Marty Mellway Photography

Our road trip through Alaska and the Yukon territory was an incredible experience. We spent two months on the road in our Volvo wagon. We climbed peaks, came face to face with grizzlies and bison, hiked and camped through the rain, snow and cold. We drove to the end of the most northern highway in America and hiked back country through the tallest mountains in north America. Alaska is a land of such incredible beauty and unlike anything we have ever seen in our travels around the world. This is the Tundra north of the Brooks range. This is past the Arctic circle and past the tree line. A beautiful barren landscape inhabited by caribou and musk-ox. A family of Musk-ox grazing on the Tundra 2km from the Dalton highway. Musk-ox are ancient creatures from a time when woolly mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers roamed north america The Dalton highway runs 666 km from just north of Fairbanks all the way up to the Arctic ocean at Deadhorse. This highway goes further north than an...

Our car fully loaded with fresh supplies we leave Fairbanks, Alaska to begin the next part of our journey.  We head north on the Dalton Highway, a dirt road that runs 666 kilometres (414 miles) north to the Arctic ocean. It is the most northern highway in America and puts even hardy all-terrain vehicles to the test. Our AWD drive Volvo wagon is outfitted with two spare tires and hopefully everything we will need to survive the journey. Not far north of Fairbanks, we turn off the Elliott highway, which marks the beginning of the Dalton. As the evening approaches, we stop by a river and begin to set up camp. Grabbing my saw and axe one of my companions and I collect wood to make a fire.  With the fire going we prepared a delicious dinner, leaving us tired from the long day of driving. A full moon is rising on the horizon, a pale yellow disc against the blue twilight. With the fire dying down we retreat to the warmth of our sleeping bags.  Looking out my window in the...

Key Gompa, an ancient monastery in the Spiti Valley, a high altitude desert valley cut off from rainfall and the outside world by soaring mountains and treacherous roads in the state of Himachel Pradesh, North India. We stayed here over night while trekking through from Kibber to Kaza. Tea and meals with the monks was so much fun. We were called to meals and tea by the sound of a conch shell horn. One of the younger monks showed us many of the sacred inner rooms of the monastery which housed thousand year old scriptures and Thangkas (Tibetan paintings) which had been brought over from Tibet over the last thousand years. Some rooms were so sacred that outsiders were not even allowed to look in, which I really like because it leaves some mystery, which there ought to be in a thousand year old temple deep in the Himalayas  The monks take there meals in an ancient kitchen, along one wall there are big stone wood fire stoves. On top of the stoves huge bla...

2 sec   ƒ/3.5   ISO 400  17 mm This photograph is taken in a Balinese Hindu temple at night during a festival. The illumination of the backs of the people sitting in the foreground was caused by them lighting incense.  A little light goes a long way in a long exposure. One thing I like about this photograph which I didn't notice the first few times is the statue of a god on the right hand side which is looking down over all the praying Balinese. It is truly an amazing thing to witness. The sounds of bells, and the deep voice of the priests chanting prayers. The smell of incense and fresh flowers. This same scene might have been taking place over a thousand years ago. Photography tips: Of course with a long exposure you always want to use a tripod and a self-timer/remote. Best way to avoid people looking at you while you photograph something like this is to sit down and interact a littl...

Settings:  1/50       ƒ/1.8     ISO400       50 mm This is a photograph I took in the Tsuglag Khang Monastery in Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, in the State of Himachel Pradesh, North India. This was during a ceremony and the three monks were carrying some kind of liquid (maybe tea) in a small bowl which they were offering to the Older monks who were sitting. One of my favourite things about this photograph is how they are holding they robes in their mouths. The focus falls dead center on the monk in the middle but quickly my eyes get drawn down to the monks reading prayers in the bottom left. Photography Tips: Frame your scene and wait for the perfect composition. Some people just constantly snap photos and hope for a good one, but this leave no time to think, you need to be paying attention to all the little details. If your too busy constantly taking photos you might miss that perfect moment. This photo is using a very shallo...

I've finally finished the short film I've been working on. Its a film about travelling through Bali, Indonesia. Bali is an incredible place that despite the huge tourism industry has retained much of its ancient customs, beliefs and rituals. I hope that Bali will change slowly if at all. I hope that some of the magic of this place can be seen through this video, it is for me a poor substitute for the real thing. The Island of the Gods from Marty Mellway on Vimeo .

After a long trip by bus from the Cameron highlands in west Malaysia we stood by the wide brown river that lead into the jungle. Not just any jungle, Taman Negara, one of the oldest jungles on earth.  After gathering our things we climb into a long thin boat with the other travellers heading up the river toward the park headquarters. There were 4 of us travelling together at this point. Jeanette, Chistina, myself and a German girl whose name I cant remember. We were off at once, flying up the river into the unknown. On either side great trees soared, exotic birds called, our eyes were wide searching for movement at the banks. We all know under those dark trees coutless eyes were watching us roar past. Elephants, tigers, bison, snakes, spiders, leeches, monkeys, boars, giant ants. After three hours through the jungle on the boat we arrived at the park head quarters and the small riverside town of Kuala Tembeling. We set up in one of the few hostels and packed it in. We awoke early...