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...

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...

One of the best parts of Bali has to be the amazing traditional arts. They have amazing carvers and painters, a unique orchestra(the Gamelan), and a thriving culture of dances and theatre. Last night we attended a dance and musical performance that was by far the best I have seen yet in Bali. This dance school toured in the west in the 1950's and had a huge impact. The dance style is flawless and the musical theory mystifying. The tuning of the Gamelan orchestra is quite different from music in the west.  The Gamelan  features a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, kendang (drums), gongs, bamboo flutes, and bowed strings. My descriptions of the these dances don't do them any justice so I will let the photos speak for me. Also I took a lot of video of both the orchestra and the dances, so when I have a chance to work on it and make something than you will really see how incredible and unique these art forms are. 

Our first week back in Bali has been great. It took us only two days to fully adjust to the 12 hour time change. After arriving in Denpasar and staying near the bus station for a couple nights we took a local minibus up into the mountains of central Bali. The minibuses are large vans that take specific routes and will pick people up anywhere along the way. Much cheaper and more fun the the tourist mini buses. We arrived in the town of Candi Kuning after a quick two hour ride which took us first through the flat agricultural region of central Bali and then up into the mountains. From Candi Kuning (pronounced Chandi Kuning) we did a day hike into the Jungle towards a temple on a ridge on the far side of the Volcanic lake(Danau Bratan). The Jungle was pretty dense and the trail got smaller and more grown in the further we went. We saw many different species of tropical birds and insects as well as some kind of squirrel and a few macaks. The macaks in the high mountain regions of Bali ...

We had a great trip last weekend to the pacific Rim National Park near Tofino. We took the ferry to the Island early Saturday morning and arrived at our campsite near long beach by 11am which gave us the whole day to get out and do some hikes. I was testing out my new film camera which turned out to work great. There are some really incredible landscapes around the park, my favorite would have to be the bog. Ill let the pictures and videos say the rest.

 The Spiti Valley was beyond all expectations. The Spiti valley is located in the North eastern part of the Indian State Himachel Pradesh.It is a desert on the roof of the world,a shangri-La of legend, cut off from the outside world by soaring himalayas and deadly mountain passes. A land where fifteen years ago no foreigner was permitted to enter. Close to the politically sensitive India/Tibet border the Spiti valley has been a restricted area since the forming of India. To this day all vistors must apply for a permit to enter in the mountain village of Rekong Peo, a small town surrounded by tall mountains in the Kinnaur valley which you must go through in order to enter the Spiti valley. When I traveled to the Spiti valley I was in the company of Jeanette and Philine, Jeanette and I were on our big India Nepal trip and we met Philine in Manali who decided she would also like to try to make the trip to the Spiti valley. We met in Shimla, the old summer British capital back in ...

Looking ahead I see the tall gates of the temple compound towering above the busy street. Vendors selling incense and idols tout over the sea of heads as the crowd moves slowly through the gates. Crossing the street I quickly slip through the gates using my usual tout avoidance tactics.  As I enter the complex I see before me the great monument of Boudhanath. A great mandala shaped Stupa with the eyes of the Buddha, the awakened one. On each of the four side the great pairs of eyes watch as the devote Buddhists below as they circumambulate the stupa clockwise. Many prostrate themselves on the ground measuring the length of their bodies as they go around, most just walk and pray, counting their prayers for peace on the beads of their malas. At once upon entering this place I feel at ease, hundreds of minds simultaneously contemplating the end of human suffering can have an interesting effect on the atmosphere of a place. The air is static, charged with some unknown essence, some en...

We arrived in the small city of Allapuza, Kerala, India on the 14th of February about two weeks after arriving in India. We had no idea what to expect in the backwaters of Kerala and the mystery had grown from all the stories we had been hearing from travelers along the way. We were told of a land of rivers, canals and lakes. Thousands of kilometers of waterways stretching along the inside of the coast. A safe haven for thousands of kinds of birds and other endangered species. A rich traditional culture existing unchanged along side a progressive education system and political structure. The effects of which were clearly visible when we arrived in the small town of Allapuzha, which is the starting point for the Backwaters of Kerala. Kerala is located is the most south western state in India, its coast line on the Arabian ocean has been a major trade route for thousands of years, even the ancient western civilizations had active tradin...

On the worn stone board walk by the Bali Sea a group of about 10 children fly their kites in the strong wind as their elders relax in the shade of their precarious bamboo shacks. My mind is confused by the sound of chickens, goats and the crashing waves of the sea mixed together. I guess growing up in Canada we tend not to associate farm animals with a tropical sea side. We get the usual look of confusion from the locals as we walk by, but it quickly turns into a smile when we say “hello, apa kabar” (“ hello, how are you”). “Baik baik” (“good, good”) they yell. “Hey, where you go?” asks the old man after we pass. It’s always the first question that pops into their head, not sure why. Maybe it’s the only English they know. “Jalan Jalan” (“taking a walk”) I yell over my shoulder. “Oh jalan jalaaannn” they laugh. The cool breeze blowing in from the sea is a nice change from the hot backstreets of Singaraja we took to get to the sea side. As we continue along the path we notice a large ...

After a few days in Jakarta it was time to move on. JP had found a job in Jakarta so his journey ended there, for now. We flew down to Bali, continuing our search for work. We have been in Bali now for maybe about a week. A couple days in Kuta (a boring beach town near the airport, popular for drinking and clubbing), 5 days in Ubud and today we arrived in the beach town of Lovina. On the second day in Ubud we did some cycling through the countryside and visited a few temples and sacred sites. On the third day we did a 10KM walk through some of the major archaeological sites around Ubud. We walked out of Ubud towards the village of Sala. Most of the way was down hill deep into ravines and then the strenuous climb up the other side. Arriving in Sala was a nice change, nice and flat! Rice Paddies as far as we could see. We passed through some of the important local temples and saw some of the different style of ancient Balinese architecture. Not far from Sala we went to the Ant...

In search of culture we left the beaches of Lovina and headed on foot into the mountains to the south . We didn’t have to go far to leave the touristy little town of Lovina behind. We quickly realized that this part of Bali didn’t see that many tourists on foot, maybe they would spot the occasional foreigner flying by on a motor bike. The small one lane road headed straight into the foot hills which wasn’t much of an incline. After about an hour we came to the top of a ridge and had a beautiful view of the mountains on the coast to the west. We met a woman there cutting grass with a small hand scythe and had a quick conversation in Indonesian about the heat and where we were headed. She seemed relatively unaware of the scorching heat even though she was wearing two shirts and a long skirt. She seemed a bit surprised that we were walking up the mountain for no reason except just for the sake of seeing what there was to see. I would likely feel the same way if I had grown up in a ...

Just a recap Of what I have been up to. I was in Beijing for a while checking out the sites before leaving china which was pretty cool. Met some really nice people there. After a few days, we flew from Beijing to Singapore and caught a ferry to the island of Batam in Indonesia. Flights directly to Jakarta were pretty expensive so we figured we should just fly to Singapore and take a ferry to Jakarta via the island of Batam. Batam was a nice island, though we only stayed for one day before jumping onto a ship bound for Jakarta. The ferry ride was overnight and lasted about 30 hours. We met a couple in their 70s who were on a biking trip all across Europe and Asia. They had biked most of the way from Scotland to Indonesia and were about to bike the length of Java to Bali. Amazing! In the end, we ended up saving a couple hundred dollars each. We arrived in Jakarta In the evening and took a Taxi to the main backpackers street, Jalan Jaksa. An interesting street if you’re in the right place...

After living in Dongguan in southern China for we decided that it was time to move on. JP Jeanette and I left dongguan together. With a common goal in mind we figured we might as well travel together for a time. After leaving dongguan we headed north on the train because we had a prospective job in Jinzhong, Shanxi Province. The train ride wasn’t too bad... right. We had a bed which was unfortunately on the top bunk giving us little room to move between the bed and the ceiling, approximately 2 feet of room to be precise. We saw a lot of the Chinese country side, but were getting a little giddy and overtired near the end. The train ride was about 45 hours long, but felt more like a week. From the beginning to the end every 20 minutes a man would emerge from the end of the train car slowing pushing a fruit cart moaning shuuuuiiii guo (sounds like Shuaaaaay gwo), which means fruit in Chinese, as he made his way through the Car. By the end of the second day we were so tri...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk down a street in China during the Qing dynasty! Well you can't because it was a long time ago, but!! you can go to Nan She Village. In a district of Dongguan called Chashan you can find the village of Nan she. It is a perfectly preserved village that has survived the test of time, through the Ming and Qing dynasty it has been relatively unchanged. In the past it was known as a major cultural center for south-eastern China now it is a quiet town but no less important. It has now been placed under protection by Chinese authority as one of China's many cultural relics. The whole village is not much larger than 5-10 square blocks enclosed by an ancient wall, but it packs a lot history and culture into a small area. The current residents spend most of their time sitting around talking or walking up and down the beautiful streets. Most of the young people are usually off in modern China getting an education or working in one o...