from taking portraits. There is always ambient light. The sun, without a doubt, is the best source of light you can have.

Perhaps the easiest portraits to do those whose subjects are cooperative. It never hurts to ask permission. Often, if you are polite and friendly enough, people would willingly allow you to take photographs.

Take this family in Serewe, East Lombok, for instance. They were sitting idly in a shed at Serewe, taking a break from from seaweed cultivation as it was just after lunchtime. I, too, was in hurry in getting back to my party so I only took two shots. Not having had any time to reset my camera from its aperture priority setting that was set at f/14 (I was shooting landscapes earlier), so I got a 1/10 second exposure which was much slower than what I normally can do. At this speed, camera shake is an issue and my pulse is spotty. The image may not be perfectly sharp but I love the motion blur of the father who glanced back adoringly at his son just as I clicked the camera.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/10s, f/14, 55mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
boats for seaweed farming at Serewe, East Lombok, Indonesia

On the other hand, it pays to get a candid shot. Think of spontaneous, unrehearsed happenstances.

In the next photo, a fisherman just came off from his boat and was making his way home when I chanced upon him. He did not show any particular interest in me and my camera but neither did he mind me photographing him. Getting him face me directly was not easy but I was able to capture him when he stopped and turned around to show his catch to another fisherman whose shadow you can see in the bottom left corner of the photo.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/16, 55mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
a fisherman in Sumerang, East Lombok, Indonesia


The photograph below was taken in Sumerang Beach. I spotted this old lady who was gathering seaweed that broke off from the cultivation lines. Knowing that portraits would be interesting, I took about 15 shots. I tried setting her against the dramatic scenery as behind her were the cliffs of the opposite side of the U-shaped Sumerang bay. Precisely because the sight behind her was too breathtaking, I felt that a long shot would lose the connection of her labor.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/11, 85mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
a seaweed gatherer in Sumerang, East Lombok, Indonesia


By zooming in on her activity, which literally is backbreaking, I felt that I would be able to tell her story more intimately and honestly. Catching the seaweed fragments that were drifting to shore is not an easy task. I doubt if she would be able to collect enough fresh seaweed in a few hours that would sell for a dollar. But despite the harsh elements, the biting sun, the swirling current and lapping waves, she persevered diligently, collecting whatever she could.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/11, 300mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
a seaweed gatherer in Sumerang, East Lombok, Indonesia

the heavenly beaches of East Lombok- part 2

continued from part 1 and more in part 3, part 4 and part 5

How did I come to know the heavenly beaches of Serewe and Sumerang?

About 15 years ago, I lived for short periods of time in East Lombok, specifically in its “capital” town of Selong. My visits are frequent, at least four times a year, but I only stayed for a little less than two weeks each time. I was working on my master’s thesis then and I got dispensation from my boss that I can spend more time in my home base Cebu (the Philippines). My work was on the quality side of a seaweed project which aimed to develop the plantations in the eastern and southern parts of Lombok, with satellite developments in Bali where the project first started and Sumbawa, the island west of Lombok.

If I remembered right, the priority beach was Serewe. Sumerang came in second. At least that is what I remembered. These places were ideal for seaweed: wide reef flats, rich and clean waters with sufficient wave action, plenty of hardworking villagers and without any river tributary which made salinity fairly high and constant all year round.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/11, 18mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
boats for seaweed farming at Serewe, East Lombok, Indonesia


There was one catch. The beaches are perfect tourist traps. Both coastlines stretch as far as the eyes can see. Their fine white sand extends attractively inland, deep into the villages. And the waters? Just the right shade of aqua blue, thanks to moderately deep waters that are between 10-20 feet deep.

These beaches are no secret. Villagers have always lived under the specter of tourism. Serewe has two hairpin loop-shaped lagoons. Sumerang boasts of six islets arcing around the lagoon, two of which are photogenic chimney-type cliffs. There was always gossip that soon some resort will rise in these villages (I am not sure about land titling or ownership in the area). The prospect of relocating the seaweed project always hovered around us. There was no such thing as long term lease for mariculture.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/16, 46mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
four of several islets in Sumerang, East Lombok, Indonesia


So what happened to the tourism development plans? Nothing. None for the worse. Lombok has far too many white beach islets and bays that are more accessible. There is the famous Senggigi strip which still is relatively underdeveloped. Further north are the three Gili islands.

Moreover, politics and social unrest also came into tragic play. Racial riots spilled into the streets of Mataram in January 2000. Lombok received a bad rep and practically any kind of tourism came to a halt for some time.

Unfortunately for us too, our seaweed project was shelved after severe dieoffs in the mid-90s. Seaweed farming however has become sort of a sustainable habit. The seaweed strains persisted. Slowly, some 10 years after we left in 1997, seaweed growth is spurting back to life with a vengeance, what with private investment and government bank financing.

So this June, I revisited the beaches. It’s work for me. Seeing hundreds of rafts and scores of boats tending the farms was a joyous déjà vu. Corporate-led seaweed farming has been supplanted by a more grassroot family-based independent enterprise. Works fine for me. It’s all for the good.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/13s, f/5.6, 18mm, ISO 200, +1/3EV
a hearty seafood lunch at Serewe, East Lombok, Indonesia


Even if commercial maps would continue to snub these villages, and resort developers would frown on the sheer 2.5 hours rough road distance from the nearest airport, Sumerang and Serewe stay imprinted in my memory. Not much directions needed.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1250s, f/5.6, 250mm, ISO 100, -2/3EV
a seaweed farmer in Sumerang, East Lombok, Indonesia

the heavenly beaches of East Lombok- part 1

continued in part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5

No offense to Bali – and everyone knows how I adore Bali – the best beaches I’ve had the pleasure to swim in is in the lesser known island east of it, Lombok.

I am not just talking of the strips of Senggigi or the high end Gili islands which Lombok is known for. The beaches I am featuring here are off the beaten track. They are in East Lombok or Lombok Timor (Lotim) in Indonesia and are about 2 hours away from the Mataram airport.

First is Sumerang.

Sumerang is blessed with more than 5 uninhabited islets which arc 180 degrees around the bay. Some are rock flats but at least two are soaring limestone karst cliffs that seem to be sentinels of the blue waters. As for now, there are no signs of tourists. Talk about an undiscovered gem that is not even identified in any commercial map!

My other favorite beach in Lotim is the lagoon of Serewe.

Albeit Serewe would occasionally appear in the map as Seriwe, that the spelling is a subject of confusion signifies how far-flung the area is. Like Sumerang, it is 100% devoid of tourists. Serewe features a narrow U-shaped lagoon which offers waters in a myriad of aqua blue and emerald colors.

How did I get to know these beaches? That is another story…


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1250s, f/5.6, 190mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
3 seaweed farmers in Sumerang, East Lombok, Indonesia



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1600s, f/5.6, 300mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
fishing in Sumerang, East Lombok, Indonesia


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/200s, f/14, 18mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
Serewe, East Lombok, Indonesia